Why do YOU like (or not like) the Disney Dining Plan?

[calngavinsmom]

The title says it all really. Everyone is different and has different wants/needs when it comes to their vacation. What does the Disney Dining Plan mean to you and your vacation?

For me, there are really two reasons I love to have the dining plan when my family goes to Disney.

#1 It gives me freedom. I am the type of person who always picks something on the lower end of the price range on the menu. Having prepaid for dining lets me choose any restaurant I want, any menu item I want with no guilt

#2 It lets me budget in advance.....I guess my reasons really are related, But for me having the hotel, tickets and dining paid in advance really takes the stress out of the vacation, and allows a more enjoyable experience.

I never have really sat down and figured out what we would be paying if we went OOP because the above reasons really do make the vacation enjoyable and less stressful for my family.

What about you guys? What makes the DDP a good or bad fit for your travel party?

 

[mickeygirl78]

I love the dining plan. We go when it is free, since we stay at a value or moderate getting it free is worth way more than a room discount. We love that it's all paid for and we don't have to worry about extra money. I love that I have plenty of food, we never go hungry. It's nice to not have to say no when the kids want an ice cream, why not we have plenty of snacks. And if you go during food and wine, those snack coupons are worth more. We won't go without it.

 

[Minniesgal]

I absolutely hate it. too much food for us. We would never eat a Qs and a TS everyday by choice so hate being tied into that because it is paid for.

We go oop and spend less than half what the DDP costs.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

1 main reason: It makes dining enjoyable for our multi-generational trips. We travel with my parents and grandma and they love to save a buck. I don't have to hear about the prices. I don't have to eat QS all week because they won't pay the prices OOP. I don't have to sit there and feel pressured to order only water, the cheapest entree, share, and skip dessert because they like to count the pennies and think we should too. We are financially responsible and can afford the DDP in our budget and so can they. In our case it's all about the psychological effect of dishing out the cash at each meal, they feel like they are on a cruise where it's all inclusive and they want to be on the DDP because of that. We have two under 10 this trip, so for this trip it made some financial sense anyway because of our love of character buffets and AYCTE meals, so I figure at worst we are breaking even for our family of 4 and may be slightly ahead.

 

[DisMJ]

If we went again, we wouldn't get the dining plan. It was too much food and we would not do that many TS meals again. We got it for "free" during a free dining promotion, but feel we paid for it in other ways.

 

[bbak30]

We love the DDP for the same reasons as listed above. Easier to budget, don't have to worry about chosing the cheapest entree, etc.
However our oldest DD turned 10 on our last trip so we won't get the plan again unless it's free. She still eats off the kids menu and I can't come close to justifying the price for buffets and AYCTE places.

 

[bluezy]

It just doesn't work for our family. We just don't eat the way the dining plan wants us to. While we enjoy desserts occasionally, we don't want them with every meal. I know you can now substitute something else for dessert, but that leads me to the next thing... It's just too much food for us. We typically travel to Disney during the summer. We just don't have huge appetites when we're out in the heat for hours on end. There are many times that I'll eat a kids meal or I'll just get a sandwich -- no sides. Sometimes we just get a bunch of appetizers and share them between all of us. We also don't do many (if any) character meals, so that works against us as well.

I understand the appeal of having the meals pre-paid. We have several friends who do the dining plan specifically for that reason. I'm glad they have that option because I know some of their family members have put a huge damper on vacations by constantly complaining or worrying about the cost of food. For us, when we're saving up for a Disney vacation, we just budget the cost of the dining plan but pay OOP. Even though we eat what we want, when we want (including buying all snacks and water in the parks) we've never spent as much money as what we would have on the dining plan. We don't keep track of the costs while we're there, but I do -- for the fun of it -- tally up our food expenses after we get home.

If you have several Disney kids and do a lot of character meals, the DDP makes sense. If you do a lot of signature meals, the DDP can make sense. The way our family eats, the DDP (and even the QSDP) doesn't make sense.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been going to Disney for over 30 years. And have never gotten the dining plan. We eat breakfast in the room, sometimes lunch too and eat out most nights at table service restaurants like Artist points, Jiko, Narcoosees, etc. we like a bottle of wine with dinner. We rarely get appetizer s or desserts. We have a disabled adult daughter and Bring her best friend on most trips. They usually order a kids meal...which every place allows them to do..or a salad and appetizer for entrees. And we don't do the parks very often, just hang out at the resorts because we love them. We finally got TIW and that suits our taste and the way we eat much better. I know we are lucky because we don't need to budget. And we are DVC members and always stay in at least a one bedroom so we have a full kitchen. When we are hanging out by the pool I often see people with the dining plan ordering breakfast and lunch and the amount of food astounds me.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We've used the dining plan several times, but it just doesn't fit the way we eat anymore, and it certainly doesn't save us any money (I know, it isn't intended to). We don't want a TS meal every day, usually 2 or 3 over an 8-night trip. My kids are 15 and 13, and they have no interest in character meals anymore. However, even when we did have it, we never worried about maximizing our credits. We order what we want, regardless of how we are paying for it. Sometimes we split meals, and we never used all the snack credits (although we did use them to buy bottles of water sometimes).

I did like that it was prepaid.

 

[cruisingtwins]

1-We don't drink soda or eat deserts.
2- We had leftover credits that went to waste.
3- We felt the tips are inflated.
4-We spent way too much time in restaurants. We go to WDW for the attractions. We have excellent restaurants back home.

If I wanted to pre-pay my dining I would just put a big chunk of money on a gift card.

 

[babesboo99]

We used the dining plan for the first time a couple of years ago and we will never go with out it again. 1. We do eat at TS a few times day and we love that we don't have to worry about what to order we can get whatever we want 2. we love the ease of knowing its paid for and helps us to relax a little more. 3. if we have left over credit we use them for snacks to take home with us .. Even if we didnt eat at TS everyday we would still get it we like the ease of knowing our meals are paid for.

 

[coolbrook]

We don't ever want to go without the dining plan again for the same reasons previous posters have listed. We have also traveled with teens and now young adults and the dining plan makes it easy for us to pay for their snacks and some meals when they are not actually with us at that time. Sometimes they want to stay in the parks later, etc. It would have been too scary for us to just say, "Buy whatever you want to eat and charge it to the room," but everyone knew how many dining plan credits they had to use.

 

[loves to dive]

We used to use it way back in the beginning when it was structured like the deluxe plan now. After a while it just became too much food and just didn't suit our way of eating. Let me say, I have never been one of those people who looks at prices on a menu, when we are on vacation we just eat what we want when we want and don't worry about money. So the not having to worry about cost just doesn't apply, having said that I did track costs one year just for fun and we came out better paying OOP. We eat TS about 3 or 4 nights on a trip but it's not a planned thing, we just decide about mid day. We rarely, if ever buy snacks, we are usually either too full from our meals or just aren't interested. We tend to like to eat smaller meals more often than a large meal. It's not a matter of the time it takes, we go often enough that we are never in a hurry any way. My son usually sleeps in in the mornings so doesn't eat breakfast, I usually either get a yogurt or a kid's meal. For lunch, I don't eat dessert so most of the time I get a kids meal and get fruit with it instead. My son just gets what he wants. I don't drink anything but water except adult beverages. At TS I usually order an appy and a salad and maybe a dessert which I share with my son. He gets an appy and an entre. When he was little we would go every other year because it took me two years to save for it, I was a single mom so we would even share happy meals because I couldn't afford for us to eat out that often. Our vacations, were and are a time for us to escape reality, no looking at costs, no worrying about whether he could eat an ice cream for lunch. Now he's an adult and both of us can afford pretty much what we want, and we still go with that way of thinking.

 

[senadler]

Dining is an important part of our Disney vacations. We do not like QS, and typically do 2 TS meals a day. One of those meals is often a signature meal or dinner show, so the deluxe plan has worked well for us in the past. We don't worry about the cost of what we are ordering, which can certainly be sticker shock at Disney, and it allows our older daughter and friend to get snacks and meals on their own.

Now that only one of our three kids are under the children's rate, it makes it difficult for the plan to make sense financially. We were able to use it last trip with extended family and put the plan only on one room. After a couple of trips OOP using TIW it was great to be back on the plan, and we saved a significant amount of money by sharing the credits.

Even though I like the convenience of the plan, I would not do it if I were not at least breaking even and hopefully saving a little. Especially with being able to bill everything to the magic band anyway, I would not pay more just for the convenience.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We don't purchase the dining plan because it doesn't match up to how we eat. We dont have too many QS meals but not enough TS meals to make the deluxe plan a viable option. We never get desserts at the QS places and just occasionally at a TS. Plus we go offsite to eat sometimes. Luckily we are DVC and can purchase the TIW card where we get significant savings.

 

[brertoad]

We have really enjoyed using the Deluxe Dining Plan in the past. I really can see it from both sides of the coin, and we use it for when we want to really splurge.

We have only used the Deluxe Dining Plan

Pros:
1) Everything is pre-paid, you can order whatever you want.
2) We have used it at restaurants that don't take discounts like our Tables in Wonderland card (restaurants like Teppan Edo, Les Chefs de France dinner, etc.)
3) Feels like a real luxury, very enjoyable. Don't have to worry about ordering a $35 steak... etc.
4) Dining Plan is good any day of the year, unlike Tables in Wonderland which has block out dates, and TiW is not available at all restaurants.

Cons:
1) Cost is high, and there will be a lot of food (more than what we would normally eat but the amount is proportionate to the cost paid).
2) Have to make ADRS to make sure to get your best value.
3) Have to look at menus in advance to see what best options are for our money.
4) You have to 'do the math'.
5) Tips are not included.

Overall the cons are minimal to me, except for the cost. Making reservations isn't a big deal, knowing what restaurants are the best value isn't that hard to figure out. There is going to be a lot of food, but we do eat our leftovers so they don't get wasted. I don't think I could eat at this pace for a long vacation, it would be overwhelming to me.

 

[Lisa F]

I am a planner and doing spreadsheets and working it actually substantially adds to my enjoyment of trip planning.

I like that it is prepaid. Right now I am psyched beyond belief to have room (DVC), passes and most of the DxDDP paid for (saved for in case of DxDDP, need to make reservation changes at 7 months and then will add to first half at that point but will pay for it at that point) with 10 months to go to my trip. I will still be paying for the second half OOP but there is definitely an emotional impact to have it prepaid

I like the "excuse" to take my kiddo to multiple character buffets without guilt as it is such a good value on the DxDDP with him.

 

[Mikie]

I have enjoyed the dining plan in the past but our changing family demographics and price changes will likely have us skip it in the future.

Pros:
- when we've gotten free dining and stayed in value rooms, that discount is far greater than a room discount plus paying OOP for food
- we are 3meal a day people at home, so the quantity is about right.
- our kids have hearty appetites and any excess food on an adult plate gets eaten by a kid whose kid meal wasn't quite enough
- we use one TS a day as our rest time and the atmosphere of Disney Dining is a part of our overall park experience. Major part of our trip vs time "wasted" not on rides
- until next trip, we've always had 2+ Disney kids on the plan, for whom the savings is greater, especially at character buffets
- we don't often get dessert at home, but it's part of our "what the heck - it's vacation!" attitude and works for us
- we drink tea or soft drinks, so the refillable mug and drinks with meals get used by us
- definitely like avoiding the sticker shock of paying OOP for 6 people at Cinderellas Royal Table or Boma! Might not try some places if we weren't on the plan

Cons:
- upcoming trips, we will plan fewer character meals, one of the better values on the DDP, so DDP makes less sense
- our kids wont be Disney kids any more and the savings evaporates
- when our kids were 8-9, they were still "kids" required to order from the kids menu, but often preferred the adult options and portion sizes. We had to get creative about ordering and sharing to satisfy everyone
- depending on your resort and room location, refillable mugs may be of little benefit
- inflated Tips - we use the dining plan as our excuse to splurge on overpriced character buffets rather than more affordable (and still delicious) non- character menu places. For our party of 6, that means automatic 18% tip on a pricey meal. . . Which was a buffet. . . Huge Gratuity for the service of refilling our drinks once and removing a few plates.
- it is a lot of food. In fall, we don't have the extreme heat suppressing our appetites, but I could easily see wanting less in hotter temps

 

[Duckiedee]

We are about to embark on our 2nd trip. Second on the DxDDP. We didn't make great use of our snack credits last time... but we will be more thoughtful about it this time... instead of three meals a day - several days we have 1 or 2 and more of our meals are 2 credit meals. We know from experience there is a heck of a lot of food in those snack credits. We like not having to wait in line for characters, we like the magic, we like the chance to sit and catch our breath and not have to worry about waiting too long since we have ADRs. For us, it IS a lot of food, but no worries - no one said you needed to clean your plate! We get to try new things, the service and atmosphere is unlike anywhere else.

For us - the unique dining is as much a part of the experience as the park!

 

[Lumpy Dumpity]

My parents always get the food plan and I love it because for stuff like the snack I can just walk up and get what I want with my snack credit without dealing with money. As for the table service I always eat with my parents so it doesn't matter much for me, but it is convenient for my dad.