How is the dining plan ever a good deal?

[WDRabbit]

Can somebody explain to me how the Dining Plan can be a good deal? I can't seem to figure out why anyone would buy it.

Here's the way I understand it:
- You essentially get a meal, a drink, and a dessert for CS or TS, or a buffet.
- The Snack is worth about $4 at max.
- Tips are not included.

To me it just seems like before when you got an appetizer and the tip was included you barely came out ahead (barely as in it was still worth the "hassle" of using DDP). Now though, I can't figure out how you really even break even considering the cost of the plan.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't really remember going to any TS restaurants (that aren't considered "signature") where each person's meal, drink, and even dessert was more than about $25. Likewise, I don't remember ever spending more than $15/person for a meal, drink, and dessert at CS restaurants. So that's $40 plus the $4 snack. So $44/day assuming those prices (and most of the time I don't remember spending more than about $18 per person at TS and about $12/person at CS, so that would be only $34/person/day at that rate).

When you compare the prices against the price of the plan I just don't see why anybody gets DDP. It seems that at BEST you might save $4 or $5 a day if everybody in your party just happens to get the most expensive items on the menu, but more likely that you will either lose money or just break even. Seems like everybody would be better off just using real money so you have the flexibility to eat whatever you want, less or more, each day.

It seems like Disney totally raised the price this year. Removing the appetizer took away about $8/day, and removing the tip took away at least $8/day (assuming 20% tip). So even though they reduced the price by $1, the net effect is that they increased it by $15.

Thoughts?

[seashoreCM]

It isn't.

Unless it or something else in the package was free.

Regularly priced packages have tended to cost close to the a la carte prices of the most expensive choices made when choices (f.k.a. flexes or wishes) were offered.

And if you made the most expensive choices, you stood a great chance of putting on weight.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

[ajleone]

I'm not sure when you were there last but your going to be hard pressed to get out of a place for $18.
As for it being a deal- I've been doing alot of calculations trying to determine if this is right for us. And I've found that it would appear that we will either break even or slightly make out with the DDP. So with either breaking even or being slightly ahead you then add the convenience of it, and to us it became a must do! And so you have a little background we do quite a few buffets and they tend to run $25-$30 per adult.
All that being said is it as good a deal as before- of course not! But I think it will still work for us.

[WDRabbit]

I was just at WDW last week. We were able to get out of most TS places for $35 (for 2 people). A few others would be about $50 for 2 (such as the buffets or the Garden Grill "family style" type places).

I still don't see how it's a good deal even if the TS meals are $30 each. At best you might get the snack for that day for free.

Also, I don't see how there is any convenience of use the DDP, either way they will swipe your card or your credit card. If anything it seems like the DDP will be more of a hassle because at the TS restaurants they not only will swipe your DDP card, but you will also have to leave a cash tip, put it on your other credit card, or bill it to your room.

It just seems like you have to be prepared to be very strict on your vacation to use DDP. If you decide to skip using one of the TS credits you have basically blown the whole budget.

[SereneOne]

I would like to know what TS you ate at, because I know many that go over the price point you mentioned. I know Coral Reef, which was excellent by the way, was over 250 for three adults and one child. We saved a few hundred plus,according to my calculations using the dining plan. Now this was before the no tip and no appie, but I still see according to calculations that we will save money. I have more issues with the five pounds I gained...lol.

[Rneighh]

We are doing the deluxe plan. We are having dinner at signature restraunts each night. We are also going to split some meals. Three meals for four people. We cannot possibly eat an app., entree, and dessert at each meal. Since the plan is paid for in advance, I won't even look at the prices, I will just order. If each meal was being paid for at the time, I know I would look at the price more. I have penciled it out and I would guess we will save 200-300 with the plan and eat like Princes and Princesses:goodvibes

Renee

[PrincessTiffany]

We have been on the dining plan 3 times. Twice we have paid for it and once we got Free Dining (receiving free dining on our September trip saved us almost $1000). We are a family of six and it has saved us money everytime we used it. Unless you are packing your own pb&js to bring into the parks or going back to your room for a "homemade" meal, I don't see how you can't be saving money. The value is especially good for the kids, there is no way we could feed them on $11.00 per day without the plan. We even used snack credits for breakfast items on our last trip. You could get a whole carton of Entimens donuts and a half gallon of milk for two snack credits. That was a quick breakfast for the kids before we left for the parks. We had a character meal everyday of our trip. I can't remember the price of every single item at every single meal (part of the beauty of the dining plan, not having to worry about prices), but I know the buffet at Crystal palace is about $28.00 per adult and $13.00 per child (the child's price on the plan for the entire day with cs meal, ts meal and snack was on $11.00!) so our bill was about $107.00 (before tip, which was included on our last trip), with tip about $127.00. The dining plan for our family for the whole day was only $120.00. We came out $7.00 ahead just on dinner, then you throw in lunch for the six of us that would have cost about $40.00 out of pocket and say $3.00 each per snack for each of us ($18 total), that has us saving about $65.00 per day.

I also can't quite understand everybody griping about too much food. If you don't want an appetizer and dessert, don't order both. And also, I lost 6 pounds during our September trip. How can you possibly gain that much weight with all of the walking. I wouldn't be surprised if we walked 15 miles per day! And what is with saying that the plan is hard to use? We have never had any trouble with it. You just hand them the card and they swipe it. No big deal. That's my husband's favorite part of it all, the ease of the plan and not worrying about the money.

Now, I must say I agree that people will not be saving as much money with the new 2008 plan because it does not include the tip. (I also don't think the revamped plan will last past 2008 either, just my opinion.) Even without the tip and the appetizer we would still come out ahead. So, as you can see we are "Fans of the Plan!"

[Allegro]

You know you're not going to finance your next Disney vacation on the hundreds you save by using the DDP. But if you take a family to a couple of Character meals and you eat at a few TS restaurants you're pretty much going to cover your investment. In the end you'll probably save under $100 but you are unlikely to lose money.

Another thing - no use crying over spilled milk. The 2008 DDP isn't the 2007 DDP but its not a bad deal for most people.

[disneyjunkie]

Can somebody explain to me how the Dining Plan can be a good deal? I can't seem to figure out why anyone would buy it.

Here's the way I understand it:
- You essentially get a meal, a drink, and a dessert for CS or TS, or a buffet.
- The Snack is worth about $4 at max.
- Tips are not included.

To me it just seems like before when you got an appetizer and the tip was included you barely came out ahead (barely as in it was still worth the "hassle" of using DDP). Now though, I can't figure out how you really even break even considering the cost of the plan.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't really remember going to any TS restaurants (that aren't considered "signature") where each person's meal, drink, and even dessert was more than about $25. Likewise, I don't remember ever spending more than $15/person for a meal, drink, and dessert at CS restaurants. So that's $40 plus the $4 snack. So $44/day assuming those prices (and most of the time I don't remember spending more than about $18 per person at TS and about $12/person at CS, so that would be only $34/person/day at that rate).

When you compare the prices against the price of the plan I just don't see why anybody gets DDP. It seems that at BEST you might save $4 or $5 a day if everybody in your party just happens to get the most expensive items on the menu, but more likely that you will either lose money or just break even. Seems like everybody would be better off just using real money so you have the flexibility to eat whatever you want, less or more, each day.

It seems like Disney totally raised the price this year. Removing the appetizer took away about $8/day, and removing the tip took away at least $8/day (assuming 20% tip). So even though they reduced the price by $1, the net effect is that they increased it by $15.

Thoughts?

A good deal means different things to different people.

We're using the deluxe plan for our next trip. Why?

I like having as much of the trip paid for in advance as possible.

The base plan covers most of our meals. The deluxe plan will cover all of them. (I'll just have to cover a few snacks)

The dining plan allows us to try places I'd skip if I had to pay out of pocket.

In my opinion the plan is a deal because it widens our dining selection.

[poohbear227]

We went back and forth whether to try the DDP and opted against it for our first trip back. We figured we'd pay attention to how much we spend on meals this time around and see if we want it for next time.

Seems to me that the 2007 plan did seem worth it, with the included tip, appetizer, and dessert for only a few dollars more than the 2008 plan. As for us, we NEVER order dessert anywhere we go and if we do splurge, we would typically split something. I would feel like I"m wasting $$ by not ordering a dessert and I dont want to overstuff myself for the sole sake of making sure I get my money's worth.

We are fans of appetizers and salads. I think the 2008 plan should give you a choice of appetizer OR dessert. I'm not sure why they dont allow that-looking at the menus, prices of appetizers/side salads seem pretty comparable to the prices of desserts anyways.

The only other thing I like about it is the budgeting factor-paying for meals beforehand so you don't have to be so money conscious when we get there.

Just my two cents...

[stepnut]

I wish there was a DDP option for people staying offsite. I may have a more open mind about it, since I don't think I'll ever stay onsite. And I confess, I'm a little like the OP...I don't get the deal, but that's probably because I've never had to consider the details of it, and on the surface, it looks like a TREMENDOUS amount of food. We are not food people, my kids eat like birds, me and my husband would do well on one meal a day with some snacks (and our Starbucks in the morning.)

Is there Starbucks anywhere on Disney property? That alone may be a deal killer for me!! LOL!!!!

[rcraw45425]

We are arriving on Tuesday, during "holiday pricing". Our meal at 'Ohana alone with the added $16 for holiday will run $32 per person, or $128. Therefore it's a no brainer for us, Pay $37.99 per day per person and basically half of our lunch is free.

[goodferry]

One day of dining for me last trip (returned a week ago) (I left the appetizer out since it won't be included next year)

Teppan Edo
Fillet Mignon, soft drink, chocolate ginger cake: $36.50 (not including tip)
Sunshine Seasons Grilled Salmon Platter, soft drink, ice cream $14.59

Try another day?
Le Cellier NY Stip, soft drink, Creme Brulee $37.99
Flame Tree Barbque Chicken Platter, soft drink, chocolate cake $14.00

From my point of view, that's coming out ahead WITHOUT figuring on a snack or tips or an appetizer. Not to mention the fact that for us, before the dining plan, DH didn't want to eat ever. There's something about having it paid for in advance that is easier to take then handing over the charge card and paying a $150 bill for dinner. While it was a better deal with the appetizer and tip included, you can still break even or come out ahead.
I agree, though, that dealing with the tip will be a pain with the new plan, but we will probably still do it.

[Lollipop's Mom]

Well I figure this - its 37.99/nt.

If I eat at a CS lunch it is going to be $10-$15 for drink/meal/dessert for one person.
Lets take a mid priced buffet dinner- 27.99
Snack - $4

That is $47 PLUS taxes - maybe $52/day

Last time I checked, $38 was a lot less than $52!

[ajleone]

I was just at WDW last week. We were able to get out of most TS places for $35 (for 2 people). A few others would be about $50 for 2 (such as the buffets or the Garden Grill "family style" type places).

I still don't see how it's a good deal even if the TS meals are $30 each. At best you might get the snack for that day for free.

Also, I don't see how there is any convenience of use the DDP, either way they will swipe your card or your credit card. If anything it seems like the DDP will be more of a hassle because at the TS restaurants they not only will swipe your DDP card, but you will also have to leave a cash tip, put it on your other credit card, or bill it to your room.

It just seems like you have to be prepared to be very strict on your vacation to use DDP. If you decide to skip using one of the TS credits you have basically blown the whole budget.


1. You have to be talking Garden Grill at lunch- because its 27.99 per adult(pre tax) at dinner. Which makes me wonder if most of your prices are based on lunch pricing.
2. If its only a snack for free- its still free!
3.Its only one card I need to carry and, with the exception of the tip, Its all already paid for.
4. As for being strict I couldn't disagree more! I don't see how eating a CS instead of a TS blows your whole budget.
In the end we'll do all the TS meals we love to eat at and also be able to do CRT which actually makes this an even better value.

[PrincessTiffany]

Well I figure this - its 37.99/nt.

If I eat at a CS lunch it is going to be $10-$15 for drink/meal/dessert for one person.
Lets take a mid priced buffet dinner- 27.99
Snack - $4

That is $47 PLUS taxes - maybe $52/day

Last time I checked, $38 was a lot less than $52!
I totally agree. I seems you, me and a number of other people on here have crunched the numbers to show we are coming out ahead. Why are some saying they don't get it?

[Markstudy]

When you pre-pay for the trip....it so much fun to go into all the restaurants and not worry about price, what it cost, or what the bill will total at the end of the meal.

Maybe it was that $250 meal at Narcoossee's Grand Floridan (for just two adults) that made me happy I had the meal plan.

I just have more fun on my vacation all week long walking into restaurants knowing its all paid for and it doesn't matter what I order.

I'd buy the plan even if it only saved me $50

Its like the fun you get from going on a cruise ship when you don't have to
worry about money for a week pirate:

[disneyjunkie]

When you pre-pay for the trip....it so much fun to go into all the restaurants and not worry about price, what it cost, or what the bill will total at the end of the meal.

I just have more fun on my vacation all week long walking into restaurants knowing its all paid for and it doesn't matter what I order.

I'd buy the plan even if it only saved me $50

Its like the fun you get from going on a cruise ship when you don't have to
worry about money for a week pirate:

:thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2

[WDRabbit]

Can somebody explain the other levels of the DDP? I have only seen the "basic" plan advertised. What is with the deluxe and platinum plans? We tend to mainly eat CS dinner in the parks and make most of our TS dinners at the "signature" restaurants (such as the Brown Derby or California Grill). Maybe one of the other plans would make more sense to me if I see the details and pricing.

[DerangedAboutDisney]

The value of DDP ranges from person to person. If you CAN eat all the food then it is an excellent value. But if you're going to eat only the entree on the TS and you won't eat half your lunch, then you may as well forgo the DDP and eat kids' meals or TS meals with only what you will eat. The fact that the tip is not included however seems a bit redundant though. :confused3

[goofy4tink]

I have done the DDP about 4 times now, as well as having the DDE card with me. I used to enjoy the DDP simply because it simplified things for me. All I had to do was plan where I was going, eat and enjoy. I usually spent about $12 a day for CS, then about $35 each night for TS. I would get a snack most days and if I had any left over, I headed for the shop at my resort and bought some to take home. But, with the tip being excluded, and the appetizer being taken away, it's just not worth if to me. I enjoyed the appetizer rather than the dessert. And I liked not having to worry about tipping. So..it looks like I'll use my DDE for the time being. I've sat and run the figures until I'm blue in the face. The DDP doesn't come close to making sense for me anymore. For others, it still makes sense.

[SmallWorld71]

Another way you can come out ahead - if you have kids who like to eat!
For example, it is $11.99 for kids to have dinner at 'Ohana. The child's price for the DDP is $11 a day. Which for me means that 2 of my kids are getting a counter service meal and a snack for free. Also, the adult price is $27.99 at non-holiday times. Even if we don't spend the remaining $12 on a CS and snack for that day (although we will definitely come close) with the free food the kids are getting, you are bound to come out at least even. Like a previous poster, we tend to do a lot of buffets/ character meals because it gives the kids a lot more selection.
Also, it is so nice to be able to say to the kids - go ahead and have that filet mignon, mahi mahi, salmon, shrimp etc.... something I know I wouldn't do if I was paying out of pocket.:goodvibes

[disneyjunkie]

Can somebody explain the other levels of the DDP? I have only seen the "basic" plan advertised. What is with the deluxe and platinum plans? We tend to mainly eat CS dinner in the parks and make most of our TS dinners at the "signature" restaurants (such as the Brown Derby or California Grill). Maybe one of the other plans would make more sense to me if I see the details and pricing.


The deluxe plan includes three meals per person, per night. They can be used as TS or CS credits.

You also get an appetizer with each table service(and counter service:confused3 )meal.

The plan includes 2 snacks per night per person.

I believe it's $69.99 per adult per night. I'm sure about the kid's price. (My 16 year old is an adult in Disney's eyes)


You don't have to order or eat everything that's included with the plan. During our last trip, we skipped plenty of appetizers and/or desserts. We were just to full from our meal to eat it all.

We order our meals based on what we'll eat, not what we're entitled too.

Even without maxing out the plan, I believe it's a great deal.

[Bete]

You have to go to the most expensive places like Le Cellier, Teppan Edo and Coral Reef, etc. and then order the more expensive items there for the plan to be worth it. Your drink is ala carte except at the buffet places and some places will let you order a smoothie or milkshake and that will be considered a regular drink. Desserts can go for $4 to $8 each. Doing the simple math, entree at $27, drink at $4 and dessert at $6 which is on par for the places mentioned. Your total for a TS is $37. You play the same game for your counter service and pick the most expensive places and meals. There are counter service meals that can go $10 to 15 for your entree with a $3 drink and a $4 dessert. So, counter service can reach around $19 at the better places. Your snack is worth let's say $3.

This brings the grand total to $59 a person; so, the plan works to your advantage. You will need to make ressies way ahead to get the better places on the plan or accept less desirable times to eat there. There are sites that show the cost of many items on the plan and that's what I'm working with here in my calculations. These are honest numbers.

If you go to the better buffets, you subtract the drink and dessert which is worth about $10 and that brings the total to $49 a person and still a good deal. There are some shows that are allowed on the plan like Hoop de do Revue which is a good deal on the plan, too.

Myself, I prefer food courts and counter service or cheaper lunch pricing (less crowded) for the table service meal, if I do one. I utilized the DP ever since it came out, but I'm ending that for 2008; because, it doesn't include appetizer or tip on the basic plan. I like doing food court for breakfast and or dinner; because, you can go there during non-park hours; so, you have more time to enjoy the parks. I can tolerate one CS at the park taking away time doing the park. I will skip dessert without any issue. I'll have an appetzer that I'll probably share. Finally, I'll go to the places not on the plan and enjoy less crowds there.

I am waiting for reports about the second tier dining plan which may work out as a better deal, but you have to spend a lot of time eating your way through Disney on that plan or go to signature restaurants like the Brown Derby, etc. that utilize 2 credits for a TS meal.

I'm glad I was able to do free dining twice and get the plan when tip and gratuity were included in the price. I don't feel 2008 will have that much of a drop off from the plans until later in the year. I think everyone will get wiser about it and Disney may change again or not on how the plans will work. If waiters are hit with poorer tips and there's less attendance in these places Disney will change it, again.

Also, we don't know if the prices of all these places don't go up in 2008 which would make it a better deal again for the plan. We will have to wait and see.

[goodferry]

Hate to hijack this thread, but one more question about the deluxe dining plan. I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the changes since we just got back and aren't planning another trip yet, if you are allowed three meals a day is it true they can be counter service OR table service? There aren't a certain number of table a certain number of counter like now?

[disneyjunkie]

Hate to hijack this thread, but one more question about the deluxe dining plan. I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the changes since we just got back and aren't planning another trip yet, if you are allowed three meals a day is it true they can be counter service OR table service? There aren't a certain number of table a certain number of counter like now?

Correct

:thumbsup2

[kimsuenew]

IMO we would just about "break even" now that appetizer and tips are not included, however, we LOVE the convenience and ease of use the plan offers! :thumbsup2

I would guess the only time it is an incredible value is when it is offered free in September... that is absolutely unbelieveable! :goodvibes And while you do have to "rack rate", if you are staying at a Value in September it is less than 90 bucks a night to stay there... and you get the free DDP for everyone in your party... so that rocks! :woohoo:

[Colleen27]

Can somebody explain to me how the Dining Plan can be a good deal? I can't seem to figure out why anyone would buy it.

Here's the way I understand it:
- You essentially get a meal, a drink, and a dessert for CS or TS, or a buffet.
- The Snack is worth about $4 at max.
- Tips are not included.

To me it just seems like before when you got an appetizer and the tip was included you barely came out ahead (barely as in it was still worth the "hassle" of using DDP). Now though, I can't figure out how you really even break even considering the cost of the plan.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't really remember going to any TS restaurants (that aren't considered "signature") where each person's meal, drink, and even dessert was more than about $25. Likewise, I don't remember ever spending more than $15/person for a meal, drink, and dessert at CS restaurants. So that's $40 plus the $4 snack. So $44/day assuming those prices (and most of the time I don't remember spending more than about $18 per person at TS and about $12/person at CS, so that would be only $34/person/day at that rate).


That's where you lose me. I've had several meals at Disney where my entree alone was in the $20-25 range. Add in a $2 drink and a $6 dessert, and the TS alone can account for $30 or more of the $37 cost of the dining plan. I really can't think of many places where you'd spend as little as $18 for a entree, drink & dessert, tax included.

Losing the tip and appetizer are a significant price hike, but with the dining prices also increasing, I'm sure there are circumstances where the dining plan is still a savings.

[tmatthews]

We went back and forth with it.....I have one DS13 who is a PICKY eater....(I am as well) and we have a DS4! I don't see us doing many TS especially since we are going at Easter time.....It was kind of last minute for us so we decided against it.:confused3

[TDC Nala]

We are fans of appetizers and salads. I think the 2008 plan should give you a choice of appetizer OR dessert. I'm not sure why they dont allow that-looking at the menus, prices of appetizers/side salads seem pretty comparable to the prices of desserts anyways.



Desserts are cheaper (to produce) than appetizers. Appetizers are not just salads.

It's easier to adjust a dessert menu to allow use of cheaper ingredients.

Part of the reason for eliminating the appetizer was for faster turnover of tables. The logic behind this one is that it's more likely that diners will be full from the entree and either not order the dessert, or get it to go, thus turning the table over faster.

[Melissa_E]

We went back and forth with it.....I have one DS13 who is a PICKY eater....(I am as well) and we have a DS4! I don't see us doing many TS especially since we are going at Easter time.....It was kind of last minute for us so we decided against it.:confused3

Well thats the thing, it doesn't work for everyone. If you are going to do mostly CS then it probably doesn't work for you. We decided on the DxDP because we wanted to do some signature dining and the appetizer, especially since we'll share it with DD4. The other reason was, I don't want to look at the prices and think, well I paid $20 for lunch for all of us, I don't want to spend $100 for dinner. We do that enough at home. :rotfl2:

[MomofCKJ]

We used it in 2006 and are using it in 2008 as well. For me it is purely convenience. I like knowing that almost all our food is prepaid. I don't want to be limited when I am there by the dollars in my pocket. What I mean is by prepaying I know I can order filet each night if I want (and I might!) and not need to switch to a burger by day 4 because my cash is running low. KWIM? I just like having it all prepaid and be able to order the entree I want without any regard to the cost.

FWIW we did save money on it in 2006 and I still think when all is said is done we'll save some $$ on it in 2008 too though probably not as much. I still like the concept of it though and will continue to use it on our trips.

Allyon

[Pirate's Princess]

If you like eating dessert and not looking at prices, then go for it. I am. I like going to "finer" restaurants and eating steak and seafood a lot. Even if I order lower price entrees (say $16, it's still $6 for dessert and 3 for a drink) that's $25, then I need a CS (cheapest being $6.50, with a 2.09 drink and a $2 dessert) that's 10.59 (not including tax) and then it's about 2.50 for a snack- very doable. So you break even. Big whoop! Why are you hasseling those who've done the math and come ahead with the choices we like. Even without a CS dessert I come ahead.

If you don't think it's not a deal,then DON'T DO IT

[red1der1]

I have been spoiled from all the all inclusive vacations to the Caribbean thart I have taken in the past, so while the dinning plan may not be the best out there, I really like the fact that my meals are prepaid and I do not have to carry as much money with me while on vacation. That is the benefit to me IMO.

[Nbtstatic]

Maybe you haven't seen entree prices lately?

When we go, there's no way I can get an entree, dessert, drink, Cs meal and snack for 38 bucks, it just won't happen.

I pretty much spend that on the TS meal, maybe TS meal plus one snack. The rest then becomes free.

Not to mention the fun of just picking whatever you want, having everything all taken care of before hand, etc. :thumbsup2

[chrismb22]

For us the Deluxe plan was a no brainer for one reason. It was prepaid. I would never have saved enough money for food for our upcoming trip (in 12 days YEAH!!!) especially with the holidays just over. This way, I only have to bring money for tips and drinks (and of course, souveniers). We received about $250 in disney dollars/gift cards for the holidays so we should only need a little more.

We are also eating 2 TS meals a day a day (I don't like counter service) and that includes California Grill, Le Cellulier, Coral Reef, Flying Fish. I figure we would spend more than $140 at those places alone (that's $70 for each of us) so we are making out just on dinners.

[kaytieeldr]

It's always been a good deal - just, next year, it's going to be somewhat less of one.
Example: Tuttu Italia. Average entree is $28.30; average applicable drink is at least $3.00; average dessert is $8.10. Total = $39.40; the DDP includes/covers/pays the tax, so that's another $2.56, for a total dinner check of $41.96. You only paid $37.99 for the DDP for that night.
Tip, if you're not in the auto-charged category is, at your descetion, $5.91 or $7.10 or $7.88.
Meanwhile, you also had that $3 snack and that $12 counter service meal. Your food which was covered by the DDE totals $56.96. You paid $37.99 - that $18.97 difference, is two or three times your additional out of pocket cost.

So, while again it's not as good a deal as it was before, it's still a deal.

[Eoywin]

We loved the dining plan - it was just me and my husband, but each of our ts dinners ran over $80, so we definately got our money's worth.

Even with the changes, we would use it again.

[MFLetou]

I booked my trip not even two weeks ago for a Jan. 13-17 visit. Thought hard about it but decided against it for a couple of reasons:

#1--can't get dinner ressies for many of my preferences. We are doing lunch at Le Cel, Chefs de France, and San Angel. In order to really maximize the dining plan, though, you need to be using your TS credits for dinner, and ordering nicer entrees.

#2--my wife is not a dessert person. She IS a soup/app person. I'll be you know what if after paying nearly $80 a day for food for us, I still have to pay upwards of $15 for soup and tip.

#3--we like breakfast--another terrible use of the DDP. Therefore, I'll have to be paying for our breakfasts.

#4--It feels like a lot of pressure. I'm the type of person that would need to maximize the DDP if I was going to buy it. Its a lot of money to me. I couldn't stand leaving money on the table, such as it is. We only 5 days, I don't want to spend all my time eating or worry about it eating.

So we have lunch ressies for 3 days at Epcot, which is a challenge in an of itself logistically. Not sure if we can pull it off, but we'll see. Forgoing the DDP, and I'll try to work it out on the other end to see how we made out.

[vtwep]

Being an accountant, I sometimes like to look at things like this. On our November 2007 trip, I calculated everything we ate that we used our dining plan on. In total (just on the dining plan purchases), we saved $234 over what we would have spent paying out of pocket had we ordered the exact same items (6 days, 2 adults and 1 child). I then ran the exact same scenario and removed one appetizer and the tip from each meal...using the 2008 plan we would have saved $112. So, not a "huge" savings, but enough to be worth it. That money saved helps take the sting out of the bags of souvenirs you'll probably end up buying!

So, based on how we ate that trip, the dining plan was a winner either way.

[marlynnp]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't really remember going to any TS restaurants (that aren't considered "signature") where each person's meal, drink, and even dessert was more than about $25. Likewise, I don't remember ever spending more than $15/person for a meal, drink, and dessert at CS restaurants. So that's $40 plus the $4 snack. So $44/day assuming those prices (and most of the time I don't remember spending more than about $18 per person at TS and about $12/person at CS, so that would be only $34/person/day at that rate).


Thoughts?

You're wrong or you're remembering costs on a trip ten years ago.

[leahjade]

You should look at the costs of sit-down dinner menus at WDW on allears.net. It doesn't sound like you've been to Disney in a few years, and you would be shocked to see how high the prices are.
For us, the plan means I won't have to tell my teens that they have to order the cheaper entrees on the menu. Now I can urge them to get the lobster tail, steak or salmon and they can even have dessert. Plus we love being able to sit and relax in an air conditioned restaurant when the parks get too tiring and hot.

[GoofySon'sMom]

We used it in 2006 and are using it in 2008 as well. For me it is purely convenience. I like knowing that almost all our food is prepaid. I don't want to be limited when I am there by the dollars in my pocket. What I mean is by prepaying I know I can order filet each night if I want (and I might!) and not need to switch to a burger by day 4 because my cash is running low. KWIM? I just like having it all prepaid and be able to order the entree I want without any regard to the cost.


This is exactly how we feel. Especially next year going with just DS. I want to know that the bulk of the expenses are paid for and that we can eat where we want to. DS11 has never really been a fan of the children's menu and would much rather have a filet. It is nice to not have to look at the prices and decide if there will be enough cash left for the end of the trip. Even if we only break even or save a few bucks a day, it is worth it for us.

[budbeerlady]

We loved the plan the last couple of years, I didnt look at the prices and ordered what I wanted. So even at breaking even now (I still think we would come out $100ish ahead, vs the $300+ 2 years ago) its vacation and I would probley do it again this year.

[Atchley]

We too love the idea that all of our meals are paid for in advance. All we have to do is show up. Even with no appetizer, (I've gained enough weight from the last trip alone--and still haven't lost it a year and a half later) the DDP is the best choice for us. For a family of four you will be hard pressed to get by on a CS meal for less than $40.00. Disney Restaurants are not the local McDs. They are a little more costly. We do save money with the DDP and are eating better and heathier. Eating burgers, fries and pizza for a week can be brutal!

[Tnkrbelle565]

I always do a cost analysis of the DDP (we have had it for our past 3 trips and will be using in again in 2008). We always save well over $100 (closer to $200 on this past trip as it was a longer trip) using the DDP. As many previous posters mentioned the kids price is $11 and that it the typical costs of a child's meal at a CS restaurant. I anticipate we will save less this year due to the tips being taken out (although we already added extra to the tip that was included anyway). However, for the shear convenience (and okay, this year I'm getting it free due to the bounceback offer!) I would definately still use it. One less thing I have to worry about when I'm down there.

[PrincessTiffany]

We loved the plan the last couple of years, I didnt look at the prices and ordered what I wanted. So even at breaking even now (I still think we would come out $100ish ahead, vs the $300+ 2 years ago) its vacation and I would probley do it again this year.
You are correct. It is still a money saver. If your family plans on at least one TS meal per day, you ARE go to save money on the Dining Plan and come out ahead. Simple math.

[cdrn1]

You are correct. It is still a money saver. If your family plans on at least one TS meal per day, you ARE go to save money on the Dining Plan and come out ahead. Simple math.

Unless you lose out on a good room discount that you would have gotten without the DDP.

[disneyjunkie]

Unless you lose out on a good room discount that you would have gotten without the DDP.


Who said you can't have both?:confused3

You can't use a discount with free dining. You can’t book the dining plan with an AP rate. However, you can pay for the dining plan with most other discounted room rates..

For example

Say CRO releases a 40% room only discount. There will be a matching discount that allows you to add on the dining plan.

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

It might be a good deal for some who eat only on WDW property. But for us, the quality of food has slipped at some of the WDW restaurants that we used to frequent. We don't have any problem having a few meals offsite or at CS. After about the 6 or 7 day mark we just want a plain meal, not a big TS. It just isn't a good deal for us. We save more money getting a discount on the room and then eating the way we want.

[kaytieeldr]

We are fans of appetizers and salads. I think the 2008 plan should give you a choice of appetizer OR dessert. I'm not sure why they dont allow that-looking at the menus, prices of appetizers/side salads seem pretty comparable to the prices of desserts anyways. While Disney has never said so publicly, several of us feel that part of the reason for the change is to turn over the tables faster - and thus enable more Guests to dine in on-site restaurants. Giving diners the choice suggested here would likely mean that some diners in a given party will order appetizers and share them with the entire table, while other members of the same party would order desserts and share those. Thus, the table(s) wouldn't turn over any faster.

[missesdisney]

There are so many variables to whether this is 'worth it' or not I just don't think there is an answer. I've had a lot of friends ask me about it and I play 20 questions with them to get them to think of all angles.

We used it in April for 3 nights and it was great for that trip - we had another night in another room so we had our meals all set and not too disruptive. Numbers-wise for the 07 plan, if you eat at the buffets for your TS then you make out - our buffet 'bills' were $80 including tip and we paid $89 for the three of us for the night's plan. So for $9 more a day we got 3 more CS and 3 snacks. For the short trip we used it all up easily.

We also used it again for 4 nights of our recent 10 night trip (we changed hotels) over Thanksgiving. Glad we did it, definitely saved us money against doing the same meals if we'd paid for it, but the thing is, we would never have done so many sit downs or paid for what we had. We did Coral Reef candelight processional package - it came to $190 for 3 adults and 1 child for the 'bill' and we'd paid about 125 for the plan so we really made out that day. Or did we? We never would have booked that for that price so in my eyes, we got something extra from it so we did make out. We also all gained weight because the accountant in me makes sure we are getting our money's worth and at least eating some of the dessert!

The other thing that doesn't work so well for us is we don't like to be tied down to a reservation every day. It was fine for the few days but I could never have done that for 10 nights. Not our touring style. For some people, it's just right but just not us.

All said, we made out well on the two times we've done the plan but with the changes, we won't be doing it again - the tip alone is a big thing for me and I much prefer an appetizer to a dessert so it just makes less sense for us. Many will disagree and I'm sure Disney will do tons of polling to find out who thinks what and why!

Happy New Year!

[ilovecountry]

My friends & I wanted the DDP but since we booked through a discount site, we couldn't get it. However deciding if it's a good ideal, I guess it depends where you eat & what time. Everyday I averaged about 35.00. We bought our own water/drinks, but we ate the lunch buffets everyday in each park which were all about 20.00. Then later on we grabbed a burger or something else around there, then a snack later on. When my dad called, he kept asking if I was sure I was full based on what I told him what I spent & it was like omg of course! The portions (in my opinion) were awesome for the price. However if you want to go to the dinner buffets or the more expensive sit down resteraunts it seems worth it since the dinner buffets are so much more money & as are the prices for the nice sitdowns. So it really all depends on what time & what food you want to eat. Everything I had was so yummy at every location so I don't think the DDP is needed next time either. Although we won't be able to get it since we're booking through another discount site. I think the best bet is to look at the menus & sort of average the prices of the food you wanna eat.

[PrincessTiffany]

It might be a good deal for some who eat only on WDW property. But for us, the quality of food has slipped at some of the WDW restaurants that we used to frequent. We don't have any problem having a few meals offsite or at CS. After about the 6 or 7 day mark we just want a plain meal, not a big TS. It just isn't a good deal for us. We save more money getting a discount on the room and then eating the way we want.
You can still get your room discount and get the dining plan. The only time you can't combine an offer with the DDP is during Free Dining - it then you're still saving a bundle because of Free Dining.

The only view I would have to agree with on this subject (as far as those opposed to the DDP) would be the folks that do not like the dining plan due to the fact that you DO have to plan (plan! plan! plan) ahead and have an itenerary for your trip. I don't mind this part though, I like having everything planned out ahead of time. It makes our trip MORE enjoyable.

I know, I know, I can hear some of you "fly by the seat of your pants" touring people now . . . "Is she crazy?" lol But it's true we like to plan and we love, love, love the dining plan!

[Bete]

My friends & I wanted the DDP but since we booked through a discount site, we couldn't get it.


Would you share your discount site, please? You are making me very curious, here. It sounds like you are getting this incredible deal; so, please share. Are you booking a Disney resort or are you staying off-site? It sounds like you are staying off-site and then I would understand why you can't get the DP.

Also, I truly believe you can always upgrade to the DP when you arrive at a Disney resort, regardless of how you booked the trip originally. It's like an add-on.

[kimis]

My dh and myself love the DDP. We get it every year. This year we will be DDDP. It allows us to eat at places we normally don't get to. I think we have almost all the signature resturants booked. No we don't go to disney just to eat but we do go in the value season it allows us plenty of time to enjoy our meals.

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I totally agree. I seems you, me and a number of other people on here have crunched the numbers to show we are coming out ahead. Why are some saying they don't get it?

I totally agree. At first we were against the new plan until we "crunched the numbers". Now we are able to eat at all the places we want (Le Cellier, Ohana, Boma, CP, etc). and don't have to worry about cost!

[Fantasmic303]

I just finished a huge spreadsheet to try to figure out if it would be worth it for us, as we've though about it on every trip we've taken, always saying "next time...". It always seemed to us that, even without the appetizer and tip, it made sense to do it, even if we only broke even or got the snack for free.

However, after planning out our menu choices, it actually DIDN'T make sense for us to do the DDP. We're AP holders and usually purchase the DDE card as well, so that factored into it, but basically I found this: It COULD BE an excellent deal if we had steak at a TS dinner every night and enjoyed the dessert. The reality? We prefer many of the lunch menus instead, and my sister is a very picky eater who typically ends up choosing a chicken, salad, or burger option off the menu, which would be about half the price of a steak. That alone messed with the DDP value. Adding in dessert (which we typically don't get in the restaurant...we'd rather get ice cream or popcorn a little later) meant we were paying to either stuff ourselves to the point of discomfort or leave dessert behind.

So for us? Not a good deal. For a family (ESPECIALLY with a kid or two) who likes steak and dessert for dinner at the nicer places? Definitely a good deal.

[kakiegirl]

We used the dining plan for the first time last year and thought it was a great deal. Usually the one table service a day runs about the cost of the dining plan per day. Also, counter service is not cheap it often costs us aroung $30.00 for the three of us to eat a counter service. We like the convenience of having our meals paid for before the trip so we don't have to plan for that in our spending money. Also, we just would not spend the money for TS meals if not for the dining plan, before it we usually only did one maybe two TS at the most during our 10 day vacation. So it has opened up alot of new experiences for us. For example we tried Ohana's for the first time last year and loved it but we would have never spent the money out of pocket to go there if not on the dining plan.

[caroline1851]

When i've figured it out for our family for our upcoming trip...it'll save a tiny bit of money-not too much thought. But..........I tend to be cheap about eating and overly concerened with cost, etc. Using this plan, will take stress away for me when we're ordering-i won't be obsessing over the cost of the meal, etc. since it will already be paid for.

[disneyfantotheend]

WE saved a lot of money on the DDP this trip, but that was 2007 terms. I think if we purchased it now, it would not be as much of a savings. However, with the convenience of it, we may still purchase it. I did not find it at all to be a hassle. Now I did read somewhere that the snack is going to go back to the old standards. Popcorn, chips or drinks basically, not anything under $4, if they do that also, I may stop buying the DDP. nOt that it makes much of a price difference, just that I think they are going to keep removing stuff as long as people keep purchasing it, eventually it will include nothing but 1 entree. LOL Okay, so that is a bit of an exageration, but I do think they are pushing it. I can eat mostly CS for the week much cheaper. Do I want to do that? Nope, but I will if it means a big savings.

[dreamalittledream]

Who said you can't have both?:confused3

You can't use a discount with free dining. You can’t book the dining plan with an AP rate. However, you can pay for the dining plan with most other discounted room rates..

For example

Say CRO releases a 40% room only discount. There will be a matching discount that allows you to add on the dining plan.

Is this really true? :yay: I would love it if it was! I was always under the impression that you had to give up the disc onthe room to buy the DDP. (unless you booked thru AAA) I crunched numbers and for us it was not worth getting the DDP if we lost the disc on the room at a Mod or Deluxe.

[missesdisney]

Is this really true? :yay: I would love it if it was! I was always under the impression that you had to give up the disc onthe room to buy the DDP. (unless you booked thru AAA) I crunched numbers and for us it was not worth getting the DDP if we lost the disc on the room at a Mod or Deluxe.


Not sure if this helps, but my sister tried to add DDP to a room only reservation and couldn't since they said it can only be done with a package (unless you are DVC member which I assume not if booked a discount plan). Just call disney and ask though to be sure.

[budbeerlady]

Is this really true? :yay: I would love it if it was! I was always under the impression that you had to give up the disc onthe room to buy the DDP. (unless you booked thru AAA) I crunched numbers and for us it was not worth getting the DDP if we lost the disc on the room at a Mod or Deluxe.

Yes its true. I always use a discount code to book our package with the dining plan. I wait for a general public code and they have a code for the dining plan and a code for packages without the plan.

[MrWixter]

It seems that the DDP pre2008 was a good deal for almost everyone and the DDP 2008 is a good deal for about half the posts on this thread. So if less people will be getting the DDP, then more people will be eating off-site, CS, or back at their rooms. This in turn will mean less people using TS. That with the fact of turning tables over faster with the apps not included will mean making ressies will be easier, the TS restaurants will be less crowded, and the service will be better.

So while the DDP won't be the same great deal as it used to be as far as saving some bucks, I think that it will now be an even better experience. Now, I don't know about you, but I go to WDW, not to save a few bucks, but for the experience for myself and family.

So please keeping posting about how the DDP is not a good "deal". :goodvibes

[CanadianGuy]

Ok - a BUNCH of misconceptions here...

You MUST be on a MYW package to get the Dining Plan. This means at least a one day base ticket for each person in the room and following the package reservations policies .. $200 paid at time of booking and full payment due 45 days before check-in.

Check with your AAA office to confirm package availability with room discounts. You can NOT book an AAA discounted package directly with Disney. You CAN book an AAA discounted room only reservation directly with Disney.

You can NOT add dining at check-in. Conversion from a MYW Tickets & Room package to a Tickets, Room & Dining package must be done at least 3 days before check-in and must be paid in full at the time of the change.

You can not add the dining program to a room-only reservation. Most times, if you wish to switch from a room only reservation to a package, your room only reservation will be cancelled and then a new reservation made.

Hope this clears up some misconceptions in this thread.

Thanks,

Knox

[Stinky_Pete]

Used the DDP for the first, and probably last, time last month.

I find it funny how many people say it makes their trips more relaxing because everything is paid for. For me it created stress!

About half-way through the trip we realized we really needed to focus on using our CS and snack credits or go home without using them all (heaven forbid!). Each night I would make a list of what we were going to do the next day and at the top I always put the number of days we had left and the number of CS and snack credits we had to use in that number of days. Often we had more credits per person than days remaining (like 4 days and 12 CS credits for the two of us)

We even went the the MK on Christmas day, our last day, just to use a snack credit on Figaro Fries (which are incredibly yummy, BTW). I even ended up using CS credits for breakfast (*gasp*) at least once because I didn't want to go home with any unused.

I also didn't like how it limited our dining choices. One night I wanted to have drinks and appetizers at our resort's lounge for dinner, but that wasn't included. I did it anyway, but I felt like I should have been using a counter service credit somewhere. I also wanted to go to Spoodles at some point in the trip and have appetizers and a salad for dinner (love the dips!) but didn't because we needed to use up the credits, and we couldn't order that way on the plan.

Financially it may be a good deal if you eat like the plan dictates, but to me it's just not a fun vacation to be picking where I dine and what I order based on what's on the plan.

[Tiger926]

Ok - a BUNCH of misconceptions here...

You MUST be on a MYW package to get the Dining Plan. This means at least a one day base ticket for each person in the room and following the package reservations policies .. $200 paid at time of booking and full payment due 45 days before check-in.

Check with your AAA office to confirm package availability with room discounts. You can NOT book an AAA discounted package directly with Disney. You CAN book an AAA discounted room only reservation directly with Disney.

You can NOT add dining at check-in. Conversion from a MYW Tickets & Room package to a Tickets, Room & Dining package must be done at least 3 days before check-in and must be paid in full at the time of the change.

You can not add the dining program to a room-only reservation. Most times, if you wish to switch from a room only reservation to a package, your room only reservation will be cancelled and then a new reservation made.

Hope this clears up some misconceptions in this thread.

Thanks,

Knox

Knox - Good summary. Just wanted to clarify though that us DVC folks can purchase the Dining Plan without a MYW package, and can add up to 48 hours prior to arrival. Just wanted to mention this as people still seem to get confused when they hear of others adding the DP without a MYW package, and it's because they are DVC.

Tiger

[alldiz]

For me it's simple.....

2007 DDP was an awesome deal....

2008 DDP...an OK deal....

Why do I get it.....to guarantee my DH dosen't push me to the
counter services every day for every meal;)
Kerri

[CanadianGuy]

Knox - Good summary. Just wanted to clarify though that us DVC folks can purchase the Dining Plan without a MYW package, and can add up to 48 hours prior to arrival. Just wanted to mention this as people still seem to get confused when they hear of others adding the DP without a MYW package, and it's because they are DVC.

Tiger

Good catch Tiger. I didn't mention that as others had covered it nicely in the thread but I should have...

Thanks!

Knox

[MiknMinMouse]

I was just at WDW last week. We were able to get out of most TS places for $35 (for 2 people). A few others would be about $50 for 2 (such as the buffets or the Garden Grill "family style" type places).

I.
BTW, first of all, that's a very conservative quote for the buffets.
Okay if the dining plan is $37.99 per adult. You spend $25-$30 on your average sit down meal at best, your counter service meal is going to be over $10 then you have a snack that's $4-5. Those are cheap estimates, it still seems to make sense to me. The price you used must have been sharing meals. We usually don't share meals at Disney and we do a lot of the buffets Which are usually $28.99 plus tax. Then we do counter service which is about $7.79 plus $2.09 for small soda(cheap at Pinnochios). Then a Nestle Cookie Sandwhich is $3.50. We're still saving money on the dining plan. Without tax that total is $42.37. I figure every penny helps since that's what we're going to eat, dining plan or no. Granted it was better when they had gratuity added and an appetizer but people complained about too much food so Disney listened and saved themselves money.

[disneyjunkie]

Is this really true? :yay: I would love it if it was! I was always under the impression that you had to give up the disc onthe room to buy the DDP. (unless you booked thru AAA) I crunched numbers and for us it was not worth getting the DDP if we lost the disc on the room at a Mod or Deluxe.




Keep your eyes on the codes board.

Whenever a room only code is released, there will be a matching code that can be used for dining.

You'll get the discounted room, price park passes and the dining plan. (You'll pay full price for the passes and dining)

[disneyfantotheend]

For me it created stress!

About half-way through the trip we realized we really needed to focus on using our CS and snack credits or go home without using them all (heaven forbid!).

I even ended up using CS credits for breakfast (*gasp*) at least once because I didn't want to go home with any unused.


Financially it may be a good deal if you eat like the plan dictates, but to me it's just not a fun vacation to be picking where I dine and what I order based on what's on the plan.

See we did not take it so seriously. I think if we worried the whole week about how much we were spending and that we used all our credits, we wouldn't have liked it either. We just ate, used the plan where we could, where we couldn't we paid cash. If we wanted dessert we got it, if not we didn't. I didn't feel we had to eat the dessert or we were wasting money. We looked at it as more of a convenience than a money saver. We still ended up saving money and I didn't stress a bit.

[ilovecountry]

Would you share your discount site, please? You are making me very curious, here. It sounds like you are getting this incredible deal; so, please share. Are you booking a Disney resort or are you staying off-site? It sounds like you are staying off-site and then I would understand why you can't get the DP.

Also, I truly believe you can always upgrade to the DP when you arrive at a Disney resort, regardless of how you booked the trip originally. It's like an add-on.


--- My friends & I went in June & we actually booked it through Expedia. Originally we were gonna book it through Disney but the over all price was just too much for us to afford! There was a bunch of us but three of us put our money together on one credit card & the package was 8 nights at POP Century (3 of us shared the room) & a non-stop roundtrip for $419 each. We then got our tickets through undercover tourist. Then for our meals we just went to the lunch buffets, etc to cut costs. Afterwards we calculated how much we spend & it was still literally hundreds less then what Disney offered us as a package (we asked for the cheapest possible package while booking too lol)

[Dawn68PA]

The DDP not only saves me money but stress. I know before we leave where our CS & TS meals will be and I don't have to think about a thing. Snacks? We grab them when we want them. Last time we went we had 2 snacks left over and we stopped by our resort snack place and grabbed a couple bananas for the ride home. When traveling with 6 adults, this is a great thing. Especially if we do buffets so everyone in our party can have plenty of what they like. If we happen to want something extra (which has yet to happen, meals are filling!) we would just buy it. We definately get our money's worth and more out of the DDP.

[pinkerbell]

We have been on the dining plan 3 times. Twice we have paid for it and once we got Free Dining (receiving free dining on our September trip saved us almost $1000). We are a family of six and it has saved us money everytime we used it. Unless you are packing your own pb&js to bring into the parks or going back to your room for a "homemade" meal, I don't see how you can't be saving money. The value is especially good for the kids, there is no way we could feed them on $11.00 per day without the plan. We even used snack credits for breakfast items on our last trip. You could get a whole carton of Entimens donuts and a half gallon of milk for two snack credits. That was a quick breakfast for the kids before we left for the parks. We had a character meal everyday of our trip. I can't remember the price of every single item at every single meal (part of the beauty of the dining plan, not having to worry about prices), but I know the buffet at Crystal palace is about $28.00 per adult and $13.00 per child (the child's price on the plan for the entire day with cs meal, ts meal and snack was on $11.00!) so our bill was about $107.00 (before tip, which was included on our last trip), with tip about $127.00. The dining plan for our family for the whole day was only $120.00. We came out $7.00 ahead just on dinner, then you throw in lunch for the six of us that would have cost about $40.00 out of pocket and say $3.00 each per snack for each of us ($18 total), that has us saving about $65.00 per day.

I also can't quite understand everybody griping about too much food. If you don't want an appetizer and dessert, don't order both. And also, I lost 6 pounds during our September trip. How can you possibly gain that much weight with all of the walking. I wouldn't be surprised if we walked 15 miles per day! And what is with saying that the plan is hard to use? We have never had any trouble with it. You just hand them the card and they swipe it. No big deal. That's my husband's favorite part of it all, the ease of the plan and not worrying about the money.

Now, I must say I agree that people will not be saving as much money with the new 2008 plan because it does not include the tip. (I also don't think the revamped plan will last past 2008 either, just my opinion.) Even without the tip and the appetizer we would still come out ahead. So, as you can see we are "Fans of the Plan!"

wow princess tiffany... you have a full house for sure... and I agree it was not too much food last year, I almost always cleaned my plate...
free is when you save the most.. even still we found it to be a savings and with two little ones it kept us on track with feeding them... we also used snacks at times for a qucik breakfast... it is more like 3 meals a day when you use the snack that way..and quick when you want to get out fast to go to the parks!


OP I must admit I didn't think I would like it but I make my adrs's knowing I can cancel and on both our trips we have only cancelled one or two, it keeps us eating, so we don't eat junk or get cranky from hunger... adults too.
it might be more of a break even deal now and due to the auto tip I might not buy just because of the principal...

[itchin2go]

It just seems like you have to be prepared to be very strict on your vacation to use DDP. If you decide to skip using one of the TS credits you have basically blown the whole budget.

Actually, we would have to be "strict" if we didn't use DDP. With the DDP, we're free to order whatever we like, regardless of price.

Bottom line: Everyone's different. DDP works for some, not for others. It works for me. If it doesn't work for you, that's ok with me. Live and let live....

[Sandy321]

It's always been a good deal - just, next year, it's going to be somewhat less of one.
Example: Tuttu Italia. Average entree is $28.30; average applicable drink is at least $3.00; average dessert is $8.10. Total = $39.40; the DDP includes/covers/pays the tax, so that's another $2.56, for a total dinner check of $41.96. You only paid $37.99 for the DDP for that night.
Tip, if you're not in the auto-charged category is, at your descetion, $5.91 or $7.10 or $7.88.
Meanwhile, you also had that $3 snack and that $12 counter service meal. Your food which was covered by the DDE totals $56.96. You paid $37.99 - that $18.97 difference, is two or three times your additional out of pocket cost.

So, while again it's not as good a deal as it was before, it's still a deal.

Also dh and I split a CS Breakfast and split a CS Lunch - so its beyond worth it for us - but, not as a great deal as before - we often would take desserts to go - and we loved the appetizers, we often shared those - so sad its gone!!

[SnackyStacky]

I'm going to move this over to the Dining Plan Board.

[LSchrow]

Actually, we would have to be "strict" if we didn't use DDP. With the DDP, we're free to order whatever we like, regardless of price.

Bottom line: Everyone's different. DDP works for some, not for others. It works for me. If it doesn't work for you, that's ok with me. Live and let live....

agreed :thumbsup2
we really don't spend much time in the parks anymore, but enjoy our dinners at world showcase (walk over from BWVs). b'fast & lunch (CS) are flexible...maybe tangierine cafe, paninis at BW bakery, or WPE (delicious!) in DTD.

or fav snack is the mochacino in MGM (yes, i'm going to keep calling it that ;) lol)...good enough to have 2!

honestly, the DDP has made our trips even more relaxing & pleasurable. if we were "park commandos", we prob would not use it.
:)

[angelmav]

I think it is worth noting how often on these boards you here, this 'insert name of restaurant here' wasnt worth the $$ but since it was on the DP its ok. This is really a circular argument because you had to 'pay' for the plan. More often than not, its a savings because people dont treat the plan as 'their' money and eat differently because of it.

[itchin2go]

fav snack is the mochacino in MGM (yes, i'm going to keep calling it that ;) lol)...good enough to have 2!:)

Mmmm. That sounds good. Where in MGM do you get that?

[deltachi8]

The DDP is not such a slam dunk good deal in 2008 as it was in 2007, however, that doesn't mean it's a bad deal. What it means to me is it is a much more subjective deal.

What I would do is map out meals for a trip (use sites that have menus and prices) - where i would eat and order if paying OOP and add up the cost. Simply, if it adds up to equal or more than the cost of the DDP, then its a good deal. If less, maybe not so much.

[LSchrow]

Mmmm. That sounds good. Where in MGM do you get that?

in writers stop. (we get it iced btw ~ so refreshing :cloud9: )
it is one of those little known items it seems: many seem to use the snack credits for a bag of chips, donut, etc, but we only use the snack credit for those ~ it's just soooo delicious & a real "treat"........:cloud9:

[stephensmum]

It's not a great deal, however we got it free & that's a great deal. I think it's unfair for children of 10 to be charged adult rate for tips, as my son couldn't manage more than the kids entrie last year.