to add or not add the plan

[NEEN09]

We originally decided not to do a Disney Dining Plan for our upcoming visit at the end of April-- we planned on eating most breakfasts in our room and some lunches on the go. We did, however, make reservations for many table service restaurants/ buffets and upon crunching the numbers, it is looking more and more like adding the DP is the way to go, $ wise. When I spoke with a Disney person on the phone they said I could add it to our package up to the last minute, but I want to double check a few things before I do it.

1- The plan is for X table service credits, quick service credits & snack credits based on our length of stay. Are there restrictions for how we can use this? For example, could we do 2 table service meals one day and 2 quick service meals on another?

2- Does it seem like I could be misreading things? It looked like we'd be spending over $100 per meal oop for our family of 4 (only counting 1 of my kids since the other is 20 months) for any kind of buffet or table service meal.

TIA!

 

[The Dirty Steve]

Yes, you can use the meals however you want. You may want to do a day with two QS and No TS. That's all fine!!!

And yes, a family of four could easily rack up $100 on a buffet meal or table service for that matter. We figure, if we eat the meals we want at the places we want to eat, the DDP pays for it self! Keep in mind though, you will be responsible for gratuity!

 

[sharonabe]

You get the meals per NIGHT that you stay at a Disney resort. You will need to add it at least 3 days before your trip; the CM was incorrect about adding it at the last minute.

What are the ages of your kids? If they are both 9 or under, you probably will do well with the plan as long as you use ALL the TS meals you're entitled to. If one of them is 10 or up, remember they are Disney adults and will be charged the adult DDP cost.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I plan to add up my receipts and see how I did, but the bills I received were around 120 for 3 adults, and we rarely order the most expensive items or specialty drinks. One drinks only water and the other two of us are ice tea kind of people. No matter the value, we just don"t need the calories in those special beverages.

 

[jrandall]

Yes, I am in the same situation as you are and the same amount of people. I am adding up the TSMeals & getting freaked out at the costs! I think I am either going to just go for it & get the dining plan so I don't have to think about it and stress or just cut out a few (and I only planned on 4-5 which equals about 1 TS a day so may only do 2-3 instead). It seems the cost of the dining plan per day is higher than I would spend out of pocket but evens out when anticipating higher costs on the TS meal days.

 

[canadiandisneynut]

I would add the plan to eliminate the worrying about those nasty bills at TS restaurants. Enjoy your trip and keep your receipts. Add them up for next time. If you are going to buy lunches on the run and might have light breakfasts that could be supplemented with a snack, the dining plan will be sooo worth it for everyone

 

[Lovetherodent]

We broke even (see post about 3 adults barely worth it in terms of $--well worth it in terms of convenience).