Dining Plan vs. Out of Pocket

[lilaggie2002]

So I am trying to decide between the Standard Dining Plan and just paying out of pocket. I've poked around a little and saw numbers for 2015/2016. But does anyone have the breakdown for the daily cost of the plans? Also, is there a location to find current restaurant menus/prices?

Thanks!

 

[Karau614]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm

 

[lilaggie2002]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm

Thanks!

 

[Karau614]

Also I played around with dining plans too many times to count for our upcoming trip and most of the time it showed we would lose money or break even with the regular dining plan. We are using the deluxe plan for part of our split stay coming up and will save quite a bit. The deluxe is the easiest option to save money imo, the regular plan can work if you just want everything paid in advance and don't mind if you save anything or not but usually best to pay out of pocket

 

[madasahatter]

I just found this resource, which was helpful for me when I was deciding which option was the best for me. https://www.distripplanner.com/

For me the dining plan ended up being worth it.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

The only way to know is to find the menus/prices of where you intend to eat and do the math. I did that for our July trip last year and saved hundreds of dollars using the regular plan, but that was because we had one adult and two kids and we often split two adult quick service meals between the three of us (we didn't use the quick service credits for children's meals), because we ate BOG breakfast a couple times, and because we used our table service credits for expensive buffets like Fantasmic dinner packages, Jungle Book dinner packages, and Akershus. You really can save quite a bit of money on the plan, but you have to plan and use the credits wisely. Now that my older daughter has turned 10, we will likely not save money on the dining plan because she does not eat enough to justify the difference in the adult and child price.

 

[Karau614]

I just found this resource, which was helpful for me when I was deciding which option was the best for me. https://www.distripplanner.com/

For me the dining plan ended up being worth it.

I thought that site helped as well as a starting point. Once I looked at menus and prices though I found I would rarely spend as much as the trip planner thought. It seemed to pick about the most expensive combo of items at places.

 

[leebee]

Whether or not the dining plans save you money is a very individualized thing. If you are doing a buffet/character meal every day, or using the credits for packages (like for Fantasmic!), the dining plan can save you money. We don't usually do these things, so we rarely get the dining plan. DD23 and I usually have breakfast in our room (food from home or a grocery stop), then have one TS and one QS meal a day. We often share the QS meal if we are someplace where we can get a deal (like the 1/2 chicken at Cosmic Ray's or the chicken/rib combo at Flame Tree BBQ). We also don't usually drink soda with meals, and often skip or share a dessert (depending on how many park snacks we've consumed, LOL!). We also don't choose to order only the most expensive items on the menu; we order what we like, and eat the way we like. I have found that we pay about $300 LESS when paying OOP than when we have a dining plan (and remember... the QSDP and DDP only provide 2 meals a day)

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Everything I have read has indicated that you typically don't save money doing a DDP, but usually just break even. Plus you will wind up eating a ton of food on the DDP vs. what you would normally feel inclined to eat. But for me, it is still worth it. I like not having to worry about budgeting for meals, or picking something less expensive off the menu. I like the idea of showing up and not having to worry about anything! Plus, you can pay for DDP over time, where as if you pay out of pocket, you're dropping all that money at once.

 

[helenm29]

Yup, my DH and I played around with the dining plans too but since we will be there during the Food and Wine fest we figured it would be better to go on our own. The last time my DH and I went by ourselves we did the dining plan and had WAY too much food for the two of us...we ended up with lots of food credits so on the last day we were buying peoples meals for them! lol When we were there with our kids we certainly did the dining plan! it's really nice just going and getting what you want without budgeting...so that didn't really help you did it? sorry! If there will be a group of you I'd go with the dining plan....HAVE FUN!

 

[sharonabe]

So I am trying to decide between the Standard Dining Plan and just paying out of pocket. I've poked around a little and saw numbers for 2015/2016. But does anyone have the breakdown for the daily cost of the plans? Also, is there a location to find current restaurant menus/prices?

Thanks!

Current prices for the various dining plans are:

QSDP
$48.19A/$20.88K

DDP
$69.35A/$24.95K

DxDDP
$106.68A/$38.75K

If you have kids and you WANT to do a couple character buffets, you'll probably save some money. If those same kids will prefer adult QS meals, you'll save even more. Kids for DDP are age 9 and under. Anyone 10 yrs and up pays adult prices.

For adults, the TS credit is roughly worth $40, QS $20, and the snacks $5 each, so if you have just adults, and you're not spending that much, paying OOP will be better. Don't forget to add 6.5% tax to your meals when calculating the OOP costs.

 

[rosiebean]

I don't use the DDP and don't stress, not do I feel worry about budgeting for my meals or feel inclined to order something cheaper off the menu when we eat out. Probably because...while I do indeed pay for those meals while I'm on my trip, I plan ahead and put aside money *specifically for meals* every month leading up to my trip. Basically, instead of paying WDW for the DDP, I pay myself (and usually end up with $$$ left over after my trip).

We don't do a lot of buffets or character meals, share entrees, and often order apps instead of entrees. DDP is a totally waste for the way my travel party and I eat...but I still plan ahead and have a 'food fund' ready for my trip, so my mindset is the same as if I'm on DDP. If I'm at WDW and want a steak, I order a steak. And even better, if I simply want a salad and app for a meal, I can do that as well, because my food fund gives me that flexibility rather than the restrictions that some of the DDPs have.

 

[mnamna]

We went with the DDP this trip because it was a money saver for us. We have plans for something like 4 character meals, and DF and I both tend to go for pricier meals like steak, when it is available. Lots of people don't eat the way we do though, and the DDP often doesn't make much sense for them. We also realize we are paying for the convenience of it (not having to think about/pay attention to meal costs), just as much as anything, and we're okay with that.

 

[B-Ride]

In our experience it depends on how much you eat. The 5 times we have used the dining plan it was free so we made the decision quite easily. I kept track of what we ate and it always came out paying its way. That said we ate more than we needed. Desserts at every meal and 30 pieces of fudge taken home. I think if we had to pay it would be very close. To me the big advantage is that your meals are paid for and you can just relax and eat whatever you want.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

We are 3 "adults" and 2 children. We are saving about $650 over 14 nights. All TS meals are fixed price. So i used actual TS prices and average QS prices.

I also assumed both kids will be ordering kids QS meals. If they choose adult meals it could be a lot more than $650

 

[FelisLachesis]

I've found that the a pretty good estimate is how much does your family eat, and is your familiy's attitude toward food more "eat to live" or "live to eat"?

If you have a lot of hearty appetites, and they want nothing but the best, the dining plan can save some cash. If you have a lot of mousey appetites, and a bowl of pasta is plenty fine, then pay out of pocket.

 

[IndianaRRT]

We have never used the DDP and are approaching our 4th trip in 10 years. We do 2-4 character meals per trip and on some days, we have a couple of snacks instead of lunch or a late night pizza. When running the numbers, it's just never made sense for us. I anticipate we will use the DDP in the future when/if we're blessed with grandchildren. Littles tend to change things (but in a good way!).

 

[Nancyg56]

I think you need to do the math. Its what most of us do before deciding to buy a plan, or not to have a plan. Also, know how your family likes to eat, if they snack, and if they choose beverages with the meal. We do, so that makes the decision less of a gamble. We also would buy the refillable mugs, with or without the plan, unless we stay CL., so we include the cost in the comparison.

We spend time in restaurants and look forward to that aspect of the trip. Will your family like that or will you be stressed if you have that ADR looming in front of you?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've found that the a pretty good estimate is how much does your family eat, and is your familiy's attitude toward food more "eat to live" or "live to eat"?

If you have a lot of hearty appetites, and they want nothing but the best, the dining plan can save some cash. If you have a lot of mousey appetites, and a bowl of pasta is plenty fine, then pay out of pocket.

It's totally your opinion for sure and that's ok but I find your comments way too simplistic and black and white line of thinking..plus "eat to live or live to eat"???

Like the other poster said if they wanted a steak they ordered one or if they wanted a salad and an app for the meal they'll have that. Doesn't mean they have a "mousey appetite" at all. Do you not have times where you just want X instead of Y? And what's wrong with a bowl of pasta?? Time of the year when you are going can also impact what you want. Going in the winter times where the temps are a little cooler may mean hearty more filling meals versus going in the height of summer or early fall where it's hottttt out and thus you may opt for less hearty less filling meals (individual differences will apply though).

The more I think about it (and I mean this with no intent for offense to be meant) but I find your comments on the way of thinking.

 

[kmv]

Every family is different, but paying for the dining plan actually cost us more than when we pay OOP. With the dining plan in order to get your money's worth we were constantly checking prices, ordering higher priced food items, eating when we weren't very hungry and buying snacks we didn't need, but didn't want to "waste our credits". So, we are better off OOP.
I know other families that feel the dining plan is a great savings for them.