Dining Plan worth it for us?

[disneyfreak202]

Hello!

So I am considering the dining plan. I have never gotten it before. It will just be two of us, no kids.

We can't make our ADRs until May 1st (traveling Oct. 31st), but this is our plan. Should we get the dining plan or just pay out of pocket?

River of Lights Dining Package- Tucker House (most likely breakfast, maybe dinner)
Fantasmic Dining Package- Mama Melrose
Be Our Guest Dinner
Be Our Guest Breakfast
Either 50's Prime Time or Hollywood Brown Derby (Lunch/Dinner)
Ohana's (not 100% confirmed)

We haven't decided if we will be doing an ADR or QS in Epcot quite yet.

We will be there Oct. 31st- Nov. 8th.

Thank you!

 

[sharonabe]

If I'm counting correctly, you'll be there for 8 nights, so you need 8 TS meals. Even if you go with Brown Derby, you only have 6 planned. The first thing you need to decide is do you WANT 2-3 more TS meals? If not, then the DDP will not save you any money and will probably cost you much more than OOP.

The next thing you'll need to do is the math. You can find the buffet and dining package prices up on a sticky at the top of this board. For the a la carte places, use wdwinfo.com or allearsnet.com and "order" your meals. Remember you get entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic drink at all TS places. Add the 6.5% tax. Once you have your TS tally, you'll have a better idea if the DDP will work.

One last thing, your QS meals are only entree and drink, and the cost of the DDP is $69.35 per night per person.

 

[disneyvoice]

The Dining Plan NEVER makes sense for me and my DH even though we always eat at TS restaurants. We just can't eat the amount of food the dining plan includes and we often want to order something that isn't included in the dining plan. We rarely ever get an appetizer before a TS meal and we never order dessert at the restaurants - there are typically better options elsewhere, although we don't snack much at all in the parks anyway so we would waste most of the snack credits. We tend to share a few appetizers or split an entree. To eat the amount of food included in the Dining Plan I would feel stuffed and miserable in the parks. If it's just you and your DH (and if you drink) I would suggest sitting at the bar and having a drink together while sharing a few items - we do that ALL time and it is much more relaxing.

 

[holden]

We stopped using the dining plan a long time ago. We just don't eat like the plan makes you. Sometimes I just want a salad for dinner. Also, I never order dessert, so that's a waste. We feel the plan has way too much food for us.

 

[GillianP1301]

I always recommend running the numbers to know for sure if it will work for you and that means checking menus, choosing things you would most likely order and calculating it out. By just glancing at your list, my initial thought is it would not be worth it for you because you are only accounted for 5, 6 or 7 (depending on your HS choice and what you decide to do in Epcot) out of a possible 8 TS credits. You only mention 1 - 2 QS meals, but do you plan to use the 8 that will be provided? I would first determine if you could/want to use all 8 TS & 8 QS credits first. If you do, then run the numbers. If you don't, then you'd be best to go OOP.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with the others. You have to do the research and calculations for yourselves. It works for us. You're not using your credits based on your post. In this case you will loose money. Do the research for yourself!!!!!

 

[persimmondeb]

For us it's a no-brainer. TS everry day? Dessert at every meal? Most expensive thing on the menu? Sign us up! It's closer to being too little food than too much as well. But not everyone wants to eat that way. If you do, it should work for you. If you don't, it probably won't. I'm going to strongly agree with the above posters who recommend going onto AllEars, as well.

 

[MrWonderful]

http://www.distripplanner.com/

 

[bumbershoot]

For us it's a no-brainer. TS everry day? Dessert at every meal? Most expensive thing on the menu?

Doesn't seem dessert is offered at quick service anymore, fwiw.

 

[amberpi]

Most of the desserts at WDW you couldn't pay me to eat. I often don't want a full meal, and would prefer an app or an app and a salad. But, I eat what I want, the whole "most expensive thing on the menu" issue is baffling to me. Do people not just order what they want when they go out to dinner? Not just at WDW, but like, every day? I went out for a decently pricey dinner with my folks on Tuesday and we all just got what we wanted. My order ended up being cheaper (just) than the cheapest dinner (I think $26 for veg gnocci) but mom and dad's meals were within like $4 of each other. I can't imagine that if you're out for dinner, the $4 would change ones order. IDK. However, if you have a big appetite and do a lot of the character meals, it might work for you. I'd hate having paid for food I didn't want and being so limited in terms of what I could order. The one time I did it, was a big old bunch of NOPE. Others see it as freeing. Really depends on your POV.

 

[tigerwolf]

DH and I get the DxDD every time we go. We eat all of our dinners at the signature restaurants and have early TS lunches. It is a lot of food but part of our vacation is eating and enjoying food so we find it's worth it. When I price it out we come out around $200-300 ahead. It all depends on what you want to spend. We could certainly go to Disney for a lot cheaper by paying OOP and not eating TS at every single meal but DH insists it's part of the experience. I toyed with the idea of going without the DDP next month but he convinced me to not change our decadent ways. Ha!

But another thing is it really matters how much time you want to devote to eating. It is a commitment because you want to get your money's worth if you get the DDP (especially deluxe) but sit-down meals can and do take time away from park touring. Which bothers some people!

(And I totally agree with amberpi above: Disney desserts, even signature desserts, are generally a disappointment for me. There's better stuff outside of the restaurants.)

 

[tigerwolf]

Doesn't seem dessert is offered at quick service anymore, fwiw.

Wow, I just checked and you're right! Even on the deluxe plan you don't get dessert at QS anymore.

 

[disneyfreak202]

Thank you all for the help. If we got the plan I wouldn't mind adding another TS meal (I would probably add CRT which is two credits, but only because I want to do it once in my life and would only do it with the Dining Plan). Snacking in the parks is my go to when I am out here in Disneyland.

I will crunch the numbers for sure and see if it is worth it.

 

[IrishNYC]

Wow, I just checked and you're right! Even on the deluxe plan you don't get dessert at QS anymore.

You get an extra snack credit on the DDP to make up for it. I don't know what the adjustment is, if any on the DxDP.

 

[tigerwolf]

You get an extra snack credit on the DDP to make up for it. I don't know what the adjustment is, if any on the DxDP.

Looks like there is no adjustment at all for DxDP.

 

[persimmondeb]

Most of the desserts at WDW you couldn't pay me to eat. I often don't want a full meal, and would prefer an app or an app and a salad. But, I eat what I want, the whole "most expensive thing on the menu" issue is baffling to me. Do people not just order what they want when they go out to dinner? Not just at WDW, but like, every day? I went out for a decently pricey dinner with my folks on Tuesday and we all just got what we wanted. My order ended up being cheaper (just) than the cheapest dinner (I think $26 for veg gnocci) but mom and dad's meals were within like $4 of each other. I can't imagine that if you're out for dinner, the $4 would change ones order. IDK. However, if you have a big appetite and do a lot of the character meals, it might work for you. I'd hate having paid for food I didn't want and being so limited in terms of what I could order. The one time I did it, was a big old bunch of NOPE. Others see it as freeing. Really depends on your POV.

On a menu that's pretty flat, price-wise, yes we'll usually order what we want. But if the chicken is $19 and the filet steak is $37, we're eating chicken. Nobody hates chicken, but I can guarantee that we think the other end of the menu is more exciting. The dining plan lets us do that. If for some reason someone really wants chicken, they can have chicken (although we'll probably save the credit and pay OOP). I can also guarantee nobody wants a salad (at least not as their meal), although if space aliens kidnapped a family member and that happened, we'd pay OOP and save the credit. We're big eaters and we travel on a tight budget, so for us, it definitely works. It does really depend on your POV.

 

[amberpi]

On a menu that's pretty flat, price-wise, yes we'll usually order what we want. But if the chicken is $19 and the filet steak is $37, we're eating chicken. Nobody hates chicken, but I can guarantee that we think the other end of the menu is more exciting. The dining plan lets us do that. If for some reason someone really wants chicken, they can have chicken (although we'll probably save the credit and pay OOP). I can also guarantee nobody wants a salad (at least not as their meal), although if space aliens kidnapped a family member and that happened, we'd pay OOP and save the credit. We're big eaters and we travel on a tight budget, so for us, it definitely works. It does really depend on your POV.

Exactly. POV. I'm not eating salad because its cheap, but because I LOVE an interesting salad and have a thing for beets and heirloom tomatoes, so if that's on the menu and a carpaccio, I know what I'm eating for diner That meal would be a terrible value, hell, it wouldn't be covered, on the dining plan meal. But god, why did I have to learn about really good wine? Why?! If I hadn't, I'd be a cheap date. I did though and I'm not! I find it freeing to not have the plan, and will have as many TS, Sigs, or whatever meals, and you find it freeing because you can order whatever. Funny! Two sides of the coin both claiming "freedom!" Best part of WDW is that it suites everyone's tastes, and a lot of mine are not in the majority. I mean, ask me how I feel about WL.