Dining Plan Convenience???? Where's the Convenience?

[Rob D]

Well for our group we use the DP. We make our dinner reservations in advance as early as we are allowed.
we usually travel with a group of 6 to 8 people, now all adults. We try to coordinate where will have dinner with where we will be that day. since we range in age we will usually go our separate ways during the day and meet up for dinners together. dinners now come with an adult beverage (which at WDW could be $10 or $12.
If we eat at a restaurant that requires 2 dinner coupons we will use a quick service meal on one day as a dinner. there are many quick service meals that are enough . As for the snacks there are some great snack locations located throughout the parks you would be surprised as to some great values there are. Im not a big snack eater but my wife and I will use our snacks to eat around the world at epcot . We use the plan to the fullest advantage. Personally I like the fact that I don't have to go into my pocket for each meal I just get to enjoy a good meal with family and friends and don't have to think about the cost every time we sit down.

 

[Rob D]

Oh one last thing I forgot. My daughter has a citrus allergy and all of the restaurants are very accomodating
a chef comes out and works out a menu with her and usually bring it out to her themselves.
She is limited as to what she can eat but they do a great job helping her enjoy her vacation

 

[5kidsmommy]

We are not big eaters which is probably why it doesn't work out for us. My daughter and I used it once on a free dining trip. It was good because it was for her 16th birthday and she wanted character meals. It was sooooo much food though. She does want me to try to plan another trip with free dining again if it becomes available after she is 21 since alcohol is now included and she'll be paying for her portion of the trip. I really think going with her is the only way I'd use it. My husband and I like the flexibility to just order what we want. My daughter wants to know exactly how much she'll be spending and I get that.

 

[kristenrice]

Glad to hear you came out ahead!!

Do you now save the Disney gift card for a future trip, or would you be shopping at the Disney Store anyway, and just use it there?

I and heading down in October 2020 with my dad so it won’t go to waste. It will either go towards food or my AP purchase.

 

[VegasVic14]

We are 44 days out and part of the family is using the plan, part is not. Bottom line is that you're gonna eat and drink what you're gonna eat and drink, plan or no plan. Just go, have a blast creating memories and don't sweat it. Life's too short for that.

 

[CalSea12]

Agree wholeheartedly.

We like the freedom of being able to order whatever we want, and we tend to order the most expensive items on the menu. It’s so much more relaxing to not have to count every penny and worry about overspending. Every trip we save hundreds of dollars on DDP.

Eating at Disneyland was very stressful without the DDP. We are used to expensive restaurants. I want to enjoy my vacation not be worried about running out of money.

I 100 percent agree with this! We just went to DL this past October and hated it for this exact reason! I did not like not being on the dining plan.... it was too much stress. We were constantly changing plans and ordering less to stay on budget. At the end of the trip I swore I would never go back.

The convience factor is simple... I have been to WDW enough times that I know how to use the DP. I dont have to keep track of the dining credits for 2 reasons... A. they do it for me! Its printed right on my recipt.... no looking anywhere else... incredibly convienent!!! B. I have already pre-planned all my meals... know what I am doing that day and they are small numbers to keep track of... no prices change either... much more difficult when your trying to keep order of... 2.75 for this drink and 5.50 for this snack... 75.48 for this meal. There is absolutely convience in the DP.

Also let's talk about the money it saves. We do the Deluxe Dining Plan every trip! Three sit down meals a day typically buffets will run at least 150.00 per day per person not including snacks... or a table service where we love to each have an app, meal, and dessert to ourselves... our average meal total per person is $70... now let's add all that up... we get convience, peace, and saving money... how can we not get it...

 

[CalSea12]

That right there is why Disney prices things the way they do and loves to sell the Dining Plan. You ordered things you wouldn't have if paying for cash. So any 'savings' is falsely inflated. You can only really get an honest evaluation if you do a straight comparison to what you would have spent if you were still holding that $1,265.36 in cash instead of credits. The Mouse wins at this game, even when we think we are ahead.

But I know what you mean. I have our trip budgeted, and worked out what we will spend where, but while in the moment, I won't know if the prices will change the decision making. But dining is not really cheap where we are, so hopefully it doesn't become an issue.

Yes and No... either way I would still go to those restaurants and buy those items... that's just how I do WDW... and if i didn't i would be miserable.

Plus as far as I am aware most businesses want return customers... I will seriously never go back to DL bc of my experience... so in reality Disney is losing money.

 

[Specter]

The problem with the very question is that it is being treated as an objective subject with an indisputable, fact based answer. But convenience is a subjective thing. Some people consider Starbucks convenient for grabbing a coffee on the go but for those who either can't afford $5+ for a coffee or just won't pay that there is no convenience whatsoever. What is convenient for one person isn't necessarily so for another, even when the person that deems it so can point to reasons why it is for them. People have shared reasons that they personally feel the DP is convenient but the OP doesn't see it that way, and that's okay. Everyone sees things a little bit differently. Those that feel that it is convenient aren't wrong, nor are those that do not.

 

[xipotec]

We have now done both DD and non DD several times.

We now just pay as we go. Ended up cheaper for the most part. Using 2 credits for signature was very very good, but even then it was just WAY too much food for us.

Plus keeping track of the credits and plans of where and what places take which.....just was a hassle.

we always ended up with extra credits at tge end and wasted them on buying snacks for the ride home that we really didnt need.

We ate less, spent less and enjoyed the dining experience more without DD.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

The problem with the very question is that it is being treated as an objective subject with an indisputable, fact based answer. But convenience is a subjective thing. Some people consider Starbucks convenient for grabbing a coffee on the go but for those who either can't afford $5+ for a coffee or just won't pay that there is no convenience whatsoever. What is convenient for one person isn't necessarily so for another, even when the person that deems it so can point to reasons why it is for them. People have shared reasons that they personally feel the DP is convenient but the OP doesn't see it that way, and that's okay. Everyone sees things a little bit differently. Those that feel that it is convenient aren't wrong, nor are those that do not.

I think people are actually misunderstanding the question. I understand that it can be a stress reducer for some. I understand that in certain circumstances it could be cheaper. But that's not what I asked. I asked what makes it "convenient"?


con·ven·ience
/kənˈvēnyəns/

1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

None of those things reduce effort or difficulty.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think people are actually misunderstanding the question. I understand that it can be a stress reducer for some. I understand that in certain circumstances it could be cheaper. But that's not what I asked. I asked what makes it "convenient"?


con·ven·ience
/kənˈvēnyəns/

1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

None of those things reduce effort or difficulty.

The convenience is in not having to think about what you are ordering.

 

[Summer2018]

I think people are actually misunderstanding the question. I understand that it can be a stress reducer for some. I understand that in certain circumstances it could be cheaper. But that's not what I asked. I asked what makes it "convenient"?


con·ven·ience
/kənˈvēnyəns/

1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

None of those things reduce effort or difficulty.

How’s that?

 

[CalSea12]

I think people are actually misunderstanding the question. I understand that it can be a stress reducer for some. I understand that in certain circumstances it could be cheaper. But that's not what I asked. I asked what makes it "convenient"?


con·ven·ience
/kənˈvēnyəns/

1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

None of those things reduce effort or difficulty.

As I said before my convience comes in not having to pay attention to what I am spending on food. Even with putting it on a gift card or credit card I still have to pay attention to the amount I am spending. We are also the type who have to add in receipt to our account every time we spend something. So.... yes much easier with credits.

Credits are easy... bc I dont really have to pay attn... everything is already preplanned out. They also "conveniently" put my total credits left on my receipt so I dont have to pay attention to that either. How does that not reduce my effort?

 

[Toolulu22]

I think people are actually misunderstanding the question. I understand that it can be a stress reducer for some. I understand that in certain circumstances it could be cheaper. But that's not what I asked. I asked what makes it "convenient"?


con·ven·ience
/kənˈvēnyəns/

1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

None of those things reduce effort or difficulty.

We tried the DP for the first time this year and while we enjoyed the convenience of refilling our mugs at the resorts and getting snacks/drinks in the parks without pulling out our wallet, it was too much food for us and slightly stressful to have to plan out our meals and make sure to use up all our meal credits. We came out ahead of the game money wise because we of our dining choices, but ate way more food than we would have without the plan.

I’m glad we did it once though, because we ate at many places we normally won’t because of the OOP price. That’s not a benefit of convenience, but we enjoyed the myriad of food choices we normally don’t experience.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

As I said before my convience comes in not having to pay attention to what I am spending on food. Even with putting it on a gift card or credit card I still have to pay attention to the amount I am spending. We are also the type who have to add in receipt to our account every time we spend something. So.... yes much easier with credits.

Credits are easy... bc I dont really have to pay attn... everything is already preplanned out. They also "conveniently" put my total credits left on my receipt so I dont have to pay attention to that either. How does that not reduce my effort?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they put the amount left on your gift card on the receipt too?

 

[CalSea12]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they put the amount left on your gift card on the receipt too?

Possibly... I honestly have never used one... but still what if I dont have enough on my giftcard for everything I need? I guess I can try to over pay it and spend it elsewhere... but no convience in that.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Possibly... I honestly have never used one... but still what if I dont have enough on my giftcard for everything I need? I guess I can try to over pay it and spend it elsewhere... but no convience in that.

Take the exact amount you would have paid for the dining plan, and put that on a gift card at the beginning of the trip. Yes, there is a small chance that you will run out of funds before the end of the trip, but even if you do, it won't be by a lot. There is a much larger chance that you will have a lot of extra funds at the end of the trip.

 

[Summer2018]

Take the exact amount you would have paid for the dining plan, and put that on a gift card at the beginning of the trip. Yes, there is a small chance that you will run out of funds before the end of the trip, but even if you do, it won't be by a lot. There is a much larger chance that you will have a lot of extra funds at the end of the trip.

Not in my case.

Before our trip to Disneyland last April, we booked ADR’s and looked over menus. We guesstimated the amount we would need and brought that.

We ran out of money for meals at the end of the trip, had to skip eating at one of the more expensive restaurants, and had to pay with credit cards until vacation was over.

Not having the dining plan in Disneyland caused a lot of trouble for us.

 

[CalSea12]

Not in my case.

Before our trip to Disneyland last April, we booked ADR’s and looked over menus. We guesstimated the amount we would need and brought that.

We ran out of money for meals at the end of the trip, had to skip eating at one of the more expensive restaurants, and had to pay with credit cards until vacation was over.

Not having the dining plan in Disneyland caused a lot of trouble for us.

Same here totally agree... for OUR family a gift card is so not the answer! I think it's an awful idea for US, Disneyland was proof of that. But for others gift cards work and the DP doesnt...

Really each family has to do what is convienent for them... and the OP needs to know that. Convience means different things to different ppl...

 

[CalSea12]

Take the exact amount you would have paid for the dining plan, and put that on a gift card at the beginning of the trip. Yes, there is a small chance that you will run out of funds before the end of the trip, but even if you do, it won't be by a lot. There is a much larger chance that you will have a lot of extra funds at the end of the trip.

There is always that but what if though which isnt convienent for MY family. Also like I said in a previous post we always save money when using the dining plan so just putting the cost of the dining plan on a gift card wouldnt work...