Do Disney Dining Plans actually save you money?

[worldfanatic]

All I know is I'd like to throw whoever came up with DDP in a pool of mud.
I know it makes Disney lots of money, but it's done massive damage to the sit down dining experience in the World.
I still love WDW dining, but it's taken a dramtic step down since DDP began.

 

[Computer Magic]

The plan can save you money if you like to eat at sit down dinners. Disney designed the plan to cost more for people not on the plan. This is done by inflating the prices on the menu. I have saved by using the plan because we like sit down meals.

The plan started in 2005 and has been watered down over the years to offer Disney a larger profit. I do like the Silver Plan before the dinning plan. Since the new plan has started the appetizer has been removed, prices increased, tip removed from plan and fewer menu selections. The days of unique offerings are gone and it does require ADR.

Blame Disney for forcing people that like to dine to purchase the dinning plan.

Every trip I keep my receipts and the total cost of adding the dining plan is less then if I paid menu prices

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Only if its free, you dont eat or drink add ons, and run without tipping.

 

[muteki]

This was a puzzling question we had when planning our next trip, because it would be the first time we would be going for more than 4 days, and the first time we even considered doing it. What I did was make a spreadsheet with each day planned out, where I would eat for TS and QS, the items I would most likely choose to eat, and dig up a menu with prices from here or allears and go through the math. I think I used an average price as a snack, as that will greatly vary and I don't know what I will want at any given time. So after I did that for the both of us, accounted for gratuity and tax, I could figure up how much we would spend without it, and how much it would cost to add it to our reservation. Lots of planning but that is part of the fun, right?

So for our weeks meals it added up to about 580 dollars if we were paying out of pocket, and about 530 dollars to add the dining plan to our reservation. So we saved about 50 dollars.

Now, one needs to question if you can actually eat that much food, how much you actually want, the time cost of waiting and sitting at a table as opposed to attractions, etc, before one can really say if it is better or not. In this instance, it was our first long trip there, and we wanted to really do the whole 9 yards, and my wife really likes the restaurants theming and atmosphere, and it is a good way to relax.

If it were me, I would go quick service only because I really don't get that much additional value out of a TS restaurant, and would really only need to visit a couple over the coarse of a trip to be happy.

So, I think if you are looking at this objectively, looking at just the numbers, I would say that yes, it is worth it. Subjectively, however, it is a whole different beast and dependent entirely on you and your families eating habits, preferences, and what you really want out of the trip.

 

[WDW1974]

All I know is I'd like to throw whoever came up with DDP in a pool of mud.
I know it makes Disney lots of money, but it's done massive damage to the sit down dining experience in the World.
I still love WDW dining, but it's taken a dramtic step down since DDP began.

Absolutely.

That's ultimately why I wouldn't tell anyone to buy into it.

Best move is to dine at a few locations you really desire and then either do DD locales that aren't owned by Disney (no, not McDonald's ... places like Fulton's and Portobello are terrific and less expensive to start with) and venture off-site. There are better meals to be had for less and while they don't come with a side of pixie dust, you also can look yourself in the mirror the next morning without feeling so dirty!:xmas::ROFLOL::xmas:

 

[Daddymouse]

After our last trip DW and I priced what we ate against DDP. It wouldn't work for us and would have caused us to eat differently.

 

[Master Yoda]

So, I think if you are looking at this objectively, looking at just the numbers, I would say that yes, it is worth it. Subjectively, however, it is a whole different beast and dependent entirely on you and your families eating habits, preferences, and what you really want out of the trip.

This is 100% correct. If all you look at is food to dollars you will make out like a bandit with the DDP. But when you factor in the reality of what you would actually order the water becomes quite a bit more muddy.

 

[Master Yoda]

The plan can save you money if you like to eat at sit down dinners. Disney designed the plan to cost more for people not on the plan. This is done by inflating the prices on the menu. I have saved by using the plan because we like sit down meals.

The plan started in 2005 and has been watered down over the years to offer Disney a larger profit. I do like the Silver Plan before the dinning plan. Since the new plan has started the appetizer has been removed, prices increased, tip removed from plan and fewer menu selections. The days of unique offerings are gone and it does require ADR.

Blame Disney for forcing people that like to dine to purchase the dinning plan.

Every trip I keep my receipts and the total cost of adding the dining plan is less then if I paid menu prices

Actually Disney has had some sort of dining plan since the 90's. It has had some different names and was not advertised nearly as much as the current DDP but it has been around for quite a while.

 

[tomm4004]

This reminds me a bit of an online bookstore. I see something at a brick and mortar store for $30. Then I look online and it says Regular price $50. Now $40. You save $10. This is common. How am I saving money when it's cheaper at this other store? The regular price is irrelevant. So if Disney charges you $40 per day for food that would otherwise cost $50, but before the plan was initiated cost $40, then you're not ahead at all. I guess we need some research comparing restaurant prices from a couple years ago until now. Has Disney really jacked up prices to make the DDP seem like a bargain? And are people paying regular prices getting taken?

 

[Computer Magic]

Actually Disney has had some sort of dining plan since the 90's. It has had some different names and was not advertised nearly as much as the current DDP but it has been around for quite a while.

I think that is what I stated unless you are talking about something different than Disney's Dream Maker ™ Package .

I used the Disney Dream Maker from 1995 until 2005. That offered more than just dinning which meant the points were spread out and kept some pressure off the ADR.

There was a Silver, Gold, and Platinum. See old plan by pressing link.
http://www.kingdom-travel.com/Walt_Disney_World_Planning/Disney_Dream_Maker_Package.shtml#Silver

 

[Mouse Man]

We DWF and I love the DDP. We make reservations to all the best resteraunts that we want and enjoy the fact the meal is payed for and we do not have to keep checking on our money and prices. I will say since we are on vacation we splurge and spoil our selves. Vacation to Disney is once a year and sometimes once every other year. So the plan for us is worthe it. Yes we make reservations in advance and have alway been satisfied. So it's really up to you if the plan is right for you or not. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, two snacks a day and the resort mug. We never can eat all the food but we truly enjoy just going into a resteraunt and ordering anything we want off the menue. We are not huge fat people and are average in size. Its just the plan works.

 

[Maryssa*]

I think for my family it actually ended up way more expensive than if we had just paid normally.
We usually did snack-rank stuff or just ate from groceries we kept in the room for breakfast, and one table-dinner per day, since we were so full from the table service we rarely ever used our quick-serve credits. We still had a ton of unused snack credits and almost ALL the QS credits left at the end of the week.

 

[007mickey]

I'm in the same boat as a lot of others. It is a good deal if you eat just as the plan lays out but most don't.

I just did a comparison for our upcoming 8 day trip and really couldn't find a savings. Came out about break even. And the "hassle factor" for something break even isn't worth it for me. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people ordering and don't know what they get with the plan or don't know how many credits they have left or end up with 20 snack credits, etc.

I think it is imperative to do your homework (aka spreadsheet) and find out if it truly would be a good deal for your family and your eating habits. It's really not that hard with all the information available on restaurant prices and such.

 

[swimmom]

We have used the DDP on three of our trips and saved anywhere from $250.00 to $350.00. We use all of our TS credits for dinner and only 1-2 of the TS meals are buffets. We use the CS credits for an early lunch. We are not big breakfast eaters, so we just eat granola/breakfast bars on the run so that by 11:30ish we are thinking about lunch and then no matter what time we have an ADR for dinner, we are always ready to eat. I also like having practically all our our meals/snacks prepaid, and then I don't think twice about what I order.

 

[stefan74]

We have used the dining plan the past two times we have been to Disney. On this last trip, we would have spent over $1,600 in table-service meals, quick-service meals and snacks if we did not use the dining plan.

Of course, if we were not on the dining plan, we would not have eaten all of those table-service meals or snacks. We probably would have just had quick-service meals and the cheapest ones at that.

All in all, in my opinion, the dining plan is a great idea. If you have picky eaters or light eaters, the dining plan is not a great idea...just my thoughts.

Have a Magical Christmas!!:xmas:

 

[tomm4004]

We have used the dining plan the past two times we have been to Disney. On this last trip, we would have spent over $1,600 in table-service meals, quick-service meals and snacks if we did not use the dining plan.

Just curious. How much did the DDP cost you?

 

[stefan74]

I received a PIN code from Disney Rewards and it did not cost a thing. We received free dining for the week we were there.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Thats the point if its free and you dont normaly eat table service then its a great deal. However if you normaly eat table service, even free DDP is questionable value given that apetizers, tip and the ever downward spiral of choice and quality are factored in.

Its conveniant, beyond that its worth depends on each guests needs and expectations. I have free dining for my trip next year, but only for part of my stay, I will not be paying for it as I wouldnt normaly have the hellish snack deserts from counter service, and I pay for apetizers anyway.

 

[lovepooh]

I LOVE LOVE the dinning plan... we were at the world from the 2-11 of dec. our first night we didnt have our package yet. The first night we stayed at the pop before moving the fq... so we ate at Chef Mickeys for dinner \. for my DH and 2 sons 1 who was 2 so he was free it was 90.00 there is no way i could afford to pay that the whole trip. The next day we were on the dinning plan. Well worth it in my mind. Wouldnt do it any other way.

 

[NCState]

We love the Dinning Plan. Each year I keep a record on how much we eat on the DP. We usually stay 8 nights, we're two adults, and we can eat $850-$900 during our stay....now if we didn't have the plan we wouldn't be able to eat steak every night we would be going off site for MacD...I don't know about everyone else but I don't want a burger every night on vacation.