Dining plan yes or no

[moe513]

We are a family of 5 going to disney. We are all over 9 so we are all considered adults.
In a nutshell is it always best to GET the dining plan or not.
Is there a rule of thumb to follow on what is more economical

Thanks

[Polynesian Dweller]

For the paid dining plan there are no hard and fast rules. For some people it works out and for others, ourselves among them it doesn't.

Maybe the best thing to do is to get the menus of the places you would go to and look at the prices. Then be honest with yourself. Would you actually go to a TS every meal allowed on your plan. And, would you eat as much as on the dining plan and would you actually be comfortable doing that. Work out the prices and see what happens. But be honest to yourself, don't just make it work out, make sure it does with how you will eat.

For some the answer to both above is yes and it works out. For others it doesn't. We have done the DDP in the past and found it to be way too much food and we wouldn't go to a TS every night so it didn't work out for us. So, no, it is not always worth having but might be.

[ColeeC]

Does your family plan on character meals? The character meals are a Table Service credit on the Dining Plan. Figure in how many of those you'd do, plus other sit-down restaurants you want to visit for "foodie" reasons, and that should help you figure out if you're going to eat enough to make it worth it. We have always used the Basic Dining Plan - it gives us the ability to pay in advance for 95% of our meal costs, and we also have that necessary break built into our day. I don't know that the Quick Service Dining Plan is effective other than in matters of convenience and paying ahead; the Deluxe is a LOT of sitting in restaurants time...but give the Basic Plan a good looking at to see if your family would benefit. Good luck!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Like the other posters have said, the "value" of the Dining Plan depends on the eating habits of your family.

Generally, if you'd have a TS every day (with dessert), then the DDP plan might be for you. If your family doesn't plan on sitting down for a TS meal each day, then you should skip-it.

The quick service plan isn't as much of a savings, but again it allows you to pre-pay for your meals, which a lot of people enjoy.

For us, the bit of a savings, and the ability to pre-pay for most of our meals makes it worth it to us.

[akaDisneyDreamer]

My family enjoys the DDP. We like havng all of our meals pre-paid, and we then make food choices that are not based on how much they cost. Takes the stress of budgeting out of the picture. We also love having the table service, it's nice having that break where you can sit down and relax for a while, then after a wonderful meal, we feel more rested and ready to go again! We are splurging for the Deluxe Dining Plan this next trip and have made reservations for table service for most of our meals. For us this means better food, and a reserved table so we aren't carrying trays around looking for a place to sit!

[DizneyRox]

When are you going?

We have never found value in the dining plan, but I see a lot of people seem to think it works out well for them.

Historically, Disney packages have been more about convenience than value/savings.

If you are going to eat 1TS, 1CS and 1snack each day, and the TS needs to be a dinner not a breakfast or lunch, AND if you always get a dessert with your meal and eat it, then it might work out for you. If you're like us and don't eat that much food, and don't eat all that often, then the DDP probably won't be any value. Once you start using it for signature dining and/or breakfasts, the value of the DDP goes right out the door.

We have found the TiW card to be a much better savings oer the pre-paid DDP. We usually eat a TS and CS each day, not so much snacks, but don't get dessert.

[akaDisneyDreamer]

Actually you can use your table service for whichever meal you choose. The first year we used them mostly for breakfast as we didn't want to be tied down to reservations during the day. Last year we used them mostly for dinner, and knew we would appreciate the sit down meal, because you walk all day!. We did use some ts for breakfast as well, since the Boma has an excellent breakfast buffet we couldn't pass up. It really depends on how you want to spend your time. We love the DDP, but obviously it's not for everyone.

[DizneyRox]

I didn't mean to imply you couldn't use your TS credit for breakfast, I meant you shouldn't...

Breakfast is bacon and eggs, which gives Disney a very tidy profit on the TS credit, as opposed to steak and/or seafood which swings the value of the credit more towards the guest.

Currently though, the DDP is more of a break even than a value for guests. Once dessert goes away in 2011, guests will find it's going to be very hard to even break even.

[akaDisneyDreamer]

I'm so sorry I misunderstood! And you are right about it being a better value for dinner than breakfast, but I think what I like most about the DDP is knowing that it is already paid for and we ate at places we probably wouldn't have if it was comming out of pocket. There are some very good table service restaurants at WDW, especially in the World Showcase area. It was all part of the Disney experience for us. Using the DDP really depends on what kind of vacation you want to have. I traveled with my daughters who are both over 18, so they appreciated taking the time out for a meal, but if they had been children, they would probably rather eat burgers, chicken nuggets or pizza!

[i'm grumpy]

I think we only ate twice a day and probably spent less than $20. Too much to do.

[KAT1811]

We have never found value in the dining plan, but I see a lot of people seem to think it works out well for them.

Historically, Disney packages have been more about convenience than value/savings. . .


. . . We have found the TiW card to be a much better savings oer the pre-paid DDP. We usually eat a TS and CS each day, not so much snacks, but don't get dessert.

We don't take part in the dining plan. For us it isn't worth it. We do however have the Tables In Wonderland card and LOVE it! TIW is only avaliable to Annual Passholders and Florida Residents.

For those that are looking to use the DDP to make dining easier having it all paid for I suggest putting the money you would send to WDW reservations in an envelope or buy a Disney Gift Card (equal to the cost of the DDP)with the money and save it until your trip. That way your food is still paid for in advance and if you do not use it all on food you can spend it on something else or save it until your next trip!

[Fangorn]

I think what I like most about the DDP is knowing that it is already paid for and we ate at places we probably wouldn't have if it was comming out of pocket.

I admit I fully understand this comment. The first time we used the DDP (it was the "free dining") we definitely used it to justify eating at places we would not have tried had we not been on the plan.

Since then, though, we have figured out that the DDP is not a good deal for us. We rarely eat dessert (and if we do we ususally split one) and just don't eat large meals. We'd prefer to stop in someplace for appetizers or share an entree a couple times during the day rather than eat one large meal. The DDP just doesn't work with that scenario.

As for the convenience of pre-paying. I can accomplish the same thing by putting the $600 I'd pay for the DDP on a gift card and using that to pay for all my meals (including tip). And if I have anything left on the card, I can either keep it for the next trip or use it for some last minute shopping on our last morning.

Even "free" dining doesn't make sense for us most of the time.

We're pretty much done with the DDP, personally. But I do understand the above sentiment.

Steve

[KAT1811]

As for the convenience of pre-paying. I can accomplish the same thing by putting the $600 I'd pay for the DDP on a gift card and using that to pay for all my meals (including tip). And if I have anything left on the card, I can either keep it for the next trip or use it for some last minute shopping on our last morning.

That's exactly what I said! LOL!!!

[Disney OB RN]

We do not purchase the DDP for several reasons: our family of 5 (all in adult price range like yours is) do not like to plan our vacation around where to go & eat, factoring in the location, time to transport, etc. The amount of time to book all your reservations is too much...we have had no trouble walking up to TS faves & getting seated, or calling WDW DINE when we arrive. This past week, we even had seats offered for the Hoop Dee Doo Review, for example when we were there. We eat a quick breakfast in the room, usually a counter service for lunch, and have a sit down meal for dinner several times during a week long stay. It also is a factor that we have done character breakfasts with our kids when they were younger, so we don't have that to consider. I agree with looking at the menus/prices in advance, & making the decision based on what your family likes to do in a typical Disney day, your budget, & dining preferences. Financially, it never made sense for us. I use my Chase DIsney Visa Rewards card balance for our meals, so in that sense, it seems "pre-paid" Good luck with your decision, & you will have a wonderful time regardless, because it is DISNEY!!!

[afowl1017]

My family has done DDP once...when they offered the free dining for the very first time. We were very excited to try places we had never tried before.

I do agree with many of the above posters though. I go to WDW to enjoy the attractions and found that many times it was annoying to stop what you were doing to make the ADR that you had booked.

It was fun to try but probably wouldn't pay for it, how ever we are going to try the QS DDP this September just for the convenience (not on the free dining promotion though...it was more economical to do the kids stay and play for free...we have four kids).

Good Luck with what ever you chose. With a little planning I think you can always save money. I look at menus with their prices listed on on-line sites and make my decisions on what the family likes to eat.

[Tinker Fan]

We love the Dining Plan, have used it 6 years in a row now and wouldn't go without it. We love to eat all the different foods. And trying all the different places and experiences that go along with the meals. It gives us a rest in the early evening and then we are ready to go again. It works great for us but can see why some woulnd't care for it.

[sndral]

I like the regular dinning plan. To me it's like being on a cruise were your food is part of the package. I personally like having food already paid for, it's one less thing for me to keep track of which ups my relaxation factor.

[Love of Disney]

I wouldn't travel without it, but as said, it's a personal thing on what / where you like to eat.

[Fastpasssteve]

Sometimes it doesn't work into your plans, sometimes it does.

People with younsters tend to like Quick Service over a long Table Service meal to keep on-the-go. It's also cheaper.

This time, we're not using any of the plans because we will be going to the Food and Wine Festival and it doesn't fit into the plans.

[Ms. Mode]

I wouldn't travel without it, but as said, it's a personal thing on what / where you like to eat.

This says it all for me too!