Is Dining PLan REALLY Worth it.

[bkfree]

For us the DDP is well worth it.
Last trip I kept every single reciept and we would have spend about $500 more without the plan. Our family consists of Hubby, me and son
(9) and daughter(7).
We used out TS each night for dinner.
We used our SC for breakfast. There are many places where you can get a great deal for a breakfast item that costs around $4.
Our CS was used for lunch. Because we mainly at lunches at WShowcase, DHS or Cosmic Rays or Columbia House at MK or Flametree and now Yak and Yeti CS at AK, we get a great deal for lunch.
Usually our dinner adds up to the same or more than we spent for the entire days DDp for the 4 of us, so that makes our snacks and lunch free.
No way we can beat that paying OOP.
The change in the plan does not bother us at all.Even paying gratuity OOP, we still come out way ahead and I like haveing the control over the amount. 18% at a buffet is a little too much to me.
Most times we really do not want an appetizer and if we do we will share one, so OOP for that is fine. Having dessert is a treat and we usually share so we get to try out two different ones.
Overall, the DDP makes a lot of financial sense for us.
And my husband completely loves that it is all paid for in advance, so we do not have to take as much with us.
I like being able to order just what I want without ever having to look at a price.
I also like being able to make ADR's at whatever restaurants we desire without perusing the menu for price range.

FYI-Chef Mickeys is just 1 TS credit per person.

[jonahbear2006]

I would not dismiss all that free food for what looks like about $200.00. What we figured out was that if we paid to eat one sit down meal, without dining plan, for 8 nights, we were actually getting the counter service and the snack free, on the dining plan. You are just plain getting it all free, except gratuity. I think that you may just find what we did. That there is a whole new world to Disney, once you involve food and that is hard to talk yourself into spending without getting the dining plan. SO, my advice would be, use the free dining plan this time. You will spend more over the course of 9 days, using $50 a day (what you said you thought you would spend), than what you are going to save having free dining. Over 8 days, with a family of 6 we spent $250 on tips, so it will be less than that for you if it is just you two. This is the reason why we are going in Sept. I just can't imagine you being displeased with it. The resorts have fantastic food. Actually, the biggest reason I can't wait to go back to D. is the food and we went once and did counter services and we didn't think that it was a thang either. So, try it while it's free, you may love it.

[jefmblrd]

We did the DP for the first time on our last trip and really enjoyed eating at places we had never been before. We had some excellent food, but it was just too much. We didn't use at least two if not four CS credits, because we just couldn't eat anymore. But even if you did eat all the meals, they've eliminated the appetizer, I believe, so I would question whether it is a value or not. The good thing is you're not shelling out cash at every stop, but it shifted the focus of our trip from the parks to where we were going to eat and when we had to get there to keep our reservations. I did enjoy it, but not enough to get it when we go back this time.

[joonyer]

For us (family of 4) we decided it was not worth the $$$ (under the old plan than included appetizers and gratuity)
While we enjoyed eating at many places that we wouldn't have otherwise, we found that under the old plan with appetizers and dessert included, we got WAY MORE FOOD than we could eat or needed. Yes, it did save a lot of money over what it would have cost us to pay OOP for the same items, but we would never order 4 appetizers and 4 desserts at one meal paying OOP. We were usually full after the appetizers and couldn't enjoy the desserts unless we barely tasted the entrees.
We find that we spend a good deal less than the daily cost of the DDP, simply because we don't eat that much. We usually eat breakfast in the room, a CS for lunch and or supper and visit one or two nice TS places per trip, and that is plenty for us and costs a lot less that the DDP.
Now that the new plan doesn't include appetizers or tip, I think it's even a worse deal for us.

I also have to ask the obvious question. Why would Disney offer the DDP if it didn't make a lot of profit for them? This tells me that they're selling the DDP as a convenience (which it is), but it's not a money saver for the consumer (especially now that the appetizer and tip are no longer included).

[bkfree]

here is a 3 day example of a typical dining part of our trip on the DDP:

Chef's De France-$84
4 sc $16.00
Lunch at Tangerine Cafe-$36
Total of $136 for one day

Cost of DDp for a day for us $95.96
add $13 for tip= $108.96
saved $ 27.04


Park Fare
Buffet for 4 $86
SC x4 $24
Lunch at MK-$26
total $132
OOP tip $9
total cost DDp+ tip $104
savings of $28


Tutto Italia-Dinner $95 tip $15
Lunch at Seasons $40
SC $16
total $151
DDP and tip $110.96
savings of 40.04

so over the course of an 8 day stay we will save an average of $250+ dollars at the very least and that is the cost of 1 plane ticket or almost 2 1/2 days cost of the DDP or 1 1/2 nights at our resort. So you can see why it is worth it to us.
Every little bit helps.
For us, the dining is as much a part of the magic as the parks and the rides and the resort.

[Marci]

Thank you all for your advice. I think we may keep the dining plan based on your experiences. Now, I am just frustrated because I can not get reservations for anywhere. We kind of decided last minute to go on this trip, and now I can find no place to eat. I have one reserv. for the 9 days we will be there. So frustrating . . . . . .

I do love Disney, but all of this trying to get ADR's has seemed to take the fun out of planning the trip. I've been stressed over the dining reservations and am wondering if we are even going to be ablet to get table service at all.

[USCTinkerbell]

I agree, we use the DDP each time we go. While booking last minute is not fun, it saves so much on food and not having to worry about the prices. This trip in Dec should be great because I was able to get every ressie I wanted and at the times I wanted.
This will be our first time with the no app which to me is no big deal and having to pay gratuity. At least now if the waiter or waiyress stinks we can give an appropriate amount and not have them know they are getting a good tip no matter what.

My only issue with the DDP is the kid's menus are not always great. The items aren't bad but when a child has the same options for all 7 days with very little variation, even offering a different dessert doesn't make her eat.

It doesn't sound like you'd really save any money if you went w/out the dining plan. Remember, prices at all the food places in WDW have gone up, and for 9 days, I doubt you could even get 2 CS meals each for the $400 you'd save.

We can't go during free dining, b/c I'm a teacher and there's no way I can miss the first week of school. But when we do go, we pay upfront for the dining plan. Not only is it a good value for us, since we like a lot of character meals. It's also convenient! We don't have to carry around food money, or keep track of what we've spent. We don't look at prices on menus, and can choose from a large number of snacks each day!

IMO, the dining plan is DEFINITELY worth it!!!

[bkfree]

My only issue with the DDP is the kid's menus are not always great. The items aren't bad but when a child has the same options for all 7 days with very little variation, even offering a different dessert doesn't make her eat.

Our last trip I was very concerned about this too, in fact I sorta became obsessed about the Kid;s menu part of the DDP.
I can happily say that all of my worry was for naught.
First of all, we ate at enough TS great buffets, so the kids had tons of options. Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare were great.
This year we are adding Boma to the mix.
Then I peruse the kids menus at the other TS and if you take the time to look at all of them you will see that there is some variance in them. I had no problem deciding on TS sit down places that gave them variety and pleased the palate for me and DH and also was some new places for us to try out.
I was also pleased with the quality of the kids meals. The Pizzas were great as were the other items.
AND, I was so pleased to find that the CM were very accomodatng in making changes, additions and coming up with things my kids wanted. Everyone was happy and we had no issues at all with the kids on the DDP.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

For us, yes its worth it...but I suppose it depends on where you eat, when you eat and what you eat....a TS is typically one credit (except shows and signature) whether you eat for lunch or dinner....it usually makes more $ sense to eat dinner when prices are higher and portions bigger and eat seafood, steaks, etc......if you are going in TS and ordering hamburgers every meal, no its not going to pay off......

[Figment52]

I do love Disney, but all of this trying to get ADR's has seemed to take the fun out of planning the trip. I've been stressed over the dining reservations and am wondering if we are even going to be ablet to get table service at all.

Last trip we got free dining, too. Obviously, it was worth it in that instance, since we paid nothing, but we'd never buy DDP. Not only did we not eat all of the food, but we don't typically book TS restaurants anyway - maybe 1 or 2 a trip. For us, buying DDP just wouldn't be worth it.

Going back to why I quoted you - that is the other side of DDP that a lot of people don't think about. Planning all of these meals can be such a pain in the butt. Since the DDP is so popular now, you really have to plan in advance, and some places are just plain impossible to get into. And then once you're there - planning which park around your meals, waiting for the ADR time to come up (we were almost always seated late, even when we got there early), and actually eating the meals can take up so much of your time. IMHO, something as simple as eating shouldn't be this stressful, or require so much pre-planning.

[jonahbear2006]

I agree. I added one day to our trip and trying to find 1 more TS that everyone in the family wants and is happy with and we can get a reservation for is almost impossible. We have spent all day looking at menus and are still at a loss for words. Last time it was 7 TS, and I spent a month researching menus, restaurants, playing with the schedule to get it just right before I made reservations, and even altered some of them a few times. It is a big deal and often times you find the food you chose was not worth that hassle. I prob wouldnt want to go to disney without the dining plan though. We love the food. It is part of the trip for us.

[barnaby]

We had the DDP for our last trip (3 adults, 1 child for DDP). It ended up being basically a wash. We saving some money but ended up with food (dessert, drinks because we bought refill mugs) we normally would not have got.

However, I like the fact of paying for everything up front and not having to worry about the bill at the end. For example, if I wouldn't have had the DDP and got the Chef Mickey's $90 bill for breakfast , I wouldv'e cried.

I plan on getting it again next trip just for the reason of convience.

[wendy*darling]

Now, I am just frustrated because I can not get reservations for anywhere. We kind of decided last minute to go on this trip, and now I can find no place to eat. I have one reserv. for the 9 days we will be there. So frustrating . . . . . .

I suggest you call 407-WDW-DINE and ask them to tell you what is available for your dates. Go day by day, see where you can get in and plan around that.
Don't forget the resorts restaurants. In many cases, they don't fill up as quickly.

I agree that it is frustrating to not be able to get in where you want if you don't call right at 180 days, but the flip side of that is the opportunity to try new places. There really are a lot of excellent restaurants and experiences out there. Let WDW-DINE help you find some.

[onjbj]

There will always be the debate of whether or not the DDP is worth it or not... we are going during the "free" DDP period. For us, it is great b/c we are so cheap we would NEVER (and I do mean NEVER) pay for a character meal for the 4 of us. When we are on the free dining, we book a character meal almost every night. We also would rarely, if ever, do any TS without the "free" meal plan. We'd spend all day looking for the cheapest places to eat. I'd never pay for a bottle of water at the parks or get the kids yummy snacks- with the DDP, it is done. Nothing to think about. Ressies made, days planned, can't wait to try some new restaurants this trip!!

[Marker]

I am a fan of the DDP. While I preferred the previous incarnation with tip and appetizer included, I am still a fan. With the previous version, I really liked the fact that tip was included and I didn't have to worry about that part of the expense. And also, I'd much rather have a cup of soup or a salad with a meal than any desert, but that's just me.

Without our use of the dining plan we would definitly not have experienced as many of the wonderful table service restaurants.

If you compare the cost of duplicating the same dining experience with and without the DDP, yor are likely to see a savings with the plan. However, at least in our case, on trips where we do not use the DDP, we DO NOT duplicate the same dining experiences. 'Without the plan we will typically eat at far fewer table service restaurants opting for much broader use of counter service and food courts. So ultimately I do spend more with the dining plan, but I enjoy my dining experience much more when we use the plan. Not that I have any complaints about eating counter service, I just enjoy the variety offered with the various table service options.

Another consideration with the dining plan is that ADRs are pretty much a MUST. So you have to plan months in advance, and then plan you day accordingly so you make it to your ADR in time.

So, while we do not always opt for the DDP, I am definitely a fan.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I think the best way to determine whether or not the DDP is worth it is to make a list of the restaurants that you'll be eating at and then look up those menus. Figure out what you are most likely going to order and then add it up. We've found that the DDP is a great value for us.

[princessjojo]

Financially, we may break even. So from that perspective it may not really be worth it. But when you factor in the convenience of not having to carry cash and turning a vacation into an almost completely prepaid vacation and not worrying about food cost it makes it well worth it. It just makes our vacation easier to know that's one thing we don't have to deal with. But for us lately and in the coming years, with 2 DS and a DH who would choose food over me, I think we may come out ahead in the end.

[Soul_Power]

The dining plan is worth it for us as well. Although the dining plan has had some changes made to it since we first used it last year, we love being able to prepay our food (minus the tip, of course).

[andmomlau]

We never used a Dining Plan until last year. When we first started visiting WDW, the meal plan was very expensive, I thought. I originally told our travel agent that I did not want it included and then she explained to me that Disney changed the Dining Plan from the one in years' past. We included the DDP last year and would not go again w/o using it!!! I agree with the previous reply....even if we didn't "save" money, it was well worth the convenience not to have to carry the cash or think about how much we had charged back to the room. Yes, it was better last year with the gratuity and appetizer included, but we are going in 3 weeks and are looking forward to not having to worry about what we order. Also, we didn't use a counter service meal for breakfast...we always found a muffin, pastry, yogurt, etc. for breakfast at the hotel or somewhere. It seemed to us that it was more beneficial to use the TS at dinner, since that is usually the most expensive meal. Unfortunately, since I am a teacher and my husband a principal, we can't take advantage of later August-September when the dining is FREE!!! This is just my opinion, but I think that the DDP is well worth the money....you may not SAVE but we love the CONVENIENCE!!! Have a wonderful time!