DisneyLand dining plan--good value? How to use?

[Enna]

I'm used to WDW's dining plan, so the DL plan confuses me.

Can someone explain how the system works, and if it seems to be a good value?

If we're in the area for 4-5 days, are we better off buying the 4 day plan or the 5?

AND, what on earth is a "Breakfast in the Park"? I'm guessing that's not the same as a character meal?


Thanks for helping this DL newbie!

 

[MATTERHORN]

It't not a good value, it's basically the same as cash! Unless you absolutely love to have your food prepaid, I would never do it. You get vouchers to use that are in the same increments as the amount you pay for the plan, you might come out $1-$2 ahead if that. Then you use the vouchers but you can't get cash back.

So say you have a $10 voucher and your item is $9, you have to get something else or you forfeit the extra $1. Or if your food is $11, you have to make up the rest with cash all the time. So I personally don't see the advantage because you'd have to carry around extra money the whole time just for those instances anyways.

So unless you must have it prepaid, there really is no advantage. I wish it was like WDW, but sadly it is not!! Hope this helped!


Andrea

 

[MATTERHORN]

Breakfast in the Park is like a voucher you get for a meal at Tomorrowland Terrace and maybe one or two other venues to choose from. It's not a character meal, it's just a normal little in park breakfast (which I don't happen to like but YMMV) Here is the menu for Tomorrowland Terrace so you can see what you would be able to choose from:

Tomorrowland Terrace
December 2006

Pictures

Breakfast Menu
(only during busy seasons)
served until 10:30 AM

French Toast Sticks
Dusted with powdered sugar and served with syrup, fresh fruit
and a choice of sausage or bacon and a beverage
$6.99

Croissant Sandwich
Scrambled eggs with bacon, topped with cheese on a croissant,
served with breakfast potatoes and a choice of beverage
$6.99

Fresh Fruit Plate
Fresh seasonal fruit and choice of beverage
$6.99

Sunrise Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with choice of bacon or sausage, breakfast
potatoes, muffin and choice of beverage
$6.99

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait
Vanilla yogurt with layers of strawberries and blueberries
and topped with granola
$4.99

 

[Enna]

Thanks! It looks like it will just be easier to carry cash/DisneyVisa/room card and skip the vouchers.

 

[MATTERHORN]

No problem!! When are you going?

Andrea

 

[disney-super-mom]

I totally agree with Matterhorn!!!

Not that you needed a second opinion, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

 

[PeterPansPixie]

If you want to prepay for your meals, you can always purchase a gift card.

 

[iceskatejen]

Most people who use the vouchers decide that they're a pain in the neck. Cashiers hate them, for many reasons. One is that the vouchers have to be all entered into the register individually (yes, this takes time). Then, when they're counting their drawers at the end of their shifts, they have to fill out special forms for the vouchers.

 

[lilallybean]

I wondered the exact same thing. Is it worth it??? I did some math and came up with the following numbers for 2 adults and 2 kids:

Cost of 3 day plan total: 333.30 True value: 297.10 LOSS of: 36.20
Cost of 4 day plan total: 474.32 True value: 443.60 LOSS of: 30.72
Cost of 5 day plan total: 643.30 True value: 612.50 LOSS of: 30.80
Cost of 6 day plan total: 755.46 True value: 710.50 LOSS of: 44.96

The Plan total for each day was the listed cost on the disney website. The true value is the amount I figured up it was really worth. Wondering how I came up with these figures? I added up the total dollar amount of the vouchers for each day, plus the dining plan listed amount for character meals, and allowed for $7 for each 'breakfast in the park'.

I also noticed that if I went to Disney Character dining instead of going through the dining plan it was also cheaper to go WITHOUT the dining plan for just the character dining. So needless to say we will not be doing the plan.

If anybody has any other thoughts on this or sees where I made an error please let me know. I was really in the hopes that we would find it to be a good deal, but maybe they count on us assuming it is a deal and not checking up on it.

 

[bumbershoot]

When I was planning our trip, I tried to do the same calculations, and while I didn't find it to be as bad a value as you did, I didn't find it to be a good enough value to do. Also, since you don't get change back from the vouchers, if you buy something under the amount of the voucher, you've lost money, or you end up buying more for OVER the voucher's amount, and then you're paying out of pocket.

It's easier IMO to just pay in some other way. If the pre-paying makes you happy, just buy some disney gift cards in the amount you anticipate spending, which could be done ahead of time, or you could put that amount into savings, earn a little interest, then before the trip move it to another account and buy the giftcards first thing when you get to the park.

Some like the plan for various reasons, but others just don't see its value over other ways of planning for meals.


Also, if you have an AP (or even one member of your party has an AP) you can use that AP discount for meals, and I'm not sure you can use that with the dining plan.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i dont think i lost money but I will be useing ap rates for charcter meals so i wont miss them now.
I enjoyed having them i tink im the only one that did. rember they count all tax and grantiey and all that stuff. I didnt pay a cent for anything the whole time there(food items) and at nigth we went to the cheap place next to indian jones ride and got the best vallue for my 6.50.vouchers i would get us all drinks for the night it worked well for us but i would lve it if theyed make it like wdw I want to go to WDW again and i will do meal package then but thats 2 years away at least couse plane tickets. its so easy to pay 150 for bus and be in anihime