worth it to do dining plan?

[jaz0308]

Help! My family is trying to decide if we should do the dining plan for our visit in July 2011! It seems like the popular thing to do, but when we add up the options it doesn't seem to really make that much financial sense! We like the convenience of having the meals preplanned but it seems like even with the most expensive options it doesn't add up to $50 per day for an adult! Are we missing something ? We are a party of 5 adults 5 kids and 1 baby...what do you recommend...do the meal plan or not????

 

[Sienna]

We did the QSDP last January and loved it - I would do it again. I liked having the food paid for in advance. We probably would have eaten a little differently if we were paying OOP for everything, but it was nice to have some 'extras' like snacks, beverages, and desserts (again, we might not have gotten these all the time if we were paying OOP). It felt like we were splurging a little bit, and that's what vacation is all about! If you are concerned about the cost of the plan, or the food items not suiting your family's needs, but you like the idea of paying for meals in advance, I've heard of people putting money on a Disney gift card ahead of time and paying for meals that way.

 

[TinkerBrie]

I wouldn't want to go without it! I agree that the fact that the meals are prepaid makes it a strees free vacation for us!

 

[Colleen27]

If it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense. The plan doesn't work for everyone.

It used to be a really great deal and a lot of people have grown accustomed to the pre-paid convenience, but at the current pricing and inclusions it really has to match up with your eating habits for you to come out ahead. If you prefer breakfast or lunch over dinner, or have kids 10+ who still want kids' menu food, or don't want dessert with most every meal, etc. the plan can work out to be more expensive than paying OOP.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Help! My family is trying to decide if we should do the dining plan for our visit in July 2011! It seems like the popular thing to do, but when we add up the options it doesn't seem to really make that much financial sense! We like the convenience of having the meals preplanned but it seems like even with the most expensive options it doesn't add up to $50 per day for an adult! Are we missing something ? We are a party of 5 adults 5 kids and 1 baby...what do you recommend...do the meal plan or not????

Look at it for your family as a whole not each individual person, and for your entire trip. Check out the menus and where you want to eat. What are you likely to order? Both TS and CS meals, and don't forget snacks. It may or may not be a good fit for you.

 

[llqool]

Not sure if you are talking about the QSDP or the "regular" DDP, but I would urge you, as a PP said, to take a look at the menus and get an idea of the prices. I looked at the menus for the places we like to eat, and I priced out what we would order OOP if we weren't on the meal plan. If we weren't on the plan, I wouldn't order drinks w/my meals (would just get a water cup), wouldn't get desserts, wouldn't get snacks, and wouldn't get the resort mug. The OOP cost for doing that was just about the same as paying for the meal plan and now I get to say "yes" to my kids instead of "no" when they ask for a snack

If you figure in the tax you pay when you buy OOP, then I definitely come out ahead (and get the adoration of my kids! ) AND i don't have to worry so much about how much things are going to cost.

 

[cluvsdisney]

If it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense. The plan doesn't work for everyone.

It used to be a really great deal and a lot of people have grown accustomed to the pre-paid convenience, but at the current pricing and inclusions it really has to match up with your eating habits for you to come out ahead. If you prefer breakfast or lunch over dinner, or have kids 10+ who still want kids' menu food, or don't want dessert with most every meal, etc. the plan can work out to be more expensive than paying OOP.

I agree with Colleen 100%

It doesn't work for everyone. If you have to struggle to come up with breaking even then it becomes a chore to keep track. You don't save any time on the plan so I don't see prepaying as a benefit in that regard either. I think it's better to save the money you would spend on the plan and use that while you are on vacation. This way it's already paid for but you can eat the way you all want not the way Disney laid out the plan.

 

[havoc315]

Children on the plan (between ages 3-9) are likely to be the big savers. For adults, at nearly $50 per adult, the DDP does not automatically save money. Depends whether you are doing very expensive TS meals or not. If you want steak for dinner every night plus dessert, then the DDP may save you money. (As the dinners alone, will run $35-$40 per dinner). On the other hand, if you are more inclined to use your TS meal for a burger at the Plaza Restaurant (where the whole meal will be under $25, including dessert), then the DDP would be a major waste of money.

The point where the DDP starts to be a moderate value, basically seems to be a character meal and a CS lunch, plus snack. For example -- Chef Mickey -- About $35. CS lunch at Columbia Harbor House -- About $15. Snack, about $3. So OOP, that would be $53... and you're paying about $47. So about a 10% savings, or about $6.

On the high side... Dinner at Chefs De France can easily be $45. Lunch at Sunshine Seasons could be around $16. Throw in a $4 snack, and it would be $65 OOP. For a significant savings of nearly $20.

But then on the low end -- CS breakfast, almost anyplace-- About $8. Mid afternoon lunch/dinner at the 50's Prime Time Cafe-- Consisting of fried chicken, soda and S'mores -- About $24. Throw in a $3 snack -- Total OOP of $35. Meaning, just wasted $12 by getting the DDP.

And of course, if you want to skip some of those desserts, then it really destroys the value even moreso.

To me, if you think you want expensive TS dinners and CS lunches every day, then go for the DDP.
If you think you're going to do mid-priced character meals and moderate priced lunches/breakfasts... The DDP could give you a tiny savings, but I would probably skip the DDP in order to increase flexibility.
And if you generally prefer the more moderately priced entrees, or if you plan to skip desserts, or if you plan on using CS credits for breakfast.... Then you are probably better off skipping the DDP entirely.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Help! My family is trying to decide if we should do the dining plan for our visit in July 2011! It seems like the popular thing to do, but when we add up the options it doesn't seem to really make that much financial sense! We like the convenience of having the meals preplanned but it seems like even with the most expensive options it doesn't add up to $50 per day for an adult! Are we missing something ? We are a party of 5 adults 5 kids and 1 baby...what do you recommend...do the meal plan or not????

What are the ages of your children? Back when my kids were 9 & under it was a lot cheaper for us to go with the plan. Now that it's 50.00 each, which is 250.00 a day for us, it hurts. That's why we go during free dining now, or I will have to go without it unless we get a great discount on our resort to help with the cost.

With that said, I added up what we would have spend OOP on food, back when it included appetizers & tips, and I saved over 600.00 on the plan.

It might be helpful to look at the menus of each place that you plan to dine, and plan what you would most likely order and add up what it would cost you. This may help you with your decision.

I will tell you that a Counter service meal for five with dessert runs us about 70.00 a day, for ONE meal. It could be done cheaper I guess, but that's an average for us.

 

[3pletprincesses]

For us it makes sense. We have 3 kids under 9 and the convenience to not have to worry about money is worth every penny. Since we do caracter meals pretty much everyday, it cost us about $550 just for TS for 6 days and that's pretty much only breakfast. Add to this counter services which for us runs about $45-50 a meal and voila. Add another $200 for cs to the original $550 and the plan is already paid for and we still haven't touched the snacks.

If we really wanted to max that, we could do only dinner TS and it would be a bigger savings but I prefer breakfast TS and CS for late lunch or dinner.

 

[fairestoneofall]

we always do the regular dining plan. but we normally travel in cooler months. we went on a budget trip last June and did the QSDP (it was part of the kids go free package). we found that it was more than enough food for us during that trip. because it was so hot, none of us were hungry enough to have warranted the regular dining plan. it worked out great for us.

we tend to save money when we do DDP. we try to mostly eat dinners or character meals (which are higher in price). a lot depends on where you want to eat though. if you won't be frequenting the higher-priced meals, it may not be worth it. and i have two kids under 9, so that is another piece of the puzzle (as a PP mentioned).

for me, i love that i've pre-paid it all and don't have to worry about budgeting that money while i'm down there.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

we always do the regular dining plan. but we normally travel in cooler months. we went on a budget trip last June and did the QSDP (it was part of the kids go free package). we found that it was more than enough food for us during that trip. because it was so hot, none of us were hungry enough to have warranted the regular dining plan. it worked out great for us.

we tend to save money when we do DDP. we try to mostly eat dinners or character meals (which are higher in price). a lot depends on where you want to eat though. if you won't be frequenting the higher-priced meals, it may not be worth it. and i have two kids under 9, so that is another piece of the puzzle (as a PP mentioned).

for me, i love that i've pre-paid it all and don't have to worry about budgeting that money while i'm down there.

That is another BIG factor for me too. I like knowing that most everything is paid for before we get there. MY DH is so tight, he would never want to pay OOP for some of these meals. With the plan, he does not care. I'm happy and the kids are happy too because they can order what ever they want and I don't have to worry about the price. They even get dessert, which we normally do not do when we go out.

 

[havoc315]

That is another BIG factor for me too. I like knowing that most everything is paid for before we get there.

To me, that's a major disadvantage. Pre-paying is great if you are saving money. But if you come to realize you have pre-paid $47.. but then only gotten $35 "worth" of meals, makes me feel like a sucker. So I feel the DDP pressures me into getting items more expensive than I want.. pressures me into ordering desserts that I don't actually want... just so I can feel like I'm getting some value.

(Ironically, in contrast... I generally like the DxDP, as I feel it is easier to achieve value as long as you prefer TS meals)

 

[fairestoneofall]

To me, that's a major disadvantage. Pre-paying is great if you are saving money. But if you come to realize you have pre-paid $47.. but then only gotten $35 "worth" of meals, makes me feel like a sucker. So I feel the DDP pressures me into getting items more expensive than I want.. pressures me into ordering desserts that I don't actually want... just so I can feel like I'm getting some value.

(Ironically, in contrast... I generally like the DxDP, as I feel it is easier to achieve value as long as you prefer TS meals)

i honestly can't think of a day where we'd only get $35 worth of meals though. if i just did two counter service meals with drinks and desserts plus a snack, then yes. yes, i'd probably spend about $35. but not with the DDP. here's a typical day at Epcot (not ordering anything i wouldn't order anyway):

Sunshine Seasons lunch
turkey on foccacia: $8.59
drink: $2.39
asian chocolate cake (LOVE!) : $3.99


Beirgarten dinner: $34.99

random snack: $2.99

=$52.95

and i didn't order anything that i wouldn't otherwise order.

now, at some of the CS locations, i might not get a dessert if it weren't included, but that's just a few dollars. i find we often "break even" more than pay more some days. but as a whole, we tend to save money on the dining plan.

 

[KigerKat]

We love the dining plan...when it is free. We're in the process of booking our next trip now, and we've missed the Free Dining offer that expired last month. We're looking at how much menu items are vs. the cost of the dining plan, and it's looking like we're going to go without one this time.

It's just DH and I, so it's not like the dining plan or paying for meals oop would cost us an arm and a leg, but I think we might actually save money going oop. I tend to lose my appetite a lot while we're there (from the heat and being tired), so I can never finish a meal. If we go oop, we can split meals so we're not wasting so much food.

 

[havoc315]

i honestly can't think of a day where we'd only get $35 worth of meals though. if i just did two counter service meals with drinks and desserts plus a snack, then yes. yes, i'd probably spend about $35. but not with the DDP. here's a typical day at Epcot (not ordering anything i wouldn't order anyway):

It works for you, as you include the desserts... you get a relatively expensive CS lunch, and a relatively expensive TS dinner. So it saves you a few dollars.

But... let's say here is what I would order, even if money was no issue, at Epcot:
Mid morning breakfast at Sunshine Seasons: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Croissant $5.99, plus a coffee... So about $9 total.
Mid-afternoon lunch/dinner at World Showcase -- Fish & Chips at Rose & Crown -- $16, plus a soda, for a total of about $19..
A "dessert" later in the day... perhaps Chocolate Croissant from France, for $2.85.
So 1 CS + 1 TS + 1 dessert/snack, plus beverages at each meal, for a total of about $31. Even if I added in desserts that I wouldn't want (1 dessert per day is plenty for me, don't need 2-3), but even if I did get dessert with dinner, it would still be well under $40.

And I could have created much cheaper combinations.

So if I was on the ddp... I would feel pressured to skip the use of a CS credit at breakfast, I would feel pressured to eat a more expensive TS meal, and feel pressured to order dessert. Because I wouldn't want to be the sucker who paid $47 for $31 worth of food.

There are absolutely people for whom it is worth it. If you are doing an expensive CS lunch plus a relatively expensive TS lunch, then it is worth it for most adults. With the children's prices, it is worth it for practically any character meal.

 

[brewhome]

I personally think the regular DDP is the best choice for my family. I did a review/cost comparison on my last trip, and we came out ahead of the game. Click on my user name in this post, and find posts that I started. My dining review thread is from February 2010, if you're interested in what we ate and how much it would have cost vs. the cost of the DDP.

You can make it work either way - just depends on what you're looking for!

Have a great trip!!

 

[Disny4girls]

sorry for jumping...even though the children our 10 and 13 can they eat off the kids menu rather you are on the DDp or not?
Also I know whe want to eat at Crystal palace, ohanas and Royal Banquet in Epcot. With the reg DDp you get two snacks, CS and then a TS? TIA

 

[havoc315]

sorry for jumping...even though the children our 10 and 13 can they eat off the kids menu rather you are on the DDp or not?
Also I know whe want to eat at Crystal palace, ohanas and Royal Banquet in Epcot. With the reg DDp you get two snacks, CS and then a TS? TIA

Yes, they can order off the kids menu in most cases, according to most reports. But if you are paying for the DDP, that is an awful waste of value.

With the regular DDP, you get CS, TS, and only 1 snack per day.

 

[dmmichelle]

Hello Disney lovers!

Thought I'd chime in as well and just say that for our family the Dining Plan is more about enjoying the TS meal "experiences" that we probably wouldn't do if we had to pay OOP. We have been to Biergarten, Coral Reef, Hoop de Doo, Boma, and Chef Mickey's using our TS credits and I know we would not have gone to these restaurants if we had to pay OOP (well maybe Chef Mickey's). If you don't mind taking the time to plan your reservations I think it is well worth it.

We tend to take a fairly relaxed approach to the parks so we never mind spending time at a nice restaurant. On our next trip we are going to try Whispering Canyon, Cape May Cafe, Crystal Palace, Ohana's and the Yachtsman's Steakhouse - can't wait!!