Disney Meal Plan

[nikki&petey]

Should I buy the Disney Meal plan or whatever that is called? My friend swears by it but I don't see how you are saving any money.

 

[janc]

I used it on my last two trips, not sure if I saved any money since I had some coupons left and get can't get a refund for them if you don't use them. Next trip I am going to pass on them.

 

[DLR29]

I (and many people on these boards) don't recommend the dining plan at DLR because:

a) It doesn't save you money. Many times people break even

b) You don't get change when using the vouchers. So say you want to buy a food item that costs $4.95 and you use a $5 voucher, you will lose 5 cents. No big deal, but what happens if you want to buy something that costs $5.95 and you pay with a $10 voucher? You either lose money ($4.05 which can add up quickly) or you have to pay with a $5 voucher (only if you're not out of $5 vouchers) and pay $.095 extra (which defeats the point of a dining plan)

c) You can't use the vouchers at Downtown Disney locations, which is where there are a lot of good dining options.

 

[silence]

When we bought our trip packages (before we got AP's), we did the meal plan several times.

I liked it because I could make payments on my trip and the food is for the most part, then included in the total I paid.

There are always 5 of us traveling, so we just mixed and matched all the vouchers and never had a problem with the change thing. We didn't go in thinking it would cover EVERYTHING, so paying the change ro a couple of bucks was never an issue for us.

I'm not sure if all the snack carts now take gift cards, but many have recommended going that route vs. the vouchers.

Good luck

 

[madfelice]

We are doing it mostly as a way of prepaying things rather than as a saving. I think that is probably the way to look at it.

 

[ballarinamom]

WDW meal plan IS an actual savings unlike DLR. We loved it there. f your friend used it there then they are correct. BUT, DLR is not the same. We like to prepay too. It really helps our budget. But we buy gift cards and Disney Dollars throughout the year, Santa brings them and the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy too. We keep the largest amount on the gift cards so we don't have to carry tons of Disney Dollars. But the Disney Dollars come in handy at the places that are not set up for gift cards. They give change back in Disney dollars or in real money. If we have any left over ( never happens though!) they will cash them out for you. Also, by doing this, we can still use the coupons we receive with our package, our AAA discounts at the places that take it and use them at DTD eateries.

 

[nikki&petey]

WDW meal plan IS an actual savings unlike DLR. We loved it there. f your friend used it there then they are correct. BUT, DLR is not the same. We like to prepay too. It really helps our budget. But we buy gift cards and Disney Dollars throughout the year, Santa brings them and the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy too. We keep the largest amount on the gift cards so we don't have to carry tons of Disney Dollars. But the Disney Dollars come in handy at the places that are not set up for gift cards. They give change back in Disney dollars or in real money. If we have any left over ( never happens though!) they will cash them out for you. Also, by doing this, we can still use the coupons we receive with our package, our AAA discounts at the places that take it and use them at DTD eateries.

How do I buy Disney Dollars or gift cards?

 

[bumbershoot]

If you have a Disney store nearby you can buy them there. Otherwise, what I do is put the money aside into savings, being very careful with that money. Then as the trip approaches put it into your main account. Go to the parks. Enter the first gift-shop you see. Buy giftcards and d.dollars if you would like to buy those. There ya go.

 

[MaiynaMouse]

I don't know about the Disney Dollars but I do know that you can purchase the gift cards online. My mom always buys them for my kids before our trips. LOVE that they have their own spending money.