Unless it is "free" DDP isn't a good value

[choirfarm]

I wanted to put a different point of view than what I had been seeing about the DDP always being worth it. I do not think the DDP would be worth it for us unless it is “free.” We are a family of 5. I have two boys ages 13 and 11 and a girl that is 6. When we go out to eat (which isn’t often) if we all get a meal, then we go home with a lot of doggie bags. Instead, dh and I often split a meal, the 11 and 6yo split one and the 13yo eats one by himself. Since I had our eating places in my notebook with the prices I did the price comparison. We always drink water with our meal and would either ask for water and ice or probably have our water bottles with us that have them. This is how we would eat if we were not going during free dining.

Food that we would bring with us:
Bread $2
Meat $5
Cheese $2.5
Jelly – free (I can from our garden)
PB- We go to SAMS and get giant containers so I would just take from that into a smaller
Granola Bars $5
Pop Tarts $5
OJ $5
Various Snacks $10
Total= $30

Friday
We are traveling all day and won’t get there until night-time
Only purchase:
5 refillable mugs $55

Saturday: Epcot Day
Breakfast: Granola Bars

Lunch: Seasons
Rotisserie ½ Chicken9.49
2 Entrée 2 Sides 9.99
Kids Meal 3.99

Dinner: Intermission Food Court at ASMusic
Chicken Quesadilla 6.49
Double Cheesburger 6.89
Bacon Double Cheesburger 7.39

Total for Friday: 44.29

Saturday: Magic Kingdom

Breakfast: granola bars

Lunch: Crystal Palace:
4 adults and 1 child: 95.95

Dinner: Sandwhiches in our room at the end of our resting time. We to back to MK for evening EMH

Ice Cream $12 ( Splitting 3 that are around 4 dollars)

Total for Saturday: $107.95


Monday: Epcot
Breakfast: girls granola; boys goodies from the Boardwalk Bakery $20
Lunch: girls split an Earl of Sandwhich 5.75: boys eat snacks

Dinner: early dinner 4ish
Girls Princess Meal: 28.99 and 13.99
Boys: Beirgarten 3 x 23.99

Total for Monday: $140.70


Tuesday: Break Day

Park Fair Breakfast: 86.99
Lunch with sandwhiches if hungry
Dinner: Pizza : 15.99,13.99

Total 116.43


WednesdayMGM
Breakfast in Room

Pizza Planet split 3 meals 3 x 7.89= 23.67

Prime Time Café
Fried Chicken 14.99
Pot Roast 15.79
Glazed Salmon 16.29
Kids Meal 7.49

Share: S’more4.79 and Brownie Sundae 5.99

Total 89.01

Thursday- Animal Kingdom
Breakfast- room
Lunch: Flaming Tree BBQ
Smoked Turkey Breast 7.29
Smoked Pork 7.29
3 kids hot do meals 3.99 each

Sandwhiches for dinner

Total: 26.55

Friday
Breakfast in room
Lunch at Pecos Bill:
Chicken Wrap 7.59
Bacon Double Cheeseburger 7.59
Chicken Salad 7.19
Cheeseburger 6.09
Kids Hamburger 4.49

Dinner Sandwhiches:

Total 32.95


So… We would spend $642 dollars for our 8 nights. (yes, I only included 7 days of eating, but that is all we would be at Disney for.) Since we are staying 8 nights and the boys are "adults" the dining plan would cost us 162 dollars a day (I never spent that much even on our most expensive day.) so the meal plan would cost us 1,296. Almost double.

I even had to think about it when it was free as we would lose a lot of spontanaity. Our 2 rooms for 8 nights was 784 with the 40 percent off, and 1312 at rack rate for a difference of 528. So getting it "free" made it worth it. But having to plan a TS for every day has been a pain. And I know we are going to waste a lot of food. There is no way my crew can eat a whole meal and a whole dessert 2 times in one day. When we do go out to eat for lunch on a Saturday or Sunday after church, we are stuffed and eat cereal or a snack for dinner.

Christine

[choirfarm]

Another interesting fact:

The tips on what we would actually eat come to 55 dollars or so. I have 175 dollars budgeted with the DDP and that may actually be low. So add 120 dollars to the cost of getting the "free" DDP.

Christine

[planitdad]

I view the "free" dining plan as just a discount. You pay more for your room, now tips too. I am looking forward to seeing what Disney comes out with for 09. We have enjoyed using the plan in its various forms as an "upgrade" to our park dining experience, but as airfare and the dining plans costs are both increasing at an alarming rate, the dining plan will be the first to go. Not much we can do about airfare. We will miss all the TS, but it was nice while it lasted. Such is life.

[srdipert]

Yes if you like to pack your own food and share plates than it isn't a good deal. Personally I hate to pack any food and I never want to have to share meals. Everyone orders what they want when they want even when we eat outside of Disney so the DDP is a good deal for us. But you are right the way you are doing it than it wouldn't be a great deal.

[KPLC]

I think that so many of the meals are an extension of your trip and just as enjoyable as the rest of Disney. Paying for entertainment and watching your children have the time of their lives while enjoying a good meal is perfect. Also, how much of a holiday is it for you if you are always buying / making food for the rest of the family.

[JoanieS]

I see your point, but I feel that the dining plan I am paying for (not going during free dining) is a great value.

We are on vacation - I don't want to "do like I do at home". We never have dessert at home, and we are looking forward to it. We don't eat out alot at home, I cook from scratch almost every night - I am looking forward to some very nice meals - things we ordinarily do not get at home. I am looking forward to a sit down dinner after long days in the park. I am also looking forward to the entertainment that comes with the dinner (Hoop Dee Doo, Beirgarten, character dining)- certainly not something we get at home! And, I make 3 meals a day, everyday - even though it takes no effort to make a sandwich, I am looking forward to NOT doing it on vacation!

We will do breakfast in the room to save time and money-I will ship a box of cereal and oatmeal down and get milk while we are there - we don't eat poptarts/danish/etc.

Everyone's opinion of a "good value" is different. It may not be a monetary value (even though for us I think it will), it is worth it's weight in gold in other ways!

Isn't it great that there are so many options and everyone can find one that fits their family and their plans???

Enjoy your vacation!

[ReneeA]

The DDP is not a good value for your situation.

It is a very good value for our family - but we have children under 10 and our daily cost for the DDP is $94/day. I went through the menus and added up where we would eat (mostly CS and only 1 or 2 TS meals for the entire week) and our total came out to around $85/day.

It was worth the extra little bit of money to get a TS everyday. It would be an entirely different story if my kids were considered "adults" on the plan.

ETA: I agree with Joanie - I am fine with eating quickie breakfasts on vacation, but I am not going to be packing sandwiches or lunches while I am there. I don't consider it to be vacation when I have to worry about all that business.

[choirfarm]

I guess I don't think of fixing sandwiches as work... Not that hard and besides. I only fix my own. All of my children fix their own sandwiches now including my 6yo. Or sometimes we take turns and one person will fix them for everyone else. Not a big deal. Plus, most of our vacations are camping. Even when I went with my dh to a conference we got a condo and cooked there. I am a little worried that we are going to be sick of eating out every day... Here is what we ARE doing because of free dining:

Friday: arrive in the evening

Saturday:Epcot
CS day and desserts at the world (schoolbread, pastries, etc.)

Sunday
Crystal Palace and CS

Monday
Askerhause for girls, Beirgarten for boys
CS for rest, maybe a few snacks/desserts from world we didn't get on Saturday

Tuesday
1900 Park Place for breakfast
Boma for dinner

Wednesday
Pizza Planet
50's Prime Time Cafe

Thursday
Flaming Tree BBQ
Whispering Canyon

Friday Hoop Dee Doo


As I said, I just don't see how we are going to eat all of that food, but we will see. I'm guessing we will have CS or snack credits left over, but dh says we will go to Earl of Sandwich and Goofy's Candy on our way out on Saturday and put the sandwiches in the cooler with whatever credits we have left as well as use the snacks, too. It will probably get us all the way home.

Christine

[imthatgirl]

so heres my thoughts on the dining plan, FWIW anyway.
is it a "deal" no of course it isnt. most people going to disney who want to stick to a budget would never eat at that many expensive restaurants in one trip. my family for instance is a family of 5 and we would have spent about 600(if it wasnt free, and we have bought it in the past) on the meal plan (one child under 3) we are staying for 6 nights. could we eat for less than $600, damn right we could. but do we want to, no. we want to eat in the disney restaurants.
and, btw, im fully aware of how hyped it all is and how disney does its best to keep you on property. if you were to leave for lunch, you might spend your money else where. same goes for the magical express, genious on disneys part. dont let people leave and they are almost forced to buy the dining plan, brilliant!

but yes in the end we will still buy it becuase we like eating in the park and know that we wouldnt if we didnt have it. so really you have to decide if thats really what you want, did you rent a car? can you get off property to get a meal? would you get sick of eating Cs all week? those are the things to really measure. forget about comparing costs, compare convienence.

plus i would never bring food and make my own sandwiches on my vacation. while im there they are cooking for me!

[biscuitgirl]

Well, yeah, if you split meals and bring food, then it's not a good plan.

I think people are completely overanalyzing the DDP. It's not fair to compare it to something it's not. You can't say, "DH and I split meals and our 3 children all share from the same plate and we all drink water" and think that the DDP could even compete. I think it's been discussed many times that the DDP doesn't necessarily work for everyone. It's based on everyone getting their own meal with a drink and dessert. If you don't do that or prefer to eat a lot of counter service, then you won't save money. I think that is pretty self explanatory.

[Lisa F]

I think a more appropriate title to this post would be "unless you actually plan to eat in restaurants, DDP isn't a good value." There is nowhere in the country that it's a better value to eat in a restaurant than it is to eat a sandwich from home. What a silly comparison!

[addicted2dizney]

I found that I just about broke even on my last 8 day trip. When the appetizer and tip was included that's when I really did well with it! I have a trip coming in Sept and it's with FD and only for 3 nights. That trip will work out well for me because we are actually at the parks for 4 full days so once we do an early "check" in to get our KTTW we can start to use some of those meals/snacks. I'm going with a friend and both she/I will share some of the meals. That really stretches your counter services. I did the same with my family a few weeks back but even with that we just about broke even.

[ntsammy5]

I think a more appropriate title to this post would be "unless you actually plan to eat in restaurants, DDP isn't a good value."

I would further modify it to say TS restaurants. We don't eat big meals so we eat a lot of CS at WDW and we tend to eat some meals offsite which is tons cheaper that Disney too. Our experience with DDP has been mixed. It's certainly not the deal it was 2 years ago. Like others I might go back if they gave a choice of appetizers or deserts. We never eat deserts.

[Family Fun Mom]

I think whether or not the DDP is a good value truly depends on the individual family and their vacation eating habits. It's a good value for us, also a family of five, because we like to eat lots of sit down meals (and character meals!)and view the restaurants as an essential part of the Disney experience.

For many others it is simply the prepaid aspect that is appealing.

For the OP, it isn't worth it. For my family it is :goodvibes

[Tink3Bell]

For whatever reason - I enjoy the DDP because its part of our vacation and make it more affordable - especially since we just feed the kids at home and eat their leftovers, it is a treat for us to go eat for free!:happytv: :rotfl2: :rotfl:

[choirfarm]

I'm trying to let it go, but also part of what bothers me is the overall cost. We spend 400 dollars a month on groceries for my family of 5 and to spend more than that for just a week to eat...YIKES!!!

Christine

[Tosha]

Christine I totally see your point :)

My thoughts, though, is this.....

I am on vacation. To us, vacation means to let go and bask in the break away from home. I don't want to do ANYTHING that I have to do at home, besides being mommy and wife, so for us it's totally worth it.

[TDC Nala]

I'm the odd one, but for me it's not even a good value if it's free.

[asmit4]

I think a more appropriate title to this post would be "unless you actually plan to eat in restaurants, DDP isn't a good value." There is nowhere in the country that it's a better value to eat in a restaurant than it is to eat a sandwich from home. What a silly comparison!

:thumbsup2 Agreed...I also think- gosh...not really my version of a vacation to me. We eat granola bars and sandwiches at home, I want to eat out every day for every meal and go wild :) The DDP allows us to do that and still save some $$. I guess I'm just spoiled!

[raven69david]

We do not use DDP as it does not make economic sense for us. We have been keeping track of our breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner receipts every trip and we end up saving some money than if we would have purchased the dining plan. And now that tip isn't included, we definetly save even more by paying our own way w/o DDP. Alot of people (especially larger families) like the convenience and/or simply believe that it is a better value for their family. For ours, it simply is not.:teacher:

[kimsuenew]

I wanted to put a different point of view than what I had been seeing about the DDP always being worth it. I do not think the DDP would be worth it for us unless it is “free.” We are a family of 5. I have two boys ages 13 and 11 and a girl that is 6. When we go out to eat (which isn’t often) if we all get a meal, then we go home with a lot of doggie bags. Instead, dh and I often split a meal, the 11 and 6yo split one and the 13yo eats one by himself. Since I had our eating places in my notebook with the prices I did the price comparison. We always drink water with our meal and would either ask for water and ice or probably have our water bottles with us that have them. This is how we would eat if we were not going during free dining.

Food that we would bring with us:
Bread $2
Meat $5
Cheese $2.5
Jelly – free (I can from our garden)
PB- We go to SAMS and get giant containers so I would just take from that into a smaller
Granola Bars $5
Pop Tarts $5
OJ $5
Various Snacks $10
Total= $30

Friday
We are traveling all day and won’t get there until night-time
Only purchase:
5 refillable mugs $55

Saturday: Epcot Day
Breakfast: Granola Bars

Lunch: Seasons
Rotisserie ½ Chicken9.49
2 Entrée 2 Sides 9.99
Kids Meal 3.99

Dinner: Intermission Food Court at ASMusic
Chicken Quesadilla 6.49
Double Cheesburger 6.89
Bacon Double Cheesburger 7.39

Total for Friday: 44.29

Saturday: Magic Kingdom

Breakfast: granola bars

Lunch: Crystal Palace:
4 adults and 1 child: 95.95

Dinner: Sandwhiches in our room at the end of our resting time. We to back to MK for evening EMH

Ice Cream $12 ( Splitting 3 that are around 4 dollars)

Total for Saturday: $107.95


Monday: Epcot
Breakfast: girls granola; boys goodies from the Boardwalk Bakery $20
Lunch: girls split an Earl of Sandwhich 5.75: boys eat snacks

Dinner: early dinner 4ish
Girls Princess Meal: 28.99 and 13.99
Boys: Beirgarten 3 x 23.99

Total for Monday: $140.70


Tuesday: Break Day

Park Fair Breakfast: 86.99
Lunch with sandwhiches if hungry
Dinner: Pizza : 15.99,13.99

Total 116.43


WednesdayMGM
Breakfast in Room

Pizza Planet split 3 meals 3 x 7.89= 23.67

Prime Time Café
Fried Chicken 14.99
Pot Roast 15.79
Glazed Salmon 16.29
Kids Meal 7.49

Share: S’more4.79 and Brownie Sundae 5.99

Total 89.01

Thursday- Animal Kingdom
Breakfast- room
Lunch: Flaming Tree BBQ
Smoked Turkey Breast 7.29
Smoked Pork 7.29
3 kids hot do meals 3.99 each

Sandwhiches for dinner

Total: 26.55

Friday
Breakfast in room
Lunch at Pecos Bill:
Chicken Wrap 7.59
Bacon Double Cheeseburger 7.59
Chicken Salad 7.19
Cheeseburger 6.09
Kids Hamburger 4.49

Dinner Sandwhiches:

Total 32.95


So… We would spend $642 dollars for our 8 nights. (yes, I only included 7 days of eating, but that is all we would be at Disney for.) Since we are staying 8 nights and the boys are "adults" the dining plan would cost us 162 dollars a day (I never spent that much even on our most expensive day.) so the meal plan would cost us 1,296. Almost double.

I even had to think about it when it was free as we would lose a lot of spontanaity. Our 2 rooms for 8 nights was 784 with the 40 percent off, and 1312 at rack rate for a difference of 528. So getting it "free" made it worth it. But having to plan a TS for every day has been a pain. And I know we are going to waste a lot of food. There is no way my crew can eat a whole meal and a whole dessert 2 times in one day. When we do go out to eat for lunch on a Saturday or Sunday after church, we are stuffed and eat cereal or a snack for dinner.

Christine

Your situation is a good example of why the DDP plan is offered, it is simply an offering and not a mandate. For us, it is the way to go! With the exception of tips, it is all paid for... there is no money to exchange hands for the meal itself.

While we did buy some "breakfast foods" (milk, cereal, juice, bread for toast, butter, peanut butter, jelly) to keep in our room at SSR last year, we would never have dreamed of taking any food into the parks with us, it is simply to much "extra baggage"! I am not knocking anyone that does, we just would not! We figure it is vacation... live a little! :rotfl:

If we would choose to not do the DDP on future trips, we would change how we eat. We would not be taking food in with us still, but we would be eating at very few TS... instead we would eat at CS locations mainly.

It is personal preference... some love it, others do not... for some it is a wonderful value, others feel they would lose money... everyone/every family is different!

[My2Angels]

Tosha, I LOVE your family photo!!

As for the DDP, it totally depends on each individual family! The DDP is costing us $107.00 per day for this Thanksgiving trip. Back in 05, we paid OOP for everything, ate only 3 TS meals in 6 days and all CS and snacks the rest of the trip. We spent a lot more than $107.00 per day in 2005. One CS for my family of five at Pinnochios for example was $49.00! Eat 2 times per day like that and we have spent $100.00 easily! I wouldn't trade it for getting a table service meal per day with snack and CS!
We are also going during a holiday, so all of the normal prices will be higher, making it impossible to feed a family of five anywhere for $107.00 per day!
We love it :goodvibes

[bumbershoot]

I wanted to put a different point of view than what I had been seeing about the DDP always being worth it

FWIW, I never see anyone posting that, unless they've just forgotten the "for us" bit at the end. And if someone does, people are pretty quick to post that it's NOT a good value for *everyone*.



I think people are completely overanalyzing the DDP.

I agreed with the rest of your post, but the line I've quoted, I don't. I think it's important to analyze the plan to make sure it's good for your situation. I can't make it work for us, and I'm not sure we would take advantage of free dining even, b/c hubby and I are the types who will eat what we are entitled to (or try to), and come back home absolutely miserable and not fitting into clothes. It's important to really figure out what you would spend, to make as sure as possible that the way you're doing it is actually a savings AND will make you happy.


My son can't eat a lot of the "fun" food, especially snacks, sold at Disney, so we have to bring in granola bars and such, and I'm sure we'll have our organic PB&J and bread with us (Uncrustables are full of junk that turn DS into a raging monster). Doesn't matter that we're on vacation, we have to do it. But I don't mind that sort of thing, just like I don't mind washing clothes and using cloth diapers (when DS was in dipes) on vacation. :)

[Claire&TheBoys]

:thumbsup2 Agreed...I also think- gosh...not really my version of a vacation to me. We eat granola bars and sandwiches at home, I want to eat out every day for every meal and go wild :) The DDP allows us to do that and still save some $$. I guess I'm just spoiled!

I'm spoiled right along with you! I eat enough ham & cheese sandwiches at home; I don't want them on vacation too!

The fun of the DDP, to me, is that you don't *have* to worry about how much things cost. My husband can order that big steak at Le Cellier and I don't flinch at the price. I love dessert and I can try lots of different things and not feel guilty for only eating 5 bites of it. We can go to the character dinners and enjoy ourselves and we're not thinking, "Holy cow! This is costing us $100!" We enjoy eating out and trying new things; my husband and I would *never* share a meal. It's just not for us. We don't make our kids share either.

We all vacation differently and have different priorities. Some people like to shell out the $$ for a deluxe resort; others think that's a waste for a room to sleep in and a place to shower. Some of us treat vacation as a special event where the rules are different than they are at home; others keep their same rules and routines whether they are at home or not.

[asmit4]

I'm spoiled right along with you! I eat enough ham & cheese sandwiches at home; I don't want them on vacation too!

The fun of the DDP, to me, is that you don't *have* to worry about how much things cost. My husband can order that big steak at Le Cellier and I don't flinch at the price. I love dessert and I can try lots of different things and not feel guilty for only eating 5 bites of it. We can go to the character dinners and enjoy ourselves and we're not thinking, "Holy cow! This is costing us $100!" We enjoy eating out and trying new things; my husband and I would *never* share a meal. It's just not for us. We don't make our kids share either.

We all vacation differently and have different priorities. Some people like to shell out the $$ for a deluxe resort; others think that's a waste for a room to sleep in and a place to shower. Some of us treat vacation as a special event where the rules are different than they are at home; others keep their same rules and routines whether they are at home or not.

Exactly! Great way of putting it! :thumbsup2
I saw another post by choirfarm about how she hates eating out all the time on vacation. :confused3 I not only don't mind- I LOVE LOVE it! I think some people just like their own food/beds/routines....me? I like to enter another dimension of sorts on vacation. I do things I would never do at home on vacation. In DW I eat like crazy, act like a kid, enjoy the 'kiddie' rides, wake up super early (I HATE waking up at 6 but do it happily at DW!

[Claire&TheBoys]

Exactly! Great way of putting it! :thumbsup2
I saw another post by choirfarm about how she hates eating out all the time on vacation. :confused3 I not only don't mind- I LOVE LOVE it! I think some people just like their own food/beds/routines....me? I like to enter another dimension of sorts on vacation. I do things I would never do at home on vacation. In DW I eat like crazy, act like a kid, enjoy the 'kiddie' rides, wake up super early (I HATE waking up at 6 but do it happily at DW!

We must be DIS-sisters - I feel the same way! When we're at WDW, I'm the one laying in bed at 6:30 trying to decide if it's too early to get up and do I want to risk waking the toddler to go ahead and jump in the shower!

Vacation to me is not worrying about wet towels on the floor, laundry and forgetting how to load my dishwasher.

[Brian Noble]

I suspect that, for a surprising number of people, the dining plan ends up being an upsell. Every year, we eat what, where, and when we want. Every year, we end up spending less than the dining plan costs. True, with the plan we might have an extra TS meal here or there, or dessert with lunch, but we don't really want those things, so it's just "more".

Others will find it is a good match for them. It just depends on their specific dining habits.

The neat thing about free dining is that, if you really just want mostly CS meals, because they take less time, that's okay---it's all free, so just get what you want, and don't worry about "what you could have". What you could have doesn't matter if it isn't what you want!

[mi*vida*loca]

Well, yeah, if you split meals and bring food, then it's not a good plan.

I think people are completely overanalyzing the DDP. It's not fair to compare it to something it's not. You can't say, "DH and I split meals and our 3 children all share from the same plate and we all drink water" and think that the DDP could even compete. I think it's been discussed many times that the DDP doesn't necessarily work for everyone. It's based on everyone getting their own meal with a drink and dessert. If you don't do that or prefer to eat a lot of counter service, then you won't save money. I think that is pretty self explanatory.


Exactly!

When I'm on vacation I do NOT wash clothes, cook, pack lunches or clean. :lmao: It's VACATION!

I book a meal, go out to eat and not have to worry about anything except the tip. I'm not crazy about the CS either because I want to be served. :woohoo: I like to sit back and relax at a restaurant. I do the CS because it saves time. Only one TS a day for us!

I've never done the DDP becasue we have stayed off site but we are doing it for our next trip. When staying offsite we still had our TS meals at the parks. But I have always made BF at our condo and will still do the same when we stay on POP. Either that or the food court.

Anyway to each their own. :thumbsup2

[secretpantssam]

I'm using the Disney Dining Plan for the first time this September and I only got it because it was free. I don't think I would ever pay for it. I really don't like the idea of being tied down to eating a certain amount each day. And I'm really not a big fan of dessert in general and that's a big part of it.

[pooch]

Exactly! Great way of putting it! :thumbsup2
I saw another post by choirfarm about how she hates eating out all the time on vacation. :confused3 I not only don't mind- I LOVE LOVE it! I think some people just like their own food/beds/routines....me? I like to enter another dimension of sorts on vacation. I do things I would never do at home on vacation. In DW I eat like crazy, act like a kid, enjoy the 'kiddie' rides, wake up super early (I HATE waking up at 6 but do it happily at DW!

Me too!!! What kind of vacation is it if I'm bringing the kitchen with me!?!?!?

I'm using the Disney Dining Plan for the first time this September and I only got it because it was free. I don't think I would ever pay for it. I really don't like the idea of being tied down to eating a certain amount each day. And I'm really not a big fan of dessert in general and that's a big part of it.

Spoken as only someone who has never done the DDP can. You don't have to eat a certain amount each day. You use your credits however you choose. And I think the $35 filet mignons are a MUCH bigger part of the plan than the desserts!!!!! Third time around for us and we have it down to a science - split a CS for breakfast and another for lunch then every man for himself at a relaxing, air conditioned TS!!! 43 days and counting!!!

[mi*vida*loca]

Exactly! Great way of putting it! :thumbsup2
I saw another post by choirfarm about how she hates eating out all the time on vacation. :confused3 I not only don't mind- I LOVE LOVE it! I think some people just like their own food/beds/routines....me? I like to enter another dimension of sorts on vacation. I do things I would never do at home on vacation. In DW I eat like crazy, act like a kid, enjoy the 'kiddie' rides, wake up super early (I HATE waking up at 6 but do it happily at DW!

That us too!

But my grandmother cooks almost every meal when she is on vacation. She also ships or takes her own blankets, towels, pillows, etc while on vacation. She doesn't like to eat out either. She's oldschool and that's okay! I told her to try the DDP next time she goes and she might if I help her with ADR's. I know she would love the character meals so she might try it.

[Think Pink Tink]

I see your point, but I feel that the dining plan I am paying for (not going during free dining) is a great value.

We are on vacation - I don't want to "do like I do at home". We never have dessert at home, and we are looking forward to it. We don't eat out alot at home, I cook from scratch almost every night - I am looking forward to some very nice meals - things we ordinarily do not get at home. I am looking forward to a sit down dinner after long days in the park. I am also looking forward to the entertainment that comes with the dinner (Hoop Dee Doo, Beirgarten, character dining)- certainly not something we get at home! And, I make 3 meals a day, everyday - even though it takes no effort to make a sandwich, I am looking forward to NOT doing it on vacation!

We will do breakfast in the room to save time and money-I will ship a box of cereal and oatmeal down and get milk while we are there - we don't eat poptarts/danish/etc.

Everyone's opinion of a "good value" is different. It may not be a monetary value (even though for us I think it will), it is worth it's weight in gold in other ways!

Isn't it great that there are so many options and everyone can find one that fits their family and their plans???

Enjoy your vacation!


I couldn't agree more...sure it would be cheaper to bring PB and J and boxes of granola bars, but heck, for me that is not a vacation. Plus we save up ALL year to splurge on our Disney trip.:cutie:

Both DD's can make their own sandwiches, they do it for the whole school year, and granola bars are a staple in our house, but I don't want any of us having to do the "same old thing" on vacation. That is why we take a vacation, to do things we don't "normally" do. We rarely eat out...and the TS meals in Disney are amazing, I LOVE trying foods I could never get at home. So the DDP is really priceless for us.:)

[kldmom2000]

Currently with both of our girls being 8 and 5, the plan is a value for us...

Cost for us to have DDP per day is $99 (2 adults/2 kids)

We do a lot of character meals and each one generally would run about $100+(excluding tip)

With the DDP, we're also getting a snack and CS meal each day so we make out :thumbsup2

When our girls are not in the child price range, then no, it won't be worth it anymore.

:goodvibes

[VLee]

With an 8 and 5, we enjoy the plan...When they turn older, not sure if we will get it all the time. But I have a plan. We are DVC and I can easily make separate reservations and book the plan for a few days on one reservation, not have it on the next, and even go back to it for the 3rd reservation.

The kids really the dining as part of their vacation, so we try to have one good TS per day. But I can see them sharing at some meals.

For next summer's 4-week stay, we will be concierge for one week, studio with DDP for one week, 1 BR for one week---will have full kitchen (doubtful if it is overly used however), and back to studio for another week. We have the DDE card which also helps.

[susieq76]

Wow! Ummm, of course the dining plan would not be a deal for your family- half the time you're backpacking it. Not me- we eat all our meals out on vacation and I LOVE it. Now, if it was an "either you backpack it or you don't do disney" I'd backpack it. But, since we can afford to do it I will. And since we will eat out anyway, the DDP is a good deal for us.

[racetrack18kb]

We used the DDP in 2006 (free dining promo) and in 2007 (paid ourselves). Though we enjoyed the aspect of everything being pre-paid before we went, it just didn't work for us. In 2007, we saved money but we really didn't like having to do a sit-down everyday. It always seemed like we were always wondering how much we could see until our next ADR. It felt too rushed for us.

We also found that we couldn't eat all the food offered. And if we didn't get all the food offered, it just wasn't worth what we paid. I know you can decline to order the dessert, etc but if you don't, I found we were not saving money.

[Rowaena]

It has turned out that my family dislikes the DDP for a few reasons.

1. We usually go to WDW in September. Unfortunately this has also been the month when Disney gives the DDP and park tickets away for free with budget and moderate resort rooms. Translation? If we don't make table service reservations ON the 6 month mark, we often can't get a table. This really sucks the spontenaiety out of a trip: having to plan 7 months ahead exactly where you will go every single day of your trip so you can make table service reservations.

Last year we saw horrendous waits and really angry people sometimes, standing outside restaurants because they had table service credits and literally could not find anyplace to use them.

2. The menus have been eviscerated. Selections have been removed, and the remaining ones simplified. Dining at WDW is no longer a fine dining experience, with a few exceptions. I had a very interesting conversation with a chef last time we were there. She very kindly gave me recipes for some items they had removed from the menus, and told me that they had been forced to do so because in order to serve the huge crowds being pushed through via DDP, and keep the costs low (because they make much less per person on DDP than paying a la carte), they were having to really drastically cut both the number and quality of the offerings. She mentioned that appetizers would be gone from the 2008 plan (and indeed, they are), and some other things (she felt dessert would disappear within a year or two as well). I felt for her, she clearly was unhappy about the impact of DDP because she felt the quality of her restaurant was being downgraded.

3. The scheduling. OMG, it's like a week in the office. :rotfl: As mentioned in #1, having to constantly deal with the next "appointment" on vacation - for what has become mediocre food - is kind of a pain. If the food was still 4-5 stars like it used to be, sure... but it is not anymore. And because you have to plan 7 months ahead to ensure your dining reservations, you also have your park and recreation schedule set in stone, or spend a lot of time running between places.

Even with reservations we often had to wait 10-30 minutes for a table.

4. Tips. We several times caught the servers automatically adding gratuity then dropping off a tab asking us to add a gratuity to the bill. I'm happy to pay them for their work - but not twice. Check your bills carefully, and check your room charge too.

Remember being able to walk into Epcot and make a reservation the day-of, at the little kiosks? Remember being able to call the number and say "Hey can you get me something at MK tomorrow" and actually have it happen? Now the WDW-DINE CMs just laugh at you if it's less than 4 months til your trip, and sweetly suggest you "plan ahead" next time. :rotfl:

We tried DDP once, and we won't do it again. They have truly "oversold" (more like given it away for free to too many at a time) and they do not have the capacity to handle the number of guests, nor the low price, without reducing the food quality. It's really a shame.

I am hoping that all the new residential/shopping development on the other side of the property will include a lot of dependable, good, well-done basic restaurants. There need to be more options locally than WDW-owned stuff. At this point I'd gladly wait in line someplace like Cheesecake Factory over anything at WDW.

[crazykids]

I love the dining plan! We have 3 kids under age 5 & one of them is under 3, so that one's free. We just tried out the deluxe dining plan on our last trip and it was wonderful! I don't mind having reservations for all of my meals, it gives us a break in the air condition & a guaranteed seat w/ a waitress. We've never waited more than a few minutes for a table. My family doesn't really go for most of the CS places in WDW. We've been fortunate enough to visit many times, so we are not worried about misssing out on park time - it's our vacation! I think as long as they offer the deluxe plan & my kids are still considered "kids" we'll be going that route from now on.

Everyone has their own opinions. When we go on vacation, I don't like to think about money, I'm there to enjoy myself.

[kldmom2000]

For next summer's 4-week stay, we will be concierge for one week, studio with DDP for one week, 1 BR for one week---will have full kitchen (doubtful if it is overly used however), and back to studio for another week.

Oh my word.... I could only DREAM of a 4 week stay!!!! :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes ENJOY!!!! :wizard:

[lurkernj]

I like the dining plan because everyone can order what they want without having to worry about cost.

My two boys have very different preferences, one likes meat and potatos, the other seafood and vegetables. When they were younger, we used to do the sharing thing, which meant I had to eat what they ordered since they are a bit picky and couldn't share between themselves. I don't want to eat a cheeseburger just cause I am sharing with little Johnny and that's what he wants. Now they are 10 and 13 and eat me out of house and home, so sharing really isn't much of an option anyway. When we eat out, they both order off the adult menus and are developing quite sophisticated palates!

And the thought of sharing ice cream, passing it back and forth with everyone licking it, "he got more than me", getting a flavor I don't want cause that's what someone else wants, doesn't sound like fun for me.

We live fairly conservatively the rest of the year, and just want everyone to be happy on vacation. We are going during free dining in September, but I think on future trips, I would probably pay for the plan anyway just for the dining experiences we can have with it.

[Allison]

I think whether or not the DDP is a good value truly depends on the individual family and their vacation eating habits. It's a good value for us, also a family of five, because we like to eat lots of sit down meals (and character meals!)and view the restaurants as an essential part of the Disney experience.

For many others it is simply the prepaid aspect that is appealing.

For the OP, it isn't worth it. For my family it is :goodvibes

That pretty well sums it up.

[Crystal_27]

I do see your point but, for me, sandwiches on vacation would be an incredible letdown. One of the things I most look foward to while on vacation is not having to cook and being able to eat out for every meal. To each his/her own, but for us the DDP *is* a savings because we would be eating out anyway. I also like that we can pre-pay our meals and really only have to worry about money for tips and souveniers. It does work for us and it does save us money. :goodvibes

[Lisa F]

I'm trying to let it go, but also part of what bothers me is the overall cost. We spend 400 dollars a month on groceries for my family of 5 and to spend more than that for just a week to eat...YIKES!!!

Christine

Well then how do you feel about spending the equivalent of a mortgage payment on a hotel room for the week? Again, if you compare a vacation, which is a luxury thing, to your every day life - of COURSE it's going to be more expensive. YIKES is right, that's why people don't live in WDW (although may would like to) - they live in their every day affordable lives and then on vacation they splurge a bit and do things they wouldn't normally do the other 51 weeks of the year. That's what vacation is all about.

[brandylouwho]

I think whether or not the DDP is a good value truly depends on the individual family and their vacation eating habits.


Exactly::yes::

For our family's habits (2 adults & 1 kid& 1 baby) it isn't worth it. A few of our reasons are:
* we like appetizers, rarely eat dessert
* we don't do a TS everyday
* don't want to make a gazillion ADRs in advance--makes our vacation too planned/too rigid

When the plan included appetizers and tip, it may have been worth it for us, but even that is hard to judge as we wasted a lot of food...so our total bill on the receipt is NOT a fair comparison as to what the plan "saved" us--we ordered far more than we would have if just paying cash.

In any case, we did it once and probably won't do it again (well, maybe if we went on a short trip & stayed in a studio, just for convenience, but not as a money saver).

[Alexander]

Disney Dining Plan = Hakuna Matata

Pre-paid, and eat-up baby! I can't worry about a plan costing a few dollars more than what I would have paid out of pocket! So DS doesn't eat all of his TS meal, big whoop! I throw away more food at home!

We're on vacation, and if we wanted to save money, we sure as %#*& wouldn't be at WDW!

[Family Fun Mom]

Disney Dining Plan = Hakuna Matata

Pre-paid, and eat-up baby! I can't worry about a plan costing a few dollars more than what I would have paid out of pocket! So DS doesn't eat all of his TS meal, big whoop! I throw away more food at home!

We're on vacation, and if we wanted to save money, we sure as %#*& wouldn't be at WDW!

:lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2: Hakuna Matata! I love it! :worship:

[choirfarm]

Well then how do you feel about spending the equivalent of a mortgage payment on a hotel room for the week? Again, if you compare a vacation, which is a luxury thing, to your every day life - of COURSE it's going to be more expensive. YIKES is right, that's why people don't live in WDW (although may would like to) - they live in their every day affordable lives and then on vacation they splurge a bit and do things they wouldn't normally do the other 51 weeks of the year. That's what vacation is all about.

YIKES...I hadn't thought of it like that.. Now I feel even more guilty and confused about this trip.:confused: :confused: :confused:

Christine

[ReneeA]

YIKES...I hadn't thought of it like that.. Now I feel even more guilty and confused about this trip.:confused: :confused: :confused:

Christine


Is this your first family vacation?

[choirfarm]

We normally take 2 to 3 vacations a year, most in our trailer. The main cost is gas, which is now sizable but wasn't bad before. We've been to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Big Bend, Custer State Park, Oregon, etc. So most of our family vacations have a budget of under 1,000 for a couple of weeks. Plus, we just got back from a mission trip to Ethiopia and i feel a bit guilty spending all of this money when most of the children we saw didn't have shoes and their clothes look like they got them from Goodwill several years ago ( in rags and/or didn't fit). We have traveled in the past to Alaska, Canadian Rockies. England/Scotland etc but it was either just the two of us or us with very small children. Trying to find accomodations for 5 is daunting. Well, at least at a price I will pay. I have this trip titled our once in a lifetime Disney vacation, but wonder when I stand before God if I can justify it... I guess I'm just having a hard time after the mission trip.
Christine

[Allison]

I don't think God begrudges people vacations with their families.

If the idea of this trip bothers you enough that you worry about God judging you, then once in a lifetime or not, it's not worth it. Seriously. I have seen lots of your posts and I haven't really seen any joy about this trip in any of them. Maybe it's just not for you. There is nothing wrong with that.

[choirfarm]

But what about the children. My dh has been promising the kids he would take them when they were 5, 10 and 12. We are a little late as they are 6, 11 and 13. I'm afraid they would think I was silly and would be very disappointed.

[webster76]

I agree with Alison. I don't believe God would think you to be a greedy person for going on this trip. You have been blessed to go on many nice vacations and your mission trip. God wants you and your family to be happy too. I sometimes feel guilty about vacations too.But I truly work hard every day and have a family of 3. I really have no business going on my upcoming trip in Sept as money is always tight (I'm a single mom) but it is much needed and is probably my favorite place to go. The last 3 summers have all been stressful in their own way and I need a break. But if it is truly something that you will feel guilty about doing then maybe make this your last big vacation for a while and just explore what you have locally.Disney is a great place for families and adults. Seeing it through your kids eyes is amazing and a blessing in itself. Relax and sit with your kids and make some pre-trip memories! It'll be great.:goodvibes

[Claire&TheBoys]

Presumably, your trip is paid for if you're going during free dining. It seems from your posts that you are pretty far away from Florida, so you may have plane tickets already purchased if you're not driving. At this point, you need to concentrate on making this trip fun for your kids. Do you have the planning DVD? Watch it 3 or 4 times. Watch the shows on the Travel channel. Allow yourself to get excited about going somewhere new and seeing something new and fun through the eyes of your children. Your kids may be tired of traveling in your camper. They may be thrilled to stay in a hotel with maid service and a really cool pool. They may be excited about not having to share food with each other and getting to eat exactly what they want. Just because it's maybe not your idea of the ideal vacation doesn't mean it's not your children's dream-come-true.

[choirfarm]

Presumably, your trip is paid for if you're going during free dining. It seems from your posts that you are pretty far away from Florida, so you may have plane tickets already purchased if you're not driving. At this point, you need to concentrate on making this trip fun for your kids. Do you have the planning DVD? Watch it 3 or 4 times. Watch the shows on the Travel channel..

We don't have cable. I do have the planning DVD somewhere but the planning is almost done so I don't know I need to watch it. My notebook is filled with dividers for each day. The menus are printed out for where we will eat. Tour plans are printed. I have a detailed itinerary per TGM but will be asking for input before I have final plans. We are driving. I need to make the travel notebooks I always make for them and I have things to make our matching t-shirts. I'll do that in between schooling (started this week) and preparing for children's choir..

[addicted2dizney]

Enjoy your trip and look at this special time with your family as the life gift that it is! :) You have worked hard to afford this trip and it seems you do plenty to help less fortunate around you. It would be more of a sin to waste this opportunity by worrying about it or feeling guilty than actually going and having that trip of a lifetime! Life is too short to worry about something that you have worked hard to create and then not truly appreciate it. :)
Plus sometimes taking a step away from our "normal every day life" is just the re charging we all need to come home and jump into those things that we find important. You may come home with a new idea of how to help others in need. I hope you have a wonderful trip! :)

[2crazy4disney]

:) We don't have cable. I do have the planning DVD somewhere but the planning is almost done so I don't know I need to watch it. My notebook is filled with dividers for each day. The menus are printed out for where we will eat. Tour plans are printed. I have a detailed itinerary per TGM but will be asking for input before I have final plans. We are driving. I need to make the travel notebooks I always make for them and I have things to make our matching t-shirts. I'll do that in between schooling (started this week) and preparing for children's choir..


I understand the worrying about the money part. I am a worrier, but God always provides. We work hard all year long and it is a time that the family gets quality time together. It will be a life long memory you and the family will have to cherish forever. God doesn't judge us on the money we spend. It is the relationships that we build that count. You need relaxation from everyday living and worries. Relax and enjoy your trip with your family! God will take care of the rest!

[2crazy4disney]

Enjoy your trip and look at this special time with your family as the life gift that it is! :) You have worked hard to afford this trip and it seems you do plenty to help less fortunate around you. It would be more of a sin to waste this opportunity by worrying about it or feeling guilty than actually going and having that trip of a lifetime! Life is too short to worry about something that you have worked hard to create and then not truly appreciate it. :)
Plus sometimes taking a step away from our "normal every day life" is just the re charging we all need to come home and jump into those things that we find important. You may come home with a new idea of how to help others in need. I hope you have a wonderful trip! :)

You and I seem to agree.

[skater]

Being as spiritual as you seem to be, you must know that guilt often comes from the bad guy, not from God. Don't let him ruin it for you. I think if you pray about it, you can get the peace you need to enjoy this trip. Do it for you, your husband, and your kids. If you go with a lot of guilt, you can potentially bring everybody down.

[blue_eyes5212]

I'm spoiled right along with you! I eat enough ham & cheese sandwiches at home; I don't want them on vacation too!

The fun of the DDP, to me, is that you don't *have* to worry about how much things cost. My husband can order that big steak at Le Cellier and I don't flinch at the price. I love dessert and I can try lots of different things and not feel guilty for only eating 5 bites of it. We can go to the character dinners and enjoy ourselves and we're not thinking, "Holy cow! This is costing us $100!" We enjoy eating out and trying new things; my husband and I would *never* share a meal. It's just not for us. We don't make our kids share either.

We all vacation differently and have different priorities. Some people like to shell out the $$ for a deluxe resort; others think that's a waste for a room to sleep in and a place to shower. Some of us treat vacation as a special event where the rules are different than they are at home; others keep their same rules and routines whether they are at home or not.

I'm spoiled too!! I also don't want to share a meal or worry about "flinching" at the price. I would be the type to say "I really want this, but this other thing is cheaper, so I will get it". I do that the other 51 weeks of the year at home, so on vacation we are ordering what we want and the DDP allows us to pretty much do that!

[Brian Noble]

YIKES...I hadn't thought of it like that..
If you're the same person who posts under this identity elsewhere, actually, you have. I know we've had this conversation over there some months ago.

If this troubles you this much, don't go. Otherwise, enjoy. If you can't see your way to enjoying this vacation for what it is, it really will be wasted money that you should have done something else with.

[njphmom]

Dear Choirfarm,
I understand the dilemma you are facing...my family has also experienced another world apart from the good ole USA. We lived in New Guinea as missionaries and upon our return spent many family vacations camping. Hey, it is really an inexpensive way to vacation and lots of fun.... Those vacations hold wonderful memories for my almost grown children... but when a friend blessed us with a trip to DW , our eyes were opened to a wonderful world of laughter, fun and family togetherness. Since then, we have been back to DW many times. I believe that it has helped my children to appreciate America and the freedoms we have to "escape" the real world for just a short while. We celebrate the beauty of the parks and resorts and send up prayers of thankfulness for this happiness here on earth.

Take the trip...enjoy it...you will be so glad that you did...and your husband and children will thank you too!

[Charin]

Just wanted to say that I started planning this trip thinking it would be a once in a lifetime thing, or at least a once in 5 years or so, but the more I plan, the more I want to already book next year's vacation! :)

God always provides indeed, we too had promised a trip to Disney to the kids and it was getting to be overdue with our oldest turning 7 and our youngest turning 4. We thought we had the money but several things happened earlier this year that well, took care of the money we had saved. :sad1: However we were still faithful in our tithing and in general in our commitment to Him. Miraculously, we received a windfall, :cheer2: totally unexpected, obviously it was His plan, at least that is what we believe. So we did not hesitate in booking this trip less than 4 weeks ago, and have only Him to thank. :thumbsup2

Needless to say we are VERY happy. :yay:

[ntsammy5]

I'll drink to that! :drinking1

[3"Mouse"keteers]

Yes if you like to pack your own food and share plates than it isn't a good deal. Personally I hate to pack any food and I never want to have to share meals. Everyone orders what they want when they want even when we eat outside of Disney so the DDP is a good deal for us. But you are right the way you are doing it than it wouldn't be a great deal.
I totally agree! We are doing the deluxe dining plan, not because it's such a great deal, but because this is our first time as a family to disney and we want to really spoil ourselves. We've never been able to go to a restaurant and order whatever we wanted, regardless of the cost, but we'll be able to do that with dxddp, so for us it is a good deal. Plus, all of our meals will already be paid for, so that is not something else we will have to set aside money for.

[Claire&TheBoys]

We don't have cable. I do have the planning DVD somewhere but the planning is almost done so I don't know I need to watch it. My notebook is filled with dividers for each day. The menus are printed out for where we will eat. Tour plans are printed. I have a detailed itinerary per TGM but will be asking for input before I have final plans. We are driving. I need to make the travel notebooks I always make for them and I have things to make our matching t-shirts. I'll do that in between schooling (started this week) and preparing for children's choir..

I didn't mean for you to watch the planning DVD so you could do some more homework! :teacher: Watch it just for the sake of seeing the joy on children's faces, and the happy times everyone is having. :wizard: It seems to me that you've planned this trip to death - it's time to let go now and HAVE FUN. :yay: Get excited. :banana: :banana: A notebook with dividers for each day? Print-outs of menus? Come on - be a *little* spontaneous. Don't tell your kids, "No, you can't have the steak because I planned for you to eat the chicken!" Let it go. Enjoy the moment. Life - and vacations - are too short to be so wrapped up in the details! :thumbsup2

[MusiqChic99]

It obviously wouldn't be a deal for you because you pack your own food and don't eat "out" for all your meals.

With the DDP you would eat all your meals "out" so you are paying for that in the price! It really isn't fair to compare it since you definitely would save money if you made sandwiches in the room. EVERYONE would save money that way.

The DDP lets people eat at places they normally wouldn't eat at and have steak when they might have just had a hot dog! It's also very handy because it's already paid for. You dont have to worry about carrying all that money around for food.

It's a great deal for us because of the character meals. I can eat one everyday I'm there if I want to! Otherwise we would just eat CS all the time a maybe one character meal the whole trip!

[MusiqChic99]

Sorry you feel conflicted about your trip. I dont think God is going to judge you for doing something great with your family.

[asmit4]

Choirfarm- God would not be upset over a trip to DW with your family! I have 2 suggestions- 1.- talk to your church/priest/pastor about this. I am sure they will help you sort your feelings out and 2. What about 'skipping' something that costs x dollars and using it to donate the $$ saved to a particular group? For example- give up breakfast in castle and give that $$ to either your own favorite charity or give it to a company like Make a Wish. You can make this a big deal with your family too- and instill how lucky and blessed you all are to be able to do DW and that you want to give back as a family. It can be a great learning experience for them :)

[wen8jr]

We went last Oct. I purchased the DDP even though I had some reservations at the time because I felt I wouldn't spend that much on food even if I did pay out of pocket. I also thought we would not have time or want a TS every day.

Let me tell you, I was wrong. The DDP was excellent. It made it so EASY and I think we had a much more enjoyable time knowing it was all included. And since I wasn't impressed with the CS food, the TS food saved the day.

I added all the receipts at the end of the trip and we saved a lot of money. CS and TS are both much more expensive than you think when paying out of pocket. If I had been paying cash, I would have cringed every time I bought something and then I probably would have felt guilty. DDP let me be guilt free. ;)

Granted, the '08 plan doesn't include apps or tips, but I think we would buy the DDP again anyway since the apps for every person was more or less too much food. TIPs I wish were included again but overall I think it's still worth it to get the DDP.

I'm hooked, just started planning a trip for '09 now!

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Yup, the ddp doesn't work for everyone. Even for our family, it works for some trips and not for others. There are so many factors. From what you've said, it's not a good deal for your family based on your vacation style. And Maybe keeping the 40% off code would've been better for you than free dining (even if on paper free dining came out better) since it seems to be giving you some bit of stress over the planning of ADRs and the thought of wasted food.

And I'm going a little :offtopic: here, but would it have come out cheaper to get one room for 5 at POR than it was for 2 rooms at pop? I only mention it because you seem upset/guilty about the overall cost of your trip--so maybe something to think about. I've not priced them out side-by-side myself. Also, maybe you can cut out the expense of the refillable mugs since you mentioned you only drink water with your meals.

However it turns out--enjoy your trip! I really don't think God begrudges us that.:goodvibes