Please help decide - meal plan or no meal plan

[Mome Rath]

Whatever form we look at the DP in; free, QS, or deluxe, it never works out mathematically. So I vote "no" for whatever that's worth. lol

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[5kidsmommy]

I kept going back and forth on the meal plan. We mostly do QS and I looked at dining calculators and it said out of pocket would cost less. I decided though to sit down with pen and paper and plan out our meals. Our one table service and 11 quick service meals and snacks is less than the cost of just the quick service plan. So once again for us it just doesn’t make sense.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Try www.distripplanner.com It worked for us very well last trip.

The DDP only works for us if we stay moderate and it's free. The room discount is way less than how much it costs to feed us. Even paying rack rate and getting hoppers (which we always do) and upgrading to the TS DDP we would still be better off doing free DDP.

With that said we haven't done the DDP since 2011. We've either done agency exclusive deals or rented DVC points since then. With the exclusive deal we couldn't purchase the DDP. And I don't think it's worth paying OOP for the plan when we rent DVC.

I actually like paying for our meals OOP. We order what we want, eat when we want and don't worry about leaving behind credits, etc.

The last two trips I totaled up what we spent paying OOP (with tips) and it was about the cost of the DDP would've have been BUT we ate at more TS places, had alcohol when we wanted (before alcohol was included), ate at lounges, did apps for dinner, ate at places not covered by DDP. If we would have done the DDP it would have cost us more because we did a lot of things not covered under the plan so we would have had to pay OOP for those things on top of paying for the DDP and then add in tips.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

It really does come down to how you eat/drink. That being said don't forget you will get 2 refillable mugs with the ddp which are around $20 each and are great as a souvenir plus unlimited free soda/coffee/tea during your stay (at the resort only). Drinks are very expensive with, for example, a single serving oj around $5 and those would also be included with each meal. Even if you do not drink alcohol sometimes it's worth it. There are many qs meals close to $20 without a drink especially at Disney Springs. As for snacks again, there are many that are over $6 and closer to $7. At these prices it is easy to surpass $110/day. And then there is the convenience factor of knowing it is all paid for before you arrive, whatever that is worth to you. Also, with the ddp tax is already included but with oop it is added on to the prices. If, however, you think you will mostly be ordering lower priced meals/snacks, doing any ts meals, sharing meals or kid's meals then I do not think the plan is for you.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Its never free, you have to pay rack rate for the room and add tickets direct through Disney so you can't take advantage of discounted tickets from an authorized reseller.

So true that it’s never free! Up to this point I’ve never gone at a time or with a party that would make free dining worth it.

However, depending on who is going and what the discounts are, the “free dining” could be financially sound. The room discounts on value resorts can be modest.

For example, if I were staying four in a room at an All-Star, and two of those four were teenage boys on the adult plan, there’s a good chance we’d come out ahead. Especially because I might be drinking more than usual. Not that I’m looking towards a few years from now when I’ll have two teenage boys...

 

[TammyLynn33]

I'm taking my 16 year old daughter to Disney April 1-6, I was quoted the Pop Century for 5 nights $1150.22 and adding the meal plan for a total of $1702.99. This is a counter service meal plan, we got a good price on airline tickets for $400 RT from Boston and have tickets from a previous trip that we never used.

We do not go to disney a lot, we've NEVER used a meal plan, but I wondered if this time it should be something I think about.

all thoughts welcome. Thanks

Don’t forget to add the coat of refillable mugs which we find invaluable while poolside
And drinks with your meals .. non alcoholic drinks will still set you back $4-5 each meal
We are debating it solely for convenience .
I have two littles and two big kids and myself . It just simplifies my life. ( I paid for meals at Busch gardens and threw my credit card in my food tray out of necessity and left it there on the tray in Dec. I will always do whatever is easiest at this point .)

 

[fortwildernessishome]

I have two littles and two big kids and myself . It just simplifies my life. ( I paid for meals at Busch gardens and threw my credit card in my food tray out of necessity and left it there on the tray in Dec. I will always do whatever is easiest at this point .)

If you have your credit card tied to your MDE (which you need for on-line check in anyway) you never need to carry a credit card to pay for anything, just swipe your magic band.

To OP, I would never, ever buy the dining plan!! Ever!! Some people want it to be a deal, or think it is a deal. Its not a deal and in most cases it is more expensive to buy the dining plan than it would be to just buy the food you want, when you want it.

If you want to pretend you are on an all exclusive vacation or want it all paid for before you go, how about this, the last credit card payment you make before vacation, pay an extra thousand or whatever you think you are going to spend on food! Bam, your food is all paid for, easy peasy!

The only time we ever had the dining plan was years ago. It was free dining and it truly was FREE!!! There were four of us, staying at the All Stars for around $135.00 a night. We had to buy a one day ticket for each of us. At that time even at the Values you received one sit down meal and one counter service meal, plus two snacks a day and a free mug for everyone! Needless to say we ate more food than what we even paid for our room!! We had two trips like then, then another two, when it changed to two counter service meals a day, two snacks and four mugs. We never paid more than $150.00 per night for our room and even with the 8 counter service meals a day and 8 snacks, we were still close to breaking even on the room! What a blast those trips were!!

But, even at that time, the only way the free dining was truly free was staying at a Value and having four people in your group.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Nope it’s not necessary.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I'm taking my 16 year old daughter to Disney April 1-6, I was quoted the Pop Century for 5 nights $1150.22 and adding the meal plan for a total of $1702.99. This is a counter service meal plan, we got a good price on airline tickets for $400 RT from Boston and have tickets from a previous trip that we never used.

We do not go to disney a lot, we've NEVER used a meal plan, but I wondered if this time it should be something I think about.

all thoughts welcome. Thanks

I just did a spreadsheet to analyze this. None of the dining plans make sense for us in particular because my husband and I do not drink alcohol at Disney, and we don't use the refillable mugs because we only drink water or Starbucks. I put in lots of buffets and character meals to maximize savings and I would've ended up overpaying $300 for the DDP, and still had to pay a TS meal out of pocket t due to eating one Signature dining. Like others have said, if you drink alcoholic drinks and use the refillable mug, maybe you would break even.

 

[kymom99]

Way back in the day when I first went to Disney with my little family (2004), the dining plan was not a thing and you could get same day reservations to just about anywhere. A few years later they started offering it for something crazy like $10 per child and $30 per adult. That included 2 TS meals if I'm remembering correctly. Once they got everyone hooked on buying the plan, they kept raising the prices and cutting out what it covered. In the aftermath is a program for convenience only in most cases and restaurants that you can't get into. I don't really care one way or the other. We are mostly CS eaters. But it's just the trend I noticed over the years. It's rarely a money saver anymore.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We did the dining plan once when our kids were younger, mostly because we were planning a few character meals. Now that they're adults, it doesn't make sense for us. We prefer a quick breakfast at the hotel. We usually have a big lunch, then a smaller dinner or just snacks depending on how hungry we are. During our last trip, we scheduled three table service meals. The rest were quick service or whatever we felt like grabbing. I like the flexibility of being able to do whatever we want and not be tied to trying to use up credits.

 

[Lumpy1106]

YMMV, but no DDP for us. It took me 2 trips to convince my wife.

• It was costing us more because it was committing us to fancy meals we would have otherwise skipped. For example, the trip we are planning now we are planning 3 sit-down meals for the entirety of the trip. With DP we would have had to have a sit-down meal every day. No matter what, if you have a sit-down meal, it's pricey!
• We typically don't drink or have appetizers so our meals would be less, not more, than what we paid for the credit we'd get from DDP.
• It's stressful planning to use all of those meal credits. It's such a relief when all the credits are used!

 

[Orionreplay]

We say yes. I have been without and I have been with. Because this is my vacation, about every 2 years on average, I have learned while not on DDP, that I typically splurged in the first few days, but by the end of the week I'm counting pennies and restricting diets to stay on our over-burgeoning budget. My wallet had the cartoony moths flying out by the time we headed home. By pre-paying for our food in the plan, we could just enjoy ourselves and not think. As we don't have a Starbucks where I live, my wife's Starbucks starry-eyed desires are captured in the vast multitude of Snack credits.

 

[Macemom39581]

We plan to just put the money we would have spent on a DDP on a Disney gift card, that I got at a discount, we’ll use that for convenient paying and have no restrictions and no worrying about over spending on a CC.

 

[ClapYourHands]

We say yes. I have been without and I have been with. Because this is my vacation, about every 2 years on average, I have learned while not on DDP, that I typically splurged in the first few days, but by the end of the week I'm counting pennies and restricting diets to stay on our over-burgeoning budget. My wallet had the cartoony moths flying out by the time we headed home. By pre-paying for our food in the plan, we could just enjoy ourselves and not think. As we don't have a Starbucks where I live, my wife's Starbucks starry-eyed desires are captured in the vast multitude of Snack credits.

I totally get the urge to pre-pay and not worry. That’s the main appeal of the DDP.

@Macemom39581 does what I do - prepay by buying discounted Disney Gift Cards. No worries about a nasty surprise credit card bill at the end, and the freedom to order whatever we want whenever we want it. Plus I know I’m really saving money. Anything left over isn’t wasted - I’ll just use it next trip or buy stuff at the Disney Store in our local mall.

 

[brockash]

I'm taking my 16 year old daughter to Disney April 1-6, I was quoted the Pop Century for 5 nights $1150.22 and adding the meal plan for a total of $1702.99. This is a counter service meal plan, we got a good price on airline tickets for $400 RT from Boston and have tickets from a previous trip that we never used.

We do not go to disney a lot, we've NEVER used a meal plan, but I wondered if this time it should be something I think about.

all thoughts welcome. Thanks

I wouldn't. Here's the deal you're paying the same for your underage daughter who can't drink alcohol with any meal as someone over 21 is paying who orders alcohol with every meal. It's just not worth it anymore with the price if the person isn't going to want alcohol at most meals. The other thing is Disney is getting less customer pleasing with the meal plans; so there's a decent chance if you or your daughter want something on the kids menu instead of adult, you won't be able to.

I'd just pay out of pocket so you all can get exactly what you want and I highly doubt you'd pay more...you'll probably end up paying less for food.

 

[ucf_knight]

I'm taking my 16 year old daughter to Disney April 1-6, I was quoted the Pop Century for 5 nights $1150.22 and adding the meal plan for a total of $1702.99. This is a counter service meal plan, we got a good price on airline tickets for $400 RT from Boston and have tickets from a previous trip that we never used.

We do not go to disney a lot, we've NEVER used a meal plan, but I wondered if this time it should be something I think about.

all thoughts welcome. Thanks

Not worth it. Other than for budgeting purposes I don’t really get the DDP. It used to be such a great deal when it first started out and then Disney (like they always do) scaled it back. If you wanted to budget I would recommend doing the Disney cards from target 5% off trick and then only use gift cards on your quick service meals. There are some quick service locations (like pecos bills) that I find you can actually split a meal with another person.

 

[kirstenb1]

Never have had it. For us, time is money at WDW. So we focus on rides and shows. Food, we just grab and go. The portions are so big, sometimes I just get a kids meal. Although, we also go in June, so its hot, therefore less appetite. OP is going in April, so it will be cooler.

 

[Ryoukoe]

Adding onto what previous posters have said, before every trip, I work to see if the dining plan makes sense. I imagine a few of our days and use the menus I can find online and price out our meals. I try to think about what everyone would reasonably eat. And I only factor in 2 meals per day (because that's all DDP pays for) and our snacks. Then I compare it to the cost of the dining plan.

I do that before ever trip, and it never makes sense for our family to get the dining plan. But that's because our family would not eat 2 full meals, with a soda (or alcohol) at each PLUS 2 snacks.

While we are there, we get what we want, within reason. When we get back, I run the numbers again. I have never wished we had the dining plan.

But I know it works for others, so I suggest doing the math for yourself.

I do this as well! Any time I have used the dining plan, we end up eating to use up the dining credits, not because we are actually hungry and we always have snack credits left over so we bring a lot of junk home. I plan out how much I expect to spend for food, purchase GC's for that amount (saving at least 5% from Target) and then charge all my meals to the room using my magic band. Every couple of days I go to the lobby with my GC's and pay off the balance in my room to make sure that its not charged to my CC at checkout. I have honestly never found it cheaper to have the dining plan instead of just bringing gift cards and charging to my room.

Also, something to keep in mind....The DP does not include the cost of gratuity at any sit down restaurant, that is an additional cost you will have to pay out of pocket, that was a huge sticker shock for us the first time we used the plan and an expensive one honestly.

 

[Carrie Ellis]

We have done the QSD just this year. If you want to enjoy eating without worrying about cost it is worth it. We always analyze several places we would like to eat at each park. You do get a refillable mug and snacks too. You just want to really use the snacks for the best snacks! You can use the dining plan the day you get there and the day you check out to really stretch it. The Polite Pig and Wolfgang Puck in downtown Disney are the VERY best deals for counter service!!! We ate at PP 3 times this last trip!

The other option is to buy discounted Disney cards and combine them all on one card. Maybe around $600? Then you could just use your Disney card for all meals and snacks. I believe you can room charge and then pay it with the gift card. That would be an additional savings since you can get them 5% off at Target and Sams. I also do lots of Shopkicks.