PLease help me decide: Keep the dining plan or ditch it?

[mefordis]

I only have 2 weeks until my trip and I am trying to decide whether or not to drop the dining plan. I know it will be hot when we go so we might not have an appetite for all of those restaurants. OR the air condition could be a welcome break from the heat.

Also, I have a 2 yr old who is a little hellion so I don't know if she will cooperate in the restaurants.

It will be 5 of us - my mom, husband, well behaved 6 yr old, myself and unpredictable 2 yr old.

Right now we have 2 rooms. One room has 2 adults and 1 child on the dxddp (because we have some signatures booked) and my room has myself on the regular ddp. I did it like this because my husband will join us midway through the vacation.

I have made a ton of ADRs at really nice restaurants. I know for sure we are going to the California Grill one night and that will pay for a full day of the plan, according to my calculations.

Please help me decide!

Thank you!

 

[Melanie B]

I suggest keeping it. Whether you feel hungry or not you really should eat a little something and rehydrate. It's also a nice break for everyone to get out of the heat.

 

[lblume91]

I say keep it!! It's so convenient to have your meals paid for & your ADRs made. Relax & have a great trip!!

 

[mefordis]

Thank you so much for your input! I anxiously await other votes!

From what I read it seems that people either save big or break even. I haven't read about anyone saving big by not doing the ddp. Anyone experience this?

 

[Faldred]

If cost is the primary motivator, you can almost certainly eat for less, and likely significantly so, that what you'd spend on a dining plan. But it would also mean a lot less food, economizing such as bringing your own food in, and ordering from the "low end" of the menu when you do order on-site.

The real question is whether or not having a dining plan adds subjective value to your overall vacation experience, and if that subjective value is worth the cost of the plan.

 

[jmpellet]

Isn't this during free dining??

 

[southcarolinagirl]

Isn't this during free dining??

My thoughts exactly! If you are going in two weeks, you might want to try and call quickly (by 8/14) and check to see if you are eligible for free dining, could save you hundreds.

 

[jmpellet]

And if you are already unsure of the plan go with regular dining vs. deluxe. Or, if you really want the deluxe you might be able to have separate reservations for a portion of the trip. I know I wouldn't want more than one sit down meal per day with young children/

 

[mefordis]

Thank you for all of your responses! We aren't eligible for free dining because we took a 40% off code at WL.

Still trying to decide. How long do I have to decide before I arrival?

Thanks!

 

[Melanie B]

Thank you for all of your responses! We aren't eligible for free dining because we took a 40% off code at WL.

Still trying to decide. How long do I have to decide before I arrival?

Thanks!

I believe it's 72 hours prior to arrival

 

[2Tiggies]

Do you want to keep all your ADRs you made? If so, then you would probably be best keeping the dining plan. However if there are a few in the mix that you threw in to use up your quota of TS credits, then it may be worth doing the math to see if dropping those and paying OOP for the ones you want to keep leaves you better off. I suspect it would if any dropped TS are replaced by CS meals. Also, there is no gratuity to factor in on CS whereas it adds up in direct proportion to the number and cost of your TS spending.

 

[Jetstar]

I would keep it.

It's nice to grab something cold (2 snacks per person/ per day) when ever you need it.

I suggest you do lots of character dining that way your little one can keep busy while everyone is eating. Plus if you meet the characters at meal times you can skip the lines for them in the parks.

 

[Brian Noble]

I haven't read about anyone saving big by not doing the ddp.

We just got back from a seven night trip, we had seven TS meals, seven CS meals, plus about ten snacks each. Many of those TS meals were lunches---in the heat, we needed a break at lunchtime in the AC, but in the evening when it was cooler we ended up out in the parks. We ordered exactly what we wanted, with no concern for menu prices of items. We also ordered in ways that the Plan wasn't great for---more appetizers, fewer desserts, an infrequent glass of wine, etc. Adding it all up, we spent about $90 less than the DDP (with Peak Season pricing) would have cost us. Had we not gone in Peak Season, we would have saved two dollars on the plan.

There are two sorts of people the dining plan works for: if you are eating mostly dinners, mostly in Disney's more expensive 1TS restaurants, the dining plan is a really good deal. If you are the sort of person who orders the pasta when you really want the steak, but can't bear to spend the extra $7, then the dining plan might not save you money, but it will liberate you.

It sounds as though you have dining as a pretty integral part of your trip, with several nicer dinners planned. In that case, it will probably work out for you. It will also cost you $50 (per resort reservation) to drop it at this point, so I'd just keep it.

 

[mefordis]

OMG, so I'd have to pay $50 penalty for dropping it now? I guess I'll just keep it and move onto something else to stress about! Thanks!

We just got back from a seven night trip, we had seven TS meals, seven CS meals, plus about ten snacks each. Many of those TS meals were lunches---in the heat, we needed a break at lunchtime in the AC, but in the evening when it was cooler we ended up out in the parks. We ordered exactly what we wanted, with no concern for menu prices of items. We also ordered in ways that the Plan wasn't great for---more appetizers, fewer desserts, an infrequent glass of wine, etc. Adding it all up, we spent about $90 less than the DDP (with Peak Season pricing) would have cost us. Had we not gone in Peak Season, we would have saved two dollars on the plan.

There are two sorts of people the dining plan works for: if you are eating mostly dinners, mostly in Disney's more expensive 1TS restaurants, the dining plan is a really good deal. If you are the sort of person who orders the pasta when you really want the steak, but can't bear to spend the extra $7, then the dining plan might not save you money, but it will liberate you.

It sounds as though you have dining as a pretty integral part of your trip, with several nicer dinners planned. In that case, it will probably work out for you. It will also cost you $50 (per resort reservation) to drop it at this point, so I'd just keep it.

 

[saintstickets]

A lot will also depend on your dining preferences. If you like a dessert with each meal or don't care for appetizers, then the DP is probably for you. It WILL save you $$'s (see trip report link below for $ comparisons). However, if you can take or leave desserts, want to share meals or like appetizers often, then it might not be for you. Prior to our trip in May, we looked at the menus and guessed what we might order and compared the DP price vs OOP. It made sense for our group of 5 to go with the DP for that trip. DW and I are returning to WDW by ourselves after Thanksgiving and this time we will not do the DP and use the TIW discounts. We want more appetizers, an adult beverage once in a while and will share meals in certain CS restaurants. I'll do a recap after the trip like the May trip to see the final results.

 

[rachel09985]

You mentioned that you might Not have an appetizer at all those restaurants?? If you have the regular dining plan you don't get an appetizer, only dessert. Just thought I would point that out.