Is the Dining Plan a Deal, Even When You Pay for It?

[dsneygirl]

We paid for it on our May 2005 and thought it was a great deal. Tonnes of food. And now there are even more choices for snack credits which is great. Also for budgeting it was really nice to have everything pre paid.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The Dining Plan is a deal if you take full advantage of it. For example, at sit-down restaurants, you are able to get an appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-specialty drink and it is all covered by the plan. With counter service, you get a meal, dessert, and soft drink. Also, character meals and the Fantasmic Dinner Package are one set price, regardless of the food you eat. The Dining Plan can be used for both of these, so even just for that, it's pretty helpful.

If you aren't planning on eating that much (or you are not going to character meals), it may not be worth it. But, if you will be or just like know you can eat that much, it's a great deal. We just got back from one week at WDW with two adults and two children. We had 6 days on the @ $38 per adult and $10 per child (under 10), for a total of around $600. We haven't figured out a full total for the trip, but by the middle of day 3, we had eaten $572 worth of food (that included two character meals, four counter service lunches, and dinner at Le Cellier, the steakhouse in Canada). And after that, we still had two more character meals, a dinner at Mama Melrose, and the remainder of our counter service and snack credits left.

The other way to look at it is this: Do you think you would spend more than $38 in food per day for an adult or child over 10? Do you think you would spend more than $10 in food per day for a child?

If you answer yes to either or both of these questions, get the Dining Plan.

When we went in 2002, we got a cabin at Fort Wilderness and cooked all our food. It was OK, but kind of a chore. This time, we got the dining plan, and didn't have to worry about having enough money for food. I really liked knowing that no matter what else we did with our money, we knew we were going to be eating well.

 

[va32h]

Thank you everyone, for your responses - it does sound like the dining plan is a good deal, both financially and for the amount of enjoyment it delivers.

We would like to try more table service restaurants - now that my kids are old enough to behave reasonably for at least an hour in a restaurant!

They will be 10, 6, and 3 when we go on the trip (believe me, I tried to squeeze in a trip before the youngest turned 3, but I just couldn't do it).

The 10yo, and actually the 3yo can definitely eat a whole meal. My son hardly eats anything, anyway, so it wouldn't matter how we paid for his food. There are several restaurants I would like to try.

I don't mind making ADRs, but I do worry that since we are probably staying at Ft. Wilderness, transportation might be time consuming.

Also, I have seen one post saying don't use the DP if you plan on booking character meals and one that says use the DP if you plan on a character meal.

So what affect do Character meals have on the plan?

 

[Gina35]

Which "more expensive" restaurants did you go to?
We are going in August; have some ADRs but need more! Thanks.

 

[thelionqueen]

We got the free dining last year, paid for it this month and are getting it free again in Sept.

Another thing you should consider, aside from your normal eating habits and budget, is the Convenience!! You don't have to pick and choose because of price and you can try things you normally wouldn't. Aside from just swiping a card and getting everything you want (mostly) the value is awesome!!

Won't do Disney again without it, it's just awesome!!!

 

[LizinSTL]

Thank you everyone, for your responses - it does sound like the dining plan is a good deal, both financially and for the amount of enjoyment it delivers.

We would like to try more table service restaurants - now that my kids are old enough to behave reasonably for at least an hour in a restaurant!

They will be 10, 6, and 3 when we go on the trip (believe me, I tried to squeeze in a trip before the youngest turned 3, but I just couldn't do it).

The 10yo, and actually the 3yo can definitely eat a whole meal. My son hardly eats anything, anyway, so it wouldn't matter how we paid for his food. There are several restaurants I would like to try.

I don't mind making ADRs, but I do worry that since we are probably staying at Ft. Wilderness, transportation might be time consuming.

Also, I have seen one post saying don't use the DP if you plan on booking character meals and one that says use the DP if you plan on a character meal.

So what affect do Character meals have on the plan?

Character meals don't cost as much as a table service meal at say, Le Cellier or Coral Reef. So in terms of maximizing the dining plan, they aren't the way to go. However, they aren't cheap so assuming your family of 5 goes to breakfast at Chef Mickeys- you've paid $98 for breakfast out of pocket. Your day on the dining plan cost you $135. Unless you think you can get 5 counter service meals and 5 snacks for less than $37, you won't lose money for that "day" on the plan. OR you could plan dinner at Le Cellier and spend around $200 or nothing on the plan plus you still get counter service and snacks.

When you are estimating what you'd spend w/o the dining plan you need to include the 18% tip and 6.5% tax in your figures.

I really don't think you can "lose" money on the ddp unless you don't use all your table service credits.

 

[wdwobsessed]

YES.

We found we ate all of our CS and Snacks for free.

I don't think I would ever go to WDW without it again.

WDWO

 

[va32h]

Character meals don't cost as much as a table service meal at say, Le Cellier or Coral Reef. So in terms of maximizing the dining plan, they aren't the way to go. However, they aren't cheap so assuming your family of 5 goes to breakfast at Chef Mickeys- you've paid $98 for breakfast out of pocket. Your day on the dining plan cost you $135. Unless you think you can get 5 counter service meals and 5 snacks for less than $37, you won't lose money for that "day" on the plan. OR you could plan dinner at Le Cellier and spend around $200 or nothing on the plan plus you still get counter service and snacks.

When you are estimating what you'd spend w/o the dining plan you need to include the 18% tip and 6.5% tax in your figures.

I really don't think you can "lose" money on the ddp unless you don't use all your table service credits.

I am sure counter service for the 5 of us would be $37, easily!

We do usually plan at least one character meal - because it's the most convenient way to spend time with characters and not wait in long lines. So even if we "waste" the dining plan on a character meal, it will be worth it in the time savings and convience.

Okay - count me in as another convert to the dining plan!

 

[LizinSTL]

I am sure counter service for the 5 of us would be $37, easily!

We do usually plan at least one character meal - because it's the most convenient way to spend time with characters and not wait in long lines. So even if we "waste" the dining plan on a character meal, it will be worth it in the time savings and convience.

Okay - count me in as another convert to the dining plan!

) Especially when your kids are considered "children" at Disney, I don't see how you can go wrong with it. We shared a LOT and ended up not having to spend any money on breakfasts at all. Refillable mugs plus a snack credit for a box of donuts fed us for 2 days. We'd grab a bowl of grapes for a snack credit and be set for the morning (we are not big breakfast eaters)...

I began thinking I'd "maximize" the dining plan but ended up just scheduling meals we'd enjoy and didn't worry about the cost factor. At the end of our 8 day/7 night trip we'd have spent about $1200...cost of the plan under $700. That was skipping lots of soft drinks at table service meals and skipping dessert at several TS and CS meals too. We did use every credit possible, even though that meant bringing home about 8 disney snacks/treats (large bag mickey pretzels, 6 oz bag mickey goldfish, candy bars, peanut brittle, etc)

 

[krissy2803]

It's such a great deal. But in my opinion, the mental, no-worries side of it is the best feature. There's something great about looking at a menu for the most expensive thing, and what you like, instead of the least expensive, or paying no attention at all to the prices. Only at Disney and cruises .

This is how I feel about it as well.
Having our meals paid for before we even get there is a huge benefit for us. Being able to select great places to eat and not have to "budget" meal money is just great.

 

[aristocat]

it completely depends on your family's eating habits.

you should check out the menus (http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm) and compare the cost of what you would normally order and eat to the cost of the DDP.

 

[MEK]

I agree with Mickeymousemom. We did the plan free last year. Normally we would eat one or two TS meals a trip, but did mostly counter service. Once my boys and DH did the plan, they LOVED it! I LOVED it! The food was great and we tried everything that was included. WE will definately pay for the plan when we go this November. Eating at the different restaurants adds another dimension to the entire experience. I like having everything paid for up front. Then, like so many others, I don't worry about the price of my entree or what the tip is. I just eat!

________________________________________________________________

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[DebbieB]

I used it last week with my 12 year old niece. It was her first trip and we did a character dinner every night. They ran about $70 total for both of us. The counter services were about $26 for both and we used the snack credits for drinks, about $4 each. So about $50 worth per day for $37.99. The problem was my niece eats like a bird. She is very picky and did not eat that much, mostly chicken fingers, hot dogs and mac & cheese. If we go again, I'll skip the dining plan and eat at places where she can order a kids meal.

 

[num1tigerfan]

We used the DDP in January and loved it. We did a character dinner every evening and shared counter service and snack credits to cover both our breakfast and lunch.
When you are on DDP it includes the gratuity too so even if you are just figuring the character meals at 28.99/ adult and a basic counter service with desert/drink and a snack you still come out ahead. We paid oop last year for 1 character meal and for the 5 of us it ran about $108. When you figure that plus a $15 it ran $123. To be on the DDP it would have cost $135.95. I know lunch and snacks cost us more than $13 for the rest of the day.

My vote is do it. It will atleast break even and the peace of mind of being able to get anything regaurdless of price is so worth it!

 

[thelionqueen]

I am sure counter service for the 5 of us would be $37, easily!

We do usually plan at least one character meal - because it's the most convenient way to spend time with characters and not wait in long lines. So even if we "waste" the dining plan on a character meal, it will be worth it in the time savings and convience.

Okay - count me in as another convert to the dining plan!

Depending on how many adults count in your 5, I think your CS total is much closer to $60.00.

For our family of 4 (2A & 2C) our average CS bill was $50.00 (not including dessert, just entree & drink each)

Welcome to the Disney Dining Plan Addicts club....it's a great place to be

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Just got back on Sat and we love love love the Dining Plan - It costs us about $500 for us to purchase - I saved all the receipts and our food totals were just under $1200......Everytime our check came, DH and I were wondering why people would choose not to do DDP. We tried foods we normally would not have tried and knowing that you could pick anything without a care as to the price was excellent. Our server at Spoodles filled us in on the best Disney tip yet....."foods that are purchased with the DDP do not contain calories or fat, she said that is all part of the Disney Magic!"

 

[Amy&Dan]

We are using it for the first time in December. I had the TA make our ADR's over the weekend and then for kicks I went on Allears and figured out what we would spend if we paid for those meals out of pocket. Even if we didn't order an appetizer and dessert at many of the ts places, it would still be cheaper doing the dining plan. And my kids are so excited to get to order things like shrimp cocktail, calamari and dessert. Things they love but that I normally won't let them order. My kids are 10 and 12 so they really are feeling like grown ups and spent a lot of time studying menus on Allears helping make my decisions. I also have a son who doesn't like "kid" food so he ends up ordering something like salmon or soup and salad making kids meals obsolete for him anyway. This way he can get what he wants and I don't have to tell him he needs to order mac and cheese to keep our budget from breaking. I know we will never eat all of this, come home stuffed and 10 pounds heavier but I can't wait to try it! Also, for our trip in April we didnt' do the dining plan and when I added up what we spent on meals (and this was only doing ts about 6 of our 10 days) we would have saved money on the ddp. So that made my decision to add it in December much easier. Back when we had AP's the DDE card saved us plenty too.

 

[antmaril]

We are going to WDW in January and I would love to add the Dining Plan. However, I think it is important to factor in the cost of the undiscounted room. For example, we are staying at Boardwalk Inn and the room rate at the moment is $315 per night. I am hoping to apply my AAA discount to that rate which will reduce the room rate by approximately $47. So, if I want the Dining Plan it is $38 per person per day, plus $47 per day (no room discount). The out of pocket cost per day is now $123, right?

Someone please set me straight if I'm wrong!

Thanks!

 

[drogerstn]

We are going to WDW in January and I would love to add the Dining Plan. However, I think it is important to factor in the cost of the undiscounted room. For example, we are staying at Boardwalk Inn and the room rate at the moment is $315 per night. I am hoping to apply my AAA discount to that rate which will reduce the room rate by approximately $47. So, if I want the Dining Plan it is $38 per person per day, plus $47 per day (no room discount). The out of pocket cost per day is now $123, right?

Someone please set me straight if I'm wrong!

Thanks!

In addition, there are tickets available from discount brokers which the purchaser of the DDP will not be able to take advantage of. I'd expect this savings to be minor compared to the overall cost of the stay, but it should be considered...

 

[beth_cam]

If you book through AAA you still get their room discount even with a package.