Is the dining plan worth it?

[DisneyMomma81]

Well it was free for us so yes very much worth it, we had plenty of days to enjoy the parks so a sit down meal each day was nice. It was plenty of food ~ no need for an appetizer. Now if I had to pay for it I'm not sure, I'm glad we had it for our visit ~ dining was a big part of our trip but would we need it again *especially if we had to pay for it* I don't know ~ I would consider the QSDP though, especially while I still have a Disney "kid".

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We enjoy using the DDP. We have done the 'free dining' promotion twice but elected to buy it for our most recent trip. I didn't tally receipts and keep track to the penny, but I feel like it's a good value for our family. We have 2 kids between 3 and 9 who enjoy the character meals, so the cost for that would exceed the daily cost of the DDP for them. We don't mind paying OOP for appetizers if we really want them, and I like being able to order the chocolate shake at Prime Time Cafe for my drink, something I'd never do if we weren't on the DDP. It just frees us up a lot; otherwise, I get sticker shock looking at the menus! Everyone in my family is possessive over their meals, LOL, so no sharing takes place even if we're paying OOP. I am a huge dessert-lover, so I love getting to taste different things at the restaurants. I don't really feel too much guilt over trying a few bites and leaving the rest, except that I wish I could eat the whole thing!

I do foresee that on our next trip, my oldest will revolt about being made to order off the child's menu, so if we do the DDP, we'll do lots of buffets!

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

I like it because all of you meals are paid for before you go and for me it is easier to budget a trip that way. You only need money for your tips and and souviners you will purchace. And also gas on the way there and back since we drive. It is also a nice way to meet characters without standing in long lines. Since it is already paid for I feel I can order what ever I want and not have to look at the price like I do at home. I am not sure if it will be worth it as much when they become adults at 10 since DS is super picky like mom .

 

[lisam427]

we usually get the regular dining plan. after looking at the receipts we decided to never go to disney world without. dd and i are big eaters and we love the regular dining plan. to me even if i only save a couple hundred dollars on the dining plan over the course of a vacation, it still is a savings. i paid for dining when we took our first trip. since then we have always gone during free dining. because of the way we eat we wouldnt go down without the dining plan.

 

[brerrabbit]

I really think that only you and your family can determine if it's worth it. Based on my diet and what I can and can't eat and the fact that we only do several sit down meals per trip I is definitely not worth it for us unless we were able to hit the free dining period. The plus is if you have ADR's at nice resturants every day of your trip, you will save money. The down side is if like us you like flexibility and don't want to be tied to a specific location every day due to ADR's then it's not worth it. One of the main reasons we always get hoppers is so that we can tour at our own pace and go to multiple parks a day. Last summer my DW and I almost always wound up back at Epcot in the evening with a beer, or a Grand Marnier slushie listening to the Billy Joel tribute band and slowly checking out every country in the world showcase. Since it's just the two of us and we are in no hurry we got to eat at a lot of places by just walking up. We at in Japan one night and at The Rose and Crown another night without ADR's. Got to see Illuminations from the R&C patio one night without reservations and from the Japanese Resturaunt through the window another night.