Word from someone who has totally changed her mind on the Dining Plan....

[mom2morgan]

Just to throw in to what often becomes hotly debated. I used to LOVE the dining plan, but I will never do it again. We had a much longer trip this time, and although I thought I would NEVER say this, it really was more food than we wanted. With the current cost of it, you need to eat every single meal you have credits for, and buy the more expensive choices. If I went out of pocket, I could eat more cheaply for sure! So, having stronly argued "For" the dining plan in the past, you can now put me in the category of "looking for the best room only discount" :-)

[faline]

I agree. We've found this to be true for our party of two. Others have indicated that larger families do make out better but I've never tried to do the math in that case.

[sassafras]

I'm with you totally on this one.We used to do the regular dining plan. We did a split stay two weeks ago. First four days at AKL villas, last 4 at POR. Got the counter serve for the first 4. Didn't bother on the last 4 since it was about 70 dollars more at POR. I can't say we really missed it either. It was nice not to have to plan our days around being a certain place at a certain time for dinner. We just winged it and both felt better not being so stuffed! We actually saved money on buying just what we felt we wanted! So we decided unless we go when free dining is offered, we don't think we will be doing the dining plan again.

[Kplaster]

Is this still your opinion if the dining plan is free though?

[faline]

Is this still your opinion if the dining plan is free though?

It would be mine. A couple of years ago, I did a comparison of free dining which, of course, requires you pay rack rate for your room versus what we spent eating what we wanted and where we wanted. The only advantage I had was the Tables in Wonderland card that allowed the 20% discount.

[mechanic]

Is it ever really free? Don't you pay full rack rate for room? I don't know, just asking.

[ransam]

i have used the free dining plan every trip, done a cost comparison and it's always cheaper by a great deal. not to mention the peace of mind to know you can order whatever you want. personally if for no other reason, i love that about the dining plan. Just knowing we can eat what we want, dont' have to look at prices or anything.

[faline]

Is it ever really free? Don't you pay full rack rate for room? I don't know, just asking.

You do pay rack rate for your room when on a free dining package.

[TinkerbellT421]

Totally with you OP! we did the DDP for two trips, first trip we didn't care about the actual cost. Second trip we were like wow did we even really save any money? So we did a second trip and bought again for experimental purposes, could not believe what a horrible value it was. So, we decided, we budget food costs based on what the DDP would cost us, (but do not pay for the DDP, we keep the cash), use the tables in wonderland card, we can eat WHATEVER we want, no worries ever on what costs were, eat a table service 6 out of 7 days/nights, sometimes twice in one day, if we do a sit down breakfast and then a sit down dinner, eat apps when we want, no desserts if we want, kids menu if we want, and get 20% off that and alcohol, can't believe what a better deal. Then we take our left over cash home and put in the vacation fund for next year :mickey: I feel it's better to not worry about food at all, and have liquid cash instead of credits on a card that is not refundable if unused :)

[MargaretMessler]

Glad to hear others voice their opinions AGAINST the DDP. I have always treated it as a neat bonus if it happens to be free, but nothing I would pay for. I tend to only eat two meals a day, and I don't tend to go for anything extravagant (i.e. moderately expensive TS) more than twice in a week long trip. Often my "breakfast" consists of something that would be considered a snack. I guess some people come out on top if their eating habits are different.

[BrerGnat]

When Disney first offered the DDP, their own marketing stated: "Save up to 40% with the Disney Dining Plan."

Today, it is: "Save up to 15% with the Disney Dining Plan."

It's no secret that this plan is hardly a "deal."

[Itchy]

My family loves the dining plan. Having said that and to sum it up it is a " Love hate relationship "

[Mary Chase]

We would only get it if it's free (usually is free the time of year we go). We would never pay for it - it's too much food and we know we can definitely eat cheaper than the cost of the DDP if we actually had to pay for it.

However, reading some of the comments on this thread has me thinking I'll have to run the numbers for the room only discount now and not always just take the free dining.

[faline]

We would only get it if it's free (usually is free the time of year we go). We would never pay for it - it's too much food and we know we can definitely eat cheaper than the cost of the DDP if we actually had to pay for it.

However, reading some of the comments on this thread has me thinking I'll have to run the numbers for the room only discount now and not always just take the free dining.

Yes, to really compare you need to determine how much more you're spending on your accommodations with "free" dining and add that into your equation and comparison.

[DizneyRox]

Just to throw in to what often becomes hotly debated. I used to LOVE the dining plan, but I will never do it again. We had a much longer trip this time, and although I thought I would NEVER say this, it really was more food than we wanted. With the current cost of it, you need to eat every single meal you have credits for, and buy the more expensive choices. If I went out of pocket, I could eat more cheaply for sure! So, having stronly argued "For" the dining plan in the past, you can now put me in the category of "looking for the best room only discount" :-)
Psssst... It's never really been a deal. Disney is NEVER looking to lose money, if it doesn't or didn't contribute to the bottom line, it wouldn't be offered. Period...

Welcome to the club...

[joonyer]

Psssst... It's never really been a deal. Disney is NEVER looking to lose money, if it doesn't or didn't contribute to the bottom line, it wouldn't be offered. Period...

Welcome to the club...

:exactly:

Disney offers the Dining plan, whether free or otherwise, for one simple reason. They know that guests who use the dining plan will spend more $$$ on their vacation when using it. It is possible to save a little by using the dining plan, but only if you would have purchased TS meals every day, purchased the most expensive menu items, and ordered dessert etc, with every meal anyway. Otherwise, the vast majority of guests would end up spending less $$ on food during their Disney vacations. They offer it "free" to sucker you into paying more in other ways. Trust me, they are not losing money, even when they offer it for "free".

[mudpuppysmom]

We did the free dining plan I think the second year it was offered and for us it just does not work out well. We thought it was too restrictive in that making ADRs is not something we like to do. We do like to eat at TS places sometimes, but not everyday! DH said it like this: just when we got going doing something and having fun we had to go eat! Maybe it was just my poor planning? It wasn't like we left a park either, just crossed it to eat somewhere.

[RedSoxFan]

Because we are going Thanksgiving week, the free dining works for us as there are only a couple of days where we could get a AAA discount. We are arriving on the last day FD was offered in able to get for the entire trip. We did this last year as well and there were 6 of us in two rooms. This year it's just 4 of us going. FD is better than not getting a discount.

[Mousemates]

the dining plan doesn't work for us...it pushes us to eat differently, eat more and increases our overall vacation costs. We do better going with room-only discounts and paying for meals out of pocket.

[taleasoldastime]

just some food for thought on why the dining plan could be good.
it gives an "all inclusive feel" (kind of like a cruise). I understand it definitely is NOT all inclusive by any means BUT you get to not worry about what the price is of each thing you order when you are there. you just get to swipe your card and it is really easy. It could be nice for a family with teenagers. I know my mom appreciated it a few years ago. She could just let me do my own thing and not worry about giving me money so that I could eat.
I will say though, now that I am grown and paying for my own vacations, I am definitely wondering if the "feel" is worth it.

[Pirate Granny]

I feel the DP has the most value if you have children and want to do a lot of character meals...have you checked out those prices:confused:

[A Big Kid]

i have used the free dining plan every trip, done a cost comparison and it's always cheaper by a great deal. not to mention the peace of mind to know you can order whatever you want. personally if for no other reason, i love that about the dining plan. Just knowing we can eat what we want, dont' have to look at prices or anything.
But this train of thought jacks up your tip budget considerably.

[A Big Kid]

When Disney first offered the DDP, their own marketing stated: "Save up to 40% with the Disney Dining Plan."

Today, it is: "Save up to 15% with the Disney Dining Plan."

It's no secret that this plan is hardly a "deal." and the problem with this is that you end up "ordering" things you probably wouldnt have ordered to begin with. Do i really need shortbread with my fish and chips? A cupcake with my hamburger?

[r4kids]

I am always fretting and torn about what the right decision is! We are a fam of 6, 2 teens, one preteen and a 9 yr old. I feel like one end yes great, prepaid, no worries. The other is I am eating more than normal, the character meals we do are still musts for the littlest one and tips are no longer included. But if I budget for a certain amount and we go over that, well it takes away other parts of the trip. Idk which is the right choice, it would save us roughly $800 off the room rate with the current 30% off. I imagine we would turn around and spend that on food tho. :confused:

[brownie]

The dining plan with the table service meals was a bit much for us. We're trying the quick service dining plan on our upcoming trip.

[MNNHFLTX]

I think the trouble for some of us who used to use the dining plan (especially when it was offered free as part of a package) is how drastically it has changed. Appetizer/entree/dessert/drink were included, as was the server gratuity. Now that seemed like more a deal! Now if you don't eat desserts (like me), it's just the entree and drink. Truly does not seem worth it, especially if you can snag a decent discount on the room.

[BrerGnat]

I think the trouble for some of us who used to use the dining plan (especially when it was offered free as part of a package) is how drastically it has changed. Appetizer/entree/dessert/drink were included, as was the server gratuity. Now that seemed like more a deal! Now if you don't eat desserts (like me), it's just the entree and drink. Truly doesn't not seem worth it, especially if you can snag a decent discount on the room.

Yep, this is very true. I think Disney really DID lose a significant amount of money in the first couple years of the DDP. If they hadn't, they would have never made so many changes. I think the way it was offered in the beginning was intentional, and I think they did it knowing it would be a loss initially, but would make up for it with pure profit down the road. It was meant to hook people on it, so that they could dwindle it down and down in the future while still keeping people hooked. I can see how someone who maybe went back in 2007 and hasn't been back since might automatically just get the DDP when planning a trip today, not really aware of the differences, but also maybe not really remembering the details. They will only remember what a "great deal" it was "back then" and add it to a package for convenience. I bet a LOT of people do this...the type of people who really don't spend that much time researching.

I know of a family who is taking their first trip to WDW next month. She admitted to me that she basically just went online, entered the family info and picked the "reocmmended" package. I had to tell her to add Park Hopping, for example, as she didn't really know what it was. They have the DDP booked, too, and again, she really doesn't understand it but she felt she had to get it because that's what Disney recommended. So, yeah. They are having no problem selling the DDP, but many of us have gotten wise over the years.

[Melanie]

Not to mention overall the effect the dining/free dining plans have had on the WDW dining experience - more across the board/uniform offerings, mediocre service, frenzy for ADRs, non-availability for same day reservations (which is a negative for locals) etc. I've never really seen where it's worth the $$$, especially if you have access to Tables in Wonderland.

[Granny Jill A]

When my family first traveled to WDW, we would have welcomed the "Free" dining option because we were eager to try all the venues.

After 23+ trips, we're not into eating that much, save for one special meal each trip.

If you have hungry teen boys, you might come out OK on the plan.

[mom2morgan]

BUT you get to not worry about what the price is of each thing you order when you are there. you just get to swipe your card and it is really easy. It could be nice for a family with teenagers. I know my mom appreciated it a few years ago. She could just let me do my own thing and not worry about giving me money so that I could eat.


The problem my teens had was sometimes figuring out what "counted" - especially for breakfasts! That's confusing - one time they thought they were getting "breakfast" using a counter service credit, and instead got charged 3 snack credits each. AND since all the cards are linked, I'm actually the one that had my card turned down for a snack one day because the girls had used them all up on breakfast without realizing. Seems like there is still plenty of mental math involved! I'd rather have my kids just use their room cards to charge their food, since I trust them not to be ridiculous about it.

[mom2morgan]

I am always fretting and torn about what the right decision is! We are a fam of 6, 2 teens, one preteen and a 9 yr old. I feel like one end yes great, prepaid, no worries. The other is I am eating more than normal, the character meals we do are still musts for the littlest one and tips are no longer included. But if I budget for a certain amount and we go over that, well it takes away other parts of the trip. Idk which is the right choice, it would save us roughly $800 off the room rate with the current 30% off. I imagine we would turn around and spend that on food tho. :confused:
How many days are you going for? Are you all big eaters? I figure $40 per day per person is what we actually spend.

[mom2morgan]

But this train of thought jacks up your tip budget considerably.

Yep! That was something I had NOT actually thought of before this meal - since we were ordering the most expensive things on the menu, we ended up with tips in the $30 range, instead of the $20 I had budgeted for. Heck, we could get a MEAL here for what I tipped at most places. I could save a TON if I did more counter service.

[Gator]

I love the DDP and don't think I'll ever want to not get it. I love to eat good food and lots of it, and that's what I get with the DDP. On my last vacation, I was constantly looking at what something cost on the menu, and I'd never get desert. At WDW, I get whatever I want and then something good to finish off the meal. And then I get a snack during the day, which I never wanted to spend the money on.

As far as costs, the DDP has always saved me money vs the meals I would be eating each day anyway. I've got 4 people in my paying family - 2 adults and 2 kids. So a free DDP saves me $133/day and $1330 on my next trip. A 25% discount on my moderate would only be about $430 for the whole trip. So for those who think discount rooms are a better deal, explain that to me. I see a $900 difference on my trip with the free DDP, and that's the biggest reason we're going on this trip.

But that's just the opinion of a crazy West-Coaster.

[Aurora]

Yep, this is very true. I think Disney really DID lose a significant amount of money in the first couple years of the DDP. If they hadn't, they would have never made so many changes.

When it included appetizer and tip, it was a good deal. We used it in 2007, paying for it cause we were on DVC points. We not only ate extremely well, we spent less than we would have without the DDP.

Now, for what you get, it's no longer worth it.

[BrerGnat]

When it included appetizer and tip, it was a good deal. We used it in 2007, paying for it cause we were on DVC points. We not only ate extremely well, we spent less than we would have without the DDP.

Now, for what you get, it's no longer worth it.

Yep, we did it in 2007 too. We got the Stay 4 Nights, Get 3 Free Package that included dining, so we paid for 4 nights resort and 4 nights of the DDP and got 7! That was an AMAZING deal. We ate like Kings for, like $150 each for the week!

But, they didn't hook me. As much as we liked it, we also hated it. Spent WAY too much time eating. We prefer to tour on our own schedule, and have never purchased the DDP again since then.

[Airblue1]

Only when it's free!!

[Aurora]

Yep, we did it in 2007 too. We got the Stay 4 Nights, Get 3 Free Package that included dining, so we paid for 4 nights resort and 4 nights of the DDP and got 7! That was an AMAZING deal. We ate like Kings for, like $150 each for the week!

But, they didn't hook me. As much as we liked it, we also hated it. Spent WAY too much time eating. We prefer to tour on our own schedule, and have never purchased the DDP again since then.

That was the only DDP trip for us too. That particular trip was only four nights and was all adults (me, my parents and sis). Good food is a vacation highlight for my dad, so doing TS every night was part of the fun of being together. But we haven't done an adults-only trip since then, and even if it was still the same as it used to be, I wouldn't do it with my kids, for the same reason you don't anymore.

[PopPhan]

I've never really seen where it's worth the $$$, especially if you have access to Tables in Wonderland.

Therein lies the rub, Melanie. Not everyone has access to TiW. If you are not a Florida resident, Annual Passholder, or DVC member, it is not available to you.

In my opinion, unless the DDP is a "free" offer, it is never a good deal (for me) -- Most people just do not eat that way, specially when active on vacation.

The biggest two point for/against the "Free" DDP are:

1) How do you/your family eat? The DDP allows for a LOT of food on a daily basis. Even though it's "free," you really don't want to waste it!

2) Based on the size of your 'family' (number on your reservation) and available 'other' discounts, is this actually a good deal financially? Get out your calculators and figure out what savings you can get on the room/ticket package and see if it matches, or betters, the amount you would save on the "free" DDP.

Personally, I can recoup most of the per day cost of the plan with one TS meal, and I don't mind using some CS credits to trade for snacks to bring home at the end of my trip. To pay for adult beverages is no big deal -- I do that at the adult beverage kiosks all the time anyway (not that I am a huge drinker in the parks, anyway!)

We stay at Value resorts, primarily Pop, so the room discount rarely, if ever, comes close to the cost of the DDP (a little closer since they only give the CS DDP to the Values now) for a single person. When you have more than one in a room, the "free" DDP always wins for $$$ value for us.

Of course, these are my opinions only...

"One size does NOT (necessarily) fit all!"

"Your mileage may vary!"

[Mitzie]

For us it really is all about having it all paid for up front. The planning ahead of time for reservations does not bother us, we aren't really 'power park' people. We do like being able to order what ever we want. The big problem is when we get back to real life and the kids are at a restaurant and think they can order the same way!!!

[Melanie]

Therein lies the rub, Melanie. Not everyone has access to TiW. If you are not a Florida resident, Annual Passholder, or DVC member, it is not available to you.

True. Which is why I said "especially if". ;)

[PopPhan]

True. Which is why I said "especially if". ;)

Sorry if it sounded like I was "beating on you" about this, but there are still those who read the threads that do not know, or understand, the way Tables in Wonderland works. Just wanted to make it clear to those readers. :)

[Disney Doll]

As far as costs, the DDP has always saved me money vs the meals I would be eating each day anyway. I've got 4 people in my paying family - 2 adults and 2 kids. So a free DDP saves me $133/day and $1330 on my next trip. A 25% discount on my moderate would only be about $430 for the whole trip. So for those who think discount rooms are a better deal, explain that to me. I see a $900 difference on my trip with the free DDP, and that's the biggest reason we're going on this trip.


It just depends. To really know if you have the best value you need to look at your dates, your level of accommodations, and how you would prefer to eat- table service every day, character meals, dessert, etc. Sometimes free DDP might be the best you can do. The problem is that people often see the word free and don't bother to do the math for their particular situation. You can never assume that free DDP is the best deal.

[IfUHadWings]

I agree that you must run the numbers on all offers. I enjoy the DP, but always feel like I'm chasing reservations and not just enjoying the day. We always over eat and have snacks left over. Guess it could be worse, such as not tenough food! :) we are going in 3 weeks and I'm relieved to know were 'on our own' for food.

[joonyer]

It just depends. To really know if you have the best value you need to look at your dates, your level of accommodations, and how you would prefer to eat- table service every day, character meals, dessert, etc. Sometimes free DDP might be the best you can do. The problem is that people often see the word free and don't bother to do the math for their particular situation. You can never assume that free DDP is the best deal.

:exactly: Correct!
To get a proper understanding of the "savings you get with the DP (free or not) you have to compare it to what you would have spent OOP for meals if you had not purchased it (or paid extra for rooms to get the "free" DP.

For instance, we go to WDW on a very tight budget (only way we can afford to go), and stay at a value resort. We bring our own breakfast snacks from home to eat in our room (still a cost, but way, way cheaper than buying food at WDW), eat mostly CS meals, often sharing a meal between two of us, and enjoy maybe 2 to 3 TS meals during a 7 night trip. On our last trip this meant we spent about $700.00 on food, including 3 TS meals, ('Ohana, Teppan Edo and a breakfast buffet). To purchase the reg. DP would have cost us $1,287.00 (family of 4, w/ 2 kids over 10 yrs.). So we spent $500 less on food that we would have spent on the DP. Eeven the QS plan would have cost us $979.00 and we would have had no TS meals. So, not a good deal for us to buy the DP.
We have purchased the DDP isn the past by the way, when it included appetizers and gratuity. A better deal then, but we still spent more than we normally would on food.

If we had been able to go during a free dining offer this year, we would have had to pay bout $500.00 more for lodging to qualify for the free TS plan. This would have saved us a little, about $100.00 overall from what we would spend going to a value and buying food ($600) our normal way, so that would have been a small discount for us. But it's not "free". Problem is, with school schedules, we can't ever go during free dining promotions.

[Gator]

So I guess it just depends on your situation. If you always go to a value, the free DDP doesn't offer a whole lot. But I always stay at Moderate anyway (once at an AllStar and never again). And we love to have a big meal each day - especially the character meals. So the DDP makes sense for people like me, and the free DPP is just too big of a pull for me to resist. If you don't want a nice meal each day, then it doesn't really work for you. But on my vacations, food is very important.

[TheVBs]

In our case the free DDP is worth it because we stay in a value off season. Saving 20% off $100 or less for a 10 night stay comes out to be less of a savings than the amount of food credit we get for four people with the free DDP, even with it being quick service. We would have spent more in food than we would have saved with the room discount. And, being the first time we've used the QS plan, it was perfect for us because we mostly ate CS and booked the TS restaurants we really wanted, when we wanted them and ordered what we wanted. Paying out of pocket for those TS meals was far less than what we would pay for the regular DDP. So, yes. Without a doubt you have to run the numbers. The free DDP may not exactly be "free" but depending on where you stay and other factors it can definitely save you more money than a room discount. :thumbsup:

[disneydeb]

I have to agree that one has to run their own numbers and it used to be a better deal, but we have been going during value season staying at a Moderate the last few years and been blessed with a pin code or other great blessing for free dining. We do character meals, Hoop De Doo, etc. It is great for us in our situation and I like the all inclusive feel of it. I would not do it though unless it were "free".
:thumbsup:

[twinboyz]

We tried the dining plan once because it was "free"(i use that term loosely cuz i know it wasn't free.) We went with our twin boys at that time age 11. It was a nice experience, but we aren't big eaters so I felt as though it was wasteful. We do plan on eating at a TS everyday and we also eat out for lunch. However having said that we also share ALOT of meals. We are DVC members so we usually eat breakfast in our room. We have the Tables in Wonderland discount that we ususally time to last us two trips so it definitely pays for itself. I've heard that some prefer the cash outlay up front so they don't have to worry about paying for meals here and there. I budget our meals everyday because we have been there so often and usually we come in under budget. I think the dining plan is a preference issue. It just didn't seem to save us any $$ so i didn't bother. Sometimes sharing a few appetizers works for all four of us so a meal for each of us always ended up with wasted food. just my :twocents: Gotta do what works for you!:mickey:

[r4kids]

How many days are you going for? Are you all big eaters? I figure $40 per day per person is what we actually spend.


8 days, 7 nights, we are not big people and don't eat a ton. With the exception of a teenage boy. My oldest daughter and I are fine with kid sized meals, as are my youngest girls. Plus it was free during December.

[r4kids]

Just as a side note, we do not typically eat out. Schedules just don't allow it. Its nice to slow down and enjoy a meal that is covered for the most part beforehand. Plus we typically eat somewhere we don't have at home. I guess its part of the experience for us too. BUT it was much nicer when tips were included!! App, entree and dessert are wayyyyy to much food but the tip included was nice. I would rather have the tip included and pay OOP for a dessert or app if I so needed one.

[MrPeetrie]

I am definitely withthe OP on this one.

Last year, we tried the Disney Dining Plan. We already had our room paid in full by taking advantage of an Annual Pass discount when I called and asked if it was too late to add the dining plan. I was told it was not, but Disney would have to refund everything I had paid to date, and re-bill me WITH the DDP added. It would have to be included and I received a new reservation number. It added approximately $1,100 to my bill for 10 days. I kept all my receipts from meals paid by the DDP and they totaled $1,204 so it saved about $100 or so.

However, and here's the most important point: I would NEVER have purchased that much food if I was paying out of pocket. We wasted so much food it was upsetting. I'll give examples.

I like Coke in bottles and I HATE fountain drinks. Each time we'd go to eat, I'd grab a Coke before we'd go to a counter service restaurant. But the DDP MAKES me receive and drink. So we would get another drink we didn't want. The DDP also makes us get a dessert. None of us wanted a dessert. We wanted a Mickey Bar or some other "goodie." That's part of the fun of being on vacation, but we were forced to get a dessert anyway.

Also, my DD9 was always forced to order from the kids menu. If we went to a nice restaurant, she couldn't order something she liked. She was locked in to a few items.

We vowed never to use it again and I doubt if we will. This trip,we were there for 10 days again and we tried the Tables in Wonderland card. I highly recommend this. As an AP member, we purchased it for $75 and it saved about $140. And, if I had been more thorough, I could have used it at more locations, like The Earl of Sandwich or the Sassagoula Floatworks, our foodcourt. (I did used it there, but it took a few days for me to check if it was accepted.)

TIW allowed us to order what we wanted. It saved 20 percent off the entire meal. If we went to counter service, we ordered only what we wanted and we weren't forced to get more than we needed.

That's my opinion.

[TinkerbellT421]

However, and here's the most important point: I would NEVER have purchased that much food if I was paying out of pocket. We wasted so much food it was upsetting. I'll give examples.

I like Coke in bottles and I HATE fountain drinks. Each time we'd go to eat, I'd grab a Coke before we'd go to a counter service restaurant. But the DDP MAKES me receive and drink. So we would get another drink we didn't want. The DDP also makes us get a dessert. None of us wanted a dessert. We wanted a Mickey Bar or some other "goodie." That's part of the fun of being on vacation, but we were forced to get a dessert anyway.

We vowed never to use it again and I doubt if we will. This trip,we were there for 10 days again and we tried the Tables in Wonderland card. I highly recommend this. As an AP member, we purchased it for $75 and it saved about $140. And, if I had been more thorough, I could have used it at more locations, like The Earl of Sandwich or the Sassagoula Floatworks, our foodcourt. (I did used it there, but it took a few days for me to check if it was accepted.)

TIW allowed us to order what we wanted. It saved 20 percent off the entire meal. If we went to counter service, we ordered only what we wanted and we weren't forced to get more than we needed.


Exactly! :) AND if you took OUT the desert and drink costs off the receipts you saved to calculate your savings, you would probably see you ended up paying more for the DDP because the cost of the drinks and deserts you wouldn't have otherwise wanted was on those receipt totals. So exclude what you wouldn't/didn't want off those receipts and you will see you probably lost about $300.00 (guessing). But, thats IMO :mickey:

And the limitations for what you can order when your children are a certain age, with different tastes than other children their age, must be frustrating. If your child isn't a chicken nuggets/pizza kid, but likes to "explore" other dinning options, your stuck with the DDP.

For those that can use TIW, that's definitely the way to go :thumbsup:

[MrPeetrie]

Exactly! :) AND if you took OUT the desert and drink costs off the receipts you saved to calculate your savings, you would probably see you ended up paying more for the DDP because the cost of the drinks and deserts you wouldn't have otherwise wanted was on those receipt totals. So exclude what you wouldn't/didn't want off those receipts and you will see you probably lost about $300.00 (guessing). But, thats IMO :mickey:

...For those that can use TIW, that's definitely the way to go :thumbsup:

Tinkerbell, I think you are exactly correct. That was my assessment.

[azcavalier]

My DW and I are going in April for four days (Sunday through Wednesday). We contemplated getting the DDP, but decided against it. We were curious how it would change our dining habits by NOT having the DDP. The first time we went, we didn't have it, but we were only there for two days. We have had the DDP every visit since then. Also, on this trip, we plan to eat in at least one Signature restaurant, and that would require two TS credits, meaning that we would be paying OOP for another TS meal (that we would definitely be planning) anyway...


Sorry if it sounded like I was "beating on you" about this, but there are still those who read the threads that do not know, or understand, the way Tables in Wonderland works. Just wanted to make it clear to those readers. :)

We looked at getting the Tables in Wonderland card, but did some math and figured out that, since we would only be there four days (in our minds, that equals four TS meals) the card would just break us even. So, for us, to get the value from the TIW card, we would have to have a longer stay than just four days.

[DizneyRox]

We looked at getting the Tables in Wonderland card, but did some math and figured out that, since we would only be there four days (in our minds, that equals four TS meals) the card would just break us even. So, for us, to get the value from the TIW card, we would have to have a longer stay than just four days.
If your signature is correct, the TiW will still be active for your April 2013 trip, so you'll enjoy savings on that trip as well. If you're at a break even on a 4 day trip, I'd serioously consider getting it. We used to break even well before day 4 of a trip, not counting the extra expense of the AP to get eligibility. We got two/three trips out of the pass, so we never counted that towards the cost of the TiW program.

[BigRedDad]

I hate the dining plan for 2 reasons: structure and cost. We do not eat enough food to make it worth the money. We are also forced to be on a schedule which is not what I want on vacation. The 2 times I have had it (once free and once paid for), I ended up loading up on snacks for the credits. I would have about 15 Mickey rice krispy treats.

There are usually 3 of us. I can pack bagels, other breakfast items, and snacks in a suitcase. We usually by at least 1 resort mug. My DW/DD and I can share a meal because portions are usually huge. We have snacks and buy the occasional ice cream or whatever. If I had counter service meals, the quality of the food does not warrant the cost. I also do not want to have to race around because I have to be at a restaurant at 6PM and I have been waiting in line for 30 minutes already for Pooh or something.

[TinkerbellT421]

My DW and I are going in April for four days (Sunday through Wednesday). We contemplated getting the DDP, but decided against it. We were curious how it would change our dining habits by NOT having the DDP. The first time we went, we didn't have it, but we were only there for two days. We have had the DDP every visit since then. Also, on this trip, we plan to eat in at least one Signature restaurant, and that would require two TS credits, meaning that we would be paying OOP for another TS meal (that we would definitely be planning) anyway...



We looked at getting the Tables in Wonderland card, but did some math and figured out that, since we would only be there four days (in our minds, that equals four TS meals) the card would just break us even. So, for us, to get the value from the TIW card, we would have to have a longer stay than just four days.


If your signature is correct, the TiW will still be active for your April 2013 trip, so you'll enjoy savings on that trip as well. If you're at a break even on a 4 day trip, I'd serioously consider getting it. We used to break even well before day 4 of a trip, not counting the extra expense of the AP to get eligibility. We got two/three trips out of the pass, so we never counted that towards the cost of the TiW program.

:ditto::exactly: Keep in mind that the TiW card also counts towards alcohol purchases (don't know if that is worth it to you or not, figured I'd throw that out there) and like DisneyRox stated. Keep in mind that the TiW is good for a solid 13 months (not 12 like the AP) from date of activation. So if you arrive lets say 11/1/12 and activate it on 11/1/12, it is good until 13 months there after.

[azcavalier]

If your signature is correct, the TiW will still be active for your April 2013 trip, so you'll enjoy savings on that trip as well. If you're at a break even on a 4 day trip, I'd serioously consider getting it. We used to break even well before day 4 of a trip, not counting the extra expense of the AP to get eligibility. We got two/three trips out of the pass, so we never counted that towards the cost of the TiW program.

Except that we already have free dining for this upcoming trip. So, we wouldn't use the TIW card for November at all. We are DVC members, and so we can get the Deluxe Annual Passes for a *huge* discount, which we plan to do when we get there in November. That would allow us to buy the TIW card for $75, I believe. I don't know, we'll have to sit down and run the numbers again. I believe that we figured that out before we decided where we wanted to eat, and certainly before we decided to get the AP.


:ditto::exactly: Keep in mind that the TiW card also counts towards alcohol purchases (don't know if that is worth it to you or not, figured I'd throw that out there) and like DisneyRox stated. Keep in mind that the TiW is good for a solid 13 months (not 12 like the AP) from date of activation. So if you arrive lets say 11/1/12 and activate it on 11/1/12, it is good until 13 months there after.

No, we don't drink. If we did, I imagine that would just tempt me further!

[Dulcee]

As some others have said it really depends on your vacation. We booked our room during the "fall" season at a moderate. Even with a decent room discount we'd save between $200-400 on a room only reservation.

By adding free dining we have $735 worth of food that's "free" for our 9 days. Then we upgraded to the deluxe dining, essentially giving us every meal we could imagine for about $500 that we actually pay for. Since we always do a sitdown meal for dinner and prefer signatures we were looking at easily $1000 just for dinners. That right there, on just dinners alone, makes it worth it to us.

With the "free" dining plus our upgrade we end up with all our meals and snacks for about $500. We just can't beat that. Sure we still need to bring money for tips and alcohol, but at the end of the day for people who like to eat, it still seems to work.

[WDWgoofy]

I ran the numbers using rack-rates vs discounted room rates and the actual cost of meals vs the dining plan and the numbers were close, but in my case the discounted room (no dining plan) won out.

Furthermore I prefer the flexibility I have not having the burden of the dining plan.

However I'm certain others prefer knowing the bulk of expenses are paid and appreciate the eating experience more than I.

It's great that Disney offers the option for people to choose the plan they prefer,

[A Big Kid]

It's great that Disney offers the option for people to choose the plan they prefer,


Sorry, but that one made me laugh. Disney isn't offering options; their maximizing profits.