Dining Plan ?s

[DisneyLvr12]

Ok, we've been to WDW tons of times and have never gotten the dining plan. How do I know that it's worth it for our family? Usually, we opt for the 40% off Deluxe resort room. You can't combine discounts right?! So...if we go the resort discount route, should we buy the dining plan? It's only dh, me and our 3.5 y.o. that would be eating. Usually, we do CL and have the continental breakfast included. Sometimes, we're not able to get a CL room, though, so we'd eat a QS breakfast. A QS lunch and a sit down dinner.

How do I know that the dining plan is right for us? Is it better to get the free dining and pay full price for a deluxe room?

ETA: What if we're AP holders? Can we do the AP room discount and a dining plan? Should we not get the AP and go with a dining plan instead (I think you have to buy park passes to get free dining, right?!)?

 

[mrsxsparrow]

Ok, we've been to WDW tons of times and have never gotten the dining plan. How do I know that it's worth it for our family? Usually, we opt for the 40% off Deluxe resort room. You can't combine discounts right?! So...if we go the resort discount route, should we buy the dining plan? It's only dh, me and our 3.5 y.o. that would be eating. Usually, we do CL and have the continental breakfast included. Sometimes, we're not able to get a CL room, though, so we'd eat a QS breakfast. A QS lunch and a sit down dinner.

How do I know that the dining plan is right for us? Is it better to get the free dining and pay full price for a deluxe room?

As a general rule, the 40% off a deluxe is a better deal then free dining (you save more per day than the dining plan costs). I think the only way to figure out if the DDP is for you is to check out menus and meal prices, figure out what you think you might order, and see if that cost comes out below what the DDP costs. I'm doing a split stay and for the first half, the Deluxe DDP is much cheaper then what I'd pay OOP but for the second half it would be more expensive. It really depends where and what you're eating, I think.

And yes, if you have an AP rate room you can add the dining plan on. To get free dining you need to buy a 2 day ticket but like I said, the % off should be a better deal. Also, if you're an AP holder, check out Tables in Wonderland... I'm saving much more through that than using the DDP.

 

[mjp12831]

Use the WDW website to price out the room only without adding MYW options - multiply by 40% and that's your savings.

To compare, then add on park tickets and see what the price is before, then add the dining plan - the incremental cost is your dining plan cost.

If comparing free dining offer to 40% you can now compare the two amounts. For us (fam of 5 with 3 disney "children"), the dining is WAY better. Not sure how it will work with only 3 family members.

FYI, it's often asked on here if the dining plan is worth it - I pulled prices off of the menus we ate at and we actually saved 35% on the ddp vs if we purchased the same food from the same places oop. We had many higher priced buffets and character meals as our TS, so the 35% may be higher than average, but it's a real number.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

Use the WDW website to price out the room only without adding MYW options - multiply by 40% and that's your savings.

To compare, then add on park tickets and see what the price is before, then add the dining plan - the incremental cost is your dining plan cost.

If comparing free dining offer to 40% you can now compare the two amounts. For us (fam of 5 with 3 disney "children"), the dining is WAY better. Not sure how it will work with only 3 family members.

FYI, it's often asked on here if the dining plan is worth it - I pulled prices off of the menus we ate at and we actually saved 35% on the ddp vs if we purchased the same food from the same places oop. We had many higher priced buffets and character meals as our TS, so the 35% may be higher than average, but it's a real number.

Are you staying deluxe? I did calculations for someone else a while ago who also had 3 kids and the 40% came out better. 40% off of a standard view room at the Poly during the 2011 value season, weekday, would save $154. The basic dining plan for 2 adults ($45.99 x 2) and 3 children ($11.99 x 3) would be $127.95. So you'd save more using the 40% off and buying the dining plan.