Ditching the Dining Plan

[chrystalc77]

We almost always get the dining plan....the past two trips we have gotten it free (although 2012 I paid the difference to upgrade from the free QSDP to the basic since we stayed at Pop). I have a feeling we won't get that free since we want to stay at AOA for our 2014 trip. I LOVE the dining plan....just the knowing that I've already paid for our food makes me feel comfortable. So DH threw me for a loop when we were talking the other day and he suggested us NOT get the DDP next year. He suggested taking the money that the DDP would cost us and putting it on a Disney gift card. He said that way we an still basically order what we want but we wouldn't be confined to order desert at every meal and if we want an appetizer we can do that. I do understand his point.... Especially since a lot of times the deserts at QS places are crummy. It is just totally OUT of my comfort zone!!! When I'm on the dining plan I don't look at prices....if I'm paying I'll order the cheapest thing on the menu. I'm sure that we'll come out ahead and have money left over for souvenirs if we do it his way. And he says that technically if we put the DP on a gift card our food will still be paid for before we leave home. Has anyone else ever done this??? Advice anyone???

 

[Pembo]

I did exactly that. WE had used the QSDP the year prior and I loved the convenience of the pre-pay idea but it was not a good value for us. So the next trip, we put money on a gift card and used it for all our dining expenses. It worked great. I didn't pay attention to prices and ordered what we wanted.

This year I had enough Disney Rewards points to use that for our dining. Just do it, you'll love it.

 

[prov3v56]

We did this during our last trip in 2011. We actually bought Disney gift cards from our local grocery store (Albertsons) when they were having a special. For every $100 in gift cards purchases, you received $20 in free groceries. We then figured out how much money we wanted for each day and put that amount of gift cards in an envelope for each day. I believe each gift card was for $50.

If you do use a gift card, save your receipt and take a picture of the back of the card because if it is lost, you can go to guest services and they can block the card and issue a new one.

 

[Marionnette]

We almost always get the dining plan....the past two trips we have gotten it free (although 2012 I paid the difference to upgrade from the free QSDP to the basic since we stayed at Pop). I have a feeling we won't get that free since we want to stay at AOA for our 2014 trip. I LOVE the dining plan....just the knowing that I've already paid for our food makes me feel comfortable. So DH threw me for a loop when we were talking the other day and he suggested us NOT get the DDP next year. He suggested taking the money that the DDP would cost us and putting it on a Disney gift card. He said that way we an still basically order what we want but we wouldn't be confined to order desert at every meal and if we want an appetizer we can do that. I do understand his point.... Especially since a lot of times the deserts at QS places are crummy. It is just totally OUT of my comfort zone!!! When I'm on the dining plan I don't look at prices....if I'm paying I'll order the cheapest thing on the menu. I'm sure that we'll come out ahead and have money left over for souvenirs if we do it his way. And he says that technically if we put the DP on a gift card our food will still be paid for before we leave home. Has anyone else ever done this??? Advice anyone???

We couldn't get the DDP when we were staying on a convention rate. So we had to pay OOP for our meals. This was for a 5-night stay for 2 adults. I had a combination of Disney Rewards and GCs that I had earned from rewards programs. We ate where we wanted and whatever we wanted. And that's when I decided that the DDP is not a good fit, nor is it a good value, for us.

TBH, I didn't pay attention to the prices because in my mind, the money on the Rewards Card and GCs was free to begin with. But when it was all totaled up, the amount that was spent from the Rewards Card/GCs was less than what the DDP would have cost us. And we enjoyed 3 meals each day, including signature restaurant TS, without having to keep track of dining credits.

 

[LovesTimone]

In January I took my mom for her 70th birthday, and I had planned on the dinning plan. My Dad thought it would not be a good value for us as my mom is not a big eater. So I went with my Dad's advice. Not such a good idea. My Mom may not eat a lot but she eats often. Between meals, snacks, drinks and such.. I saved the receipts and the charges were well over the DDP, I would have been better off to have gotten DDXDP, which is what we are going to do next January.

I prefer the dinning plan, hands down, it's paid for and I don't have to keep up with another card while on vacation.

 

[dakotix]

In January I took my mom for her 70th birthday, and I had planned on the dinning plan. My Dad thought it would not be a good value for us as my mom is not a big eater. So I went with my Dad's advice. Not such a good idea. My Mom may not eat a lot but she eats often. Between meals, snacks, drinks and such.. I saved the receipts and the charges were well over the DDP, I would have been better off to have gotten DDXDP, which is what we are going to do next January.

I prefer the dinning plan, hands down, it's paid for and I don't have to keep up with another card while on vacation.

I agree although for the two of us paying full price for the DP would be fool hardy. We got SPD deal last January and because of the crazy inflated prices at Disney our receipts for a week totaled well over $800 and we only paid $125 for the DP for two. Great deal! But if we were go when it was not offered for free or discounted we would just watch what we ate and maybe like previous posters suggest and put that $$ on a giftcard

 

[pigletto]

When all is said and done the best discount for us and how we like to vacation is free dining. However, if we ever happen to book a trip when it's not offered I will happily go without it. We make it work because it's such a substantial discount for us, but it isn't how we'd ideally choose to eat.
I was actually looking forward to going OOP this summer when it wasn't being offered for my dates. Then I got a PIN code. It ended up saving us quite a bit and allowing us to stay at POFQ for less than we had budgeted offsite.
When we go in December I have rented points, and I am pretty sure we will go OOP rather than purchase the ddp. Looking forward to it.

 

[dpswift]

When we went for 2 nights in February I followed the advice and did not get the dining plan. Big mistake Dh and Dd wanted to go to Boma. We could have had a second TS meal for what we spent between Boma and the QS meals. I did however have visa points and Target giftcards so it was still paid in advance but we would have spent less with the dining plan.

 

[Colleen27]

So DH threw me for a loop when we were talking the other day and he suggested us NOT get the DDP next year. He suggested taking the money that the DDP would cost us and putting it on a Disney gift card. He said that way we an still basically order what we want but we wouldn't be confined to order desert at every meal and if we want an appetizer we can do that. I do understand his point.... Especially since a lot of times the deserts at QS places are crummy. It is just totally OUT of my comfort zone!!! When I'm on the dining plan I don't look at prices....if I'm paying I'll order the cheapest thing on the menu. I'm sure that we'll come out ahead and have money left over for souvenirs if we do it his way. And he says that technically if we put the DP on a gift card our food will still be paid for before we leave home. Has anyone else ever done this??? Advice anyone???

I worried about this when I was debating dropping the dining plan too, but it really hasn't turned out to be the case. I've done three trips now without it and can say with 100% confidence that we've come out ahead on all three. Not necessarily monetarily - on my March trip with my daughter and her BFF we spent almost exactly what the dining plan would have cost, but for that money we had more TS meals than the plan would cover, fewer QS, more snacks, and the Wishes dessert party which isn't included on the plan at all. But on each of those three trips we did things that the plan doesn't cover, had some meals where we just ordered appetizers to leave room for dessert, and didn't eat a single not-worth-the-calories QS dessert just because "its included". And on my Flower & Garden trip, I happily ate mostly from the Festival food booths without having to think about wasted meal credits or running out of snack credits.

 

[gorkt]

I agree with your husband. If you like having the feeling the food is paid for ahead of time, definitely get the gift card, but you can easily come out ahead not using the DDP. We also totalled it at the end of the last two trips and always come out slightly ahead of the DDP.

 

[Marionnette]

I worried about this when I was debating dropping the dining plan too, but it really hasn't turned out to be the case. I've done three trips now without it and can say with 100% confidence that we've come out ahead on all three. Not necessarily monetarily - on my March trip with my daughter and her BFF we spent almost exactly what the dining plan would have cost, but for that money we had more TS meals than the plan would cover, fewer QS, more snacks, and the Wishes dessert party which isn't included on the plan at all. But on each of those three trips we did things that the plan doesn't cover, had some meals where we just ordered appetizers to leave room for dessert, and didn't eat a single not-worth-the-calories QS dessert just because "its included". And on my Flower & Garden trip, I happily ate mostly from the Festival food booths without having to think about wasted meal credits or running out of snack credits.

This is how we feel. The dining plan includes things that we would not normally purchase (beverage and desert with the QS, dessert with the TS and refillable mugs), plus it excludes what we would purchase (appetizers, adult beverages). I just don't feel that it offers the flexibility that we want from a vacation. We're going for 9 nights during Food & Wine this coming fall. I don't want to feel like I have to forgo something interesting at F&W just because I have TS credits to use and I need to leave room for it.

The dining plan is priced at $222/night for 4 adults (we're traveling with my sister and her husband). When I used the dining plan calculator on seeyareelsoon, it turns out that we would be better off buying the TiW card and paying OOP for this trip. The calculator is great for anyone who is on the fence about purchasing the dining plan vs. paying OOP.

 

[princesspwrhr]

We almost always get the dining plan....the past two trips we have gotten it free (although 2012 I paid the difference to upgrade from the free QSDP to the basic since we stayed at Pop). I have a feeling we won't get that free since we want to stay at AOA for our 2014 trip. I LOVE the dining plan....just the knowing that I've already paid for our food makes me feel comfortable. So DH threw me for a loop when we were talking the other day and he suggested us NOT get the DDP next year. He suggested taking the money that the DDP would cost us and putting it on a Disney gift card. He said that way we an still basically order what we want but we wouldn't be confined to order desert at every meal and if we want an appetizer we can do that. I do understand his point.... Especially since a lot of times the deserts at QS places are crummy. It is just totally OUT of my comfort zone!!! When I'm on the dining plan I don't look at prices....if I'm paying I'll order the cheapest thing on the menu. I'm sure that we'll come out ahead and have money left over for souvenirs if we do it his way. And he says that technically if we put the DP on a gift card our food will still be paid for before we leave home. Has anyone else ever done this??? Advice anyone???

This is what we do - the Dining Plan is a horrible value for my family, especially with kids who don't eat the kids meals. I actually look at the menus ahead of time and figure out the most expensive thing we *might* order and budget our food that way. I don't eat red meat, so there's no way I'm ordering that $30 steak (dh will), but I might feel like the $25 fish entree. Then again, we both may end up with the $15 salad, but if I've budgeted for the more expensive meal, no worries mon...

And I fully understand your comfort zone comment. I think mentally the pre-planning will be the hardest for you, but once you're there it will be fine.

In January I took my mom for her 70th birthday, and I had planned on the dinning plan. My Dad thought it would not be a good value for us as my mom is not a big eater. So I went with my Dad's advice. Not such a good idea. My Mom may not eat a lot but she eats often. Between meals, snacks, drinks and such.. I saved the receipts and the charges were well over the DDP, I would have been better off to have gotten DDXDP, which is what we are going to do next January.

I prefer the dinning plan, hands down, it's paid for and I don't have to keep up with another card while on vacation.

This is another problem for us with the dining plan. We tend to grab snacks throughout the day and just eat a bigger mid day or evening meal. The dining plan doesn't accommodate that.

I'm curious, the charges were over what the plan would have cost you, but would the preset amounts of the plan have work for your mom's eating habits?

This is how we feel. The dining plan includes things that we would not normally purchase (beverage and desert with the QS, dessert with the TS and refillable mugs), plus it excludes what we would purchase (appetizers, adult beverages). I just don't feel that it offers the flexibility that we want from a vacation. We're going for 9 nights during Food & Wine this coming fall. I don't want to feel like I have to forgo something interesting at F&W just because I have TS credits to use and I need to leave room for it.

The dining plan is priced at $222/night for 4 adults (we're traveling with my sister and her husband). When I used the dining plan calculator on seeyareelsoon, it turns out that we would be better off buying the TiW card and paying OOP for this trip. The calculator is great for anyone who is on the fence about purchasing the dining plan vs. paying OOP.

This ^ The Dining plan is far too inflexible for our eating habits. The two times we have had it, it was much more of a pain trying to keep track of whether or not there were enough credits, and did the CM put it in as a DDP item etc - I was more stressed about the dining plan then I have ever been about the cost of menu items. For US it's so much easier and less stressful to pay OOP for our food.

 

[trinchick]

I've done the dining plan twice - once regular and once deluxe. I've decided going forward that from now on we will only use the dining plan if it's free.

Some factors that have contributed to our decision:

The need to make reservations so far in advance in order to make sure you don't waste a table service meal really limits our flexibility.

I think that the "value" of the QS meals is inflated by the lousy desserts and soda, both of which we typically do without (due to preference) but we take because it's included and feels wasteful to not take them.

The kids meal choices are pretty limited.

Too much of my trip planning in advance becomes about what we're going to eat, as opposed to what we're going to do.


That said, with the meal plan (esp the deluxe) we ate a character meal almost every day, which the kids really enjoyed. I never would splurge for six or seven character meals if I were paying OOP. When we visit again sans meal plan, I think we'd do only one character meal - two tops.

 

[robinb]

It is just totally OUT of my comfort zone!!! When I'm on the dining plan I don't look at prices....if I'm paying I'll order the cheapest thing on the menu. I'm sure that we'll come out ahead and have money left over for souvenirs if we do it his way. And he says that technically if we put the DP on a gift card our food will still be paid for before we leave home. Has anyone else ever done this??? Advice anyone???

I totally understand the the desire for an all-inclusive vacation, but I never understand the "I'm frugal" argument for the DDP. I don't understand how folks can be so frugal as it order the cheapest thing off the menu while paying OOP, but then still pay more than they need to by buying the DDP . I think that your DH has a great idea! You can tell yourself that it's still pre-paid but still save money by not paying for things like QS desserts (yuck ). If you save money, that's great! If you don't, then you know for sure that the DDP is right for you next time.

 

[livsmom04]

We have often thought about ditching the dining plan, but since my husband eats a lot and my very picky eater daughter does too it's worth it to us. Plus we always go for the DxDDP and we love to do more table service meals than anything. So it's cheaper for us to use the DxDDP.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm a big fan of pre paying for meals via a Disney Gift Card, unless the Dining Plan is free I won't get it *luckily we had it free 10/09 and again this coming October. I always use DGCs at DLR *where the Dining Plans are never free and are nothing like the WDW plans*
You can add money to an exsisting card by calling DelivEARS ~ 800-362-4533 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info and they mail you the receipt. Last time I did this *a couple months ago* the $$ was on the GC the next day.
Take a picture of your card(s) email the card number and PIN to yourself that way if it's lost it can be replaced.
You can also purchase DGCs at Target by using their debit or credit card - save 5% or more *prescription refill additional discount after 5.

Kroger and other grocers occasionally offer fuel reward discounts on gift cards and carry the Disney GCs

 

[Jonathan Swift]

I totally understand the the desire for an all-inclusive vacation, but I never understand the "I'm frugal" argument for the DDP. I don't understand how folks can be so frugal as it order the cheapest thing off the menu while paying OOP, but then still pay more than they need to by buying the DDP .

Bingo.

 

[NotUrsula]

There was a period when it worked well for us, but not right now. It depends a lot on the ages of your children and on the eating habits of everyone in the party, plus the size of the party as well.

What we found was that while the dining plan is great for DS16, it is really way too much food for the rest of us. We always do at least one Signature dinner while on the Plan, and that does add value because those always run at least $200. Doing a couple of signature dinners does cut down on the amount of overeating the rest of the time a bit, but all those snacks that we would not otherwise be willing to pay for add up in terms of calories, and DH & I are really better off without the temptation. (Even with the DP we always got some light breakfast groceries to eat in our room, because it is so much quicker getting out in the morning that way.)

What we did on the most recent couple of trips with the teen boy was to buy a GC for him in the amount that we would have spent buying the DP just for him (if that were actually possible), and then we turn him loose and let him eat anything he wants. He will come to a couple of buffet meals with us (and we pay for those OOP), but as a general rule he prefers CS because of the flexibility. He can also eat all the snacks that he wants, and often doesn't bother with real meals for days on end.

 

[tarak]

I also like having the cost of my food pre-paid. For our next vacation, however, my oldest will be a Disney adult. The QS dining plan was great when she was under ten. She doesn't have a big appetite. So while she would be fine ordering from the adult menu (she'd probably prefer it), she'd be fine splitting something with me. My local BJs has $100 disney parks gift cards for $95.99. I bought one this past trip. I'm going to figure out approximately how much we'll need for seven days and buy an appropriate number of cards. That way it's paid for, but we can order whatever we like. I honestly don't think we'll miss the dining plan at all.

 

[DVCJones]

We ditched the DDP in April. After 8 trips with the DDP, we decided to use the TIW card combined with gift cards bought at target with the 'redcard'(5%discount) and Disney Visa rewards points. We saved several hundred dollars!!! We ate what we wanted and didn't feel like we had to get items we didn't want just because 'it came with it'. Coincidentally, this was the first trip I actually lost 2 pounds instead of gaining FIVE!!! We ate at one CS and one TS a day. That even included 2 character meals.

After we figured out and added the tip that is not included on the DDP, we were sold. We will never do the DDP again..