Does anyone but us save money on the dining plan

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I've been reading a lot of comments about people saying the dining plan is a rip off and it costs more than paying out of pocket. I always felt it saved us money so I did the math to see...

We saved $7.00 per person per day using the dining plan based on what we ordered. Granted we normally would have not ordered desserts with every counter service meals had we paid out of pocket, but most of those were around $3.00 each and I am comparing the cost of the plan to what we actually ordered.

I do understand some people are light eaters and share meals but we each eat our own full meal.

We would use the dining plan anyway because we like the convenience, but I am glad to know we aren't getting ripped off. Anybody else feel like the DP saves them money?

[clausjo]

Yes, for us it certainly does. We mostly do it for the prepay convenience though - I like not needing to worry about shelling out all that cash at each meal.

[Itchy]

Well I have not actually done the math, but I have found that it is more convenient to have everything paid for up front.

I have also found that we can eat at alot of restaurants that we could not normally eat at.

I really love the dining plan and before they started it we budgeted around $500 for our family of 4 back in the early 90's.

Hope this helps...:mickey:

[joonyer]

1) Compared to the OOP cost of the same food ordered on the DDP, the DDP may save you some money, if you are careful about what you order (the most expensive entrees, desserts with every meal, etc.

2) But for most people, if you compare the OOP cost of food you would order it the DDP did not exist, the cost of that food is less than what the DDP costs. This is because most guests do not normally eat a TS meal every day, or desserts with every meal, or they share meals, etc. For these people (my family included) they normally spend less on food during WDW vacations than the cost of the DDP.

3) So, for most guests, buying the DDP means that they spend more money on food than they would had they not purchased the plan, which is exactly why Disney offers it. They make a big profit on their food sales either way, but if you spend more, they make even more. Guests that purchase the DDP are not getting something for nothing. But using the DDP does offer convenience, and encourages you to eat at restaurants you might not have otherwise tried, so those are benefits of the plan. But saving money is not one of them, unless you would have purchased the same amount and kinds of food anyway.

[buzznwoodysmom]

2) But for most people, if you compare the OOP cost of food you would order it the DDP did not exist, the cost of that food is less than what the DDP costs. This is because most guests do not normally eat a TS meal every day, or desserts with every meal, or share meals etc. For these people (my family included) they normally spend less on food during WDW vacations than the cost of the DDP.



This is our family as well. We would NEVER normally order all that you get with the dining plan,so for us we can eat for much less OOP.

And now that both our kids will be considered adults on any future trips, but both definitely still eat like a child, paying $50+ per day for them is just plain silly. My soon to be 10 year old weighs 55 pounds and can easily fill up on child sized portions. I just can't see spending that kind of money on him daily during a trip to WDW.

[GAN]

For every family it will work out different, so it would be hard to say that the DDP is or isn't a good value. It seems most people that use it either enjoy the convenience and just like the idea of having meals paid up front. If that works for you, why even worry about adding up all the costs to "prove" it is saving you money. If it's a little more then you still got the benefit you were looking for and if it's less then all the more better. For us, we just don't eat all that would be offered on the plan and I like not having to "plan" all my meals. Some days I might have a light breakfast, a larger late lunch, then just a piece of pizza or light snack(read ..Mickey Head) for dinner ...especially on hotter days when eating too much just makes me uncomfortable.

The way I see it, either way you are doing the right thing. Mangia Bene!

[Niecyboo]

For my family we so save a lot of money. I always tell people though, that my kids are odd. LOL. First of all I have a teenage girl who has the figure of a model and the appetite of a lumberjack (yeah, one of those will have to change when she's older). My 2nd daughter isn't quite the eater, but if given the option, both of them will choose a steak or seafood over any other food. All three of my kids are very adventurous eaters, and this gives them a chance to try new things.

My favorite thing about the dining plan though, is that it forces me to relax a bit. I am such a money saver that when we go other places, like Michigan's Adventure, I am always trying to eat conservatively. It's fun to be at Disney and encourage the kids to get that sundae or order the more expensive meal.

[jodijo]

Ok, we (a family of 4 good eaters) do save money on the DDP. I did the calculations when we went in 2009 and we did save a lot. With that being said, I did my homework before we left. I made ADR's at the most expensive places (places we would not eat at if we had to pay out of pocket). We also checked out the menus before we left and made an effort to eat at some of the more expensive CS restaurants as well. As for the snacks, we used some of those as breakfast options. So, I love the DDP!!!!! We get to eat like we would never do at home and enjoy new food experiences as well. After all, you're on vacation, live it up!

[cuteduck223]

we're at the character buffet at least once a day stage of life, so for us, it saves money because the child cost of the buffet is the cost for her all day on DDP. So, with that she'll get the counter service meal and we'll all get snacks. :)

I also am the money "saver" type...so if we had to pay OOP when we were there, we would NEVER have sit down meals, because i'd be panicked about how much we were spending vs. how much we budgeted. So, for us, DDP may cost more in the long run...but i don't have to worry about it, and that by itself saves the sanity of my family.:mickey:

[wickedgin]

The DDP saves us money if our trip includes a lot of character buffets.
If we're doing non-buffet, "regular" meals, we hardly ever order dessert and we usually split entrees, so DDP doesn't really do us any favors.

[buzznwoodysmom]

I also wanted to add that when we are on the dining plan we always find ourselves with several left over QS meals, and lots of snack credits at the end of the trip. We spend the last day or two trying to find ways to use them up. To me that equals waste. I guess we just aren't big enough eaters to make the dining plan cost worthy for us. We do however, like the fact that it's all prepaid. That's the only reason we'd ever get it again in the future, but somehow I think our DDP days are over.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Well, we normally only take a vacation every three years so we like to be able to order the steaks and/or seafood and have dessert with dinner, for us that's part of the vacation experience getting to eat whatever we want. Also, my son is 6'1", 280 lbs. and does like to eat so it pretty well keeps him satisfied with the amount of food.

Like I said, we normally wouldn't eat dessert with the CS meals with the exception of creme brulee at WPE, but even excluding the desserts any way I figure it we will save money. I really just posted this thread because I was curious about it, seemed like we were the savings exception and not the rule.:blush:

[buzznwoodysmom]

Well, we normally only take a vacation every three years so we like to be able to order the steaks and/or seafood and have dessert with dinner, for us that's part of the vacation experience getting to eat whatever we want.

We feel the same way too, about ordering what we want when on vacation. For example, we like to order appitizers, but don't need 4 desserts with every meal. For us the dining plan actually limits us to main course and dessert. So not only can we save money by only ordering what we will actually eat, but we also get to order an appitzer or two, and dessert, rather than have 4 desserts that mostly go uneaten at the end of the meal.

It really just depends on your family and eating habits when on vacation. For some folks, like those that do a character meal a day, or those with older children with big appitites, the DDP is a no brainer. But for other's, like our family with two "disney adult" children who don't eat $50 of food each day, we can get by much better without the plan. I think it's great that there are all the different options for guests to choose from!

[CanadaLovesDisney]

Has worked well for us in the past.

We eat counter service for breakfast at the resort - skip lunch and table service dinner!

We love getting dessert with every dinner! We would never do that back home!

[ElenitaB]

It's been a few years that we've vacationed with it (the last time we used it was Aug 10). We have always saved money using the dining plan... sometimes up to $300 per trip. And we don't always order dessert (like many others, I would prefer an appetizer). But the main thing I like about the Dining Plan is that the dining part of our vacation equation is already taken care of. It's like the MasterCard commercial: peace of mind is priceless (at least for me).

[Kairi_7378]

I'm pretty sure that we save when we are on the DDP. I think that reading all of the dining reviews on Intercot has helped me select snacks and CS meals that allow us to get the most out of the plan.

[pixiesmimi]

The dining plan has always saved DH and I money. He is all about the eating part. :) It is one of the perks of our vacation, to sit down and have a nice meal. If we didn't have the DDP, we probably would stick to all CS and he definately doesn't like that. I feel sometimes that trying to make reservations limits us in doing the rides, etc. sometimes but it is really worth it to sit down and rest and have a good meal. He said it would cost us a lot more to eat at some of these places OOP than what the DDP cost us a day.

The only time it hasn't saved us money was when we took our grandchildren and they didn't eat much of their meal, including a 14 yo. We kind of wasted the money on him because he didn't like anything.

At the end of our vacation, we use our extra CS and Snacks and take them with us to eat on the way home. So it isn't wasted.

[pixiesmimi]

Oh, and I have to say that the majority of the time we go when they have free dining so, yes, that really saves us money. LOL But this time, we won't be getting free dining and I still think it will save us money.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We feel the same way too, about ordering what we want when on vacation. For example, we like to order appitizers, but don't need 4 desserts with every meal. For us the dining plan actually limits us to main course and dessert. So not only can we save money by only ordering what we will actually eat, but we also get to order an appitzer or two, and dessert, rather than have 4 desserts that mostly go uneaten at the end of the meal.

It really just depends on your family and eating habits when on vacation. For some folks, like those that do a character meal a day, or those with older children with big appitites, the DDP is a no brainer. But for other's, like our family with two "disney adult" children who don't eat $50 of food each day, we can get by much better without the plan. I think it's great that there are all the different options for guests to choose from!

Wish you had the option to choose dessert or appetizer...

[brivers222]

we always come out ahead on the dining plan.... using the Deluxe on our last trip we saved over $600 on food.


Granted in know the TIW is a way better discount, but the cost involved to get the TIW negates the value of the savigns for us.


in a few years with the DVC discount on APs and the cheaper price it will be more affordable and the better choice.

Until then, if we stay on site, DDP is the better savings.... ALWAYS

[PopPhan]

I also wanted to add that when we are on the dining plan we always find ourselves with several left over QS meals, and lots of snack credits at the end of the trip. We spend the last day or two trying to find ways to use them up. To me that equals waste. I guess we just aren't big enough eaters to make the dining plan cost worthy for us. We do however, like the fact that it's all prepaid. That's the only reason we'd ever get it again in the future, but somehow I think our DDP days are over.

We, like you, tend to split one CS meal a day, then have a TS dinner every night (that we don't split)....We've found that, at WDW, we keep busy and don't really get extremely hungry and a split CS gives us just enough to get through until dinner.

On the last day of our trip, we will go to Downtown Disney and hit Earl of Sandwich for our CS....While we are there, we 'trade' our left over CS credits for muffins/cookies/etc. on a 1 - 3 basis (1 CS = 3 "snacks") This gives us a little more time back home to 'remember' our trip....

And...for the OP: We have only paid for the DDP once and saved a little. We have had the 'free' DDP every year since 2005, when they started offering it, and have saved well above what the room discount would have saved us. We stay at Pop, so the room discount is generally 15% - 20% when we visit, and we are two adults w/no children.

[Dulcee]

We find it does for us but...

We always do a TS meal for dinner.

We can easily do a full sit down breakfast, signature restaurant for dinner and consume our fair share of popcorn in a day.

When we go out to eat we like to have 2 appetizers, each our own entree and while we usually share dessert, we won't argue against two.

We never eat out while at home. We went out to eat for my birthday in January and honestly couldn't remember the last time we had done that. So vacation for us is all about the food.

Due to the above reasons we will hopefully be on the deluxe dining plan this go around.

[biodtl]

It definitely saves us money, because we like to indulge on our vacations. Also - my son loves being able to order steak whenever he wants to (which would cost a fortune if we were going OOP). However, we'd probably do it even if it was breaking even, or even a few dollars more, just for the convenience of pre-paying.

[mom2morgan]

We save. Sure, we could save more money if we did all counter service, and/or skipped desserts, but part of what makes our vacation special is the nice meals, so the DDP makes that affordable for us. I do like being able to pick the most expensive entree on the menu if I feel like it, instead of looking for the "cheaper" options!

[pixiesmimi]

We save. Sure, we could save more money if we did all counter service, and/or skipped desserts, but part of what makes our vacation special is the nice meals, so the DDP makes that affordable for us. I do like being able to pick the most expensive entree on the menu if I feel like it, instead of looking for the "cheaper" options!

Ditto! :D

[whitney37354]

On our first trip I didn't want to worry about the cost of every meal & we knew we were doing at least two TS per day. We did dlxdp. I kept all receipts & we saved around $250. Normally we wouldn't order apps & desserts & we didn't need all of the snack credits either, so we stocked up on the last morning & broughts lots home. I don't know what we'll do next trip.

[Wolf]

We always do the ddp and LOVE it!!! We like the convenience and would never be able to eat at such awesome resturants if we had to pay it right then while on vacay. This lets us prepay for it that way we dont talk ourselves out of eating nice meals.

[joonyer]

WE have used the DDP in the past, but we usually do not purchase it. We are able to go on our trips to WDW only because we have to be budget conscious, Otherwise we would not be able to afford them. If we compare the cost of the DDP to the $$ amount we spend on food paying OOP at WDW, we spend about $250-300 LESS during a week long stay paying OOP. Of course we aren't eating lots of character meals or TS dinners every day, either. We usually enjoy one or two TS dinners during our trips, and the rest are CS meals and breakfasts from snacks we take with us. If money was not as much of a concern, and we we going to eat at TS meal everyday, and all four of us order desserts at every meal, then we would probably save some $$ purchasing the DDP. But based on our normal eating habits, we would spend more on food buying the DDP. Which is of course why Disney offers it in the first place. For most WDW guests, using the DDP makes them buy more food than they would otherwise which = more profits for Disney.

[pamickeys]

The only way we saved was by eating 3 meals a day and wasting half of the day by doing it. we pay OOP and have a much more enjoyable time.