Is it worth it?

[disneycheerleader]

Hello. I am 14 year old girl from Tampa and I am gong to Disney for my sweet 16. I was just looking at prices this past few weeks and I noticed that the dining plan doubled the price of my vacation. Is it really worth it? Those of you that haven't used it, is it less expensive to just pay for food yourself?

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

You'll get lots of different answers. You can certainly spend less money if you don't get the dining plan, which costs about $62 or so a day for an adult. You can probably eat for less than $30 a day if you are interested in saving and are fine eating burgers/sandwiches. Basically, with the dining plan you don't have to worry about having money for meals when you get to Disney but it isn't designed to save you money.

We've both used the dining plan and not. When we use the dining plan we tend to get more expensive menu items, and when we don't we usually (1) don't get the most expensive items and (2) are more spontaneous with where we eat since we won't have as many reservations.

 

[SouthJersey]

Hello. I am 14 year old girl from Tampa and I am gong to Disney for my sweet 16. I was just looking at prices this past few weeks and I noticed that the dining plan doubled the price of my vacation. Is it really worth it? Those of you that haven't used it, is it less expensive to just pay for food yourself?

It all depends how you would dine.
If you're going to dine exactly how you would on the plan as off, then saving a few dollars and not worrying about cash is worth it.
If you find yourself having to force yourself to eat and take time out to eat to get the value, then no it's not worth it.

For us and my other relatives, we always go on the deluxe plan because we dine at a signature each night and a sit down 1 credit lunch earlier in the day. For us, we're not rushing around to eat and that's how we would pay out of pocket. So the plan is either a break even or saves a few dollars for us in general, but during free dining we save a few hundred.

There is no value to the plans unless you're going to eat the same way without the plan.

 

[Nancyg56]

You have plenty of time to do some research. Look at menus and prices, and think about what your family dines while on vacation, and if your family will spend time at character meals. They are expensive.

The DDP works well for some families and not so well for others so inorder to determine if the plan is right for your family you really need to crunch some numbers after you put together a basic plan for your trip. You also eed to bhonest about the choices your family will make. Last week I had to bite my tongue when my daughter ordered a flatbread for her entree. It was one of the least expensive choices on the menu and it was all I could do not to ask her if she really wanted a different entree.

For my family we tend to save a bit or break even, but others not so much.

 

[DVC Mike]

My main issues with the DDP are: 1) it is simply too much food, and 2) you have to plan out where you will eat and what you might order to achieve maximum value with the plan.

In the early days of the DDP, it was a great value. However, as the DDP has changed over the years, it's become less of a value proposition and more just a convenience than a money saver. I believe its become more difficult to save money with the DDP, although you still can. The DDP can be a great value or a poor value depending upon how you will use it.

I discuss this more in my Dining discounts and plans thread.

I don't use the DDP.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

My main issues with the DDP are: 1) it is simply too much food, and 2) you have to plan out where you will eat and what you might order to achieve maximum value with the plan.

In the early days of the DDP, it was a great value. However, as the DDP has changed over the years, it's become less of a value proposition and more just a convenience than a money saver. I believe its become more difficult to save money with the DDP, although you still can. The DDP can be a great value or a poor value depending upon how you will use it.

I discuss this more in my Dining discounts and plans thread.

I don't use the DDP.

I think your first point isn't really made often enough. A table service meal at a place like Chefs de France is going to be bread service to begin with, then an entrée -- let's say a steak, potato and green beans, and then a large dessert. First, I'm not really a dessert person and prefer an appetizer, which is NOT included in the regular dining plan, though we sometimes order one anyway. I almost never eat the dessert because I'm too full and don't really enjoy desserts. And then you get a quick service meal, which can be a rather large burger, large serving of fries, drink and another dessert. And you still get a snack option, which can also be something rather filling (and super-high in calories) like a pretzel with cheese sauce or ice cream sundae. It really is a lot of food.

 

[Lee & Kerry]

Hello. I am 14 year old girl from Tampa and I am gong to Disney for my sweet 16. I was just looking at prices this past few weeks and I noticed that the dining plan doubled the price of my vacation. Is it really worth it? Those of you that haven't used it, is it less expensive to just pay for food yourself?

In a simple sentence "no it's not", unless you are planning to eat yourself silly and want to pay way to much for it. We done it both ways and it's cheaper to pay as you go as long as you plan on eating normal counter service type meals and maybe a sit down at a nice restaurant. If you get free dining it's worth it by far, as its free!!!. They don't let you have free dining and other room type discounts at the same time,so keep that in mind.