Does the dining plan save money?

[gigi]

Family of four spending four days at Disney and four days at Univesal. We have never used the dining plan. We are planning on staying at POR. Typically we eat breakfast at the resort, grab a snack at the park and figure out dinner whenever people are hungry. Does the dining plan save you money? Which plan is better?

[mom2morgan]

For us, it does. To save money on the dining plan you need to be fairly big eaters, have table service every day, order the most expensive entrees on the menu, and eat dessert. I think that is really the bottom line..you'll hear a lot of arguing back and forth on whether it is a money saver or not. The only way to know FOR SURE is to go the menus section and "plan out" what you would eat - each meal, each choice and see what it adds up to. It also wouldn't be worth it if you have even one very light eating adult (and remember that kids 10 and older are charged adult prices). I'm talking about the "Basic". I don't think there is ANY way that the Quick Service can possibly save any money. All that said - it definitely saves my family nearly 20%.

ps - based on your plan, it would be tough to make it work. When we go to Universal, we come back and eat at one of the Disney resorts - but we also have to use our counter service credit for a big breakfast at POR and then really just snack while at Universal. If you are going to eat there at all, it makes it really hard to use up your credits at Disney.

[DakotaDisney]

This may or may not be helpful, but here it goes.
It depends. I have only used it once and it was in 2007, but I did save money when I used it. Although on my next trip I spent less on food without the meal plan. That's why I say it depends. It depends on how you eat and where you eat. I do know that if I had eaten at all the different places I did under the dinning plan, had all the food I had and the certain menu items I had it would have cost me a lot more without the dinning plan. And I wouldn't have eaten those foods without it.
I think the meal plan works well for adults, but I would question if it's cost effective for kids.
Like the others say it depends on how you eat, how much and where. Have a great trip!

[wickedgin]

I agree that it depends. I do what mom2morgan suggested--I look at every menu and pick out what we're most likely to eat and compare that cost to the cost of the DDP (or if it's "free", the cost of a room discount that I would take if we were dining OOP). The DDP has saved us a lot of money in the past, but now that our touring & dining style has changed, it no longer suits us. For reference, we often split entrees, we like to snack, and we tend to not eat a lot of dessert (especially at CS).

ETA: If you do the standard dining plan, go to the food court for breakfast and then go to a character or nicer TS dinner every night, you'll probably save money. A dinner at 1900 Park Fare, 'Ohana, or Garden Grill costs more than the entire day's DDP cost, IIRC.

[faline]

Personally, especially if you eat the way you describe, I think you'd do better with a room discount (if you can get one) and paying for dining out of pocket.

[Dopey's Girl]

For me, the way you have to eat on the dining plan, it's not worth it at all. I spend more and eat more, not a good combo.

Generally we have a quick breakfast in the room (we bring food, or go to the Super Target), have a bigger meal for lunch (usually around 1:30 or so), then a snack in the evening. Plus when you consider all of the popcorn, dole whips and Mickey bars you will want to munch on, for me, the math just doesn't work out. I will take a discounted room whenever I can!

[TinkerbellT421]

Based on the way DBF and I eat, DDP is not worth it at all. We budget for a set amount and eat where ever and what ever we want and still come home with money to put back in the vacation budget for the following year.

Every trip we have several "pricey" meals that some people swear the DDP would save money on, but we just don't see it. We also do not eat a dessert with every meal. If you consider the snack, dessert, meals. Then yes you would probably save a few dollars here or there. But if that is outside of your normal eating habits and might just be too much food, then it wouldn't make sense to use the DDP, you will spend more than what you would save versus paying out of pocket.

We never look at the menu and hem and haw about what the meals are and what the prices are when not on the DDP. If we want it, we eat it, and still save money.

But neither choice is a definite for everybody. Some people swear the "convenience" of having to not worry about carrying cash makes it worth while. For DBF and I we care about the figures and money, DBF is a math, money savings nut. DDP would cost more for us than paying OOP so he would rather have the cash option than prepay for meals than not have the option for a refund if you don't use all the credits given to you. Use them or loose them. With money, if you have extra you take it home. That's the way we look at it.

[buzznwoodysmom]

If you typically eat dessert with every meal, and order the most expensive items then it could save you money. My family finds that we don't normally eat as much food as the dining plan offers. If we pay out of pocket we never order 4 desserts with each meal, and we can often share meals and be completely satisfied. So for us the dining plan doesn't save us money based on what we'd eat without it, but it is nice to have it all paid for ahead of time. For us that's the only reason we'd get it again.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

For us yes it does, but we like having the counter service for lunch and a nice sit down TS dinner everyday. Plus the snacks are handy when you have a sweet tooth or you can do like we did last trip and save them to buy snacks for the trip home. We also enjoy the convenience of having everything prepaid. However, i think you need to look and see if you would normally eat this way or not. If you eat lightly it may not be a good deal for you.

[Disney Doll]

For us, it does. To save money on the dining plan you need to be fairly big eaters, have table service every day, order the most expensive entrees on the menu, and eat dessert.

Bingo. And to actually save money you would need to be the type of person that would normally pay out of pocket for this if you didn't have the plan. Purchasing the plan and then trying to maximize your plan doesn't save money. You only save if you would have normally spent the money to dine that way without the plan. It doesn't sound like you normally eat that way so I would advise skipping the dining plan and looking for room discounts instead.

[mgmnut]

We have always used the DDP in the past. As others have said, with all those TS meals you end up eating more than you usually do, you eat dessert at every meal, and your vacation revolves around reservations.

I would always get it for the convienience of paying up front. This trip we have decided to down the food intake and get the QS Plan. We will pay OOP for the few TS meals we made reservations for.

Are you staying at Universal or driving from POR those 4 days? If you are driving your DDP would still be for the 7 night stay and you have All those extra credits to EAT.

[jbernardis]

I've saved money when I've used it, but the big thing for me was that it "forced" me to consider more sit down restaurants. Until then we had only eaten at table service restaurants occasionally. I now consider these restaurants and the experiences there as much a part of the trips as riding space mountain.

[gigi]

Thanks for all your words of wisdom! I will check out the menus but I think we will end up not using the dining plan. I don't want to eat that much food!

[TinkerbellT421]

Thanks for all your words of wisdom! I will check out the menus but I think we will end up not using the dining plan. I don't want to eat that much food!

If you don't each that much food then DDP is definitely not for you! It is ALOT (and I stress, ALOT) of food! lol We got to the point where we just didn't want to eat anymore when we did it.

[btharvey]

DW, DD and I are trying very hard to not be big American eaters! So while we did the dining plan the first two visits, since then, we haven't, and we haven't missed it.

We'll plan a couple of table service meals that we like, take the rest either at the food court or at quick service (gotta have a Casey's hot dog!). And 'power bars' go a long, long way when you're waiting in line.

My tummy and I don't need the richest meals to weigh me down.

[wdw dude]

I've saved money when I've used it, but the big thing for me was that it "forced" me to consider more sit down restaurants. Until then we had only eaten at table service restaurants occasionally. I now consider these restaurants and the experiences there as much a part of the trips as riding space mountain.

That's what I wanted to say! When planning trips, I think I look forward to the nice dining experiences as much as the parks themselves.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I've saved money when I've used it, but the big thing for me was that it "forced" me to consider more sit down restaurants. Until then we had only eaten at table service restaurants occasionally. I now consider these restaurants and the experiences there as much a part of the trips as riding space mountain.

[MrPeetrie]

Gigi, I will attempt to give you as detailed explanation as I can regarding "saving money."

We used the DDP for the first time last trip. We decided last minute to add it to our vacation. Our package (room, tickets) had already been paid-in-full, but the DDP needs to be included WITH the room package so a new reservation had to be created. All the money was refunded and we were re-charged for our new reservation, complete with a new confirmation number. For a 10-day stay, our package increased approximately $1,050.

I kept my smartphone with me and recorded each DDP purchase. At the end, we received about $1,130 in food, so we saved nearly $80. But there's more to the story.

Because we were using the DDP, we scheduled one sit-down meal each day. (We usually schedule 6-8 on a 10-day stay so we upped it a bit.) We did this because we were encouraged to do so by Disney Reservations to ensure we'd get the full benefits of the DDP. And we scheduled some nice locations (like Kouzzina's and Coral Reef) to make sure we received our money's worth.

But the truth is: if we didn't have the dining play, I don't think we would have spend the additional $1,050 we were charged to include it with our package. For one, we were locked in to what we ordered. For example, I like bottled Coke and not fountain Coke. Before going into a counter-service restaurant I'd always purchase a bottle. However, I had to get another fountain drink (or something similar), PLUS a dessert. I didn't want a dessert. I wanted a Mickey Bar after lunch. So, end ended up with a larger lunch bill (that was covered by the DDP) than I would have normally. So, if I received a $19.00 lunch because the plan dictated I ordered that much, I probably would have spent only $8 or $11 or so without it because I wouldn't have ordered as much food. I would normally just get a burger and FFs -- not burger, FFs, dessert, drink. Then I'd still get my Mickey Bar later, so I essentially paid for TWO desserts and two drinks.

Moreover, my daughter is only 8, but has an adult-like palate for such a little person. Unfortunately, she was forced to order from the kids meal. She was unhappy at many dinners. She was choosing between chicken fingers or grilled cheese, while my wife and I were ordering something more enjoyable.

Truthfully, we decided it was the first and last time we'd use it. The only thing we enjoyed about it was our food was paid in advance. All the money we brought with us was then spent mostly on souvenirs. That was nice. This year, we are going to purchase Disney gift cards prior to departure so our meals will "feel" pre-paid. But we won't utilize the DDP again.

I know it works for some and they LOVE it. I know we are probably in the minority. But for us, it was not a good fit.

[joonyer]

1) You can use the DDP to obtain food that would cost more than it would if you bought the same exact food and paid for it item by item (out-of-pocket).

2) If you eat a Table service (non-buffet) meal every day, and order a dessert for everyone at the table for every meal, while at WDW anyway, you will spend a little less by purchasing the DDP. But that is not the normal eating pattern for the majority of WDW guests.

3) Looking at it that way is how Disney wants you to see it: "Look!, you can get $XXX worth of food for only $XX." And as others have pointed out, it is convenient and encourages users to eat at TS places they may not have otherwise tried.

4) But what Disney knows (but doesn't advertise when selling the plans) is that the vast majority of WDW guests would spend less on food during their vacations if they were paying out-of pocket. There's a reason why Disney markets the DDP so heavily and even offers it for free at certain times. And that reason is not because it saves guests money.

5) Disney doesn't care how you may calculate your real or imagined savings. The bottom for WDW is: Selling the DDP (and even giving it away) produces more food revenue for Disney.

6) We have done it both ways. We spend much less on food during a WDW vacation when we are paying out-of-pocket. Most WDW guests do the same. We enjoyed using the DDP when we bought it; we enjoyed the new restaurants we tried. But we spent about $500 more than our normal weekly food budget (family of 4) for a WDW vacation. That's no small chunk of change.

[disneynarula]

It does not save us money.
We still get it anyway!

I know if we did not get it DH would be trying to get everyone to get the least expensive thing on the menu. Even though we are still "paying" for it makes me feel better knowing that I can order whatever I want when we eat out and I won't be having to hide some $ for a Mickey Bar in my sock and eating it when DH is in the restroom.

If you are not big eaters or big dessert fans it is not worth it. If you want a nice table service meal with dessert and a nice CS meal every day it might be worth it. If you are doing a lot of character meals/buffets it is worth it.

Take a look at the menus and decide what you might order and do the math.