Does the Dining Plan save you money in the long run?

[lovemygoofy]

I like the dining plan. I like having that expense worked into my budget. For us, it isn't about maximizing the credits. We don't feel pressured to order to get our money's worth but I don't sit and sort of "dread" the final bill at the end of week. We enjoy a sit down meal every day and at least one signature meal during our week. We share the QS meals sometimes just because we want a light meal here and there and I like grabbing a snack sometimes or picking up something for a light breakfast in the morning. If all else fails, I also just enjoy using the snack credits to take home short term souvenirs.

 

[canadiandisneynut]

Great idea! When we were debating the Dining Plan before, we had heard how big portions are and knowing that my girls don't eat much, kind of just dismissed it as a waste. This is a great tip that I hadn't considered. I really appreciate it. Planning this first trip for them can be so overwhelming! I appreciate all the suggestions and advice!

Another tip is that QS credits are not broken into adult or child. Often times when we are away, we will go to the counter and order two adult QS meals for the three of us to share and then will use our third QS later in the day by grabbing another QS to share. Depending on how hungry you are, you could essentially get two adult QS at one meal, two adult QS at your next meal and then have your table service meal. You can really make your food last that way. The portions are enormous especially if you are getting a plate with fries.

 

[canadiandisneynut]

Another tip is that QS credits are not broken into adult or child. Often times when we are away, we will go to the counter and order two adult QS meals for the three of us to share and then will use our third QS later in the day by grabbing another QS to share. Depending on how hungry you are, you could essentially get two adult QS at one meal, two adult QS at your next meal and then have your table service meal. You can really make your food last that way. The portions are enormous especially if you are getting a plate with fries.

I am not sure if your two year old gets credits or eats from your plate? If not you can still share as we do and make your meal plan go further.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

The dining plan definitely saves us money. We usually get the Deluxe plan though bc we like having 3 meals a day. We do a TON of character meals, plus we have expensive taste, LOL. I'm all for ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. Plus I have 2 kids age 2 and 8 and we usually get the apps for us grown ups and split it between the table. Specially since my younger son is too young for the plan. We are also HUGE desert fans. We may not clean our entire plate but we sure make use of the app, entree, and desert. We also spread our meals out...We usually have breakfast between 7-8 in the morning, lunch around 12 and then dinner around 6. If you know how to use to plan and can make it work I say its totally worth it. We also like having our meals paid for in advance. It really all depends on how you plan to eat while you are on vacation.

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

Truthfully I don't care if it's more or less expensive, I just enjoy having the entire vacation paid for far in advance, and like others I tend to order what I actually want if price is taken out of the equation versus if I'm paying OOP I'll probably settle for something less expensive.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

OP, with a child under 3, I would totally do it. I'd book a character meal or buffet every day so the 2-yr-old eats for free. Even if both your kids are small eaters, consider that you're almost doing a buy-one-get-one-free deal for their food. Since the C/S credits are combined, you could get an adult meal for the two of them to share: 8 chicken nuggets would certainly be plenty for both.

 

[supersnoop]

OP, with a child under 3, I would totally do it. I'd book a character meal or buffet every day so the 2-yr-old eats for free. Even if both your kids are small eaters, consider that you're almost doing a buy-one-get-one-free deal for their food. Since the C/S credits are combined, you could get an adult meal for the two of them to share: 8 chicken nuggets would certainly be plenty for both.

The two year old eats free at buffets regardless if you're on the dining plan. There's not added benefit to the under-three crowd when using the dining plan.

If you have to scam the dining plan credits to make the value work out, it's probably not worthwhile, either.

 

[Marionnette]

The two year old eats free at buffets regardless if you're on the dining plan. There's not added benefit to the under-three crowd when using the dining plan.

If you have to scam the dining plan credits to make the value work out, it's probably not worthwhile, either.

There's no scamming involved. Disney recently announced changes to the dining plans effective at the end of this past May. Among those changes was the official acknowledgement that ALL QS credits are pooled, so that adults can use the child credits.

 

[robinb]

We are going to WDW in November and I am wondering if we should be considering the dining plan. I hadn't at first, but now I'm thinking it might be a good idea. Thoughts?

I'm answering without reading what others have said.

I think the DDP will save you money if you have Disney Children (9 and under) and you go to a lot of Character meals. You can break even if your kids are Disney Adults but you still go to a lot character meals. If you consider CS meals cost about $15 and snacks cost about $5 you need to spend about $40 on dinner to break even on $60 cost of the DDP. A child's character meal breaks you even on the $20 DDP cost right away with the CS meal and snack being gravy. Personally, we save money by paying OOP (with the Tables in Wonderland card) since my DD is a teen. We also don't eat CS desserts and the ability to exchange a "snack" for a dessert helps but I rarely eat that much in any case.

 

[teller80]

I would also do a quick check on restaurant availability. Disney has free dining in November and many good restaurants/meal times have been snagged up long ago.

 

[han22735]

I've used it in the past... with this upcoming trip we are paying OOP and using the TIW card. When looking at the menus and ordering what we would want to eat(not the most expensive to maximize the plan) including 3 character meals and a TS every night it will be about $800 for the 3 of us. The DDP would cost about $1400.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

The two year old eats free at buffets regardless if you're on the dining plan. There's not added benefit to the under-three crowd when using the dining plan.

If you have to scam the dining plan credits to make the value work out, it's probably not worthwhile, either.

I'm just relating how *I* would personally think about it. If I were in the same situation, I would choose to do character meals and buffets mostly, because at regular TS meals, I'd have to buy the 2-yr-old his/her own meal. When I *did* have a 2-yr-old we did the "free" dining promotion and it worked out well for us.

As far as "scamming" the dining credits, there is no scam involved. There were changes to the DDP publicized several months ago. One of them is: "Quick service locations will also not enforce the mixture of adult and child entitlements. Guests with two adults and two children on the Quick Service Dining Plan can choose four adult meals, if they prefer." (Quoted from the DIS DDP board sticky.) So, it is not a scam if they allow it. I wish they'd made that change sooner - my oldest hated the kids' meals from the time he was about 7 but if we had one of the dining plans, we told him he had to get a kids' meal and we'd supplement with something else later.

 

[supersnoop]

There's no scamming involved. Disney recently announced changes to the dining plans effective at the end of this past May. Among those changes was the official acknowledgement that ALL QS credits are pooled, so that adults can use the child credits.

I'm just relating how *I* would personally think about it. If I were in the same situation, I would choose to do character meals and buffets mostly, because at regular TS meals, I'd have to buy the 2-yr-old his/her own meal. When I *did* have a 2-yr-old we did the "free" dining promotion and it worked out well for us.

As far as "scamming" the dining credits, there is no scam involved. There were changes to the DDP publicized several months ago. One of them is: "Quick service locations will also not enforce the mixture of adult and child entitlements. Guests with two adults and two children on the Quick Service Dining Plan can choose four adult meals, if they prefer." (Quoted from the DIS DDP board sticky.) So, it is not a scam if they allow it. I wish they'd made that change sooner - my oldest hated the kids' meals from the time he was about 7 but if we had one of the dining plans, we told him he had to get a kids' meal and we'd supplement with something else later.

Disney has announced no such changes. Some blogs seem to have popularized the scheme and added some legitimacy by stating that Disney made a change, but no evidence of such a change has ever been provided. I stand my my statement; the plan of using child credits to purchase adult meats is perpetrating a scam.

 

[mountdew1]

Really the only thing to do is run the numbers. Some people swear by the plan, others say it is evil. Basically if the plan matches your eating habits and you eat the more expensive items, then you can easily come out ahead. But if you don't eat the way the plan wants you to eat, or are more likely to get pasta or a salad than steak it's probably not for you. For instance, my DW and I never order a dessert with either a CS or a TS meal and usually either share a single soda or drink water. So that alone immediately has us paying for $10-$15 worth of food per person per day we would never eat. That alone kills any value of the plan for us, never mind that we tend to gravitate towards the cheaper entrees (I'm a vegetarian). So look at the menus online for the places you think you would eat (ignore prices while making your selections) and then compare the total price to the cost of the dining plan. And then you have your answer. Personally I never buy the convenience argument, put the same amount on a gift card and whatever you don't spend on food use to pay off your room charge/souvenirs.

 

[wizneather78]

For us, YES it saves. I had originally budgeted $1400 for food for our trip and when I called to inquire about adding the dining plan, it only ended up being an additional $900 some odd dollars. I jumped on that and snagged it. I'm especially excited about it this go around because of the new changes they've made...substituting a salad/fruit plate for a dessert item at TS locations.

 

[MARDUN]

I think it can but you have to use all the meals and snacks. It does offer convenience. For savings I like the tables in Wonderland program which for a annual fee provides a discount (20%) in most WDW dining locations. If you are going doing F&W you can really amp the value using your snack credits at the food booths. The other issue I have with the plan it tends to make you schedule your day more tightly as you have to make and show up for reservations.

 

[North of Mouse]

We are going to WDW in November and I am wondering if we should be considering the dining plan. I hadn't at first, but now I'm thinking it might be a good idea. Thoughts?

Does not save us money - no way! We don't eat desserts with our meals, nor do we want anything other than water to drink - much cheaper and enjoyable for us oop.

 

[Accident]

I'm especially excited about it this go around because of the new changes they've made...substituting a salad/fruit plate for a dessert item at TS locations.

If you've never tried any of the sugar free or similar options, I highly recommend you do so. Many of them are far better tasting that the full sugar deserts.

 

[GaryDis]

If you've never tried any of the sugar free or similar options, I highly recommend you do so. Many of them are far better tasting that the full sugar deserts.

This can depend on the nature of the dessert. Many sugar free desserts, especially frozen ones, use sugar alcohols such as sorbitol or xylitol. These can have a laxative effect on some people, especially if you eat too much of them.

 

[NotUrsula]

What we found is that it didn't work well for DH and I, but did work for our son. So we compromised: we bought the kid gift cards that were equal to what we would have spent on the dining plan for him, and turned him loose with the card. He eats whatever he wants and is happy not to be held back by his parents' "no snacking" touring style.