Will you pay for 2013 Dining Plan or too much?

[mom2my3kids]

I really wish they would add something where is was mostly counter service meals, but may two or three sit downs depending on how long you stay..

 

[scottmel]

THanks guys! I am trying a practice run over here but unsure of 2013 menu prices..the surchage in June is always vague on buffets. I see the EASE of swiping that card and not thinking, I really do!!!!!

What I am not getting is the reference to the Prix Fix menu....I can remember for example, Kona I THINK, that had a prix fix menu....So are we saying now I would have to pay a surcharge to use that menu? I guess I am not seeing how I can do a full comparison when the explanations seem so vague to me thru Disney...

I just know this past summer I told DD a few times to ease up on getting a steak at every single meal and I feel bad about that. But again, she has 4 bites and is full. I wised up half way thru the trip and ordered myself a salad every night and ended up sharing with her.

I know DD and DH will miss their club level this year..They are already moaning about it so the dining plan was my peace offering to them!!!! Eat whatever you want!!!!!!

I sort of a figure if I spent a 100 a dinner (which we EASILY did last summer) then I am looking to cover 60 on snacks and a counter service meal. I can remember counter services being around 25 (but again I was trying to eat cheaply b/c I don't like fast food style so if you are trying to eat healthy, counter service is tough....) So add our snacks and we are at 40 with a small loss for the day. But again not that much of a loss and maybe there would be a gain by ordering whatever we wanted. I know we NEVER ordered dessert at any meal last year b/c we always had desserts in the lounge at night...so I assume we would do desserts with no club...

I think I am TRYING To analyze this that there will be no great shakes of a savings, but I won't lose money. Just a break even, easy thing to do. I really did try to track it this summer and whinced a few times when the bill came thinking "120 bucks for breakfast????"....

 

[hotcarib]

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.

Same here! The one time we didn't use DDP I fretted over costs and found myself not ordering what I wanted. FD is generally offered during our visits (Sept. and Jan/Feb) but if it isn't we purchase DDP.
It's far more important to enjoy both the parks AND the food. DDP allows me
to enjoy my selections without running a tab in my head

 

[bedogged]

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???

We always do Deluxe Dinning and felt it was a good value if used for TS meals with a Signature meal daily. We haven't felt that the regular dinning plan was a good value for years. Now that they are increasing the cost of the Deluxe plan, we are beginning to think that it has lost most, if not all of its value. Next year, if we go, we will probably just pay out of pocket. We are even considering staying offsite since we have APs and maybe buying the TIW card....or not.

 

[TheRatPack]

What restaurants have the separate dining plan menu? We paid OOP for all our TS meals last year so I want to be prepared this year since we're back on the DDP

 

[dakotix]

We're staying for a week in January. We've never done the dining plan but have been to the parks before so we know what we like to eat there and what the menu choices mean realistically. I just did the math using the menus at Allears.net. The dining plan will cost us (2 people) $778 for a week (7 days). If we ditched having dessert with the exception of indulging twice which would be about right for us, the total out of pocket cost of food would only be $588! Even with dessert every day (I feel queazy just thinking about that) we would still only spend about $688! So for us and our eating habits the dining plan would cost us an extra $100.

If Free dining is offered I may upgrade to Deluxe so i can get the table service meals 3x a day which I believe also includes an appetizer on top of the dessert. (we're more of an appetizer couple than a dessert couple)

However the upgrade cost from Free Dining to Deluxe is $400. (for two Adults)

On the other hand, though the idea of having a table service meal 3x a day sounds nice, at Disney sometimes its just not realistic. Between rides and shows AND wanting the convenience of a quick bite, I doubt we would actually utilize 3 table service meals a day. It might just be better to just use the free credits liberally (i.e. throwing in some signature restaurants here and there and if we end up running out of credits a couple days before the end of our trip, we would still probably only spend about $200 out-of-pocket for our remaining meals.

 

[diskids2]

Getting the DP for our trip this summer was almost the BIGGEST decision we had to make.... to point where I finally said ENOUGH (to myself and everyone thought I had lost it)

We got the plan and I won't do it again. However, I will say that every person and family is different. Here are my reasons for not PURCHASING the dining plan again.

1. We order from Garden Grocer and tend to have breakfast in the room while we are getting ready. Cold Cereal, muffins, etc.
2. Part of my family likes to break in the middle of the day and the other likes to continue at the parks. For those that break, they have something which we ordered from Garden Grocer (PB&J,etc.). For those at the parks, we tended to share CS meals and bought extra drinks. When three people were at the parks, we usually used two CS credits.
3. We really don't like or don't need the CS dessert options. We could have exercised self control and just passed on them, but the whole - it's part of the dining plan that we paid for kicked in and we got them and ATE them.
4. Because I had CS dessert option, I didn't really use the snack credits every day. I also didn't get some of the snacks that I love at WDW (dole whip). At the end of our stay we used left over snack credits for candy, chips, etc in the BC gift shop and took them over to Universal with us.
5. We are appetizer people. We ordered an appetizer at every TS meal that was not a buffet. Again, I could have given up dessert. I'd much rather have dessert somewhere else at another time of the evening. Starring Rolls cupcakes anyone????

The reason we decided to get the DP was that I wanted to avoid thinking about food costs (outside of apps and tips) and I just wanted to be carefree. I didn't find that with the dining plan. Next trip we will pay OOP and get what we want, where we want, and how we want. I also may use a Disney Gift Card to give me that carefree atmosphere that I was longing for.

And, if the DDP were free, but I had a 30% pin code off the deluxe resort room...I'd pick the resort pin code hands down.

 

[FreeTime]

We have tried both QS and DDP. DH tried to convince me to get the QS for our trip a few weeks ago...I am so glad I didn't listen to him!!!! Usually when we go out to eat I tell the kids in advance, no or yes to soda, no or yes to dessert, etc. I budgeted $1050 for 5 of us for 6 nights. This is the same amount the QSDP would have cost us. I told the kids (both Disney adults) and gramps, order whatever you want. Drinks, apps or desserts. We ate when we wanted (called and made ADR and hour ahead of time at Sci-Fi), when we wanted and still had extra money on our gift cards to shop!!! We didn't scrimp or share meals. We didn't feel like we had to eat at a TS or dread eating at a CS. We ate at:

TS - Garden Grill ($215 + tip-our biggest meal), Sci-Fi, T-Rex, The Plaza
QS - Pizza Planet, American Adventure (can't remember the name), Artist Palate - a few times, Typhoon Lagoon (don't remember the name)

Lots of snacks - nachos, ice cream, Coke, pretzel, min-donuts nuts, etc.

We had cereal in the room on a few days. We didn't go hungry and I kept gloating all week that we saved money and did sit down meals too!

 

[LovingDisny]

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!!

Us too! I love having the meals paid for in advance.

 

[purple figment]

What I am not getting is the reference to the Prix Fix menu....I can remember for example, Kona I THINK, that had a prix fix menu....So are we saying now I would have to pay a surcharge to use that menu? I guess I am not seeing how I can do a full comparison when the explanations seem so vague to me thru Disney...

Approximately half a dozen restaurants on the dining plan have prix fixe menus, but right now only one - Marrakesh has an upcharge of $5 or $7 depending on which feast you choose. I have heard that it is to cover the cost of the appetizer. I don't know whether the language in the 2013 pdf means every restaurant where you can order from the prix fixe menu will have an upcharge or if it's just to cover restaurants such as Marrakesh which have chosen to have one.

What restaurants have the separate dining plan menu? We paid OOP for all our TS meals last year so I want to be prepared this year since we're back on the DDP

PPs are referring to the prix fixe menus that are a part of the regular menu at some restaurants. This has been one way for regular dining plan users to get an appetizer with their meal. There are NO restaurants that have a separate or different menu for dining plan users.

 

[rcraw45425]

THanks guys! I am trying a practice run over here but unsure of 2013 menu prices..the surchage in June is always vague on buffets. I see the EASE of swiping that card and not thinking, I really do!!!!!

What I am not getting is the reference to the Prix Fix menu....I can remember for example, Kona I THINK, that had a prix fix menu....So are we saying now I would have to pay a surcharge to use that menu? I guess I am not seeing how I can do a full comparison when the explanations seem so vague to me thru Disney...

I just know this past summer I told DD a few times to ease up on getting a steak at every single meal and I feel bad about that. But again, she has 4 bites and is full. I wised up half way thru the trip and ordered myself a salad every night and ended up sharing with her.

I know DD and DH will miss their club level this year..They are already moaning about it so the dining plan was my peace offering to them!!!! Eat whatever you want!!!!!!

I sort of a figure if I spent a 100 a dinner (which we EASILY did last summer) then I am looking to cover 60 on snacks and a counter service meal. I can remember counter services being around 25 (but again I was trying to eat cheaply b/c I don't like fast food style so if you are trying to eat healthy, counter service is tough....) So add our snacks and we are at 40 with a small loss for the day. But again not that much of a loss and maybe there would be a gain by ordering whatever we wanted. I know we NEVER ordered dessert at any meal last year b/c we always had desserts in the lounge at night...so I assume we would do desserts with no club...

I think I am TRYING To analyze this that there will be no great shakes of a savings, but I won't lose money. Just a break even, easy thing to do. I really did try to track it this summer and whinced a few times when the bill came thinking "120 bucks for breakfast????"....

Last December, with the onset of Holiday pricing we opted for the DDP. DD15 got the Prix Fixe menu at Kona and it was covered. We all got the family dinner thing at Nine Dragons and not only was it covered the server basically told me I could sub any entree under a certain price. I'm not a fan of the DDP but have resigned myself to the FD for our upcoming Oct trip. Right now it is the only discount offered or our dates and I'm approaching our 45 day mark in a couple of weeks. I can use some of the promo items they're offered like the percentage off coupons for fishing excursions and maybe the spa.

 

[CrabbyPatty]

I'm a HUGE fan of free dining (which we've gotten every August we've gone to WDW), but should we NOT receive free dining in 2013, I would not pay for it - we'd just go OOP.

Even this year, my DD is aging out of her love of character meals and after we did deluxe dining in 2010, I felt like we had seen every last princess (at least twice or more) and had done most of the 2 TS special events such as CRT, SOA, HDDR, etc. Our list of "must do" ADRs is getting smaller and smaller, so I would have no problem in passing on the dining plan.

However, having said that, I will hope for free DD in August of 2013!

 

[TDC Nala]

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

A lot of readers believe this means there will be a surcharge on ALL prix fixe menus.

It doesn't have to be read that way. Marrakesh currently has a surcharge on its multicourse "feasts." This paragraph may have been inserted to refer to what Marrakesh already does, not to indicate that ALL prix fixe meals will have a surcharge.

 

[scottmel]

OPhere.
It ended up working out ok for me. I am going with an agency that gets a block of rooms at a discount and the DDP at a discount as well. So if my MICKEY MATH is correct, I think my DDP is around 48 pp vs. 57 pp. This is just the way I factor things compared to a AAA pkg. etc. So I am going for it. we had it FREE in 2011 from a free trip I won, didn't have it in 2012 and missed it! So this is my compromise this year - no club level but dining! Thanks for the input. I doubt I will be saving much of anything but it will give me some flexibility on ordering as DD and DH love Cape May and that is so costly OOP. Now we can go twice!

 

[BuzzandWoodyMom]

We paid for it in 2005 and 2006, but have never paid for it again after that, as we only travel during free dining weeks now. Free Dining is the reason that we return to Disney every single year. If they didn't have free dining we would probably only go once every 2 or 3 years.

 

[mid630]

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.”

I wonder if this effects us. We arrive on 12/31, so we are paying peak 2012 prices (which are cheaper than non-peak 2013 prices), but getting all of our food except for 1 TS meal in 2013. This may officially price us out of the DDP. We were already on the fence. Most days we have a buffet/family style/character meal planned, and those days the plan saves us a ton just on the TS alone (so basically our QS is "free" even if we didn't get dessert). However, on the days our TS is a lunch, we know we'll actually be wasting a little money by having done the meal plan.

UGH. The whole thing makes my head hurt.

 

[justtobeme2]

We have FD this year and have upgraded to DXDP. We are going to eat ourselves around the world this trip (2 adults). We are going to find where we like to eat best. After this trip if FD isn't offered we'll probably pay OOP because we'll be able to pick and choose from what we already know. We're trying places we haven't eaten at yet except for one Yak and Yeti.lol..my fave xaozing steak..can't remember how it's spelled..and those cream cheese wontons with honey glaze...yum..

 

[andeesings]

We usually get the free dining and then upgrade it to the DxDP. But I suppose a lot of other people have been doing that-- because the 2013 upcharge is a pretty crazy leap!!

It all depends-- we like to eat at signature restaurants, so really, the upgrade for us pays for itself with two meals. We'd have to calculate everything, really! It would probably still be worth it, but significantly cut down the value.

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

I love the deluxe dining plan. However with the increase in price for 2013 I no longer feel it's worth it. I'm getting a tables in wonderland card with my AP so we can still eat at our favorite restaurants.

DS will be 10 and while he's eaten like an adult for almost 2 years, I'm now eating less so we will share some meals. All of us are cutting out most desserts. This right here will save us some money (not to mention we rarely used our mugs). I will miss the snacks during F&WF though. Guess I'll be loading up that gift card!!

 

[tianna26]

Ok this will be my whole families first time at Disney world and im still confused about whether the dining plan would be worth it. i looked through the menus and prices the problem is we as a family are more spontaneous people we usually don't plan and make reservations months ahead of time. the dp don't allow the different people of your group to have different plan. me and my mother don't really eat that much however my lil brother 9 eats like hes never gonna eat again. lol I guess its a boy thing.then my sister and niece who is 2 and doesn't qualify for dining Im not really sure about their eating habits. We are trying to keep spending as low as possible. decisions decisions