DINING PLAN

[Lisa F]

We stay Deluxe 90% of the time (we own DVC), the other 10% we stay club or at POFQ. We also get 40% off RO since we are AP holders, Florida residents and Acitve Duty Military. We are going down for 7 days in a week, staying at the poly and paying OOP for the dining plan. With four little kids, I've used the DDP calculator and the DDP is "a deal" for us, because of our children's ages. This may change with their appetite as the years go by.

We usually go to The World 60 days a year on average. I might not post a lot, but I'm not a Disney Spring chicken. Free Dining was a great idea and deal when it was first introduced in the 2000s. But it was introduced when The World actually had down times. As a previous poster states, over the years Disney has increased prices so free dining isn't free. This is all I was saying, if free dining saves people money because of their situations, that's awesome. But all the Madness that goes on every year for something that is mostly smoke and mirrors, just seems silly to me. Again, I realize everyone is different and I'm sure I do things that others may find silly.

another disney old lady here, own at DVC, have never done free dining myself because there is not a discount in the world that comes close to buying into DVC 17 years ago.

that said, traveling solo with my kid and lots of character meals and it's a deal when you have at least as many disney kids as adults and are wanting to do a lot of character dining. When you do the AYCTE meals, the question of whether you would have ordered appetizer or dessert or whatever goes away. In fact I only have 2 meals planned where appetizer even matters (rest are AYCTE) and am even planning to use 4 of my 24 total DxDDP credits for QS meals and have planned some specific snacks but am counting the rest valued at $4 a piece, I'm still saving over $200... not over ordering to increase value and not using every TS to it's max value either.

But it's hard to make generalizations without adding some specifics. In general if you have at least 1:1 disney kid to adult ratio and do a lot (not sure where the threshold of "a lot" is but pretty sure I cross it lol) the dining plan is a deal. If you are maxing out occupancy in an inexpensive room and have lots of disney adults, free dining will put you ahead of a RO discount, but only if you were planning to eat that much in the first place. If the amount that you were budgeting on food is less than the difference between the RO discount and the full price room with free dining, then it's not a deal, even if you get to eat more... but even if you are paying a bit more but getting to enjoy things you couldn't justify before, you might consider it a deal.

All that said, I hope free dining goes away. The one thing it DOES do is make ADRs very very hard to get as more people are going to restaurants than normal and the seasoned travelers are the ones who tend to partake of free dining, which means they are "gaming the system" by having dummy resort reservations to get a leg up on booking their dining with the 180+10 window. I'm watching early december with trepidation hoping I will be able to get some of the coveted ADRs that I want like BoG dinner etc. If free dining has as limited availability and is requiring more expensive rooms like people are surmising then it should be fine and a ton of availability should open up for september/october where people are having trouble. But for people not booking FD but traveling during those periods it is kind of a nuisance because it really increases competitiveness for coveted ADRs during times when booking at 180 or even 180+4 to 7 SHOULD be sufficient.

 

[sharonabe]

Just making a mention here that you do realize that 3 items at the F&W booths would cost you less OOP than that 1 QS credit costs you if you break down the QS DP cost by credit.
All but for 1 or 2 items that is. Most F&W food items are $5 maybe $6. That means you would have spent less than $20 for those items OOP but you spend more than $20 for the credit rolled in to the dining plan

AngiTn is right. At $6 each plus tax, you're right at the $19-20 VALUE of the QS credit. So if you're planning on doing this, you need to make sure your 3 items are all $6 or more. Even if you only drop to $5.75, your total with tax is $18.37. That means you "paid" at least $1 to do that switch.

Looking at last year's menus, there aren't that many items that fit into the $6 and up category. However, with all the price increases, there may be more this year. Just remember the $6 break even point, and you're good.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Touché. I am truly glad some people can get a "deal". I should have realized this would be a touchy subject. Going to Disney as often as we do (living 2 hours away), the idea of paying rack room rates to get DDP for free, even with four children, seems ludicrous to me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Staying off site, cooking during vactions, packing lunches or eating offsite during a Disney trip seems ludicrous to me.


We ALWAYS stay onsite and book the dining plan. If our trip is during spring break, I pay full price for dining and use a discount for the room. If the trip is late summer, I pay full price for the room and get dining for free

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If you, or a majority of your party, is going to alter the dining plan to such an extent that it isn't being used the way it is set up to be used (ordering appetizers instead of entrees, ordering kids meals for adults, sharing meals, skipping meals, "trading down" credits) then it is definitely not saving anybody money. Anyone who does these things and selects the dining plan pretty much just likes the idea of the dining plan. If one does the math for their party and it all comes out a wash, they then have to consider whether or not they actually want to be on the dining plan in the first place. Some prefer the ability to order in any amount and any way they wish.

If you're going to a la carte restaurants and you prefer to have an appetizer for dinner, the DDP isn't for you and you'd need to work in the preferences of the rest of your party to see if it's even worth having the plan.

 

[disneyjunkie]

or people will just make different choices. You don't NEED to spend $400 a day on food... you choose to. There are less expensive options that while less luxurious than a TS or two a day will get you fed and still be able to enjoy the parks. I am going all out on my upcoming trip but it's just one adult and one kid and I can't go more than every 2 years which gives me plenty of time to save. but if the choice were to go or not go (going every year is not possible, more for the cost of EVERYTHING ELSE than the food) I'd do all QS and share meals and still have a great time. For me the bigger cost of the trip is everything else besides food.

If I had to make that choice, I would push the trip back until I could afford to do it the way we enjoy. None of us would enjoy sharing and eating QS meals the whole trip.

 

[AngiTN]

If you, or a majority of your party, is going to alter the dining plan to such an extent that it isn't being used the way it is set up to be used (ordering appetizers instead of entrees, ordering kids meals for adults, sharing meals, skipping meals, "trading down" credits) then it is definitely not saving anybody money. Anyone who does these things and selects the dining plan pretty much just likes the idea of the dining plan. If one does the math for their party and it all comes out a wash, they then have to consider whether or not they actually want to be on the dining plan in the first place. Some prefer the ability to order in any amount and any way they wish.

If you're going to a la carte restaurants and you prefer to have an appetizer for dinner, the DDP isn't for you and you'd need to work in the preferences of the rest of your party to see if it's even worth having the plan.

Yep. This is why, even when the numbers show the dining plan is within $200 of OOP I opt for OOP every time. And in the end, it costs us less because we always alter our meals or ordering choices once there. And we really dislike QS meals daily so the only plan that comes close to working for us is Deluxe because we want 90% TS and 10% QS, and lots of alcohol and barely any sodas or desserts. Water is free no matter which plan you pick. We eat at least 1, if not 2, sit down meals per day (but never 3). And when DGD is with us we do at least 3 character buffets, if not more. Still have yet to find paying for the dining plan (we don't go during free dining time) to be cost effective

 

[Lisa F]

If I had to make that choice, I would push the trip back until I could afford to do it the way we enjoy. None of us would enjoy sharing and eating QS meals the whole trip.

not everyone has the same priorities though. I can only afford to go once every 2+ years or so.. it's not JUST the dining but I like to splurge and get what I want and feel like I'm on vacation so I do wait until I'm not scrimping. But plenty of people go on the cheap and have a great time and see the same shows and ride the same rides I do. it's just priorities!

 

[powellrj]

Staying off site, cooking during vactions, packing lunches or eating offsite during a Disney trip seems ludicrous to me.


We ALWAYS stay onsite and book the dining plan. If our trip is during spring break, I pay full price for dining and use a discount for the room. If the trip is late summer, I pay full price for the room and get dining for free

Different strokes for different folks. We always stay off-site and while I don't pack lunches or cook, I do love the bigger rooms we get off-site along with having a full kitchen to come back to a cold beverage with lots of ice once we get back to the room and maybe a snack. We have been going during fall free dining the last few years and still would rather stay off-site in my 2 bedroom condo and eat a nice meal off-site along Dr. Phillips.

 

[AngiTN]

Different strokes for different folks. We always stay off-site and while I don't pack lunches or cook, I do love the bigger rooms we get off-site along with having a full kitchen to come back to a cold beverage with lots of ice once we get back to the room and maybe a snack. We have been going during fall free dining the last few years and still would rather stay off-site in my 2 bedroom condo and eat a nice meal off-site along Dr. Phillips.

Like dining plan I think the off site/on site argument is a hard one and seldom works the same way for others.

DH would give up going if he had to drive off site. Not driving is a part of the vacation to him as not cooking is to me. And the Disney bubble is an important aspect to our vacation. I don't even like to go to DS because it puts a hole in our bubble. Silly yes I'm sure but it is an important part of the trip and high up on the list of reasons we go to Disney every couple of months. We even maintained that idea in CA on our DL trip last summer. Where staying on site is less important since the bubble is hard to maintain. Though I will admit if we return it may not be on site next time

This past December we did sort of an off site thing. We came down and went to Disney a day, drove to Tampa for a few days and then back to Disney. DH said never again. Once he got to Disney he was reluctant to leave. If we do that again it will need to be altered so we can stay at Disney once we get there, either before our other commitments or after them.

Others like you love their space and some time away from the hustle and bustle of the parks.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If I drive, no wine, beer or cocktails. It's a vacation. It's onsite for sure.

 

[Lindaland]

Just making a mention here that you do realize that 3 items at the F&W booths would cost you less OOP than that 1 QS credit costs you if you break down the QS DP cost by credit.
All but for 1 or 2 items that is. Most F&W food items are $5 maybe $6. That means you would have spent less than $20 for those items OOP but you spend more than $20 for the credit rolled in to the dining plan

I should clarify that I meant to imply that free dining QS is a great deal for the F&W festival now that you can use the credits. We have been able to get free dining the last 3 years we went. As for the difference between QSDP and DDP generally speaking, the QS plan is a better deal (IMHO) because you don't pay tips and no reservations needed.

 

[disneypaws]

I did read that UK Fd offers are for QS not TS this year

Am in the UK and 2017 offers are same as those for this year - so breakfast for value resort, QS dining plan for moderate and regular DP for deluxe. Just for info

 

[Huff]

Going to Disney as often as we do (living 2 hours away), the idea of paying rack room rates to get DDP for free, even with four children, seems ludicrous to me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

In prior years the Values had FD at rack rate of around $130/nt or 20% off making the rate $104. Thats only $26 off rack rate. Pretty easy to use up $26 eating at Disney, especially with 2-4 people. I've never seen a better discount at values than FD. DLX with 40% off may be a better deal for 2 people.