opinions on dining plan...worth it or not?

[disneyworldaddict]

Wow! I have to say I am so shocked that more people do not use the DP!
My family LOVES it! It is always so worth it! I guess it's not worth it if you are not doing TS, but for us that is a HUGE part of the trip!

O'hana, Biergarten, Boma, are some of are MUST HAVES.
So that's already 3 expensive dinners.

Plus some of the other TS that we really enjoyed were Tusker House, Shutters at Caribbean Beach, Sci-Fi,...I know there is plenty more that I'm missing out on. But for me that's such a great part of the dining plan, is that it lets you try things that you normally wouldn't try at home.
After all, we are on VACATION!

And don't get me wrong, I am not overweight...and I get very full as I eat.
But there's no rule that says you have to eat all of your food at once!

What we usually do is save all the snack credits (well, not all!) for the last day and then bring them home on the plane to eat. OR we use them to get water, or an occasional ice cream, etc.

I guess if you are not doing TS it wouldn't be worth it, but other then that the dining plan is SO WORTH IT for me.

Part of vacation is going to O'hana and soaking up the fun atmosphere and everyoen grabbing a spoon and digging into that bread pudding. Maybe a lot of the people that don't use prefer the plan think most of the TS are just character buffets? Do they not realize that there are some REALLY good sit down dinners?
I'll never not use the DP, except maybe for my next trip if I get the $500 or $750 GC promo.

 

[maggiew]

Wow! I have to say I am so shocked that more people do not use the DP!
My family LOVES it! It is always so worth it! I guess it's not worth it if you are not doing TS, but for us that is a HUGE part of the trip!

O'hana, Biergarten, Boma, are some of are MUST HAVES.
So that's already 3 expensive dinners.

Plus some of the other TS that we really enjoyed were Tusker House, Shutters at Caribbean Beach, Sci-Fi,...I know there is plenty more that I'm missing out on. But for me that's such a great part of the dining plan, is that it lets you try things that you normally wouldn't try at home.
After all, we are on VACATION!

And don't get me wrong, I am not overweight...and I get very full as I eat.
But there's no rule that says you have to eat all of your food at once!

What we usually do is save all the snack credits (well, not all!) for the last day and then bring them home on the plane to eat. OR we use them to get water, or an occasional ice cream, etc.

I guess if you are not doing TS it wouldn't be worth it, but other then that the dining plan is SO WORTH IT for me.

Part of vacation is going to O'hana and soaking up the fun atmosphere and everyoen grabbing a spoon and digging into that bread pudding. Maybe a lot of the people that don't use prefer the plan think most of the TS are just character buffets? Do they not realize that there are some REALLY good sit down dinners?
I'll never not use the DP, except maybe for my next trip if I get the $500 or $750 GC promo.

We do a sit down meal every day on our trips, but still we do not get the dining plan. Its because we wouldn't get 4 adult meals at each restaurant for the 4 of us. Plus desserts. So its not worth it to us. And we still get to enjoy all that table service enjoyment that you talk about. On our last trip last July we ate at:
Yak & Yeti
Tokyo dining
Mama Melrose
Crystal Palace
Hoop dee doo
Beaches and Cream
CRT
ESPN Zone
TRex
Planet Hollywood

Now, I will say that we tend to avoid the fixed price places, so we have only done 'Ohana once. (We would have done it more, regardless of the price, but my girls didn't care for it.) We still go where we want and order what we want and when we want it.

Maggie

 

[Schmoodle]

It is not worth it to us. I have had 3 trips in the last 18 months. One trip, we paid for food OOP, had a condo with a kitchen, and fixed some of our own meals. Trip 2 we had the regular DP. Trip 3 we tried the QSDP. None of these were free dining. I kept all my receipts and calculated how much food-value we got for our $. The DPs definitely cost us less than if we had paid for everything OOP. However, both plans were too much food for us, and I ended up bringing a bunch of stuff home. I had the same issue with 11YO DD, who does not have a big appetite, and wanted kids meals, although I'd paid for adult DP.

Then I calculated what we actually would have ordered had we not been on the DP. In both cases, it would have been less expensive to pay OOP.

May be worth it for some, but not for us. You really have to do the math to figure out if it works for you.

I would not pay for it. I would rather get a discount on my room. However, if it was the only discount I could get , I would take free dining. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[avahoneybee]

We did the dining plan and just found it to be a pain. First of all, we didn't utilize it properly by not paying attention to our snacks. We had 10 or 15 left so we were in the resort gift shop loading up on Mickey ricekrispie treats and whatever else they had. In addition, we didn't use all our meal credits. Secondly, the tip isn't included so we had to pull out our card or cash and it sometimes got confusing to the server, plus it was an added aggrivation. Third, it was just way too much food. We rarely eat appetizers or deserts and sometimes we all like to split meals. If you are going on vacation to eat, eat, eat, it probably works out but we're not that kind of family. Especially in the summer, I'm not sitting down to a steak dinner during lunch after baking in 100 degree lines.

 

[kimmyann]

So, from what I am reading, adults can order off of the kids menu when paying oop? I'm not a big eater, this would save me alot.

Kim

 

[maggiew]

So, from what I am reading, adults can order off of the kids menu when paying oop? I'm not a big eater, this would save me alot.

Kim

My DD17 ordered kids meals at several places. Of the top of my head I remember Coral Reef and Tokyo Dining.

Maggie

 

[disneyworldaddict]

It is not worth it to us. I have had 3 trips in the last 18 months. One trip, we paid for food OOP, had a condo with a kitchen, and fixed some of our own meals. Trip 2 we had the regular DP. Trip 3 we tried the QSDP. None of these were free dining. I kept all my receipts and calculated how much food-value we got for our $. The DPs definitely cost us less than if we had paid for everything OOP. However, both plans were too much food for us, and I ended up bringing a bunch of stuff home. I had the same issue with 11YO DD, who does not have a big appetite, and wanted kids meals, although I'd paid for adult DP.

Then I calculated what we actually would have ordered had we not been on the DP. In both cases, it would have been less expensive to pay OOP.

May be worth it for some, but not for us. You really have to do the math to figure out if it works for you.

I would not pay for it. I would rather get a discount on my room. However, if it was the only discount I could get , I would take free dining. Makes perfect sense to me.

That makes sense, but its different for us. We are in our late 40s and we usually and we travel with our 20 yr old children and their friends. It is well worth it when you are feeding 20 yr boys! We usually stick the buffets and Ohana is the favorite of all. So i guess what it comes down to is what your needs are. I don't eat carbs but there are usually no sugar addded dessert options. Snack options can be cereal, bagels, toast or yogurt for breakfast, or salad, cheese and fruit or bottled water. It doesn't have to be sweets. And beverages in the park aren't cheap, and Florida tap water tastes horrible. So to each his own. For us its worth it. I can enjoy eating like I never would at home, and burn it all off with all the walking...to me thats awesome.

 

[hipchickie]

We did DP for a few years, this last trip we did not. While I loved the DP, and enjoy a sit down meal, this past trip was definitely a budget trip, and there is no way we would save money with it...in fact I knew we would spend more with it due to tips! I also know that when we have a TS meal, we enjoy a glass of wine or a beer with it, another OOP cost.

If you try to compare "apples to apples" it only works if that is what you would do without the meal plan.
Would you have a sit down meal that includes dessert every day? If yes, then it may make sense.
If you may have a couple sit down meals but otherwise would have QS, then don't bother.

While the meal plan for us would have been about 1K, we also would have been forking out an additional $150-$200 or more for the tips for 10 dinners.
Instead, we ended up spending about $800 on food OOP. We did eat breakfast in the room, mostly QS meals, and 3 table service.

 

[Evi]

hrm ok so I always do dinning plan and heres why...

We like the convenience. We like not planning our cash and meals once we are at the parks having dinning plan means that once we get to parks we know exactly where and when we are sitting down to eat. I know this sounds odd but if I wasn't on dinning plan I can be really picky and I'd prolly spend alot of time figuring out what I wanted ans where to go. But after advanced ressies and the lot I'm kinda locked in lol. It saves us money when we eat at sit down we usually would have bought the $25+ entree and we would have done a counter service lunch so when you break it down we do save. You don't always have to have a dessert you can ask sometimes you can get a fruit or a soup instead some places are flexible. Snack credit means I dont baulk at 5 dollar beverages lol so I'll just get whatever snack I want and not really worry about it. We tend to not to breakfast only coffee eat light lunches and have sit down dinners so it works for us.

Personally I know there are people who take peanut butter and jelly and snack wraps into the park but for me that would take away from my experience (no offense to anyone else) I don't go to disney every day usually once ever 2-3 years its a vacation I dont want to prepare meals and carry them around all day. I bring a tiny purse with just the necessities and a bottle of water when I go to parks and I dont park hop or go back to hotel for naps we arrive later in day and stay till close its just how we do it.

In the end you need to do what works for you. If you don't like or think your going to eat on property then don't buy meal plan if you don't do the sit downs only do counter consider cs plan. I'd check out menus like everyone else suggests and price out what you think an average day will cost you then you can decide.

 

[Tiger926]

No more DP for us! We've done both DP and DxDP many times, and DH was a big fan. We've also done DDE/TIW several times too, of which I am a big fan. So, each trip, we re-evaluate what we are going to do for dining, so at this point, I have finally convinced DH that TIW is better for us, so no more dining plan!


It really depends upon how your family eats, as to whether DP is worth it, as has been echoed many times on this thread, but here are my reasons:

1. CS - We don't care for CS at all. We don't eat fast food, drink pop, eat many desserts, etc., and we definitely don't care for the whole seating and ordering chaos of the CS restaurants. We go for almost 2 weeks each July, so we need to get out of heat and sit down to relax and recharge. With the TIW 20% discount, we can eat at lower cost TS places like Plaza and ESPN Club, for cheaper or same cost as a CS - that's a deal!

2. Meals - We prefer to eat most breakfasts in our DVC villa (a few character breakfasts though), and 2 TS meals per day. We have low blood sugar (3 of us), so we need to eat at regular times, and we need good quality food, so we enjoy soups, salads, sandwiches with lean means, fruit, etc. We can do this with the TIW card, but with the DP we are restricted to CS meals in combination with TS.

3. Restrictions - Too many restrictions in terms of the plans themselves. We don't care for dessert, and with allergies/sensitivities, we can't eat many desserts, so they weren't ordered. Also, if someone is ill or there is an emergency, you also lose your credits, and this might cost big for some families.

4. Savings - I will say that with children 3-9, there can be a better savings on the DP, if this is the way you normally eat. We never normally ate CS meals, but we would make the regular DP work for us to make DH happy, and we were having to pay OOP for food. These savings are then an inflated or arbitrary value savings. With TIW, we have created a perfect 2 TS (most days) meal plan that on many days, is cheaper than the DP, or just a little more with snacks and tips included!

5. Not enough meals - The regular DP is not enough food for us, as we had to purchase OOP many times to get items we wanted. Sure there are some CS meals that can be shared, but the food itself is fatty. There are also TS meals that can be shared as well, but again, this restricts what is ordered, and sometimes, someone ends up eating something they don't want in order to make someone else happy.

6. Maximizing mentality - DH is a banker, so he loves to maximize things, and would order more steaks than necessary, or heavy desserts while on DP in order to make me, a frugal Mama, happy. Again, not how we normally eat.

Now, the thing my DH hates about TIW is the automatic gratuity and surcharges/upcharges that we are subject to as we go during peak seasons, as I'm a teacher. But, he is now fine with that as we have our perfect dining schedule - we are going in March and July this year, so we will use TIW for at least 18 days of TS meals.


I for one am glad that we are not doing the DP anymore - it is a very liberating feeling to be in charge of our dining!

Tiger

 

[Pembo]

Especially in the summer, I'm not sitting down to a steak dinner during lunch after baking in 100 degree lines. [/QUOTE]


I completely agree....

 

[MarilIncredible]

I didn't want it for our last trip b/c it would not have covered our drinks (DH and I like a beer or wine with dinner) and we are more likely to get one appetizer and share it than we are to each get desserts. Since the basic DP didn't cover appetizers or booze, it wouldn't have been such a great deal for us.
Also, I never eat a dessert at lunch, so I either would have stocked up on those nasty little pre-packaged cakes only to toss them out before heading home, or "lose money" on the CS meals as well.

I also do not find pre-payment any more convenient that just whipping out my cc to pay for the meals. I guess it is the psychological deception that you are not "paying" for the meals that gives people a certain peace of mind???

 

[solfan68]

We're a family of three(2A/1C) who gets to The World about every three years. DW and I have used the plan (dating back to when it was the Food & Fun card on our honeymoon) every time. Granted, things have changed - namely the dropping of the tip and appetizer. By the way, I would pay a few bucks more pp for DP if only they would put the tip back in.

All of this said, the convenience factor - combined with the mental arithmetic I can forgo each time we do a TS - makes the plan a complete no brainer. I was actually concerned about gaining weight last trip because of all the terrific options we planned to tap into. But with all of the pounding around the parks, I actually came back just a shade lighter. Gotta love that pixie dust, right ? Hope you come to the decision that's right for your family !

 

[MrsLS]

It really depends on your family if it is worth it or not. For us, we did the deluxe last year & are doing it again this year. Since its just me & my DH we like doing TS for 2 meals a day, not 3 (a lot are signatures and some we just don't use), and we don't eat everything provided. You don't have to order the most expensive meal either & we still save a lot of money. We hate CS and love relaxing at TS. I've never felt that we had to run to the next TS or its a hassle. We do TS at night at a resort, so nothing to ruin our park day either.
Too much food? again you don't have to eat it all and I love how people (not anyone specific) say that its too much food (the deluxe) but then they'll do the QS or regular plan. Its the same 2 meals a day, sometimes 3 if doing the QS. If you eat at a buffet, then yeah that could be a lot of food too. Yes you get an app but especially in the signatures, they are so small, depending on what you get.
Do what you think your family wants by what you eat, how much you want to spend & your budget thats they only way to figure out if the plan is worth it to you or not.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

During a trip with my mother (when I was 19 and staying with her between university semesters), she gave me $40 a day to eat. We stayed off property, and didn't know about the dining plan or making ADRs or anything else. I spent that $40 every single day - on QS and snacks and drinks.

So, to me spending $40 a day on the DDP and getting a TS added on is GREAT. We were going to do the QSDP this time around, but DH's best friend is coming with us and it's his first trip... we want to have TS meals to impress him with - so we upgraded.