meal vouchers worth it?

[Cinderella1122]

We will be visitng Disneyland for the first time in May I saw on the Disneyland site that packages can include meal vouchers. We often use the dining plan at WDW and love it.

Currently we are booked for 4 nights at the villas at the grand californian using our DVC points. I was thinking of adding on 1 night at the begining of our trip since we are flying from the east coast. With 2 additonal nights we can add on the meal vouchers and the tickets for our whole trip. Is it worth getting the meal vouchers, or will it be better to add only 1 night and pay cash for our meals?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tink91]

I personally wouldnt recommend them, the plan is not as good as the WDW offer is. My friend lives off them whenever she visits WDW and wouldn't go near them at DL.

 

[sonnyjane]

If you do a quick search for vouchers here, you'll see most don't recommend them. You basically get vouchers for a set amount, and if you spend less than that amount, you don't get change back. If that's the case, you're better off just using cash/debit or a gift card.

 

[DizNee Luver]

We've used them before & they really were a pain.....you stand in line trying to get as close to the voucher amount as possible so you don't loose a ton of money on them.
Last trip we purchase gift cards to use for meals & found that MUCH easier!!!

You don't get any kind of deal purchasing them....you pay for every cent & the character meal vouchers are based on the most expensive meal (Goofy's Kitchen)...so if you use them somewhere else....you lost money.

Use cash, Disney dollars or gift cards!!

 

[Tink91]

We've used them before & they really were a pain.....you stand in line trying to get as close to the voucher amount as possible so you don't loose a ton of money on them.
Last trip we purchase gift cards to use for meals & found that MUCH easier!!!

You don't get any kind of deal purchasing them....you pay for every cent & the character meal vouchers are based on the most expensive meal (Goofy's Kitchen)...so if you use them somewhere else....you lost money.

Use cash, Disney dollars or gift cards!!

I love your signature!!! Its so cute!!

 

[DLR29]

The dining plan at DLR is inferior (IMO and many others here) to WDW's because:
a) It doesn't save you as much money
b) You get a set amount of dollar amount vouchers and when you use those vouchers you don't get change. So for example if you want to pay for something that costs $4.95 with a $5 voucher, you will lose 5 cents. That's not a big deal, but if you have run out of $5 vouchers, you need to either pay in cash (which defeats the purpose of a dining plan) or pay with a $10 voucher and lose $5.05 (which can add up significantly)
c) You can't use the vouchers at Downtown Disney restaurants

 

[Cinderella1122]

Thank your for all the responses. I don't think I will be using the vouchers, it's a shame that they don't have a plan similar to WDW. I love the idea of getting a gift card. I guess i'll google some menus and figure out exactly where I would like to eat

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

Another good reason not to get the plan is that you can get a discount at some of the restaurants if you show your AAA card or Disney Rewards Visa (10% off your meal). If you do not have either of those, you might consider purchasing some character meals from websites like getawaytoday.com. They offer a discount, plus a $5 handling fee.

We have AAA and a DRV. We saved at Goofy's, Ariel's, Storyteller's, and the pizza place in Tomorrowland. Every little bit helps!

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I budget or pre-pay for most meals by purchasing Disney Gift Cards ~ https://tickets.disney.go.com/buy/T...wtbjyX1JNqm2RYqU41yNIgAIeIiRK2oKPx3IWWxP2YrM= *they ship for free & you can add $ to a GC by calling ~ 800-760-3566 or 800-362-4533

I prepay for some character meals by purchasing character meal vouchers ~ I find Ares to have the best prices ~ http://arestravel.com/77_DisneylandResort.html *click on Character Experiences You can also get vouchers from AAA and GAT www.getawaytoday.com **the Character Breakfast vouchers work for any of the breakfasts but it'll usually only save you $$ at Goofy's and Ariel's.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Thank your for all the responses. I don't think I will be using the vouchers, it's a shame that they don't have a plan similar to WDW. I love the idea of getting a gift card. I guess i'll google some menus and figure out exactly where I would like to eat

Check allears.net for menus