another is it worth it thread...

[disneyderns]

I know there have been a million of these...but I had to ask...

I'm not a math person, and the idea of trying to add up all of our potential meals, plus tax, etc makes my head spin...

We are DH, DW, DD 9, DS3. We aren't huge eaters, and were on the dining plan in 08. Honestly, it was hard for us to finish the desserts (especially counter service). We also didn't have to pay for our DS as he just ate off our plates - not so this time around. He also doesn't eat a lot at meal times - we usually end up kicking ourselves for even ordering him a meal. Sometimes an appetizer is all he'll eat.

We do attend character meals, but last time most of them were breakfasts...

We loved the convenience of just handing over the KTTW card and then just leaving cash tip. This time around we could use the $400 reward dollars we've accumulated to pay for our food.

So now that I've rambled on...I'd love to hear some opinions. I'm kind of feeling that we might be throwing away some money by doing the DDP but would love to hear from other DIS-ers!

 

[Jeanieblue114]

I think you have already made your decision that is right for your family.

Like you, we often share meals (rarely order our own entrees plus desserts), we rarely order desserts too.

We had the dining plan with free dining in October. We ended up having 5 credits left (from the basic plan for 4 adults) and we were staying off property in a condo for a couple extra nights. Our last day on Disney property, we went to WPE and used up our last credits for take out meals and took them to the condo. We had enough food for all of us to eat for 2 more days. We only bought one snack. So, going out of pocket and sharing meals is more to our family's needs.

Also, as far as the math goes, we were 4 adults and we eventually used up all the credits and got several steaks as options and desserts at every meal and many smoothies for drinks and got some of the higher priced snack items. So, we maxed out the value of the plan pretty good. But, when i added up what our out of pocket would have been for everything versus what the cost of the plan would have been, we still pretty much broke even. Two of us went over the cost of the plan by a few dollars and two of us were under by a few dollars. If we just cut out a few desserts and smoothies we would have been under the cost of the plan and not stuffed to the gills and bringing back extra snacks that we really didn't necessarily need.


The only thing that I may suggest that you look at is if you plan on doing several table service meals or buffets, the cost for the kids will be pretty much the same cost as their dining plan cost. You can see if the rewards dollars can be used to pay for your package and cover the cost of your dining plan (if you decide to go that way). Also keep in mind the option to trade extra meals for snack credits and bring treats home for souveniers.

Just giving some thoughts on both side of the issue for you. If I were you, I'd just use the rewards dollars and pay for meals off of it.

 

[Jennifer S]

I am in the same boat. We have me, DH DS9 and DS13. I think we are going to skip it. Honestly I am trying to watch what I eat and if I get free dessert i will eat it!!

Someone also said if it wasn't profitable for Disney they wouldnt offer it. So to me I think Disney makes out better. I hope I don't regret it.

Also we like more time doing other things than having a sit-down dinner for a couple hours.

 

[dd50]

I paid for it last year for the first time. After 2 days I really got tired of the TS. They take so much time getting there 1/2 early and then waiting 45 minutes or so. It seemed that it was always time to eat. I am not much of a big eater and can easily split a sandwich and be full. We didn't even use snack credits except for drinks because we were always full and didn't want to look at an ice cream. I didn't eat any of the CS desserts because I tasted one or two and they weren't very good to me.

My 15 year old didn't eat much except for the ice cream in the different buffets we went to so all in all I ended up losing money.

I thought about the QS for this year but then decided not to because I like to snack in Epcot at different places and don't want to then eat a CS.

I think that if you enjoy going to some of the more expensive TS than you can get your moneys worth.

The best way to decide is look at the menus and think about what you would want to eat and compare if you were paying OOP vs the plan.

Sounds like the plan may not be right for you from what you have described.

 

[Jennifer S]

I paid for it last year for the first time. After 2 days I really got tired of the TS. They take so much time getting there 1/2 early and then waiting 45 minutes or so. It seemed that it was always time to eat. I am not much of a big eater and can easily split a sandwich and be full. We didn't even use snack credits except for drinks because we were always full and didn't want to look at an ice cream. I didn't eat any of the CS desserts because I tasted one or two and they weren't very good to me.

My 15 year old didn't eat much except for the ice cream in the different buffets we went to so all in all I ended up losing money.

I thought about the QS for this year but then decided not to because I like to snack in Epcot at different places and don't want to then eat a CS.

I think that if you enjoy going to some of the more expensive TS than you can get your moneys worth.

The best way to decide is look at the menus and think about what you would want to eat and compare if you were paying OOP vs the plan.

Sounds like the plan may not be right for you from what you have described.

thanks for this post - it cemented my decision not to do it. I forgot about all that waiting for a table. Food is not why we go to Disney. I'd rather be out having fun. We will do one character breakfast and that's it.

I called and removed the dp from my ressies - they were trying hard to have me keep it - says to me they know that are making money on it

 

[rubato]

It sounds like it isn't the best idea to do the dining plan in your situation. I think I would go OOP if I were you.

We did the dining plan last week and will never do it again. I either want signature dining or CS, so the dining plan was a waste. Plus, I had a 10 year old. $41 a day for macaroni and pizza. Not my best idea. We started splitting CS meals towards the end and letting our son use our extra CS credit to get breakfast. We brought all of our snacks home with us, only using 1 of those credits the entire time.