Totally lost in which dining plan to select--help!

[CaptainAmerica]

I am a bit confused, how is it too much food? I’m a light eater but even I can eat a quick service meal a sit down main course and desert and two snacks a day. I’m on the free dining plan but I’m a bit worried about leaving all my food now and looking rude...

It's not just a "main course," you'll only get value out of the dining plan if you're ordering the most expensive main courses on the menu.

Take Kona for example. Char Siu Duck Ramen ($24) for you, 10-oz Verlasso Salmon Steak ($28) for your husband/wife/partner/whomever, and a Te Fiti's Island Mousse ($8) to share. Perfectly reasonable.

On the dining plan, you really want to get the most bang-for-your-credit, so instead you order: One 20-oz Bone-In Black Angus Rib-Eye ($55) for each of you and now you get two deserts. A week of eating like that (in 90+ degree weather and 90%+ humidity) and you'll be rolling back to the airport at the end of your trip.

To use a Quick Service example, most people will be perfectly full with a 1/2 chicken ($13.29), a pulled pork sandwich ($10.00), or a chicken salad ($10.99) at Flame Tree Barbecue. But on the dining plan, everyone is going to order the $18.99 Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sample because it "costs" the same one credit.

 

[Bananafaceal]

Thanks everyone for confirming that the portion sizes are big. As I got free dining without even asking for it, I’ll just order what I fancy without bothering about getting the most out of the plan. I will however eat my dessert every day!

 

[Dr. Ludwig von Drake]

None. Unless you're an expert, you're going to waste money. Skip the dining plan and pay cash.

I agree. I have never purchased a dining plan, BUT ...

I overhear a lot of people at their tables or in quick service lines bemoaning how hard it is to use their dining credits before they leave. At the same time, there are probably people for whom the plans are not enough food. I think the best idea is to embrace the flexibility of cash! Better yet, use your Disney Chase Visa card or Tables in Wonderland (only use Tables card if you are not an AP).

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I agree. I have never purchased a dining plan, BUT ...

I overhear a lot of people at their tables or in quick service lines bemoaning how hard it is to use their dining credits before they leave. At the same time, there are probably people for whom the plans are not enough food. I think the best idea is to embrace the flexibility of cash! Better yet, use your Disney Chase Visa card or Tables in Wonderland (only use Tables card if you are not an AP).

The Disney Visa is a poor card, even if you're the biggest Disney fanatic on the planet.

If you're going to use a credit card, the Barclays Uber card gives 4% back on restaurants. Or you can use the 2% cash back Citi DoubleCash card to buy gift cards at a wholesale club for 4% off, thus bumping your savings to 6%.

Also, Tables in Wonderland is for Florida residents and DVC members only.

 

[mdcpr]

The Disney Visa is a poor card, even if you're the biggest Disney fanatic on the planet.

If you're going to use a credit card, the Barclays Uber card gives 4% back on restaurants. Or you can use the 2% cash back Citi DoubleCash card to buy gift cards at a wholesale club for 4% off, thus bumping your savings to 6%.

Also, Tables in Wonderland is for Florida residents and DVC members only.

Thank you for all your excellent advise. You have helped me made sense out of all of this. I think skipping the dining plan is the best thing for us since I mostly eat vegetarian and I don't drink alcohol nor sodas, my husband is a healthy eater, neither of the adults are BIG eaters, and most of the time we order 2 desserts for our family of 4 and only during dinner time.

 

[elhefe4]

The Disney Visa is a poor card, even if you're the biggest Disney fanatic on the planet.

If you're going to use a credit card, the Barclays Uber card gives 4% back on restaurants. Or you can use the 2% cash back Citi DoubleCash card to buy gift cards at a wholesale club for 4% off, thus bumping your savings to 6%.

Also, Tables in Wonderland is for Florida residents and DVC members only.

Not necessarily. If you get the no annual fee card, you still get 10% off at many dining locations.

 

[Dr. Ludwig von Drake]

Not necessarily. If you get the no annual fee card, you still get 10% off at many dining locations.

Yes, given how little we use cards, this is our main interest in Chase Disney.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Chase Disney Visa has paid for most of our trips over the last several years.

 

[eliza61nyc]

As a fat adult, it's too much food for me as well.

lol you're not fat Cap, you're "pooh size".

 

[eliza61nyc]

Thank you for all your excellent advise. You have helped me made sense out of all of this. I think skipping the dining plan is the best thing for us since I mostly eat vegetarian and I don't drink alcohol nor sodas, my husband is a healthy eater, neither of the adults are BIG eaters, and most of the time we order 2 desserts for our family of 4 and only during dinner time.

It's interesting because the reason that Disney touts the dining plan is one of the reasons we dislike it. It forced us to eat waaay different than we normally eat. And MDCpr, I have kids who are college football players and seriously inhale food. lol.

Will this be your first trip to the world? I only ask because I know friends and family who generally do eat desserts but when they got to wdw they tended to not order dessert because they get stuff outside the restaurants.

For example, my kids love ghiradella's ice cream shop, so they much rather go there than have dessert in the restaurant. when we go to MK, they enjoy the pineapple thingy (help me out someone, what's it called) so again we end up skipping dessert to get those.

 

[JustJude]

I look at it this way... Disney do nothing for free. They are a multinational after all. They have to be gaining something out the dining plan, free or paid. That in my opinion is the fact that most people don’t put ‘value’ on a credit. They are cashing in on people not really thinking about the true cost and wanting a ‘hassle free’ vacation. I don’t have an issue with this at all. Their company to do what they like with but it makes me realise that it’s not always the best product to buy. Just like any other financial purchase there will be pros and cons. Only you can do the math and realise if it’s ‘worth it’ on either of the plans

 

[mdcpr]

It's interesting because the reason that Disney touts the dining plan is one of the reasons we dislike it. It forced us to eat waaay different than we normally eat. And MDCpr, I have kids who are college football players and seriously inhale food. lol.

Will this be your first trip to the world? I only ask because I know friends and family who generally do eat desserts but when they got to wdw they tended to not order dessert because they get stuff outside the restaurants.

For example, my kids love ghiradella's ice cream shop, so they much rather go there than have dessert in the restaurant. when we go to MK, they enjoy the pineapple thingy (help me out someone, what's it called) so again we end up skipping dessert to get those.

View attachment 360672

First of all--beautiful family, love the happy faces! This is indeed our first trip to WDW. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and we're not planning to leave the WDW site. We're also a little bit of food snobs--I have to admit it. We live in Brooklyn, and the kids (11 and 8) are used to really good meals, but also have healthy eating habits. We are a kale/quinoa/lentil pasta bunch, but we love BBQ and rice and beans--we keep it balanced. And Ice cream shop after a stroll in the park is probably what they would like.

 

[eliza61nyc]

First of all--beautiful family, love the happy faces! This is indeed our first trip to WDW. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and we're not planning to leave the WDW site. We're also a little bit of food snobs--I have to admit it. We live in Brooklyn, and the kids (11 and 8) are used to really good meals, but also have healthy eating habits. We are a kale/quinoa/lentil pasta bunch, but we love BBQ and rice and beans--we keep it balanced. And Ice cream shop after a stroll in the park is probably what they would like.

Enjoy, Wilderness lodge is gorgeous.

Ot. Hey neighbor. I'm a Harlem gal but worked in Brooklyn for many years. Taught at Bishop Loughlin

 

[mdcpr]

Enjoy, Wilderness lodge is gorgeous.

Ot. Hey neighbor. I'm a Harlem gal but worked in Brooklyn for many years. Taught at Bishop Loughlin

Love Harlem! I have family on 126th st., around Corner Social. So you get us, right! NY foodies, nothing in excess and walking 10 miles a day will be a breeze.

 

[Dave B]

It's pretty universally agreed upon. Even most people who really like the dining plan do it because they psychologically like to pre-pay, not because they're ACTUALLY getting a good deal.

It's a terrible value for most people. You end up with way more food than most people can eat, so even if you pay less for the dining plan than you would for all that food, if you were paying cash you would never have ordered all of that food in the first place.

Example:
You look at the menu and the food you really want would cost your family $120.
Dining plan includes desert and alcohol so you end up ordering $180 worth of stuff.
You paid $160 for that day's dining plan.

Pro-DDP people will look at that and say you "saved" $20. In reality, you wasted $40 worth of cash and another $20 of food you didn't want.

You're especially bad off if you have a child who's over 10 but under 21. They're an "adult" to Disney, and the adult DDP includes alcohol, which your kid obviously won't be drinking even though he's paying for it.

The child under 10 will not use the alcohol part of it, but that is just more for the adults over 21, correct me if I am wrong, but you can use their alcohol credit to get additional drinks

 

[Dave B]

It's not just a "main course," you'll only get value out of the dining plan if you're ordering the most expensive main courses on the menu.

Take Kona for example. Char Siu Duck Ramen ($24) for you, 10-oz Verlasso Salmon Steak ($28) for your husband/wife/partner/whomever, and a Te Fiti's Island Mousse ($8) to share. Perfectly reasonable.

On the dining plan, you really want to get the most bang-for-your-credit, so instead you order: One 20-oz Bone-In Black Angus Rib-Eye ($55) for each of you and now you get two deserts. A week of eating like that (in 90+ degree weather and 90%+ humidity) and you'll be rolling back to the airport at the end of your trip.

To use a Quick Service example, most people will be perfectly full with a 1/2 chicken ($13.29), a pulled pork sandwich ($10.00), or a chicken salad ($10.99) at Flame Tree Barbecue. But on the dining plan, everyone is going to order the $18.99 Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sample because it "costs" the same one credit.

Except for the 10 miles a day you walk, which should burn it all off, I lose weight usually, not gain, with all the walking and swimming we do

 

[Dave B]

It's not just a "main course," you'll only get value out of the dining plan if you're ordering the most expensive main courses on the menu.

Take Kona for example. Char Siu Duck Ramen ($24) for you, 10-oz Verlasso Salmon Steak ($28) for your husband/wife/partner/whomever, and a Te Fiti's Island Mousse ($8) to share. Perfectly reasonable.

On the dining plan, you really want to get the most bang-for-your-credit, so instead you order: One 20-oz Bone-In Black Angus Rib-Eye ($55) for each of you and now you get two deserts. A week of eating like that (in 90+ degree weather and 90%+ humidity) and you'll be rolling back to the airport at the end of your trip.

To use a Quick Service example, most people will be perfectly full with a 1/2 chicken ($13.29), a pulled pork sandwich ($10.00), or a chicken salad ($10.99) at Flame Tree Barbecue. But on the dining plan, everyone is going to order the $18.99 Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sample because it "costs" the same one credit.

That is the best part of vacation, eating like you normally would not, I do not get to order the most expensive steak usually so it is a blessing to us, you talk about ordering expensive food items like it is a bad thing, that is one of the perks to us

 

[Weather_Lady]

There’s a calulator online somewhere that will help you see whether the dining plan will help save you money.

Have you looked at the restaurants and their menus? Get an idea of which places you might like and if they are table service or quick/counter service.

If you eat a lot of high-priced entrees, like character meals (that are only 1 credit), and like to have your dessert right with your meal, it might work for you.

The calculator is distripplanner.com, and it's a great resource.

I second @aliceismad's recommendation to take a look at the menus and crunch the numbers, assuming that "saving money" is important to the OP.

FWIW, for my family, the DDP stopped being any kind of a deal after our first child reached the magical age of 10 and became a Disney "adult." We eat 1 TS, 1 CS and 1 snack per person, per day. We don't pay attention to the prices (meaning if I want a steak, that's what I get, but if I feel more like a burger or like having an appetizer as my entree, I get that instead) and we still end up paying about 20% less out-of-pocket than we would for the DDP.

The one thing we DON'T do anymore though is a bunch of buffets and character meals -- maybe 1 or 2 per trip (dinner at 'Ohana is a tradition) -- because the kids have aged out of it and the food tends not to be as good as at the a la carte places. If you're a family that wants to do several character meals and buffets (1-credit ones: 2-credit meals are almost always a money-losing proposition), then the DDP might end up costing you less than paying out-of-pocket. We also don't order giant fountain drinks and desserts with every meal -- maybe just one or two for the four of us to split -- so those things would be wasted on us if we bought the DDP.

Still, there's no one-size-fits-all rule, and only a good, hard, customized-to-reflect-your-family's-habits look at the menus and prices can tell you how the DDP will shake out for you.

 

[Dave B]

The calculator is distripplanner.com, and it's a great resource.

I second @aliceismad's recommendation to take a look at the menus and crunch the numbers, assuming that "saving money" is important to the OP.

FWIW, for my family, the DDP stopped being any kind of a deal after our first child reached the magical age of 10 and became a Disney "adult." We eat 1 TS, 1 CS and 1 snack per person, per day. We don't pay attention to the prices (meaning if I want a steak, that's what I get, but if I feel more like a burger or like having an appetizer as my entree, I get that instead) and we still end up paying about 20% less out-of-pocket than we would for the DDP.

The one thing we DON'T do anymore though is a bunch of buffets and character meals -- maybe 1 or 2 per trip (dinner at 'Ohana is a tradition) -- because the kids have aged out of it and the food tends not to be as good as at the a la carte places. If you're a family that wants to do several character meals and buffets (1-credit ones: 2-credit meals are almost always a money-losing proposition), then the DDP might end up costing you less than paying out-of-pocket. We also don't order giant fountain drinks and desserts with every meal -- maybe just one or two for the four of us to split -- so those things would be wasted on us if we bought the DDP.

Still, there's no one-size-fits-all rule, and only a good, hard, customized-to-reflect-your-family's-habits look at the menus and prices can tell you how the DDP will shake out for you.

Just curious what ages your kids AGED out of the Character stuff? Mine are 15 and 12 and still really enjoy it? Let us know, thx

 

[mdcpr]

Just curious what ages your kids AGED out of the Character stuff? Mine are 15 and 12 and still really enjoy it? Let us know, thx

All kids are different--my son is 11 and not interested in characters, my daughter is 8 and told me she only needs to see one princess and one Mickey and that's enough characters for them. To be honest, this Disney trip was my idea since I don't want to get older and then complain that I never took them. They are not Disney kids, but I'm sure the trip will be memorable nonetheless.