Another dining dilemma

[elmjimmlm]

I know this has been discussed to death but I'm second guessing my plans to pay as I go for the dining and go for the dining plan...
Ok, here is what I'm questioning...We have 3 TS reservations---Tony's, Via Napoli and Ohana...We have 5 in our family and with the rest of our 6 days of meals and adding snacks here and there, I am coming up with a total under 1000. If we would do the dining it would be around 200. more...I like the idea of having it paid for in advance but I like the idea of saving money...What to do, what to do...

[Dulcee]

For 3 TS meals it doesn't seem worth it to me, and this coming from someone who really does enjoy the dining plan....

A compromise to your solution might be to put that money away on a Disney gift card or just in traveler's checks. That way you can think of it being "prepaid" without having to pay extra for it?

[DisneyDINK]

It looks like you've done a lot of trips. Did you do dining last time?

I'd lean toward skipping the DDP and going it on your own. Won't you feel pressured to make more ADRs and rework some of your plans if you add the DDP?

[elmjimmlm]

It looks like you've done a lot of trips. Did you do dining last time?

I'd lean toward skipping the DDP and going it on your own. Won't you feel pressured to make more ADRs and rework some of your plans if you add the DDP?

I've done the dining every year, last year we had free QS...
I would feel pressured to add more and I don't want to...Last year when we had the QS and I loved the freedom of it...I just don't know...

[PlutoPlanet]

We gave up on the dining plan. We did not like always getting a full dessert for each person. We just didn't see the savings. When possible, we use Tables in Wonderland, although you have to have an annual pass or be a DVC member.

[BrerGnat]

It's always difficult to stray away from what you're used to. In this case, I think you are better off paying out of pocket and skipping the DDP. Just try it. You will likely feel so free from the burden of having to order specific stuff at each meal and try to "get your money's worth" by ordering the most expensive thing, etc. You won't have to constantly ask "is this a snack on the DDP", etc.

If you want to feel like it's "prepaid", just put that money into a savings account so it will be there to pay the bill when you get back.

[Mickey'sIrishPAl]

The main thing you need to think about is....are we going to eat all of that food? Second, if you are questioning it and cant determine if its enough or too much, is it worth the $200.00 to make sure that it is not a concern? If it were me, I would just pay the extra $200.00 and not worry about it. You know that everyone will be full and you make ADRs for what you need and have the security of knowing that if you want more, its taken care of.

Just my 2 cents.

Enjoy either way!!

[Disney Doll]

If you enjoyed the freedom of QS dining on your last trip you need to at least try the freedom of going with no plan. You eat where you want and order what you want. Couldn't be easier.

If prepaid is a concern then prepay yourself and set the money aside somewhere. We've always done "prepaid" vacations that way.

[Hammer]

It's always difficult to stray away from what you're used to. In this case, I think you are better off paying out of pocket and skipping the DDP. Just try it. You will likely feel so free from the burden of having to order specific stuff at each meal and try to "get your money's worth" by ordering the most expensive thing, etc. You won't have to constantly ask "is this a snack on the DDP", etc.

To play devil's advocate, if you don't have the dining plan, are you going to be choosing the chicken instead of the steak or fancier nightly special that sounds better because you are constantly worrying about the cost and make sure you don't go over the budget. Really depends on how you (or your spouse) approach these things.

[jonahbear2006]

I did a full workup spreadsheet on dining plan, tables in wonderland, and paying out of pocket and calculated in paying for exactly what my family actually wants to eat and what you get on dining plan. I have been enough that I know what we will actually eat and what will get wasted and it is cheapest to use a tables in wonderland card, followed by paying out of pocket, and then dining plan. I would only get dining plan under two circumstances; 1. if it was a free dining offer or 2. I really wanted that combination of snacks, counter services, and table services. The best way to do it is to do all table services and then pay with a tables in wonderland card. It saves you 20% and you then have the opportunity to order appetizers instead of entrees and forget dessert. We dont even like to order soda so, in most cases, having a dining plan can be a huge cost for my family that is unnecessary. If we get free dining and take it, then we always end up gaining 9-11lbs, me and my husband. Now that we almost always stay DVC we dont even bother with dining plan because we have a kitchen and we choose 2-3 meals out to eat during the trip and just call it quits. Thats good enough, and like someone else said 2-3 meals isnt worth getting dining plan.

[jonahbear2006]

To play devil's advocate, if you don't have the dining plan, are you going to be choosing the chicken instead of the steak or fancier nightly special that sounds better because you are constantly worrying about the cost and make sure you don't go over the budget. Really depends on how you (or your spouse) approach these things.

To flip this theory, I am a vegetarian and on dining plan I will order the steak because I feel like if I eat vegetarian I am not getting my money's worth. So, it can go both ways. Also, with children, it makes it difficult for them to decide what to eat if they are borderlined in age. Some places will still let my 11 yr old order off the kid's menu. That, by itself, can save me $20 a day, per child.

[mommy2maddi]

For us, we do DDP simply because I like not worrying about the cost...I know the cost because it's already paid for. We really don't save money, it's more a matter of convenience. Plus, I would definitely order cheaper if I knew I was paying for it at that time. On top of that, we are doing a few Character meals and I'm afraid my husband would fall over dead if he saw the bill!

[disneynarula]

If you are only doing 3 TS it is probably not worth it. If you decide to go with the dining plan I would do a TS every day. There are still some places you can eat without a ADR. We had quite a few meals that were spur of the momement. Some of the non-monorail resorts have very nice TS that always have tables available. We would just call Disney Dining with an open mind and took what we could get.

We do get the DDP but we have a TS every day. We also hit up the more expensive CS every day. After spending all that money on the DDP we make sure we at least break even. It's a lot of work!

I only do the DDP because I know DH would want us to order the cheapest meal every time we eat. It drives my MIL crazy and the DDP keeps the peace for us.

If you don't have an annual pass you can not get the Tables in Wonderland card. That is not an option for us.

[ANG]

To play devil's advocate, if you don't have the dining plan, are you going to be choosing the chicken instead of the steak or fancier nightly special that sounds better because you are constantly worrying about the cost and make sure you don't go over the budget. Really depends on how you (or your spouse) approach these things.

THIS is what I think of. The main reason we like the DDP is that a steak is the same price as a hamburger. And for the places we made ADRs, we ate like kings

[BrerGnat]

THIS is what I think of. The main reason we like the DDP is that a steak is the same price as a hamburger. And for the places we made ADRs, we ate like kings

I guess. But, to go even further, if you were paying OOP, would you each have ordered a dessert at every meal? A drink? The difference between the chicken and the steak (basic example) would probably equal the cost of a dessert (and drink).

I mean, I drink water at my meals. VERY rarely I'll get a soda. We might get one dessert and split it among us, or more likely, not get a dessert and get something better treat wise later in the day. The amount of money I save by not getting a soda and dessert makes me feel able to order whatever I want to eat.

I suppose I just don't get that detailed about the food costs. We go on vacation and don't really analyze it that far. We order what we feel like eating and we never go hungry. We've never spent as much on food for a week as the dining plan would have cost. On the other hand, we don't do character meals or any of the other ridiculously priced meal "experiences." We are pretty straightforward about dining, and feel like what we pay is on par with how we spend when we eat out at home.

It really does depend on your family's eating habits, how much of a "value" you perceive the DDP to be.

[Gator]

Everytime I do the calculations for the DDP, I measure what the DDP costs vs. what I 'd get if I didn't have the dining plan. You know, I'd get the Mango Chicken instead of the KC Steak. And the DDP was always about the same price, with maybe a little savings - plus we got to order whatever we wanted to eat.

However, that's assuming we're eating at a TS every day. Before kids, we'd just eat at a few TS restaraunts, and it made those places extra special. But after kids, we decided to have a nice sit-down meal everyday, and we decided that every vacation should be this way. So until the kids are grown and can handle burgers and chicken strips everyday, we're sticking to the DDP.

[A Big Kid]

Don't forget, you don't have to order desert on the DDP. And if you don't order desert, that is less of a tip.

[tinksmom02]

Our quick weekend trip earlier this month was the first time we didn't use DDP. I had purchased APs so I got the TiW card, which really hasn't paid itself off yet, but will over the next two trips I have planned. My big reasoning for no DDP (esp in August) is that DD will be 10 and I know she won't eat enough to justify the adult price.

It was nice on our weekend trip to just check the Mobile App to see what restaurants were available when we wanted to eat. I didn't feel pressured to order dessert, and at one restaurant DD & I shared an appetizer and I had another appetizer for my meal, which was plenty.

So, I echo what others have said--it sounds like you would be a good candidate for no-DDP, at least for this trip. Estimate the costs for each meal and put that money on a gift card to use, if you're worried about having the trip paid for ahead of time.

[Airblue1]

Take 200 dollars and throw it out a moving car window. I do not buy the want everything pd before we get there, b/c while your there u are going to work and worry about getting your moneys worth.

I continually say NO to the meal plan. Unless it's free!
No restraints on vaca, the meal plan holds you accountable!

[jonahbear2006]

Take 200 dollars and throw it out a moving car window. I do not buy the want everything pd before we get there, b/c while your there u are going to work and worry about getting your moneys worth.

I continually say NO to the meal plan. Unless it's free!
No restraints on vaca, the meal plan holds you accountable!

This is absolutely true.. We have 5 kids and the dining plan for us is about $269 a DAY!!! Two of our girls are adults, in the eyes of Disney. When in the heat, our kids want an ice cream bar..they might eat an appetizer split between the 5 of them so we get that and then let them order dessert. Its so much cheaper. We dont order the sodas because we bought the silly refillable mugs!!! why buy more sodas? we easily would spend about $2200 in one week on food. If it is free, I will take it but being DVC, when will I ever be offered free dining again?!? We love appetizers and being a vegan it's difficult to care about the most expensive thing on the menu. I could order a meal for hubby and just eat his salad and we would both be happy. In that, we have spent about $60 for a TS and if we can handle THAT, then we can really go all out on a CS and a snack and STILL be way under that $269 a day. Somedays you arent starving, other days you are. Sometimes you get to florida and you or the kids get the stomach flu. You dont know what is going to happen so why not just wait and pay for it when the bill comes?