Is the Dining Plan worth it? Is there a better way?

[Nancyg56]

For the life of me...I can't understand how people eat that much food! 2 or 3 BIG meals a day? U would have to roll me around in a wheelbarrow after consuming that much food...not to mention with the HEAT in Florida...I'm lucky to have enuff of an appetite to eat once each day while I'm at the parks...give me a light meal with plenty of fluids and I'm good to go! But IF u wanna order the most expensive thing on every menu and spent most of ur time running to ADR's then I'm sure u could save a few bucks! IMO

We seldom eat three meals a day, however we do like at least two, and that is what the dining plan covers. We also order desserts with dinner and have always enjoyed some sort of beverage. The addition of wine is perfect for us.

We would buy the mug no matter the DDP or not, I like it. We split snacks throughout the day.

You don't have to eat a huge amount at every meal to get your value out of it. I don't eat as much as I can until I feel like I have gotten my moneys worth. I do like the option to order the most expensive meal at each place if I want to but that doesn't mean I have too. I order what ever I feel like and after words I don't try to calculate it to see if I have lost money. Like I said earlier its really up to how you eat and what works best for your family.

We do as well. I use the plans and they work for us. Feeding my DH is like feeding a bottomless pit, all 6'6" of him.

 

[Rich M]

We seldom eat three meals a day, however we do like at least two, and that is what the dining plan covers. We also order desserts with dinner

I like the option to try a dessert that I might not normally have a chance to try and wouldn't ever pay the price to try it anywhere else but if I don't like it then I don't feel as bad.

 

[Nancyg56]

I like the option to try a dessert that I might not normally have a chance to try and wouldn't ever pay the price to try it anywhere else but if I don't like it then I don't feel as bad.

We do too. At home my DH seldom will order dessert because he hates to see food not eaten. He will finish the leftovers. We will also share, however that requires a compromise. I like knowing I can order my own and not consider that someone else will need to enjoy it as well.

We also will sometimes share a meal, and that works well too. The signatures take 2 credits, and honestly, there are more meals than the DDp covers, so if we plan carefully we have little to no OOP expense unless we share appetizers at the table.

We do not roll down Main Street like Oompa Loompas.

 

[DisneyLore]

The OP question is can you do it cheaper? And the quick answer is yes! Staying off property is likely cheaper too but I would never do that myself. It completely depends on the type of person you are, the type of family you are and how you like to spend your time on your vacation.

Looking at the menu and choosing a meal based on price and having to watch the money I spend while on vacation would make me crazy. I get the dining plan (every time!) because I don't care if I use up every penny of it or not. I care that I don't worry about money while I am in Disney. It matters to me that I can eat what I want, be it expensive or cheap, and I don't worry because it is all prepaid. Some people would not like that, they would calculate everything. I get that. But for me I would obsess about money if that was the case.

You have to decide what will make your vacation better. Prepay for the food and not think about it, or maybe you don't think about the money your spending paying OOP so it would be the same and that way you can calculate when you get home. Then decide the next time if it would have been worth it or not. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no right or wrong answer to this question, only opinion and what works best for you. But it is good to understand why some people get it and some people don't.

Side note, if you have too many snacks left over you can use those credits to buy souvenir snacks to bring home to nieces and nephews (trust me that saves a ton of money!) LOL.

Either way, enjoy your trip!

 

[robinb]

Looking at the menu and choosing a meal based on price and having to watch the money I spend while on vacation would make me crazy. I get the dining plan (every time!) because I don't care if I use up every penny of it or not. I care that I don't worry about money while I am in Disney. It matters to me that I can eat what I want, be it expensive or cheap, and I don't worry because it is all prepaid. Some people would not like that, they would calculate everything. I get that. But for me I would obsess about money if that was the case.

I've read about others like you who are willing to pay more than have to worry about how much stuff costs when they are there. Some us do the same as you and order what we want and pay OOP without calculating or worrying about a single thing.

 

[DisneyLore]

I've read about others like you who are willing to pay more than have to worry about how much stuff costs when they are there. Some us do the same as you and order what we want and pay OOP without calculating or worrying about a single thing.

Wow! Way to make me sound like some freak of nature. You've only read about people like me? I'm glad you never worry about money, good for you! (which is why I said I understand doing it the other way). I was just giving another point of view. Not once did I say one way was wrong and one was right.

 

[Ben E N]

Yes. Tables of Wonderland is only available to the above guests, but as I said in the original post, if you go multiple times per year (>2) then getting an AP and Tables of Wonderland is cheaper and provides more flexibility.

Also, only one adult in your party needs to get an AP to eligible for the Tables of Wonderland card. We have been going to WDW for decades and this is currently the best deal (combined with discounted Disney gift cards) for those who visit often.

Yes, I did that in my last yearly round of trips and saved a good amount over 3 trips. In doing the math for my next annual round, it looks to not favor me as much because just by having an AP in the party, you already save 10% on food at many places. Just like the dining plan, Disney only made the TiW card to make them more money. You have to do the math upfront to make sure the cost is worth it.

 

[robinb]

Wow! Way to make me sound like some freak of nature. You've only read about people like me? I'm glad you never worry about money, good for you! (which is why I said I understand doing it the other way). I was just giving another point of view. Not once did I say one way was wrong and one was right.

No need to get all huffy. I meant that you are not the only who does that ... aka not a "freak of nature". Sheesh.

 

[Rich M]

Wow! Way to make me sound like some freak of nature. You've only read about people like me? I'm glad you never worry about money, good for you! (which is why I said I understand doing it the other way). I was just giving another point of view. Not once did I say one way was wrong and one was right.

No need to get all huffy. I meant that you are not the only who does that ... aka not a "freak of nature". Sheesh.

Add me to the Freak group lol. But I don't think Rob meant it like that. I think he just meant that some of us choose to spend extra money blindly on the Dining plan thinking we are getting a deal when he can do the same doing OOP. This debate will be as old as time and will go on forever. If you eat the way the dining plan is designed you can save money and come out ahead but there are many people who find that it ends up costing them more money then it would have had the done OOP and they wouldn't have eaten enough. To each there own.

 

[DisneyLore]

Add me to the Freak group lol. But I don't think Rob meant it like that. I think he just meant that some of us choose to spend extra money blindly on the Dining plan thinking we are getting a deal when he can do the same doing OOP. This debate will be as old as time and will go on forever. If you eat the way the dining plan is designed you can save money and come out ahead but there are many people who find that it ends up costing them more money then it would have had the done OOP and they wouldn't have eaten enough. To each there own.

That is exactly my point. It's not always a waste of money to do the dining plan and it is not always a good idea. I think it really depends on your family and how you like to vacation/eat. I'm sorry if I took Rob's comment badly. It sometimes seems on these boards that if you like using the dining plan people think you are crazy. Well call me crazy cause I like it! (I really like it when it's free dining! LOL) but you are absolutely right - Each to his/her own!

 

[Rich M]

That is exactly my point. It's not always a waste of money to do the dining plan and it is not always a good idea. I think it really depends on your family and how you like to vacation/eat. I'm sorry if I took Rob's comment badly. It sometimes seems on these boards that if you like using the dining plan people think you are crazy. Well call me crazy cause I like it! (I really like it when it's free dining! LOL) but you are absolutely right - Each to his/her own!

I completely agree with you about the bashing part of Dining plan on here. I appreciate everyone's opinion on the dining plan but some people do make you feel like you are a pig if you like it and eat that much food. I don't think they mean it like that but can easily be taken that way.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

FWIW, I went into this assuming I would definitely NOT be doing the dining plan. We're not generally big eaters, my kids split meals, etc. Then, I tried to narrow down which character meals we'd be doing. Every time I went to knock one off of the list, I kept thinking, "But they love such and such!" And, of course, character meals require a credit for everyone, so I have to pay for each of them, even if they'll barely eat enough food together to justify one meal.

We're doing 9 nights, so 45 TS, 45 QS, and 90 snacks. We're 2 adults, 3 Disney kids, so it's $2114 for plan. Our cost on the 45 TS credits, including drinks, would be about $1800 OOP. If we use the CS and snacks as I estimated, we'd get about $3000 of Disney food for our $2114. Even if we leave half of our snacks and QS behind (which we won't do) or blow them on low value options like kids meals (which we may do) we'll still come out well ahead.

We could definitely do the trip for cheaper than $2114. We'd pack way more snacks, only do maybe 2 TS meals over the whole 10 days, only drink water, only get ice cream for the kids, etc and we'd be around probably $1700. But, for us, it got to the point that, if we want to splurge on the kids for the character meals, then we actually spend less on the DDP AND get to splurge on the adults by including adult beverages, snack credits for ourselves, etc.

 

[Rich M]

FWIW, I went into this assuming I would definitely NOT be doing the dining plan. We're not generally big eaters, my kids split meals, etc. Then, I tried to narrow down which character meals we'd be doing. Every time I went to knock one off of the list, I kept thinking, "But they love such and such!" And, of course, character meals require a credit for everyone, so I have to pay for each of them, even if they'll barely eat enough food together to justify one meal.

We're doing 9 nights, so 45 TS, 45 QS, and 90 snacks. We're 2 adults, 3 Disney kids, so it's $2114 for plan. Our cost on the 45 TS credits, including drinks, would be about $1800 OOP. If we use the CS and snacks as I estimated, we'd get about $3000 of Disney food for our $2114. Even if we leave half of our snacks and QS behind (which we won't do) or blow them on low value options like kids meals (which we may do) we'll still come out well ahead.

We could definitely do the trip for cheaper than $2114. We'd pack way more snacks, only do maybe 2 TS meals over the whole 10 days, only drink water, only get ice cream for the kids, etc and we'd be around probably $1700. But, for us, it got to the point that, if we want to splurge on the kids for the character meals, then we actually spend less on the DDP AND get to splurge on the adults by including adult beverages, snack credits for ourselves, etc.

May I ask if they are Disney Kids?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

May I ask if they are Disney Kids?

Yes, per my post, 2 adults, 3 Disney kids. I understand that this really pushes the math in our favor as several of the character meals are more expensive for them than one day of the plan, and that's before you even take into account QS and snacks.

 

[Rich M]

Yes, per my post, 2 adults, 3 Disney kids. I understand that this really pushes the math in our favor as several of the character meals are more expensive for them than one day of the plan, and that's before you even take into account QS and snacks.

Sorry I missed that. It would be a no brainier to me with Disney Kids to get the DDP especially if you are going to character meals. Its the best way to maximize the credits for sure.

 

[Cramden]

You really need to crunch the numbers to see how it will work for you. I think it's worth it for me this trip. I'm going solo for the first time and will be treating myself since I deserve it ;-) . I'm doing the DxDP, 3 Nights costing me $348. My plan is this

Sunday
12pm Cali Grill Brunch $105 with tax and a Bloody Mary which I've read is included

Monday
1pm Lunch Morimoto Asia. Toro Tartare, Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry, Churros, Beverage, Tax $90

9pm Dinner Cali Grill Dinner. Tuna 3 way, Ribeye Steak, Chef's Cheeseboard Dessert (to go for snacking later), Tax $148

Tuesday
Snack Credits Food and Wine 6 x $6 each $36

Dinner 8pm Jiko. Charcuterie Board, Elk Loin, Kilimanjaro Dessert, Wine, Tax $103

Wednesday
5pm Dinner Flying Fish. Evolution of Cheese, Chilean Sea Bass, Under the Sea Dessert, Wine, Tax $105

$17 for refillable mug

Total $604. Savings $256 over plan.

Doing as many Signatures as I can to limit the number of meals per day. Day 1 should be no issue. The brunch will cover me for the day. I'll be at MNSSHP that night and can use a snack credit if I get hungry. Day 2 will be harder with 2 meals, but I spaced them as far apart as I could. I won't have to worry about eating dessert since I'll bring the Cheeseboard back to my room for munching as needed. Day 3 should be fine with me picking at Food and Wine during the day the FF at night. Day 4 will use a snack credit if left for a late morning snack then enjoy Dinner when FF opens at 5pm.

 

[DisLiss]

For my family, it is not worth it at all. A.) Most of us are vegetarian, and if you're vegetarian, it's going to be very hard to make the dining plan work out well for you in terms of it being a financial savings.

B.) Now, even if we did all eat meat, we do not eat a dessert with every meal at all. We almost never eat desserts with meals. And totally turning around your diet to do so would almost assuredly leave at least a few of us feeling sick. We also don't drink alcohol with every meal. So it's a waste for us to have those things included. If we could be assured that we could always substitute an extra side or an appetizer for the dessert, it might help, but again, it's still a ton of food. And we tend to eat less when it's really hot, not more. Since we go during hotter times of the year, we're actually eating less than usual instead of more.

C.) We're grazers. Our way of eating is more to eat a snack here, a drink there, a snack here, a drink there. We'd probably do well with an all snack dining plan!

So for one or all of those reasons, the dining plan just does not work out well for us unless it's free.

 

[cadien]

I'm deep into planning our first ever trip. I used the spreadsheet posted by @PardonOurPixieDust and just plugged in what I thought I would eat. (There will be three of us, including a 7-year old. Three nights.) I came out ahead on the deluxe plan even without including every course at every meal, just what I would realistically eat and drink. Based on that, I don't need to run the numbers for my husband and son. We're trying it.

 

[robinb]

Sorry I missed that. It would be a no brainier to me with Disney Kids to get the DDP especially if you are going to character meals. Its the best way to maximize the credits for sure.

Yes, families who have Disney Kids and go to a lot of character meals are the DDP's sweet spot. They almost always come out ahead. I also think that families that are all over 21 and will drink alcohol with every meal will likely break even or maybe come out a bit ahead. The latter family may come out about the same or even ahead by paying OOP with available discounts (DVC, AP, Disney Visa, TIW).

 

[DisLiss]

I just wanted to clarify that skipping the dining plan doesn't mean that we fret over how much we're spending or that we try to make sure we're spending less than the plan would have cost.

We look over the menus of the places we'd like to go ahead of time and actually plan on eating more than we think we will, so when we budget our trip, the food portion of the budget is heavily padded. So we can and do order anything we want without worry while we're there.

It's just that even ordering anything we want is still considerably cheaper than the dining plan for us.