Is the Dining Plan a Deal, Even When You Pay for It?

[va32h]

We can't possibly travel during the free dining, but just wondered if the dining plan is a good value, when you are paying for it. We usually eat at counter service restaurants or outside the World when we go.

Also, does being on the dining plan give you any advantages when getting ADRs?

 

[BlindTyldak]

YES YES YES, it is a GREAT deal. We've paid for it every time in various incarnations (like Magical Wishes) and have always saved a BUNDLE. Just remember, at TS restaurants you can order just about any entree they offer and it's covered . . . last time at CR we easily spent $200 on food for two people (hey, they had lobster and such! ), but it was just taken off the dining plan. You can't abuse it, just use it to the full extent that they allow and you'll do great. They don't help with ADR's, but one thing I've found they DO help with is the servers will suggest very expensive, not on the menu offerings because they know you don't have to pay the full price, just a dining point, and they get the built-in tip based off of the ticket price. Talk about gourmet dining all the way!

The best way to get your money's worth is to eat if possible at non-buffet, non family-style restaurants, and stick with the individual entrees. quite often one is the same price that you paid for the full day of dining, plus you get appetizer, desert, and drink!

 

[MomofKatie]

We have really enjoyed the Dining Plan and feel that it is a good value- HOWEVER, it isn't for everyone. If you usually only eat CS meals and offsite, you might not be getting a great deal. If you are not into planning ADRs ahead and staying on a schedule for your TS meals, you might not enjoy it. If you are "commando" style parkgoers and don't want to take the time to have a sit-down meal each day, you might not be into the plan. If you are light eaters who don't usually get an appetizer, entree, and dessert when you eat out, it might not be the plan for you.

But if you want to try out the TS restaurants Disney has to offer, and don't mind eating til you're stuffed, try it! We did, and we probably won't ever do Disney again without it.

You really just have to ***** your needs and expectations when it comes to eating at Disney, and if you are at all interested, give it a try. You might love it.

 

[Wendi2000]

It is a GREAT deal. I decided to make calculations for a trip with and without the plan. I made it so that we'd eat really cheap if paying for each meal (trying to figure out if we could do it cheaper that way) and it was far cheaper to get the dining plan (and I didn't even add in tax and tips)... and so much great food - dining in the places that we'd rather eat anyway - plus when on the dining plan I'm far more inclined to try to find the most expensive things on the menu rather than trying to find something cheap!

 

[tricia]

I find it's worth it for my family. But, I like to eat one TS meal per day anyway. (I am on vacation and want to be served once a day). It is about $100 per day for the four of us on the dining plan (Me, DH, DS9 and DS5), but our lunch is usually about $30 and dinner at least $75, and this is just ordering entrees and drinks and maybe splitting dessert or an appetizer. With DDP we get all that, plus 4 snacks per day at about $3.50 each ($14), and we each get to have an appetizer and dessert if we choose. When we were at Le Cellier in March all four of us were on the DDP. The cost of the meal would have been $140 (and we only ordered 3 appetizers and 3 desserts) Good deal, since we only paid $100 for the day and also got a CS and a snack each.

 

[luv2nascar]

We saved a ton last June for our family of 4. Actually we only paid for 3 - youngest was 2 at the time. We had so much food we rarely had to pay OOP for little one. We saved $400-$500 at least.

I liked that we got to eat at nicer restaurants than counter service and didn't have to worry about what we ordered or cost. Eat up folks. We are going 9/30 - 10/7 for free dining and will eat like crazy.

Your best value is the more expensive table service meals - more bang for your buck. But the part I like best is meals are pre paid. You don't have to budget for that. It makes the budget a little easier.

 

[HACAM]

We found that it was really worth it for our family. We are a family of 5, and I have 2 boys who love to eat. Dh and I like to have one TS service meal a day when on vacation, so the dining plan was perfect for us.

I say give it a try, the only downfall is that you have to have your ADR's planned ahead of time.

 

[kcashner]

Yes, it is a good deal. How good depends on how your family likes to eat. Your best value is if you do one TS dinner per day. We had 3 dinners that were over $110 for 2 of us--we had paid $76 for the DDP. That sounds really unbelievable, however...we would never have ordered 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts if not for the plan. We rarely finished all our food, and frequently just had the dessert boxed to take back to our resort. We definitely ate at more expensive restaurants than we would have without the plan.

We have DVC, and would normally do breakfast in our room at very little cost. On the plan, we used snack credits for breakfast items that frequently were enough for more than one day.

More than a good deal, it was great fun. We did eat at those more expensive restaurants. I didn't cringe when DD wanted the most expensive thing on the menu. Of course we made ADRs, but we were able to change several of them after we arrived at WDW---teens change their minds!

The best part was not worrying about food. There were always plenty of credits, and if DD wanted something, she got it.

 

[patsal]

I think it is a great deal, even if I pay OOP for the plan--which I do. Anything that saves me about 40% is worth it in my opinion.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I haven't used it yet, but I think it's a great deal. DH and I like to eat one TS meal a day (we don't take breaks from the parks, so this allows us to relax a little).

At home, we usually order an appetizer to share, and entree, and no dessert. So we will have to adjust our way of eating a bit (I'm up to the challenge!) I love that it is prepaid, so I don't have to worry about ordering something expensive. Plus, I love that I will have a chance to eat at all the great restaurants Disney has to offer.

I used allearsnet to see the menus and get an estimate of what it is going to cost. For example, Le Cellier. Just a rough estimate (without drinks, tax, or tip) the cost is $78.94 (I don't plan on getting the most expensive items). Now, that is about the cost of the DDP and I still get to have CS meals and snacks. For us, it is going to be GREAT!!

 

[WAHMto5]

We thought it was a great deal, even when we did pay for it. I do think that it depends on what you plan on eating though. If you do not plan on eating at any of the Disney Restaurants or if your family are very small eaters, then it may not be for you. Just have everything paid for not having to worry about anything like an all~inclusive trip made it all that much better for us!!

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

It's such a great deal. But in my opinion, the mental, no-worries side of it is the best feature. There's something great about looking at a menu for the most expensive thing, and what you like, instead of the least expensive, or paying no attention at all to the prices. Only at Disney and cruises .

 

[twinsmamma]

We can't possibly travel during the free dining, but just wondered if the dining plan is a good value, when you are paying for it. We usually eat at counter service restaurants or outside the World when we go.

Also, does being on the dining plan give you any advantages when getting ADRs?

My family used to pay for all our meals and we usually just ate at C/S places which we got sick of very soon. We did this due to money and saving it but we tried the DDP in DEcember and absolutely loved it.
We ate at T/S places everyday and got a grreat variety of foods. There is so much food we even shared some meals and got breakfast our last day with left over credits.
it is myself and my 12 yr old twins who are big eaters and we were never hungry, I paid for little oop and that was because the snacks were very limited now they are much more extyensive.
i figured taht we would spend probably at least 100 dollars a day if we paid oop and only ate at counter service meals. with the DDp we paid 114 per day and got a c/s meal (which inclyuded an entree drink and dessert) a T/s (which included an app, entree, drink and dessert) and a snack each day.
I loved that i did not have to worry about what the kids ate and how much it was costing an dwe ate great food each and every day. the plan cost us only about 14 aday more and we ate more that we would have without it.
I MY OPINION IT IS SOO WORTH IT.

 

[queenbee]

Why do people keep referring to Sept 30- 7 Oct as free dining plan???
I thought it was over on the 30th of September???? Oct???

Please help....We plan to travel the following week, but might consider pulling the kids out of school a week early to save $500 on the dining plan

Thanks!

 

[thunderbird1]

Why do people keep referring to Sept 30- 7 Oct as free dining plan???
I thought it was over on the 30th of September???? Oct???

Please help....We plan to travel the following week, but might consider pulling the kids out of school a week early to save $500 on the dining plan

Thanks!

It does end on Sept 30th, but as long as you CHECK IN on or before Sept 30th, you can get free dining for your entire stay. So you wouldn't necessarily have to change weeks, just adjust your stay by a few days.

 

[queenbee]

Thank you so much for answering my question!!! I have my travel agent workin' double time to get us in one of the value or moderate resorts on the 29th. of September.

Any big difference between say, POP century and Port of Orleans????

 

[mickeymousemom]

Here's how I look at it...If you would normally spend at least $40/day per adult to eat at WDW, then it's a good deal. Remember, gratuity is included in the DP and tips alone can really add up.
With that said, we are the "budget" family. We've taken food into the parks with us, shared CS meals, and only used to do a couple of TS meals a week. After we took advantage of the free DP last year, we were sold. We were able to eat places we never could before and being the foodies we all are, we had a blast! This year we are paying for the DP. At under $40/person/day we are able to eat at very nice restaurants at least once a day, and also do a CS and a snack. Last year we had a blast using our snack credits at the F&W Fest. We are making payments on our trip, which is coming up in October, and I think of it as putting the DP on layaway. We pay for it over several months and once it's paid off, we don't have to worry about our meals once we're there. I think there are so many ways to look at the value of the DP. Last year, four of us had appetizers, entrees, and desserts at LeCellier for over $200. Our 'Ohana bill was almost that much. If we had paid OOP for all of that, the daily cost of the DP would have covered it, plus we still got a CS meal and snack. I may be rambling here, but this is the way we look at it. If you can add it on, by all means do it. Then let Disney roll you out of the parks!

ETA: I see it as paying for a TS meal daily, then getting a CS meal(with a dessert) and snack for free. Sort of.

 

[mickeymousemom]

Thank you so much for answering my question!!! I have my travel agent workin' double time to get us in one of the value or moderate resorts on the 29th. of September.

Any big difference between say, POP century and Port of Orleans????

Huge difference between POP and Port Orleans. POP is a value, Port Orleans is a moderate. Either of the resorts at PO, whether it be the French Quarter or Riverside(our favorite) are almost like getting a deluxe at the price of a moderate. These are very beautiful resorts(esp. Riverside, but I'm biased).

POP is more the fun, loud, bright resort. It depends on your tastes, your money situation, and the number of people in your party(The values only allow 4 adults(or older children) per room. PO can hold 5.

Here's a slideshow of POP Century:
POP Century photos

Here's one of POR:
Port Orleans--Riverside

Here's POFQ:
Port Orleans--French Quarter


This really shows the difference in the resorts.

I also recommend heading over to allearsnet.com and fishing around. You'll find lots of info over there.

 

[beth_cam]

We didnt feel it saved us money but we loved it did it twice and will do it again. Non plan, we will probably do atleast 3 table service meals totaling about 300 We will not do any more preps for ourselves in the room than granola bars for breakfast. Counter service meals for the 4 of us sharing whatever possible will still probably run about 30 per meal. so for 7 days 2 meals minus 3 meals that is 11 meals totaling about 330. So add that together and you get 660. I'm not figuring in the granola bars and extra sodas we keep in the room because we do it anyway but honestly we might would buy a couple of breakfasts...i know we figure in a couple with the plan so oop would be even more. So anyway 7 days on the plan cost us a little over 700. so for about 50 extra we could eat whatever we wanted and if we want to be frugal and share etc we actually covered 8 days. So while we are probably in the neighborhood of break even or maybe pay a bit more than we would have if i wanted to be very very harsh on what we were allowed to eat it was so worth it. Having young children we also found that all the table service meal time breaks that a lot of people hate worked to our advantage for breaking up the day, having a rest, or just getting us moving - like instead of saying we are leaving the park now to go to the hotel to take a nap or whatever else was 'bad', we could say we are now going to this really cool restaurant where we will see.....

 

[JimMIA]

Actually, depending on when you are going and how long you are staying, renting points from a DVC owner and paying for the dining plan may be your best value.

You might want to research that as an alternative.