It sounds like you are trying to figure out if you can get away with bringing food vs. just doing the dining plan. We have been to WDW many many many times and everytime we sit down and do a worksheet to see if paying per item and bringing food is cheaper for our needs and expectations or if the dining plan is better.
Below is what we consider when making the decision:
(This is based on my family's needs, past experience, and current menu prices: You can look up the menus and prices to see what would be typical for your family).
Light Meals:
*For a
light breakfast snack it would cost us about
3-5 (yogurt, cereal, etc).
*For a
light lunch snack it would be about
4 per adult 3 per child
Full Counter Service Meals:
*For a full
counter service breakfast it would be about
6 per adult, 4 per child.
*For a
full counter service lunch it would be about
8 per adult, and about
4/5 per child.
Sit Downs:
Sit Downs can vary greatly, but these prices are based on where my family likes us to eat.
*For a
buffet sit down about
28.00 per adult,
12 per child plus.. tax (i think is 11.5 percent) and tip.
*For
sit down, We average about
12 - 18.00 per adult and about
8 per child plus tax and tip.
Now, if I do the dining plan we have to pay full price for the room, tickets, and 39.99 per adult per night, and 10.99 per child per night. Yes it is worth it if you want to eat one snack a day, one counter service, and one sitdown
but remember, the dining plan does NOT include the tips and appetizers or adding a side salad, or soup (unless included in meal) is extra.
However, we get military pricing on our tickets, we have AAA, so we get a great rate on the hotel room -Pop Century-(or I watch for the codes and take the best offer of the two). The difference of the dining package (tickets, room, and food) vs. for us to get all our discounts and pay out of pocket for our food is a few hundred dollars. So, it works out better for us to NOT do the dining plan and just pay per item and bring food.
What we did to bring food costs down to a minimum without making us feel like we are missing out:
*We bring our own snacks (light and easy to carry),
*we bring our own things for breakfast - powerbars, fruit, cereal bars etc.
*We eat a light lunch (hubby and I share a counterservice meal) and the kids share a kids meal). The kids want to ride rides not eat anyways, so it is just a quick meal
OR instead of a light lunch we get a snack at WDW.
*We have one sit-down where we bing on food per day or we have one large counterservice meal per day.
*We bring one large h20 bottle and flavor packets for the water. The refillable mugs only work at the resort you are staying at.
*
We order water with our sitdowns if it is not a buffet, and
use our flavor packets in the h20.
We are going in Jan for 8 days and are doing for dinner 2 buffets, and 1 sitdown, and 5 decent counter service. Breakfasts are 1 sitdown Cind. Roy. Table, and 7 from brought breakfasts, and light lunches if needed.
We are also bringing 2 snacks for each of us each day.
Doing this we are only going to be spending about 620.00 (77.50 per day) total for food, tax, and tips and the cost of what we bring from home for 8 days
VS the
dining plan which is about 944 (100 per day plus at least a 18.00 tip per sitdown - you have to pay tips out of your own pocket- plus add into that extra money for apps, salads, or soup).
*********
If you do chose the dining plan and you have AAA think about this little bit of FYI. When I booked our room, tickets, and dining package through WDW it was one price, even when I said that I have AAA, however, when I called AAA to book the same thing, it was about
95.00 cheaper. Both included all taxes. So, if you have AAA book the dining package through AAA, not WDW. I have not run into this problem with just room bookings, only the package. When I asked, neither could explain why that was.
No matter what you chose, my best advise is too look for booking codes that apply to your needs.
Hope this helps!!
