Is the Dining Plan worth it??

[disneymiss]

I always go solo and was wondering if the Dining Plans are worth it....
I am not a real big eater but last visit down I noticed the prices went up on all the food, seems it always does when free food plan is being offered... make me feel like I am paying for others food I called DVC membership and they said $39.99 for each night stay for counter service, which was if I remember correctly 2 counter and 2 snack and 1 refillable cup for resort, if i am wrong will someone please correct me....my trip is coming up in a little over a week. thanks

 

[DVC Dude]

I personally don't like the prepaid meal plans.

 

[tjkraz]

The quick service plan is $34.99 per adult, per day.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm

As Disney keeps raising the price on the dining plan, it's no longer the great deal it once was. Really depends on what you're going to eat. If you are going to get 2x QS meals per day and would use the snack credit and refillable mug, then it may still save you a few bucks. But if the dining plan is going to force you to eat in a manner in which you would not normally dine, it's probably not worth it.

If you are a DVC member or passholder, check out the discounts offered there. Many places offer 10% off. If they are places at which you wouldn't mind eating, the savings can add up. Most restaurants at the Dolphin and Swan have a 20% discount for DVC members.

If you're a passholder you could also consider the Tables in Wonderland card. It costs around $75 but then you save 20% on most locations. The good thing about TIW is that it's valid for all trips/meals over an entire year. But if you're traveling solo--or even in a small group--the savings may not even cover the $75 price of the card.

 

[mccathy]

Last time I did the math the Dining Plan was worth it if you're travelling with kids and eating at a lot of buffet places (with fixed prices).

My husband and I went sans kids in March - I got the Table in Wonderland Card - did the math when we got home and we made the right choice for us. We prefer to eat desserts out of the restaurants a few hours after dinner - that was the big seller for us NOT to get the dining plan.

Now - when we go with our kids and schedule buffets/fantasmic packages - we'll get the dining plan.

 

[Dean]

I always go solo and was wondering if the Dining Plans are worth it....
I am not a real big eater but last visit down I noticed the prices went up on all the food, seems it always does when free food plan is being offered... make me feel like I am paying for others food I called DVC membership and they said $39.99 for each night stay for counter service, which was if I remember correctly 2 counter and 2 snack and 1 refillable cup for resort, if i am wrong will someone please correct me....my trip is coming up in a little over a week. thanks

I don't think they gave you the right prices, too much for QS, too low for the basic DDP unless they were talking 2012, I haven't seen those prices. It can be a good savings or a major financial drain, depending on the situation and how you use it. For a single, it likely is a good choice if you'll eat out half your meals or slightly more, esp if you plan your options. I'd make dining reservations then look at those menus and work from there. It does depend on how you eat. If you get a water and a appy, soup or salad only or similar, it clearly won't work well for you. If you want to try the higher end places, it should be a good option.

We often get the plan but we plan accordingly. We arrive early and leave lat so we get full use of the first and last day, we plan for higher end single credit options, get more expensive meals, etc. We're not afraid to share for one meal and pay OOP for another if we feel that gives us over all value.

 

[lucyem]

Whether it is worth it depends on what you eat, how you eat, where you eat etc. Lots of variables. It can work out well in some situations and not so well in others. The best thing to do is sit down with the menus and figure out what you are most likely going to eat. Do the math and see what comes up as the best choice for you.

 

[AirGoofy]

As Disney keeps raising the price on the dining plan, it's no longer the great deal it once was.

If you are a DVC member or passholder, check out the discounts offered there. Many places offer 10% off. If they are places at which you wouldn't mind eating, the savings can add up. Most restaurants at the Dolphin and Swan have a 20% discount for DVC members. .

I second these. I found that the DP and DXDP was too much food. And, I love eating (which is an entirely different problem) but I still could not eat that much food. Also, I found myself eating those QS desserts, when I really didn't like them just because it was a part of the DP. And, I lost so much time eating as opposed to enjoying the theme park or resort fun.

I saved my up my receipts and did the math. (Yes, I am a nerd, but that is another entirely different problem.) I found that the costs using the % discounts with DVC membership was around the same as the DP. Now, while I couldn't "pre-pay" it and the cost was the same, I was able to eat the food and places I wanted, eat what I wanted (appetizer compared to dessert) and even enjoy alcohol for the same amount. So, it is no more DP for us.

 

[kristenrice]

I usually pick where I want to eat and then see if a DP will work out better. This October, we have a split-stay, 2 nights at BLT and 3 nights at BWV. We want to eat at Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Boma (dinner), Akershus (breakfast) and the SOA luau. Those meals alone come to about $160. By adding the DxDDP to our 2-night stay at BLT, we can pay $158 and that will cover those meals PLUS we get the refillable mugs, 4 snacks AND another meal.

For the second half of the trip, we're going to use the TIW card for LeCellier (dinner) and Kouzzina (breakfast). We'll be in a 1BR at BWV (studio at BLT) so we'll have the ability to make simple meals in our room if we so desire.

We like to do split stays (2 nights studio/3 nights 1BR) so it usually works out great for us to add a DP to the studio stay and use TIW (if we have it) for the 1BR stay.

 

[Dean]

I usually pick where I want to eat and then see if a DP will work out better. This October, we have a split-stay, 2 nights at BLT and 3 nights at BWV. We want to eat at Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Boma (dinner), Akershus (breakfast) and the SOA luau. Those meals alone come to about $160. By adding the DxDDP to our 2-night stay at BLT, we can pay $158 and that will cover those meals PLUS we get the refillable mugs, 4 snacks AND another meal.

That is a good situation for the Dx plan but I don't think your choices take advantage of the Dx plan appy options, which is the strength of that plan, IMO. If you went with the Basic plan and paid OOP for the Luau, you'd be around $92 plus $57 = $149 for Cat 2. That's a savings of $18, you lose 2 snacks and the MUG and pick up 2 QS meals. 1 QS plan = 3 snacks at most food courts.

 

[disneymiss]

Thanks everyone, guess the calculator is coming out and I need to look at the updated menus and decide what I am doing... but am trying to stay away from fried foods if possible...LOL but steak and veggie are way out of my priceline at this time but then again so are the salads and fruits

 

[kendzee94]

For us, we do use the dining plan each trip. We like the 1CS, 1TS, and 1 snack per day. We usually eat only breakfast in our room and like eating a sit down every day. For us, it makes it worth it, especially since the kids get charged adult prices anyways and the kids CS meals aren't enough for them anymore. If they raise the prices again next year, we will be to recheck our math and see if TIW is a better choice.

 

[rmcildw2m]

I did the quick service plan with my son last week for the first and it was great . I will be doing the dinning plan from now own when going to disney . Its a way to save some money on food and still get a good meal .

 

[disney212]

For us, we do use the dining plan each trip. We like the 1CS, 1TS, and 1 snack per day. We usually eat only breakfast in our room and like eating a sit down every day. For us, it makes it worth it, especially since the kids get charged adult prices anyways and the kids CS meals aren't enough for them anymore. If they raise the prices again next year, we will be to recheck our math and see if TIW is a better choice.

DH and I went in Feb and tallied our receipts as if we were not using the DDP (I'm in finance and can't help myself), we use the QS for breakfast, Snack for a snack around lunch time and TS for a nice dinner, it saved us over $200 on our trip. We are "foodies" and love trying all the different resorts and parks for food, we sometimes split an appetizer and pay out of pocket for that but we would do that anyway. We ask for our desserts "to go" and have them back at the room after using the pool or a nice walk. We find that without the dining plan we tend to stick to "safer" menus and don't explore as much so it works for us! Can't wait for our F&W trip in October!!!

 

[dansyr2514]

It completely depends on the person. If you are the kind of person who could share a meal and be completely satisfied, I wouldn't bother with it.
We usually do a combo of deluxe and regular. However since with DVC you can now segment the ressie we are doing deluxe every other day for the first 4 days...that way we are not so tied down to reservations...especially since we will be snacking our way around food and wine. Then the last few days, we are doing each day.

2 reasons we like the dining plan...

1. We like having things prepaid.
2. We order what we want without concerning ourselves with prices. To be honest, I would never order and $60 lobster for dinner otherwise. We don't necessarily choose the most expensive thing on the menu but we choose what we want. Sometimes it is chicken, sometimes lobster but we are not concerned with the price. Also we have learned that we don't both need to have appetizer, entree and dessert. We generally share desserts and/or appetizers and still get our money's worth out of the plan.

 

[dansyr2514]

It completely depends on the person. If you are the kind of person who could share a meal and be completely satisfied, I wouldn't bother with it.
We usually do a combo of deluxe and regular. However since with DVC you can now segment the ressie we are doing deluxe every other day for the first 4 days...that way we are not so tied down to reservations...especially since we will be snacking our way around food and wine. Then the last few days, we are doing each day.

2 reasons we like the dining plan...

1. We like having things prepaid.
2. We order what we want without concerning ourselves with prices. To be honest, I would never order and $60 lobster for dinner otherwise. We don't necessarily choose the most expensive thing on the menu but we choose what we want. Sometimes it is chicken, sometimes lobster but we are not concerned with the price. Also we have learned that we don't both need to have appetizer, entree and dessert. We generally share desserts and/or appetizers and still get our money's worth out of the plan.