I have no idea what it is, i know what entails but what is it? Do you use it like a voucher for food? Do you buy the plan and then you get food for free?
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What is a Disney Dining plan?
- Thread starter bravemouse
- Start date
mickey&me
Active Member
I like your name. You are indeed a brave mouse if you start a thread about the Dining Plan. 
To answer your question, the Disney Dining Plan is paying a flat fee in advance for a certain number of meals and snacks per night of your reservation at a Disney hotel. There are several levels of dining plans that determine how many meals or snacks you get per night and whether you have sit-down (table service) meals or only counter or quick service meals. The Dining Plan credits are attached to your ticket, which you use to "pay" for your meals. You buy the plan when you book your vacation (or add it later), so you don't have to pay for that food while you're in the park; it's paid for beforehand. Be aware that all food is not available on the Dining Plan, so your menu may be limited in ways that it would otherwise not be.
I encourage you to investigate the levels and evaluate your dining preferences before you buy. The Dining Plan doesn't always save money and may not serve your park touring plan.
To me, that's the Disney Dining Plan in a nutshell. Hope it helps!
To answer your question, the Disney Dining Plan is paying a flat fee in advance for a certain number of meals and snacks per night of your reservation at a Disney hotel. There are several levels of dining plans that determine how many meals or snacks you get per night and whether you have sit-down (table service) meals or only counter or quick service meals. The Dining Plan credits are attached to your ticket, which you use to "pay" for your meals. You buy the plan when you book your vacation (or add it later), so you don't have to pay for that food while you're in the park; it's paid for beforehand. Be aware that all food is not available on the Dining Plan, so your menu may be limited in ways that it would otherwise not be.
I encourage you to investigate the levels and evaluate your dining preferences before you buy. The Dining Plan doesn't always save money and may not serve your park touring plan.
To me, that's the Disney Dining Plan in a nutshell. Hope it helps!
bsiev1977
Well-Known Member
I like your name. You are indeed a brave mouse if you start a thread about the Dining Plan.
To answer your question, the Disney Dining Plan is paying a flat fee in advance for a certain number of meals and snacks per night of your reservation at a Disney hotel. There are several levels of dining plans that determine how many meals or snacks you get per night and whether you have sit-down (table service) meals or only counter or quick service meals. The Dining Plan credits are attached to your ticket, which you use to "pay" for your meals. You buy the plan when you book your vacation (or add it later), so you don't have to pay for that food while you're in the park; it's paid for beforehand. Be aware that all food is not available on the Dining Plan, so your menu may be limited in ways that it would otherwise not be.
I encourage you to investigate the levels and evaluate your dining preferences before you buy. The Dining Plan doesn't always save money and may not serve your park touring plan.
To me, that's the Disney Dining Plan in a nutshell. Hope it helps!
Might I ask what you mean by saying not all food is available? I ask because I've got the plan for my trip in December, and I don't see too many things not available through it.
bsiev1977
Well-Known Member
What are some examples of things that aren't available?
real mad hatter
Well-Known Member
When I read this thread this morning,my first thoughts were,Here we go..spam for breakfast,then I see that it's not..Right miss Canada.Open your Disney plan book at page 1 and get studying. Even guests who come to my Disney house parties who have never been to America,never mind WDW,have a rough idea how this works.Theres no excuse now,your 21 years of age.I want to read good school reports after your DDP exam.
real mad hatter
Well-Known Member
Good Morning Bravemouse. If you log onto today's Disney Food Blog ( web site ) And scroll down past the article on the Hurricane bar at the Yacht.Theres a whole topic on the pros & cons of Disney's dining plan.Thats your starter for 10.
Bparso87
Well-Known Member
The dining plan could be great for some ppl and not for others. You could save money by not using the DP. I saved 400 dollars by not doing it. But I will start doing it agian I stress out making we have enough money I think a vacation where food is payed will make me less stressed I know it helped when I had free dining before. So it matters what you like.
real mad hatter
Well-Known Member
I'am a "Kick " teacher of Disney, never rough,but love to get the adrenalin going first thing in the morning.I'am sure our Canadian mouse knows its all in good fun.
mickey&me
Active Member
For example, alcoholic beverages are on the menu in multiple locations, but they must be paid for out of pocket. They are not part of any Disney Dining Plan.
Appetizers are on the menu at table service locations (except buffets); however, the Disney Dining Plan no longer includes appetizers, so they must be paid for out of pocket. You can't buy them with Dining Plan credits.
Snack kiosks sell a variety of items; they have menus which are clearly marked with a symbol indicating which items can be purchased with Disney Dining Plan snack credits. Not all of the items qualify for purchase.
Pooh Lover
Well-Known Member
You know, doing "my homework" on WDW is half the fun! Visiting the different websites, looking at the menus and pictures, basically looking for anything I don't already know. I can't imagine being a complete WDW newbie today without the internet. It really will tell you almost everything you need to know.
Figgy1
Premium Member
Welcome!! No adult beverages certain snacks appetizersMight I ask what you mean by saying not all food is available?
bsiev1977
Well-Known Member
I guess the Premium plan I got is different. For each TS meal I get and app, entree, dessert, and a non-alky beverage.
bsiev1977
Well-Known Member
It is different. I just looked at the pdf brochures for the different plans. Premium gets an appetizer at TS meals.
Semantje
Active Member
I have done the math on the dining plans and my idea is that sometimes it's hard to get your money out of it if you pay full price. It seems that you can get most of it at quick service restaurants. I could be wrong but i see some people having a hard time getting a value for their money on the Deluxe Dining plan. We got it with great discounts so i'm not worried about it. Hmm maybe if i have nothing to do some day i will calculate the estimate amount that i will save... I'm curious tho!
LuLaSue
Well-Known Member
Depends on which Dining Plan you have:Might I ask what you mean by saying not all food is available?
If you have the Plus Dining, it does not include appetizers or adult beverages for your Table Service.
If you have the quick service dining, you can only eat at participating counter service restaurants
The deluxe, premium and platinum plans offer much more and have less restrictions.
Try looking here: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/
You can determine which plan you purchased and what is available to you.
real mad hatter
Well-Known Member
Yes,They are quite a few plans available now..The QS..the TS..the Deluxe..the Platinum..and the new MHMDP which entitles each person per day, One QS meal,Two TS meals,One Snack,Two desserts,and one alcoholic beverage ( age permitting ) This does not include cocktails but does include Margaritas.
Bparso87
Well-Known Member
It all depends what you eat and how much if you get your money out of it. I devided to to it from now on just so it is all paid for when I get down there. I could easily save more money but not sure for me is it worth the stress of checking the account every time I eat.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
I did the math on the standard DDP after our trip in October last year, and after all was said and done, we broke even. By that, I mean that the cost of the dining plan was within a few dollars of what we would have paid for the same exact food had we paid out of pocket (AND this was after choosing the most "expensive" restaurants and buffets we could, not wasting table service credits on anything that required two of them, and ordering the most expensive entrees nearly everywhere we went, whether they were what we really wanted or not).
That being said, although we enjoyed the ease of the dining plan, it was still not a good deal for my family, because while the dining plan cost was nearly the same as the out-of-pocket cost for the same foods, we would not have ordered nearly as much food had we been paying for it out-of-pocket in the first instance. For example, I don't typically order beverages other than water (what can I say? I like water!), and DH and I almost never order dessert. (The kids' meals tended to come with dessert regardless.) Although we enjoy a good snack now and then, one per person per day was actually more than we could eat, and on our last day on the dining plan we found ourselves ordering snacks we didn't even want, just to use up the credits. Also, I sometimes like to order an appetizer and/or an a la carte salad as my meal, which was not an option on the dining plan. Mind you, both of our kids are still "kids" on the dining plan -- if they were old enough to have to pay adult prices for the dining plan, there's no way they could have eaten enough to make it worth the cost.
Because I'm [delightfully] obsessive, I already ran the numbers for our planned Disney trip in May 2014, using the 2013 menu prices and dining plan figures, which have gone up already. Now it's even more difficult to break even -- especially since next time around, we'd like to eat at two places that would otherwise cost 2 dining credits (Cinderella's Royal Table and California Grill). When I added up the cost of the dining plan (plus the cost of the extra meals we'd have to pay for out-of-pocket because of the 2-credit meals), it was $100+ more than if we went to all of the same restaurants, ordered the more expensive entrees, plus drinks, and a snack per person per day, and paid out-of-pocket. (The only difference is I didn't include adult desserts, which DH and I don't eat anyway.) After looking at the numbers, we decided to forego the dining plan (which will no doubt be even more pricey in 2014, and Disney may continue to diminish what is offered on it) and pay out-of-pocket. Not only will we have everything we want to eat and save a little money, but on those occasions when we're more in the mood for a burger than a steak, when DH would rather order from the kids' menu than the adult one, or when I'd prefer a sushi appetizer in place of an entree (which is always, LOL!) we'll be pocketing the savings.
Still, I know many people love the dining plan because they can rest assured that everything is "already paid-for." For me, that's a non-issue, since we just save up ahead of time so we know that once the credit card bill for our Disney food comes in, we can pay it off immediately. If you are someone who'd rather have it all taken care of in advance, then the DDP might be worth a few extra dollars to you, solely for that reassurance.
To the original poster: I suggest poking around the restaurant menus on this site, getting some ideas of where you'd like to eat, and running some numbers yourself, based on your family's typical dining habits. Not only will you have a clear picture of whether the dining plan is going to work for you, but you'll be learning more about the restaurants themselves. Reading, thinking and talking about food: is there anything more fun than that? ; )
*Here's a link to the Disney World website -- click on the links for each dining plan to get the details, see what restaurants are covered, view sample receipt, etc. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/