is the dining plan worth it?

[knlasv]

My soon-to-be-husband and I are planning our honeymoon in July 2012. I've been researching the dining plan and am wondering if it is really worth it? We rarely get drinks (other than free water) at restaurants and I am always too full to finish my meal, let alone eat dessert which would be included in the table service meal. I'm trying to save money here, obviously, so any tips/opinions are welcome! Thanks!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Probably not worth it.

But I would suggest going over to the Restaurants Forum, which has a subforum specifically on the DDP. It is very close to the top of the listing of all forums.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

it all depends on how you like/want to dine while on vacation. If you arent into soda or dessert, then it probably isnt worth it for you guys. However, for my family we all love a good soda and dessert with our meal so it works out great for us!
Also, would you be more relaxed having pre-paid for all your meals and know you can choose whatever you want from the menu? If it doesnt matter to you, then the plan probably isnt for you.
Just my two cents

 

[Cin]

For counter service dining it is more cost effective to pay OOP. For the cost of a QS plan it comes with 2 CS meals that include dessert and soft beverages, 2 snacks a day and the refillable mug. If you were to purchase everything separately it is a little bit less by prepaying, but for the record it comes with dessert and drinks that a la carte you wouldn't have ordered anyway, so it is less for you to just pay OOP for counter service. As far as sit down meals, we did try and while it was good, it was also not as much fun since we had to plan our day around our ADR and I much preferred just stopping when and where we got hungry instead of scheduling a meal and having to stop what were doing to attend our dinner. It really depends on your dining patterns and it sounds as if you would be better to pay as you go than pre pay for the plan. You can look on Allears.net for a list of restaurants with menus and prices and estimate the costs beforehand to help you in your decision. For us, we will pay OOP on our next trip. Just FYI, if you book during certain times of the year, WDW offers "free dining" and that is a bargain! And yes, it really is free.

 

[Cin]

Just a side note, a lot of the meals we ordered were large enough that DH and I shared a plate. The bounty platter and the cheese omelets in the morning were good, also we shared a turkey and dressing dinner and I mentioned to the cast member that I was sharing with someone and he gave me larger portions, so do tell them you are sharing with another

 

[cinder-ellah]

We participated in the Dining Plan last year with our group of 10. 5 loved it and would do it again. The other 5 are not big eaters and would not do it again.

I know that doesn't help ..... but it does depend on your personal eating likes.

In the heat and excitement I usually don't eat full meals, so splitting meals with someone in my group works best for me.

And when you book your trip, if you book for everyone in your group.........everyone has to be on the dining plan or not (that's what I was told).
So, in our case........we could've have booked our group as 2 seperate groups and had 1/2 on the dining plan and the other half not.

But, I'm glad we tried it .....

 

[CathieArms]

My soon-to-be-husband and I are planning our honeymoon in July 2012. I've been researching the dining plan and am wondering if it is really worth it? We rarely get drinks (other than free water) at restaurants and I am always too full to finish my meal, let alone eat dessert which would be included in the table service meal. I'm trying to save money here, obviously, so any tips/opinions are welcome! Thanks!

In your case, probably not. However, I wouldn't want to be worried about nickel-and-diming my way through meals at Disney on my honeymoon, either. So, I guess the bottom line is to decide whether it's a big deal to you to scrutinize the menu and decide whether your vacation budget is enough to cover a steak versus chicken.

 

[PaceFamily]

We went to the WDW last year for the first time. We bought the Deluxe Dining plan. It was way too much food. As people have posted, the meals are very large at the sit down restaurants. We ended up skipping meals and have several left over.

That said, we have purchased the Deluxe Dining for our trip coming up in August and are using it "better" this year. We have used the meal plan to book several shows/ special dining events. We have structured the "dining plan" so that we are eating twice a day, using one of the allotted meals for breakfast at our hotel restaurant and dinner will be at "upscale" events that use two meals. There are also 2 snacks per person per day.

My best advise, look online and see what the meals would cost if you paid OOP vs what any of the dining plans are available. it all comes down to how you would use it. It can save you money, but only if you use it well. Once you spend the money, it is gone.

 

[mom+3girls]

I think the dining plans are worth it. Some restaurants the food is a lot some it isn't, depends on which ones you go to.
My children and I prefer the quick service because you aren't tied to reservations. There are a lot of choices with the quick service.
I think it's worth it because once I get to WDW my hotel is paid for my tickets are paid for and my meals are paid for and that is a load off of my shoulders.
And if you are lucky enough to get in on a free dining option sometimes offered at WDW then you pretty much hit the jack pot.

 

[OhdahLolly]

As others have said of being 'worth it', the answer usually is... 'it depends'!

If you are talking about from the money only, what I'd do is maybe take a look at various restaurant menus at all ears. Price out what you and your honey would likely get for the meals (drinks, possible apps..etc) for the days that you are there.

Then there is also the other factor of having it all taken care of before you get there, regardless of where you end up eating! This is a big factor for us. For other people though this might be more of a minus than a plus.


In our case, the dining plan is 'worth it'. We are a family of four and plan on going for about 6 days. I priced out OOP, with two meals a day.. one table service, one counter service. Including CRT, we end up around 7 dollars cheaper paying out of pocket. However, 7 dollars is really not a lot. That's around 1 dessert, which I didn't add in at all. Or maybe a difference in one or two menu selection. Also what is not being taken into account is we never use our snacks to eat when we are on the DP. We end up using them to bring some candy home to our family, which also works out pretty well. Ok. Well last time we brought home the chocolate covered mash mellows, they never made it out of the car on the ride home..... but still!

So if you look at it that way, we end up even or maybe even slightly ahead. But again, everyone is different with what works for them. So best advice is to just give it a minor pricing out to see how it goes!

 

[DisneyAnytime]

As most have said, the answer to your question is truly "It Depends". However, a couple things for consideration:

1. With the DDP, everything is prepaid and you wouldn't have to worry over budget or cost while there.

2. Having the DDP allows you to try some things you might not normally try. For example, one of you could order a "safe" meal, something you know you would like and the other could order something a little more exotic, then split both. Maybe find a new favorite!

3. A previous poster mentioned not being able to just stop and eat when you wanted. That is incorrect. DDP does not require ADRs. However, ADRs do make it easier to ensure that you will be able to get in to a restaurant you want without a very long wait. Also, ADRs are not exclusive to DDP. You may make reservations even without DDP.

4. You may want to look into the QSDDP and then make one or two reservations for table service meals while there. After all, it IS your honeymoon!

5. You mentioned that you typically don't order soft drinks or desserts when dining out at home. My family and I usually are in that same camp but more for the cost issue than preference. So if that's you as well, the fact that they are included in the DDP might give an extra excuse to splurge a little. Also, you will be doing a LOT of extra walking at the World so that dessert won't have quite the impact on the waistline as it might at home.

Whichever you decide, it will be the right choice for you. It is your honeymoon and should be a stress free, magical time for you! ENJOY!

And Congratulations!!!!

 

[RobDIS]

Sounds like I'm similar to you and decided the DDP wasn't really worth it. I always get water at a restaurant and if we do get dessert, it's one to share. Frankly at WDW it can be more fun to not get desert at a meal and get an ice cream or something an hour or two later.

The DDP isn't really designed for water drinkers and dessert skippers IMO. You'll end up ordering food and drinks you normally wouldn't just to get value out of the plan - or at least I would.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We ( me and DH) just got back and I added up all of our receipts and our dinning ended up costing us $38 a day for an 8 day trip/ Keep in mind that was NOT $38 per person but rather $38 total. We saved 50% buy not getting the dinning plan. We ate breakfast in our room. We brought with us break bars and packed bannana's in our carry on. Drank the free counter service water since it was hot. And had one soda a day.

 

[brownie_17]

We are trying it for the first time on our next trip. My DH is a BIG eater and we both do soda and never pass on dessert I kick myself for not getting the DDP. We could have saved money if we had done this our last trip.

 

[Familyx4]

We looked into it in great detail for our trip in two weeks but decided against it. It all depends on your eating habbits. We are not big eaters. Although we occasionally enjoy a ssit down dinner at a nice rest. at WDW we are on the go. Even with the quick service plan it is too much food for us. We usually do not eat desert and the two snacks are too much. However, on your honeymoon you may want sit down dinners.

By the way, we are fortunate that we were offered free quick service for our trip. At no cost, we'll take it!

 

[MHSweb79]

We've gone with the plan and without. We're now of the mind that the dining plan isn't worth it for us, even if it's "free." (That's because with just 2 of us in the room, getting a room-only discount often offsets the cost of dining anyway.)

1. July is HOT. That really affects your appetite. The dining plan is TONS of food. We simply can't eat all that the plan offers, especially dessert twice a day. Ugh

2. Many entrees are huge. At Teppan Edo last month, four people at our table ordered chicken. The chef proceeded to chop up 6 large chicken breasts for those 4 people. My DD and I shared the chicken entree and we were both full. The chef didn't mind splitting the entree, and they even kindly offered us an extra bowl of rice instead of sharing one. My DH and I have split many counter-service entrees as well and it's been plenty.

3. You really should make ADR's unless you are willing to travel to far-flung restaurants, eat at less popular places (and they are less popular for good reason) or regularly eat dinner late at night- that is, after 9pm. This means that you'll have to plan your park days well in advance, as much as 180 days. Many folks don't enjoy planning their meals 6 months in advance.

Other PP's have given you the pluses of the plan so my response just focused on the negatives as we see them.

 

[retlt72]

We went to WDW 8 straight years with out the dining plans. The past 2 years we did the Deluxe Dining Plan, it was worth every penny. We ate in restaurants that we would never have eaten in, and ate things we would never have eaten. It really made the meals an important part of our experiance. Deserts, appitizers we never had these. Now we study the restaurants, and try new places and we aren't concerned with the prices. After we return home we check the receipts against the cost of the plan and see how we did. So far we are ahead. I definately reccomend a dining plan, which ever suits your individual needs.

 

[DisneyMacAddict]

Here is a great article from Touring Plans about this topic...
http://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/disney-dining-plan

I also wrote a blog about this topic and had a friend who doesn't share my views, post a counterpoint.

http://idisneyplan.blogspot.com/2011/06/364disney-dining-plan.html

http://idisneyplan.blogspot.com/2011/06/disney-dining-plan-different-view.html

But whatever decision you make, go for it and forget the other option while on vacation. When you get back home go over your receipts and see how you did...Then post your results here! Please.

 

[CCGMatt]

We went to WDW 8 straight years with out the dining plans. The past 2 years we did the Deluxe Dining Plan, it was worth every penny. We ate in restaurants that we would never have eaten in, and ate things we would never have eaten. It really made the meals an important part of our experiance. Deserts, appitizers we never had these. Now we study the restaurants, and try new places and we aren't concerned with the prices.

I, too, have done the regular Dining Plan the last two times I've gone. Granted, it's been free both times because of the promotion (back when it was still available for the value resorts). I could never afford to eat at many of the places I wanted to eat without the plan.

One of the big benefits of the plan for a someone who is a return guest is it forces you to SLOW DOWN, which is something hard for us fanatics to do. If I have an ADR, I have to allow time to travel there from wherever I am. I've been able to enjoy the parks more because I had a sit down meal every day, instead of two QS meals and getting quickly back on my feet. I am better fed and better rested.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We don't want to be on a dining schedule....

As most others stated, meals are huge.....wife and I can easily share a hamburger and fry meal and be satisfied....breakfast is just that..breakfast...not alot of different choices there and Disney's prices for that are not that bad and again....one meal easily shared, which we sometimes do....

We're pool picnic people....like creating sandwiches from supplies we picked up in route at the grocery store and enjoy at the pool with some beverages...

We've done 44 trips, none on any dining plan....we have gone thru all the menues from allears and really can't see any interest in most of the TS meals on property....we pick our CS meals and that's suits us plus the amount of time we want to spend eating on vacation..Disney has never been about the food for us and making dining times and places 180 days out would not work out for us at all.....we like to be care free and we save money by not doing the plans.....

To each their own ,it's entirely up to the individual but a non structured vacation works better for us....and we do eat where we want without all the ADR's..