Does the Dining plan save you money?!!

[Debs Hill]

So, we are considering using the Dining Plan for the first time.....hubby just thinks it's a way of Disney getting your money up-front so you spend more time on property eating because you've already paid for it
I'm trying to persuade him it's a good idea.....for those of you who have done it, does it actually save you any money? We'd hope to do at least a couple of signature restaurants
Thanks
Debx

 

[Faldred]

For the most part, Hubby is right.

There are some people who would eat the same way, regardless of whether or not they have a dining plan. For them, one of the dining plans would very likely save them money.

For everyone else... well, you can eat cheaper without one, but the real question is, do you want to? For some, having a dining plan means the convenience of not having to worry about budget while traveling and perhaps having more meals or allowing themselves to have somewhat larger meals, or those off the higher end of the menu, than they would if paying cash. For others, the limitations of the plan make it not worthwhile.

The real question comes down to: will the extra money spent on a dining plan make your overall vacation experience better, and enough better to warrant the cost?

 

[jjmom03]

Doing to dining plan allows me to do more meals with the characters which I have never done before. Just that alone I think it is worth it.

 

[sharonabe]

If you know you want to do some signature meals, go to allearsnet and look at the menus. Give DH an idea of what it will cost to pay OOP.

However, using the regular DDP to do signatures isn't always the best value since they take 2 TS credits. You would need to eat around $60-$70 of food to make that worth it. A lot of people who enjoy signatures opt for the Deluxe Dining Plan, and you may have a harder time convincing DH to pay that much up front.

 

[TDC Nala]

It might save you money...if you use it in a way that will save you money. It isn't automatic; it has to be planned.

If you have children under 10 and are planning to do several character meals, for instance, it might be worth having.

On the regular DDP, for the most part, signature restaurants are not a deal for adults. They cost two credits, and appetizers/alcohol are not included.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I don't know if it saves us money, but we like it for other reasons. We like the convenience of pre-paying and not worrying about food money during the trip. It is easier to swallow "3 credits" rather than a $50 bill for a crowded counter service restaurant where I feel rushed so that someone else can have my table.

 

[havoc315]

The answer is two-fold---
It "can" save you money.
But most people, would spend less money without the plan.

Assuming you are taking about the regular DDP:

If your family does a CS lunch and a TS dinner every day (with or without the plan), and if you always order every member of the party their own beverage and dessert at lunch and dinner, and always purchase an additional snack per person, per day... Then Yes, the DDP will save you money.

Since most people don't necessarily eat in exactly this way every single day, you could easily eat cheaper without the plan.

One way of looking at it --- You are basically pre-paying full price for 1 TS entree+beverage and 1 CS entree+beverage, and in exchange -- You are getting a discount on desserts. In other words... using the 2012 price of $52... You are getting a $10 CS entree, a $2.50 CS beverage, a $23 TS entree, a $2.50 TS beverage= $38 of entrees plus beverages. With tax == $40.

So you are pre-paying $40 for your TS/CS entrees and beverage, and then you are getting 2 desserts plus a snack for "just" $12 more, thus saving a few dollars on the desserts.

 

[havoc315]

However, using the regular DDP to do signatures isn't always the best value since they take 2 TS credits. You would need to eat around $60-$70 of food to make that worth it. A lot of people who enjoy signatures opt for the Deluxe Dining Plan, and you may have a harder time convincing DH to pay that much up front.

To "break even" on a signature meal, it would have to be around $60. As the regular DDP only covers an entree, dessert and beverage... it can be challenging to hit this $60 mark and very difficulty to meaningfully surpass this mark.
Using the recently updated California Grill menu as an example:
Duck - $34, beverage - about $3, dessert - Strawberry Cobbler - $12 -- Total = $47. Even with tax, just barely $50. And that used 2 days worth of credits.
The best ways to do signature meals are simply pay OOP, or use the deluxe dining plan. (If you also want appetizers, and want to do a lot of signature meals).

 

[catne]

IF you like to get appetizer, entreee, dessert and beverage at your table-service meals...and you want mostly table-service meals (few quick-service)...and you definitely want some of the signature meals...then chances are the deluxe dining plan will save you some anywhere from a little money, to quite a good bit.

We always use dining plans, sometimes the regular "plus dining", and sometimes the deluxe dining. I often keep all receipts and add up the real numbers after our vacations...we typically save between 20-30% by purchasing the dining plans. But we actually DO want the apps when covered by the plan...and we DO like getting all those desserts on vacation (rarely eat them rest of the year)...and we do tend to order the high-end entrees like steaks, as opposed to going for the entree-salads or pasta dishes for entrees so we tend to get better value there, too. And finally, we always have a car so easy to get around to all the restaurants without spending tons of time commuting via Disney transportation system...and we go to Disney often enough that we don't mind spending the extra time in the restaurants that having all those dining credits will take.

Do you want maximum park-time? If so, you might want to skip all the restaurant experiences (if you're just looking at a couple of signature meals, and would be fine with counter-service quick meals the rest of the time, then you will lose money on a dining plan for sure.)

If you would prefer ordering several interesting appetizers for a meal, and maybe split a dessert or not get one at all...then dining plan is a bad idea for you!

Look over the menues, see if you really would want to eat the way the dining plan dictates. And run a few numbers to see cash versuses dining plan costs.

 

[Bonniec]

We live near by so dont stay on site and have passes so we CANT do the dining plan.

But I sure wish we could sometimes! Paying out of pocket sucks.

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

The regular dining plan did not do too much for us since we like appetizers and we went out of pocket for additional meals.

The deluxe works for us and saves us money because we like signature meals. Even if we don't all get appetizers at each meal we still come out ahead in what we eat versus the cost. We've paid full price for the plan and upgraded from free dining and either way still save lots of money based on how we would eat.

 

[catne]

We live near by so dont stay on site and have passes so we CANT do the dining plan.

But I sure wish we could sometimes! Paying out of pocket sucks.

you could still stay on site for a "staycation"...lots of FLorida people do. We have a condo 1 1/2 hours away, and could visit Disney as a day-trip, but we love staying at Disney resorts for total vacation.

You can book Disney rooms at pretty good annual-pass rates (or Florida resident rates) AND you can buy the dining plan with those discounted rooms. (you don't have to get tickets to get the dining plan when you book with a pass discount.)

 

[disneymom443]

It does save our family, because we like to eat at those places anyway. it is about 30% saved. Our biggest pull to get it the fact that all of our meals are paid for and we don't have to worry about how much $ to save for. It is all done.

If you do it...dining plus you have to pay for tip, and apptiziers. It is not included. And if you happen to have a party of 6, they will charge you 18% for tip no matter what. So that is an expence you need to add.


______________________________________________

We"ll be at WDW in just 33 days.
Food & Wine

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

So, we are considering using the Dining Plan for the first time.....hubby just thinks it's a way of Disney getting your money up-front so you spend more time on property eating because you've already paid for it
I'm trying to persuade him it's a good idea.....for those of you who have done it, does it actually save you any money? We'd hope to do at least a couple of signature restaurants
Thanks
Debx

With the dining plan, we'll visit restaurants we wouldn't normally. Otherwise, we'll spend our money more conservatively. The "free" dining plan allows us to eat more expensive entrees then we would normally pay for.

We have never paid for the dining plan - we've only ever used it when it was free

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

If you happen to luck out and get free dining for your dates it will INDEED save you a lot of money. Even if you got free QSDP and paid to upgrade to DDp it would save you a lot of money that way too. But paying for it out of pocket you can definitely eat cheaper just by not buying dessert or by not buying the 2 snacks per day.

 

[CWarkenthien]

I didn't want to start a new thread, but I have a question for those in the know. My family and I are traveling down to Disney, and have never used the dining plan before, but it seems like it would be a good idea this trip. Are there restrictions on the Deluxe Dining Plan? (meaning, you can't order the Lobster or have to pay a supplementary fee?)

 

[havoc315]

No restrictions like that. There are a few desserts and appetizers that are "for 2," so you can't order them with 1 credit. Every entree is covered, though sometimes there is grey area between appetizer and entree. For example, at California Grill, sone of the sushi dishes are apps, but the most expensive sushi dishes count vas entrees.

On snacks, same restrictions as the other dining plans. Most items under $4 are included, as well as some items slightly above $4.

 

[cookieswithangel]

Overall, I think it really depends on how you eat on a daily basis, like other's have said. Though to really know, you need to run the numbers of where you would eat to see if you would save. We did the QSDP in June, and we didn't save anything because we did eat at a few OOP TS places, but not enough to go for the DDP. We did however love the convenience.
For November, we booked under free dining and upgraded to the deluxe plan, and the way we look at it, is if we eat at a signature or two, the rest of our meals are free. So if you book under free dining, I definitely think the DxDP would be a better deal and you have so much more flexibility with your credits.
Either way, I hope you make the best decision for your party, whether it be for savings or convenience.

 

[Lisa71]

We did the DDP last year and had a blast. It was free dining, but we kept our receipts and found that even with some OOP other dining, we saved money. We also used our children's unused TS dining credits for room service the last night had had quite a feast of small plates for all of us. It was worth every penny, and we do like paying up front and the ease of the plan. We are doing it again next year, but it is peak season, so no freebies.

 

[myhoney]

That's what we are doing in Nov. Got free DDP, upgraded to DxDP for $500. We booked Cali Grill, CRT, Spirit of Aloha, and Hoop de Doo. Those four meals would cost us $500, so we figure everything else on our 6 night stay is free! If we stayed with the regular plan, we wouldn't be able to experience all those special meals, and as we don't plan to go back to WDW for several years, decided to live it up!