Dining plan dilema

Hi everyone. I've been a lurker on Intercot for years and finally decided to post something. So here goes...:blush:

My husband and 14 month old daughter are going back to the World next month. We hadn't planned on going next year (we were just there in May) but couldn't pass up the 7 for 4 deal. Here's my dilema... I just can't decide if we should go with the dining plan or not. I know everyone's ideas on whether or not the dining plan is worth it is a personal decision, unique to your own situation... but my question is pretty basic.

We will be getting the $200 gift card as part of the promotion and we'll have a little over $100 in points from my Disney Visa that I could use to pay for our meals OOP. When just considering if the dining plan is worth it from an economic perspective for my family, we would probably break even. But does it make sense to pay for the dining plan if I have $300 in gift cards (essentially) that I could be using for food but won't be. I mean I don't need $300 worth of souvenirs on top of paying for the dining plan out right. Should I NOT get the dining plan and just use the gift cards for the food. Is anyone else wrestling with this decison.

Thanks.:mickey:

First of all :welcome:.
Now to your question.We normally never ever buy souveniers,it's just something that we feel is kind of a waste of money unless it's something useful for the kitchen or something like that,so I'd say use the gift card and points for food if it's allowed which I think it is.That way you'd only have to come up with a little extra if your eating at CS restaurants,or maybe you could use it for 3 or 4 nice TS meals.
On the other hand.If you get the DDP then you'll have 300.00 to just go crazy with.That also sounds like fun.Maybe take the family to Cirque in DTD.

Sounds like you're better off forgoing the dining plan and using the gift card on food. If your family does not usually spend much money on souvenirs, I don't think it makes much sense to pay extra for all those meals in advance if you have $300 of free cash at your disposal.

:tasty:

First of all, you can use your points to pay for your trip. Not sure how it works, but Debbie at MJ told me that. So if you *do* use the dining plan, keep that in mind.

Next, with a 14 month old, I'm not sure what type of dining you'll be doing. I'd use the calculator here on Intercot to determine if the DDP is cost-effective for you.

With just two adults and a 14 month old, I'd be inclined to skip the DDP. My biggest issue with the DDP is the rushing around and always needing to *be* somewhere. It will just depend on how you vacation, especially with a baby. (Don't get me wrong, I think Disney is VERY doable and perfect with a baby... the DDP might just cause a little too much rushing around.)

Thanks everyone, I was really leaning toward not getting the dining plan but I just thought I'd get everyone's take on it. We did free dining a couple of years ago when it was offered, and we saw some advantages and disadvantages for us. Now that we have the baby it definitely puts a new spin on things. I have someone in my office that is also a Disney veteran and is very pro Dining Plan, and she keeps trying to convince me that it would still be worth it to get the dining plan and use the gift cards and points to pay for items not on the plan and tips, but I don't think we'd come anywhere near spending $300 on alcohol and tips, especially with a baby in tow.;)
And we don't buy a lot of souvinirs either just a hat or a shirt.

Thanks for the help!:mickey:

We are big fans of the dining plan- but in your case, its not worth it-

I do agree with the other point about always needing to be somewhere. which is sooo true.
In a way though it helps get my family together for a meal, and i do enjoy that too. In a few years it may not happen as much.

I just realized that I spelled dilemma wrong in my original Title. What a dork!:blush:

Forgive me everyone, I'm a newbie at this:unsure: