Question - Dining Packages

[jm0925]

Hi Everyone:

I'm really curious about the Dining Packages that Disney offers. I've been to Disney a gazillion times since I live a few hours away, but normally we don't book any of the vacation packages or stay at the resorts. We are set to go to this December and I'm really considering a vacation package this time so we can stay at a resort. I'm trying to understand if getting a dining plan is cost effective. Do you really save money on food or would you spend about the same purchasing food out of pocket? I'm sure this has been discussed many times in the past, so I'm sorry if this question is redundant.

Thanks!

 

[Sagginit]

yes this has been asked her a gazillion times but there is always someone that doesn't know "the secret" formula to decide if it's worth it.

what everyone will tell you is look at your family's eating habits, look at menus, calculate what you will spend in a typical day or a few days on food. look at the cost per day of the meal plan and compare.

if you are close and driving chances are you will bring snacks and water, but those that fly may want those built into their plan. you may want to eat breakfast in the room for extra time, you may be a family that needs a hearty breakfast to get going and would be happy to have three square meals a day. if you are vegetarians chances are you may not get your money's worth, if you plan on eating steak every meal it can be a bargain. you can go on and on with all these differences in eating habits.

for specific advice just post some more details about how you plan on eating and what your family normally does.

 

[smitch425]

Hi Everyone:

I'm really curious about the Dining Packages that Disney offers. I've been to Disney a gazillion times since I live a few hours away, but normally we don't book any of the vacation packages or stay at the resorts. We are set to go to this December and I'm really considering a vacation package this time so we can stay at a resort. I'm trying to understand if getting a dining plan is cost effective. Do you really save money on food or would you spend about the same purchasing food out of pocket? I'm sure this has been discussed many times in the past, so I'm sorry if this question is redundant.

Thanks!

Have you checked to see if you can get free dining for your stay? It looks like you will be there during free dining if your ticker is accurate. I think you have to book by the end of the week, so check it out soon!

 

[4GoofyCrew]

IMO it is only worth it if you can get it for FREE!!!

The amount of food included in the plan (even the smallest plan) is ALOT. We can never eat it all, so I would never pay for it.

(And, no, we aren't throwing food away, we just cannot eat it all so we don't use all of our credits.)

 

[Marionnette]

Hi Everyone:

I'm really curious about the Dining Packages that Disney offers. I've been to Disney a gazillion times since I live a few hours away, but normally we don't book any of the vacation packages or stay at the resorts. We are set to go to this December and I'm really considering a vacation package this time so we can stay at a resort. I'm trying to understand if getting a dining plan is cost effective. Do you really save money on food or would you spend about the same purchasing food out of pocket? I'm sure this has been discussed many times in the past, so I'm sorry if this question is redundant.

Thanks!

yes this has been asked her a gazillion times but there is always someone that doesn't know "the secret" formula to decide if it's worth it.

what everyone will tell you is look at your family's eating habits, look at menus, calculate what you will spend in a typical day or a few days on food. look at the cost per day of the meal plan and compare.

if you are close and driving chances are you will bring snacks and water, but those that fly may want those built into their plan. you may want to eat breakfast in the room for extra time, you may be a family that needs a hearty breakfast to get going and would be happy to have three square meals a day. if you are vegetarians chances are you may not get your money's worth, if you plan on eating steak every meal it can be a bargain. you can go on and on with all these differences in eating habits.

for specific advice just post some more details about how you plan on eating and what your family normally does.

Saggnit is correct. You would need to evaluate you own eating habits when you are at Disney and then decide if any of the dining plans are for you. I'll just add that each and every dining plan meal includes dessert. If you're the kind who will normally eat dessert twice a day, then you might break even on the plan. Or if you eat somewhere that the dessert is suitable as a breakfast item, you can have it put in a take-home box for the following morning so that you don't have to pay out of pocket for breakfast.

Personally, I find the dining plans to be more about convenience than value. Even free dining is not a bargain for many people but they make the mistake of comparing the actual cost of the dining plans to what they would save with a room-only discount. What they really should be doing is comparing what they would have spent out of pocket on food vs. what they would have saved with a room discount. In some cases, it still makes sense but for someone like you, who can take advantage of Florida Resident rooms and ticket discounts, I'm not sure that even free dining would be worth it.

 

[eliza61]

So I'll also agree with my fellow dissers you have to decide for yourself. For my family the ddp always cost more than op. the only time it did not was when tax and appertizers were included.
. Last August we averaged 178 dollars and ate more table services (a few days we ate lunch and dinner at a TS) and two dinners that price included 2 nights where dh and I had beer, and this included the Tax.

The ddp would cost me 208 dollars a day (4 adults) plus another 20 bucks a day in tips (on average). We simply do not spend 230 bucks a night on food.

Next, some folks say that they like the convenience of the plan, not having to think about what they eat. I was the exact opposite. On the plan I stressed every meal that I wasn't getting the "maximum" out of the plan. there were days when we really were not hungry at night but God forbid we didn't use those TS credits. A couple of times I got to a restaurant and really only wanted maybe a salad and an appertizer, once again I would always order food I didn't want simply because I had to maximize the plan.

It's interesting because I read so many post asking "where can I maximize my TS credits" which I translate to meaning, "where can I go and eat the most expensive thing in the park".

We are much happier tourers without it.

 

[Marionnette]

Next, some folks say that they like the convenience of the plan, not having to think about what they eat. I was the exact opposite. On the plan I stressed every meal that I wasn't getting the "maximum" out of the plan. there were days when we really were not hungry at night but God forbid we didn't use those TS credits. A couple of times I got to a restaurant and really only wanted maybe a salad and an appertizer, once again I would always order food I didn't want simply because I had to maximize the plan.

It's interesting because I read so many post asking "where can I maximize my TS credits" which I translate to meaning, "where can I go and eat the most expensive thing in the park".

We are much happier tourers without it.

This is so true! How many people waste valuable park time by heading off to CSR's Pepper Market because it's a great value for your QS credit? Or they try to stretch their credits to cover 7 days instead of 6 nights, so they end up ordering a meal that's "big enough to share" when what they really want is a cheeseburger and fries all to themselves?

The OP is a Florida resident. My suggestion is to purchase a Tables in Wonderland card and use it to get a discount on all of their TS meals for an entire year. The cost is $100 for Florida residents and they would get 20% off of the entire bill at almost all of Disney's TS locations (alcohol and specialty drinks included) for a year. It even includes the food courts in the value resorts. However, it an 18% tip is automatically included in the tab at TS locations, but if you normally tip that amount or more, the card pays for itself pretty quickly. And you get to eat what you want without having to worry about whether you are getting your money's worth.

 

[Jenny3]

Another question to ask yourself is how do you like to vacation? We did the table service plan last year; I never figured out the menus or costs involved. I just knew we wanted a few character meals and the ability to 'treat' ourselves since it is such a rarity we get to do so. For me personally, it was easier paying for it beforehand, then not worrying while on vacation.

Our WDW trip was our first big getaway in over 7 years and we rarely eat out at home. So for us, it wasn't necessarily about nickle and diming the cost or getting our money's worth, it was more that we didn't have to worry about the pricing; we could treat ourselves by ordering items off the menu we wouldn't normally do; we could enjoy that dessert with every meal if we wanted to, etc. etc. And we thoroughly enjoyed a sit-down meal every day - it was a nice break for us

Good luck with your decision!

 

[jm0925]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my question. I don't think the plan is for us honestly after thinking about some of the things you all said. I would be too worried about making sure we get our money's worth and it would upset me if we spent the money on one of the plans and end up not using all of the credits that we paid for. I would rather worry about the food costs as we go. In a way, I think that is more flexible. This way we don't have to worry where we can eat and not eat on the plan.

I did look into the free dining plan being offered and unfortunately you have to buy at least a 2 day park ticket. Our plan is to go there for Mickey's Christmas Party on a Friday night (which is an extra ticket outside the park admission) and then go to Hollywood Studios the day after. We would only need a 1 day ticket.

Thanks again All

 

[Bete]

Hi Everyone:

I'm really curious about the Dining Packages that Disney offers. I've been to Disney a gazillion times since I live a few hours away, but normally we don't book any of the vacation packages or stay at the resorts. We are set to go to this December and I'm really considering a vacation package this time so we can stay at a resort. I'm trying to understand if getting a dining plan is cost effective. Do you really save money on food or would you spend about the same purchasing food out of pocket? I'm sure this has been discussed many times in the past, so I'm sorry if this question is redundant.

Thanks!

I want to suggest a free dining plan promo that is offered until 9-29 for some dates in December. If you haven't booked what can't be cancelled then you still have a tiny bit of time to get this Disney dining package deal. Of course, if you are going when school break is for the holiday then this offer will not work; those dates are excluded. Any prime time dates won't work for this offer, either. The free dining plan offer can be a deal if you stay at a Disney value resort. You get quick service free and for an up-charge you can upgrade to the regular dining plan that includes a table service meal. This is the best way to try out the dining plan. We paid out of pocket for the dining plan when prices and benefits were better, but I did it after trying out the plan for free on one trip. If your dates are flexible it's the best way to see how the dining plan works for you.

It can be fun ordering the most expensive meal and knowing it's paid for on the plan. Also, it's more fun immersing yourself in the Disney theming of it all. I like having some meals I wouldn't prepare for myself, too.

To be in the parks is the main priority and you don't need a dining plan. It can be more fun to do one.