There is a dining forum. That should be your first stop. I just tried a thread search, but I got a message that searching has been disabled. Maybe it is just temporary.
You will never get a definitive answer on the dining plan. I have read just about every thread there is to read, and I even did my own extensive spreadsheet whereby I simulated a week in Disney for my family --- and I still don't know.
Here are my conclusions:
1) The people who ran the numbers for the meal plan as well as the "Tables in Wonderland Card" (discount card) were smart. They crunched the numbers SO well that there is no clear cut "better" option. In order for you to know, you'd have to do what I did (create a spreadsheet and simulate a week), and even then it isn't always so obvious.
2) Generally speaking, whether it makes economic sense for you really depends on your eating habits ---- what you like to eat and when. I say "when" because the dining plan is a better deal if you are going to use it for sit down meals at dinner time, since those are more expensive. Also, it is a better deal if you use it to go to the more expensive restaurants.
3) Remember, it includes dessert. If you like dessert, great. If you won't use it, maybe not so great. Also, if you would prefer to get appetizers, then maybe not so great......or if you prefer to get alcohol, perhaps not so great since the Tables in Wonderland card gives you an alcohol discount.
4) If you have kids under 9, I think it is great, as the price is very fair. If your kids are just over the cut-off, then it might not make as much sense since you are paying adult prices for a kid who might eat like a bird. For us, we will probably get it this year, but probably not for the next few years since my kids are passing from the "kid" category to "adult."
5) For many people, whether it is a slam dunk in the "savings" department, they don't care as they like the convenience of having their meals prepaid. My family falls into that category. We don't want to be whipping out the cash or credit card every time we want food. When we have our dining plan, the food seems "free" to us, even though we already paid for it. It really makes us feel like we are truly on vacation.
6) I worked out the numbers every which way, and even in the worst case scenario, my family of four would be down a hundred or two at the end of a week long trip. In other words, if we used the TIW card and ate meals at all the right times and at all the right places, the TIW card would have saved us at best $200 over the meal plan. But considering I don't like thinking that much and planning that much to get the BEST use out of it, I don't think that the savings are THAT worth it. For every scenario that I ran that had the TIW card winning out, there was a scenario whereby the dining plan won out.
7) One major downside of the TIW card is that it is not accepted in as many places as the dining plan. Wherever you are, you can find food for the dining plan. Not true for the TIW card. In fact, I don't recall any restaurants that accept the TIW card in the parks. When I am down in Disney, I want the flexibility of eating at any time, at any place.
So, after reading all that, you'd probably think that I am a die hard fan of the dining plan. Actually, I am not. I really like it and enjoy having it, but I still think it is expensive and I by no means would say "Everyone SHOULD get it." I definitely think that you should crunch the numbers on your own and go the route that best serves your needs. All I can say with some pretty good certainty is that for most people the differences between the discount card and the dining plan are not SO great as to be a slam dunk. It all comes down to you, your preferences and your dining habits.
