Jennifer Marchesi
MinnieMickeyLove
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2018
We have gotten the dining plan before but usually have a ridiculous amount of snack points left over. I thought it was a better deal to do this but is there a cheaper way to eat?
Thank you!Moved this to the Disney Dining Plan board.
Dining plan was good in the early 2000's when it really was free dining. If you do the math, today's dining plan (meal plan) on average does not provide a discount for the food. In my opinion, if you go more often (>2 visits per year), planning on vacationing with a large group, and enjoy trying Disney Dining Locations, you will get more value and flexibility with the Tables in Wonderland Card.
The dining plan is good for those people who actually eat the way the plan is meant to be for. If you eat 1 TS (With everyone ordering a dessert and drink), 1 QS, and 2 snacks then it will work for you and maybe even save you money. I am doing the DDP for 3 nights of my stay and the DxDDP the other 3 nights of my stay. My calculations have me losing $5 on the DDP and saving $160 on the DxDDP. I am eating at no Signature meals at all on any nights and we are only eating 3 times on one night. It can work for you if you want it too.
On the other hand if you share meals, share desserts, only order water, don't use the snacks, like an app for your entree, and a thousand other ways that the dining plan doesn't work for you then you can save a lot of money. You could also skip all the Disney meals and save even more money. If your like me and the dining is a huge experience of your vacation there then you can definitely come out ahead on the DDP. Its not for everyone for sure but only you know if it is for your family.
You would fall into that 2% I was referencing. You did the math and know what meals the DDP will save you money with and which ones won't. You can't be in the majority. Otherwise, Disney wouldn't offer the plan at it's current price.
For the life of me...I can't understand how people eat that much food! 2 or 3 BIG meals a day? U would have to roll me around in a wheelbarrow after consuming that much food...not to mention with the HEAT in Florida...I'm lucky to have enuff of an appetite to eat once each day while I'm at the parks...give me a light meal with plenty of fluids and I'm good to go! But IF u wanna order the most expensive thing on every menu and spent most of ur time running to ADR's then I'm sure u could save a few bucks! IMO
To get that, though, you need to be an AP holder, DVC owner, or Florida resident.