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

[Robertfam08]

We love it, because we get it for free. And with our big group, free dining is a far better discount than any room discount we could get (especially considering our room is cheaper as it is during the time of year we go.) With little ones we do a lot of character meals, and having a "sit down" meal every day is no different than at home for us, where we're used to having one bigger meal each day. It's a perfect fit, and we wouldn't do Disney without free dining.

 

[dashofsunshine]

Well, obviously my reasoning doesn't apply to most other people, but I'll weigh in anyway, lol.

I'm a VSG patient and even at 18 months out, I eat about 5-6 bites of food for a "meal." There is no way on God's green earth that my husband and I could ever eat all the food on the DDP and even come remotely close to justifying the cost. I'm a cheap date (obviously, haha) and we save hundreds of dollars just paying out of pocket. We always come in under budget for food, which is a win!

Also, no kids (yet) - just us. We don't do buffets or character meals for obvious stomach capacity reasons

Even pre-op, though...we were always more the "snack several times throughout the day" type, as opposed to sitting down for 3 huge meals with appetizers and desserts. I feel like there would be a lot of food waste and I'm the kind of person who would feel anxious and guilty about that, lol.

 

[Srbright]

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.

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.

I almost posted last night but didn't. I take it personal as well. If you feel like it isn't right for your family or that you don't see the value in it is one thing but you equated the people that get the DDP to "slopping hogs".

You made sure that you pointed out that you don't over eat which is an inference that anyone that gets the DDP does over eat. Then you go in to mention about wasting food.

These are simple inferences without logic leaps than everyone that gets the DDP are hogs that over eat and waste food.

And based on that attitude the gods forbid that someone get the DxDDP. Never mind that we split meals between us and use the snack credits for F&W. I must be big as a barn and have kids that should be on one of those "too big for stroller" websites. Instead I actually have a DD who is 12 whose pediatrician encourages us to try to get her to eat any ice cream or steak or cheese into her we can to try to at least get her above the 20th percentile for her height/age.

You are choosing hurtful and uninformed language to describe things instead of "I" or "we" statements. "I don't think I would get value out of it". "We feel we waste food".

Stacy

 

[GillianP1301]

We get the DxDP and love it. The main reasons are:

1) I like the prepaid/an inclusive feel to it, no worries at all for any additional food charges during my stay
2) We do 3 TS meals most days, so we get good financial benefit out of it.
3) TS restaurants are like another attraction to us and a very integral part of our overall touring plan, which is why we do so many of them.
4) I like being able to try new things and go to lots of different restaurants without any worry for how much it's costing me.
5) I travel with my under 10 year old son and we do about 8 character meals per vacation and there is a ton of money to be saved on kids and character dining on the dining plan
6) The #1 argument I always hear from people against getting the dining plan is "it's way too much food". This has never made sense to me, to be honest. I eat 3 meals a day at home, so I will eat 3 meals a day on vacation. That doesn't mean I lick my plate every time, I eat as much as I need/want to be full. Sometimes that's the whole plate, sometimes it's half a plate. I personally don't calculate value of a meal by quantity, I measure it by quality and overall experience.

At the end of the day, dining plan purchaser or not, it doesn't really make any difference to me what anybody else does. Do what is best for you and what you are most comfortable with and don't feel the need to have to justify your decision.

 

[Sinderelly]

Lots of great info in this thread. DH and I have past trips as a couple and also with family (6guests). We have always enjoyed the no worries factor of the DDP. We are considering not getting the DP for the first time on our upcoming trip. I will admit the uncertainty is there but we feel for the two of us the non DP will provide more choices and flexibility and less waste.

We like the idea of sharing a meal, sharing an appetizer and maybe a dessert but only if we feel like dessert.

We usually order water with lemon when dining out as that's what we prefer. On the DP I always feel like I should order a lemonade or soft drink just because it's included.

 

[honeybunches]

We usually order water with lemon when dining out as that's what we prefer. On the DP I always feel like I should order a lemonade or soft drink just because it's included.

My DH and I have made this switch - limiting soda at meals and getting water instead. I read on one of the threads that you can swap the drink for a side, so I'm interested in trying that. Even if I don't want the extra side, one of my kids might eat it!

 

[Nancyg56]

My DH and I have made this switch - limiting soda at meals and getting water instead. I read on one of the threads that you can swap the drink for a side, so I'm interested in trying that. Even if I don't want the extra side, one of my kids might eat it!

Switching the drink for a side can sretch your credits. When it's hot, and even when it is not, you can split meals easily, so if you got rid of the beverage and added a side, your meal will feed two and allow an extra.

We split often because while we like 3 meals, we do nto like to be overly full. I think that if there was an additional veg or starch it woudl be even easier.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Switching the drink for a side can sretch your credits. When it's hot, and even when it is not, you can split meals easily, so if you got rid of the beverage and added a side, your meal will feed two and allow an extra.

We split often because while we like 3 meals, we do nto like to be overly full. I think that if there was an additional veg or starch it woudl be even easier.

I also believe you can switch for bottled water. That would be a win/win for me.

 

[Nancyg56]

I also believe you can switch for bottled water. That would be a win/win for me.

Yes, the new flexibility makes the plan a little more user friendly. I will have more to think about come December. I work that plan so it makes great use of credits and allows us to enjoy plenty of dining without feeling over full.

 

[sharonabe]

My DH and I have made this switch - limiting soda at meals and getting water instead. I read on one of the threads that you can swap the drink for a side, so I'm interested in trying that. Even if I don't want the extra side, one of my kids might eat it!

It's not necessarily an extra SIDE. The substitution is for anything that has the SNACK logo next to it. There are a lot of QS places that only have drinks on that list. Check out the menus, so you have an idea of where you can get the substitution you want.

 

[Roobear77]

We have had the dining plan twice out of 3 trips with our children. We have it for our upcoming trip (free QS with upgrade to DDP) as well. We like it for a couple of reasons. Our girls are 4 and 7, and love both character meals and buffets. Those are pricey. Our upcoming short 4 night trip has 4 character meals planned. The other reason we like it is because we can use the plan to our advantage to get as much out of it as possible due to how we eat. For example, we can get one breakfast platter at the QS at a value resort, and it will feed both my children. Exchange the drink now for a snack yoghurt parfait, and now you have feed me and both kids on one QS credit. They don't drink pop or juice, and they will have milk at the TS meal of the day, so with the new rules we could get an adult chicken nuggets to feed both of them instead of 2 kids chicken nuggets. Swap out the drink for an extra dessert or something else on the snack menu and they would be very happy. Or get one kids meal and one adult meal and share between the two kids and me. It started as a way to minimize the amount of food we were wasting at QS locations, and now its a bit of a game to also maximize how much we can get for as few credits as possible.
We also try to be smart about it. I won't use a snack credit for a bottle of water (free water at the QS is the best thing ever) or for an apple at the fruit market. I'll pay the $1.50 OOP for the apple and use the credit for the $5 ice cream sundae at the plaza.

 

[cheshirealliekat]

We tried the DDP this past weekend. While I feel like I got my money's worth, I probably will not do it next time we stay at a resort. This trip we did 2/3 TS meals at character buffets (Akershus and Tusker House) and the third at BOG, and my husband and I are big soda and coffee drinkers, so it paid for itself in that respect. I found a lot of the snack credits were things we either don't really like, or sweets that were overkill since we had dessert at every meal. The exception being AK, use all of your snack credits at AK! Also with the way our timing worked out, and the heat, we didn't really need a full meal each plus desserts besides the TS buffets. I actually ended up taking a QS to go and buying a bunch of "snacks" to take home for later on our last day.
I would think hard about getting the DDP again. It was great for us for the character meals, but we could eat OOP for less and be satisfied. I would also definitely time our meals differently if we did it again to make it worthwhile.

 

[RayO]

Place me in the corner of those that love the Dinning Plan. Back in 1994 I went to Disney with 2 friends of mine. Every day we added up what we all spent for dinning, and in 1994 we all were over $110/day each. I am not big on QS, or snacking. That needs to be said. I love relaxing a bit and having a TS meal. Also, due to allergies, [sulfur] I am very limited on most menus with what I can order. (Even being picky, I am still forced to consume it. Sulfur is in almost everything.) More often than not I end up with the steak. It is vacation after all, and when I am home I have chicken at least for 12 meals a week counting lunch and dinner. My upcoming trip, seeing how I enjoy TS the most and I am going solo, I elected to get the DxDP. I went through the menus of what I will most likely be eating, unless the menus change, and found out that I am actually going to save myself $300 by using the DxDP on my 10 night stay. With this, I am also going to several Signature Dinning establishments, which I probably would not do if I wasn't on the plan. I will also be there for Food & Wine, so needless to say that the snack credits will be used at some of the booths during the days that I only have breakfast and dinner scheduled. I definitely see myself loading up on snacks to take back home with me at the end of the trip. That will guarantee myself a taste of Disney all the way to Christmas, I hope.

 

[verleniahall]

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?

our reasons are pretty much the same as yours - we did OOP the first year and we didn't enjoy it at ALL - we were always worried about cost

Dining plan means no worries! Kinda like hakuna matatta

 

[pangyal]

I posted this on another thread, but it's relevant here too.

We weren't huge fans of the dining plan before this year, but DS is currently obsessed with character meals and is a very picky/light eater. With the new substitution and swapping possibilities, we were able to use our mugs for drinks at QS places and convert our drink portions to snack credits to use for breakfast the following day, saving another snack or QS credit in the process and freeing up those QS credits to use for adult meals at more expensive places like BOG for a PPO jump on the rides. But it was, as others have mentioned, the buffets and character meals where we really found the savings this trip. We did pay out of pocket for a few TS meals where it would have been a waste to use a credit, but we ended up way ahead even with that. Once kiddo turns ten, it's all over, though

 

[BookGirl305]

did not mean to offend. Post has been deleted

 

[Nancyg56]

Doing the DP as a solo for the first time this year, just to see. My bill was literally a wash either way ($800 for room and tickets, then OOP for food or $925 for the "free dining" plan for 4 days. $30 a day for food at Disney is about a wash). Here's my impression/concerns though-

Cons:
I usually eat only QS as I think table meals at WDW are a waste of time (in the time on the clock sense) and overpriced. Most people who do not view it as a waste of time on the clock are people who stretched their vacays over 7+ days and are already paying the Disney Tax with the extra room and ticket costs. Personal opinion is that these folks have been directed to a mentality of "we can relax by the pool and eat leisurely character meals because we are there for ___ days." But, if you weren't there for __ days, would you tour that way? One thing feeds the other.

Quite often I eat a kids meal only before I go on big rides so I don't get nauseous. I can't imagine a full sit down table meal.

I completely understood the "slop the hogs" comment. The poster was trying to convey that some people approach the DDP as permission to eat everything put before them because they paid for it/it's "free". If they ate simply to their appetite, they don't feel they got their money's worth. I felt that way with a burrito bowl at Pecos Bills! I kept trying to eat it all because the thing was 15 bucks and I didn't want to throw away! Sometimes it's hard to step away. That's what the poster meant. And when hogs get fed, slop is put in a trough in front of them and they eat what they are given, not necessarily what they want to eat (kinda like a Disney buffet?)

The unnecessary stress and expense of time and money. I'll refer you back to all the threads for booking free dining. How many people did you watch that booked a moderate instead of a value because they got "free" TS that way? And they justified it because they wanted to go to a character meal? They spent way more money doing that upgrade than they would have out of pocket but justified it with the pre-paid and convenience factor. And now that everyone is trying to book these meals 6 months in advance? The reservation hoarders are out (booking multiple restaurants at staggered times just in case but they can cancel 24 hours before so it's ok) and other can't find anywhere to eat their "free dining". No Bueno.

Pros:
why not try it?

I wanted to do a pre- rope drop one time. Going to BOG for breakfast. Would never spend $20 on breakfast otherwise. I'm curious to see if I have credits left over or if I run out. QS free dining gives you 2 QS and a snack each day.

WOW! This post is pretty condescending, IMO and makes a lot of suppositions, including expanding upon the poste who discussed the STH mentality. I read that posters comments all of the time, and while I disagreed with his post, I have never seen anything he posted that was anywhere near the words yo put in his mouth.

First....Most of us who take time to eat and enjoy the resort look at our packages as a total package. We do not break it out and then toss caution to the winds and throw pass money away. I vacation anywhere from 5 to 14 days, and I choose to tour about the same. My focus may be different, one time attractions are my goal, other times character M&G, and still others holiday events. If the cost of the entire trip is okay with me, it is okay. I dine the same no matter what. At least one nice TS a day, and always lunch or breakfast.

Your dining comments are such that other than to say that they are rude and disrespectful, and make leaps into territory you know nothing about.

How any of us choose to vacation is personal. We may like dining, swimming, touring. We may like bar hopping. WE may like relaxing and taking a nap. THe value is personal. Just as some may believe that those of us enjoying our meals are 500 LBS and sloppy, others know that that is ridiculous.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Doing the DP as a solo for the first time this year, just to see. My bill was literally a wash either way ($800 for room and tickets, then OOP for food or $925 for the "free dining" plan for 4 days. $30 a day for food at Disney is about a wash). Here's my impression/concerns though-

Cons:
I usually eat only QS as I think table meals at WDW are a waste of time (in the time on the clock sense) and overpriced. Most people who do not view it as a waste of time on the clock are people who stretched their vacays over 7+ days and are already paying the Disney Tax with the extra room and ticket costs. Personal opinion is that these folks have been directed to a mentality of "we can relax by the pool and eat leisurely character meals because we are there for ___ days." But, if you weren't there for __ days, would you tour that way? One thing feeds the other.

Quite often I eat a kids meal only before I go on big rides so I don't get nauseous. I can't imagine a full sit down table meal.

I completely understood the "slop the hogs" comment. The poster was trying to convey that some people approach the DDP as permission to eat everything put before them because they paid for it/it's "free". If they ate simply to their appetite, they don't feel they got their money's worth. I felt that way with a burrito bowl at Pecos Bills! I kept trying to eat it all because the thing was 15 bucks and I didn't want to throw away! Sometimes it's hard to step away. That's what the poster meant. And when hogs get fed, slop is put in a trough in front of them and they eat what they are given, not necessarily what they want to eat (kinda like a Disney buffet?)

The unnecessary stress and expense of time and money. I'll refer you back to all the threads for booking free dining. How many people did you watch that booked a moderate instead of a value because they got "free" TS that way? And they justified it because they wanted to go to a character meal? They spent way more money doing that upgrade than they would have out of pocket but justified it with the pre-paid and convenience factor. And now that everyone is trying to book these meals 6 months in advance? The reservation hoarders are out (booking multiple restaurants at staggered times just in case but they can cancel 24 hours before so it's ok) and other can't find anywhere to eat their "free dining". No Bueno.

Pros:
why not try it?

I wanted to do a pre- rope drop one time. Going to BOG for breakfast. Would never spend $20 on breakfast otherwise. I'm curious to see if I have credits left over or if I run out. QS free dining gives you 2 QS and a snack each day.

Wow!
Judgemental?!?

 

[jv3cv1]

We have been doing the DP since 2000. Never got to get it for free but for us it works and would not go with out. Would love for them to add tipping back in it.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Folks, I posted the "slop the hogs" comment originally, as an explanation to how it makes MY family feel...not how we see others, or how others should feel. It doesn't matter one bit how others choose to eat or not eat. We all have choices, and what works for my family might not work for yours, and vice versa.