For us it's a matter of convenience

[CatNipRules]

We signed up for and paid for the DxDDP on our upcoming trip in October.

Are we going to eat every meal at a sit down restaurant? Probably not. I debated long and hard about which dining plan was right for my family. I studied the different menus and the prices. When it comes right down to it, I concluded that the deluxe plan is the best one for us.

See, I have 2 very fussy eaters in my family. DH is very particular on what he eats. DS.... Well, if it's not pizza, chicken nuggets or steak, forget about it. Although he will eat burgers on occasion, he's definitely not a veggie eater. LOL!!

So, looking at the different menus and knowing where we like to eat, both at the parks and at DTD, we decided that the best plan for us is the deluxe plan. Trust me, we plan on getting plenty of use out of it. It's too early to make our ADR's, but for the most part, I know where we are eating. They aren't cheap places and the $$ we pay for the dining plan will definitely be well worth it.

Plus, we don't have to worry about bringing money for anything except tips and souvenirs. We are big eaters even outside Disney. So, to me it's well worth the money we pay. I know that there are plenty of people that don't like the dining plans, but I for one am looking forward to feasting and not having to worry about paying $$ out of pocket while we are there.

 

[mamato3girls]

I feel the same way about the dining plan. We don't do the deluxe but we do the regular dining plan. I am sure we may save a bit of money if we didn't do it but it is just so convenient to not have to worry about it while we are there. I like going on the vacation and knowing everything we need is already taken care of.

 

[Rosiekins]

We do the Deluxe for the same reason. For me it just takes away so much stress knowing that once I get there everything but my tips and souvies are already paid for. Plus I feel happier ordering what I want off the menu where as normally I would feel the need to order something cheaper in some cases, I would most likely skip that dessert I really wanted, and I would never order an App. I know that I am paying for it but having it already paid for gives me a better sense of freedom.

Also I am slow eater and counter service is not something I always enjoy even when I find non greasy fast food items to eat. Something about having to find a seat and then having people staring at you cause they want your seat puts me off I guess. Now the few counter services we choose to eat are kind of like treats, normally something I already picked and added to the schedule. I like the sit down breaks a couple of times a day to regroup and just relax. All the food is my husbands favorite part of Disney so that is another reason for the Dxddp (he won't go with out it). We stay in a cheaper hotel (I love Pop) and splurge on the dining plan.

 

[sammysmom]

We love the DxDP!! I love the fact that we can eat at restaurants that we normally wouldnt be able too and the girls love the character/princess meals. I like the fact of having everything paid for ahead of time and not having to worry about food or snacks once we arrive

 

[havoc315]

So, looking at the different menus and knowing where we like to eat, both at the parks and at DTD, we decided that the best plan for us is the deluxe plan. Trust me, we plan on getting plenty of use out of it. It's too early to make our ADR's, but for the most part, I know where we are eating. They aren't cheap places and the $$ we pay for the dining plan will definitely be well worth it.

All fair enough... But you aren't just getting it for convenience then. You have looked at the menus and prices, and for where you plan to dine, and what you plan to order, you expect the plan will be "worth it."

If the plan was significantly more expensive than the food that you wanted to order, would you still get the plan just for the convenience?

In other words, the plan costs about $85 per night. If you knew for absolute certainty -- that the food that you most desired, would cost just $50 per night (for example, a bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast, $5, a sandwich and drink at the Plaza for lunch, $18, and a bowl of pasta with drink and dessert at Tony's for dinner, total about $27), would you still get the plan just for convenience?
Or, are you getting the plan, because you expect your dining will run more than $85 per adult per night? Thus getting the plan for convenience AND savings?

 

[havoc315]

We do the Deluxe for the same reason. For me it just takes away so much stress knowing that once I get there everything but my tips and souvies are already paid for. Plus I feel happier ordering what I want off the menu where as normally I would feel the need to order something cheaper in some cases, I would most likely skip that dessert I really wanted, and I would never order an App. I know that I am paying for it but having it already paid for gives me a better sense of freedom.

Brief question -- If you could get all those desserts that you really crave... get those appetizers you really want, get the more expensive entree that you actually prefer --- If it was cheaper to get all that OOP than with the DxDP, would you still get the plan for convenience?
Or in other words, if I told you that you could prepay for the steak at Le Cellier for $50, or you could pay $40 OOP, which would you do?

 

[JoShan1719]

Another one here who goes for convenience over price. I love the regular DDP, the DDxP is a bit much for me. I pay a little more than I would OOP, but I hate putting restrictions on myself. Not eating at a certain restaurant, or not eating a certain dish because it was too expensive would get on my nerves.

 

[havoc315]

Another one here who goes for convenience over price. I love the regular DDP, the DDxP is a bit much for me. I pay a little more than I would OOP, but I hate putting restrictions on myself. Not eating at a certain restaurant, or not eating a certain dish because it was too expensive would get on my nerves.

So just for clarity -- You say you are paying more than you would OOP. You mean, because you would get cheaper dishes OOP. Or do you mean that you pay $51 per night, but you only order $45 worth of food? In other words, for the EXACT same food, you'd rather pay $51 in advance, than pay $45 later?

I see a lot of people who claim that convenience is the sole reason for the dining plan. But I've yet to see people who willingly lose money on it. Who are willing to actually pay more, for the convenience of pre-payment. If you had the choice of pre-paying for Chef Mickey, prepaying $50 when you make the reservation, or $40 when you check in for the reservation, which would you pick?

 

[CatNipRules]

I guess for me I'm not looking at the per price cost. The way I look at it is, if it's $85 a day, then I would have to spend approximately $28.34 per meal in order for it to be cost effective for me.

My son loves steak. It's one of the few things that I can actually get him to eat. I was looking at a few menus of the places and could easily make up the difference at some..

For instance, one of our favorite places to eat is The Rainforest Cafe. Okay, that being said, it's newly on the dining plan. Just figuring out my son's meal was enough to make it easy for me.

Appetizer- Cheese Sticks-(The kid would and has eaten these and nothing else._ $9.49
Entree-Tree Top Filet-$31.99
Dessert-Gorillas in the mist-$6.99

Add on the price of a drink and tax and it's well over the $28.34 average price.

It's a big cost saver and a convenience. I just don't want to have to think about paying for anything except tips and souvies when we are there.

My husband is a big eater also and loves the idea of the dining plan. He was the one that looked at it and decided that it would be a good thing for us.

Like I said, it might not be for everyone, but for me and my family it's a winner...

 

[CatNipRules]

Another one here who goes for convenience over price. I love the regular DDP, the DDxP is a bit much for me. I pay a little more than I would OOP, but I hate putting restrictions on myself. Not eating at a certain restaurant, or not eating a certain dish because it was too expensive would get on my nerves.

That's exactly my thinking. I have two men and they are big eaters and usually like to do a lot of sit down restaurants. So, for us it makes sense. I don't want to tell my teenage son that he has to order the cheapest thing on the menu because we need to watch our money the entire trip. This way, it's all paid for and he can eat to his hearts desire. LOL!!

 

[havoc315]

It's a big cost saver and a convenience.

Like I said, it might not be for everyone, but for me and my family it's a winner...

Bingo. It definitely is for families that would save money, and also find convenience. If your son truly was going to eat the $9 cheese sticks and NOTHING else... wouldn't touch the $31 filet... So you would basically be paying $28 for a $9 meal, you might not think it was so convenient.

I've yet to see people who willingly lose money on the plan, for the sake of convenience.

 

[Huff]

How do most make good use of the DxDDP? Its 3 TS credits per day. No way could I eat 3 big sit down meals a day. I assume most use 1TS for breakfast or lunch and then dine at 2TS restaurants or dinner shows? For me, I just don't feel they're worth the cost for 2TS. Their menu prices are not twice that of a 1TS meal.

 

[TDC Nala]

Even if Havoc hasn't seen it, I've seen posters state that even if they end up leaving half their dining credits behind, they like the DDP and/or the deluxe DDP and they're going to use it. They just like it enough to get it whether it saves them money or not. And it's their choice.

Yes, usually if you want to maximize the deluxe dining plan, a 1 TS breakfast or lunch and a signature dinner is the way to do it most of the time. Absolutely the best way to do it is to have three one TS meals per day but not everybody wants to eat that much or spend that much time in restaurants. It helps that the appetizer is included and there is always that extra snack. Not everybody tries to maximize it though.

I remember seeing a poster who went on the deluxe plan because they wanted at least two character meals a day. On a seven night trip they had booked sixteen character meals. And then they still had more credits they needed to use. They thought it was the greatest, because they felt like they could book whatever meals they wanted and they STILL had access to more food (although sixteen character meals would drive me stark raving mad, so it's a different outlook).

 

[havoc315]

How do most make good use of the DxDDP? Its 3 TS credits per day. No way could I eat 3 big sit down meals a day. I assume most use 1TS for breakfast or lunch and then dine at 2TS restaurants or dinner shows? For me, I just don't feel they're worth the cost for 2TS. Their menu prices are not twice that of a 1TS meal.

Personally, when I have used the DxDP -- I do an early lunch, and a 2-credit dinner.

It's not a value for everyone. But when done that way, it can easily become a value.
Under the DxDP, you are paying less per TS credit, than under the DDP, while getting more (an appetizer).

Under the regular DDP, you are paying about $35 per TS credit.
Under the DxDP, you are paying about $28 per TS credit.

Let's look at a typical signature meal.
Entree -- About $45. Dessert -- About $10. beverage -- $3. And, under the DxDP -- Appetizer, about $10.

So under the regular DDP -- If you did this signature meal, you would be paying $70 (2 credits) for a $58 meal. A very bad value.
But under the DxDP -- You are paying $56 (2 deluxe credits) for a $68 meal. (A very good value).

Pair that $68 dinner with a $20 breakfast or lunch, and you have easily saved money on the day.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

How do most make good use of the DxDDP? Its 3 TS credits per day. No way could I eat 3 big sit down meals a day. I assume most use 1TS for breakfast or lunch and then dine at 2TS restaurants or dinner shows? For me, I just don't feel they're worth the cost for 2TS. Their menu prices are not twice that of a 1TS meal.

(not sure if this is all still true with the 2012 pricing) As long as you use 2 out of 3 credits on a TS meal you are ahead of the game. You CAN use them at CS locations. And the price/meal credit to break even is lower on the Deluxe plan (than the regular plan) so the Signatures are actually a good use of credits for the money. I've seen people do a TS for breakfast or early lunch and a signature for dinner, a 1TS for breakfast and dinner and a CS lunch, or some combination of the two over their trip.

 

[havoc315]

(not sure if this is all still true with the 2012 pricing) As long as you use 2 out of 3 credits on a TS meal you are ahead of the game. .

The significant 2012 price increase has made it more like 3/4th, while getting at least some real value from the other 1/4th, and some snacks.

 

[Rosiekins]

Brief question -- If you could get all those desserts that you really crave... get those appetizers you really want, get the more expensive entree that you actually prefer --- If it was cheaper to get all that OOP than with the DxDP, would you still get the plan for convenience?
Or in other words, if I told you that you could prepay for the steak at Le Cellier for $50, or you could pay $40 OOP, which would you do?

That is a really good question! Now because I know us I know that isn't going to happen (Having OOP be cheaper then DxDDP) but if it did I would have to think it over. I am a person who stresses over everything so having it prepaid truly is part of why I choose the Dining Plans. I know that if I were to totally just break even and not save anything I would still do it. If I were to loose a few dollars a day I might still use it because again I like having it already paid for. I step off the plane and I am free, they pick me up take me to my hotel, they take me to the places I want to be, my food is paid for and I just have to tip. I love this. I am willing to pay for this. But if I was losing more then a few dollars a day I would most likely move down to a smaller plan but I am pretty sure we would still choose a plan to use.

When we used the regular plan we struggled with using up the CS credits and had a few left at the end. We still saved money and would have used the plan again but after reading about the DxDDP we tried that. We like it, we saved about 3 hundred dollars (after tips). We only ate 3 meals a day a few times mostly we ate lunch and a Sig dinner. We found that yes it was a lot of food, no we don't always need apps and dessert but we liked getting to have and try them. Also we found that the food was more the right amount at the sigs who tend to give you smaller portions of better food, then some of the 1 credit places who gave us larger plates of tasty but less fancy food. As for snack credits we went during F&W so that helped and then we bought treats to bring home as souvenirs to friends and family. We were able to get things like lovely frosted character cookies (Nemo was one I remember) Lollypops, gummies and few other treats. They were big hits with everyone. Something else I should point out is that we did not just choose the more expensive things on the menu every time so that we could get the most out of the plan, we chose what we most wanted to eat whether it was the cheapest or most costly.

In the end I guess it comes down to the fact that the dining plan is right for us, I normally try to state why I like it and how we use so people can see that and weigh it against themselves. It is the right choice for us but it is not always the right choice for everyone.

 

[CatNipRules]

Bingo. It definitely is for families that would save money, and also find convenience. If your son truly was going to eat the $9 cheese sticks and NOTHING else... wouldn't touch the $31 filet... So you would basically be paying $28 for a $9 meal, you might not think it was so convenient.

I've yet to see people who willingly lose money on the plan, for the sake of convenience.

Oh trust me, if he was only going to eat cheese sticks and nothing else, then I would have to reconsider the whole thing. However, knowing my son the way I do I know that we will get our money's worth. I'm not saying that I'm willing to lose money on the plan, but I don't want to pay for the dining plan and then have to pay more money because my son is hungry right after we get out of the restaurant. It would definitely not be convenient and it would probably tick me off for spending $28 on cheesesticks. LOL!!

I'm a cheapskate at heart and always look to save money wherever I can. But you just can't beat the convenience of having everything paid for and the relief you feel not having to balance your checkbook everyday or worrying about having enough to get everything you would like to.

 

[havoc315]

In the end I guess it comes down to the fact that the dining plan is right for us, I normally try to state why I like it and how we use so people can see that and weigh it against themselves. It is the right choice for us but it is not always the right choice for everyone.

I'm not trying to scare or others off the plan. Just pointing out that I haven't seen anybody using it for *just* convenience.

With 2 adults and 2 young children, we used the deluxe plan in 2011. We saved a pretty good sum of money, with the plan -- at least $200-$300. We didn't really use most of our snack credits, didn't need to. (With desserts with lunch and dinner, how many more desserts could we possibly fit in? We used a few snack credits here and there for morning items).
With the significant price increase in 2012 -- We are again using the DxDP. But our margin of savings is much smaller. It's a close call. We anticipate saving $100-$200, at most.
If there is another significant price increase, we will probably skip the plan in the future.

Personally -- I feel the opposite of how you do. While you're not willing to lose a lot of money, you are willing to lose a few dollars for the convenience.
Personally, I find the plan inconvenient. I feel pressure to order the more expensive items, even though I prefer the cheaper items. I don't like being limited to the "covered snacks." So I'm willing to go with the plan if it will save me a pretty significant amount of money. But if it's at all close, I'd rather just skip the plan.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

If you pre-pay for a Disney gift card to cover all of your dining $s, you have the same convenience......but, most importantly, you can use your $s as you choose, not according to the Dining Plan rules!

You have to pre-pay your Disney hotel/dining/ticket charges anyway. So just pre-pay yourself via a gift card.

Of course, if the Dining Plan saves you money, that's another issue. But for convenience only - there's another way - no money lost & you make your own ordering decisions.