Meal Plan not worth it anymore.

[ReelRedHead]

We are all booked for another great trip in June. As we always have, we booked the meal plan. After thinking about it and looking at menus/prices, we realized that it is not the great deal it once was.
We will end up paying less for our food if we just pay out of pocket. We would never buy a chocolate cake at every lunch, we never use up all those snacks.

When the plan first came out it was great. As they have increased prices and removed things, it is simply not worth it. Does anyone else feel this way or am I just crazy? HaHa

 

[zoie101]

I am still on the fence, we have used it the past 2 trips. I feel it has paid for its self those trips, just debating wheter its still a good value or not. DH likes the convience of no suprises, I like it from budget prospective. I have till 7 days before we leave to add it on. Guess if I have the extra money we will do it. (if the tax return is nice)

 

[goofy4tink]

At the time we are going this summer, the cost will be almost $48 a day, per person!! There is no way that is going to be worth it for us. I will renew my Tables in Wonderland card and use that.

 

[mythreeboys]

For us it has never been worth it. I've seen it quoted at $40/day/adult and we generally spend $50-$60/day for the four of us (last time we were there both kids were under 3 and usually split a kids meal or shared with us).

 

[winterman]

DH and I agree with the OP. Since they eliminated the appetizer and the tip, we do notfeel the DDP is worth it. We now only get it when it is free.

We would never get a dessert in a CS place. I love desserts in TS places but DH would often skip it. Also, I often prefer to order an appetizer and a salad, rather than an entree but that is not allowed on the DDP. DDP just does match our 'style' of eating.

 

[dawnedwards]

we will totally be using it again. We have used it every year since 2006 and still feel that it is worth it.

1. Food is paid for up front, no need to worry about how much money to have everyday for food

2. No feeling that your food choices should be determined by the price on the menu.

3. Can order bigger/more expensive meals to share with under 3 kids.

4. No worries about price changes before you arrive. Recently Cape May increased their price b/c of crab and people were upset b/c they had not realized.

5. snack credits are great to keep daily expenses down, great for bakery item for small breakfast with refillable mug coffee, or late night snack or even a drink at the park.

More than anything I really just like knowing when I'm there that when it comes to food choices I can choose what I want without any thoughts about cost/budget etc.

Just my thoughts.

 

[gailanncreates]

Have not purchased the meal plan, nor do I intend to. You can still make ressies for any TS meals you want, but I hate to be committed to having to be at a certain place at a certain time every day for TS. We are more implusive here. Also, we too share meals a lot there, so that definitely cuts down on cost. Throw a snack in the backpack, we're good to go.
That being said, I can definitely appreciate those that want to have the "all-inclusive" factor of being paid for in advance. That is the only thing I would like to do, but not enough to change my mind. I go to WDW for the entertainment factor, not for the food.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

The DDP was a great deal when the appetizer and tip were included. Once those were eliminated it was an okay deal and we still came out slightly ahead by using it. But now that DS10 is considered an adult and will be charged as one, it's not a good deal for us anymore and we will be paying OOP. I will miss the convenience of having it, but I think I will just get a Disney gift card before we go and load it with money for food.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

It's still a good deal for me as long as DD is under 10. Once she turns 10, that's the end of the meal plan for us. I save a lot of money on her food, especially since we like to do a lot of character meals. But I just barely break even on my food, and like others have said I wouldn't buy a desert with every meal so I'm probably losing a little on mine. It is nice to have it prepaid so I don't think about the cost at every meal, but the real cost advantage of the plan for adults has disappeared.

 

[Deffenm]

It is not worth if for us anymore because we have a 10 year old and he is considered an adult. He wont eat off of the adult menu so why should I pay over $40 a day for him when he wants the $5-$7 kids meal. My daughter also does not eat a lot so her and I share so it works out better for us to pay out of pocket. I don't look at prices we eat what we want and it is still cheaper for us.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I disagree. Just this pass July, we got, on average, $166.67 in free food per person (comparing what we paid for the dining plan and what we would have paid out of pocket) while on the dining plan.

And we don't have to worry about making sure we have enough money for food when we actually get to WDW.

 

[kaffinito]

When I go with DH it's not worth it. Most of the time he eats light on our trips or just gets a salad.

But when I go with the kids it's a little different. I got a little OCD and decided to go over the menus for this trip and pick out what I thought everyone would order. Then I totaled everything up and came up with $1180.43 not including tips where applicable. (DS9 will only eat adult meals now so I have to get him the adult meal plan)

This total reflects the table service and counter service meals plus snacks per person per day. Now the DDP will only cost us $785.76 for 3 adults and 1 child for 6 nights. DN4 eats more than I do so I figure the snack credits will go towards him.

For us, it's worth it. I'll save $394.60 if I get the DDP this trip.

 

[stepdisney]

We've always gotten it for free so it's worth it to us . We could use the gift card and eat just as well though. We would probably NOT have a TS every night. It definitely changes HOW you eat when you are there.

 

[The Hendies]

We have only done the DDP once. Was it a good deal for us? That one time, it was. We ate at TS we might not have concidered before and definately ate our money's worth. However, normally we don't eat at TS every day, maybe only twice per trip. We usually eat a big breakfast at the condo and have a late afternoon counter service. Now if we went during free dining......

 

[joannalh]

I have never done the dining plan but am all signed up for it for March. I'm starting to rethink it a little over the last few days, because of reading threads like this. Both of my kids are under ten though... I'm hoping that makes it worth it. If I paid out of pocket, I'm not sure I'd spend 46.99 every day per adult, but I'm pretty sure I'd spend more than 12.99 per day per child. Maybe I should do the math more carefully and really price out what I think we'd spend if not on the plan.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I have never done the dining plan but am all signed up for it for March. I'm starting to rethink it a little over the last few days, because of reading threads like this. Both of my kids are under ten though... I'm hoping that makes it worth it. If I paid out of pocket, I'm not sure I'd spend 46.99 every day per adult, but I'm pretty sure I'd spend more than 12.99 per day per child. Maybe I should do the math more carefully and really price out what I think we'd spend if not on the plan.

If your kids are under 10 and you plan to do a lot of TS and character meals then it is probably a good deal for you. It was for us!

But now that we've done nearly all the character meals (some several times) and DS is 10, it doesn't work for us anymore. Even if free dining is offered when we go it is a better deal for us to take a room discount.

I think it just depends on each individual family, the age of your kids, and what type of touring you do.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

It really depends on your personal vacation style but for DD and I the meal plan works for us. Dining out is something we really only do on vacation so for us it's a big deal while at Disney. I like having the meals pre-paid for and the flexibility to go from restaurant to restaurant without having to scrutinize the prices. Granted the value has dropped due to the tips no longer being included but it still works for us.

DD is now 10 and frankly the Deluxe DDP works for us because last year all she seemed to want was items on the adult menu and couldn't order because she was a 'child' on the meal plan.

 

[fireman1]

It really depends on your personal vacation style but for DD and I the meal plan works for us. Dining out is something we really only do on vacation so for us it's a big deal while at Disney. I like having the meals pre-paid for and the flexibility to go from restaurant to restaurant without having to scrutinize the prices. Granted the value has dropped due to the tips no longer being included but it still works for us.

DD is now 10 and frankly the Deluxe DDP works for us because last year all she seemed to want was items on the adult menu and couldn't order because she was a 'child' on the meal plan.

Agree 100%.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Just read that they plan has different prices now, and that the prices are also different based on season. Wow:

• 1/01/10 - 2/11/10, 4/11/10 - 6/03/10, 8/15/10 -12/16/10 is $41.99 per night per adult or junior (ages 10-17), $11.99 per night for children (ages 3-9).
  
• 2/12/10 - 4/10/10, 6/04/10 - 8/14/10, 12/17/10 - 12/31/10 is $46.99 per night per adult or junior (ages 10-17), $12.99 per night for children (ages 3-9).

So I will have to investigate more. The prices in 2009 were worth it, though...

 

[Praying Colonel]

It's definitely not the deal it was when it first came out, but those days are gone and (as I have to remind myself whenever a DDP thread comes up ) complaining won't change it.

On our last 2 trips we priced it out going with DDP and no DDP and chose accordingly. In 08 it made more sense for us to stay at SOG, get our tickets through military ITR and pay for meals out of pocket. For our November trip we got free dining and so it worked out better to go with DDP.

Another factor for us is the food quality keeps sliding. For example, the CS dessert choices are fewer and we find generally they're just not as good as they once were. So what good is it to get a CS dessert as part of the plan if you're not going to enjoy it?

It's just not the no-brainer it was back in the heyday of the original plan, at least for us.