Dining plan or not

[kshark1958]

We have always used the dining plan when staying at WDW. This time around we are thinking about paying for all our meals to see what the savings may be and also just to see if theirs any difference in the way we approach our dining plans. I was wondering if anyone else has done this or do they always do the dining plan or always do pay per meal and why. The dining plan we always used was the plus plan. Which is one TS, one QS and one snack. We also eat our breakfast in our room with food we get from garden grocer and do lunch and dinner at the parks. Thanks for all your responses in advance

 

[Deb & Bill]

We have always used the dining plan when staying at WDW. This time around we are thinking about paying for all our meals to see what the savings may be and also just to see if theirs any difference in the way we approach our dining plans. I was wondering if anyone else has done this or do they always do the dining plan or always do pay per meal and why. The dining plan we always used was the plus plan. Which is one TS, one QS and one snack. We also eat our breakfast in our room with food we get from garden grocer and do lunch and dinner at the parks. Thanks for all your responses in advance

You could buy a Disney gift card with the same amount as the dining plan if you bought it. Then use it to buy all your food items. Any money left over and you know you will spend less than the dining plan. If you need to spend more money, you know the dining plan works for you.

You could also buy a Tables in Wonderland card if you do a lot of table service dining since many (most, really) will give you a 20% discount with the TIW card. There are a few limitations, so read up on those first. You need to spend at about $500 to break even on the card.

All this said, we bought the dining plan once, the first year it was offered to members and found we ate more than we usually did. We have used TIW the past few years and it saved us some. But this time we aren't getting TIW because of the price increase over the other years we had it. We only do about two or three table service dining and we don't buy alcoholic beverages.

 

[com_op_2000]

We have never done the dining plan, we always do in room dining, gift cards for off-site eating, and OOP. This way we can be more "free" and less everything mapped out/pre-planned. It is the way we choose to vacation and it works for us.

 

[davedmaine]

The DDP is bad news. It costs a lot more than paying OOP and makes you eat like a pig. I've never seen a case where people save more by being on it than by paying OOP.. some think they do, but they don't -- particularly when you factor in the additional gratuities, QS desserts nobody would get without the plan, etc..

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

We Were HUGE dinning plan fans! We loved the dinning plus plan.. (1 sit down, 1 quick, 1 snack) got it every trip!

Than we did some research into the TIW card and decided to try it out on our trip in May 2013.
We will NEVER go back to the Disney dinning plan!!!

This is why:

1. disney states the the dinning plan can save you "UP TO" 20%. This is if it's used correctly. TIW card guarantees it!

2. is we find with the TIW card we eat 2 sit down meals a day. One in the late morning and one in the evening, with a snack In between..
Not only did we save tons of money, but we got to enjoy better food.
Doing the TIW this way also builds in break into our day. We take our time and enjoy our meals. We were in be our guest for 2hours!

3. I also find the wait staff Treats you MUCH better, when you are not on the dinning plans.
They don't rush you out, they check in on you more.. We even had the table next to us, lean over and ask us if we were VIPS to something?! :ROFl:

4. Less crowed dinning options. At the places the DDP in not offered in and TIW is, you will find there is almost no crowds! No waiting..
We didn't have a Ressie for one of our days last trip.. Over site on my part :-(
We walked right up to a restaurant and they took us right in than and there..
When I asked why they were not busy, we were told b/c it's free dinning and they don't take DDP.
I can't remember where it was now (somewhere in Epcot).

5. There are special hard tickets events you can attend. Only open to TIW.. It's called dinning in wonderland.
The one I really wanted to do, was the event where you dine INSIDE the great movie ride!

These are our reason we will never go back.. The saving alone on the TIW make it worth it..

Ps. Also using TIW on the 2 credit meals (ex. Royal table, hoop dee doo ect. Ect) saves you the most..
So if you think you want to eat at the few of those go with TIW..

 

[kittyab]

I think it depends on your plans. I know we plan a lot of character dining on our next visit. We are foodies and love to try different things etc.

We have already decided our next trip we will do a DDP.

 

[disneynutz]

We compare the price of the DDP to paying OOP and OOP wins based on our selections. Like most Disney deals, it started out great and over the years got striped and modified. IMO most guests still buy it because they are used to it, they like the idea of pre-paying, and for some being on the plan makes them feel special.

Bill

 

[kshark1958]

We Were HUGE dinning plan fans! We loved the dinning plus plan.. (1 sit down, 1 quick, 1 snack) got it every trip!

Than we did some research into the TIW card and decided to try it out on our trip in May 2013.
We will NEVER go back to the Disney dinning plan!!!

This is why:

1. disney states the the dinning plan can save you "UP TO" 20%. This is if it's used correctly. TIW card guarantees it!

2. is we find with the TIW card we eat 2 sit down meals a day. One in the late morning and one in the evening, with a snack In between..
Not only did we save tons of money, but we got to enjoy better food.
Doing the TIW this way also builds in break into our day. We take our time and enjoy our meals. We were in be our guest for 2hours!

3. I also find the wait staff Treats you MUCH better, when you are not on the dinning plans.
They don't rush you out, they check in on you more.. We even had the table next to us, lean over and ask us if we were VIPS to something?! :ROFl:

4. Less crowed dinning options. At the places the DDP in not offered in and TIW is, you will find there is almost no crowds! No waiting..
We didn't have a Ressie for one of our days last trip.. Over site on my part :-(
We walked right up to a restaurant and they took us right in than and there..
When I asked why they were not busy, we were told b/c it's free dinning and they don't take DDP.
I can't remember where it was now (somewhere in Epcot).

5. There are special hard tickets events you can attend. Only open to TIW.. It's called dinning in wonderland.
The one I really wanted to do, was the event where you dine INSIDE the great movie ride!

These are our reason we will never go back.. The saving alone on the TIW make it worth it..

Ps. Also using TIW on the 2 credit meals (ex. Royal table, hoop dee doo ect. Ect) saves you the most..
So if you think you want to eat at the few of those go with TIW..

This is why I love disboards so much for Disney planning. I didn't even know about the TIW card. With 4 adults 7 nights in WDW thats at least 5 or 6 TS meals and not counting the double TS restaurants. I will make more then my 100 dollar fee back in savings. Something I am definitely looking in to. Thanks again everyone

 

[disfanforlife]

We have done the dining plan on every trip. Finally talked my husband into trying to go without it on our upcoming trip next month. He is not worried about weather we save or not but doesn't want me worrying about how much things cost. I promised him I wouldn't so he agreed. We are getting the TIW card and plan to use it in March and again in December. I am almost 100 percent sure we will prefer it!

 

[kshark1958]

The DDP would be so much better if you could customize it for your needs. A couple examples are:
I know if I do OOP I wouldn't usually do dessert or appetizer since the main entree and a salad are enough to fill me up.
Also on our last day we always have to run down to one of the shops to use the rest of our snack options which we end up putting in the suitcase when we go home.
So in the end I feel like I paid for some things I don't want or need.I know the DDP is extremely convenient but this time I am definitely doing TIW. Not going till )9/14 but I'll put something on the Disboards when I get back

 

[disfanforlife]

The DDP would be so much better if you could customize it for your needs. A couple examples are:
I know if I do OOP I wouldn't usually do dessert or appetizer since the main entree and a salad are enough to fill me up.
Also on our last day we always have to run down to one of the shops to use the rest of our snack options which we end up putting in the suitcase when we go home.
So in the end I feel like I paid for some things I don't want or need.I know the DDP is extremely convenient but this time I am definitely doing TIW. Not going till )9/14 but I'll put something on the Disboards when I get back

Me too! I love desserts but sometimes I am too full after dinner and would rather have a dole whip later! I am also looking forward to sharing a meal or two with my daughter and ordering salad or an appetizer with it which we would not be able to do on the DP!

 

[disneynutz]

The DDP would be so much better if you could customize it for your needs. A couple examples are:
I know if I do OOP I wouldn't usually do dessert or appetizer since the main entree and a salad are enough to fill me up.
Also on our last day we always have to run down to one of the shops to use the rest of our snack options which we end up putting in the suitcase when we go home.
So in the end I feel like I paid for some things I don't want or need.I know the DDP is extremely convenient but this time I am definitely doing TIW. Not going till )9/14 but I'll put something on the Disboards when I get back

The DDP is designed to make Disney money, not to provide the guest with a good deal. My guess is that there are thousands of credits not used due to the design of the plan. That's more money in Disney's pocket.

How many DDP guests use their credits on anything, just to use them up?

Bill

 

[Mflaherty]

The dining plan is just plain fun! No worries about ordering the most expensive item. And no, I probably wouldn't order a dessert with every meal.... But why not?? I'm on vacation!

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

one more thing I wanted to add..

Disney makes you buy DDP for EVERYONE in your party.. TIW is good up to 10 people!
With TIW I can split a meal between my two kids, or spilt my meal with my youngest..
So I can order as much or as little as I like..


My little one does not eat a lot and normally just picks off our plates. The next time we go back we would have to buy her a DDP all for herself! She would NEVER eat it all..
Such a waste of food and money.
The CM even let me order off the kids meal, since i was not that hungry and didn't want anything off the adult menu.
You can also order and app. As your meal with the TIW card, which I did one time as well.

So If your have people In Your party who don't eat a lot, or can be picky I think TIW is the place to go

 

[Dean]

We have always used the dining plan when staying at WDW. This time around we are thinking about paying for all our meals to see what the savings may be and also just to see if theirs any difference in the way we approach our dining plans. I was wondering if anyone else has done this or do they always do the dining plan or always do pay per meal and why. The dining plan we always used was the plus plan. Which is one TS, one QS and one snack. We also eat our breakfast in our room with food we get from garden grocer and do lunch and dinner at the parks. Thanks for all your responses in advance

It really depends on how you'd use it. It sounds like you have enough experience to know how and where you'd eat, that info and the menu's should allow you to decide up front. IMO it needs to save you 20% and/or give you 20% added value (things you want) to be worthwhile due to the risk involved. The other variables are the makeup of your group and the length of the stay. I'd suggest you plan out your trip and look at the menu's, it should be obvious at that point the best way to go.

 

[castleri]

It really depends on how you'd use it. It sounds like you have enough experience to know how and where you'd eat, that info and the menu's should allow you to decide up front. IMO it needs to save you 20% and/or give you 20% added value (things you want) to be worthwhile due to the risk involved. The other variables are the makeup of your group and the length of the stay. I'd suggest you plan out your trip and look at the menu's, it should be obvious at that point the best way to go.

Great advice
I have done this for three trips and each time the TIW card beat the DDP beacuse of the way we choose to eat.

 

[glenndon]

I have never done the dining plan because I have small kids I know couldn't eat the amount of food that would be offered. Paying cash has always bugged me because I have 4 kids... Even having them sit at the table picking from mine or wife's plate still locks me into the 18% gratuity for a party of 6 regardless. The TIW card sounds interesting though..

 

[Dean]

I have never done the dining plan because I have small kids I know couldn't eat the amount of food that would be offered. Paying cash has always bugged me because I have 4 kids... Even having them sit at the table picking from mine or wife's plate still locks me into the 18% gratuity for a party of 6 regardless. The TIW card sounds interesting though..

I'm assuming they're all under 10 given your description. For certain trips and length of stay you may find it a great choice, esp if you do buffet type meals where they can't legally eat from your plate if 3 or above. Kids 3-9 are one of the situations where you tend to get more value, not less. Also, they will get to the point where you will need to buy at least a couple of kids meals fairly soon. I don't understand the 18% gratuity remark. While tips are traditionally calculated based on what's ordered, I think most reasonable people would give more than 18-20% for such a party if most of the kids are not ordering their own meal. My view is that the tip for 2 adult meals with 4 kids not ordering should be around the same, or fairly close, as if the kids are ordering just the same as you tip on the pre-discounted amount when using TIW or other discounts. You may not realize that you don't have to order a meal for every child for every meal even if you do have the DP. We do this commonly both for ourselves and when we have the grandchild with us. We often share and save credits for signature meals and/or to stretch to cover the entire day on arrival and departure.

 

[kirstenb1]

I've never tried the plan---it just doesn't appeal to me to prepay for something that potentially has a lot of variables. WE've been DVC'rs for 21 yrs now. Over that time, I caught a horrible case of Norovirus one year. Poor dh took the kids to the parks solo for the 3 days I was unable to leave the villa.

Also, we tend to just eat on the fly. When we're hungry, we scarf a quick meal, and go back to rides. We have done the occasional breakfast character buffet, but otherwise, we're on the move!!

Finally, I really think the makeup of your group, and the time of year you go factor in. We have 2 impatient kids, and go in June as soon as they get out of school. I could easily picture an adult group going in January spending more time at a table service restaurant than us.

 

[brandigregory]

Very interesting! I was going to do the dining plan for 2 adults and 1 4yo which would be $980 for 7 nights. We are planning on 5 TS meals for sure including CRT, AHB at Epcot, California Grill, BOG for lunch which I know is QS, H&V buffet and a couple others that I can't remember now. What do you all think? TIW card with the pre-funded gift card for $880 (balance after I pay the membership fee) or DDP plus??