Disney Dining Plan - Little Upside............Massive Downside

[Tom P.]

I am so confused reading every ones posts: Correct me if I am wrong there seems to be 3 ways to pay for Disney meals
1. Pay up front Disney Dinning plan.
2. Use a credit card (possible cash back) pay off balance immediately.
3. Purchase Disney gift cards in advance at a discount
Have I missed any other methods? So what are the pros and cons of these?

One could also use a credit card and not pay off the balance immediately. I wouldn't recommend that, as financing a meal at Disney doesn't seem to be the smartest financial decision, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who do it.

 

[jaklgreen]

From the same place I get the money to pay for the rest of my WDW vacations-cash, saved over many months. Not really sure what that has to do with my explanation of how using credit cards instead of the DDP could cost you more in the long run. I'm sure there are a number of people who take WDW vacations, that are still paying for it for some time after they get back home due to the fact that they used credit to cover some, if not all, of the cost.

My point was that you were saying that buying the dining plan saves money over paying OOP and putting it on your credit card, saving interest. Where is the money coming from that you are using to buy the dining plan. Do you have it in your account? If so, then you would just use that money to pay OOP (instead of putting it on a cc), or are you just charging your dining plan. In which case, it is the same as charging your OOP food. Most of the time it costs less to pay OOP instead of purchasing the dining plan. Either way, even if you break even, it is still the same money.

 

[Phonedave]

From the same place I get the money to pay for the rest of my WDW vacations-cash, saved over many months. Not really sure what that has to do with my explanation of how using credit cards instead of the DDP could cost you more in the long run. I'm sure there are a number of people who take WDW vacations, that are still paying for it for some time after they get back home due to the fact that they used credit to cover some, if not all, of the cost.

The point was, if you have the funds available, then you can either buy the DDP up front, or pay off your credit card charges in full after the trip.

If you do not have the funds available, then you either pay for the DDP using a credit card, or you pay for food using a credit card, and then pay interest.

Either way, you are paying (or not paying) interest

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

I've done the math on this one and unless you are staying deluxe I have not seen the room discount come out ahead with normal eating habits (not the most expensive items on the menu but not the cheapest either). The value and mod discounts are too small on a much cheaper room. I just have not been able to make the math to work with value and mod unless you are getting the cheapest thing on the menu and even then you may have to miss a meal or two.

I have never looked at the rack rate vs. DDP for a value - I have not stayed in a value since before the DDP was a thing.

Last time I looked at a moderate (which was a long time ago), it was close to a wash. Of course there are other factors to consider as well. WDW does not offer free dining just because it feels like it,l it's because bookings are down during the time period they offer it, and they are attempting to boost sales. Bookings may be down for a variety of reasons - sometimes its schedules, other times its weather, and, at least for me, it seem to be airfare as well. Back when I was staying in moderates, we did not eat at TS places as much, so for me, the savings over my normal habits were not there. Then there was a period of time where we were eating a TS almost every night, and it maght have prroved out vs. paying rack rate for a moderate, but we were DVC by then. Oddly enough, lately we have cut back on TS, just because the value and quality are no longer there.


-dave

 

[Phonedave]

I am so confused reading every ones posts: Correct me if I am wrong there seems to be 3 ways to pay for Disney meals
1. Pay up front Disney Dinning plan.
2. Use a credit card (possible cash back) pay off balance immediately.
3. Purchase Disney gift cards in advance at a discount
Have I missed any other methods? So what are the pros and cons of these?

Dine and Dash

Pro - cheap as can be
Con - possible arrest.


Seriously though, you can charge it back to the room on a magic band, and then pay off your room charges in cash if you want. That way it never hits a credit card, but you still dont have to carry cash around with you.

 

[Ted Daggett]

The dining plan typically only saves money if you eat at the higher end restaurants and order the most expensive meals.

If you use your 1 table service meal at Splitsville and get a burger and a coke, your dining plan covers $20 worth of food, and you leave a $4 tip that you have to pay cash or charge to your room. However, if you use your 1 table service meal at Chef Mickey, your dining plan covers a buffet for $59.99, and you leave a $12 tip that you have to pay cash or charge to your room. Even if you get the "free" dining plan, you are now eating a $60 meal for "free", but end up paying $12 out of pocket. You could have eaten at Splitsville for $24 without the "free" dining plan.

If I don't buy the dining plan, I would be happy to spend $24 for dinner. Maximizing the benefit of the dining plan forces you to have more extravagant meals, and thus have a more enjoyable vacation. You are at disney to have fun, splitsville is not that different than a TGIFridays back at home. The disney dining plan keeps the character meal restaurants full.

I have 5 people in my family, if we eat at Chef Mickey, the DDP covers $300 for the meal, but I have to leave a $60 tip. If I go to Splitsville, my wife and I get hamburger and coke and my 3 kids split a $15 pizza and get 3 cokes. Our splitsville bill would be about $80 after tip. I am only spending $20 less for the entire meal than I did for the Chef Mickey tip, and I am sure paying a lot more than $20 for those 5 table service meals that we just used from the dining plan.

DDP for my family of 5 is $377.45 per day. I also get 5 quick service meals (~$60), 10 snacks (~$30) and 5 mugs (~$90) as well. If I back out the other items included in the DDP, I am paying about $197 for the 5 table service credits by purchasing the DDP. As long as my dinner for 5 before tip is greater than $197, then I make money. Chef Mickey is $300, so I save $103 if we eat at Chef Mickey (but have to pay $60 tip). Splitsville would cost my family $68 for a table service meal, so I lose $129 if we use the dining plan there (plus I have to pay $12 tip).

Because of the difficulty obtaining dining reservations, you could be in a situation where you pay for the dining plan, and the character meals and other higher end restaurants have no availability. In this situation, it may be impossible to save money with the DDP.

The dining plan also gives you "FREE" refillable mugs. I think these are $17.99 now to buy without the plan.

This site: www.distripplanner.com has a nice tool that tells you if you should get dining plan or not based on the restaurants that you would like to visit.

 

[crxbrett]

Unless you eat at 1 sit-down every day and go to the higher end places and get the more expensive items - I don't think it is worth it. For me personally, I always go to a nice table restaurant each day for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. And I usually go all out and get steaks or some huge meal that is usually like $35-$75 once you include a drink and dessert. So it is well worth it for me. I also eat 1 small ($10-$20) meal each day at the counter service places - something you need to make sure that you do, too. With 2018's plan including an alcoholic drink, the DP is worth it even more so for me. I just recently came back from a WDW vacation and had the 2nd tier DP. I used every single one of my credits by the last day. I looked at how much I would have spent on food with my DP receipts and had I not had the DP, it added up to $750. So I saved about $230.

Snacks are easy. You can use them for anything really. So don't worry about not using those.

Also, if you go to a signature restaurant, they count as 2 DP credits. I usually hit Jiko, CA Grill and maybe one other signature spot on my trips. So that makes chugging through your table service credits pretty easy to do.

Honestly, with smaller kids, I don't think you will utilize the DP to it's fullest and it will more than likely end up being more expensive than if you just paid out of your own pocket.

 

[Raineman]

Unless you eat at 1 sit-down every day and go to the higher end places and get the more expensive items - I don't think it is worth it. For me personally, I always go to a nice table restaurant each day for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. And I usually go all out and get steaks or some huge meal that is usually like $35-$75 once you include a drink and dessert. So it is well worth it for me. I also eat 1 small ($10-$20) meal each day at the counter service places - something you need to make sure that you do, too. With 2018's plan including an alcoholic drink, the DP is worth it even more so for me. I just recently came back from a WDW vacation and had the 2nd tier DP. I used every single one of my credits by the last day. I looked at how much I would have spent on food with my DP receipts and had I not had the DP, it added up to $750. So I saved about $230.

Snacks are easy. You can use them for anything really. So don't worry about not using those.

Also, if you go to a signature restaurant, they count as DP credits. I usually hit Jiko, CA Grill and maybe one other signature spot on my trips. So that makes chugging through your table service credits pretty easy to do.

Honestly, with smaller kids, I don't think you will utilize the DP to it's fullest and it will more than likely end up being more expensive than if you just paid out of your own pocket.

Agree 100%. We do the same thing as you when we are at WDW-we like to have one TS meal each day, almost always dinner. My DD is almost a teenager now, so we are not wasting money by getting the DDP. I've heard quite a few times from the naysayers on here that "if you get the DDP, and you don't get the most expensive items on the menu, it's a waste of money". TBH, when I am on vacation, I want to eat things that I would never prepare or order when I am at home, so, more often than not, it is one of the higher-priced items on the menu. As with all things at WDW, whether it's food, merchandise, or the price of the vacation itself, if and when we feel that we are not getting value for our dollar, we will make changes. People like us that find value in the DDP will keep buying it, and the rest won't, which is fine with me.

 

[larandtra]

It is situational and based on your preference. If you do your homework you can find a savings in it. No reason for the naysayers to tell you otherwise or you to listen to them. I have used it a couple of times when it made sense and did not use it when it did not. With an AP and TIW, I dont use it now because I find quite a bit of savings using either the AP discount or TIW and TIW is good for those who drink because more of the lounges are starting to take it so it saves on alcohol. As with anything Disney trip related, its all about your situation and what makes sense for you.

 

[dreamfinder]

I am so confused reading every ones posts: Correct me if I am wrong there seems to be 3 ways to pay for Disney meals
1. Pay up front Disney Dinning plan.
2. Use a credit card (possible cash back) pay off balance immediately.
3. Purchase Disney gift cards in advance at a discount
Have I missed any other methods? So what are the pros and cons of these?

Your comments about pros & cons are what leads to a new DDP thread every other week. Using the dining plan gets you a known amount of food at a known price. Some people save money this way, others find they would waste money. Some prefer the convenience even if they lose money, others would rather save the difference and just track their spend.

You can double dip on 2 & 3. Use reward credit card to buy gift cards at a discount at warehouse clubs or the like.

It really comes down to your unique scenario. Best case advice? Look at menus and see what you think you would eat regardless of cost. Then run the numbers for those selections and compare. See how you can pay for it and what ends up being the cheapest. Then do that. Read this and any of the other threads on the dining plan and see other comments.

 

[danyoung56]

Additionally, I believe the your/you're mishap has occurred 5 or 6 times this thread... #GrammarPoPoInEffect

I could bag on grammar in just about every thread, but then I just get known as that cranky old guy. And what's the fun with that?

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

I could bag on grammar in just about every thread, but then I just get known as that cranky old guy. And what's the fun with that?

Well i think its nice that people still take the time to use good grammer nowadays It shows that standards are not slipping in this day and age More people should be like you and have a care with what they are writing Nothing is more irritating on a message board than trying to decipher what some-one is actually trying to say So keep up your fight good sir i applaud you "

 

[danyoung56]

Thanks for that. And you didn't use any periods in your post.

 

[Lilincoln]

I tallied all the dining bills of the last DDP trip we did and, for a family of 3, they came within $40 of the cost of DDP. Led me to believe Disney is very good at pricing meals to make DDP a break even experience. It does come down to preference but here is why we moved away (many of these might have already mentioned.)

1) on DDP, you don't always order what you want. We came within $40 b/c we ordered a desert on all of our quick service meals. In reality, our family would not order a dessert for a quick lunch, if we refused the dessert. and other required components of a each meal, the DDP would be a money loser.

2) You lose flexibility on DDP. Once off the plan, we realized how we could grab some apps at the pool for a late lunch or share fries at Casey's corner. Not every person in our party was required to order their own dish at every meal.

3) Tips & incremental additions add up. The fun part of the DDP is the splurge but ordering a $70 surf and turf (and a $15 glass of wine) can make a free meal at a 2 point restaurant pretty expensive. We have walked away from a free meal shelling out over $100 for drinks, apps and tips.

4) Not fan of 2 point places. This one is totally personal preference, but we feel the value on 2 point meals (on or off DDP) is not there, while a number of 1 point joints offer great meals and experiences. Cutting down on 2 point places also saves on tips and drink charges.

We will be off the DDP going forward but wouldn't tell someone they are making a mistake. That's the great part about WDW. Its so big an varied, no family attacks it the same way.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I tallied all the dining bills of the last DDP trip we did and, for a family of 3, they came within $40 of the cost of DDP. Led me to believe Disney is very good at pricing meals to make DDP a break even experience. It does come down to preference but here is why we moved away (many of these might have already mentioned.)

1) on DDP, you don't always order what you want. We came within $40 b/c we ordered a desert on all of our quick service meals. In reality, our family would not order a dessert for a quick lunch, if we refused the dessert. and other required components of a each meal, the DDP would be a money loser.

2) You lose flexibility on DDP. Once off the plan, we realized how we could grab some apps at the pool for a late lunch or share fries at Casey's corner. Not every person in our party was required to order their own dish at every meal.

3) Tips & incremental additions add up. The fun part of the DDP is the splurge but ordering a $70 surf and turf (and a $15 glass of wine) can make a free meal at a 2 point restaurant pretty expensive. We have walked away from a free meal shelling out over $100 for drinks, apps and tips.

4) Not fan of 2 point places. This one is totally personal preference, but we feel the value on 2 point meals (on or off DDP) is not there, while a number of 1 point joints offer great meals and experiences. Cutting down on 2 point places also saves on tips and drink charges.

We will be off the DDP going forward but wouldn't tell someone they are making a mistake. That's the great part about WDW. Its so big an varied, no family attacks it the same way.

We always did the DDP when it was new and free. Then it got to be just too much food for us, too much planning. We also felt like you did that you miss out on the great snacks and other food around WDW when you are just too full to eat any more. Also, I didn't like having to get to a reservation at a certain time and place each day. Took the spontaneity out of it. We usually ended up cancelling a few of our ts meals because we just didn't feel like trekking again to Epcot or? and didn't want to eat the Chinese that we picked out several months ago. There are just the two of us adults, so it made no sense to us anymore. We took the no DDP plunge a year ago and absolutely LOVE it!!! We can eat when and where we want. It's so freeing and we are trying all kinds of new things. We do set up 2 or 3 must do TS dinners, but that's it for the l0 day stay.
So, I know what you mean about the DDP.

 

[Thebolt]

The DDP enslaves you to making sure you maximise the value. We had it for 8 days last trip; and got value from Character dining... but every meall i felt obliged to get the big plate, take the desert, use snack credits for something of significant value etc.
You never share a side, skip the desert, just have a light meal or not spend a voucher. In short, it is too much food for a longer trip.

 

[larryz]

For everyone who prefers not using the DDP and uses a credit card instead, purely because of the savings, consider this:if you use a CC for all the meals consumed while at WDW, and you are not paying off the CC balance quickly after your trip, the interest you accrue on that balance could either minimize or eliminate the perceived savings over the DDP and, in cases where the balance is paid off over a longer period of time, you could pay more than what you would have paid for the DDP. Even for 2 people, a week at WDW could run you $700-$800 or more for meals, which would accrue interest at close to $100 a month at an average interest rate, which would be even higher when your party is larger.

Same thing applies if you charge your DDP to your credit card.

The dining plan typically only saves money if you eat at the higher end restaurants and order the most expensive meals.

If you use your 1 table service meal at Splitsville and get a burger and a coke, your dining plan covers $20 worth of food, and you leave a $4 tip that you have to pay cash or charge to your room. However, if you use your 1 table service meal at Chef Mickey, your dining plan covers a buffet for $59.99, and you leave a $12 tip that you have to pay cash or charge to your room. Even if you get the "free" dining plan, you are now eating a $60 meal for "free", but end up paying $12 out of pocket. You could have eaten at Splitsville for $24 without the "free" dining plan.

If I don't buy the dining plan, I would be happy to spend $24 for dinner. Maximizing the benefit of the dining plan forces you to have more extravagant meals, and thus have a more enjoyable vacation. You are at disney to have fun, splitsville is not that different than a TGIFridays back at home. The disney dining plan keeps the character meal restaurants full.

I have 5 people in my family, if we eat at Chef Mickey, the DDP covers $300 for the meal, but I have to leave a $60 tip. If I go to Splitsville, my wife and I get hamburger and coke and my 3 kids split a $15 pizza and get 3 cokes. Our splitsville bill would be about $80 after tip. I am only spending $20 less for the entire meal than I did for the Chef Mickey tip, and I am sure paying a lot more than $20 for those 5 table service meals that we just used from the dining plan.

DDP for my family of 5 is $377.45 per day. I also get 5 quick service meals (~$60), 10 snacks (~$30) and 5 mugs (~$90) as well. If I back out the other items included in the DDP, I am paying about $197 for the 5 table service credits by purchasing the DDP. As long as my dinner for 5 before tip is greater than $197, then I make money. Chef Mickey is $300, so I save $103 if we eat at Chef Mickey (but have to pay $60 tip). Splitsville would cost my family $68 for a table service meal, so I lose $129 if we use the dining plan there (plus I have to pay $12 tip).

Because of the difficulty obtaining dining reservations, you could be in a situation where you pay for the dining plan, and the character meals and other higher end restaurants have no availability. In this situation, it may be impossible to save money with the DDP.

The dining plan also gives you "FREE" refillable mugs. I think these are $17.99 now to buy without the plan.

This site: www.distripplanner.com has a nice tool that tells you if you should get dining plan or not based on the restaurants that you would like to visit.

The problem here is that you're mixing concepts of "value"(worth) and "price."

There've been multiple threads complaining that WDW has been raising prices of their TS and CS offerings to make the DDP look like a better value while serving food that, for the most part, is "worth" far less than what they're actually charging.

Of course, if you're trapped in the Disney bubble, food is "worth" what they say it is, because that's what you have to pay if you want to eat it. If you have a car, that $39 chewy underseasoned US Choice strip steak is now only worth what you'd have to pay for it at the nearest steak place off property.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

I am so confused reading every ones posts: Correct me if I am wrong there seems to be 3 ways to pay for Disney meals
1. Pay up front Disney Dinning plan.
2. Use a credit card (possible cash back) pay off balance immediately.
3. Purchase Disney gift cards in advance at a discount
Have I missed any other methods? So what are the pros and cons of these?

We go with #3 and include our Disney Visa reward card. Tried the free dining plan once and we felt like we had to eat so much food in order to break even compared to a room only and paying out of pocket for meals.

 

[Nj4mwc]

I think the dining plan is worth it but my family will book a buffet a day. My wife is vegan. She does not eat pasta, breads etc though and she eats a lot. She will clean out a salad bar on her own. So any non buffet restaurant leaves her hungry and me spending a lot. She mainly eats vegetables fruit hummus etc. the more ethnic style buffets like Boma or tusker house also have a lot for her. I could live in French fries and ice cream but will happily eat a buffets. I also look at it as a time saver since we mostly book character buffets for the kids to get autographs so I can convince them to skip other M&Gs

 

[eliza61nyc]

The DDP enslaves you to making sure you maximise the value. We had it for 8 days last trip; and got value from Character dining... but every meall i felt obliged to get the big plate, take the desert, use snack credits for something of significant value etc.
You never share a side, skip the desert, just have a light meal or not spend a voucher. In short, it is too much food for a longer trip.

That's why we stopped. first it took the emphasis of our trips off of enjoying ourselves and onto eating. I think because when we go it's usually hot outside, there were many days where we simply don't feel like a huge meal. I didn't want a steak every day. Next we do like appetizers and many times we'll order 4 or them and a salad and be perfectly satisfied.

Our last trip was 5 days in May, we saved 250 bucks by not doing the ddp and a couple of those days we actually had two big meals (breakfast and dinner)