Dining plan- please help me decide

[lisamarie12]

I am still torn as to whether to get the dining plan (regular plan) or pay out of pocket. There are 3 of us, DH, I, and DD. DD is 8 so she is at child’s prices and eats accordingly (Mac and cheese for most meals and snacks). DD likes to have a beer with most meals and I don’t mind a fruity drink on vacation. The meals we already have reserved are:
Artist point
Sci fi
Chef Mickeys
Coral reef
BOG lunch

I’m willing to add another TS meal if we do dining plan but if we do out of pocket I’d probably do QS.

We are staying at CSR and will be there July 1-6.

I soft priced meals and it seems like with just those I listed we are around $600. Dining plan was around $900.

DH is no help and now I am second guessing my pay out of pocket idea and wondering if I should book the dining plan.

Thoughts

 

[tannerandcatesmom]

We always book the dining plan. For us it is just easier to pay ahead and not worry about $ until check out. We charge the tips and any extras to the room and settle up on the last morning. Once the trip is paid for I can just relax and go! Better for Mom’s peace of mind! Whichever you decide, I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[NYCgrrl]

I am still torn as to whether to get the dining plan (regular plan) or pay out of pocket. There are 3 of us, DH, I, and DD. DD is 8 so she is at child’s prices and eats accordingly (Mac and cheese for most meals and snacks). DD likes to have a beer with most meals and I don’t mind a fruity drink on vacation. The meals we already have reserved are:
Artist point
Sci fi
Chef Mickeys
Coral reef
BOG lunch

I’m willing to add another TS meal if we do dining plan but if we do out of pocket I’d probably do QS.

We are staying at CSR and will be there July 1-6.

I soft priced meals and it seems like with just those I listed we are around $600. Dining plan was around $900.

DH is no help and now I am second guessing my pay out of pocket idea and wondering if I should book the dining plan.

Thoughts

Sorry to say so but the only way to be sure is to do the math.

Sometimes it's obvious to us we want a dining plan and other times it makes more sense to pay OOP. For instance our next trip we opted in to the QS plan not because we'll eat counter service every day just that the few (3-4) we'll want at Epcot will take us to the break even point in short order. When we leave I'll give my MB to somebody checking in and they can enjoy the remainder as well as those refillable mugs we don't use. The remainder of our meals will be TS paid out of pocket using our AP discount and discounted Disney gift cards.

I will say that nothing jumps out on your prospective plan that tilts the decision in either direction: no 2 credit meals that I can see and it seems DD is a vegetarian.

 

[sharonabe]

I soft priced meals and it seems like with just those I listed we are around $600. Dining plan was around $900.

Let's just soft price what you haven't already. I'm not adding another TS, but doing 6 QS meals since that's what you would do OOP and ordering kid's meals for DD. Let's use $15 for the adult meals (you could easily go higher with an alcoholic beverage) and $7 for kid's meals, that adds $220 to your $600 total. That leaves $80 for snacks. 3 x 2 x 6 x $5 = $180
Grand total is $1000 and that's without maximizing the plan and even using 1 TS meal for a QS meal. Add that extra TS meal and you're easily saving money.

(If BoG lunch is included in your $600, then we need to subtract $40 from the total)

The other question you need to answer HONESTLY is how will you realistically eat. Will both of you order some kind of alcoholic drink at EVERY meal? (It's okay if the answer is no as I didn't include them in the QS prices, but how many do you anticipate wanting?) Do you both WANT your own dessert at the two TS a la carte places or are you happy with just one or even none? Will all of you use your snack credits each day? (That's really not that hard to do if you need something for breakfast or you really like Starbucks drinks.)

It looks like you'll probably save at least a little bit and at worst break even. Knowing it's all paid for and you can say "YES" every time DD wants a Mickey ice cream also has value.

AND, just so you know, my family NEVER gets the dining plan anymore because it doesn't fit the way we eat. The math (if your soft price of $600 is correct) just seems to be in your favor.

 

[Bjkandma]

We had the free quick service plan last year. We upgraded to the DDP for approximately $950 for 2 adults and a "Disney" adult. 14 nights. Was worried, but we thought we would try. Daughter, 30, kept tabs on her adult beverages, and speciality drinks included in plan. Grand total $371. Not including mine or Disney adult. After looking at menu prices and the fact that prices continue to rise in the price of food (some items have increased as much as $2.00 and the fact the dining plan price stayed same, we are doing same this year. We will share snacks, they are DEFINITELY sharable. Last year my calculations we saved over $1,000 and never said no to snacks, just as have to,share!

 

[ame6405]

The math works out differently for each family. You really can only know if it is worth it for YOUR family.

We like the DP for 3 reasons:
1. We do a lot of character dining. If we paid OOP for each meal we would be paying well over what we pay for the DP.
2. As the one watching the budget on vacation, I like to know that we paid for all our meals months before we even set foot on property. It is just one less thing to pay attention to while we are there.
3. We like to "snack hunt" and find the interesting (usually expensive) snacks in each park or resort. I am not sure I would shell out almost $7 for a pineapple upside-down cake dole whip if I was paying OOP. (Just kidding. I totally would...)

All that being said, you have to eat the food to make it worth it and it is A LOT of food. We have boys aged 13 and 11, so they eat all the food. And then all their sister's food. And then all my food. And then ask for a snack. So the math and the amount of food works out in our favor, but that isn't the case for every family.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am another one to chime in on the need to do the math. I agree with @sharonabe that you will probably do well with the plan, but without knowing your family and your personal dining preferences, it really is hard to say.

My family prefers a plan, and we use it well, but it mirrors how we vacation, We all like awesome Starbucks drinks, and so the snacks credits are used.

We tend to eat at TS restaurants at least once a day, and we do like dessert and will order alcoholic beverages. WE always have at least one CS meal per day.

I think it makes sense to make an outline of how you think you all will eat, but include your CS choices. Add it up roughly. Add in snacks money if your family will snack. I never include the cost of the mugs. They are a wash for my family. WE like them, and we buy a few, but I doubt we would purchase all 7 or 9 for our crew.

 

[LovePug]

I had been torn prior to my trip, also, but did end up doing the DDP. We absolutely loved it! Every TS meal was over $220 for the 3 of us (all "adults" according to Disney). Once the alcoholic beverages and specialty drinks were added in, the plan basically paid for itself just with the TS meals, then add in the QS, snacks, and mug and we easily saved money on it. We like the TS dinner each day, but not everyone does. We did QS for breakfast. You really have to look at how you eat your meals.

 

[Rxdr2013]

there is a website you can put in all your choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it will calculate how much it would save you.

 

[sharonabe]

there is a website you can put in all your choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it will calculate how much it would save you.

If you're talking about distripplanner, it hasn't been updated in almost two years. It doesn't reflect the addition of alcohol or the rise in prices that took place last fall.

 

[KCMA]

We just got back from 7 nights at bay lake tower.. it’s our 4th trip and we did the dining plan the first two trips and found it’s just to much food and .. so much waste and I don’t always want an app and dessert with every meal... the last two trips with no dinning plan we literally saved every receipt for food and snacks etc.. we saved $664 this trip and about $685 last trip when comparing the total of dinning plan versus out of pocket..keep in mind we are DVC and had breakfast in our rooms every morning except one were we had a reservation at Crystal Palace

 

[Staren]

I have added the dining plan to all three of my solo trips now. On my first solo trip last year I did the regular dining plan. Got the quick service dining plan for my second solo trip in January, and I have the deluxe dining plan for my Christmas trip this December. I personally don't look at it as a money saver. Though if I was losing a lot of money I wouldn't do it. On the last 2 trips I have either saved a little money or broke even.

Here are the reasons I like it and will probably continue to pay for it:

• Everything but tips and souvenirs are prepaid. When I arrive I know my trip is paid for and I don't have to think about a bill coming or paying cash.
• With the dining plan I don't stress about what a meal is going to cost. When I'm paying OOP it is very hard for me to not look at the prices and debate whether I really want something more expensive. On the dining plan it's already paid for and I get what I want and enjoy my vacation.
• It gives me a reason to snack hunt. Similar to meals, OOP I'd be pricing snacks and thinking about the cost too much to get what I want. On the dining plan, I've got the credits anyway, so it gives me a reason to look for fun ways to use them.

You do have to plan well and use the dining plan strategically. For example, everyone says the deluxe dining plan is just too much food and is a waste of money in most cases. The reason that I went with it for my upcoming holiday trip is because from the start this has been planned as a more high end trip. My last trip was a quicker more commando style go go go trip, so the quick service plan worked better. For this trip I will be taking a slower pace, and plan to eat at quite a few signature restaurants. So the extra credits are going to be put to good use, but not eating 3 sit down meals per day.

 

[lisamarie12]

Well I decided to go ahead and get it, especially since my DD gets child pricing. I think with a few character meals it will be worth it. I will know in about 2 weeks whether it was a good move.

 

[Staren]

I think with a few character meals it will be worth it.

This right here. If you’re planning on a couple character meals or other big ticket dining options, that is where the dining plan starts to make sense and a few cents.

 

[chinarider]

I personally love the dining plan but it also works for the way we eat. We splurged on the Deluxe plan for part of our trip last time and really debated on whether to do it for this trip. It is just myself and my daughter (24). We also enjoy the dining as part of our vacation experience , enjoy buffets ( Tusker House, Boma, Crystal Palace , 1900 Park Fare) as well as character meals ( it's the path of least resistance for my daughter to have character pictures taken with me). We have been fortunate on the last 3 trips that we had free dining ( had to pay for various upgrades depending on the promo i.e. from free Reg to Deluxe and free QS to Reg). We figured that on this trip, not having a car and staying at POP ( and going in during hot, humid, rainy Sept )- it would have taken large junks of travel time to get to the additional restaurants that we would have if we had gone deluxe. We will see which way we go for the our 2021 trip....only time will tell.

 

[Staren]

@chinarider i probably would have made the same choice. Staying at a value, I’d probably go with either the regular or quick service dining plan. Just because of what options are convenient to get to. Unless you’re doing mostly rope drop to fireworks days, the deluxe plan doesn’t make much sense.

 

[Nancyg56]

there is a website you can put in all your choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it will calculate how much it would save you.

The calculators are really not updated and will not provide accurate information.

OP- if you booked character meals you should be okay. I would also check out snacks on the plan by watching some Vlogs. You can really stretch the value of the plan with your snack choices, and perhaps use the plan for all three meals rather than paying OOP for a CS breakfast or lunch. There are some that are generous enough for a meal or to be split by two.