My thoughts on the "evil" Disney Dining Plan

[missypie]

Just back from a great trip to WDW. Our family of 5 decided not to do the dining plan...we had over $1800 in Disney Visa Dollars to spend, plus our DDs (15 and 12) eat very little. I KNEW we wouldn't make a dent in all that food. Bottom line was that we spent almost exactly what the DDP would have cost, for less food. We ordered exactly what we wanted, but certainly didn't have 5 appetizers and 5 desserts with each dinner.

Without the dining plan, you end up spending just as much or more, for less food. But with the dining plan, there is a potential for a huge amount of waste, esp. if you are traveling with kids over 9 who don't eat a whole lot. It sort of made me feel foolish for not being on the plan, even though the plan would have given us too much food. (And don't even suggest not ordering all the courses...DH could NEVER let something "free" not be ordered!)

With the price of food at WDW so high, I felt kind of like an insured hospital patient, who pays a premium to cover the cost of all the uninsured patients.

I guess my advice would be to get the dining plan if you plan to eat at least one TS meal per day. And after this year, there won't be so much food.

 

[deedeetoo]

We did the same analysis a couple years ago. I kept track of all the money we spent on food and realized that it was very close to what the DDP cost but we had much less food and didn't eat nearly as well. Because of this, last year we did the DDP.

The pendulum swings the other way for us in future trips because of taking out the tips, and the fact that my dd is turning 10 but still eats like a child. She would be an adult on the dining plan, but we plan on not doing buffets and having her order off the kids menu. I've gone through the menus and we save $200 by not doing the dining plan next time.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I love the dining plan and could never stay on WDW property without it. DH eats a lot and if I can't finish what I ordered, he would. I never thought of it as too much food, but actually a good amount for us.

No, we normally don't eat appetizers and desserts for every meal back at home, and we certaintly would not order an appetizer each, but if we are on vacation, we love to splurge a little. After all, its only once every so often and we want memories that will last a lifetime. I believe that the dining is just as big as the entertainment disney has to offer and that it could make a difference in how good our vacation is.

 

[missypie]

I love the dining plan and could never stay on WDW property without it. DH eats a lot and if I can't finish what I ordered, he would. I never thought of it as too much food, but actually a good amount for us.

No, we normally don't eat appetizers and desserts for every meal back at home, and we certaintly would not order an appetizer each, but if we are on vacation, we love to splurge a little. After all, its only once every so often and we want memories that will last a lifetime. I believe that the dining is just as big as the entertainment disney has to offer and that it could make a difference in how good our vacation is.

So the dining plan sounds perfect for you. I was stuffed even after eating 2/3 of my entree.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

Just back from a great trip to WDW. Our family of 5 decided not to do the dining plan...we had over $1800 in Disney Visa Dollars to spend, plus our DDs (15 and 12) eat very little. I KNEW we wouldn't make a dent in all that food. Bottom line was that we spent almost exactly what the DDP would have cost, for less food. We ordered exactly what we wanted, but certainly didn't have 5 appetizers and 5 desserts with each dinner.

Without the dining plan, you end up spending just as much or more, for less food. But with the dining plan, there is a potential for a huge amount of waste, esp. if you are traveling with kids over 9 who don't eat a whole lot. It sort of made me feel foolish for not being on the plan, even though the plan would have given us too much food. (And don't even suggest not ordering all the courses...DH could NEVER let something "free" not be ordered!)

With the price of food at WDW so high, I felt kind of like an insured hospital patient, who pays a premium to cover the cost of all the uninsured patients.

I guess my advice would be to get the dining plan if you plan to eat at least one TS meal per day. And after this year, there won't be so much food.

DDP is so great!! It is great variety and a lot of food. I wish so many people would quit talking about "waste" on these boards, because I am afraid some people feel guilty getting DDP because of this. I for one have never worried about the waste factor. I am going on vacation, I have to feed my family while there, and DDP is a great value!! I hope you had a magical trip anyway, and I hope you never have to feel like the insured patient paying the way for the uninsured again.

 

[Brian Noble]

Bottom line was that we spent almost exactly what the DDP would have cost, for less food. We ordered exactly what we wanted...

I would argue that this suggests you should *not* get the dining plan. Why? Because the plan is less flexible than paying cash. If you decide at the last minute to change your plans, and it results in having one less table service meal, that's no problem with cash. But, with the Plan, you pre-paid that meal.

For me, the loss of flexibility would have to be repaid with cost savings for what I want. If the bottom-line cost is the same, I'd be just as happy to pay as I go.

 

[missypie]

I would argue that this suggests you should *not* get the dining plan. Why? Because the plan is less flexible than paying cash. If you decide at the last minute to change your plans, and it results in having one less table service meal, that's no problem with cash. But, with the Plan, you pre-paid that meal.

For me, the loss of flexibility would have to be repaid with cost savings. If the bottom-line cost is the same, I'd be just as happy to pay as I go.

You have a point. We actually ate 8 TS meals in 7 days. One of those was at Jiko, which I think takes 2 credits. We spent more, but if I had been on the dining plan, I would have felt like I had to eat only 7 TS meals. It being Thanksgiving week, I was SO happy to have some TS lunches instead of being in the endless lines at the CS places.

 

[Melissa_E]

For me, the loss of flexibility would have to be repaid with cost savings for what I want. If the bottom-line cost is the same, I'd be just as happy to pay as I go.

I think this is where the basic dining plan is a good idea for those that want flexibility and still have a dining plan. With the basic plan, you can save up your TS meals for a signature dining experiences, have many of your CS meals paid for and have snacks while paying OOP and not feeling too guilty.

But to each their own, we're going to do the DxDP on our upcoming trip because we wanted to do a lot of the signature dining and have a meal scheduled during the day. I did go back and forth quite a bit deciding.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I do the math and go with what is the least expensive. I don't feel obligated to clean my plate (except at 50s...peer pressure) I like a variety of foods, but only eat what I want from each course. Many restaurants make their servings way to big for most people.

 

[planplan]

i loved the plan... as for waste..... the servers push more food on you than i could ever eat....we only ordered 1 des. and app for our table. the servers would rather see you order 2 or 3 since thats $30 more to the bill and $6.00 more tip!!!

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

I didn't think my DD11 and I wasted any food while we were on DDP in May. We got to eat at restaurants we wanted, didn't worry about looking at the prices and ordered what we wanted. We were adventurous and tried things we wouldn't normally get a chance to where we are from and had a very good time. When the DxDP was announced, I decided that was the way to go for us so we could experience the signatures and dinner shows and more restaurants on our next visit. And yes, we both would get apps and dessert but I didn't feel the portions were overly large. The apps we ordered were genuinely apps and served to keep us busy along with bread until entrees arrived. At buffets, of course we tried many things and most things we liked, but some things we didn't. I love DDP!

 

[bicker]

Bottom line was that we spent almost exactly what the DDP would have cost, for less food.

I'm not surprised. The Dining Plan offers an advantage -- a very small one for 2008, but still an advantage -- so for many guests it remains a viable option.

With the price of food at WDW so high, I felt kind of like an insured hospital patient, who pays a premium to cover the cost of all the uninsured patients.

Interesting analogy -- could you explain it a little more? I'm not sure I see the connection.

Incidentally, waste is a red herring. Y'know, on cruise ships they have massive affairs where they make tons of food for display only. None of the food we're talking about is in short supply. There's tons of food left withering in the field each year, or is discarded because no one buys it.

 

[missypie]

Waste happens when a 10 year old child orders an adult appetizer, entree and dessert and eats 2 bites of each. Or when I finish my appetizer then m too full for my entree. Lots of people don't order "all the courses" at restraurants and not just for financial reasons.

 

[bicker]

I think you missed the point: It's a red herring when there AREN'T financial reasons.

 

[missypie]

I think you missed the point: It's a red herring when there AREN'T financial reasons.

You are lucky to have missed my post on the community board about how my husband didn't speak to us for two days because the kids ordered one too many funnel cakes (and they were all free due to Disney Visa Dollars.) I guess I shouldn't even offer my opinion on things like this because my husband has such an abnormally severe negative reaction to food left behind on plates-free or not.

 

[bicker]

I wouldn't say that, but it is important to recognize that such priorities are internally-generated, not universal, and not based on any actual dearth of supply. That's really the point I'm making.

It's a little bit like (not identical to, but specifically "a little bit like") -- Can you "waste" daylight, by having too much of it, so they you really cannot enjoy it all?

 

[TLSnell1981]

My grandmothers were brought up during the depression. They both were affected in different ways. One had to have twice as much food on the table because she could and kept two refrigerators and a freezer full at all times. The other was very sparing with everything....saved everything. Neither one "wasted" a thing. We now have supermarkets and restaurants on every corner...food is much easier to come by. Unfortunately, we live in a society where people still think you can not leave a bite of food behind. This is why we are so unhealthy as a nation. I can't control how much food a restaurant puts on my plate. My husband and I like different types of food. I like to eat different courses, but don't want all the food they give. I stop eating when I'm full. I'm not ashamed of this, nor do I feel like I've wasted anything.

 

[missypie]

My grandmothers were brought up during the depression. They both were affected in different ways. One had to have twice as much food on the table because she could and kept two refrigerators and a freezer full at all times. The other was very sparing with everything....saved everything. Neither one "wasted" a thing. We now have supermarkets and restaurants on every corner...food is much easier to come by. Unfortunately, we live in a society where people still think you can not leave a bite of food behind. This is why we are so unhealthy as a nation. I can't control how much food a restaurant puts on my plate. My husband and I like different types of food. I like to eat different courses, but don't want all the food they give. I stop eating when I'm full. I'm not ashamed of this, nor do I feel like I've wasted anything.

I'm like you and my husband is just the opposite. I am thin and he is overweight. Food has a huge psychological hold over him; he simply CANNOT walk away and leave food at the table. When we're at home, we simply take home the leftovers. But at WDW, it would make him insane to have to leave a bunch of food at the table.

 

[Allegro]

Without the dining plan, you end up spending just as much or more, for less food. But with the dining plan, there is a potential for a huge amount of waste, esp. if you are traveling with kids over 9 who don't eat a whole lot. It sort of made me feel foolish for not being on the plan, even though the plan would have given us too much food. (And don't even suggest not ordering all the courses...DH could NEVER let something "free" not be ordered!)
.

You know I think the problem is that people feel they MUST get their money's worth so the MUST eat everything they have purchased.

I've gone into this with my eyes wide open. I'm not expecting to get my money's worth of food. I'm expecting to get my money's worth by not having to worry about my budget at each meal and how much I am spending meal to meal. That's a nice worry not to carry around. When we did our calculations prior to buying the 2008 DDP it was obvious that we wouldn't save a lot of money and we were fine with that. We knew we'd probably not spend a great deal more.

I'm FINE with leaving food on the plate. I'm fine with not ordering everything just because we're on the DDP. I'm fine with not having appetizers. I'm a little worried about American portion size (which is insane BTW) as is my 200 lb 6'1" tall husband. I want to enjoy my meals and not walk aways from the table bloated and uncomfortable "because I paid for this I'm not going to not eat it." I'm also fine with asking to have less food served to me (and do this in restaurants all the time to forestall waste).

 

[TLSnell1981]

I judge the value of my meal by how good the food is....not how much I get.

It's quite tempting to continue to stuff ourselves. I learned a little trick that helps......I pour salt over my food when I'm full. It stops me from continuing to pick at it until I'm miserable.