Poll: How do DVCers pay for dining?

[keishashadow]

The various trips over the last few years we've skipped the DP, mostly because shorter split stays at WDW (visiting Universal or crusing). It just doesn't seem worth the hassle to 'commit' for a anything less than a week. I still make an ADR a day, just pay OOP. We tend to skip breakfast and go directly to a large lunch, with just a snack later in the evening.

I'm obsessed with fuel perks @ Giant Eagleand have taken to buying disney gift cards when they offer extra promos, then I use them in the parks for normal expenses.

Will try the TIW though when we bring extended family now as it appears to be cost effective & it's certainly nice to have another option.

 

[LindaBabe]

There are only two of us - hard to justify even the discounted cost of TIW.

We find the dining plan doesn't fit our usual ordering pattern - water to drink, a beer for my husband, share an app, 2 entrees and share a dessert. Sometimes we just order an appetizer, salad and shared dessert. MORE than sufficient food.

When I go alone, I usually eat counter service for the meals out - there are some great low cost and reasonably healthy entrees available.

 

[Anal Annie]

I chose Out of Pocket because we'll pay the tab with our KTTW cards but even if we got the TIW card (which we will likely do on our next trip now that our DS eats as much as both of us combined) it's still going to be Out Of Pocket for us - it's just at a discounted price.

 

[MrsDuck]

We pay out of pocket with the DVC discounts where applicable. I'll have to look into TIW.

 

[rmcildw2m]

I like the quick service dinning plan . It does not cost a arm and leg to have it .

 

[Mom B]

All of the above. We usually pay out of pocket, but have used the Dining Plan on occasion (when it's just a small group, 2 to 4 of us, but too complicated with a larger group) and are looking forward to trying out the TIW card once it becaomes available to DVC members (without needing to have an AP).

 

[Meriweather]

We love TiW.
Dining plan doesn't really work for us.
We don't drink alcohol and it is still a good deal.
We usually eat one meal a day at a sit-down.
This last trip of 12 days, we saved $110 (so covered the cost and then some). I have another 13 day trip in Jan. and then a 12 day one in Oct. so we come out way ahead.

 

[RocketEAR99]

We have most often used the Dining Plan, and Out of Pocket once, but next year we're going to see what TiW does for us.

 

[franandaj]

We really don't eat at QS places, mostly TS so TIW works well for us. We're on our second card and would have got a lot of mileage out of it if we didn't have to cancel our trip last October, but it is still good for our trip in May. So far we have saved $40 so $35 more and we'll have made up the cost.

Our next trip in May, we're eating at Jiko and V&A's, plus six or seven other TS restaurants, so that will definitely make the card worth it. We also enjoy wine with our dinners so that can add up quickly.

 

[luckyman_apd]

For us we use OOP. The DDP is no longer a good value and we don't care for the high price food that Disney is now offering at most of their restaurants. Putting a small piece of meat on a plate and drawing a circle around it with some type of sauce while charging you $38 isn't for me.

We eat more off site and/or eat in the Villa. Eating isn't the reason that we go to WDW and dealing with ADR's and planing your day around getting to your next meal isn't relaxing for us.

Bill

Exactly. In our lat 3 trips, we did the dining plan the first two, and did with out it on the third trip. The third trip was a few days longer, and we had a kitchen in the 2 br. We found the trip SOOOOO much more relaxing, as we didn't have to be anywhere at a particular time for a reservation. We found the stress involved in planning reservation in advance, and figuring out what park or resort we had to be at by what time FAR too much of a hassle. If the kids wanted to go on a ride, but the line wait time was longer than we had to start heading to our reservation, they got mad and had a meltdown. NOT worth it. Much easier to just run and grab them an overpriced hotdog or burger and stay in the park we wanted to be in THAT day. I will NEVER do the dining plan again, unless it was free (and I mean really free, not an add on to an already overpriced package).

 

[erikawolf2004]

This will be our first DVC trip and will be doing OOP since we will have the kitchen for breakfast, snacks and some lunches.

Erika

 

[com_op_2000]

You should include in the poll eating in your room.
We eat OOP cause we get gift cards for off-site places as gifts. When we eat at out of the room locations, we usually just go counter server. IMHO the sit-down resturants in WDW are over priced for the amount and quality of food.

 

[Tink6666]

We have done the regular DDP over all of our trips as DVC members. This March we are going to try the Quick Service plan and see if theat works for us. We are going the last week of "free Dining" and I did not want the hassel of making ADR's...also it is a mom and daughters trip and my daughter would not eat enough on the regular DDp to make it worth the $$. We can share meals on Quick Service and still get in all meals off the plan.

 

[Norm1]

With DW and myself we usually use TIW but the last trip we used the DDP for 10 of us. It worked out well finacially but we had to bring home 28 snacks. Next trip with just DW and myself we will go back to TIW. It's just to much food for us and for lunches there was not enough healthy alternatives on the DDP.

 

[Sammie]

Out of pocket, we don't eat enough table service meals, to recoup the cost of TIW and the price of the Dining plan is now more than we spend on meals.

 

[rentayenta]

We have used the DDP before and gone without the DDP but will use the TiW card this next trip. The DDP doesn't work well for us.

 

[disneybirds]

We have done several scenarios from the Dining Plan, to paying OOP, and the last trip we cooked dinner in the room. While the Dining Plan was fun, I thought it took so much time out of the day and was alot of food. Also, as the kids get older, the cost of 4 adult meals will be steep.

On our last trip, there were 9 of us. We came back to the room in the afternoon, ate dinner around 5:30 or 6:00, then headed back out. I really enjoyed it more than I thought.

We have the Disney Rewards card and we use the rewards for the QS meals in the park.