Disney Dining? What did YOU do?

[Writer325]

Although I can predict the answer many of you are going to say, I was wondering do you regret doing the Disney Dining Plan?

My reasons for not wanting the plan:
The desserts for qs do not look very good.
I think I would enjoy snacking my way through the park rather than qs meals.
I am still going to pay out of pocket for breakfast.

My reasons for wanting the plan:
My DH plans on maximizing the credits.
I think my DD will love the character dining. (She is only 1, and I don't think she will stand in a line to meet characters, so this may be the only character interaction she will get.)
I am looking forward to trying the ice cream sundaes that I probably wouldn't pay for otherwise.

Anyway, if you have gotten the Dining Plan on multiple trips, please let me know why you think it is the best for your family.

Thanks for you time.

 

[eliza61]

We use to get it but haven't done it for a while. Here is our analysis.

1) We too tried to "maximize" the credits. but we found that that actually took away our enjoyment of food. We started ordering not by taste but by what was more costly. for example there were many times I simply wanted an appetizer and a salad but forced myself to order steak. Why? so I wouldn't "waste" credits.

2) we always order appetizers and rarely desserts, so even with the plan we tended to have a oop cost.
3) It simply is no longer the least expensive way to dine.

At one, I'm sure you dd does enjoy the characters but if she didn't see them would she missed them?
I find it's the parents who enjoy how their toddlers react to the characters more to the point.

If you enjoy snacking than actual meals you would come out less expensive. You would definitely save enough to splurge on the occasional sundae. A sundae at MK ice cream parlor cost 6 bucks.

Are you going for cost savings or convenience?

 

[jls886]

For us, it was too much food. Yes, it "saves" money, but for us that was only if we ordered all of the items the DP gives you. Normally, maybe we would have a snack during the day and then split a meal for dinner. On the DP, we ended up still getting a meal and dessert each, even when we weren't necessarily hungry. For us, we're better off without it. We still eat at all of the same restaurants, including some character meals, and we find that we're better off just paying for it ourselves. We enjoy the flexibility we have without it.

 

[ajwolfe]

We always do the dining plan. The main reason: We love knowing that pretty much everything is paid for and it's sort of all inclusive to us at that point. The only time we have to pay out of pocket for something is if one of us wants a snack that is not on the DDP - which is rare for our family. My kids love the character meals and I tend to not stress about how much they cost this way. Also now that my oldest is considered an adult by Disney dining standards on our last trip I didn't find us arguing about him trying to order the most expensive thing on the menu because it didn't make any difference.

For us it's more about convienence and simplyfing things.

And personally I would do a character meal with your little one at this age. My kids enjoyed the characters tons during the toddler stage and it was so fun to watch the interaction!

 

[bjscheel]

We have done the DDP a couple of times when it was free, and also paid for the QSDP once. After our youngest (and pickiest eater) turned 10, it definitely wasn't worth it for us. Plus we only like to have one or two TS during the week. But we did like the pre-paid convenience aspect. So we bought several Disney gift cards and used those to buy the food we wanted. That worked pretty well. Last summer, though, we had cc's attached to our Magic Bands and just charged to those. Didn't worry a whole lot about costs, we got what we wanted. Still convenient and we earned cc rewards. We spent less than the DDP (but we only did 1 TS on that- because we'd rather eat QS and get back to the park time).

When we did have DDP, we made every TS a character meal though! That was fun. But do you know how your 1 year old will react to characters yet? Some don't take to them well at that age. Maybe you could pay for one character meal OOP and otherwise see if she wants to meet some outside of the meals or not.

 

[AquaDame]

We've only done it when its free - we don't want the included desserts with QS, would much rather get a mickey bar or something else (often nothing because we are too full!). We tend to lose $$$ on the DDP as well - it just doesn't work for the way we like to eat.

 

[mco65]

WE have used the DPP the last half dozen times we have gone and never regretted it. In fact, we loved it but it can be a bit too much food if you ask me.. we tend to have a few QS and snacks left over that we are rushing to use as we are heading to the Magical Express back to the airport.

 

[supersnoop]

My DH plans on maximizing the credits.

Do you only have the one child? There's no way you'd be able to maximize credits paying for just two adults on the plan. Unless you're getting a special promotion on the plan, I'd pass.

 

[perditax]

Unofficial Guide did the math and IIRC it doesn't save any money, or even costs more than the individual items. I know some people say they like the 'convenience' but to me it seems like more work figuring out the points and whatever.

 

[momtosam]

We eat cheaper than the plan. Not a value for us.

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

I agree with all the items mentioned by previous posters and wanted to add another negative to the DDP that I didn't see mentioned...Tipping.
The TS dining plan forces you to eat at one TS each day and Disney TS menus are filled with over-priced menu items and when you add over-priced drinks and desserts to those meals everyday it can really add up over the course of your trip. We mistakenly took the "free" dining option one trip and quickly realized it wasn't so free when we added in TS meals we really didn't need, tips on those "free" meals, and paying rack rate for our room. We now just book a our "must-do" TS ADR's (which is usually only 2-3) and just enjoy whatever we want on the other days without being locked in on time/food and find we spend significantly less. I just don't see the value in the TS dining plan anymore.

 

[ilovebassets]

We just got back. We were on the plan through the stay, play, and dine offer. The plan is just way too many sweets. Two desserts and two beverages a day with meals is way too much sugar. Yes, I know you can get bottled water sometimes, and we did, but I never usually drink bottled water, so it just seemed like a waste of a plastic bottle. Plus most of the higher value snacks around the parks are sweets. There are a handful of savory snacks and we did use four snack credits on pieces of fruit (the CM looked at us like we were crazy), but the reality is that to get the most value from the plan, you will be getting sugary snacks.

I would do the plan if it's deeply discounted or free because it is nice to go to character meals and/or buffets that are otherwise way overpriced that we would never pay out of pocket for (looking at you Tusker House and Boma). But I would never ever pay full price for the plan.

 

[RainSW6]

I debated getting the plan for our family of four (kids ages 5 and 1), and I'm so glad we decided not to. When I guessed figures before the trip I thought it'd be about even, but we actually saved quite a lot by just paying oop. We didn't do any character meals (unless you count the Beast at BOG), but did have a couple of TS meals, including Beaches and Cream (I needed my ice cream fix, too ). In addition to enjoying our saved money, I also really was happy to have the freedom of not having TS meals booked every day. We were able to easily park hop or go swim at the resort whenever we felt like it, which made it feel more like a vacation and less like scheduled fun.

 

[secretpantssam]

I have done the Dining Plan quite a few times and I agree with most of the pros and cons. It is very convenient to not have to worry about money and just order a meal. But I too have found that it is more food than I would normally eat and I hardly ever get dessert on a normal basis. This past trip we went during free dining and I made it a point to order what I wanted and not what I felt obligated to order because it was the most expensive and it was the first trip I didn't end up feeling sick by the end. I'm sure i still got my money's worth but maybe not the super deal the dining plan can be.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I no longer use the plan for the last 3 times we've gone, because:

1) I don't ever like ordering the most expensive option. I really don't even like steak.
2) One time we went and my daughter got sick, and we didn't end up eating hardly anything at all and had to cancel a lot of reservations, but still ended up paying for the food.
3) I used to like it because you would just have to swipe your card and the credits would be taken off. But now you just swipe your magic band, and the money is added to your bill. We use gift cards and just add them at check-in.
4) We no longer go to character meals, since we've been there, done that.
5) I don't like food ruling our trip. If I want to skip a meal, or have 12 snacks one day and no lunch, then I can. No one can force dessert on me!!
6) We compared the costs and found that without the plan, considering the way we eat, we save money.

As Braveheart said, FREEDOM!

 

[tasha99]

We used to do the plan when tips were included, but now it seems too expensive. Plus, its just too much food and we don't actually care for Disney restaurants all that much. Our next trip, we only have three ADRs to make. The rest of our meals will be counter service, offsite, or cooked in our villa.

 

[tooh8ful]

We've used the dining plan several times during free dining. This upcoming trip will be our first to pay for it. I did the math and for my family it works out about the same. We enjoy TS meals, especially character meals. We do 3 or 4 each trip. My girls always ask for dessert and RARELY get it. At WDW they're on vacation so they get dessert every night. (We usually don't eat the CS desserts but oh well).
Finally, my 12 yr old could LIVE on steaks if allowed. I can guarantee that will be the majority of her restaurant choices and it usually is the most expensive thing on the menu. When I figured all the restaurants we actually want to eat at, tips, etc. the cost savings oop was so minimal for us it didn't negate the convenience of having our meals pre-paid (except for tips).

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

In the past I've had a tables in wonderland card and used that instead of the dining plan. It's expired now and I won't be renewing my AP so I'm thinking of adding the TS dining plan since I've got several character meals booked.

I have already paid for CRT so I'm not sure how that would work (maybe I'd get a refund?). But I don't normally eat TS every day and sometimes like another poster, I just want an appetizer and dessert or I skip a meal in favor of snacks.

I'm trying to decide what to do and just can't make up my mind this time.

 

[msmama]

Although I can predict the answer many of you are going to say, I was wondering do you regret doing the Disney Dining Plan?
My reasons for not wanting the plan:
The desserts for qs do not look very good.
I think I would enjoy snacking my way through the park rather than qs meals.
I am still going to pay out of pocket for breakfast.

Your reasons for NOT doing the plan are exactly why we don't do it.

QS meals can actually be too much food. My son especially doesn't eat everything so we'll keep carrots or grapes for later but then we don't need a snack!! A lot of times my son and I share a lunch and then have snacks later. It works for us.

BUT...when I was still married, ex-DH preferred the Dining Plan. He prefers to eat 3 (well, really 2, we've always done breakfast in the room) meals a day, no snacks.

If you're concerned about saving money (to me, not doing the dining plan isn't about saving money, it's about not working for how we eat, though it does save $), you could prebuy gift cards for discounts (save 5% with your Target Red Card) and then it's like the food is "pre-paid). Also, we always took granola bars or even bagels with us to have for breakfast in the rooms. We do buy yogurt or something at the resort (which I supposed may be able to count as a snack credit).
Have fun no matter what you decide!

 

[GatorMama]

We are paying OOP for DDP (room discount and discounted tickets)

1) my husband orders steak at most meals already. I usually order seafood if I want an entree.
2) we plan to book several character meals and buffets and my kids are already looking forward to them. Kids pricing for the DDP is $20/day. Know what the cost of a kid at a single character meal is? $15-20. Currently on our list: 'Ohana breakfast, Cape May Cafe seafood buffet, Boma, Garden Grille, Tusker House lunch, Hollywood and Vine lunch, and one more up in the air.
3) we are dessert eaters. Especially on vacation
4) on days we don't want large meals for QS, DH and I will share a QS plate. And when we are hungry again, share another one. It's a good way for us to get more variety in our meals and not feel too full at once. We have done this on other trips (without the DDP) and it's worked out well. Our kids can also share one credit an the share another later. And in some places, without kids meals, they can share an adult meal and not need more later.
5) we are used to having large meals that I cooked in a full kitchen off site. I won't have a full kitchen and we still want to be full.
6) I have plans to use most of our snacks credits at booths at F&W one night and call it dinner.