Reviews of Disney Dining Plan
Reviewed by MeIAm Review Date: 01/04/2014
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
I think the DDP could work well for people staying in hotel rooms where they have to buy all their meals in the restaurants, however, if you will be eating breakfasts in your room and some meals off grounds, or you brought some meal items with you then the Plan would not work out for you financially.
We were at Disney checking in after dinner on a Friday and out on Mon. Cost would be $351 for 3 nights for 2 adults. We ate on property, brought cereal, bought milk on property and spent about $125 on the food we wanted to get.
We didn't gain any weight this trip because we didn't overeat, which can be a concern when you've already paid for two desserts a day, and buy the most expensive items because you want to get your money's worth out of the Plan.
I have tried to make the numbers work for us but just can't. Making ADRs can be a pain but need to be done and then you are tied to them.
I would recommend, if price is a concern, to check menus and see if it works for you. The convenience may be worth whatever the price.
Pros:
ease if in a hotel roomCons:
cost, cost, planning ahead, costReviewed by sreynolds5 Review Date: 08/05/2013
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
We used to be big fans of the dining plan. But then, it used to be a better deal. We remember loving it when appetizers and gratuities were included w/table service meals and 2 snacks per day were offered. Sigh... Our biggest "hitches" with the current Dining Plan were the lack of more snack credits and the out of pocket expense of tips. Our teens love snacks in the parks, sometimes to the exclusion of a meal. One snack a day was not enough, yet we ended up with extra counter service meals at the end of our stay. The tips expense blew me away. Be aware that if you have 5 in your party and book a table service restaurant every day, each of those meal will come to app. $200 - $250. Disney invites you to leave 15,18, or 20% gratuities. We encountered a lot of wonderful service, but it hurt to leave $45 and $50 meal tips every day. (That is an expense we neglected to budget for.) After 9 trips to WDW, 5 utilizing the dining plan, we will probably not be using this option again. Our family would be better off eating at fewer table service restaurants and paying out of pocket for the food we'll really eat.
Pros:
ConvenientCons:
Tips not included, may not fit food/snack needsReviewed by Rfren Review Date: 04/05/2013
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
We vacationed at WDW the week of March 25th 2013 and paid full price for the Disney Dining Plan. The kids enjoyed the character meals, but that was the only thing we liked about the meal plan. For breakfast, it's basically the same food wherever you eat (especially buffet style). There is not a good variety of choices for the kids and There is way too much food, in fact we didn't use up all of our counter service meals and were unable to get compensated for them. You get the refillable drink mugs with the dining plan, but still get a beverage with each meal...what a waste if you are dining at the resort.
Pros:
Character MealsCons:
Way too much foodReviewed by disneyhorsefan Review Date: 01/22/2013
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
On previous trips, I have always been a huge fan of the dining plan. After my most recent trip, I'm not so sure.
I just came home from a 6 night stay at AoA with my sister. Both of us are in our early 20s and are fairly light eaters who occasionally like to indulge.
We had table service reservations for each day, and enjoyed being able to have that many, something we never would have done had we been paying out of pocket. Had I been paying out of pocket, I also would have most likely chosen some of the cheaper entrees rather than the ones I enjoyed on this trip.
That being said, since we are not HUGE eaters we split several counter service meals and snacks to avoid paying out of pocket for ANY food at all during our trip. While it was nice to not pay for any food there, we kept track of how much we "spent" and found it to be about $70 less than what the dining plan cost us. We actually enjoyed splitting the meals since we got so much food anyways, and didn't have to pay for breakfast (or whatever we would have been lacking a CS credit for). Between splitting meals and choosing smaller options that we wanted anyways, it would have been much cheaper to just pay out of pocket.
Lesson learned.
I enjoyed having the refillable mug simply to be able to drink free coffee every morning, lemonade or anything besides water at night, and to have something to fill up at water fountains in the parks. In addition, it is making a great souvenir now that I am home!
While I enjoyed the dining plan in the past, the price increase has made it not worthwhile for us.
