In your opinion.... Is it worth that much???

[BamaGurl]

We are trying to plan a trip for the end of May 2015. In the past we have always gone in Sept/Oct (FREE DINING). I was AMAZED at how much more expensive it is to go during May. We of course have teenage kids and they can not miss school. In saying all of this, when I priced our package with the Dining Plan (2 Adults and 2 kids ages 16 and 13). The cost for dining was $1697.92. This is for 7 nights at POP. Since our kids are older we will probably not do a character meal. We may do the Crystal Palace for breakfast just so we can get in MK early.

Anyway... Do you think it is worth paying this or can we do it cheaper just paying out of pocket???

 

[Pfau]

In your case, I think you all could do better without the dining plan.

In my family's case, the dining plan works as we have 2 children and 4 out of 9 meals are character/buffet and 2 out of 9 are signature.

If you're not planning on many character or signature restaurants, you can eat more inexpensively without the dining plan.

 

[KateDinVA]

In your case, what you're describing, I would sock the $$ aside and do a "self-pay" dining plan (aka - Out of Pocket ;-) ). You will almost definitely have $$ left over after covering the exact same food you planned to get - even without trying to eat cheaper.

We personally get Dining Plan up to SPD - it's worth the $20 a day per person for us - but not anything beyond that.

 

[ebradley23]

Agree. Self pay. I would buy some gift cards at Sam's club to the discount ($150 in GC for $142.88 )and use those to pay for my meals. Not only will you save money food wise, you will have saved on the gift cards. Win-win!

 

[supersnoop]

The dining plan saves the most money on the kids. Usually you lose money on adults. Look over the menus and see what your family would likely order. Odds are you'll be better off without the dining plan.

 

[persimmondeb]

Depends on several factors. Are your kids big eaters? Do they order like adults? Do you tend to prefer the top or the bottom of the menu? Do you like dessert? What restaurants do you prefer to visit? Will you order what you want without the dining plan or tend to skimp because the paying part is painful? Will you overeat if it's included?

Everyone's answers are different. It works for us because we're big eaters, we have a six-foot-plus 19-year-old vacuum cleaner, we almost always prefer more expensive restaurants and entrees, we skip goodies that we want when we're out of pocket, and overeating on the plan isn't typically a problem.

If I had a kid who wanted chicken nuggets and ice cream, and my family didn't enjoy involved sit-down meals, my answer would probably be very different.

 

[Mikie]

I ran a lot of numbers for my family - the dining plan makes the most sense if
1) you plan Mostly character meals and buffets for your table service meals (they're more expensive than the menu places)
2) you have kids between 3-9 who will eat full meals
3) you will order soft drinks and desserts with most meals (counter service and table service)
4) you will have at least 1 snack per day on top of meals

If this describes your family, you can bet the dining plan will be a wise choice financially.
If you fit most, but not all of those, you may about break even and the worry-free prepaid feature may entice you to buy it anyway.
If you don't fit the above (especially 1&2) then you'd likely save quite a bit of money not using the plan.

 

[kshark1958]

If you are a Florida resident, DVC member or AP holder you may want to look in to the TIW card which will save you 20% at a lot of restaurants. Also if you have a Disney Visa card you can get discounts at certain restaurants.