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View Full Version : Should we get the Dining Plan



Catzle
05-02-2009, 07:55 PM
We have Ohana's for dinner, the Italian restaurant for lunch in Epcot, Chef Mikey's for dinner the Garden Grill for dinner and Ohana's for breakfast, there are two adults and two kids under 9. Do you think it's worth it to get the dining plan. We won't be making any other reservations?

ibelieveindisneymagic
05-02-2009, 08:41 PM
If you're going to do a TS-meal every day, then it is probably easier (and might even save some $$) to get the DDP.

We love the DDP, we enjoy having our meals paid for, so no one is looking at prices when we're ordering, and we figure that it saves us a bit of $$ each trip, instead of paying OOP.

johnO
05-02-2009, 08:59 PM
How many days are you staying? Depending on how many meals you will be eating it may benefit you, but if you are eating a TS for every meal you will not benefit from the DDP because it covers one TS and one CS a day (plus one snack).

TheRustyScupper
05-03-2009, 08:02 AM
1) We tell people that *most* of the time, DDP is a loser.
2) It is cheaper to pay OOP.
3) Most folks do not weight the costs vs benefits.
4) Let's think about it.
5) Disney is a business.
6) Would they give money away and let everyone make out with DDP?

NOTE: You will hear a lot of people claim they made out. Sure, some do. But, others use "confirmation bias" to justify their purchase of DDP. This is like people rushing to get the Free Dining deal and book a Moderate or Deluxe resort. In many cases, they can lose money over taking a resort discount.

DANAM
05-03-2009, 11:23 AM
With 2 children under the age of 9 I find we save alot by doing the DDP. Most TS meal/buffets are at least $10.99 or more for a child. So the kids CS meals and snacks are basically free. I do agree that with the adults you normally break even and if you didn't have the children that there isn't a real big savings but personally we have NEVER came out cheaper paying for our meals out of pocket. I save my receipts and calculate at the end of every trip.

I will say this, there is a smart way to use your DDP. I make an effort to maximize our value of the plan. I review menus and look at prices carefully so that we save on our adult meals as well as the kids meals. We normally choose TS dinners and maybe 1 breakfast. We stay 7 or more days so our value would be greater than someone staying 4 or 5 days.

baldburke
05-03-2009, 11:26 AM
I agree with those that say DDP rules your vaca. Plus DDP has been sliced and diced so much that it is barely worth it (especially for the kids). So this year, for the first time in about 15 years, we are not doing the DDP.

We always liked it before because at least we knew up front what our out of pocket would be. But it went from appetizer, entree and dessert with tip for any member of your party to something far less recognizable now. No tip included and kids have to order off the kids menu with only a very small selection of choice per restaurant.

I don't mean to be a cynic, but its just got me wondering how its worth it?

Woozle
05-03-2009, 02:47 PM
We are trying it for the first time in June and we have 6 of us going (4 kids- one is an adult price, one is under 3). To us it made more sense because we can choose to eat at better places and order the more expensive meals without worrying about the total. Plus for us it adds in making sure at a TS (not the buffet type) the 2 year old is fed w/o ordering an extra meal. Our kids love the snacks too.

deedeebee
05-03-2009, 03:55 PM
We always get the DDP for these reasons:

1. Our meals are already paid
2. We don't have to carry as much money
3. We always save a bundle of money being on the plan
4. We get to eat at places we wouldn't normally eat at
5. We don't have to worry about ressies, we take care of them months in advance

Hope this helps.

KAT1811
05-03-2009, 04:47 PM
If you're going to do a TS-meal every day, then it is probably easier (and might even save some $$) to get the DDP.


I'd certainly agree to that. If you are doing a TS every day then I would say go for it. But if you are doing just a few (I don't know how long your vacation is) then it is most likely not worth it.

For us it is convenience pure and simple. We like having our meals paid for before we leave the house. That way the only thing we have to worry about is tip and alcoholic beverages.

I also agree with the poster that said that they eat at places they normally wouldn't. We tend to eat more TS meals when we do the DDP which we enjoy. I say go for it, if you don't like it you don't have to get it next time but at least you'll know.

akaDisneyDreamer
05-03-2009, 05:38 PM
We used the DDP last year and are using it again this trip. When later, looking at the prices we would have paid OOP for our meals, we know we wouldn't have eaten as well if we had not used the DDP, and would have missed out on some great food. Our favorite meal was breakfast at the Boma (AK), which we probably wouldn't have splurged for if not using DDP. It was convienent, not having to carry a lot of cash around and comforting to know that all the meals were already paid for.

PrettyMinnie
05-03-2009, 05:57 PM
We used the DDP on our last trip for the first time after doing the math and considering convenience. For us, I know not for all, the DDP did end up saving us a lot of $$$. We are a big family (6) and had a large party (13 or so) so the plan worked well. It was much easier than paying OOP especially because we were not there that long. We didn't let it "rule" our vacation as some would claim. (Though I can see where they have a point) I would expect to get varying answer to this question as everyone has different experiences, but for us the DDP was the way to go. :mickey:

Mitzie
05-03-2009, 09:39 PM
This past year our family of 5 had 3 on the "adult" plan and two kiddies. We used the dining plan and really saved. My DH tallied our receipts and we saved about $600.00 over paying out of pocket. We also studied menus and visited several TS spots on out 8 day trip. In a sense we worked the plan and it worked for us. For my DS the options on the kids menus were somewhat limited but I would just share some of my meals that were so large I couldn't begin to eat all of it. Next year they will all be considered "adults" and my DH doesn't like the idea of paying adult prices for the DD who still will want to eat chicken strips and fries for every meal!

yjgirl32
05-04-2009, 08:46 AM
I will not go to Disney without the DDP. Not sure if it saves me money- but it allows me the opportunity to try different food. If I didn't have the ddp I would order the same thing over & over. Plus my DS5 is a pretty big eater and can usually eat my appetizer/dessert and his meal. The last plus for me is the convience of paying for it ahead of time.

Nini5055
05-04-2009, 09:21 AM
Let's put it this way...

If you have kids...you will be eating regular meals. I find that even if my dd7 does not eat everything on her plate, it is still worth it to me to have the DDP.

You can get away with eating breakfast in the room (many do this) and use your counter service for lunch and table service for dinner. In the past, I have done this and scheduled every dinner as a character meal...it was fun!!!

We like having a snack and even if we don't use them all up during our stay, we are able to bring some souvineers (cookies and such) home for dd7's BFF's. :mickey: Not to mention for the plane ride home.

For me it is well worth the money I pay for the DDP...so much so we always get the DlxDDP!!! :cloud9: I am happy that all I need to do is pay for a tip. :thumbsup:

Do what you feel is best for your family and don't sweat the small stuff!!! :mickey:

Nini5055
05-04-2009, 09:26 AM
Let me just add...

It would be different if you have children who are on that child/adult cutoff (age 10) who don't eat much or prefer the childrens fare.

That is why you really need to decide what will work best for your family. One great way to find out is to visit during the Free Dining Promotion sometime (if you are able).

Charlee
05-04-2009, 02:55 PM
Personally, I would never do the dining plan unless it was part of a free dining promotion.
I like to have some ADR's but dislike the regimentation of ADR's every day.
We are not big eaters, in restruants I very rarely have more than an entree, dessert is only occasionally and would not eat all the food that I could have on the plan. It would feel like a waste to me.
Its just as conveient to have a food budget saved before you travel and use the Key to the World to charge your meals. The food budget can pay off the credit card bill after you return. Just as easy to use the card for this as using the card for dining plan credits. You still don't have to carry around cash.
The dining options you've picked are mainly character meals with a set price - people may suggest that this is not the best way to get the most money out of the plan.
This is a personal opinion and I get that a lot of people love the plan but its not something my family would think of doing.

Yvette
05-04-2009, 05:23 PM
Honestly it depends on your needs. We have purchased it in the past when it included appetizers.

If I were going with my husband who is a big eater, I would probably get the plan. My next trip (21 days!! :party:) will be with my daughter who tends to graze.

When I'm with her we normally will get an one full meal: appetizer, entree and dessert to split between us. Or even two appetizers and split a meal. You can't do that with the plan.

As a closet OCD girl, I get really weird about getting my money's worth when I'm on the plan. NO skipping meals and making sure we EAT ALL THE FOOD. See where I'm going with this? Not very relaxing.

I digress. Look at the menus and do a cost/benfit analysis. Which meals appeal to your tastes (not just the most expensive entree on the menu) and figure it out from there.

As for the paying for it ahead of time, I figure if I use American Express for our meals, we actually get a 30-45 day interest free loan on that money rather than Disney using my money for free prior to the trip. Add that up for the amount of packages that are out there and it's a nice chunk of change. ;)

Now I will get off my :soapbox: and add one more thing: if it's during a free dining promotion: all bets are off. :blush:

KAT1811
05-04-2009, 06:05 PM
For my DS the options on the kids menus were somewhat limited but I would just share some of my meals that were so large I couldn't begin to eat all of it.

F.Y.I. A little late for you but hopefully it will help someone else. ;)

It is possible to upgrade a child's DDP to an adult's by simply paying the difference. Then that child will be able to eat off the regular, adult menu. When our oldest DD was under the child's age we upgraded her to the adult DDP because she is not a big fan of children's fare. We had no problems and everyone was happy.

Mitzie
05-04-2009, 07:12 PM
KAT1811-Thanks for the tip! This next trip we are planning on going to Narcoossee's and he was just excited to see Filet Mignon on the kids menu! Since we are doing a split stay with us doing Club level at AKL we have bumped up to deluxe on the CRB end. We will see how it works out.

gallicdenis
05-05-2009, 05:25 PM
Could I recommend the DDP? It depends on your family, your eating habits, and the discipline you have. For us it would not be cost effective. The servings at Disney are extremely generous so my wife and I usually split a meal, including desert, and feel full and satisfied. We could not do that under the DDP. We usually like to get a glass of our favorite libation. Alcohol is not covered under DDP. We also order an appetizer (only for kids in DDP). We are almost empty nesters so we currently travel with our youngest daughter, a teenager, and young adult college student. Again they usually split a meal, a desert, and, did I forget to mention, appetizers? All because of the more than generous portions. We've been using the Disney Dining Experience (Tables in Wonderland) for years to keep expenses down. Unlike the DDP, DVC, or AP discounts, it provides discounts for alcohol, appetizers and other menu items not addressed in DDP. In reviewing our receipts from last Christmas (in which the holiday differential is charged) we found the DDP would have been more expensive for us -- and that's including the cost for alcoholic beverages. There may be situations where DDP may have worked for us when our six kids were still at home or it was included free as part of a vacation package.

MicMouse
05-06-2009, 09:05 AM
Like some of the others have said, it just depends on the eating habits of your family. Also, please take into account the time of year you will be visiting, as it makes a big difference.

We did not do the DDP last June and I am glad we didn't - it would have been a total waste of money for us. It was way too hot to eat big meals every night, which is what I figured would happen when we were planning our trip.

We did Chef Mickey's breakfast one morning and 'Ohana's one evening for dinner. Other than that, we just grabbed a CS meal when we were hungry, and the kids ended up sharing a meal most nights. They were either too hot or too excited to sit and eat a big meal.

So for us, it just didn't make sense to spend money on the dining plan. We would have been forcing ourselves to eat all those meals we paid for ahead of time.

poeticeclipse
05-06-2009, 10:02 AM
I absolutely love when this topic comes up because I think it's really interesting to hear everyones points.

When family and friends ask me about the dining plan, I tell them that I personally love it but it's not right for everyone.

In my family, we had never sat down for a meal at WDW ever. We always chose counter service meals because of cost. In '05, we chose to try this "dining plan" out and we weren't really sure what to expect. My eldest brother chose 6 restaurants for us to try. We had some of the most amazing dining experiences on that trip. I never thought sitting down at a restaurant could be so fun. It's not just sitting down for a meal for us. It's engaging in a total dining and entertainment experience. Sitting down and eating a meal also forces me to take a break. I could "go go go" in the parks all day but goodness knows I should take breaks. We've used DDP for all but one trip since '05 and had a great time.

Last May, DH and I chose NOT to do the DDP in order to cut costs. We booked only 3 or 4 ADRs and paid OOP. After adding up how much we spent on all of our food... we should have went with the DDP. If we hadn't done the sit-down meals we probably would have been under the cost of the DDP.

Now, take my friends, Graham and Jill. They are 3 meals a day people. Jill is a picky eater and can be happy with burgers and fries for one meal in her day. They don't really want to take time out of their day to sit down for a meal. They are in the process of planning a trip now and are looking at the Quick Service Dining Plan. A good choice for them.

Again, it all depends on what fits YOU and YOUR FAMILY.