How do we figure out if it's "worth it"?

[Nancyg56]

My very best advice is research. Go on allears, or the Disney menus, look at the foods and what you think people might eat if they just ordered what they wanted. Character meals are pricey considering what kids actually eat, so add that in to the factor. Add the tax in. Look at the counter service parts too, and also snack ideas. You also figure in the mugs price.
Then remember that if you do get the dining plan, you will still have to pay tips out of pocket. So, that is a cost added to your dining plan purchase total.

Research is the best way to know if its for your family or not, and what kinds of meals/foods you want to eat while there.

This is the only way to make an informed decision. I know my family, I know how they like to eat.

Check menus, make a mock plan of what restaurants you would choose, and then think about the entrees your family would like to order. If they would want beverages and dessert, add them in. If not, don't include them.

Snacks? Add them if you would allow them. If not, leave them off your costing Sheet. If you create an honest spread sheet you will have an idea if a plan works or if you are better OOP.

dolewhipdreams has a great point - the size of the meals. Not many ppl talk about this when these, "How do I figure out if dp is for me" threads pop up. Some of the QS meals are massive, and if you can finish a 1ts credit Mama Melrose F! meal, you deserve applause. I could make the ddp "work" for my fam, but the reality would be that we'd wind up throwing away a bunch of food. The thing is, however, we would pay for that food we are throwing away.

hkkatie- just take your time, and ask more questions if you need to, but don't be at all surprised if your research shows you that you'll save money paying out of pocket.

The first trip we tossed a lot of food. That was the last time that happened. I know my family, and I know how we like to eat on vacation, so we use the plan to our advantage. CS meals can be huge, so two of us generally split one. This gives us extra meals, and we are never so full that we need a nap. No more waste.

TS meals can be too large for a few of us, but we still like to add an appetizer or two for the family to share. Again, my DD or my DDIL and I will often share a meal, enjoy our dessert and coffee, and then we have enough for at least one signature dining experience. I have to add that my DH is a big guy, as is my son in law. It takes a lot of food to fill my Paul Bunyan up, and Jeff just has a big appetite, LOL so we never have much in the way of leftovers. Buddy finishes my meals if we dine out at home, just as he offers to do on vacation. Jeff will never let my DGD's unfinished meal get thrown out. He manages to take one for the "no food waste" team! LOL!

This method does not work for everyone, but it works for us. I will agree that MM Fantasmic is a lot and there is no sharing if you want the vouchers, but we book this one for a late lunch. It is enough so we do not need a full dinner and will tend to snack later in the day.

Unless folks research they are just guessing. I also wonder about the whole tipping thing. We plan TS meals whether we are on a plan or not. When on the plan there is no tax added, not on anything covered. SO no tax on snacks, CS meals or TS meals. If we order a few items extra, such as desserts for all of our party rather than splitting them, the extra we tip is offset by the reduction in tax.

I believe that there are a few areas that people forget about budgeting tips into, but that has nothing to do with a DDP or no DDP plan. It has to do with not planning. Period.

 

[dmea10]

Unless folks research they are just guessing. I also wonder about the whole tipping thing. We plan TS meals whether we are on a plan or not. When on the plan there is no tax added, not on anything covered. SO no tax on snacks, CS meals or TS meals. If we order a few items extra, such as desserts for all of our party rather than splitting them, the extra we tip is offset by the reduction in tax.

I believe that there are a few areas that people forget about budgeting tips into, but that has nothing to do with a DDP or no DDP plan. It has to do with not planning. Period.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tips! I never thought about sharing the quick service meals to save meals. This will work out great for my daughter and I since we generally only eat half of whatever we order.

 

[Nancyg56]

Unless folks research they are just guessing. I also wonder about the whole tipping thing. We plan TS meals whether we are on a plan or not. When on the plan there is no tax added, not on anything covered. SO no tax on snacks, CS meals or TS meals. If we order a few items extra, such as desserts for all of our party rather than splitting them, the extra we tip is offset by the reduction in tax.

I believe that there are a few areas that people forget about budgeting tips into, but that has nothing to do with a DDP or no DDP plan. It has to do with not planning. Period.

Thanks for the tips! I never thought about sharing the quick service meals to save meals. This will work out great for my daughter and I since we generally only eat half of whatever we order.[/QUOTE]


My husband is a athletic guy and consumes a lot of food, but even he will sometimes share a CS breakfast or lunch with me. We really do not like to waste food, so between all of us we generally have a few who are not hungry enough for the whole meal, so this is a good way to not only eat just what we want, but to make the credits stretch.

We even will do thos on some TS meals.

 

[The10sPro]

I had the free QS dining plan and also booked CRT, Tusker House, and CP. The total for those meals out of pocket (without tax and tip) was ~295$.

I inquired over the phone as to what it would cost to upgrade my plan to the RegDP. It was 296$.

It was a no-brainer for me to upgrade. I also have reservations for BOG, Chefs de France, and Morimoto!

 

[Nancyg56]

I had the free QS dining plan and also booked CRT, Tusker House, and CP. The total for those meals out of pocket (without tax and tip) was ~295$.

I inquired over the phone as to what it would cost to upgrade my plan to the RegDP. It was 296$.

It was a no-brainer for me to upgrade. I also have reservations for BOG, Chefs de France, and Morimoto!

ANd this is how you do it!

 

[Shanti]

We're planning our very first WDW trip next summer (2018) and I'm wondering how to figure out if the dining plan will be worth it financially? We are a family of 6, 2 adults, 2 older kids who will be 11 and 15, and two younger kids who will both be 5. Having never been to WDW, we don't know how much the restaurants cost, where we would want to eat etc. From past experience at different Disney parks, we usually just try to eat the cheapest stuff we can find being that it's all OOP. If we do the dining plan, it gives us the flexibility of eating different things than we normally would. My husband would still like to try and save money where we can, so how do we figure out if the dining plan is worth it for us?

Thanks for any input.

The dining plan usually costs more than paying out of pocket. (This is assuming you're paying full price for the dining plan, not getting a "free dining" deal.) If this is really about saving money, unless you want to spend a long time researching menus, prices & math, the safest way to save money is pay out of pocket. It is possible to break even or save a little on the dining plan, but it involves finding the more expensive restaurants & everyone eating off the more expensive side of the menu consistently. (Keep in mind that you will also still have to pay tips with money after eating, as the dining plan does not include tips.) So unless you were planning on doing that to begin with, you're likely to lose money by buying the dining plan.

A lot of people buy it anyway in order to have meals prepaid & not worry too much about money at the parks, but that has nothing to do with actually saving money.