Is Meal Plan worth it?

[SUSIEQ]

The Dining Plan is not designed to save you money, it is designed to make Disney money.

 

[LindseyJo22]

We have wondered about this and done a few different cost comparisons, and for two adults (and we definitely like our food), we end up paying OOP. On our honeymoon where we did many more sit-down restaurants than we usually do, were generous with our snacks and basically got anything we wanted, we still would have paid more for the dining plan. After a few big meals at Disney, I ordered an appetizer for my dinner at two different places. We might split a dessert, but we certainly don't each get one at a table service restaurant. With counter service, we rarely get a dessert - only at BOG and maybe at Columbia Harbor House because we enjoyed their cobbler.

Overall, I liked the flexibility of getting what I wanted, plus we got drinks at Trader Sams, and that's not included on the plan

As everyone has said, it really just depends on what you like to do. We have started getting Disney gift cards as well, to give that feeling of "prepaid" dining while still having the ultimate flexibility.

 

[goofy4prez]

The Dining Plan is not designed to save you money, it is designed to make Disney money.

I agree. I'm of the opinion that in most cases Disney comes out on top and not the one purchasing it.

 

[mzsarah10]

Our first trip we bought the plan. The second trip we got free dining and we were miserable both times. We aren't dessert and full entree type of people. The next trip we put the same amount of money into a gift card and ordered whatever we wanted. We saved money and bought souvenirs with the rest. No dining plan ever since for us.

 

[gdrj]

It is more of a convenience than a savings IMO. We used once when our Daughter brought a friend, they could be at the parks and eat or snack without us. I'd rather order what I want, If I order a less expensive item and have the DDP, I would feel like I'm throwing money away. Also we might want an appetizer instead of dessert. For us it doesn't work. We have used Tables in Wonderland in the past when we visit multiple times a year but with the price increase will probably ditch that as well.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

For my family, no, it isn't. We are appetizer people and neither of us have a big sweet tooth. We maybe order 1-2 desserts for a weeklong trip, if that. There are some restaurants where I am not a fan of entrees so get an appetizer for myself and forgo an entree.

It really depends on your family and how you eat. The dining plan is convenient, but it could also end up being more expensive in the long run, too.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We don't use the Dining Plan becuase there is simply to much food.

AKK

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

As others have said, it depends on how you eat. And how you eat while on vacation.

I would never order dessert at every meal. But while on vacation at Disney, I would.

I normally order and eat an entire entree. And yes, I would normally drink soda or milk or orange juice at every meal. For me, water is something that I have to drink, not something I enjoy drinking.

Sometimes the plan works for us, sometimes it doesn't.

I have tried the calculator that was posted on the previous page. I wasn't happy with how it works. Instead, I like to look at the menus and price out the actual meal. That way I can add the tip and anything else we would pay for out of pocket.

Something else to look at. I am gluten free, due to Celiac disease. Eating out is a real treat for me. So yes, ordering interesting or expensive things on the menu is something that I do. Desserts at Disney, while gluten free, are also fun.

 

[reddog1473]

here is a good website that might help you make a decision http://www.distripplanner.com/

 

[JimmyV]

After a few big meals at Disney, I ordered an appetizer for my dinner at two different places. We might split a dessert, but we certainly don't each get one at a table service restaurant. With counter service, we rarely get a dessert

I think that this is a perfect description of the way many, many people eat.

1. After a certain length of time at WDW, you start to feel overwhelmed by the food and decide to eat light a couple of times.
2. Desserts after dinner get split.
3. Desserts at lunchtime are not really of any interest.

If this comes close to describing you, then the Dining Plan is not for you. But if your reaction to the above is:

1. No way. I never get tired of the food at WDW.
2. Keep your hands off of my dessert!!
3. What-chu-talkin'-bout Willis! More desserts=more fun!

...then the Dining Plan can definitely work for you.

 

[MrInfinity]

The Dining Plan is not designed to save you money, it is designed to make Disney money.

In the same way that a bank account is not designed to save you money, it is designed to make the bank money. Yet, here we are with bank accounts. They have value in the product offering, that's why people use them. The DDP has value in several ways... 1) if you just "like" the value you get from it... some of the intrinsic aspects... prepaying for food, not "worrying" about what you're buying... some people might otherwise nitpick what to buy, limit sodas, etc, but with the DDP you are able to plan in advance for the spending... This costs you more of course because these are things you would not buy if you were paying al-la-carte, but in a vacation sense, sometimes in just makes more sense. and 2) depending on your mix of guests and meals you plan to east, it *can* save you money. Approximately, if half or more of your guests are kids and half or more of your dining will be at expensive one-point character meals or entertainment buffets, then this will actually save you money. I believe this only applies to around 25% of families, but it is definitely there. We did the math, when we were 2A/3C and doing character meals left and right, it actually saved us money to use. Now that we are not doing those as much and our 12- would be billed as an adult, we have stopped doing the DDP.

We will be traveling with 2 adults and 2 kids 12 and 7. Is having a meal plan worth getting?

Being 3 Disney Adults and 1 Disney Child for dining purposes, I would suggest no DDP. Just pay cash. You will be paying for $60'ish worth of food per day for your 12- and 12-'s do not tend to eat this much or this expensively. You really want to have more kids under 9 for the DDP to be a good value.

 

[JimmyV]

The Dining Plan is not designed to save you money, it is designed to make Disney money.

In the same way that a bank account is not designed to save you money, it is designed to make the bank money.

Actually, I don't think that Disney's website ever mentions potential "savings" in its description of the Dining Plans. I think it refers to convenience and flexibility, the former being somewhat obvious, but the latter being somewhat dubious unless one levels up to the Deluxe Plan where the entire menu is available. Saving money is simply something that users try to figure out, or achieve. But it isn't promised (or even hinted at) by Disney.

 

[SnackCredit]

It helps stretch your dollars if you order the more expensive things on the menu and buy snacks that are worth at least $4. Also, always ask the server which drinks are included. Some places include ALL non-alcoholic beverages (so you can get that $6 smoothie or virgin cocktail), others will only include fountain sodas.

We're doing the DxDP next month, and when I used the distripplanner calculator posted earlier, it said we'd save more than $180. I don't know if it uses the average entree prices or whatnot. I booked ADRs at a 1-credit and a signature for each night we're staying, so the DxDP is worth it for us.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

We got the DDP for the first time on our most recent trip (last May). It was three adults and one child (plus another child under age 3).

We got the dining plan for a couple different reasons: I was approximately 27 weeks pregnant and knew I'd want more time than usual to sit and relax in the air conditioned restaurants (plus eating was one of the things I could do since most rides were out). Normally we're very commando Disney travelers - parks from opening until close every day, no naps, no pool breaks, seldom take time for sit down meals. As a result, we hadn't gotten to experience a lot of the sit down restaurants we'd been wanting to try. So between my pregnancy and having two kids (one quite small) with us, it was a good opportunity to slow down a bit and take more time to dine.

I made a list of the restaurants we wanted to try and looked at the menus to get an idea of what we'd probably each want to eat. Because of the restaurants we wanted (several character meals, mostly dinners), and even totally disregarding desserts, I knew we'd at least break even by getting the DDP. Additionally, there were instances when I knew DH or I would probably like entree X but would settle for cheaper entree Y if we paid OOP.

When we got home I tallied up the receipts we had (several were missing). After totally probably 80% of our receipts, we'd already saved over $300 by using the DDP.

Yes, it was a lot of food. And we didn't eat, or only took a couple bites of, a lot of the desserts (although we were able to replace several CS desserts with bottled water or with fruit at WPE). Even discounting the dessert issue, we saved a lot.

We'll get the DDP again in the future, but will weigh whether we want a more fast paced trip with few sit down meals or a more leisurely trip first.

 

[addiln]

For me I have always found it was cheap to pay oop then using the DDP. I also have tables in wonderland so that is where I get my savings for the food and drinks we get. I am able to get 2 trips out of my annual tables card so I am able to make out on it. Even without the card not doing the DDP saves me money. We never use all the meals and snacks that we get with the plan. Also the meals with the desserts and all tend to be too big compared to what we want to eat.

 

[supersnoop]

Actually, I don't think that Disney's website ever mentions potential "savings" in its description of the Dining Plans.

Disney claims that the QS plan can save you up to 10%, the regular plan can sage 15%, and the deluxe plan can save you up to 25%. "Up to" tends to mean, "nowhere near" for most families.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

There are circumstances where there are savings so it pays to run the numbers. It works for our family only because we have 3 kids and a lot of character meals / buffets. We don't do desert at the majority of meals, and ate snacks in the park maybe 3 times last trip. When I ran the numbers, I assumed we didn't eat any snacks OOP and came out ahead by $50 (I have a spreadsheet and went through the menus and pricing). We decided to try it and it is allowing us to do a few things we wouldn't have otherwise like the Fantasmic dinner and a 2nd Princess dinner at Akershus. But I have no doubt that the minute the princess phase is over and/or our kids age up to Disney adult it will also not make sense for us. We're also the kind of people who are going to be happy to be coming out ahead even if only slightly. We won't feel pressured to try to maximize the savings by eating like crazy since we are at least breaking even. We may just gift some snacks to others. I do worry about someone getting sick though. That happened last trip and that will kill the break even point fast.

Hand sanitizer is my new best Disney friend.

 

[JimmyV]

Disney claims that the QS plan can save you up to 10%, the regular plan can sage 15%, and the deluxe plan can save you up to 25%. "Up to" tends to mean, "nowhere near" for most families.
View attachment 148813

What is the source of that? I couldn't find it. What I found on the official Disney website says:

Welcome to the Disney Dining Plan, which offers a convenient and affordable way to enjoy snacks and meals throughout the Walt Disney World® Resort. That means lots of great dining opportunities for you and your family. This brochure outlines the details of what is included and how to use the Disney Dining Plan.

And then some links to pdfs that describe the various Plans with no mention whatsoever about 12% or 25% savings.

Edit to add: When I did a search under the exact language contained in the document you uploaded, it came up under some website called dispoints.

 

[bluezy]

The reality is, there's no way to truly know if a meal plan is a good deal/money saver until after a trip is complete. While it's all fine and dandy to go to a website and plug in your plans, there is no way to know if you're really going to eat those exact meals until you're literally sitting in the restaurant and placing your order. What if someone (or worse, everyone) gets sick on the trip and doesn't really eat for a day or two? What if it's really hot and regardless of how wonderful the air conditioning in the restaurant feels, you still don't have much of an appetite? What happens when a "Disney Adult" child decides they want an Uncrustable (or something else from the kids menu) for lunch every day rather than a standard meal? There are a lot of things that can change your well thought out dining decisions. And the more kids you have, the more likely these types of things will happen. I have no doubt that there are families (and most definitely couples) who can make the dining plan a good value for their family (eating a lot of character meals or buffets will certainly make it much easier to get your money's worth out of the plan). But in the 4 trips that I've kept detailed notes and receipts for, we have always come out several hundred dollars ahead by paying for all of our meals OOP. And we order whatever we're hungry for when we're eating without regard to the price. We also buy a few snacks a day (whenever we're hungry for one) and buy all of our water/drinks in the parks (again, whenever we need one). I can't even imagine the amount of extra work I'd have to do to make sure we got any kind of value out of a dining plan. It would most definitely force our family to focus on when and where we're eating rather than just going with the flow on our vacation. I realize that there are many families who don't mind planning their trips around dining decisions made 6 months before they even arrive at the park. I don't know what I want or where I want to eat dinner tonight, let alone 6 months from now. YMMV. I will say that when my husband and I take a trip to Disney without any kids, we might revisit the DDP because we will have a lot more flexibility when it's just the two of us. We can make ADR's for some meals, but being a party of 2 will give us a little more freedom to just see what's available the same day.

 

[Minniesgal]

It totally depends how you eat. If you want to eat one QS, 1 TS and a snack per day then the plan will probably work out. We don't we find that far far too much food.

We buy breakfast stuff as we much prefer eating it in the room it saves so much time. We have a snack lunch and 1 TS most days but not all days. Other days we might just have a QS or even just a hot dog. We typically spend about half of what the dining plan would cost and our TS afe often signatures.

We have found over the years if we have a TS every day we get sick of food and stop enjoying them.