IMO where the dining plan starts to really decline in its value is when you have small children. The deluxe plan seems like just way too much food for anybody IMO but I guess it works for some. I could see my husband and I making "our money back" on the basic plan, but when you factor in kids, no way. Your vast majority of small children do not have the stomach capacity nor the want or need to eat three full meals a day of appetizer entree and dessert plus snacks. Maybe some do and that would explain a lot of the vomit we all encounter around the parks......
See I think the exact opposite. The kids dining plan costs like 25 dollars a day. A single character meal like crystal palace is 31 and change. So basically everything else your kid eats that day is free.
Also my kids are grazers. They eat like 6 times a day. We’ll split them a breakfast, split them a lunch, have a post nap snack around 3, character meal for dinner.
I personally think the dining plan is only “worth it” for families with the under 10 set. And parents who like to have some adult beverages with meals