I believe there is also an aspect of the Dining Plan that works better with certain personalities. Even if you do not "save" money, some people really like the aspect of prepaying for their meals and that they do not need to worry about the marginal cost of each menu item. I do see the benefit of this. We have found that paying a la carte for our meals works better for us. However, I believe it is important not to discount the psychological aspect of the Dining Plan. It is similar to paying extra for an "all inclusive" resort experience so that you do not have to worry about the marginal cost of each item or feeling that you are nickled and dimed. With alcohol now being included, I can also see where people who enjoy a glass of wine with dinner would like to drink it without having to worry that the paid an extra $15 for the glass when using the Dining Plan. Other thoughts?
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Are the dining plans cost effective?
- Thread starter gibmom
- Start date
Minnesota disney fan
Well-Known Member
Just an add on to my original post.
When my daughter, soninlaw, 2 big teenage boys, and preteen girl, went to Disney with us, we all had the dining plan. We found that we, 2 adults, did not use all our credits, so we used them on the family. However, the 2 teenage boys ate like horses and would eat ALOT at each meal. They were "starving" all the time, which is normal for teens that age. So, the dining plan did help them out, but they still paid OOP for several items including us helping them.
So, the point is, it works for some and not others. If you have big eaters who are never filled up, it would help.
I feel Disney is fazing this out anyway, as they don't need it to fill up the rooms now.
When my daughter, soninlaw, 2 big teenage boys, and preteen girl, went to Disney with us, we all had the dining plan. We found that we, 2 adults, did not use all our credits, so we used them on the family. However, the 2 teenage boys ate like horses and would eat ALOT at each meal. They were "starving" all the time, which is normal for teens that age. So, the dining plan did help them out, but they still paid OOP for several items including us helping them.
So, the point is, it works for some and not others. If you have big eaters who are never filled up, it would help.
I feel Disney is fazing this out anyway, as they don't need it to fill up the rooms now.
ThanksPhoenicians
Well-Known Member
I'm of the mindset that breaking even on the DDP is okay, mainly because I'm an awful at budgeting and it's great peace of mind not having to worry about money while I'm there. I'd rather pay everything up front, that way I only need to have money available for gratuity. For people like me, it's worth the price (especially since we make dining an attraction in and of itself), but for those who are smart with their money, it's probably not worth it.
Bpmorley
Well-Known Member
We did it twice and it was ok at best. Once they took the tip away from the sit down meal I would never consider it again. Too much planning and not really worth it since the quality of some of the better restaurants has slipped
Andrew M
Well-Known Member
As everyone else has said, it all depends on your personal preference and number/age of people in your group. We did the Deluxe Dining Plan last year with 2 adults, a 4 yr old and 2 kids under 3. It was way too much food, and you could argue we wouldn't have eaten that much if we weren't on the plan, but we did save a significant amount of money vs. if you paid for those meals out of pocket.
However we still find the regular dining plan is a good value. We see some of the restaurants as almost as big as an attraction as the rides, so being able to eat whatever and not worry about cost, especially on vacation, is a nice touch. Also when you have kids under 10, you pay only $25 or so per kid/night, but all the meal credits are the same as adult credits, so you can pick and choose where and when to use them to get the most value. Also whenever Epcot has any festival going with food kiosks (Food & Wine, Flower & Garden, etc.) the snack credits come in very handy.
However we still find the regular dining plan is a good value. We see some of the restaurants as almost as big as an attraction as the rides, so being able to eat whatever and not worry about cost, especially on vacation, is a nice touch. Also when you have kids under 10, you pay only $25 or so per kid/night, but all the meal credits are the same as adult credits, so you can pick and choose where and when to use them to get the most value. Also whenever Epcot has any festival going with food kiosks (Food & Wine, Flower & Garden, etc.) the snack credits come in very handy.