Do you BUY the meal plan?

[excitedtraveler]

So for those who visit Disney when the meal plan is not free, do you usually purchase it? Do you think it's a good deal? Why or why not? thanks

 

[NC State]

We purchase the plan when it's not free. Yes, it's very worth it. Last year just one meal at LeCellier (just for two) it would have been $102 if we didn't have it.

 

[DizneyNutz]

We have sat down and figured it several times and it really is not a good deal for US. It would force us to eat at places we usually don't and eat more than we regularly eat in a day. So we figured if it is not a good deal at the locations and eating preferences, then it really is not right for us. For instance we like to eat a dinner at the WC. We like the 24.00 buffet. That would mean that we would have to eat a 16.00 CS lunch just to break EVEN since we are not breakfast eaters. So unless it is a REAL saving it isn't worth doing for us. Now I am sure some people get their money out of it however, but they have different dining styles.

 

[jpaulgor]

Yes, I bought the meal plan for our July trip. First time to go(basically) and first time for the meal plan. I think it will be worth it and save us some money. I will do a trip report after the fact and tell whether the plan saved us money.

 

[MagicMe]

We buy the meal plan. We always eat a sit down every night (time for everyone to get together and talk about what they did all day). And I like having everything paid ahead of time and just taking small change for out of pocket expenses.

 

[eliza61]

So for those who visit Disney when the meal plan is not free, do you usually purchase it? Do you think it's a good deal? Why or why not? thanks

We don't purchase it for a couple of reasons.
1) We are AP holders so we always get a significant discount on our rooms (we stay deluxe). To purchase the DDP plan you have to pay rack room and the savings are usually always better off the room.
2) We have the DDE card. It gets us 20% off of the total bill including alcohol.
3) Since we have been to disney a time or two (or 20 ) We no longer tour on schedule. We will make a few adr's but not many. The DDP pretty much locks you into sticking to a schedule.
4) We generally don't do a lunch, we have a big breakfast and a big dinner so the first (and only) time we did do the ddp we ended up with 12 CS points left over.

You really have to decide on how your family eats and then take it from there.

 

[hvivona]

We used the plan for the first time last year and saved over $200. The trick to make it worth it is to plan all of your meals ahead of time. We schedule all of our counter service and table service meals months before we go.

 

[Tinkerbell24]

We buy the meal plan when it is not free. We never have to worry about being hungry and we save money paying for the meal plan rather than paying for all of the food. We feel that it is really worry it!

 

[earthfaries]

No we don't. It is just not something we want to spend a lot of time doing at WDW. It takes so much time to eat twice a day! It is an incredible experience though. We just eat organic and natural foods at home and don't eat out and don't really care to spend money on food we are not used to eating (MSG, hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, flavors, BHT, nitrates, etc.)
When we got the free dining plan it was really a treat for the kids, and we mainly did character dinners for the experience and after eating a certain way their whole lives, the kids didn't eat hardly anything. Only shredded cheese and fruit basically! They are so picky!

 

[I Love Pluto]

No - we don't buy the meal plan. We don't enjoy schedules, nor do we enjoy spending lots of time for a table service dinner. We're more the "food court" type of people. It just doesn't make sense for us.

However, if we planned on several really nice table service dinners, then we would consider the meal plan. It appears to give you a lot of "bang for your buck". I guess it depends on what you're expecting to do for meals while at Disney.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

I always buy the plan...always. However, I am also obsessed with food DH and I love dining out, and really enjoy the table service restaurants. It is definitely too much food, but it allows us to try new things and not have to worry about anything. We figure we could buy two counter services and snacks for $25 a day, so why not buy the plan and get table services as well, for way less than it would cost to eat there on our own. I am a planner, so having to make reservations does not bother me.

If you are not big into dining, this is not for you...but if you are, it is awesome!

 

[susieq76]

We do! We would almost always have one sit down & one CS a day anyway- so now we get the DDP, don't worry about $ and save a bunch.

 

[want2bamommy]

So for those who visit Disney when the meal plan is not free, do you usually purchase it? Do you think it's a good deal? Why or why not? thanks

Yes we do. When DH and I went in 2001 we ate CS (fast food) then entire trip and it got old quickly. I find $38.99 to be CHEAP to pay for each adult per day and we get to enjoy a full service dinner, cs meal and a great snack for that nominal price.

I will continue to purchase the DDP each and every time we travel.

Missie

 

[dizzy203]

In 2005 we didn't have the dining plan. We had light lunches and for dinner we ate in a few of the restaurants but we mostly did counter service. Last year we had the free dining and we made reservations for dinner every night. We did both sit down and buffets and boy did we eat! By the end of our vacation my BIL was glad he brought a few pairs of pants that were a bigger size! He would go and change his pants before we went to dinner!!!!
I'm not buying the plan this year. I think I'd pay for it some other time but we don't plan on eating big meals every night. I do think it's a good deal if you want to try the different restaurants. We tried some places that we would of never gone to if we were paying. Since you get an appetizer, the main meal, a drink and dessert per person (and don't forget the tip is included!) it would cost a lot more at the nice restaurants if you were paying cash.

Have a great time!

 

[hematite153]

For instance we like to eat a dinner at the WC. We like the 24.00 buffet. That would mean that we would have to eat a 16.00 CS lunch just to break EVEN since we are not breakfast eaters.

I am sure that your calculations are correct overall, but I'm not sure this is the best example. A $24 meal, plus tax and tip gets to $31.44 meaning that you only need to spend $6.55 on your lunch and snack in order to break even.

We vary our eating patterns. Lately we buy the dining plan fairly regularly. But, we are DVC members so when we stay on points we don't have to purchase a park ticket to get it and it doesn't affect the cost of the room. When we aren't using the DDP we mostly cook for ourselves and eat sandwiches. Overall, looking after our own food is much cheaper. But, if we want to eat out the DDP is a great deal.

 

[disneyjunebug]

We are doing it this year. If I was a CM and got that very nice discount you get after working for the Mouse for 3 years, I wouldn't. But when I ran the numbers for my CPA hubby, knowing that he likes to eat sit downs at least once a day, it only made since.

 

[girlieeee]

Its a tough call, but we always opt for it.

Here is the deal:
If you like to sit down and have a nice meal on vacation you will definately get your money's worth. If you like to do all counter service, then no, it isn't going to save you much money. My family saved almost $400 on a 6 night trip in 2005. We ate at nice restaurants, had character meals and also ended up with leftover snacks! We were never hungry long there with the meal package!!

 

[myladyisatramp]

We are purchasing the meal plan this time, seems like it may work out ok.

 

[DurangoGirl2007]

We have always purchased the DDP also. It has saved us a lot of money!!

 

[TravelinGal]

Yes, we buy the meal plan. For us it works out quite well. No worrying about budgets during the trip. (We really don't do souvineers - so we don't need to budget for that either. It just ends up being clutter and I don't like clutter.)