Food Costs - How Much Did You Spend on Your Last Visit?

[CodeGoddess]

If it helps any at all, an adult TS credit on the regular plan is "worth" about $38, a QS credit $18, and a snack is $5. When you use credits to do a 2TS meal, it is very difficult to "spend" that $76 on just an entree, dessert, and drink.

As for tips, if you're group is larger than 6, you'll automatically be charged an 18%. If you go with the DDP and everyone orders all the parts of the plan, then your tip will probably be more than if you paid OOP just because most people wouldn't order all those desserts.

The groups that consistently save money with the plan have at least 2 children in the mix and like to do character buffets. The price of the kid's buffet is right at the price for the whole day for the kids.

That is a huge help! Breaking down the price per credit was exactly the problem I was having.

We are a group of 7 adults all 21+ so I don't think we have any character buffets in our future. haha Our focus is good food, good drinks and amazing desserts. Normally our group would do a light breakfast most days (oatmeal, pastries, eggs and toast etc), not too heavy lunch (sandwiches, salads, no burgers and fries) and then a rich dinner. We also are not much on snacking, maybe an ice cream or two during the week but not much else.

 

[rand1953]

1,000,000.00

 

[Alesia]

That is a huge help! Breaking down the price per credit was exactly the problem I was having.

We are a group of 7 adults all 21+ so I don't think we have any character buffets in our future. haha Our focus is good food, good drinks and amazing desserts. Normally our group would do a light breakfast most days (oatmeal, pastries, eggs and toast etc), not too heavy lunch (sandwiches, salads, no burgers and fries) and then a rich dinner. We also are not much on snacking, maybe an ice cream or two during the week but not much else.

I can't imagine that the DDP would be beneficial to your group. The only way it really works out for adults is if you eat exactly the way the plan is laid out (always ordering a soft drink at every meal, each person ordering a dessert at every meal, etc.) and everyone is ordering the most expensive items most of the time.

 

[BaseballMoM2007]

I'd guesstimate around $2500 for two adults on an eight day visit.

We are going to 8 nights on Free dining with the Regular plan in September two adults and one 7 year old boy (who eats like a teenage boy) I have estimated about $1200 for tips, alchool, oop breakfast, and a 2 extra oop table service meals. I would say 2500 if you aren't on the plan is a good figure. With what I think we will eat the cost of the plan is within 50-100. We like the DDP this is our 3rd time with it. We feel like we order things we might not would (expensive steaks and dessert) if we were paying OOP for meals plus all the snacks I know we wouldn't try if we were paying OOP. We have paid for the DDP with a package once and got free dining last year and this year. We will pay for the dining plan on our Trip next May since it won't be free dining during that time. There are going to be people who are very for it (us) and people who are very against it.

 

[CodeGoddess]

1,000,000.00

Did you get some sharks with laser beams included?

 

[MrInfinity]

We are a group of 7 adults all 21+ so I don't think we have any character buffets in our future. haha Our focus is good food, good drinks and amazing desserts. Normally our group would do a light breakfast most days (oatmeal, pastries, eggs and toast etc), not too heavy lunch (sandwiches, salads, no burgers and fries) and then a rich dinner. We also are not much on snacking, maybe an ice cream or two during the week but not much else.

Hi Goddess,
I love the DDP. It is a relaxing way to spend money, particularly while on vacation. It allows you to pay for a good amount of food months in advance, then disassociate the cost of food from the fact that you're buying it. It allows you to read over a menu and pick sort of aloof things that you might not order if you normally eat frugally. It encourages you to get sodas and desserts for everyone, again splurging. Now really these things are not cheaper, you're paying for them all, up front. In fact the way the DDP works is that you're paying for generally the most expensive things on the menu, whether you order them or not. Then when you eat, you get to pick what you want.

If you tend to eat at pricier places, the DDP can be a good value. Pricier places mean buffets and character meals, which you're not doing.

If you have kids... at least 1 kid (preferably more) per adult, the DDP can be an even better value (you don't - you have all adults, the worst value on the DDP).

So given the makeup of your group, I'd say you are unfortunately about the least economical type of group of all to be on the DDP. You will almost certainly spend less overall as a group just by paying cash. Keep in mind I normally recommend the DDP because of the disassociation, and then if a family has kids and will hit some character meals, the potential savings. And then the last major benefit to it is easier breakout of spending, particularly among large party bills. That part might have some value to you. But I'd say just charge things to your room, get a band-breakdown when you check out. Easy. And almost certainly cheaper.

 

[Fizban]

As AP holders with TIW card the dining plan never works out for us financially.

 

[CodeGoddess]

Hi Goddess,
I love the DDP. It is a relaxing way to spend money, particularly while on vacation. It allows you to pay for a good amount of food months in advance, then disassociate the cost of food from the fact that you're buying it. It allows you to read over a menu and pick sort of aloof things that you might not order if you normally eat frugally. It encourages you to get sodas and desserts for everyone, again splurging. Now really these things are not cheaper, you're paying for them all, up front. In fact the way the DDP works is that you're paying for generally the most expensive things on the menu, whether you order them or not. Then when you eat, you get to pick what you want.

If you tend to eat at pricier places, the DDP can be a good value. Pricier places mean buffets and character meals, which you're not doing.

If you have kids... at least 1 kid (preferably more) per adult, the DDP can be an even better value (you don't - you have all adults, the worst value on the DDP).

So given the makeup of your group, I'd say you are unfortunately about the least economical type of group of all to be on the DDP. You will almost certainly spend less overall as a group just by paying cash. Keep in mind I normally recommend the DDP because of the disassociation, and then if a family has kids and will hit some character meals, the potential savings. And then the last major benefit to it is easier breakout of spending, particularly among large party bills. That part might have some value to you. But I'd say just charge things to your room, get a band-breakdown when you check out. Easy. And almost certainly cheaper.

Thank you so much! We are coming to the conclusion that we are not a good candidate.

We have two couples and three singles (possibly three couples) so when you are talking about large party bills, will we not be able to be billed per person/couple when we do ADRs?

 

[angierae]

My budget for next year's trip (10 days, two adults) is $1100. I went to All Ears and built myself a spreadsheet of what we were likely to order, added up what tips would be, greatly overestimated $15 per day for snacks, and then threw in buying the refillable mugs because we have a ton of them and I like having them at home, plus this trip we're going to eat at the Pop food court a number of times.

This is for nine CS and nine TS.

 

[angierae]

Thank you so much! We are coming to the conclusion that we are not a good candidate.

We have two couples and three singles (possibly three couples) so when you are talking about large party bills, will we not be able to be billed per person/couple when we do ADRs?

You will be able to tell your server how the bill should be split.

 

[smcabee]

Looking over our 9 day April trips receipts. With TIW we spent $1123.98 on food/soft drinks/water/alcohol etc no souveniers this trip.

 

[Arielismyfave]

i'm not sure if im allowed to post the link but there is a website that has a "trip planner" that has a dining cost calculator. We haven't gone on our trip yet so I don't have anything to compare it to.

 

[CodeGoddess]

i'm not sure if im allowed to post the link but there is a website that has a "trip planner" that has a dining cost calculator. We haven't gone on our trip yet so I don't have anything to compare it to.

I'm new to the forum but is there private messaging here? Could you send the link through that?

 

[Minnie-Maniac]

My family gets the Deluxe Dining plan when we go to WDW. This includes 3 Table/Quick Service Meals, 2 snacks, and a Refillable Mug. Last year my Mom just told me the price was about $110 per night for My Dad, Mom, Big Sister, and Me. For my Little Brother it was about $30 per day.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

This was in '13 with 4 adults. We did ddp but kept track of what it would have cost us. Food only, no alcohol, most dinners we had 4 desserts. One in our party was sick a few days so didn't order everything he could have. I think the total without tips is around $1,520 for seven days. We paid oop for breakfast items and if I had to guess it would add another $150. We mostly used snack credits for breakfast and did one ts at the poly. We are not doing ddp this time to see how it works. I think we saved around $100 doing the ddp if we would have ate the exact food paying oop.

 

[FoodieFriend]

when we went in '10 (4 adult women), we were on the standard dining plan (1 SN, 1 QS, 1 TS/night) paid for (not free dining) & we did our best to get the most expensive meal that appealed to us during our 10 day stay. we had 1 signature dinner (2 TS at Cali Grill), some buffets (Biergarten & Tusker House) & regular TS meals (Wolfgang Puck & Raglan Road) plus QS dines that were not very memorable. Most food was decent, but by the end of the trip, we were sick of desserts with every QS & TS. we gave away most of our individually wrapped desserts to big families who were always appreciative. i think we barely broke even on the DDP.For my upcoming trip, we're paying OOP & purchasing at TIW card instead, so we'll see how much we end up spending this time around. Plus it's EFWF & 1 SN/night won't go far!
i did have the pickiest diner in our group look at the menus prior to making my decision about the meal plan & she didn't see a lot that she wanted to eat. most of the time, she preferred the appetizers over the entrée which is ok with TIW, but not with DDP. that sealed the deal for us. You're going with a big group so it's all members getting the meal plan or none which can be tough. I've also read that the DDP has been modified at some places to give you more snack credits instead of a meal? idk if that is something for you to consider as well.
enjoy planning!

 

[sharonabe]

I'm new to the forum but is there private messaging here? Could you send the link through that?

Here is the link to the calculator:

http://www.distripplanner.com/

But I think you'll get a better idea of costs if you know where you want to dine.

And just so you're not surprised later, while you can split the bill for payment, your group will still be charged the automatic 18% gratuity.

 

[Candycane83]

I find that it depends on how many people goes and what your preference in dining is. DH and I went in 2012- we paid OOP and think we made the right decision. . Also, I just ordered what I liked from the menu (not look at what the most expensive thing on the menu is) and didn't have to force myself to order a dessert if I didn't want to. DH and I also ordered a few apps instead of ordering mains in some restaurants. In the end,I had to cancel a couple ADRs too for one reason or another.

 

[Alesia]

I'm new to the forum but is there private messaging here? Could you send the link through that?

It's the one I recommended in post #5.

 

[Monykalyn]

We went for 2 weeks with 6 nights on property (and one visit to DHS from off property)
For the 5 of us (2 adults, 3 kids in all eyes except Disneys lol-ages are in my signature) we spent $1822 in food and drink on Disney property. I also spent $75 over the 2 weeks on groceries (Mostly for breakfast items -milk, cereal, donuts, snacks for room, water, lemonade and a ginormous bottle of raspberry vodka my DH bought because it was on sale lol-of which about 1/4 got used). The Disney food included Sanaa lunch (plus 2 adult beverages), BOG lunch-including 2 appetizers and 3 desserts, Rebel Hangar(specialty Star Wars hybrid of table and quick service) x2-including adult drinks;Cape May dinner; 50's Prime time dinner; Sci Fi Galactic breakfast (was worth 2 credits on DP I believe - to give you an idea of comparison), and multiple counter service meals(lots of them in France. The total includes the tax, tip and any extra alcohol beverages (specialty Star Wars ones-$15 a drink with glow cubes).
We ate the way we wanted, kids got what they wanted (including the kid who always wanted seafood or steak). On the Dining plan I would have come home with unused credits, or paid more with the QS plan because so much of what we did wasn't included on plan (appetizers, drinks) for this trip.

Yep-have it all in a spreadsheet - DH saved every receipt. We were both shocked when we got home and added up the costs-it was far less than we had budgeted for and we never felt deprived (our merchandise receipts reflect that LOL). Our total food costs for 5 people for 2 weeks (includes Universal and off property restaurants was ~2900-about $45/day/person on average. I had budgeted $60/per person/per day. I did do a specialty dessert package-if that is included it raises the per day/per person average to $49-still less than the DDP for an adult.

I found the dining trip calculator(in post #5) very helpful and I deliberately overestimated (what I thought was just by a little bit).