Dining Plan Value

[Keyser]

In case others are curious, here's the results of our recent (mid-January) trip using the Disney Dining Plan.

Overall, we saved 32% off of the listed price for the meals.

We were there 7 nights, 2 adults and 1 child, used all of our credits, and didn't use a child's meal credit for an adult, except maybe on one counter-service breakfast.

In terms of VALUE only (i.e. cost bought separately vs. cost on DDP), it was:
Table Service:
Best: Le Cellier (for the 3 of us, the bill would've been over $150!).
Worst: Breakfastosaurus

Counter Service:
Best: Probably Sunshine Seasons
Worst: Anytime we used DDP for breakfast

Snacks:
Best: Toll-House Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Worst: Fruit

As everyone has reported, it was more food than we'd normally eat (particularly for my 4yo daughter). However, we still ended up paying for breakfasts out of pocket several times. Overall, we probably paid more (maybe 20% more) than what we normally would have paid for food on the trip, but we were able to eat a lot more, and at nicer places than we would have otherwise. Plus, servers in buffet places probably got better tips than we would have normally given (I think they were still getting 18%, when I'd normally tip 10% or less at a buffet)! We were very happy with the plan, overall.

We ate at a lot of fixed-price places, which is not the way to "maximize" your dollar. Likewise, you could maximize it more by not using credits for breakfasts (both TS and CS provide poorer value per credit, then), or by using child credits for adult meals.

Oh, and for reference, the table service places we ate at were:
Restaurant Marrakesh
Le Cellier
Cinderella's Royal Table (it was still 1 credit)
O'Hana
Boma
Breakfastosaurus
Hollywood & Vine (Fantasmic Dinner Package)

 

[3princesses4us]

Thanks for breaking it down like that- very interesting! Gotta' love that dining plan...

 

[Kaye]

Thanks for the info. I just booked our trip with the dining package. It's seems to be a good deal, especially since we do enjoy the full service restaurants. Overall, was it easy to use and keep track of? (I know, dangling preposition--it bothers me too!)

 

[Keyser]

Overall, was it easy to use and keep track of?

It's fairly easy to keep track of - every time you use a credit, you get a receipt showing how many of that credit you have left. BUT, the ones you use do not necessarily "post" until the evening. You should be OK if you use them all in one park during the day, but, e.g. when we spent the day in a park then ate at a resort that night, the resort did not yet have a record of the meals used at the park when it gave us a receipt (so it looked for a time like we had some extra meals...).

As far as keeping track of what it would have cost, you'll get a receipt that shows a $0 cost for the meal, and (except for snacks) you'll sign a receipt that shows the actual $ cost of the meal. Just make sure you write that amount down on the receipt you keep, to keep track of what you would have spent otherwise. Sometimes, I had to ask the cashier exactly what the total was, so that I could write it down for my own records.