Dining Plan for 2 adults and 1 toddler..yay or nay?!?

[jliucci]

Would you recommend the Disney regular dining plan for myself, DH and DD (2.5 yrs old) in November? I have used the dining plan for all my past trips (i love the convenience of knowing your food is already paid for) but I am wondering if its worth the $900 for DH & I? These are the restaurants i am hoping to make ADRs for:

Akershus (Dinner)
Chef Mickey (Dinner)
Cape May (Dinner)
Liberty Tree Tavern (Dinner)
1900 Park Fare (Dinner)
Mama Melrose (Dinner)

Thanks!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The place where the DDP tends to shine is when there's a 1:1 adult:child ratio, and sometimes when dealing with buffets. I'd just do the math. DDP is about $75/day for adults, so for instance, at Akershus you'd be paying $60.71 per adult. Can you get $15 in value via a single QS that day, and 2 snacks? Probably.

Cape May is $49, so the value gap is greater, and Liberty Tree is one of the cheaper options at $38. So even if you add in a drink ($10), you're looking at needing $25 in value via a QS and snacks. This is possible but it depends how you eat the rest of the time.

 

[MamaBelle4]

The DDP works out fantastically for us. But we have more "Disney" kids in our party than adults. This trip our immediate family consists of 2 adults, 3 Disney kids and 2 under 3.

Next time we go won't be until 2021. So we will have 4 adults and 3 Disney kids, so we will have to reevaluate then.

Eta: see if this helps you, OP https://www.distripplanner.com

 

[Smbmoyers]

We have two adults, a five year old, and we find value in the dining plan because we prepay and don’t have to worry about anything

 

[Quellman]

Instead of paying Disney, pay yourself. Put it on a gift card if you want. You can still order exactly what you want, and you'll know you aren't wasting money on something you aren't going to use.


For example, we don't typically drink sodas, nor do we need dessert at every meal. We also don't eat a lot of snacks from the parks either.
So the cost of sodas, snacks, and desserts that the dining plan includes is a real cost. That could be $15 for those things ($2.50 soda, $6 snack, $6.50 dessert). So that is $15 of the dining plan that is generally wasted on us. But everyone dines differently. And even though you pay for the dining plan up front you still have to pay for tips. The dining plan is psychological. Disney wouldn't offer the plan if they were losing money on every customer. So we just pay ourselves what the dining plan would have cost. This way when we have $50 left over, we can spend it on room charges, or a souvenir.

 

[sharonabe]

An adult TS credit is roughly worth $55, the QS credit is $20, and 2 snacks are $10 ($5 each). You could apply some value to the mug, but we view it as a free souvenir.

As long as your meals/snacks average to the above numbers, you'll at least break even. Don't forget you get alcoholic drinks this year. Most reports are that the buffet/AYCTE places are allowing DDP users to get an alcoholic drink with their meal with no extra charge. If you pay OOP, you will have to pay extra to get that drink.

 

[mcurran]

Kids under 3 do not require tickets and therefore can’t get a meal plan unless you also spring for tickets as well. So if you buy your kid a meal plan you need to buy them ticket too which is an absolute waste of money.

Alternatively you can get 2 adult dining plan and your kid eats off your plate for free in your two buffets (cm and 1900) or you can buy them ala cart or they can eat off of your plate in the other restaurants.

If you are going to eat those dinners and assume you will use your qs and snack credits you could save a few bucks doing the dining plan, especially if you get alcoholic drinks etc.

 

[lovethesun12]

Get the dining plan for the adults if you want but I definitely wouldn't pay for a child that young. You will have to pay for their park tickets then as well.

ETA: Sorry, I didn't notice the OP already mentioned they weren't paying for the child =)

It seems the plan works best for people who have kids over 3 but under the disney adult age. It really depends on your eating habits. If you like more expensive meals like steak with dessert, dining packages, and character buffets it's probably worth it.

 

[sharonabe]

Get the dining plan for the adults if you want but I definitely wouldn't pay for a child that young. You will have to pay for their park tickets then as well.

Kids under 3 do not require tickets and therefore can’t get a meal plan unless you also spring for tickets as well. So if you buy your kid a meal plan you need to buy them ticket too which is an absolute waste of money.

I know the post is worded strange, but if you reread the OP's post, they say:

I am wondering if its worth the $900 for DH & I?

They don't want to buy the plan for the toddler, just wondering if $900 is a good deal.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Would you recommend the Disney regular dining plan for myself, DH and DD (2.5 yrs old) in November? I have used the dining plan for all my past trips (i love the convenience of knowing your food is already paid for) but I am wondering if its worth the $900 for DH & I? These are the restaurants i am hoping to make ADRs for:

Akershus (Dinner)
Chef Mickey (Dinner)
Cape May (Dinner)
Liberty Tree Tavern (Dinner)
1900 Park Fare (Dinner)
Mama Melrose (Dinner)

Thanks!

This is a pretty good tool, if you want to do the math and see if it's worth getting: https://www.distripplanner.com/

Get the dining plan for the adults if you want but I definitely wouldn't pay for a child that young. You will have to pay for their park tickets then as well.

OP stated she was getting the DDP for herself and her DH. She never stated she was looking to purchase the DDP for her 2.5 year old.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

Would you recommend the Disney regular dining plan for myself, DH and DD (2.5 yrs old) in November? I have used the dining plan for all my past trips (i love the convenience of knowing your food is already paid for) but I am wondering if its worth the $900 for DH & I? These are the restaurants i am hoping to make ADRs for:

Akershus (Dinner)
Chef Mickey (Dinner)
Cape May (Dinner)
Liberty Tree Tavern (Dinner)
1900 Park Fare (Dinner)
Mama Melrose (Dinner)

Thanks!

We have a 2 year old and going next week. This is the first time we are doing the DDP and we are doing the middle one (1TS, 1QS, Snacks). We tend to have a drink when we sit down at TS, which is why we decided to try it this time around to see if there is some value. Since our son can still eat at the buffets for free, we feel it may be a value or we will at least break even. We have reservations at Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill, Hollywood & Vine and Be Our Guest. I will report back on my thoughts on whether or not it's a value for us. Hubby does like the idea of knowing he won't get a large bill at the end of our stay.

 

[mcurran]

We have a 2 year old and going next week. This is the first time we are doing the DDP and we are doing the middle one (1TS, 1QS, Snacks). We tend to have a drink when we sit down at TS, which is why we decided to try it this time around to see if there is some value. Since our son can still eat at the buffets for free, we feel it may be a value or we will at least break even. We have reservations at Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill, Hollywood & Vine and Be Our Guest. I will report back on my thoughts on whether or not it's a value for us. Hubby does like the idea of knowing he won't get a large bill at the end of our stay.

They have a lot of posts and at least one sticky that weighs the pros and cons. I’ve always been fortunate enough to book when they have “free dining” which makes finding savings a little easier. But even then you’re buying a package, foregoing room discounts and required to buy a hopper (something we wouldn’t have gotten) so “free” is subjective. That being said buying a food plan (not free) the “value” isn’t so much in saving money typically so much as knowing and paying for your food and being at ease with buying a fancy expensive dish while on vacation. Its another way to disconnect yourself from the realities of cost when you are in your happy place and that sanity is worth something (or insanity?).