Will you pay for 2013 Dining Plan or too much?

[scottmel]

Trying to determine if dining plan - 1 TS, 1 QS, 2 snacks is worth it next June. Seems SO expensive to me.....Family of 3 - 2 adults and 1 disney adult at 14....Anyone PAY for it or do you only take advantage of it on FD window???

 

[eliza61]

The dining plan stopped be a money saver for us when they took away the tips and the appertizers.

My kids are considered adults. no way would I spend over 200/day on meals.
We also don't do many (if any) character meals anymore.

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

We love the dining plan. Paid for ahead works great for us and we feel its worth the money We make adr's for dinners only. We like to try all different places. We usually try to save receipts and see how much we would have spent. Just for fun.
I will admit we splurge a little on Disney vacations, but that is what we enjoy.

Anyway, its really all about how much you want to spend and everyone has different opinions on that. Whatever you do, enjoy your vacation!!

 

[scottmel]

Does anyone know if the F! dining pkg is included? I am sure Wishes Dessert is not....

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

We love the dining plan. Paid for ahead works great for us and we feel its worth the money We make adr's for dinners only. We like to try all different places. We usually try to save receipts and see how much we would have spent. Just for fun.
I will admit we splurge a little on Disney vacations, but that is what we enjoy.

Anyway, its really all about how much you want to spend and everyone has different opinions on that. Whatever you do, enjoy your vacation!!

Just want to add that we do hope for FD as well!! But we will still get it if it does not come out

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We will definately pay for it for our 2013 trip.
We just returned from our first non-Dining Plan trip this past May. We are now proud owners of a 10 yr old Disney Adult. so we figured we could do it for less OOP.
For me, the budget*ear* and planner, it was just waaayyy to much stress.. planning and thinking about where we would eat, how much it would cost us...etc..etc. I found myself ordering things I didn't really want to save some $$$ and thinking about where we would eat to save some $$. The whole idea of *sharing* meals sounded good on paper..but after walking a million miles a day, everyone wanted and needed their own meal. I worried about our food budget WAY to much...NOT what I want to do on vacation.
Can we eat for less without the Dining Plan? Yes. But for me, the pre-paid option is worth every penny. Back to the Dining Plan for us.

 

[rcraw45425]

Trying to determine if dining plan - 1 TS, 1 QS, 2 snacks is worth it next June. Seems SO expensive to me.....Family of 3 - 2 adults and 1 disney adult at 14....Anyone PAY for it or do you only take advantage of it on FD window???

I'm just reading this, is it going to be 2 snacks per day next year? Right now it's 1TS 1QS and 1 snack per day.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Free Dining

Give Disney credit. They have figured out. "gee if we say it is free folks just throw money at us, so what we will do is mark up hotel rates to some unbelievable number, add in some food and 'eureka' cash arrives"

LOL.

We are overpaying.

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

Free Dining

Give Disney credit. They have figured out. "gee if we say it is free folks just throw money at us, so what we will do is mark up hotel rates to some unbelievable number, add in some food and 'eureka' cash arrives"

LOL.

We are overpaying.

Yes, but I already have my trip booked with dining that I asm willing to pay for. If the FD offer comes out, I get a big chunk off my bill Ill take it , its extra money for the next time we want to spend our maoney at Disney!! To us its worth every penny

 

[chocovrdmicears]

I'm just reading this, is it going to be 2 snacks per day next year? Right now it's 1TS 1QS and 1 snack per day.

1TS, 1QS and 1 snack. That is what it is now, and that is what it will be next year.

 

[crabbygal902]

I did the math for our late 2012 trip, and sadly the dining plan is no longer a good value for us. It seems that every year, there are less benefits at a bigger cost, and Disney has finally priced us out of using the DDP.

It may be worth it to you to determine the costs of how much you would likely spend at the restaurants where you plan to dine and on snacks. I use the menus on allears.net to get my prices. Compare the total OOP price to the 2013 DDP price.

In order for you to get the best value, please keep these things in mind: am I really going to eat a dessert at every CS and TS meal? Do I want to visit only the more expensive 1 credit TS restaurants? At dinner? (lunch generally isn't as good a value.) Am I going to use my credits for restaurants that require 2 TS credits? (This generally is not cost wise.) Am I really going to use that refillable mug? (If your hotel room isn't close to the food court, it may be difficult to get your money's worth.) Am I going to use my snack credits for the more expensive offerings, or will I use them for less expensive things like bottled water? For that matter, will I even use all of my snack credits? (We have run into many, many people who are scrambling to spend their left over snack credits before they leave.) Am I okay with the new 2013 policy of paying extra for ordering from price fixe menus?

...and all of these answers may be 'yes'! What is a good value for me may not be for you. Some folks like the convenience of having everything paid for beforehand, and that is valuable to them. I have decided that I am going to get a gift card in the exact amount of what we would've paid for the DDP, and spend any extra money on apps and cocktails. And maybe a tiny shopping trip to Downtown Disney!

Let us know what you decide.

 

[GrumpyBelle]

The dining plan has never worked to our advantage. My DD(11) still prefers items from the children's menu, we do not want dessert with every meal, etc. This year we are trying the TIW card to see how that will work for us. We plan on going a week earlier next year at get the most out of our APs and the TIW card as well. So we definitely will not pay for the dining plan next year.

 

[eliza61]

We will definately pay for it for our 2013 trip.
We just returned from our first non-Dining Plan trip this past May. We are now proud owners of a 10 yr old Disney Adult. so we figured we could do it for less OOP.
For me, the budget*ear* and planner, it was just waaayyy to much stress.. planning and thinking about where we would eat, how much it would cost us...etc..etc. I found myself ordering things I didn't really want to save some $$$ and thinking about where we would eat to save some $$. The whole idea of *sharing* meals sounded good on paper..but after walking a million miles a day, everyone wanted and needed their own meal. I worried about our food budget WAY to much...NOT what I want to do on vacation.
Can we eat for less without the Dining Plan? Yes. But for me, the pre-paid option is worth every penny. Back to the Dining Plan for us.

It so interesting how folks see thing differently.

I'm the exact opposite. I found myself ordering stuff I really didn't want when I was on the DDP because I didn't want to "waste" the ts. We go in the end of summer and many nights I simply wanted a light salad because I didn't want to walk around the parks after eating heavy food but of course I got the full meal simply because I did not want to not get the "full" value.


Same with entrees. We found that we were ordering expensive entrees not because we really wanted them but because we had to get the "most" for our money.
It's funny because even here on the dis we get threads about people asking how to "get the most" out of their credits, so it seems way more stressful now that the price has gone up.

one option for prepay is pretty easy for me to get around, I simply load up of visa/disney gift cards for our "meal" budget so when I get there I don't have to worry about cost.

I did like convenience but last year over the 7 nights our food bill including tip was 1117.57, that was for a family of 4. we ate what we wanted, when we wanted (again no character meals, my kids are teens). on the ddp would have been 1548 WITHOUT tips. For an extra 400 bucks, nope not worth it.

Op, go to allears.net and play with menus and prices. you'll get a rough idea of which way works best.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Free Dining

Give Disney credit. They have figured out. "gee if we say it is free folks just throw money at us, so what we will do is mark up hotel rates to some unbelievable number, add in some food and 'eureka' cash arrives"

LOL.

We are overpaying.

Those marked up hotel rates are there regardless of Free Dining. Rack rate is rack rate. And there are plenty of people who are willing to pay it without the Free Food.
That being said...running the numbers is everything.
There is no better *value* for our family of 4 then Free Dining - at rack rate - at a Value..if we want to stay at a Value.
If we want to stay at a Moderate or Deluxe then we will run the numbers..Free Dining vs. a Room Discount.

The bottom line is...Free Dining, even when paying rack rate for the room, at a Value, can save a family a whole lot of $$$$$.

 

[scottmel]

We did not have it in June 2012 but had it free in August 2011 for a contest that we had won. So I definately enjoyed it during the 2011 when it was FREE and we found some restaurants that I feel are too costly OOP but when on dining a good value!

This past summer I too did what a PP said - eyed up the menu, trying to keep cost down, etc.

We normally stay club level but are not in 2013 so I thought this was close in cost and honestly a better value for the dollar relatively speaking...But I had no idea it went up as much as it did. That seems high...

My big hitter table service is Crystal Palace breakfast, Kona Dinner, Cape May Dinner....and then I would definately try some NEW ones that again I might not want to spend oop on to go to..just to explore them so to speak.

The things I really want to do - Wishes Dessert party, not covered...Dining with an Imagineer - not covered of course so I am looking at a decent number of TS's to work with.DH and DD love food, I am a take it or leave it person, I could eat a salad and a roll every night and not care...but these two are food lovers!!! So I even thought of using more TS's on them and I just order ala cart at some places....(DD has BIG eyes if you know what I mean)....

But what is the rule someone mentioned about the new 2013 ? Special menu on dining plan????

 

[crabbygal902]

Hi, scotmel!


The 2013 brochure states “Choosing items from a separate prix fixe menu offered at certain locations requires payment of a surcharge in addition to redeeming the number of Table-Service entitlements required at the location.”


HTH

 

[canopynut66]

we are adults but love the character breakfast best of all and so dining plan great for us it gets us up and out early or if we do a dinner having the TS we can do dinner or a signature and we save more with FD than any discount offered. we had AP for over 20 years and dropped it last year as discounts not that great. last fall the 1 QS and 1 TS only had 1 snack as they had cut one snack out. what I miss the most is no appetizer and especially with a signature meal to take away the appetizer was cheap on WDW part. It never hurt Disney to eliminate the tips it hurt the servers. Now peopl tip what they want or if they want as we see a lot not leave a thing.

 

[eliza61]

We did not have it in June 2012 but had it free in August 2011 for a contest that we had won. So I definately enjoyed it during the 2011 when it was FREE and we found some restaurants that I feel are too costly OOP but when on dining a good value!

This past summer I too did what a PP said - eyed up the menu, trying to keep cost down, etc.

We normally stay club level but are not in 2013 so I thought this was close in cost and honestly a better value for the dollar relatively speaking...But I had no idea it went up as much as it did. That seems high...

My big hitter table service is Crystal Palace breakfast, Kona Dinner, Cape May Dinner....and then I would definately try some NEW ones that again I might not want to spend oop on to go to..just to explore them so to speak.

The things I really want to do - Wishes Dessert party, not covered...Dining with an Imagineer - not covered of course so I am looking at a decent number of TS's to work with.DH and DD love food, I am a take it or leave it person, I could eat a salad and a roll every night and not care...but these two are food lovers!!! So I even thought of using more TS's on them and I just order ala cart at some places....(DD has BIG eyes if you know what I mean)....

But what is the rule someone mentioned about the new 2013 ? Special menu on dining plan????

Scott, since you have a good idea of where you want to eat, why not do a practice run?

unfortunately if two are on the plan you must be on the plan also. Not trying to talk you out of it but some of the things you mentioned were the reason why it was cheaper for us to roll without it.

For example the day you do dining with an imagineer, what are you going to do with those credits?

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

Wow, alot of different opinions here. I am still all for the Dining Plan. At home I do the grocery shopping and cooking and am very budget concious. I don't want to do that on vacation. .
And I do like ordering the expensive entries, because I can! We don't go out to eat alot at home, so this is a treat for me.,

I love not to have to worry and just swipe away!! This is just how and where we choose to spend our extra money. And it IS still a deal when they offer FD.

 

[TheRatPack]

We may buy up gift cards to cover our dining, if the new dining plan is a separate menu and has went up so much in cost. Not sure yet.....have to get this years trip over first LOL