kristenrice
NOT just an ambulance driver
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
I'm taking my 2 teenage daughters (along with my parents, sister and nieces) in October for our umpteenth trip. We've used the DP before when the kids were "kids" but now, there is NO WAY it has any value for ME. First of all, we typically eat one TS meal per day. In between, we "graze", either with snacks or by sharing CS meals. If we eat at a CS restaurant, we frequently order kid's meals or share adult meals since none of us have huge appetites. Second, I have the TIW card, which I treat as my "gratuity" card since it automatically adds the 18% tip. With the DP, the gratuity is in addition to the cost of the plan. Since we are doing all of our TS meals with the group, the 18% would be added automatically to all of our meals. Third, we often like to order appetizers in addition to or instead of entrees. This doesn't work on the DP and would add to the cost. Finally, since we travel during October, we sometimes do a F&W festival event in place of our TS meal for the day. This is not covered by the DP either which would leave us with more OOP costs and extra credits to use up.
Here's our TS plans for October. The estimated costs listed are based either on the actual amount paid (pre-paid events), the most recent AYCE prices that I can find, or the menu prices of the actual menu items that we would order if we were famished (i.e. apps, entrée, dessert...but we always share and we don't each order one for ourselves).
Friday: Dinner at Jiko ($200)
Saturday: Breakfast at O'Hana ($120), Parisian Afternoon (2 people, $125)
Sunday: Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern ($120)
Monday: Lunch at Sanaa ($100)
Tuesday: Breakfast at Tusker House ($120)
Wednesday: Dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo ($190, Cat 1)
Thursday: Dinner at 50's Prime Time Café ($110)
Friday: Breakfast at Garden Grill ($120)
Saturday: Breakfast at Boma ($90)
That puts our TS budget at $1295. If I add $50/day for a CS meal and another $300 for snacks, that brings the total food budget to $1995. Compare that to the cost of the regular dining plan for 3 adults for 8 nights...$1811.76 which does NOT include any gratuities which would be a minimum of another $175. So, this would be essentially a wash...BUT...as you can see by our plans, I would need 11 TS credits and the DP would only allow us 8. That means that I would need to pay the $1811.76 for the dining plan AND I would still need to pay for at least TWO more meals out of pocket. In addition, I would also have to pay the $125 for the Parisian Afternoon event which is not included in the dining plan, but I did include it in my total OOP budget for comparison. That would easily erase any savings that the dining plan would provide.
I have saved my Disney Gift Cards (earned for FREE by utilizing websites such as Swagbucks, Rakuten and other rebate methods) and I accumulated $1850 worth of them so far. Since my dad is paying for our group breakfast at Garden Grill, I will have plenty left to cover the rest of our meals. For me, it is as close to FREE dining as I can get. I did not pay a single penny for any of my gift cards so ALL of my food is pre-paid for and truly free. I will have no worries at all when I have to pay for our meals. We will eat what we want, when we want and I know that there will be enough on the gift cards to cover it because I know that there is PLENTY of cushion built in. On our trip last year, I came home with over $100 left over and we NEVER went hungry and I never had to tell the girls that they couldn't have dessert.
Everyone has their own perception of convenience and value. For example, I like to use Uber to get from the TOTWL back to the AKV...my dad would rather save the $10-$15 and take the bus. I see the value in the time saved...he sees the value in the money saved...it's a matter of perspective, nobody is right or wrong. I would rather bring pre-paid gift cards to WDW and "pay" for my meals/food as I go and order and eat what I want without worrying about using up credits and trying to order within the parameters of the plan. If we have leftover funds on the gift card, we can use them for souvenirs or carry them over to our next trip without worrying that they went to waste. The point is, my "dining plan" is still pre-paid, it is just not converted into credits that are "use it or lose it".
Here's our TS plans for October. The estimated costs listed are based either on the actual amount paid (pre-paid events), the most recent AYCE prices that I can find, or the menu prices of the actual menu items that we would order if we were famished (i.e. apps, entrée, dessert...but we always share and we don't each order one for ourselves).
Friday: Dinner at Jiko ($200)
Saturday: Breakfast at O'Hana ($120), Parisian Afternoon (2 people, $125)
Sunday: Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern ($120)
Monday: Lunch at Sanaa ($100)
Tuesday: Breakfast at Tusker House ($120)
Wednesday: Dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo ($190, Cat 1)
Thursday: Dinner at 50's Prime Time Café ($110)
Friday: Breakfast at Garden Grill ($120)
Saturday: Breakfast at Boma ($90)
That puts our TS budget at $1295. If I add $50/day for a CS meal and another $300 for snacks, that brings the total food budget to $1995. Compare that to the cost of the regular dining plan for 3 adults for 8 nights...$1811.76 which does NOT include any gratuities which would be a minimum of another $175. So, this would be essentially a wash...BUT...as you can see by our plans, I would need 11 TS credits and the DP would only allow us 8. That means that I would need to pay the $1811.76 for the dining plan AND I would still need to pay for at least TWO more meals out of pocket. In addition, I would also have to pay the $125 for the Parisian Afternoon event which is not included in the dining plan, but I did include it in my total OOP budget for comparison. That would easily erase any savings that the dining plan would provide.
I have saved my Disney Gift Cards (earned for FREE by utilizing websites such as Swagbucks, Rakuten and other rebate methods) and I accumulated $1850 worth of them so far. Since my dad is paying for our group breakfast at Garden Grill, I will have plenty left to cover the rest of our meals. For me, it is as close to FREE dining as I can get. I did not pay a single penny for any of my gift cards so ALL of my food is pre-paid for and truly free. I will have no worries at all when I have to pay for our meals. We will eat what we want, when we want and I know that there will be enough on the gift cards to cover it because I know that there is PLENTY of cushion built in. On our trip last year, I came home with over $100 left over and we NEVER went hungry and I never had to tell the girls that they couldn't have dessert.
Everyone has their own perception of convenience and value. For example, I like to use Uber to get from the TOTWL back to the AKV...my dad would rather save the $10-$15 and take the bus. I see the value in the time saved...he sees the value in the money saved...it's a matter of perspective, nobody is right or wrong. I would rather bring pre-paid gift cards to WDW and "pay" for my meals/food as I go and order and eat what I want without worrying about using up credits and trying to order within the parameters of the plan. If we have leftover funds on the gift card, we can use them for souvenirs or carry them over to our next trip without worrying that they went to waste. The point is, my "dining plan" is still pre-paid, it is just not converted into credits that are "use it or lose it".
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