A week of food not on the dining plan vs. the Dining plan

[robinbutterfly]

We are trying to decide if we want to do the dining plan this time around. We love the dining plan, but are trying to scale back on some things if possible. I was wondering if we would save that much by not getting the dining plan. I know for sure we want to eat at Chef Mickeys and California Grill.
How much have you spent not using the dining plan for a week at Disney. And how much is the dining plan for a family of 4 (2 kids 5 and 4)

Thanks!

 

[wdwfan16]

You need to decide where you would eat without the dining plan and then see what it cost. Compare that to the cost of the dining plan and then decide.

For us the answer has alway been no dining plan. We only do a sit down every few days. When we do sit down we never get dessert.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

QSDP for 2010 is $31.99/night (adult) and $9.99/night (child).

DDP for 2010 varies depending on the time of the year:

The rate for 1/01-2/11, 4/11- 6/03, 8/15-12/16 is $41.99/night (adult) and $11.99/night (child).

For 2/12-4/10, 6/04-8/14, 12/17-12/31 it's $46.99/night (adult), $12.99/night (child).​

DxDP for 2010 is unchanged from this year: $71.99/night (adult), $20.99/night (child).

The "value" of the dining plan is subjective. For some families, it's a great moneysaver. Others find value in the convenience of having their meals paid for upfront. If you only have a couple of TS meals planned for a weeklong stay, I don't think that it's especially cost-effective to get the DDP. However, you might find that the QSDP works well for you with paying OOP for the TS meals.

 

[Darcy03231]

We like to do a lot of character meals so the DDP works great for us. We like it because this way we get to see a lot of characters without having to waste time waiting in line to see them in the parks. I also like knowing that the meals are paid for upfront. Last trip we were there for 5 nights and did:

Chef Mickey's - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto & Goofy
Crystal Palace - Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore & Piglet
1900 Park Fare- Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia & Druscilla
Askerhaus Princess Breakfast -Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan and Jasmine

As a result we only stood in line to see Ariel in her grotto.

We used our snack credits for breakfast, CS for lunch and had TS for dinner each night. I found it also forced us to have some much needed downtime for dinner.

 

[Justsyd2]

With the QSDP you get two CS meals, and two snacks per day, plus a refillable resort mug per person. It's a terrific value, especially since you can use a snack or two to purchase breakfast with!

You might add up what you typically spend per day and then see if the QSDP will save you money.