Disney dining plan vs pay as you go

[hollypoast]

My whole preference for the DDP was that I like not paying as I go. The ability to pay $200 more ahead of time to not deal with my menu price anxiety is so worth it.

I do understand why people without my anxiety find OOP better.

Me too! Would rather pay a little more and know it's done than wonder how much is will cost.

 

[d3gauss]

When you crunched those numbers, did you consider how your family would normally dine vs. how they will dine when on the plan? The reason that the dining plans are such poor choices for us are because we rarely eat dessert, let alone eat it twice per day and I have no need for the refillable mugs. When I eliminate those items, the dining plans are big money-losers for us.

I guess I look at eating while on vacation and eating while at home as incomparable...I don't want to eat the same way on vacation as I do at home, and even if I did...I wouldn't like to have to.

 

[disneypharm]

We had DDP 3 times (first one back in 2005 paid and then free dining twice) before paying OOP this last June for the first time.

In total, we spent $901.60 (about $50 not food for misc things) for 4 Disney adults (me, DH, DD16, and DD14) for 7 nights stay. If we bought the regular dining plan, it would have been over $1600. I bought $1000 worth of Disney GCs from Target over several months, so I actually paid $950 using my Red card.

We LOVED it. I was so worried that I would be nervous to spend money, but all we did was loading the GCs in our resort account and used our Magic bands to spend money.

We did 4 Table service restaurants; Raglan Rd, Chef De France, SciFi Cafe, and Via Napoli. DH and I shared some meals, but we substituted it with some appetizers (not allowed by DDP) and desserts. We also felt that we were eating around the World Show Case when we wanted smaller things. We all had desserts at Boulangerie Patisserie in France and Brats and Beer (only DH) in Germany. We loved the fried pickles at SciFi, had 3 course meals at Chef de France, and shared 2 different appetizers and 2 different desserts at Raglan Rd in addition to 4 dinners.
At Magic Kingdom, we had Be Our Guests lunch, as well as La Foue's and Pork Shank at Gaston's tavern.
With DDP, I was always wondered if this or that was allowed. I felt that 4 Table service restaurants were perfect for a 7 night trip.
Overall, we all loved doing it OOP.

 

[Marionnette]

I guess I look at eating while on vacation and eating while at home as incomparable...I don't want to eat the same way on vacation as I do at home, and even if I did...I wouldn't like to have to.

I didn't mean how you would normally eat at home. I totally meant how your family would dine when they eat out (i.e. how you would dine anywhere when on vacation). Would you normally eat 2 desserts per day on any vacation? For multiple days on end? We just don't. It's not about abstaining for the sake of frugality. We don't like to load up on that much sugar at any time but especially so when we are on the go in the heat.

Of course, if eating like that during vacation is a part of how you enjoy your trip, then by all means include it in how you determine if the dining plan is a good value for you. It isn't a good value for us because we don't want 2 desserts daily nor do we find a use for the refillable mugs. When I eliminate those things, the numbers just don't fall in favor of the dining plan.

 

[abmitch01]

I have to look more closely at our checkout PDF. I think I may have included DDs souvenirs in the food numbers and I didn't have a calculator at the world so it was an estimate. yes, Grey Goose slushies would've been well deserved!

the dining plan just doesn't fit with the way we eat down there. DD and I often split one adult meal or we both get a kids meal sometimes. There's no way we'd have eaten 4 CS meals with desserts a day plus snacks.

 

[missbrooke06]

I have more anxiety knowing I paid $200 more than I should have. I'd rather pull out my wallet each time I eat than pay $200 more for 10 days worth of meals.

The thing is that I wouldn't pull out my wallet - we would eat PB&J in the room and it wouldn't be very relaxing.

 

[eliza61]

The thing is that I wouldn't pull out my wallet - we would eat PB&J in the room and it wouldn't be very relaxing.

See I'm the opposite. When I did the plan I did nothing but obsess about what I ate. I had to make sure I used all the credits to get "maximum" value. I remember one time a woman at the world chided us for using a TS credit for breakfast because that wasn't the best "use" of credits.

The vacation now becomes focused on not what you want to eat but maximizing the plan. So for me stressing about whether or not I get what I spent is not relaxing.

If I want to "prepay" mentality, I just put the equivalent of the ddp on a visa gift card and viola, the convenience without the over payment.

Don't you think it's interesting that first timers always want to know where the can get the most meal for their credits? Not what's the best meal but where can I maximize the credits.

20 dollars extra for convenience, not a problem. 300 bucks is another nights stay at the beach club

 

[burne99]

I worked out what we would eat in each place, whether we would actually eat dessert etc, snacks I wanted etc. the difference for us, was OOP table service and tax and tips! I found for us, the plan was approx $1050, the tips were $300 roughly with an extra $100 for OOP table service including tip. Instead I worked out how much the food including tax and tip and snacks and refillable mug would be, it came to $1100. So I got a gift cards for $1200, essentially pre paying and will use that. Saved $150 minimum and that if we actually have all the snacks and desserts we might want, which we prob won't come the day

 

[Ginny Favers]

People say that the DDP relieves anxiety, but I actually had more anxiety when I was ON the dining plan. I worked hard to choose the most expensive restaurants and menu items (instead of the dishes I really wanted to eat) to give me the most bang for my buck, and flipped out when my DD got sick and wanted to skip a few meals. It didn't save us any money and looking back, the DDP made food rule our trip. Food is great, but it shouldn't be so important that it ruins your enjoyment of a trip.

 

[kerplop]

I was a fan of the DDP until the day I lost my temper at my mother for buying a cheap ($1.50) snack that I accused her of "wasting" a snack credit on. I realized right then and there that it was stressing me out so much that it wasn't worth it. I was freaking out about getting the most out of it for the money and not enjoying what I was eating at all. Now we just pay OOP if we're not using "free" dining and I manage to come away much happier.

 

[eeyoresmom]

People say that the DDP relieves anxiety, but I actually had more anxiety when I was ON the dining plan. I worked hard to choose the most expensive restaurants and menu items (instead of the dishes I really wanted to eat) to give me the most bang for my buck, and flipped out when my DD got sick and wanted to skip a few meals. It didn't save us any money and looking back, the DDP made food rule our trip. Food is great, but it shouldn't be so important that it ruins your enjoyment of a trip.

Very well said We are frequent visitors.When it is just DH and I we get the DDP about 50% of the time because we do more TS (he likes the more expensive dinner buffets) When I take the teenagers/young adults we almost never do a DDP because we do a few TS per week, lots of snacks and some kids meals. I agree that for 20 bucks or so, the convenience factor may be worth it ( even then though if someone isnt feeling well and you skip just one TS, there goes that), but I would never pay $200 for the convenience.

 

[missbrooke06]

I can understand the anxiety over making the most of the money - it's just not the anxiety I have. I do a panic for a few days after paying off my trip and let it go.

I will admit to rolling my eyes at the husband about snack credits. Last trip, he paid OOP for a stuffed pretzel because he wanted to save a credit. Fine. Later, he used a snack on a bottled water. But then again, he can do the same stupid stuff at home so I've learned to deal in the last 10 years.

 

[craedaisy12]

My last trip in January, i went with just my mom and my youngest sister(18). It was the first time I've done DDP, QS. And I say I lived it. We never crunched the numbers when we got back but I loved not worrying about the price.

I am 1 of 5 kids, so all my life we've always had to save money and if we ate out I always picked a lower price meal just to help save my parents some money.. At a young age I learned to save money, and out of my siblings I'm the best at it

So in January I was able to pick whatever I liked, and honestly picked the higher priced items just cause I could! We would use a QS for breakfast and since we don't get a dessert with that meal it still comes with a drink so we would grab a bottled drink to take back to the room or take to the parks, cause we had our refillable mugs we used at the resort.

I have a trip planned this October with my DFi and this is his first trip. So we are doing the DDP, QS and will be saving our receipts to see if it was worth it for the two of us. We are a good team with saving for this trip and saving in general. Can't wait to marry him!!

So I enjoyed it and knowing it's already paid for is a plus for is! We only have to save for a few ressies we have.

~October 18-26, 2014~

 

[mommymeg]

I can understand the anxiety over making the most of the money - it's just not the anxiety I have. I do a panic for a few days after paying off my trip and let it go. I will admit to rolling my eyes at the husband about snack credits. Last trip, he paid OOP for a stuffed pretzel because he wanted to save a credit. Fine. Later, he used a snack on a bottled water. But then again, he can do the same stupid stuff at home so I've learned to deal in the last 10 years.

We could be twins! Not many understand the rationale that we have.

Moral if the story here is DDP is worth it to some, not so much to others and do we really want to waste time with arguing out points of view? It's a Disney Vacation, either way it can be the most magical place.

 

[lauradis]

In my dreams the dinning plan is a la carte.

In reality husband loves the pre-pay part. I only like it if its "free" dinning. But if he wants his dinning plan then we will buy it.

 

[usd2bmd]

We are used to going during free dining so we never really had to consider whether or not it was a good value. Being free made it a great value. But we are looking at going the 3rd week of August next year so we won't be getting it.

I do remember the first time we went and got the dining plan. I don't remember if we paid for it or it was free, but the morning of our checkout there was a print out slipped under the door comparing what we would have paid OOP based on what we ordered and what we paid for the dining plan and at that time we did save money. I just don't think it's that way anymore at least for us.

 

[mum of two pirates]

But that was when it was like $46 a day included tax, tip and an appetizer. So for our family of four it was a good deal. I would eat an appetizer and we all would share the rest. Then my younger son would usually eat my adult entre instead of a childs meal. we were always trying to get the most bang for our buck when ordering stuff. We ended up having 13 snack left which we used at dtd the day before and 9 QS left over the day we left. We bought lots of people their main part of there breakfast the morning we left and took some o.j. and lots of mickey rice crispy treats to the cruise ship. But this time when I go I cant see it being worth it as I don't eat dessert often and 95% of the time drink water. I like to eat appetizers sometimes instead of a reg meal and the price increase and changes don't seem to be worth it for me.

 

[crisi]

Me too! Would rather pay a little more and know it's done than wonder how much is will cost.

That's one reason we DON'T do the DDP.

We charge to the room - and we don't really worry about price (which was not the OPs case, thus, different advice). But we want what we want when we want it....not "do we have snack credits?" Tracking credits was more hassle than just paying a bill at the end

If we skip a meal in favor of three snacks, or my son decides to eat two counter service lunches, or snack becomes an order of fish and chips in Epcot, we don't worry about it - it all goes to the room and the bill gets paid at the end.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

We could be twins! Not many understand the rationale that we have.

Moral if the story here is DDP is worth it to some, not so much to others and do we really want to waste time with arguing out points of view? It's a Disney Vacation, either way it can be the most magical place.

Yes, yes we do! I'm so glad for threads like this one - everyone is stating their own opinions, their own experiences, and their own preferences in a very civilized way... no bashing. This is a PERFECT thread for those newbies wondering if they should get a plan or go OOP. All they have to do is read along and, should they relate more to one poster than to the others, well, they have their answer.

Personally, I've gotten free dining for every trip but last year's solo trip. And I debated with myself whether or not I wanted to get a plan or pay OOP? QS or DDP? I settled on OOP and I totally preferred it that way! I spent JUST as much as if I would have bought the QS plan but I threw in 2 or 3 TS meals. One or two days I only got one QS meal and two snacks. Had I bought either the QS or the DDP plan, I would have spent way more money and would have had credits left over. OOP totally worked for me last summer and I had a much more relaxed pace trip. But I still love the DDP and, I imagine, I'd get it again for another trip.

 

[leeholmes1]

Our last trip my DS was 10 and we did not do the dining plan. We love eating in the world and have 1 table service meal a day. First we picked our restaurants and then decided on the dining plan. In this case with my son being an "adult" and we weren't eating at a lot of buffets we opted out of the plan. He is charged an adult price at buffets but can still order off the children's menu at al la cart restaurants. Also we split a lot of meals because he isn't quite ready for adult portions. We may do the plan again when the kids are teenagers.