Dining Plan Convenience???? Where's the Convenience?

We ran out of money for meals at the end of the trip, had to skip eating at one of the more expensive restaurants, and had to pay with credit cards until vacation was over.

This isn't a good example because you aren't comparing dining plan to no dining plan. You simply estimated wrong. I am not suggesting to come up with some random number and put it on the credit card.

I am suggesting to take the exact amount of the dining plan and put it on the gift card. For this to really be a fair comparison, you would also have to charge your tips back to the room, because that is what is done with the DDP. You can also add 18% of the DDP to get you close enough to the gift card for convenience.

There is always that but what if though which isnt convienent for MY family. Also like I said in a previous post we always save money when using the dining plan so just putting the cost of the dining plan on a gift card wouldnt work...

Again, I never once suggested that it is impossible to save money with the dining plan. In some very very specific circumstances it can. If your circumstance is one of those, then get the DDP. but that is not a matter of convenience. That is a matter of economics.

In general, you pay a premium for convenience. That is why restaurants cost more than buying the groceries and making food yourself. That's why Disney restaurants in the park cost more than some random restaurant off property.
 
Except I still do on the DDP, just in the opposite direction. I go for the more expensive meals and avoid things that are too inexpensive to be a good use of a credit.

My sister and I took my two teen friends in December, and I had a dining plan. I did not tell the girls to look at the more costly items on the menu, so the sometimes ordered pasta or chicken. I only paid for one snack rather than use a credit when one girls wanted a cake pop. I knew she wodul be back in Starbucks for a refresher later in the day so it really was a savings to pay for the little snack. We killed it on the dining plan! I think the changes made to add a snack in place of the CS dessert, and the option to include an alcoholic beverage can be a game changer. If your dining habits mirror the plan you choose, you can save moeny. If not, it is an expensive endeavor.

This isn't a good example because you aren't comparing dining plan to no dining plan. You simply estimated wrong. I am not suggesting to come up with some random number and put it on the credit card.

I am suggesting to take the exact amount of the dining plan and put it on the gift card. For this to really be a fair comparison, you would also have to charge your tips back to the room, because that is what is done with the DDP. You can also add 18% of the DDP to get you close enough to the gift card for convenience.



Again, I never once suggested that it is impossible to save money with the dining plan. In some very very specific circumstances it can. If your circumstance is one of those, then get the DDP. but that is not a matter of convenience. That is a matter of economics.

In general, you pay a premium for convenience. That is why restaurants cost more than buying the groceries and making food yourself. That's why Disney restaurants in the park cost more than some random restaurant off property.

This is outdated advice IMO. The changes on the plan can ensure your family saves money, but the only way to know is to do some math in advance. The advice to blindly put money on a gift card can be an expensive mistake for soem families. The calculators are outdated, so using them can be a disaster financially as well, so again, math is your financial friend.
 
This isn't a good example because you aren't comparing dining plan to no dining plan. You simply estimated wrong. I am not suggesting to come up with some random number and put it on the credit card.

I am suggesting to take the exact amount of the dining plan and put it on the gift card. For this to really be a fair comparison, you would also have to charge your tips back to the room, because that is what is done with the DDP. You can also add 18% of the DDP to get you close enough to the gift card for convenience.



Again, I never once suggested that it is impossible to save money with the dining plan. In some very very specific circumstances it can. If your circumstance is one of those, then get the DDP. but that is not a matter of convenience. That is a matter of economics.

In general, you pay a premium for convenience. That is why restaurants cost more than buying the groceries and making food yourself. That's why Disney restaurants in the park cost more than some random restaurant off property.
You know... now that I have been thinking about it your totally right! For the past 15 years I have been totally inconveniencing myself with the DP.... gosh I wish I would have figured it out sooner....

I guess loading up a giftcard when I dont even know the exact amount of money I need... is so much more convenient than having set credits.

Thanks for setting us all straight on that.
 


This is outdated advice IMO. The changes on the plan can ensure your family saves money, but the only way to know is to do some math in advance. The advice to blindly put money on a gift card can be an expensive mistake for soem families. The calculators are outdated, so using them can be a disaster financially as well, so again, math is your financial friend.

DDP = $78.01 per night.

Buffet = 55 x 1.065 = $58.58
Snacks = $6 x 2 x 1.065 = $$12.78
Drinks = 9 x 1.065 x 2 = $19.17
Quick Service = $16 x 1.065 = $17 04

Total = $107.57

107.57 - 78.01 = $29.56
107.57 ÷ 78.01 = 1.37.

So yes, I understand where the DDP CAN save money. I am not arguing that. However, this is a pretty extreme example, and even then, it's only a $30 per night, or 37% saving. In the most extreme example over a typical one week vacation, you are talking about an extra $210 per person. Keep in mind, that is the top of the risk ladder. If you are spending probably somewhere near 5k for a family of 4, and you're that terrified at the minute chance of over spending your budget by $800 max, that your willing to buy "insurance", then I'd suggest going to financial advisor before your trip.

That's really what the DDP is. Its insurance. Your paying a premium to put a cap on your dining spending. Of course, if you do go over, you still have to pay a deductible (the extra tip on the higher cost meal).

But like I said many times before in this thread, if you do the math, and the DDP actually saves you money, then go ahead and do it. I'm really trying to figure out what this "convenience" that people really talk about is. From what I gather, it saves people from doing some quick math.

Lunch = $15
Dinner = $50
Snacks = $7

Total = $72 per day.
7 night trip = $504 PP
4 people = 2K

Put aside 2I to pay off your CC when you get home
 
Last edited:
For me, it comes down to peace of mind and value. Which means it is 100% situational. It largely depends on the group I’m traveling with, what we plan on doing, and the year.

With young kids who love character meals, we use the DDP. There’s a lot of peace of mind, sure. But there’s also a lot of savings with character meals. Even more so when stacked with a $30 QS breakfast at Be Our Guest. And especially true if we get a lockout room; we’ll do 2 Deluxe plans and 3 no plans and that deluxe plan will feed all of us.

If we’re going as a couple it depends on our trip. If we’re doing park commando with a bunch of QS, then we avoid the dining plan. If we’re doing a lot of signature restaurants, we avoid the dining plan. If we have an AP/go multiple times a year then a TIW makes more sense and will result in more savings.
 
The above poster is exactly right, it is situational whether there is convenience or not. Unfortunately, some are trying to make the "convenience" of the DDP fit everyone... not gonna happen. But for some, it's totally convenient.

As far as value (since this has been brought up) again it's situational. As is pretty much EVERYTHING at WDW. What works for some doesn't work for others, it's really not that hard to understand. Where some see value others don't, where some see convenience others don't.

Since we are doing math now: Which by the way takes so much more time than going, "hey, this meal is one credit" and also let's not forget I have no clue what 3 snacks I want once I am there.. or how much they will cost. (Oh wait, there is some more convenience)

Deluxe Dining Plan= $119 per night our stay is 8 nights Total $952 per person.

Per Person
Day 1 Arrival = Edisons= $55+3.30= 58.30
Day 2= Ohana- 41+2.46= 43.46, BOG= 21.49+1.29= 22.78, Chef Mickey 59+ 3.54= 62.54 T= 128.78
Day 3= Tusker 41+2.46= 43.46, Yak and Yeti 54+3.24= 57.24, Artist Pointe 59+ 3.54= 62.54 T= 163.24
Day 4= Akershus 52+ 3.12= 55.12, Teppan Edo 61+ 3.67= 64.67, Garden Grill 54+3.24= 57.24 T= 177.03
Day 5= Crystal Palace 41+2.46= 43.46, Liberty Tree Tavern 53+ 3.18= 56.18, Ohana 54+ 3.24= 57.24 T= 156.88
Day 6= Garden Grill 41+ 2.46= 43.46, Rose and Crown 47+ 2.82= 49.82, Biergarten 46+ 2.76= 48.76 T= 142.04
Day 7= Hollywood and Vine 41+ 2.46=43.46, Sci Fi 46+ 2.76=48.76, HV 54+ 3.24=57.24 T=149.46
Day 8= Be Our Guest 29+ 1.74= 30.74, Tonys 55+3.30= 58.30, HDDR 69+4.14= 73.14 T= 162.18
Depart= Trex 55+3.30= T= 58.30

Snacks 2 a day at $5 a piece= T= $80 and $15 for a cup

With my "simple math," my total OOP is $1291.21 which with the DDP is a savings of $339.21 per person since there are 2 of us that is a savings of 678.42 which by the way is a whole lot of Dole Whips!!!

And if I would have just picked the DDP I wouldn't have had to do that "simple" math which would have saved me an hour of my time (more convenience added) and when I get to the parks I don't have to worry about all those numbers and gift cards (even more convenience)

It doesn't stop us from doing simple math... my husband is a math teacher so I am pretty sure we are covered there... JS, but it does stop us from trying to guess how much we might need because it's streamlined (convenience), it does help us save money (value), and it does give us peace of mind that everything is paid for in advance and we don't have to do anything further (again... convenience)

Now do you get it or will you continue to argue with everyone?
 


We just came back from a free dining trip. The calculations of paying OOP or buying the DDP don't quite apply, except for the usual arguments about having to buy park hopper tickets to qualify and potentially forfeit other discounts (but in our case, no room-only or other promotions were offered for our dates). That said, we definitely got the value out of our credits, as almost every TS meal was either an AYCTE meal or a character meal, we used child QS credits to purchase adult QS meals for my eldest son (no longer an option as of yesterday), and we used up all of our snack credits on things like venti coffees at Starbucks, Epcot holiday kitchens and breakfast items - no taking home twenty rice krispie treats.

But given the new enforced restrictions on using child QS credits, and the fact that I'm growing tired of buffet and AYCTE food quality (our best TS meals were Chefs de France and Storybook Dining at Artist Point), it's hard to see the value in the DDP going forward unless the way you eat can take advantage of the narrow parameters necessary to make it a good value. There is also the possibility of any advantage you eek out evaporating if you have to miss a meal. Our youngest son was feeling under the weather one morning, so I canceled our breakfast ADR and booked a TS lunch for a different time so we wouldn't lose the credits. But if he hadn't started feeling better, we would have simply lost those credits since it was pretty late in our trip. Losing carefully planned FP is enough of a bummer when someone in your group gets ill unexpectedly on a WDW trip, but losing money is worse.
 
This isn't a good example because you aren't comparing dining plan to no dining plan. You simply estimated wrong. I am not suggesting to come up with some random number and put it on the credit card.

I am suggesting to take the exact amount of the dining plan and put it on the gift card. For this to really be a fair comparison, you would also have to charge your tips back to the room, because that is what is done with the DDP. You can also add 18% of the DDP to get you close enough to the gift card for convenience.



Again, I never once suggested that it is impossible to save money with the dining plan. In some very very specific circumstances it can. If your circumstance is one of those, then get the DDP. but that is not a matter of convenience. That is a matter of economics.

In general, you pay a premium for convenience. That is why restaurants cost more than buying the groceries and making food yourself. That's why Disney restaurants in the park cost more than some random restaurant off property.
I have a headache.
 
I think people are actually misunderstanding the question. I understand that it can be a stress reducer for some. I understand that in certain circumstances it could be cheaper. But that's not what I asked. I asked what makes it "convenient"?


con·ven·ience
/kənˈvēnyəns/

1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

None of those things reduce effort or difficulty.
After going back and looking at the original post and noting just how long ago it was started(something I failed to notate previously) I can only determine that you don't actually want an answer, you just want to argue that anyone is wrong for thinking differently than you. Now, I don't mind having a discussion, but stooping to posting textbook definitions or suggesting that 14+ pages worth of people responding don't understand your very simple question is just rude.

You can go on believing that you're right, I truly don't care, but as I said before you can be right and someone that finds the DP convenient can too because it's all a matter of perspective, not irrefutable fact, which is why I said that you can't get an objective answer to a subjective question. But hey, people are already divided along so many other lines like politics and religion and which sports teams to support, why not add the Disney dining plan to the list of things to look down on one another for?
 
After going back and looking at the original post and noting just how long ago it was started(something I failed to notate previously) I can only determine that you don't actually want an answer, you just want to argue that anyone is wrong for thinking differently than you. Now, I don't mind having a discussion, but stooping to posting textbook definitions or suggesting that 14+ pages worth of people responding don't understand your very simple question is just rude.

You can go on believing that you're right, I truly don't care, but as I said before you can be right and someone that finds the DP convenient can too because it's all a matter of perspective, not irrefutable fact, which is why I said that you can't get an objective answer to a subjective question. But hey, people are already divided along so many other lines like politics and religion and which sports teams to support, why not add the Disney dining plan to the list of things to look down on one another for?
I LOVE your post!! But your absolutely right... this whole post truly was created to start an argument.

What I loved the most is when OP said that people that get the DDP get it for "insurance purposes" and need a financial advisor lol
 
Is there really a right or wrong in this?

As a whole, I doubt Disney is in the business of losing money. So I think it’s safe to say that while some of us may save money; as a whole Disney profits off dining plans. But that’s not necessarily an indicator of value or worth.

When we go cheap, we spend less than $500 for the week on food. We share meals, don’t grab snacks, water fountains and ice machines are our friends. When we’re on the dining plan, we make it count. So we “save” money because we spent less than we otherwise would have if we weren’t on the dining plan. The thing is...we wouldn’t have gotten the dessert; or spent $29 on a breakfast sandwich if we weren’t on the plan. Sure we ate $2000 worth and only paid $1500. But I would’ve paid $500 if I wasn’t on the plan. So even when Disney net margins per item may be lower, their profits off of me are higher. It’s a great thing to sell.

On the flip side, it’s a great thing to buy. When we’re on the Dining plan there is an irrational peace of mind. I’m not sure I’d call it convenience, but it changes the way we view the price. Exactly what Disney is banking on. With the financial reality aside, I’m more likely to use a snack credit on a Mickey ice cream than to stare at it and think “For $4, I could buy an entire box of ice cream when I get home” Sure, The reality is I’m still paying for it. But it makes a mental difference to me as to whether I’d do it or not. Instead, I’m more likely to think “Wouldn’t you rather get the $7 ice cream float?” and I know my family is happier when I go “Sure! Might as well, we have 10 credits left” than bring up the sale last Thursday for $1.99/box. Of course I’ll still grumble when they decide on a bottle of water because it’s “healthy” and they’re “dehydrated” but I can be calmed down if they wash it down with a chocolate covered cronut with sprinkles. They might get diabetes, but I’ll get my moneys worth.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top