Dining plan or out of pocket?

[1sttimedisneymama]

we are taking our 2 year old to Disney for the first time in November. There are no discounts available yet but out TA said there will most likely be a % off rack rates OR free dining plan. We don't know how valuable the dining plan is or if out of pocket would be better. We plan to bring stuff for breakfast and aren't snackers really so we'd be doing quick service for lunches and we want to book character dining for dinners. Which is better Dining plan or out of pocket?

 

[LovesTimone]

This is one of those subjects that everyone has a thoughts or opinion on,..... so here are mine

Frist off were are you staying? if in a Value Resort the " free dinning" plan covers 2 QS and 1 snack per person per day. Moderate or above "Free Dinning" plan is 1QS , 1TS and snack per person per day, or if you are planning a lot of dinning, character or signature meals (2 TS entitlements) you can pay the cost to upgrade to Deluxe Disney Dinning Plan which is 3 TS ( and you can use them at QS sites) and 2 snacks per person per day.

Only you can decide on... what amount of food you need or restaurant you want try or want to experience while on vacation. Also you need to think about how you tour... Commando, Laid Back, everyone tours differently. Stopping for TS does take time, but it does give everyone some time to sit down, relax and regroup. For us vacation included meal times, to talking to each other, some of our best memories are at meal time.

We personally like the dinning plan, yes you are paying for it in some way, but DH and I like knowing that everything is paid for except for tips & adult beverages are of course not included.
When our DD's were little, we enjoyed regular DDP ( 1QS, 1TS, 1 Snack per person per day), We would do breakfast in the room most days, which worked out great for us. QS for lunch and TS for dinner, we mostly stuck to this to keep within their normal sch. I started playing around with it more and more, I found that Character breakfast worked out really great, and the kiddos weren't beyond tired or asleep and enjoyed this interaction more. But as they got older they need a real meal instead of a quick breakfast like when they were younger. Once they hit about 4 or 5 grade we had moved to DDXDP, Character meal, and a signature thrown in for mom and dad. We enjoyed trying new things, and appetizer and dessert while not always how we order at home but is/was really fun while on vacation. We still go the dinning plan route when we are all together as DD's are all grown up and have families of their own.

I would at least try it once, and see for yourself if it will work for your family.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We ALWAYS get the deluxe meal plan...I like the fact that I can pay for my dining in advance. We also like having 3 meals a day because it gives us a break to regroup without having to go back to the hotel. It also helps me with my guilt lol, if I didn't have the plan I would probably order the cheapest thing on the menu, but with the dining plan I feel like we already paid for it and I can order anything I want off the menu. We are big fans of the dining plan, but like pp pointed out its 1 of those topics that everyone has their own opinions on.

 

[jknewberry]

When we went 4 years ago, we got the free dining plan with our room reservations, and LOVED it. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and had 4 adults, one 4 year old and a 2.5 year old in two rooms. It was a better deal for my husband and I than my inlaws since we would have been paying OOP for the two of us plus the two kids, whereas they would have only had their meals. On the dining plan, we had plenty of food- my 2 year old was able to get his own plat at any of the buffets and all the other meals were more than generous so he could share a meal with me (he had his pick since all the adults tended to have more then enough to share. The part I liked best was being able to order whatever meal and NOT worrying about the price of the entree- we all generally choose the cheaper options at restaurant (burgers instead of steak) so it is nice to not feel like you have to do that and just get what you want.

We are going again next year, same group plus an almost 3 year old, staying at a DVC property and we will buy the dining plan that includes one table service and one counter service per day, plus the snacks. Another added benefit is not having the bills while at Disney- you are only paying for tips and extras at that point, so it is kind of nice not to think about the money spent on dining since it is already spent!

There are ways to do food cheaper at Disney, sure. We pack lunches for school and work at home and enjoy the savings there, so why not do that while on vacation? Then just a QS meal for dinner (still more than enough food, and very good food in my opinion), but since we don't vacation often it is kind of nice to add to the experience by not having to worry about hauling food around and packing it every day.... You can leave the park for meals and save a little money, but you lose on time that could be spent enjoying the park.

Just my 2c, hope that helps!

 

[mckenk]

The dining plan is valuable if you are going to do a character meal everyday. Those character meals are expensive! I've run those numbers for our family.

However - Your two year old doesn't qualify for the dining plan, and he/she will be able to eat for free at buffet restaurants. With only two of you, I think you would be better off taking the room discount - for sure if you are going to stay at a deluxe resort. Those numbers are easy to run - look at the cost of two adults on the dining plan vs. the room discount and take the bigger savings. Your best option may be paying for the dining plan and taking the room discount.

 

[Hikergirl]

Since its just the two of you that will have the dining plan whether or not free dining is a savings is going to depend on what resort you are staying in. Even with character dining every dinner you may find that a room only discount is better.

We used free dining once, and it was just too much food. We never pay for the dining plan because its isn't a cost savings for us. You can check out allears.net and get the prices for all the places you are wanting to eat and see which discount is better for you.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Thanks we will check into it.

 

[katmatry]

Based on what you said your eating habits are I would pay out of pocket.

 

[CoP Luv]

I would pay out of pocket. We went with a two year old for 10 days and only had two TS meals (one was character) and that was plenty. The two year old just didn't want to sit through long meals, especially dinners when they are tired and over stimulated. We did one breakfast and one dinner (on a non park day) and I am glad I didn't schedule anymore than that.

Plans can easily change on a daily basis with a child that young and I wouldn't want to feel as if I had to stick with reservations, or incur a fee, just because I had a dining plan.

For us, we don't get desserts or really anything other than water while we eat, so we would be paying for things (and tipping on them!!) that we wouldn't normally pay for. It is not a good value for our eating habits at all.

 

[Shanti]

Out of pocket if you're staying at a deluxe: the room-only discount will save you more money.

If you're staying at a moderate, you might want to crunch the numbers to see which will save you the most, but that's not an easy task. Remember that you'll only need the dining plan for the two of you (2 year-old won't need it), and there is hassle involved with planning for the daily spending of points on the dining plan, and keeping track of your points, etc.

Much easier to just scan all food charges to your Magic Band, and pay up at check-out. I prefer a room-only discount because we usually travel as just 2 people, we like staying deluxe, and it's less hassle than keeping track of points during our vacation.

However if money is tight & you're staying at a moderate, the dining plan will allow you to not worry about how much money you're spending on food.

 

[msnewfie]

We were lucky enough to get a free quick service meal a day for our upcoming summer trip. At this time the table service and quick service plans were reduced in price, but after careful consideration we decided against it.

While the dining plans are a good deal, they are restrictive. ( we have done table service dining, and quick service dining).

We would definitely need more snacks on a summer vacation , beverages and light food items, than the current dining plans allow. Also, we are not big dessert people, especially when eating large restaurant meals, so the nature of the dining plan is again, not the best plan for us.


Also, the resort mugs seem to be getting too expensive if you stop and price it out. Most tourists spend most of the day in the parks, and get to use the mugs once or twice a day. They seem to be adding too much to the dining plans.

It would be nice to have the option of a dessert or an appetizer. More snacks are needed on the plans, especially in the hot summers.

The idea of knowing what dining would cost would be nice, but for the 2 adults going on our trip, that was going to be $1100 Canadian when we booked for a 7 night stay.

 

[Yarbogash]

If you want the 'convenience' of prepaying just load the money on a Disney gift card and attach that in mde. Gives you way more options as to what you eat and you don't lose any unused portion.

 

[Marionnette]

If you want the 'convenience' of prepaying just load the money on a Disney gift card and attach that in mde. Gives you way more options as to what you eat and you don't lose any unused portion.

You cannot "attach" a GC to your MDE account. You can either pay with the GC at the point of purchase or you can make charges to your room account and settle up at the front desk with your GC before the room charges hit your CC.

 

[ellie05]

It is just DH and I and we have only gotten the dining plan once and honestly it wasn't worth it. It usually doesn't save you money unless you each order dessert every meal. Tips are not included and some restaurants have a separate menu for dinning plan so you can't order anything you want. I would check you ADR and add them up and then add up what the dinning plan is going to cost you or the difference in room price.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

our first two trip we took the room discount and paid for the dining plan (1 qs, 1 ts, 1 snack per night). First trip two kids were free so it was just 2 adults. we did all character meals for dinner and that was a savings. qs ended up buys a few meals since we ate more than we had enough meals for. second trip had left over qs meals. I really think it depends on how much you eat and if you share meals. The TS were all character meals but timing makes a difference. We did a few breakfasts and those days we tended to not need all our qs for each of us. So thats where we ended up with extra meals. the mugs are nice so you dont have to pay for drinks non stop. Kids would drink water some but they preferred milk or juice and since they could get a lemonade with their mug they did that quite often. If you check one of the dining calculators it might help you decide if its worth getting the dining plan or just paying out of pocket.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We have never done the dining plan because we wouldn't even come close to breaking even. We pay out of pocket for whatever we want, usually one good meal per day, and one or two quick/counter service. However, we don't usually all get meals. Often DH and I will split something, or I'll just get a kids meal salad at a QS, or the kids will split a power pack kid's meal. Even doing daily buffet's and/or character meals, we rarely spent the equivalent of dining plan cost per person on any days, much less all of them. The room discount has always been a better deal for us, but you have to run the numbers yourself.

 

[SoMuchJoy]

we are taking our 2 year old to Disney for the first time in November. There are no discounts available yet but out TA said there will most likely be a % off rack rates OR free dining plan. We don't know how valuable the dining plan is or if out of pocket would be better. We plan to bring stuff for breakfast and aren't snackers really so we'd be doing quick service for lunches and we want to book character dining for dinners. Which is better Dining plan or out of pocket?

There is a calculator you can find online that will tell you what is best. We priced it and out of pocket is cheaper, even with the character meals. With the dining plan, you get a drink, meal, and dessert with every meal plus a snack a day. If we were paying to of pocket 1: our kids would share a drink because they are huge, 2. We wouldn't get a dessert with every meal. It's more expensive to do buffets than sit down dinners when paying out of pocket. We end up not using all of our snacks and end up buying junk not to lose them. Take a little time, plan what you might eat, use the calculator and see what will be cheaper for you. I was surprised that paying out of pocket was cheaper.
Plus you can use tips like....a cup of water is free...

 

[Yarbogash]

You cannot "attach" a GC to your MDE account. You can either pay with the GC at the point of purchase or you can make charges to your room account and settle up at the front desk with your GC before the room charges hit your CC.

You are right. I should remember that; our Jan/15 trip we used our gift cards to settle up at the desk. Easy to do.
You could also just use the card for meals. I think the Disney Tourist Blog sums it up better than I can:
'This is a common concern about the Disney Dining Plan, and the response I’ve heard from people is that they don’t care about saving money, they just get the Disney Dining Plan for convenience and to avoid thinking about money on vacation. This doesn’t seem logical. If you don’t want to worry about money, purchase a Disney Gift Card before the trip. While I don’t advocate making that psychological disconnect between actual and “fake” money, if you really need to make it, go that route.'
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/dining-plan-2013-disney-world-costs/

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Both our last trip and this trip have been gifts from my SIL. I am sure there is a psychological aspect of buying the dining plan as opposed to paying OOP for our dining in that she doesn't have to begrudge what we order because it's already covered (though we do pay for anything not covered by the dining plan ourselves). That said, we are planning to eat quite differently on this trip than we did last trip.

First, we have a 2 TS credit dinner at HBD (Fantasmic package), which we have never done before. Then we have planned an entire day at World Showcase for F&G where we will likely use all our snack credits at once (a MUCH better use of them that last time, where we mostly spent them on Mickey treats and energy drinks). We're buying much less food for the room for in-room breakfasts. I used to wonder how people had leftover CS at the end of a long trip - we haven't even gotten there yet and I still have 4 CS per person that we have no plans for yet (likely using at least some at F&G for converting to snacks).

We are planning on tracking our dining this time to see exactly how much better gift cards could be for us.

 

[supersnoop]

Which is better Dining plan or out of pocket?

Use www.distripplanner.com to give you a rough idea.