Poll: Do you use the DIning Plan when staying DVC?

[Tumnus]

People who whip out a spreadsheet always make me laugh—it’s such a waste of time and effort. Just ballpark it! If you’re forcing yourself to order the most expensive meal on the menu just to beat the system, then the dining plan isn’t for you. To each is own but I couldn't fathom eating a steak(not much of a seafood person) every meal, I would feel like John Candy in the great outdoors after eater the old 96er.

For me, it is and always be just a convenience to prepay your meals, that's it.

As an actuary, this is offensive! Don't you dare question my spreadsheets!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We've never gotten close to finding financial sense for doing the DDP for us on a DVC stay.

 

[Add-On-Itis]

I distinctly remember the look of relief on our server’s faces whenever we tell them that we are not on the dining plan….

Why is that the case?

 

[kilik64]

A friend was recently telling me that DVC can no longer use a Disney GC to purchase the dining plan.

That is not accurate. You can't use a Disney GC to pay on the website, but if you call MS to add it, you can use a GC to pay.

 

[Brian Noble]

I have never, not once, spent as much just ordering what I wanted as the equivalent dining plan would have cost. And this goes back to the very earliest days of the plan. Usually, that's becuase I have the "wrong number" of sit-down meals, and almost never average exactly one or two per day.

But, even then, we don't order the way the plan wants me to order. For example, sometimes one of us isn't that hungry, and wants to make a meal out of a salad and an app. Or I want an entree (or a restaurant) that is a bad value on the Plan. Or we want apps but not dessert. Or we want dessert, but later. Or, or, or...

Could I make the plan work for me? Yes, if I ordered with that as a goal. But then I'm ordering to make the plan price out, and not ordering what I actually want to eat.

 

[Tumnus]

We typically do a sit down every day. Kids eat free with the sit down, plus snack credits for pretzels and coffee, the math works. Plus I get bonus drinks I don't normally get. However, once kids eat free is gone, no way I do it again.

 

[Mr_Woodchuck]

Could I make the plan work for me? Yes, if I ordered with that as a goal. But then I'm ordering to make the plan price out, and not ordering what I actually want to eat.

having the plan stresses me out because I want to maximize the value. So I do the same thing, eat and drink things I don't really want.

 

[Pens Fan]

It definitely isn't worth it for us (all adults). We eat at lounges as much if not more than we do table service restaurants. And the value at a lounge is terrible as they take a table service credit. And when we do eat at a table service place we usually have left overs we bring back to the room for another day so there's another credit we wouldn't need. I've also never cared for the make up of a TS meal. We rarely get dessert but almost always get appetizers (sometime we only get appetizers). We also never do character meals and only occasionally eat at the super expensive places. The math just doesn't work for us.

 

[TheThousandthSoul]

In general I don't... but this time yes we'll use the Dining Plan as Kids Eat Free.
We'll use it to do more Character meals than what we would usually do...