Dining Plan

izzy25

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
In the early stages of planning a trip for October 2021 and trying to decide if thr dinning plan is worth having. Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!
 
Dining plans aren’t being offered right now and probably won’t be with Covid restrictions in place and who knows when they will be lifted. Basically in the past, you had to crunch the numbers to see if the cost of the dining plan was less than your out of pocket price for the food you anticipated on eating, then the dining plan was worth it.
 
I personally do opt to get the dining plan for many of my trips but not all. Just depends on the type of trip I'm doing.
Its not currently a bookable option and its unclear as to when it will be.
I do plan on getting it again if its available when I want it.
 
We love having the dining plan, but I admit, we likely spend more $ than if we had paid separately. I just love the peace of mind of not having to worry about it. It also encourages me to try more things than I otherwise do. To me it just feels differently when its already accounted for in the spent $.

I don't think we'll see it returning until all/most of the restaurants are open and seating is restored. Right now getting any kind of value out of it with things so unpredictable and so much closed is next to impossible. I imagine it's a great $ maker for Disney, especially with people like me ;)
 


I love the dining plan for convenience and Im bummed that they took it away for now, although it does make sense. Hopefully it comes back for our next trip
 
I haven’t been a fan of the dining plan since it’s inception, but that’s because we have annual passes and DVC so we rarely, if ever, get the opportunity to even purchase it. But what I haven’t liked is the watering down of every restaurant’s menu since the inception of the dining plan.
 
I've done the math a few times and what works for my husband and I is book a room with the AP discount and pay out of pocket for food. Usually buy gift cards before we go at a discount at Target or BJ's to pay for the food and souvenirs. Also get a discount on most TS meals and souvenirs with the AP.
 


I've never understood how people find the DDP more "convenient" than eating when, where, what, and how you like paying as you go. We always save money eschewing the DDP but we do it mostly because we are freed from the plan's restrictions and rules by paying out of pocket.
 
I've never understood how people find the DDP more "convenient" than eating when, where, what, and how you like paying as you go. We always save money eschewing the DDP but we do it mostly because we are freed from the plan's restrictions and rules by paying out of pocket.

I eat when, where, what, how and I guess I'll even throw in who and why I want while on the dining plan.
Not sure why you'd think otherwise. There really aren't many rules and restrictions.

Plus if its free and that works out to save me more money than a room rate discount does then why the heck not?
 
I eat when, where, what, how and I guess I'll even throw in who and why I want while on the dining plan.
Not sure why you'd think otherwise.

Can you eat 3 signature meals and 3 table service meals on a 6 night stay, using only credits? Can I order just an appetizer and a beer using credits? Can I get an appetizer and a dessert with my dinner using credits only? Can I order a salad with my meal using credits.

That is why I think otherwise.
 
Welcome to the DISboards... Reading comprehension is necessary to fully understand the discussions but I will take your suggestion under consideration. Having said that, I do not understand how people find the DDP more "convenient" than eating when, where, what, and how you like paying as you go.
It’s convenient in the sense that it’s prepaid, or free, if you had free dining in the past. I guess it’s like a psychological convenience in the sense of not needing to worry or think about money for food while on vacation.

But having done both the dining plan and paying out of pocket multiple times, I get where you’re coming from and agree that it’s actually more convenient to pay as you go and just get what you want. You really can’t beat that freedom.
 
Just a reminder-play nice w each other!

if you love the dining plans? Awesome!
if you hate the plans- great! You know what works for your family
you think the plans have zero value? If that’s how you travel, great! You know what works for you

but you do not get to tell others why it is not a value and why your cash plan is the supreme or the opposite. In other words, tolerance is key.
 
if thr dinning plan is worth having

Worth can be taken in a few directions:
Ease? Its great just to tap your magic band and have already prepaid everything but tips
Price? You likely will save money by paying cash (Disney doesn't have the DP to save the majority of people money)
Reason to drink? You could say it give you an excuse as to why you have a margarita at ABC Commissary for lunch

Tangible its unlikely to map out and you will really need to do that math next September once prices of menus and the dining plan are known for your trip.

Intangible is something only you can decide if its really worth it to not worry so much about food while on vacation (or possibly the DP making you worry more about food and getting your monies worth).

I would say for now just start by mapping out what you might want to eat and where.
 
I just spent a few days crunching numbers and we've decided it's a no go. It would cost our family $230 a day to get the main dining plan (one table service, one sit down, 2 snacks). For $160 a day, we could do one sit down at most of the restaurants, one quick service, and each get one snack a day.

The ONLY way I could get us up to that $230 number was if we were doing a character buffet every single day, and there's no way we can each that much daily. If your adult meals aren't $60+ a day, it's not going to be worth it.
 
As always, it is a math exercise
we also don’t know what price structure or even what, if any, plans will be available or when they will be available
 
Like others have said, you really have to run the numbers. I have LOVED the dining plan on all of our visits. BUT on our last trip we skipped it. My girls are now considered adults which made it very pricey!

I kept track of the charges and we saved around $220 not going with the Dining Plan, that's over 5 days!! We never felt slighted and ate 4 table service meals, purchased 2 refillable mugs, and ate snacks whenever we wanted. It gave us a chance to try Via Napoli (because I would never eat there on the Dining Plan because it doesn't maximize your credits). We loved it!

If you have kids that are "adult" in Disney's eyes, but really are still kids I doubt the Dining Plan would come out ahead. Look at the menus, crunch the numbers and see where you land!!!
 
I’ve gone with and without the DDP. You will save more w/o DDP and not feel forced to eat a lot to get your moneys worth. On the other hand, item for item, if you were to maximize each allotted item on DDP, you’d save more than you would if you paid out of pocket.
 

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