Dining Plans - Worth it???

[smault]

We are purchasing DVC points for this time around (always booked packaged direct thru Disney) so I'm wondering about the Dining Plans. Previously, we got the dining plan and I thought it was overpriced and too much food (bad food too). So, is it really worth it to get the Dining Plan? Does the Dining Plan cost more if you book it thru DVC rather than thru a package? Or is there an option for getting groceries delivered to your Villa?

Any hints you can give me would be helpful.

 

[DbleTheFun]

same price as the regular Dining package, except DVC members dont pay a premium rate during high season...we pay the basic rate year round.

No grocery delivery option available, it's identical to the regular plan. (you can choose from any of the Dining plans available)

For us, we probably save money simply because we allow everyone to order what they want, vs. watching the price. (we purchase the regular dining plan) The main reason we have purchased the plan 95% of our trips has been that it's just easier. It's a convenience thing for us... and knowing we can order whatever we want for dinner, and not be concerned about it being expensive and hearing the $$ signs go off in our head every time someone wants a mickey ice cream bar, or wants to order the steak at dinner. In fact, we tend to allow ourselves to order the most expensive thing on the menu because we want to maximize the value of our plan and save the most money.

This upcoming December we are taking my 12 year old step son along, who eats a TON... it will be nice to tell him- go ahead and order the $40 dinner... and not be trying to steer him toward the hamburger and fries.

There's lots of opinions out there on whether it's worth it... but we enjoy planning ahead and having ADR's for dinner (Or occasional breakfast) every night as a way to end the evening... and knowing that we can sit back, relax and only worry about the tip. Big savings? I guess it all depends on what you order (and whether you enjoy having ADRs)... but definitely worth it for us.

 

[Jackie Psarianos]

It really depends on the needs of your family and what works best for you. For my family, who like to snack everytime we pass a cart or bakery, truly enjoy table service/character meals everyday, the Disney Dining Plan works wonders.

It does save us some money, but what we love is pre-paying for it and then when at Disney parks not having to dip into our pocketbooks for every little purchase. All we worry about is souvenirs.

That's just us and what works best for us.

 

[wiigirl]

It really depends on the needs of your family and what works best for you. For my family, who like to snack everytime we pass a cart or bakery, truly enjoy table service/character meals everyday, the Disney Dining Plan works wonders.

It does save us some money, but what we love is pre-paying for it and then when at Disney parks not having to dip into our pocketbooks for every little purchase. All we worry about is souvenirs.

That's just us and what works best for us.

This...I love pre-paying for everything I can for budget purposes. Plus when you crunch the numbers for us (family of 4) it works out.

 

[sharonabe]

We are purchasing DVC points for this time around (always booked packaged direct thru Disney) so I'm wondering about the Dining Plans. Previously, we got the dining plan and I thought it was overpriced and too much food (bad food too). So, is it really worth it to get the Dining Plan? Does the Dining Plan cost more if you book it thru DVC rather than thru a package? Or is there an option for getting groceries delivered to your Villa?

Any hints you can give me would be helpful.

It really depends on your family. If EVERY member of your family wants their own dessert at EVERY meal, and EVERYONE tends to order the more expensive entrees at EVERY meal, then you'll probably do okay with the plan.

For my family, we only have one soda drinker; the rest prefer water. Only two of us want dessert and we prefer to share one as we're already pretty full from the entree. Knowing that about my family means we can pay OOP, still order the most expensive entree if we want, and save money over the DDP.

And as for that prepaying factor...Disney gift cards work for that perk too.

 

[rznhal]

We are going without the DDP this trip, it's 2 adults, one 7yo (1 2yo who shares with us). We are going for 7 days, DDP would've cost us $896 (not including tips). We are planning on $700, which includes 3 TS, 3 CS, 2 pizza deliveries, 1 Signature, a meal at a dolphin restaurant, groceries from the resort, 2 mugs, and taxes and tips.

I couldn't believe it when I sat down and started looking at menus! I could be way off here and come back in February and take it all back, but I think (for us), the DDP is no more!

That being said, my kids prefer a ham sandwich and mac and cheese cups to anything a restaurant can make, and my husband and I always share (usually he gets a meal, me an app), and we typically don't like the desserts that come with the DDP (prefer to grab something right before bedtime or a snack in the park). We are also eating a couple lunches at the pool from our groceries, and breakfast in the room most mornings.

It's definitely an individual choice depending on your family!!!

Good luck!!

 

[Herfnerd]

My wife and I are going down in January 2013 and we booked the Stay, Play and Dine package thru AAA - we figured that the DDP will wind up costing us about $32 pp/pd. That's a bargain in my book.....

 

[DVCBELLE]

We are going without the DDP this trip, it's 2 adults, one 7yo (1 2yo who shares with us). We are going for 7 days, DDP would've cost us $896 (not including tips). We are planning on $700, which includes 3 TS, 3 CS, 2 pizza deliveries, 1 Signature, a meal at a dolphin restaurant, groceries from the resort, 2 mugs, and taxes and tips.

I couldn't believe it when I sat down and started looking at menus! I could be way off here and come back in February and take it all back, but I think (for us), the DDP is no more!

That being said, my kids prefer a ham sandwich and mac and cheese cups to anything a restaurant can make, and my husband and I always share (usually he gets a meal, me an app), and we typically don't like the desserts that come with the DDP (prefer to grab something right before bedtime or a snack in the park). We are also eating a couple lunches at the pool from our groceries, and breakfast in the room most mornings.

It's definitely an individual choice depending on your family!!!

Good luck!!

You aren't really comparing apples to apples in this scenario. It doesn't work for you because you aren't planning on as many table services as you would get with the DDP and you plan on sharing meals.

I agree that it works for us b/c we can order whatever and not worry about the cost. My DD11 LOVES steak - it is so nice to let her get it and not worry about the cost or us sharing a meal. We also have a child and that savings is huge as well.

For us the biggest thing is the convenience, not worrying about what everyone wants to order or getting snacks and the down time in the air-conditioned restaurant each day!

 

[JimmyV]

Any hints you can give me would be helpful.

• Look at the menus on allears and see what you might likely order, and cost it out to compare.
• The DDP is not really about saving tons of money. Disney didn't create this system so that it could lose oodles of money. Odds are, cost comparisons will come out very close.
• If you do find yourself saving money with the plan, ask yourself if this is because you manipulated your meals to achieve a savings, or are you really ordering exactly how you would if you were paying OOP. And then ask yourself how important either of these things are to you. To some people, saving is the most important goal. To other people, being able to order anything you want off of the menu is more important.
• Do you ever split meals? Portions at WDW are very big. If one plate of chicken and ribs at Flame Tree is enough for two people, then maybe the DDP is not the best thing for you. If you tend to walk away from the table hungry after finishing a meal, then maybe the DDP is perfect for you.
• Do you prefer appetizers, desserts, or both. If you are big into appetizers, the DDP is too costly, as you have to add the apps on to your total bill. If you always order appetizers, and hardly ever order dessert, the DDP is a waste of money. If you never order appetizers and always eat your own dessert, then the DDP may be perfect for you.

I don't know if these count as "tips", but they are the major factors that you should consider, and no one can answer these questions for you. You have to figure this out yourself based on the way your family typically dines.

 

[JimmyV]

You aren't really comparing apples to apples in this scenario.

Actually, they are comparing apples to apples. In order to figure out if the DDP works for you, you must first map out what you are likely to eat, in the style that your family prefers. That dining scenario is always going to be a "constant". Then, you overlay that constant against the offerings and price of the DDP vs OOP and see where you are. The fact that the poster states that they won't be eating in a style that favors the DDP doesn't mean that they are doing an inequitable comparison. To the contrary. They are doing exactly the comparison that is required. How your family eats is always going to be an "apple", so comparing that to the two choices (DDP vs OOP) is always an apples to apples comparison.

 

[drdisney]

My wife and I used to do the dining plan for the past times we went. But then every year the price seemed to creep up higher and higher to the point where I was starting to think if it was still such a value. After crunching the numbers, I realized that in order for it to save money for us, we would have to get the most expensive plate at every meal. We also didn't like the fact that there was so much food we had to eat such so that the points did not get wasted.

Then we realized that we could get a Tables in Wonderand card. With the TIW card, we saved 20% on most all sit down restaurants and even a few fast food locations. The best part is that my wife and I could order like we do back home. Sometimes we will share an entree plus get a few apps and a salad to start. This could not be done with the dining plan. For those who want the prepayment factor, you can save up gift cards. I saved up $800 worth of cards the entire year using Target's 5% off when you use their debit card. For me the TIW works the best (It doesn't help the matter that the card also gives a discount on alcohol too )


Dr D