How does the dining plan work?

[davidc1]

I've heard of the dining plan that WDW offers to its guests but don't fully understand how it works. Basically I know that you pay up front for certain amount of meals per day and that's it....can any of you give me a more deeper summary of what it is like...perhaps its pros and cons? If any of you with more experience can give me a quick tutorial of how it works then i can start thinking if i need the dining plan for my next trip. thanks!

 

[Pikezh638]

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/

Basically you pay $X and in turn you get X amount of credits that you can exchange for food.

Many people hate the dining plan but I like it, and I feel we save money.

 

[karana]

I just spent a great deal of time analyzing the pros and cons of DDP for my sister's upcoming trip. You need to know that the rules have recently changed and now a gratuity of 18% will be charged to group of six or more. If you have fewer than six, I assume you pay a gratuity based on the value of your meal as you would normally. DDP has never covered alcoholic drinks and some specialty drinks.

There are several plans with slight differences. How many days you can get depends on the length of your stay. A four day stay gets you a plan for 4 days. There are several plan levels, but basically you choose to have one sitdown per day, or just 2 quick counter service meals per day. The other plans just change the number of snacks included, a refillable mug, or even pizza service included in the higher level plans. If you don't plan to do too many sit downs then I highly recommend just the quick service DDP. You can use these plans at all the resorts and in the parks where counter service is provided. http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm

Using the DDP really depends on how you plan to eat on your vacation. If you are staying at a site with a full kitchen, then you can save a lot by eating some meals in your room and saving your money for sitdowns.
My sister's family really enjoys the buffets (Cape May, Park Fare, ect..) and since they cost $40 per adult (ages 10 and up in Disney's world) they figure for an extra $10 for the plan they get a quick service meal and snack.

Meal credits do not have to be used everyday and you have until midnight of the day you check out to use your meal credits.

IMHO, since gratuity is no longer included, I think its a close call as to whether you will spend more on the plan or on your own. We came up with almost the same amount, but my sister decided it was peace of mind and less aggravation to have to hassle or worry over prices and just tell the kids to order what ever they wanted.

If you have young children then the DDP is very reasonable, only $12 a day. An adult is now $45.99 per day of your stay. Everyone in your party must purchase the plan for the full length of your stay.
I don't think you can really go wrong either way, its really more of a matter or preference in how you eat and how much you want to save money on your own. Good luck..

 

[davidc1]

thank you for the links...they explain it pretty well. all i have to do is think if the dining plan is right for us. its just going to be 2 adults this trip as well so i have a lot of planning and thinking to do! thanks!

 

[Mrsjvb]

factor in your eating habits.

we are 2 adults as well.

we split CS meals as well as any appetizer or dessert at TS.

on the DP, you would each get a full meal. also I believe TS only includes =the appetizer and pretty sure you cannot switch it over to dessert..

also we are not huge snackers( Dole whip notwithstanding) although I am given to understand that fruit at the stands or bottled water is accepted for a snack credit so you could load up on that stuff for the room later.

so for US the DP is a complete waste, esp since we do NOT do character meals or most buffets..

if you do a lot of those the DP is a good bang for the buck.

 

[Hopefully]

factor in your eating habits.

we are 2 adults as well.

we split CS meals as well as any appetizer or dessert at TS.

on the DP, you would each get a full meal. also I believe TS only includes =the appetizer and pretty sure you cannot switch it over to dessert..

also we are not huge snackers( Dole whip notwithstanding) although I am given to understand that fruit at the stands or bottled water is accepted for a snack credit so you could load up on that stuff for the room later.

so for US the DP is a complete waste, esp since we do NOT do character meals or most buffets..


if you do a lot of those the DP is a good bang for the buck.

It is the exact opposite.
The regular DDP includes 1 TS, 1 CS and 1 Snack credit per Night of your stay. So a 4 night 5 day stay would equal 4 of each credit. It is not per day. The TS credit is one entree, one dessert and one non alcoholic beverage per credit.
We are 2 adults too. For us it works. It meets the way we like to eat and I have saved receipts and we do save a little as well. But it is the convenience factor that sways it for us. I like paying for elements of our trip in advance as well.
Good Luck in your decision. The dining plan is not for everyone, so do your research. Check out the menus here on the DIS and on allears.net and see what you would like to order and about how much you would spend. This will help in your decision.

 

[Cafeen]

Cafeen's "Is the dining plan right for me?" checklist (tm)!

First off, identify if a dining plan is actually the right choice for you and your upcoming trip:

1. Are you interested in at least 1 TS meal per night of stay?
2. Will these meals be mostly dinner?
3. Will they be mostly at higher cost restaurants?
4. Will you be mostly eating QS for lunch?
5. Will the "adults" (including Kids 10 and up) be ordering adult meals?
6. Are you interested in an Entree, Drink, and Dessert for every TS meal?

If YES to all the above, the DDP or DxDDP may be the way to go. To figure that out...

1. Are you interested in at least 2 TS meals per night of stay?
2. Are you interested in the signature dining experiences?
3. Are you interested in an appetizer, entree, dessert, and drink for most TS meals?
4. Are you willing to put forth the time investment both before the trip (planning) and during the trip (eating)?
5. Are you OK with a much larger financial investment on the front end?

If YES to the above, then DxDDP may be the way to go, otherwise stick to DDP.

In general, if you're eating according to the plans' designs, then you're going to at least break even. For more detailed analysis, you'd have to figure out where you'd be eating and work the numbers out to figure out potential costs for the meals and such.

Some notes:

• Even when used "correctly" DDP does not offer that much savings anymore. Typical use cases will likely give you around 10% savings, using all the credits and with decent (>$3) use of snack credits and using TS for dinner, CS for lunch, focusing on the top 2/3 of the price scale and skipping any 2TS experiences.
• DxDDP offers the best value, but it also requires a much higher investment in both time and money. This is due to the fact that the per credit cost of DxDDP is lower than DDP, but you get more out of each meal. This fact is why 2TS meals still work on DxDDP and do not on DDP.
• The margin on QSDP is so slim that the only real value is the prepay nature of it.
• The value of the convenience factor should be considered as well. If you're coming out around even, or even a bit under, how much is the actual plan mechanics worth to you? I typically figure around $50 or so for my entire trip. I'm bad at saving, so a prepay option is of some value to me.
• You can always eat for less than any dining plan. The big thing is to figure out what experiences you want, compare those to the plans and see if they match. If they do, and you follow the general guidelines, you'll likely come out at least even.
• This is the biggest: Let your desired vacation dictate your plan, not the other way around. If you're booking extra places just because you're on DxDDP, but have no desire to eat there, then perhaps DxDDP is not the right choice! Same with DDP, if you'd rather dine at The Plaza and other lower cost locations, but are choosing places that give more bang for your buck on the DDP, dropping the plan may be a better option.

 

[latmck]

On our first trip this May, we had the DDP. It worked well with us because we prefer to eat a sit-down meal at dinner. We saved $$$ because we eat all of character meals (buffets), & my DS is a disney adult.

Cafeen's "Is the dining plan right for me?" checklist (tm)!

First off, identify if a dining plan is actually the right choice for you and your upcoming trip:

1. Are you interested in at least 1 TS meal per night of stay?
2. Will these meals be mostly dinner?
3. Will they be mostly at higher cost restaurants?
4. Will you be mostly eating QS for lunch?
5. Will the "adults" (including Kids 10 and up) be ordering adult meals?
6. Are you interested in an Entree, Drink, and Dessert for every TS meal?

If YES to all the above, the DDP or DxDDP may be the way to go. To figure that out...

1. Are you interested in at least 2 TS meals per night of stay?
2. Are you interested in the signature dining experiences?
3. Are you interested in an appetizer, entree, dessert, and drink for most TS meals?
4. Are you willing to put forth the time investment both before the trip (planning) and during the trip (eating)?
5. Are you OK with a much larger financial investment on the front end?

If YES to the above, then DxDDP may be the way to go, otherwise stick to DDP.

In general, if you're eating according to the plans' designs, then you're going to at least break even. For more detailed analysis, you'd have to figure out where you'd be eating and work the numbers out to figure out potential costs for the meals and such.

Some notes:

• Even when used "correctly" DDP does not offer that much savings anymore. Typical use cases will likely give you around 10% savings, using all the credits and with decent (>$3) use of snack credits and using TS for dinner, CS for lunch, focusing on the top 2/3 of the price scale and skipping any 2TS experiences.
• DxDDP offers the best value, but it also requires a much higher investment in both time and money. This is due to the fact that the per credit cost of DxDDP is lower than DDP, but you get more out of each meal. This fact is why 2TS meals still work on DxDDP and do not on DDP.
• The margin on QSDP is so slim that the only real value is the prepay nature of it.
• The value of the convenience factor should be considered as well. If you're coming out around even, or even a bit under, how much is the actual plan mechanics worth to you? I typically figure around $50 or so for my entire trip. I'm bad at saving, so a prepay option is of some value to me.
• You can always eat for less than any dining plan. The big thing is to figure out what experiences you want, compare those to the plans and see if they match. If they do, and you follow the general guidelines, you'll likely come out at least even.
• This is the biggest: Let your desired vacation dictate your plan, not the other way around. If you're booking extra places just because you're on DxDDP, but have no desire to eat there, then perhaps DxDDP is not the right choice! Same with DDP, if you'd rather dine at The Plaza and other lower cost locations, but are choosing places that give more bang for your buck on the DDP, dropping the plan may be a better option.

 

[davidc1]

Cafeen's "Is the dining plan right for me?" checklist (tm)!

First off, identify if a dining plan is actually the right choice for you and your upcoming trip:

1. Are you interested in at least 1 TS meal per night of stay?
2. Will these meals be mostly dinner?
3. Will they be mostly at higher cost restaurants?
4. Will you be mostly eating QS for lunch?
5. Will the "adults" (including Kids 10 and up) be ordering adult meals?
6. Are you interested in an Entree, Drink, and Dessert for every TS meal?

If YES to all the above, the DDP or DxDDP may be the way to go. To figure that out...

1. Are you interested in at least 2 TS meals per night of stay?
2. Are you interested in the signature dining experiences?
3. Are you interested in an appetizer, entree, dessert, and drink for most TS meals?
4. Are you willing to put forth the time investment both before the trip (planning) and during the trip (eating)?
5. Are you OK with a much larger financial investment on the front end?

If YES to the above, then DxDDP may be the way to go, otherwise stick to DDP.

In general, if you're eating according to the plans' designs, then you're going to at least break even. For more detailed analysis, you'd have to figure out where you'd be eating and work the numbers out to figure out potential costs for the meals and such.

Some notes:

• Even when used "correctly" DDP does not offer that much savings anymore. Typical use cases will likely give you around 10% savings, using all the credits and with decent (>$3) use of snack credits and using TS for dinner, CS for lunch, focusing on the top 2/3 of the price scale and skipping any 2TS experiences.
• DxDDP offers the best value, but it also requires a much higher investment in both time and money. This is due to the fact that the per credit cost of DxDDP is lower than DDP, but you get more out of each meal. This fact is why 2TS meals still work on DxDDP and do not on DDP.
• The margin on QSDP is so slim that the only real value is the prepay nature of it.
• The value of the convenience factor should be considered as well. If you're coming out around even, or even a bit under, how much is the actual plan mechanics worth to you? I typically figure around $50 or so for my entire trip. I'm bad at saving, so a prepay option is of some value to me.
• You can always eat for less than any dining plan. The big thing is to figure out what experiences you want, compare those to the plans and see if they match. If they do, and you follow the general guidelines, you'll likely come out at least even.
• This is the biggest: Let your desired vacation dictate your plan, not the other way around. If you're booking extra places just because you're on DxDDP, but have no desire to eat there, then perhaps DxDDP is not the right choice! Same with DDP, if you'd rather dine at The Plaza and other lower cost locations, but are choosing places that give more bang for your buck on the DDP, dropping the plan may be a better option.

Right on the money!! Followed your guidelines and it has def helped me make a decision. Prob will go with the delux or reg plan as we like to have a sit down restaurant with apps entres and even dessert. Thanks for your response and this is exactly what i was looking for!