Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
Personally, no. Even the regular DDP is no longer worth it for my family, now that my turning-10-year-old son will be considered an "adult" for dining plan purposes.
We love food, but: (1) we don't visit WDW often, and don't want to spend more than 2-3 hours each day eating, total, because that would cut into our touring time too much -- we prefer to have some cereal or a granola bar for breakfast at our hotel, grab a quick CS lunch later in the day, perhaps have a snack in the afternoon, and have one nice TS dinner in the evening; (2) I refuse to pay more for a dining plan than I'd spend for what I actually want to eat out of pocket, and by the same token, I refuse to spend more money on a dining plan just so I can "break even" or even save a tiny amount on food and other accoutrements (e.g., refillable mugs, etc.) that is going to go to waste; (3) I hate the pressure and limitations of trying to "get my money's worth" out of a dining plan, which generally requires that you avoid all 2-credit restaurants and select only from the most expensive 1-credit TS places, not to mention ordering giant fountain drinks and desserts at every meal; and (4) DH and I both strive to control our weight, and a week's worth of 2 TS meals per day is far more calories than we want or need -- --we'd look like a couple of sumo wrestlers by the time we were ready to head home.
I know that millions of visitors purchase the deluxe dining plan every year and love it for the convenience of prepayment, and I respect their views. I just think that for someone like me, who prioritizes cost savings, flexibility in choosing restaurants, touring efficiency and generally healthful food choices, it would never remotely be worth it.
We love food, but: (1) we don't visit WDW often, and don't want to spend more than 2-3 hours each day eating, total, because that would cut into our touring time too much -- we prefer to have some cereal or a granola bar for breakfast at our hotel, grab a quick CS lunch later in the day, perhaps have a snack in the afternoon, and have one nice TS dinner in the evening; (2) I refuse to pay more for a dining plan than I'd spend for what I actually want to eat out of pocket, and by the same token, I refuse to spend more money on a dining plan just so I can "break even" or even save a tiny amount on food and other accoutrements (e.g., refillable mugs, etc.) that is going to go to waste; (3) I hate the pressure and limitations of trying to "get my money's worth" out of a dining plan, which generally requires that you avoid all 2-credit restaurants and select only from the most expensive 1-credit TS places, not to mention ordering giant fountain drinks and desserts at every meal; and (4) DH and I both strive to control our weight, and a week's worth of 2 TS meals per day is far more calories than we want or need -- --we'd look like a couple of sumo wrestlers by the time we were ready to head home.
I know that millions of visitors purchase the deluxe dining plan every year and love it for the convenience of prepayment, and I respect their views. I just think that for someone like me, who prioritizes cost savings, flexibility in choosing restaurants, touring efficiency and generally healthful food choices, it would never remotely be worth it.
Last edited:
We're not foodies (hardly), but it's something we enjoy. We hardly ever finished everything (because it is a TON of food), but we did strategically used the credits so that we could do a bunch of 2-credit dinners/shows. We generally only spent 2 credits during lunch or breakfast (except for buffets or character meals e.g. Tusker House breakfast,Chef Mickey's breakfast, etc) then used the left overs to pay for 2-credit meals (CRT, California Grill, etc). We never paid for anything food-wise out of pocket when using the Deluxe plan. Plus we got to try a bunch of food that we might not ordinarily try if not for the Deluxe plan.