Is Meal Plan worth it?

[RuthieT]

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

 

[minnie mum]

A perennial question without a general answer. It varies from family to family and depends on many things. Which dining plan - QS? DDP? DxDP? Which restaurants do you want to eat at? Do you want a TS meal every day? Do you drink sodas at every meal and eat dessert twice a day? Would you be doing a lot of character meals? Are your family members big eaters or do they eat like birds?

The only way to know for sure is to do the Disney math. Look at the menus for the restaurants you would eat at, pick out what you would likely order if you were paying out of pocket, and add it all up to see whether dining with a plan or paying out of pocket saves more money.

We tried the DDP a couple of times and it didn't work for the way we prefer to dine. It is less expensive for us to pay OOP, even with signatures and dinner shows thrown in. YMMV.

 

[siskaren]

OK, I'm confused. I saw that you just posted in the Orlando Hotels and Attractions forum asking if there are any hotels that offer breakfast and shuttles to the parks. Are you planning on staying on property or off? The dining plan is only available if you're staying on property, and honestly, you'll need to look at prices of meals (check allears.net) to decide if the plan will be worth it. It also depends on if you'll be eating the way the plan was designed to be used. What I mean is, not everyone wants a sit-down meal every day, some people don't want dessert with every meal, some people share meals, etc.

 

[mkla2015]

I've done the math and for my family it's cheaper to pay OOP (even including 20% gratuity in my numbers).I have two young kids who are not big eaters at all. We tried out the dining plan on our last trip and it was just too much food- we left 22 quick service credits behind.

But every family is different- definitely do the math and see what will work best for you.

 

[loves to dive]

PPs are correct, there is no way of making a general assumption, so many factors to consider. For some people, it isn't about the math, they find even if it's less expensive to eat OOP they like the security of knowing it's all paid up front. For us, no, it's not worth it. We aren't big eaters, rarely eat dessert, rarely eat snacks, I drink water every meal except breakfast when I drink coffee. I like a refreshing adult beverage, it's not included on the plan, I prefer appetizers instead of dessert, unless you get the most expensive plan not included. The last time I had the plan, years ago, we ended up with not only snack credits left over but TS credits as well, and that was with eating at a signature restaurant and going to to a show. Make sure when you are doing the math to not make your decisions based on price but on what you think you would really like on the menu.

 

[JimmyV]

As noted, there is no definitive answer. Generally speaking, the Dining Plan can be cost effective IF:

1. Your typical style of dining aligns with what the Plan provides, (i.e., lots of desserts and snacks but no appetizers and always ordering a full entree); or
2. If you are willing to re-style your dining habits to conform your meals the Plan. (Again, desserts but no apps and a higher priced entree).

But if your family likes to order from the appetizer list, or if someone wants a lesser priced entree or wants to "eat light" at one meal, ("I'm starting to feel like a glutton. I think I'll have a Caesar Salad with Chicken for dinner"), then you quickly lose the value of the Plan. To save money (or break even), you really need to tailor your eating style to the rigidity of the Plan. For some people, that is easy and requires no adjustments at all. For others, it requires an entirely different way of dining. As noted above, you have to look at each menu and do the math. But remember to do it two different ways.

• What would I order here if I weren't on the Plan and I could choose from everything on the menu, ordering as much or as little as I wanted; and
• What would I order if I was on the Plan and had to stay within its parameters.

Then, you have to do the math, but just as important, you have to ask yourself if you would be happy/satisfied on the Plan. Saving money is only part of the equation. You also have to be happy with your choices. Life (and vacations ) are not merely a game of "whoever spends the least amount of money wins." Personally, saving $3 on a meal by being on the Plan and getting an entree and dessert is not worth it if I would have rather had an appetizer and an entree and no dessert. Others may not agree. So it is always a personal issue.

 

[Annadesu]

We get one every time we go, and use all the credits. 1 quick, 1 sit down, one snack a day is perfect for us.

 

[jmkjr72]

You have to do the math yourself
Last year was the first time we had any experience with the dinning plan
My fiance and I got the delux plan we saved right ar I understand 400 on an 8 day trip

This year there will be 3 of us I'm unsure what my dad will actually eat with the guess of what he will eat being he doesn't like fancy foods it will be more of a wash as we figure what we save will make up what dad doesn't eat

What we like about it is we don't have to worry about our food expenses when we get b there all we have to worry about is tips and adult beverages

 

[sharonabe]

When you start running the numbers, be aware that your party is 3 Disney adults and 1 Disney child for the dining plans and for what you would pay at any buffet/all you care to eat places.

 

[JustMeFran]

Here is a great calculator to figure out how much you eat and the average cost at places...and if how/where you will eat will make the plan worth it.
http://www.distripplanner.com/

 

[ChasingLeslie]

This is the first time we are using the DP because it's the kids' first trip and we want to enjoy character meals and TS restaurants. Based on the dining calculator, we're saving more than $100.

If we weren't on the DP, we'd definitely cut those meals to a minimum. There's something about paying for it in advance that makes you feel less concerned about the dining cost.

 

[galaxygirl76]

It really depends. It was cheaper for me and my husband to pay oop the last time we were at WDW. It will be cheaper to do the dining plan for our next trip when we'll be bringing our dd4(5 by then) again and planning on doing a fair amount of character meals. One of our must do's is Cape May dinner and that one is pretty expensive, and we're hoping to do CRT.

 

[kiford]

It certainly isn't worth it for us. We have appetizers, a cocktail and maybe wine with dinner, entrée, rarely dessert. We do TS for breakfast and dinner, rarely eat lunch. We don't eat snacks and wouldn't use a refillable mug. We mainly eat at signature restaurants. We always do dinner one night at V&As. It really is totally dependent on what you eat, how you eat, when you eat and where you eat.

 

[Skullcrusher]

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

It has never financially worked for us, but that doesn't mean it wont for you. You will have to do your research. We pay OOP and use the Tables in Wonderland card and always make out better.
Cheers

 

[happymommy]

Worth it? No. It will not save money for 95% of those out there.

Many folks love it though.

We had the regular dining plan once for free (along with a room discount - doesn't happen much) and we found it too much food. Threw away a lot.

DD and I had QSDP and loved it! It was "free" and we still had many meals left a the end (converted them to snacks and brought home candy - kind of a waste since some is still sitting in our pantry).

I would argue that it's not "worth it" if you're paying. You will lose money. If you eat a TON of TS meals and are a BIG eater then maybe the deluxe plan is? Not to me! I hate to be tied down to meals.

 

[rwdavis2]

Just keep in mind the dining plan is NOT designed to save you money. It's possible but yu have to work at it. We found even the regular plan is too much food and i was not crazy about 2 desserts a day. We only got the plan because it was $100/person for our entire stay.

 

[JWigs]

We are trying it for the first time in March. We hadn't tried it before due to timing and like many, not thinking we could eat that much food.

We are trying this time due to bringing Grandpa and baby who will turn 3 next time we come. We'd like to see if it'd be worth it and also due to how many TS we will be eating (one a night for dinner).

There might be a small chance it'll be too much food but now that they allow you to swap your dessert for something else; I am thinking we will come out ahead.

 

[NatalieMT]

I've never really been one to purchase the dining plan, but if we book during a free dining offer then obviously we use it (although we all know it's not really free!). Personally I like the dining plan, I'm not really that bothered if it's not the cheapest or most cost effective way I could do things because it is really convenient. I like making plans in advance and going away knowing I'm only going to be paying the tips/alcohol, we enjoy having a sit down meal either once a day or once every other day if we do signatures and being a bit indulgent. I don't really eat a lot at home because I hate cooking so for me it's nice to treat myself at Disney. I think if we weren't doing DDP I wouldn't go to as many sit down meals though, would probably just do more CS. Did end up using a lot of the snack credits on rice crispy treats to take home last time as we just hadn't used them during our stay but that was still quite nice.

 

[happymommy]

We are trying it for the first time in March. We hadn't tried it before due to timing and like many, not thinking we could eat that much food.

We are trying this time due to bringing Grandpa and baby who will turn 3 next time we come. We'd like to see if it'd be worth it and also due to how many TS we will be eating (one a night for dinner).

There might be a small chance it'll be too much food but now that they allow you to swap your dessert for something else; I am thinking we will come out ahead.

Likely you will spend more on the plan than it would cost out of pocket.

 

[DisneyDad1977]

This will be the first time we are using it. It will only save us 65 bucks, but I like the thought of it being prepaid. Just throw down the tip and go.