DVC members’ preferences. On site or off site dining?

[Florida-Sarah]

Hi!
We are just home from 2 weeks at WDW using our points.

Firstly we love visiting and go to WDW at least once a year every year, however what struck us this year was how expensive food was. From the grocery store ($3.99 for crisps, $3.29 for a 4 pack of bagels) to food and snacks at WDW itself.

We always buy the TIW card and usually eat on site for the vast majority, if not all of our meals.

This year however we ate off site for 5 of the 14 nights and whilst we still have our ‘must do’ on site restaurants, we actually enjoyed our off site meals more and found the service and food better than most places we ate at on site. We concluded that next year we will likely do at least a 50/50 split between off and on site.

That lead me to wondering what other members habits are?
I appreciate that WDW is a theme park and as such will charge a premium for its food, but as DVC members, we have the flexibility to choose where to eat as we aren’t tied to a dining plan as most cash guests are.
What are other members views when it comes to dining? Do you mainly dine on site or off site?
Do those who regularly eat off site still buy TIW or use the DVC discount when dining on site?

Looking forward to hearing people’s preferences.

[nadya]

Mostly off site now to be honest,we have a few favourites onsite but they are extremely pricey,especially as we have a large family.we try to fit these in if we do a cash booking with 'free' ddp before using our points for the rest of the stay.

[Mr Tom Morrow]

We stay onsite on DVC Points for 70 nights a year.

We used to dine onsite for every one of those nights but not any more.

We still do use some Restaurants and still buy the TIW Card every year.

So why have we stopped?

• The food is getting more expensive every trip. Not by inflation either
• The food quality is diminishing year on year.
• The Chefs have become 'boring'. What happened to the inspiration they used to show?
• Any issues they just want to comp your food and get you out.
• The Signature places have plummeted in quality and the prices are eye watering now

• Apart from Flying Fish why can't they serve more fish? And whose brilliant idea was it to serve a whole fried fish complete with bones and it's head! Insanity

• My Wife likes to order the Vegetarian options sometimes. Disney have an awful selection. No thought has gone into it and quite often it's a standard 'meat dish' with the meat removed. Just why!

• Why don't they list the Calories like offsite places do?

People rave about a steak at The Yachtsman. $50+. Our view is the steaks in Longhorns at under half the price are just as good.

Is it just us who feel this way? I suspect not as we were there over Spring Break in March and WDW was rammed, also May was also very busy.
But the Restaurants sometimes had under 25% occupancy at 8.30pm which is the time we arrive.
Never seen them so quiet.

[cpjw]

Over the years we've gone from DDP to TIW to now eating offsite. It's now too expensive and the quality is not great. Agree with everything Tom has said... especially about Longhorn

[Florida-Sarah]

I couldn’t agree more with your words Mr Tom. The steak we ate at Longhorn was far superior to the Porterhouse we had at Yachtsman, and for a fraction of the price.

Whilst I am more than happy to pay a premium for excellent food, I have felt in recent years that at a lot of places we pay a premium for mediocre food, and whilst I expect to pay more given that it’s WDW I’m glad that I have the flexibility to eat off site to feel that I am getting value for money.

The food on Disney Cruise line is excellent. I wish it was replicated at the parks!

[Br'er Bear]

Mostly off-site now, but still like to eat at Cape May, Boma and Sanna.

Best off-site value we have found and really enjoy is at Soup Plantation, salad bar buffet for two seniors during the week before 5.00pm cost around $18.00 and drinks are included for free.

So the total cost for two seniors (over 60) is around the same cost of the tip that we're expected to pay at say Boma's.

If you're a meat eater then Soup Plantation is not for you, has a great salad selection especially good for vegetarian's, vegan's and has gluten-friendly options.
souplantation/menu/
souplantation.mymenunutrition

[Shooby doo]

Mostly offsite, this year is slightly different as it's our "treat" year so a few on the list that we haven't been too before plus DS & DGF are there for 2 weeks on FD so feel like we should eat onsite with them. I'm sure Disney would be nowhere near as busy without those Free dining guests, just too expensive! Using Longhorns, they do an Outlaw steak for approx $30, an Outlaw steak at Cali Grill was $75, now how different do you think they would be for double the price ?
SD

[JoJoBell]

Mostly offsite for us

We did get the TIW this year, there were four of us for two weeks and we will use it for just DH and I for two weeks next year

If it was just two of us going just once we wouldnt bother and probably eat offsite

I love the flexibility of eating offsite because you dont have to book

We find the when we stay at AKL its cheaper to get an Uber to one of the restaurants offsite than it is to eat in Disney (although we dont do that much as DH doesnt mind not drinkng)

There are so many new restaurants along that stretch of the 192 you are spoilt for choice

[Saratoska]

Mostly offsite this year

Lovely restaurants offsite for a fraction of the cost, wolf gang pucks really finished us off this year , cost shocked us for what we got and funnyly enough now that I think about it after reading mrtomorrow above restaurant was not that busy

Can’t rave enough about the lovely restaurants at restaurant row at dr Philips

[2point]

Offsite all the way for us.

It's not only a cost thing, it's also to get away from the badly behaved/tired kids. By not having to book ADR's if we go offsite and it's mobbed by crying/screaming kids we can just go somewhere else.