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

[Lisa F]

I am traveling solo in December with my 8 year old and I find TS restaurants to be a whole hell of a lot easier than CS. They just are. He is on the spectrum and standing in line is hard enough for him without adding standing in line for food on top of it. I don't have another adult to get drinks or find a table. It's just me with my impatient child trailing after me. It's not a whole lot of fun to be honest. The only CS he talks about from our last trip in september 2014 was Wolfgang Puck Express and that is because we got to sit down and wait for our food to be delivered.

So this next trip I have decided to save a little more money and make more TS reservations. We are doing a split stay and that helps, DxDDP first 3 nights is not "too much food" and we are not pigs either. I feel the value in a buffet is in the variety of food and characters rather than in the volume so I'm not going to stuff the hell out of myself just because the food is there and available. We are going to take an early morning flight on the first day and being able to use the 3 nights of credits over almost 4 full days helps, along with a couple of signature choices (one of which we did last time, CA Grill, and I'd probably order exactly the same way I ordered last time - sushi, entree, dessert... so I am not ordering food just to order). We are doing a character breakfast a day (except first day), a signature or high credit value character buffet (H&V holiday dine with fantastmic package) each evening and will use all of the credits up on TS. Then for the remainder of the trip we will pay OOP and I have things that are bad value/impossible on DDP planned... sci fi dine in, liberty tree tavern lunch, hoop dee doo tier 1 seating, candlelight processional package at coral reef lunch... and then will also do garden grill breakfast. Honestly sitting down and being served (or even the character buffets) is just so much less stress for me and a nice break for both of us.

The cost of DxDDP is $432 for 2 nights (we are DVC and price hasn't gone up) and the value of the meals I am planning is approximately $200 more than that. That is a decent savings and will pay for both HDDR and the CP package OOP. Nothing to sneeze at. I had to "work it" in the sense that I had to arrange my trip front loading the good value meals, but it worked out ok. But otherwise it is pretty close to the way we'd eat anyway. CS desserts I am not a huge fan of but we are doing MOSTLY buffets with a couple of signatures, kona cafe and BoG, all places where I'd want to order dessert. With buffets I generally have a bite of something sweet at the end of my meal and it is enough.

But honestly before having my kiddo I never used the DDP. A friend of mine who is not Disney Obsessed recently went, her parents treated her family to a deluxe trip including DDP, and she ate at boma every night (stayed at AKL). Seriously horrified the hell out of me but I guess she enjoys the model of "enjoy your day and eat back at the resort at night" and she loved having it be all inclusive. I honestly like being able to pre-pay half of my dining and having it done, and will use disney gift cards for the rest. It's actually more prepaid because HDDR will be and I'm not sure if CP package will be as well... but last time I went I had a $1500 bill at the end of my trip and although I planned it and expected it, it is a huge emotional letdown to pay it after the vacation. This time I am spreading the expenses out throughout the year and it feels damn good to have room paid for (DVC), passes paid for and as soon as I can split my stay and make ADRs between HDDR and DxDDP I will have all about about $300 of dining paid off. It is a total emotional thing and I'm glad it works out for me.

so that is a huge expansion on my previous post but... blanket statements that it is worth it or not worth it don't work for me. I revel in the planning aspect and in wrangling the budget to get the best value out of it and the DDP helps me do that. It helps pass the time while I wait for my trip

 

[EvilDrPorkchop21]

I personally love the DDP - my SO and I split the cost ahead of time so its not a constant awkward whose paying the bill etc. If I could change one thing it would be not being able to substitute desserts for an appetizer on the TS meals. After awhile we get really sick of dessert but get it because its included.

 

[WildabouttheMouse2]

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?

I agree with you, I have done both the DDP and paid OOP and for the most part I like not having to worry about the cost and paying OOP, I purchased the TIW card and was not sure if it was worth it. We are going back in Oct so we opted to buy the DDP again, plus we can still use the TIW for any appetizer or adult beverage we purchase.

 

[SarSki]

We love the dining plan. We always book when it is free dining, so never feel pressure to order the most expensive items just to get our monies worth. We usually stay at Saratoga Springs, so disney springs is just a walk or boat ride away, which gives us a vast amount of restaurants / quick service locations to chose from everyday.
We also love the fact that we can use the snack credits in the garden kitchens for the flower and garden festival.
The ease and joy of not having to look at prices and just ordering what we feel like is amazing.

 

[Maxpowers]

I like the dining plan for similar reasons as the OP.

1. I know I am not saving any money on it, but I am the type that wouldn't order the items off plan that I would on plan. App & Dessert I would just plain skip even on vacation (mostly), but given that I've already paid for it I'm allowed to indulge (I know it doesn't make all that much sense, but it is what it is).
2. It allows me to stay in the bubble a little bit more
3. smaller variable costs for the trip (aka I have a better idea of what I will be spending, even though it's probably more)

 

[StirlingSilver83]

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?

These are my exact reasons of why we LOVE the dinning plan, lol. I like the freedom of being able to order what I want and not worry about the price of it. If I want to have steak every night we are in Disney then I will have steak and not feel guilty about over spending while on vacation. I also like the fact that its prepaid so less I have to worry about budgeting for the actual trip. When We do budget things I take in account of gratuities, souvenirs, gas, and then incidentals. We always get the deluxe plan, bc I think the dining is just as enjoyable to our family as the parks are. We also do a ton of character dining because I find it less stressful to have the characters meet you at your table while you eat than standing in a long line to meet them. All in all we love the dining plan and honestly couldn't see our trip without it

 

[pigletgirl]

Yes, we're big DDP fans here. My biggest reasons are

1. I am planner through and through and that includes my budget. Knowing that I pay "x" amount of money on dining in Disney is worth it for me. If we were to pay OOP, staying on budget would be much harder.

2. We love the all inclusive feel. Once we are checked in, and that dining plan is activated we feel so relaxed and ready to enjoy our vacation.

3. I love the mugs that come with it. I would not want to spend 2.99 every time myself or DH wanted a soda. We definitely get our 18.99 worth of drinks over our vacation period.

For our upcoming holiday trip, we're trying the DxDDP. Yes, it's a ton of food. Yes, it may seem like we're gluttons but I don't feel like I have to justify it! We won't be back in Disney until Fall of 2018 for my 30th birthday so we're going all out.

 

[honeybunches]

So interesting to see how everyone thinks! I think it's safe to say that the DP is the reason my DH likes to go to Disney. When I found out about the free dining promo for fall, he called that minute and booked our trip. No joke!

On our first 2 trips, we had the DxDP. We wasted many credits, so we "downsized" to the regular DP, which is perfect for us. Biggest reasons we love it:
1. We like 3 meals a day at home. We eat at least one TS daily at Disney and don't feel like we're overeating. I pay OOP for breakfast.
2. Psychological relief -- having meals paid. DH would never order what he really wanted, no matter how much I put away on a gift card.
3. I love DH's face when he sees the actual bill, and the total is magically whisked away with dining credits.
4. The kids don't have to ask for dessert, it's an automatic YES on vacation. Love that. If they don't eat it, I don't care. If we don't want dessert, we skip it.
5. We don't have great restaurants around here, my kids prefer eating at home (which = me cooking) so eating out at Disney is a treat for all of us.

We probably/definitely overpay at least a little bit for the DP. It's worth the happiness to me, and I'm the one who plans it all out. Our family easily spends $55 at Chick Fil A for dinner; food is just expensive these days.

We recently traveled to Nashville and Charleston, SC. On both trips, mealtimes drove me batty. We couldn't decide where to go, DH didn't want to wait for tables anywhere, so much turmoil about what to order, sticker shock at the bill, and general frustration with the whole experience. Disney has me spoiled!

I do wish they had a plan that had 2 table service and one quick service a day, though.

I do, too.

 

[Shanti]

Dislike it, because:

1. Paramount reason: It costs more for us than paying out of pocket.
2. Our eating style doesn't match the plan. We eat only 2 meals per day at Disney, but they're typically both table service meals- we rarely eat counter service. We also don't eat dessert every day.
3. I don't like tallying dining credits in my head while on vacation.

We love table service dining at Disney, including character dining. The unique restaurants are a big part of the magic for us. We make ADR's for every trip. But there is no need to be on the dining plan to enjoy any of that. We enjoy those meals, more affordably, by paying for them out of pocket, not overpaying for them via the dining plan.

 

[Nancyg56]

We always purchase the DDP. The one time I did not I felt like I bled money. It was a horrible experience because I felt tied to the price rather than what I wanted to eat.

We like dining and we like desserts. At meals we use the beverage even though most of us do not drink soda. The soft beverages are pretty nice when your family likes lemonade coffee and tea with and after dinner.

I used to track all we ate and drank and then compare the cost to our overall cost of the DDP, but I do not really do that any longer. I know how we will order and what my famiy likes, so I know we break even or save. For me, knowing that, and having our vacation paid in advance with the exception of alcohol at meals is invaluable to my peace of mind and that of my DH. He asks how much we need and the due date and my budgeting is complete. I plan the trip details, he plans the budget details.

I know that for us, the DDP is more than convenience, but even it that was all I saved was my sanity, it would be worth it. I woudl never buy an all inclusive trip that had booze and excursions all paid up front. I am a slug and not many of us drink enough to pay for that (I probably do, but I am the one who corrals my crew) but we do use all our credits, love our desserts, choose awesome snacks, so this type of plan works.

Now I know that a lot of people load gift cards as use that to pay for meals. I know me. I would not be able to separate the card from the cost of the food. I would Oder the chicken even though I want the steak. I would share the wings even though I would love the calimari, and I would skip dessert or just take a bite of the sorbet when I wanted my own creme brûlée. My DH, who is the one who saves the money for these trips and who denys us nothing, would not be able to stop looking at the cost of a cup of soup, (you should see the poor guy in NYC at dinner!LOL). He would pay for it, but he would not like it. WHen it is the DDP, he still looks but we tell him how much just he and my DSIL alone saved on the cost.

The DDP is not for evey family, but it works for my family, which is how we all should shop. Buy what works, skip what does not. I tend to be insulted when people insist that their way is the best way. WHat they mean is that for their family, the plan is not cost effective, and they show all kinds of examples to prove it. I believe them. I don't feel the need to change their dining style or to tell them how to save or pay for their food budget. I do wish that some of these people wuld respect that their way is not the only way, and that some discounts that do not work for them are the best discount for others. FD may be the better plan even on deluxe resort stays for some families, and will trump the RO discount. Even when you add the tip, which seems to be a tipping point, pardon the pun, for some.

 

[mommymanda]

Family of five. Two adults, Disney adult and two kids. I have to be a little more specific, Dining plan not only is our best option so far but has to be the 'FREE' dining plan...Why....stress relief.
I have tried numerous times to plan a Disney trip without the dining plan. Cost always jumps way out of reach without the dining plan. Even if I look at CS meals and off site stays. Without the dining plan the only way budget works is if we are off site and I cook the entire week which takes all my vacation fun away. As soon as free dining offers come out my entire body relaxes into a happy sigh of relief and I book us a family vacation that fits my budget....almost.

Oh and its not only my stress relief. Hubby and kids are also able to relax and enjoy their vacation enjoying meals without a crazy me glaring at every wasted bite or high priced steak ordered

 

[Nancyg56]

Oh and its not only my stress relief. Hubby and kids are also able to relax and enjoy their vacation enjoying meals without a crazy me glaring at every wasted bite or high priced steak ordered

Exactly. I would be that person, begrudging evey wasted morsel of chocolate cake.....and take one for the team by eating every last crumb!

 

[Mattysmom]

Seems convenient but not the sure if it would be a good value for our young family.

 

[DisBuckMan]

We did the dining plan two or three times, but haven't done it in several trips.

1. What many people describe as "freedom" in having the dining plan, I view as restrictive. The dining plan requires you to eat how Disney wants you to eat. We don't eat how Disney wants us to eat....never have. We never do dessert at home. *IF* we get dessert when we eat out, we split one 3 ways. Same at Disney. We just don't subsribe to the "slop the hogs" mentality. We eat well, but we don't overeat, and we don't waste food, which we were doing a bit of both when we did the DDP. We order what we want to eat, and eat what we want to eat. If I had to shoestring budget to afford to go to Disney, I'd just stay at the house...no offense to those that do, that's just my personal way of looking at it.

2. We no longer like to spend that much time in table service restaurants while at Disney. A handful of the restaurants are good, but in our opinion, the quality of many of them has gone downhill. We generally will make TS ADR's for about 4 restaurants over a 7 night stay. We're fortunate to have tons of good restaurants within an hour or so of us on the Gulf Coast, so dining is certainly NOT high on our priority liist while at Disney.

3. We couldn't care less about character meals, and their over-inflated prices. We did them when our son was younger, but he's 10 now, and he'd much rather be in the parks riding rides than wasting time meeting Mickey, Donald, Tigger, or any of the other characters. He's over it, and we are too.

 

[Nancyg56]

We did the dining plan two or three times, but haven't done it in several trips.

1. What many people describe as "freedom" in having the dining plan, I view as restrictive. The dining plan requires you to eat how Disney wants you to eat. We don't eat how Disney wants us to eat....never have. We never do dessert at home. *IF* we get dessert when we eat out, we split one 3 ways. Same at Disney. We just don't subsribe to the "slop the hogs" mentality. We eat well, but we don't overeat, and we don't waste food, which we were doing a bit of both when we did the DDP. We order what we want to eat, and eat what we want to eat. If I had to shoestring budget to afford to go to Disney, I'd just stay at the house...no offense to those that do, that's just my personal way of looking at it.

2. We no longer like to spend that much time in table service restaurants while at Disney. A handful of the restaurants are good, but in our opinion, the quality of many of them has gone downhill. We generally will make TS ADR's for about 4 restaurants over a 7 night stay. We're fortunate to have tons of good restaurants within an hour or so of us on the Gulf Coast, so dining is certainly NOT high on our priority liist while at Disney.

3. We couldn't care less about character meals, and their over-inflated prices. We did them when our son was younger, but he's 10 now, and he'd much rather be in the parks riding rides than wasting time meeting Mickey, Donald, Tigger, or any of the other characters. He's over it, and we are too.

Lol! Disney and I are on the same page! I'm running all the time at home. I love dinner! I love dessert! And I like my coffee poured for me.

 

[disneychristmasx3]

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?

We don't have the luxury of choosing a date when other discounts may apply. We are restricted due to school and athletic schedules so Christmas is often a time we can make it happen. Our very first trip when kids were 5, 8, and 10 we did not know discounts such as free dining were available and just booked a trip. We did so many things "wrong" that trip and it took years to get over the sticker shock (and pay off the credit card bill). A dedicated family member who received free dining numerous times worked on us for years to convince us to look again. We went as a big family group with free dining the following year. The experience changed everything for us. We got to book table service restaurants and my then 13 year old middle child set the land record for how many different restaurants he could eat steak at. We didn't look at prices and booking restaurants was as much fun as booking fast passes. As I said with a family of 5 (all Disney adults) at peak visiting time there are no other discounts. We love the restaurant experiences as much as the rides. Yes it's free dining and I don't know if it would be the same if we had to pay for it, but watching your kids really love a restaurant experience as much as a park is just great. And for the record we have yet to do a character meal.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Lol! Disney and I are on the same page! I'm running all the time at home. I love dinner! I love dessert! And I like my coffee poured for me.

That's us. Part of being on vacation is eating dessert. And tea for me, please. I don't enjoy coffee.

I don't know what the previous poster meant with the "slop the hogs mentality" comment. I don't see eating three meals a day and eating dessert while on vacation, eating like a hog. Oh, well.

 

[Nancyg56]

That's us. Part of being on vacation is eating dessert. And tea for me, please. I don't enjoy coffee.

I don't know what the previous poster meant with the "slop the hogs mentality" comment. I don't see eating three meals a day and eating dessert while on vacation, eating like a hog. Oh, well.

I honestly do not understand why people feel the need to be so disrespectful when others are not in lockstep with their decisions. We generally travel as a group, and do love to make the time to visit at meal times. WE like breakfast and stop for a light lunch, and by 7 or 8PM we like dinner. If the OP who thought that eating desserts or having more meal times that was on their plan meant we were hogs then he needs to meet us. I'm sure as he faced my DH, needing to crane his neck, he might reconsider how all those calories he thinks we consume shaped up.

 

[DisBuckMan]

I honestly do not understand why people feel the need to be so disrespectful when others are not in lockstep with their decisions. We generally travel as a group, and do love to make the time to visit at meal times. WE like breakfast and stop for a light lunch, and by 7 or 8PM we like dinner. If the OP who thought that eating desserts or having more meal times that was on their plan meant we were hogs then he needs to meet us. I'm sure as he faced my DH, needing to crane his neck, he might reconsider how all those calories he thinks we consume shaped up.

I don't understand why you're taking a post in which I answered the OP's question in a general manner personal. According to you, nothing in my post describes you or your family. But instead, you're ready to sic your husband on me? Very mature. FYI...I'm not scared of your husband.

I feel like I'm in middle school.

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't understand why you're taking a post in which I answered the OP's question in a general manner personal. According to you, nothing in my post describes you or your family. But instead, you're ready to sic your husband on me? Very mature. FYI...I'm not scared of your husband.

These comments are personal. They are broad based comments meant to ridicule people and I do not like them. I find them to be mean spirited in the same way I find backhanded compliments to be mean.

AS to siccing my DH on you, no...I am sorry you took it that way. I was just pointing out that when you used "hogs" the picture you painted would be far different than the reality of many people who tend to dine the way we do look. He is far from the caricature your post pictured. You would never need to be afraid of him unless you hurt one of us. He is usually referred to as the Gentle Giant when folks describe him.

DIsBuckMan- words matter. They are powerful. Using them to reinforce your position when they can hurt people is not very nice, especially when you can make a point without doing so.