Should I get the Dining Plan?

[bellecee]

I'm going to Disney World next year with my partner and I originally decided against the dining plan. I'm not a big eater and thought it won't be worth it but we are now planning on doing 3 character dining experiences. 1900 Park Fare & Crystal Palace for breakfast and Chef Mickeys for Dinner.
Is getting the Dining Plan worth it even just for those 3 experiences alone?

EDIT: Because these experiences are so expensive, if I had to pick just 1 of the 3 which would you recommend?

 

[StageTek]

How many total days will you be there?

If it's three then getting the dining plan for those 3 experiences will be worth it. If it's 5 or more it won't be worth it.

 

[bellecee]

How many total days will you be there?

If it's three then getting the dining plan for those 3 experiences will be worth it. If it's 5 or more it won't be worth it.

We are there for 7 full days. Is there such a thing as being able to purchase the dining plan for just 3 days?

 

[Pumbaa_]

Each person must purchase for each night of stay

This is a math exercise. Figure out what you would most likely order per meal per day. Total cost of plan, vs your planned cost

I have not found the value. But with this last significant price hike, it is worth doing the math. If you plan on a ts each day, most likely would order a drink w dinner, you may come out ahead.

 

[WaterLinds]

We are there for 7 full days. Is there such a thing as being able to purchase the dining plan for just 3 days?

People do sometimes accomplish this with a split stay, I think? So three nights at one hotel with the plan, four nights at another without it. (I have never done this, but have read mentions of it here)

Upside: meal credits for all your expensive meals, not paying for meals you won’t use. And you can spread those three nights of credits over four days, from check in until midnight of checkout (even though by then you will have checked in elsewhere).

Downside: moving mid-trip is not my idea of fun (although I get why people want to experience multiple hotels), and you’d have to schedule all the big meals during half of your trip instead of spreading them out.

 

[Nancyg56]

I see the three character meals, however without knowing if you are choosing a TS for the rest of your stay, and without knowing how you plan to order, it is nto possible to help you. Unless you do a split stay, and I would not just for a dining plan option, you cannot buy just a three night plan. It is all or nothing.

I always suggest people invest time looking at menus, and then being honest about their vacation dining habits. Do you want a TS meal daily? Do you want desserts every TS meal? Will you order a beverage at meals, or do you generally stick with water? Snacks? Are your drawn to the treats all over teh parks, or do you normally walk by? And lunch and breakfast? WIll you want a full meal for one of those?

If you will order to meet the conditions of the plan, you are not going to be happy. If you skip the plan to save money, but if your vacation style for this trip includes the above, you may save money. You really need to do some math.

 

[Planner2012]

When trying to figure out a rough estimate I have used distripplanner.com You input your trip dates, where you’re planning to eat, etc. It then gives you estimated costs compared to the different dining plans.

If you do decide to do only one of the meals you have listed, I would choose to keep Crystal Palace.

 

[dakotix]

We always get the dining plan. One year we decided not to because we applied our at home eating habits to what we thought we would experience while on our trip. With ALL the walking and excitement we discovered we do not eat the same way as if we were home. We spent more money out of pocket on crappy counter service meals when we could have had a table service meal each night under the plan. For us its a no brainer. Aside from the economic aspect. its nice to know food is paid for so we can just focus on having fun and picking a souvenir or two to bring home.

 

[Nancyg56]

We always get the dining plan. One year we decided not to because we applied our at home eating habits to what we thought we would experience while on our trip. With ALL the walking and excitement we discovered we do not eat the same way as if we were home. We spent more money out of pocket on crappy counter service meals when we could have had a table service meal each night under the plan. For us its a no brainer. Aside from the economic aspect. its nice to know food is paid for so we can just focus on having fun and picking a souvenir or two to bring home.

THis is why I always add "be honest" because we were not one year. I knew we had CL at the Beach Club and planned breakfast there daily. By day 3 my DH claimed I was starving him and staged a mutiny. I lost most of them to hot breakfasts. I had booked meals and knew how much our extra meals would cost, however I thought the light appetizers in the lounge would suffice for the appetizer portion of the meal. No. My once again deprived hubby rallied the troops. My DD and I had done the math and had determined the DxDDP would not be worth it, however we did not include DH needing 3 meals a day and including appetizers, and then the rest of the crew jumping onto his bandwagon. I do the math now, and I remind DD that while HER family loves their dessert, we need to factor DH and the whole hot breakfast and appetizer cost as well.

At home we never eat this way, and will often just have toast or cereal for breakfast, a light lunch and a decent meal for dinner. Snacks are hit or miss. Vacation? Full on food!

 

[StageTek]

I'm not a big eater and thought it won't be worth it

While others have pointed out the eating a lot on vacation is quite standard, I relate to you. I'm not a big eater - even on vacation. One table meal each and one counter service is more than I care to eat. I suspect you might be be the same. For us the dining plan just isn't worth it. Too much food.

On a 7 day trip we will likely eat table service three times. Maybe four. We do not find most counter service meals crappy - some of them are quite good. In your case you would use 4 credits for the three experiences leaving you with 3 TS credits for the other 4 days of your trip. For someone who isn't a big eater (like me) that is still a lot of food you're paying for. For the big eaters it sure is worth it!

 

[sharonabe]

When trying to figure out a rough estimate I have used distripplanner.com You input your trip dates, where you’re planning to eat, etc. It then gives you estimated costs compared to the different dining plans.

If you do decide to do only one of the meals you have listed, I would choose to keep Crystal Palace.

Be careful with this calculator. They have not updated it to reflect the addition of alcohol OR the newly risen prices at Disney. It will not be accurate.

In your case you would use 4 credits for the three experiences leaving you with 3 TS credits for the other 4 days of your trip.

They are only doing 3 character meals, all of which only take 1 TS credit, so they aren't using 4 credits. They are only using three, and we don't know if they are staying 6 or 7 NIGHTS. Meal credits are tied to the NIGHTS you stay, not the DAYS you play.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

One thing I've found about the DDP is you will most likely never make money on the plan. You will never get more value than what you paid. So I would rather pay OOP if it comes out being the same. For the simple fact that you don't know if you will develop a stomach bug during the trip, if you will lose your appetite, if something happens and you have to miss an ADR, etc.

I know for us we go hard the first few days of our trip. Getting up early is no problem, eating tons of food is no problem, riding tons of rides is no problem.....but by day 4 it starts to slow down. We start skipping breakfast because we are full from the night before or we just feel so full we eat much less. So around mid trip I know we won't utilize our credits fully.

I also read of so many people using up dozens of snack credits on the day of checkout and take all the stuff home. To me that a loss of value....buying things I don't need or want anyway.

I have done the DDP twice when it was free. If I ever get "free" again I will definitely jump on it but I will never pay for the plan. Last trip we did an agency deal and couldn't purchase the DDP so we were forced to paying OOP. Yes it's sticker shock and made me realize that the value of Disney food is very very low for what you pay. But we made out way better on the plan. We did more ADR's than we would have been allowed to with just credits, more QS meals too, we drank alcohol that wouldn't have been included plus lots of snacks.

Next trip I'm renting DVC points and opted not to buy the DDP. We didn't want to make a ton of ADRs, we want to try lounges and maybe some restaurants at the S&D so we are paying OOP.

 

[DisBuckMan]

I also read of so many people using up dozens of snack credits on the day of checkout and take all the stuff home. To me that a loss of value....buying things I don't need or want anyway.

Yep. I don't possess the ability to make myself think that candy that I could get for $1 from Walgreen's is worth $5 just because it has Goofy on the bag.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Stale rice krispy treats don't do it for me, either...even if they're shaped like Mickey.

 

[B-Ride]

In our experience the DP is only a good value if you eat a lot of food. We found that that with all the desserts we were so full we couldn't even think of taking advantage of all the snacks. On our last trip we paid OOP, enjoyed splitting appetizers and having the occasional dessert and snack.

Of course if you get it free and there are no room discounts at the time it is a good deal.

 

[Nancyg56]

In our experience the DP is only a good value if you eat a lot of food. We found that that with all the desserts we were so full we couldn't even think of taking advantage of all the snacks. On our last trip we paid OOP, enjoyed splitting appetizers and having the occasional dessert and snack.

Of course if you get it free and there are no room discounts at the time it is a good deal.

We saved a bundle on it.

 

[over50visits]

DDP is one of the most brilliant money makers Disney has created. For years their restaurants were not full, then this (plus resort “free” dining plans) took care of that. The savings is generally an illusion...too many people compute what they “saved” by choosing the most expensive entree or snacks they can, something they would never do. And the comfort of knowing it’s all paid for in advance is one expensive comfort. Disney has a winner here.

Try this once: put the amount of the DDP which most reflects your eating style in your pocket, plus whatever you usually tip (DDP used to include tips, one year they did away with that which was a huge hidden price increase). Then eat whenever you like, have snacks, buy drink mugs (another huge profit program) etc. Enjoy the wonderful counter service, table service, and buffets has to offer. At the end of your visit you’ll likely have plenty of money left over, and you will have enjoyed some memorable dining.

 

[Nancyg56]

DDP is one of the most brilliant money makers Disney has created. For years their restaurants were not full, then this (plus resort “free” dining plans) took care of that. The savings is generally an illusion...too many people compute what they “saved” by choosing the most expensive entree or snacks they can, something they would never do. And the comfort of knowing it’s all paid for in advance is one expensive comfort. Disney has a winner here.

Try this once: put the amount of the DDP which most reflects your eating style in your pocket, plus whatever you usually tip (DDP used to include tips, one year they did away with that which was a huge hidden price increase). Then eat whenever you like, have snacks, buy drink mugs (another huge profit program) etc. Enjoy the wonderful counter service, table service, and buffets has to offer. At the end of your visit you’ll likely have plenty of money left over, and you will have enjoyed some memorable dining.

WE all know how to put the money on a gift cards, and for a lot of people that would work. For me? I would come home with a lot of money left on the card, and that is not a good thing. I know what my family likes to order, and I know what I want as well. I also know I cannot get past the prices, and no gift card illusions is going to change that. I wodul be eating chicken all week. I woudl split someone elses dessert even if I preferred something different.

I remember when the plan included appetizer and tip, however I also remember all the complaining about too much food, and controlling the tip. WIsh granted.

 

[DisBuckMan]

In our experience the DP is only a good value if you eat a lot of food. We found that that with all the desserts we were so full we couldn't even think of taking advantage of all the snacks. On our last trip we paid OOP, enjoyed splitting appetizers and having the occasional dessert and snack.

Of course if you get it free and there are no room discounts at the time it is a good deal.

We saved a bundle on it.

With all due respect, from your own posts, your family eats a lot.

If you have large appetites, the ddp can work for you.

 

[B-Ride]

If you have large appetites, the ddp can work for you.

By DDP I assume you mean the Disney Dining Plan and not the Deluxe Dining Plan. Not sure how anyone can eat enough on the Deluxe Plan.