Dining Plan/Worth It?

[billyd52]

I am not going to the World until October 2009 and know things could change by then but could someone help me. Is the dining plan worth the expense. I have tried to do research on it but figured who would know more than you guys. Any helpful hints would be appreciated.
I dont know if this makes a difference but there will be 12 of us 8 adults,4 children ages 8,3,2 infants

 

[coltow]

We got it, we are going to be travelling with 15 people, mostly adults. Our theory was that it would be easier then to have to figure out cash at each meal. We also like to stop and sit for a dinner every night. Most dinners run about the cost of the meal plan, and then you still get a CS meal and snack.

When we go in December we opted not to get it. There will only be 6 or 7 of us. We plan to eat mostly lunches, so the cost of the DDP didn't work for that trip.

 

[wdwmomof3]

First of all, welcome to the board! There are many old threads on the dining plan, if you want to go back and search for them. There are many opinions about it, some good some bad. We have used it once and it was great. It was the first time that we ate at that many onsite places and we loved it. I added everything up once we got home to see how much we saved and it was well over 600.00. This was back in Oct of 06, and since then they have made changes to the plan. I have heard that more changes are to come, like the price will go up along with a different CS meal only plan. I am waiting to see what changes that they make to it to see if we will use it again. :veryconfu

We are also going in Oct 09. :sohappy: It's so much fun planning, isn't it!:animwink:

 

[billyd52]

I love planning the trip. I drive my family nuts with all my plans.

 

[michelemily]

We went in June and we are a family of 4, the kids are 3 and 4 and we thought it was completely worth it. Most of our meals were character meals and sit downs and it was sooo nice having the dining plan.....and we liked that all of our meals were paid for before we even went so all we really had to bring was spending money. I feel that we did save money on the dining plan and we even did the Cinderella royal table which is two meals. (we did the deluxe dining plan) we will definitely do the dining plan again when we go next june.

 

[Master Yoda]

If you do not qualify for the DDE (Disney Dining Experience) card then I would go for the dining plan. It is by no means as good as it used to be but there is definitely value there.

 

[Eyorefan]

I think it just depends on who you are. If you are a person who likes to eat at tabel service restraunts I think its more than worth it. The way my family travels we eat a tabel service meal every day, with or with out the plan so for use, its a big savings. Its also really convinent.

On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who doesn't like to have to bother with table service restruaunts and prefers to grab a quick bit at a counter service or snack cart, then I would skip the plan.

Most TS meals will take up about 2 hours when you factor in, getting there, waiting for your table and eating. For my family its a break from the day, a chance to relax. Others just see that as 2 hours of waited ride time.

So really decided where you want to spend your time and that will make the decistion for you.

 

[fosse76]

It depends on your eating habits. When I first crunched numbers based on the food costs and what I would eat at certain eateries...I saved maybe $10.00. However, based on what I WOULD have ordered had I NOT been on the meal plan, then I ended up spending more money. Personally, I don't need Table Service everyday, and I rarely order a dessert, so for me it isn't a value. I end up spending more money I wouldn't have spent in the first place. Plus if I don't end up ordering the most expensive item on the menu (a MUST if you want to make your money back), then I would lose money. I think when the tip was included it was a much better bargain.

 

[theverynk]

When it's free it's great

 

[jjgoo]

OP, If you like to plan, then you really can figure out dollar for dollar if the plan would really be worth it.

You can find menus with prices on WDW Magic http://www.wdwmagic.com/menus.htm

or On All Ears http://www.allearsnet.com

All Ears also has a break down of what restaurants require two dining credits and what require one.

If you have an idea of where you would like to eat and what sort of dining preferences your family has (do they like to eat steak and expensive fish dishes while on vacation or are they happy with chicken, pasta and vegetarian dishes) you can figure out what is best.

It takes a few minutes, but you can make a good guess as to the best way to spend your money.

For us it came down to we like to try different restaurants at WDW, we like to have at least one sit down meal a day where we are served and we like the convience of not having to worry about the cost of the entree that we order.

So I sat down and looked at the menus, and knowing most of the places where we will eat and what my family likes to order (more steak and fish) and even with having to pay the tip outside of the plan and not having an appetiser included we will still save a couple 100 dollars. I also figured out that if we were to order the less expensive meals and eat at more buffets than actual full service sit downs we would save by not having the dining plan.

In the end, this is our only vacation this year, we want the conveince and we want to feel relaxed and free to order what we would like. So the dining plan works out best for us.

Have fun planning. I am sure the answer will become clear for your particular circumstance quickly.:wave:

 

[kirinan]

My husband and I always get the dining plan, because the 1 table service + 1 quick service + 1 snack exactly mirrors our dining style, and we can always find entrees that make the purchase of the dining plan a value for us.

However, when my sister and her husband went with their two teens in April, we calculated beforehand that the dining plan wouldn't be worth it for them. My niece and nephew are in a phase where they only order burgers, chicken fingers, nachos, etc. when they go out to a restaurant, and since they'd be charged as adults for the dining plan, they'd in fact be losing money--since rarely (actually, never as far as we could tell) does a burger or order of chicken fingers come to the amount they would have paid per day for their table service meals.

So, just to echo what everyone else here says, it depends--and I definitely second the recommendation that you use the menus posted online to sit down and figure out what everyone in your party would eat. After all (speaking as a fellow planning geek) that's half the fun!

 

[coltow]

Most TS meals will take up about 2 hours when you factor in, getting there, waiting for your table and eating. For my family its a break from the day, a chance to relax. Others just see that as 2 hours of waited ride time.

Not necessarily. We do alot of buffets and family styles. Those do not take that long. We plan about an hour from the time of our ADR, plus the 15 minutes prior when we arrive. Our trip is 8 nights, we have 9 ADRs, only 2 of them are sit-down and order restaurants, Le Cellier and Coral Reef.

 

[WickedQueen22]

Our family uses the DDP even with the changes that came about last year. We find it alot easier to have the sit down meal daily. It forces us to relax and spend some time together. Personally I like having that portion prepaid so the money in my wallet goes to better things like souveniers.

With a group of 15 it is silly to think you will travel around in a big group all day. Try making the sit down meal a mandatory meeting point to talk about the days adventures and plan the rest of your day!

We are also going in Oct 2009, check out MNSSHP.

 

[bgraham34]

I was debating if I should use it on my Sept trip but I decided not too. Since I had a hard time getting dining reservations and most of the places I did get cost under $20 per person it was cheaper for me to go without it.

 

[DivineMadness7]

It depends on your eating habits. When I first crunched numbers based on the food costs and what I would eat at certain eateries...I saved maybe $10.00. However, based on what I WOULD have ordered had I NOT been on the meal plan, then I ended up spending more money. Personally, I don't need Table Service everyday, and I rarely order a dessert, so for me it isn't a value. I end up spending more money I wouldn't have spent in the first place. Plus if I don't end up ordering the most expensive item on the menu (a MUST if you want to make your money back), then I would lose money. I think when the tip was included it was a much better bargain.

I agree. When I crunched the numbers, we were saving maybe $10 a day and that was by always ordering the most expensive item on the menu. Steak and lobster are great, but I don't know if I could eat them every day! We opted for eating 2 table service meals during our 7 day trip in October. It isn't so much that the time is an issue, but we don't like to be tied down by specific plans. We don't make any sort of itinerary and like to decide that morning what we'll be doing for the day.

It seems the DP was a better deal when the tip was included. I also wonder if it's more of a bargain for people with children. It did not seem to be a bargain for 4 adults. Some people may like the convenience of paying ahead, so I guess that is another benefit. I would suggest looking at the menus and seeing if there are enough places you would want to eat, maybe crunch some numbers of your own. I can tell you that the best way to make you at least break even is to eat your TS at dinner, as the prices are higher. Good luck!

 

[maryszhi]

we have always used it since it has been offered. it is worth it

 

[tomm4004]

Just curious, but where are you staying? On property? Off? Do you have a condo with a kitchen? For that many people something like that would be worth it. I can't imagine a sit down meal every day with all of those kids. Even with one it's too fickle to make plans that definite.

 

[Highland_Holly]

The nice thing about the plan is that it is paid for ahead of time (so you are not thinking about "what does this cost" or "what did I already spend today"). It also allows you to make restaurant choices you might not opt for if left to your own devices. We loved it. Yes, it is pricier than eating counter service 3x/day, but I enjoy the (1) mandatory slow down during the day and (2) better food choices.

Holly

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I just cant make up my mind, I dont eat dessert often and usually prefer a starter, and last year we hadnt used all the counter service meals.

Still working out its value this year.:shrug: given the number of signature eateries were using.

 

[RiversideBunny]

Eat when you have to then move on.