Is the Dining plan worth it?

[difry]

We used our left over snack credits on our last day to buy "Disney" themed treats to take back home as souvenirs : ) I think we bought about 10 at one time. (4 adults for 4 days = a lot of snack credits!!!)

 

[TheWog]

It wasn't worth it for our family. If it is free dining I would take it, but otherwise no. We ended up having extra TS credits that I used for water snacks. We even went to California Grill which was 2 TS credits. This was for our first trip. Second trip we didn't get it and I am sure we saved money by not having it.

 

[gabbyfamily]

Disney Dinning Plan for Peace

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Let me start by saying I adore my husband : ) He is a great guy!

Bless his heart...he can be a penny pincher! The first time we had the dinning plan (which thanks to DIS Board advice we got for free) was the first vacation where I didn't have to listen to him huff and puff every time we stopped for a meal. The "OMG this hamburger and fries just cost me $20" reactions get old very quickly!

Our next trip to Disney (both trips were taken with our adult son and daughter) we purchased the dinning plan.

Yes - we struggle to eat all the food
True - we probably would not eat table service meals if we didn't have the plan
No - I'm not sure we actually save money

HOWEVER - the PEACE that comes from pre-paying and not having to budget for meals combined with the fact that the cost of the food is "hidden" from my husband in the trip cost allows everyone to enjoy the trip more. Also, we really enjoy the table service offerings at the restaurants in EPCOT.

Diana

I love this, Diana, because this is so ME!! I have been stressing about whether or not we should have gotten the plan, but you have made me realize that it is the best decision for us!

 

[disneyfan55]

On the Dining Plan:

stressing about what restaurants to make our ADR's and trying hard to get the times we want - more planning required

we are eating our TS meals at the most expensive restaurants to get full value for the $$

eating much more than we normally do

planning our day around our TS reservations to make sure we are not late


Off the Dining Plan:

we are eating breakfast in our room to save $$

eating almost exclusively at CS restaurants to save $$ and because it will be harder to get a table at a TS restaurant without an advance reservation

never ordering any soda to save $$ on the bill

freedom to enjoy the park more as we don't have to worry about ADR's and we eat when we are hungry


There are pros and cons to both - personally, I like the experience of eating at nicer restaurants and not having to worry about the bill. Nothing like killing the mood on vacation and telling the kids they can't order steak cause it costs too much. This is not an issue on the Dining Plan that includes TS restaurants. However, we try to make our ADR's for later in the day so we are not wasting valuable park time during peak hours sitting down and eating

Sounds pretty much like what happens with us. We did use TIW card when we had free $500 giftcards last trip and I liked that a little better. We could eat at a few TS, order what we wanted to (we really don't eat desserts) , get 20% off and have Disney pay with the free giftcard!! That was pretty good!

 

[sgtfirstwife]

We are visiting Disney World in June and are using the Basic Dining Plan. My question is what if we want to add a beer or mixed drink to our meal? I know that it is not covered under the plan, so they will we pay at the end of our meal or when we check out?

 

[disneyfan55]

We are visiting Disney World in June and are using the Basic Dining Plan. My question is what if we want to add a beer or mixed drink to our meal? I know that it is not covered under the plan, so they will we pay at the end of our meal or when we check out?

You will have to pay for the tip as well as anything not covered by the DDP after the meal. You can charge it to your room if you attach a credit card to your room key and pay when you check out. There are limits to charging to the room depending on resort type. I never charge to the room so I'm not sure on the limits per stay.

 

[difry]

I love this, Diana, because this is so ME!! I have been stressing about whether or not we should have gotten the plan, but you have made me realize that it is the best decision for us!

You are very welcome. I truly believe that each family has to figure out what is right for "that family" but the dining plan works for us. As we are a group of adults (my babies are 22 & 24) we tend to sleep in and hit the parks between 10/11 and then end the day with a late dinner. We tend to use our TS credits late in the evening (I make ADRs and we plan our day around that). We sit, relax and reminisce about our day and plan for the next.

Because of the dining plan we have had dinner at Nine Dragons, Rose & Crown, Liberty Tree Tavern, Sci-Fi Dine In, and Mama Melroses’. Because of the price…we would have never tried any of these restaurants without the incentive of the dining plan. We often share counter service meals (it really is hard to eat all the food included in the plan) both trips we found ourselves with lots of credits to use on our last day.

 

[aladams2]

We love the dining plan. I do not eat much and am full. But I enjoy ordering whatever I want and not worrying about the price. Plus, my DDs get to order whatever either and there is no questions about splitting the meal. Like others have said, we too would never spend the money to eat in the castle, so this is a bonus.

 

[xmas16]

This topic probably generates one of the most spirited debates on the boards. One year ago our family went to WDW. I agonized over the dining plans vs paying as you go. I decided to pass on the dining plan and I'm glad I did. But, it really depends on you and your family's wants/needs. You really have to invest lots of time and figure out if it is worth it for you. I'm talking some serious homework. Like, plan out your entire stay meal wise, then plan as if you're using the dining plan and also paying as you go. If money is not a factor then just get the dining plan. But food is one area where you can save some money if you are willing to invest the time to figure it out. Good luck

 

[annette20071]

I have debated this and ended up going with the plan last time and this time. You can look up the cost per person per day. For us it is $41.99 per adult and I think 11.99 or 12.99 per child per day. It is a little more during peak season. I definitely wouldn't do all the TS/character meals if I wasn't on the plan. However, I added up some of the quick service foods I thought we would eat per day plus snacks and it came close to or more than 41.99 per day for less food. Food is pretty expensive in general at Disney and so are drinks. So, it works for us. Definitely consider your eating habits and how much you would otherwise spend.