To Use on Not to Use the Dining Plan
The Disney Dining Plan is an option that many people love, but on the flip side there are many that just don’t want it. Now of course when it is free there is really no hard decision as to whether to get it or not. That is a real no brainer. There are those that like the DDP because they feel that it makes it easier to know how much food money to budget for, and when it is part of a package it is all paid for when the last payment is done. On the other side, people feel that they can save more money if they don’t purchase it and just find their own dining options on or off property. They feel that the plan is not that great of a deal for them. The truth of the matter is that it really depends on what you want to is best for you. It is one of those things where you have to do your research and decide for yourself.
In episode 15 we talked about the many different Disney Dining Plan options. We have gone to Disney both with and without the dining plan. For myself, I have no preferences. It is true we have saved money without the plan because we didn’t do that many table service meals and we were able to get discounts via Table in Wonderland (a discount card for annual passholders which must be purchased separately). We also shared meals that helped cut down on the cost of food, except for desserts because I don’t like to share those!
However there have also been several times when we decided to purchase the Disney Dining Plan. We purchased it on one trip where just Rachel and I went to Walt Disney World (yes we were bad and took a trip without the kids, which I am sure we will have to pay for when our kids need counseling later). We were able to go to many different table services restaurants. It was nice because we didn’t have to worry about how much it was going to cost. We would just look at the menu and decided what we wanted to eat. There was also no sharing except to taste what the other person had. Sure we might have saved a little more money eating at different venues (liked counter service), but it was our anniversary trip, and being able to indulge in really nice meals was a nice and convenient for us on that trip.
It is just one of those decisions that you have to look at and decide for yourself. There will be many trips that we would add it to our package but on the flip side we won’t because we don’t plan on eating that much (and it is quite a lot of food, something else to think about). What do you do?
by Ray
My family has used the Dining Plan on our last 3 trips. Once we paid for it, twice we had a Free Dinning Pin Code. I do not think I will purchase this any longer as for us it was simply too much food. I did not mind leaving credits on the table when it was free but not when I pay for it. How people do the Deluxe Dining Plan is beyond me!
I am hearing very strong rumors that the plans will change again for 2011 and will no longer include dessert! I also hear the refillable mug will no longer be included in the QS Plan. Possible the price is going to increase also if what I see on the UK booking sites is applied to US bookings for next year.
While I like the convenience of having everything paid in advance or free
I really do not see much value in it any longer. We do save money when using the plan but not in comparison to NOT using the plan. We simply would not eat so many TS meals if we were not on the plan.
If the above rumors come true this may be what pushes me to start getting a rental car and doing more meals off property. My kids are getting older now and want to start visiting that ‘other park’ and that, combined with possible changes to the DDP sending me off site to eat makes a rental car look like more and more of a good idea.
We have used the Disney dinning plan. I think it is one of the best choices. The most important thing is that what you want when you are on vacation trip, of course, you would want that you spend your holidays delightful.
Best Regards