Making sense of the Dining Plan

[johnw]

Hello: I am still in planning stages and have a wife and a 7 year old daughter who will be 8 when we go to Disney. She likes to eat pretty much anything and at the top of her list is to eat with the princesses when we go. We will be at Disney World for a week. Making heads or tales out of the dining plans is crazy. I was going to fill out the form for Magical journeys to get a quote but but one question is which dining plan I will be using if any. Could anyone give me ideas on which plan would be best? Thanks . John

[faline]

Some folks love having the dining plan. Personally, I have found that I can do it less expensively by paying out of pocket for food instead of having the dining plan. You really need to do the math to see what will work for you.

If you decide to get the dining plan, you should first figure out how you like to dine. Do you want to take time for table service dining or will you feel like that is time that could be better spent on the rides/attractions. If you would rather grab a burger and fries and be on your way, you might want to look at the quick service plan.

[johnw]

thanks for your reply. Is there a big price difference between the plans? How do we pay for a character experience ? Would that be one table service? Is quick service pretty much anything that's fast food? Thanks. John

[TheVBs]

We usually don't bother with the dining plan unless there's a special offer. But, if you're choosing one, the biggest difference is whether you want to have a table service meal every day, which means booking those all in advance of your trip.

If you're more likely to grab counter service for most meals, get the quick service option, then book just the special sit down meals that you want and pay out of pocket.

I think the dining plans are outlined on the WDW site. But, you could always choose one thing on your Magical Journeys form then change it before they book if it's not the best fit. I've heard nothing but great things about them!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Magical Journeys can most definitely help you figure out which (if any) dining plan may be a good fit for you.

The "quick service" plan is rarely a money saver (unless you can get it for free, and even then you have to crunch some numbers), and it provides for two fast food type meals and a snack. It is ~$40/day for adults & ~16/day for kids.

The "regular" or basic" plan is the most common, where you get one fast food type meal, and one sit down meal, along with a snack. Character meals, like the princesses, count as a seat down meal. This can be a bit of a savings, especially with kids, since the character meal buffets tend to be rather expensive. This plan is ~60/day for adults and ~20/day for kids.

But, it does make sense to look at the menus on the Disney site, and see how much you'd spend on meals, and then compare to the dining plans. Sometimes they are a savings, sometimes not. A lot of it has to do with your plans, and your style of eating (i.e. do you often get dessert, etc.)

The dining plan can be added after you book the initial package, so you don't have to decide right away.

[Brooklynos]

We have done the deluxe dining for the last three trips due to us enjoying at least two sit down meals per day. We go in off season so we have the time to pause and relax a couple times a day. It's a lot of food but we try to make smart choices in appetizers like salads or cheese plates that aren't too filling. We also do between 4-6 character meals which are buffets so that helps with the amount of food too.

I have crunched the numbers for our upcoming trip and it was a total of $13 a day more expensive but to know we have our meals paid for and we can do all the character meals we want with our 4 year old. I hope you find the right plan for your family!

[kpen625]

We booked the dining plan for our upcoming trip. What I liked most of all was that it was pre-paid for. To us it made sense, it worked out to about $150 per day (also 2 adults 1 child). Our dinner at O'Hana will cost that. I do agree that quick service is not worth it.

Have a great trip!!

[Arielfan98]

All I can say in simple terms is....if you like to eat at sit down restaurants, then the dining plan is probably the best option. But even then, you'd still have to price it out. It also depends on which restaurants you'd choose...for instance, one may prefer Sci-Fi Cafe, but that restaurant is considerably affordable compared to another sit down such as Coral Reef, therefore out of pocket may be more appropriate. Based on what you said, it might be cheaper to do the dining plan for character meals, since they're expensive. Once again, you have to price it out yourself. Hope that helps.

[GoBlueLacheta]

A lot depends on how you travel and what your typical amusement park strategy is. I'd look at how many Character Meals and other Table Service options are MUST do's on your list and plan accordingly. The quick service options while not bad food are really never out of this world must do foodie spots. If you take breaks mid-day, incorporate lunch either packed in the car or back in the hotel can be a great way to eat healthier for everyone and fuel appropriately.

The numbers are usually fairly close so I don't think you'd essentially lose out by going out of pocket as long as you budget properly. Remember Disney just wants to guarantee that all of your food budget will be spent on property so they will push the ease and "savings" of the DDP. I have yet to use it, but we tend to just have one nice table service a day when we go so it just doesn't apply as much.

[WiltonJohn]

For our upcoming trip, for the first time in our recent trips, we are trying it without the Dining Plan. Fingers crossed. We will keep close track of food expenditures for the way we eat, and compare to what we WOULD have spent if we had opted for taking the plan this time around.

We typically do one "sit down" meal a day. I think that appetizers will figure in more heavily with this option, and large desserts may slip a bit.

As to the "convenience factor", with a credit card linked to the room, the MagicBands will make putting the food on the card just about with the same level of ease as using the Dining Plan with the MagicBands.

In either case.... it is "easy come, easy go". (read last with sarcasm factor control advanced )

best,

....................john

[mydisneygirls]

We love the dining plan and the fact that everything is all paid before we arrive (except for tips). I would choose the regular dining plan --- not the deluxe. The deluxe is way too much food (we are 3 adults - my kids are over 9 - and we generally split two counter service meals between us at lunch. More than enough food. With the regular dining plan you get a counter service and table service meal plus a snack each day. You can use a snack to grab a quick breakfast, use the counter service at lunch and the table service for dinner. Being that you daughter is 8, she will be charged the child price. If you eat at buffets, she can eat whatever appeals to her and not just eat from the child's section.