Vouchers vs none???

[Disneyof3]

Never been to DL and am planning a trip next March. I have heard talk on the board about vouchers for meals. I'm a little confused about how the vouchers work and how do you buy them. We are from out of state and country so getting them at a local grocery store isn't going to work! The only thing I know about them is that you can't get change with them, for example if you give them a $5.00 voucher for a snack that is $2.00 you get no change back! Are they worth it? I'm use to the DDP at WDW and enjoy it but heard on here that comparing the two is like a banana to a apple!!! Any help would be great Note: We are thinking of going for 4 days and getting the hopper, doing 2 days at DL and 2 at CA... with 2 adults and a 8,10,13 kids Thanks in advance for the help

 

[teatime]

To some there worth it, to some not. I loved them but you have to get them thru the disneyland company. I could not get them thru get away today for my upcoming trip. I loved them as I did not need to get money back, I got 2 snacks, and usually that paid for them both, or I had to pay 50 cents more out of pocket. I loved them for the character dining, and I used them at all the places we ate in the parks. I got them because it made it easier to add onto our package and well when the package was paid for we did not need many hundreds of dollars to eat on and needing cash. some just saved there money for the foods they needed, but it was convient for me. this time around we can not do this so we are saving money for food and snacks.
its what works for you hon, if you would rather pay cash for foods then do it, if you want vouchers the go that route. People really hate them, but some us love them.

 

[avalon451]

The dining plan at WDW is great, but it's nothing like the vouchers at DL. They're really not worth it. You have the basics right; they're just vouchers for a set amount of money; so if you have for example a lunch that costs you $12.50 you can give them the $10 voucher plus 2.50 cash. Not that handy. I much prefer Disney gift cards, which are available at any Disney store or guest services, and are like any gift card-- in that it deducts exactly the amount required, until the balance is used up.

We like the gift cards for our kids. They each get one with, say, $40 on it at the start of the trip, and that is for them to use for whatever plasticky souvenirs or terrible treats they want to buy, so we won't roll our eyes at them when they beg for souvenirs or mickey bars. When it's gone, it's gone. My kids have learned to be very careful about what they want to spend their gift card on.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

I have read time & time again the vouchers aren't worth it in DL...but they are in WDW. I too agree w/ the gift card idea. I think you can purchase them online? We use the Disney Dollars for the kids...only bc it's fun for them. But I think I may just do the GC's next time.....

If anything purchasing a card ahead of time makes it one less thing to worry about & something that was prepaid (always nice!).

 

[bumbershoot]

There are the vouchers with the DLR dining plan. People have covered those already.

And then there are the vouchers that people get for single character meals, through places like getawaytoday and ares travel.

They are different things. If you're going during a holidaytime and do not have an AP (or another way of getting a discount like AAA), it can save you money to buy the character meal vouchers (if you're doing character meal(s)). If you're going during a normal food price time and have an AP etc, then you're probably going to get more of a discount with the AP etc than you would with the voucher. I considered buying one for our upcoming trip, but realized that we're before the summer season so the prices are normal, and I have the AP, so my cost will be lower than what they are selling the voucher for.


I don't know which one you were thinking of, but I wanted to make sure you knew that there are two different voucher systems that people talk about around here.

 

[beckmrk04]

mousesavers.com definitely does not reccommend the vouchers at DL- and you don't get a discount, so I kind of thought why bother? Here is a great link about saving oon food and it explains the options. Mousesavers link about Disneyland dining (vouchers, pre-paid, and discounts)


I love the dining plan at WDW, though- IMO it's worth it (but we like to do a lot of table service meals, so we save $$ with the dining plan). But it's totally different than the plan at Disneyland.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i like them an do use them they work for what my family an I do.

just remember you dont get change back just budget where you will eat. The snack ones are worth 6.50 or something like that.

 

[Queenbillabong]

For us, the Dining Plan vouchers were not worthwhile - no savings, pain in the bum to make sure you spend the whole amount or have to add money to it anyways......

The Character Meal vouchers, on the other hand, can be worthwhile. You can get those discounted from certain sites (GAT, Ares, etc.) and you probably (being from Ontario, Canada) do not have a Disney Visa or an AP, so not many discounts available to you.

Have a great trip

 

[Disneyof3]

Thank you everyone for the advice and information. If we do buy the vouchers, do you buy so much or do they come in a package deal? Disney cards would be great but buying them here would be in Canadian amounts and then when we get there they are different. I'm thinking by the way people are talking it would be best to just bring money with us like the first time in WDW without the DDP!! I like the idea though that everything is paid inadvance before the trip. I don't like carrying cash while on vacation and if we don't stay at a disney hotel then we can't charge everything back to the room!! When on vacation I usually Visa everything and bring minimal cash, like $200.00 and that is the most.

 

[DianneMcLean]

I looked in to vouchers for DLR for a group, and compared the cost of the voucher meals in the "best deal" package to what it would have cost if we purchased the meals outright. The voucher package actually came to $12 more! So, they are not a good deal. They don't save you any money, and I did not see an advantage. Gift cards are a much easier way to not carry cash around. Better yet, use your DL hotel room card in the parks because you have to show ID with that - it's safer.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Gift cards can be purchased here ~
**Ship for free!
https://tickets.disney.go.com/buy/T...wtbjyX1JNqm2RYqU41yNIgAIeIiRK2oKPx3IWWxP2YrM=

I'm pretty sure you can add $ to an exsisting GC. I just buy a $50 GC each time I get paid. I purchased a cute Alice GC in DCA earlier this week. I'll save it and add to it.

Editing to add ~ looks like you can't "reload" a GC online only at a location that sells GCs.
*Taken from ~ http://disney.go.com/disneygiftcard/faq.html#q3

 

[SeansMom]

I read your post about vouchers and wanted to mention that you spoke of going to Disneyland for two days and then to Disneyland California Adventure for two days. If nobody has mentioned this to you I'd like to say you can easily go back and forth between these two. Many people start at DL (because it opens earlier, has more rides, etc.) then go over to DCA later in the day. Another way to do this is go over to DCA around 11:30, get fastpasses, go eat lunch and take a break, and then go to DCA and "hop" back to DL at night (again, DCA closes 2-3 hours earlier than DL). You'll find DL resort to be ever so much smaller yet much more charming than WDW (IMHO )

I've only seen the meal vouchers offered with packages. As others have said, they don't really save you anything. You still have to carry them around and you don't get change.

You can go to this link for purchasing gift cards: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/reserve/ticketListing?name=TicketListingPage

Or, you can buy "Mickey dollars" in the park. It's a fun way to pay for things. (Maybe too fun as you feel as if you're handling play money!)

 

[todzwife]

Gift cards can be purchased here ~
**Ship for free!
https://tickets.disney.go.com/buy/T...wtbjyX1JNqm2RYqU41yNIgAIeIiRK2oKPx3IWWxP2YrM=

I'm pretty sure you can add $ to an exsisting GC. I just buy a $50 GC each time I get paid. I purchased a cute Alice GC in DCA earlier this week. I'll save it and add to it.

Editing to add ~ looks like you can't "reload" a GC online only at a location that sells GCs.
*Taken from ~ http://disney.go.com/disneygiftcard/faq.html#q3

Do these expire?

 

[fairycat]

Do these expire?

Because of California laws (and I believe that is how they would be treated) Gift card have no expiration dates.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

ive never heard of gc expiring.