Dining plan or not? - our ADRs are scheduled please help

[left210]

It will be DH, myself, 10 yr old son who is considered an adult at Disney (still baffles me but we wont go there) and 2 year old.

ADRs are as follows:

Crystal Palace breakfast
Hollywood & Vine breakfast
Mama Melrose Fantasmic package lunch
Coral Reef lunch


So the big question is, is the dining plan really worth it for us? I did the math and I am finding it is cheaper to go without it but maybe I feel like I must be missing something. What is the sales tax? I used 8% in my calcuations. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[KungFoomF]

At these meals will you order appetizers/desserts? When Disney says you will save X% on meals with the dining plan they are assuming everyone eats dessert at every meal when they don't. I've done the math many times and for what my family likes to eat I can't break even on the dining plan. To me the dining plan is useful for pre-paying and having that aspect of your trip squared away. And obviously free dining discounts make the plan a must-have.

If you did the math and you aren't seeing it, then it probably isn't for you.

 

[left210]

Yes I did include a dessert in my apples to apples comparison just to be sure even though we may not get desserts every time. I just wanted to make sure I wasnt missing something. Maybe it is because we did not pick high dollar restaurants or something. I am going to do a more detailed spreadsheet just to make sure but wanted some input from the experts on here too. Thanks.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Just off the top of my head, looking at your choices, you'll probably come out cheaper OOP. Breakfast is generally cheaper than some of the sit down meals.
Whichever way you decide, have a great trip!!

 

[Mrs D]

It will be DH, myself, 10 yr old son who is considered an adult at Disney (still baffles me but we wont go there) and 2 year old.

ADRs are as follows:

Crystal Palace breakfast
Hollywood & Vine breakfast
Mama Melrose Fantasmic package
Coral Reef


So the big question is, is the dining plan really worth it for us? I did the math and I am finding it is cheaper to go without it but maybe I feel like I must be missing something. What is the sales tax? I used 8% in my calcuations. Any help would be appreciated.

How many nights is your resort reservation for? You pay per night of the ressie and get 1 TS per each night. For the sake of comparison I am assuming a 4 night resort reservation.

You didn't say your dates of travel so I will assume you aren't traveling when "peak" prices are in effect for the dining plan.

You don't say what meal you will be eating for Coral Reef so I will assume dinner.

Since the 2 y.o. isn't included in the dining plan I did not include him/her for any of the math.

Based on my calculations you will save $25 by paying out of pocket versus the dining plan. If the 10 y.o. would prefer kids meals versus adult meals you will save more. If you don't order a dessert at every TS & CS meal, you will save even more. If you order appetizers or salads at TS that savings is diminished.

You typically get the best return on the dining plan when eating dinner as it's a pricier meal. If you wanted to change those breakfasts to dinners the calculations change. If you are set on breakfasts I'd go with OOP.

HTH!

 

[left210]

How many nights is your resort reservation for? You pay per night of the ressie and get 1 TS per each night.

You didn't say your dates of travel so I will assume you aren't traveling when "peak" prices are in effect for the dining plan.

You don't say what meal you will be eating for Coral Reef so I will assume dinner.

Since the 2 y.o. isn't included in the dining plan I did not include him/her for any of the math.

Based on my calculations you will save $25 by paying out of pocket versus the dining plan. If the 10 y.o. would eat kids meals versus adult meals you will save more. If you don't order a dessert at every TS & CS meal, you will save even more. If you order appetizers or salads at TS that savings is diminished.

HTH!

We will be there June 7 to June 11 for 4 nights. Sorry I edited my post to reflect lunch for both MM and CR. I just looked at menu prices on another site. I didnt realize they would change for different seasons. See I knew you guys would have more info that I was aware of. Also, what is actual sales tax on food at WDW?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

We will be there June 7 to June 11 for 4 nights. Sorry I edited my post to reflect lunch for both MM and CR. I just looked at menu prices on another site. I didnt realize they would change for different seasons. See I knew you guys would have more info that I was aware of. Also, what is actual sales tax on food at WDW?

I believe it is 6.5% for most of WDW, and 7% for a few of the value resorts.