Robinb's and Tricia1972's DDP Planning Spreadsheets!

[robinb]

Hi everyone! I don't know if this is still in the sticky, but I came up with ae excel spreadsheet a while ago to help plan your TS/CS meals on the DDP. Sorry, but I cannot convert it to another type of spreadsheet ... my Excel program is pretty old.

Here it is:
http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/MYM-Dining-Planner.xls (http://personalpages.tds.net/%7Erb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/MYM-Dining-Planner.xls)

And of course, there is my "bang for your buck" Restaurant Ranking page which includes the top-25 TS and CS restaurants by price per credit:
http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/2009/DisneyDiningRanking2009.htm (http://personalpages.tds.net/%7Erb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/2009/DisneyDiningRanking2009.htm)

I also host on my ISP another DDP planning spreadsheet by our very own Tricia1972 which helps you determine which is better: paying out of pocket or the DDP.

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/DisneyDining%20Template%202009.xls

Enjoy and happy planning!

[dolphinmatt]

Wow! This is amazingly helpful. Thank you for taking the time to do this. This is exactly what I needed to plan this trip out.

[B&WMickey]

Incredible!!!! Great Work!!!!!!

[2manypets]

Ooohhhh, I love spreadsheets. :lovestruc Thanks for the hard work!

[bek1758]

I just downloaded your spreadsheets. They are awesome, thanks for taking the time to share with us!

[grumpysmrs]

:worship::worship::worship::worship:

We have a last minute trip. This makes it sooo much easier.

[csmommy]

This is REALLY cool! But I must be thick :lmao:

I get both of Robinb's sheets, but Tricia1972's has me confused. Am I supposed to enter in what we think we will be ordering? Sometime's I just need my hand held.................................:grouphug:

[CowboysButterfly]

Thank you so much for this. I am planning our vaca for next June and my Mom and I are traveling with my sona and his friend, both teenagers, this will help me figure out which DDP, if any, are best for us.

[yooperfan]

I'm a hands on kinda person and print everything I read (drives DH nuts!).
When I try to print top Restaurants value per credit It will only print Table service and first line of counter service. The other 2 links just print out a gray sheet with nothing on it. Any suggestions?:confused3

[beroh2253]

Great thanks we just booked restaurants for last week in Oct. today.

[MarkinNM]

WOW, those are pretty cool, THANKS!

[CMG1]

These have been so helpful in planning our meals for our trip in December! Thanks so much for sharing! :thumbsup2

[ktkerber]

I am having trouble printing the top 25 spreadsheet as well. Maybe because it is a .htm file type instead of .xls like the other 2.

Thank you for sharing these with us.

Kristen

[robinb]

I am having trouble printing the top 25 spreadsheet as well. Maybe because it is a .htm file type instead of .xls like the other 2.

Thank you for sharing these with us.

KristenYou're right. When you print an HTML page you only print what is on the screen and not the whole page. You will have to scroll to the lower half of the page and print it out too to get the whole thing. Sorry!

[LBelle]

This is fabulous, Robin! I'll be using for sure. Thanks so much for helping. :hug:

[bgsnmky]

This is REALLY cool! But I must be thick :lmao:

I get both of Robinb's sheets, but Tricia1972's has me confused. Am I supposed to enter in what we think we will be ordering? Sometime's I just need my hand held.................................:grouphug:

I am trying to figure this one out too...hopefully someone can help.

It looks like it is calculating how much the dining plans would cost. But then do we add in what we think we would SPEND without the dining plan...at the top.


But the snacks are not there.

If I enter 8 CS meals at 13.00 a piece I get 124.00 but the QSDP costs 287, but that includes snacks and drink mug etc.

[Cherinva]

This is very helpful...many thanks.

[robinb]

Tricia does include the "snack value" in her calculations at $3 per snack. That's a pretty good average as some snacks are more and some are less.

BTW, I found a bug in Tricia's spreadsheet. The QS plan does not calculate properly. I think that Tricia sent me a fix for it but it never got on my ISP. I'll fix it and post it later today :).

[robinb]

OK ... I have made the changes to Tricia's spreadsheet. Her initial analysis was to compare the DDP with the "Tables in Wonderland" (previously the "Disney Dining Experience") discount and that discount was calculated automatically. That skewed the calculations to favor paying OOP. I changed the spreadsheet to use a Y/N field to designate if you have the TiW discount (available to AP holders and FL residents). It can be found in the yellow fields above the "Grand Totals" section. If enter "Y" into the field a 20% TiW discount will be calculated for all TS meals/appeitizers. You may also hand-enter the TiW discount for the few CS restaurants where it is available (like at the Value resorts).

Have fun and let me know if I messed something up!

[Donna3271]

Robin,

You are amazing!!! This is so awesome!! Thank you so much!

[need2go2disney]

Ok....I need some help with this form. I completed the excel sheet with the prices of the food we think we will order. At the bottom I get a negative number (-$363.74) next the DDP cost less OOP cost. Is this good or bad? Does this mean the dining plan isn't for us?

Thanks!

[Tricia1972]

It's a good thing! That's your savings.

[need2go2disney]

:woohoo: Thank you! Thank you! :worship: Perfect...:cool1: Can't wait to tell everyone else in our party. :banana: Great worksheet...I am a believer in the CASE method -Create and Sharing Everything. I appreciate your kindness and willingness to share...:goodvibes

[Jazzygirl72]

First off, THANK YOU THANK YOU! I've been agonizing whether to do the DDP on this trip because we are getting there on the first day at 10:30pm. So I can't use credits that day. Using a signature dining to use 2 TS credits will help, but we might lose a CS. We did the DDP last trip and loved it. I just don't know what to do. :confused3
So I filled out Tricia's wonderful spreadsheet and I feel like a dummy too because I can't figure out what it's telling me. It's saying that I am -25% DDP cost less OOP cost. Does this mean if I do the DDP, I'll save $25 or lose $25?
I also had to fudge a few numbers since our Brown Derby Fantasmic package includes an appetizer so I had to buffer the appetizer cost into the entree cost or else it was telling me that was extra money I'd pay, which isn't true.
Thanks for you help everyone! :thumbsup2

[Tricia1972]

I am glad that it was helpful to you! :goodvibes

It's the DDP cost, less your OOP costs. The negative number is your savings on the DDP. If the number is positive, then the DDP cost is greater than your OOP costs.

[Jazzygirl72]

Okay I sort of thought that but wanted to be sure. Wow, I can't tell you how much a difference this makes because when I was doing "raw" numbers by hand, it seemed OOP was cheaper. BUT your sheet calculates the tax and gratuity too. Amazing how that skews the results!
I don't have every meal planned yet but from my rough estimate, it seems the DDP is the way to go even though we're going late. Last trip we used TS credits x2 twice due to Hoop Dee Doo and Brown Derby so it was perfect. I don't think we could have eaten everything otherwise. Then again, we did do a lot of buffets on that trip! LOL! :upsidedow
Now, the other dilema...saving up more money for the alcoholic drinks! I didn't put them in the spreadsheet b/c it would have really thrown everything off! :laughing:

[Jazzygirl72]

Oh, the other reason this is so helpful is because we already have our tickets so we'd have to buy a one day base tix to get the meal plan, which is a crock IMO. :mad: SO it was really helpful to determine if it's worth it since we have to tag an extra $87 per person onto the tab. :headache:

[mommyintn]

I just wanted to bump this since I was looking for it and had to go a few pages back to find it. :)

[dr_zero]

I love the spreadsheets helped out alot in deciding. :thumbsup2

[mom of 3G's]

If I have red stars at the bottom of DxDDP does that mean that this plan is not in my best interest?

[Tricia1972]

If I have red stars at the bottom of DxDDP does that mean that this plan is not in my best interest?

I am not sure why the equation is giving you stars. I don't have anything programmed into the equations that you should get that result.

[ilovetivo]

I didn't look at it yet, but red stars sometimes mean the column needs to made longer

thx for all the help and work!

[ilovetivo]

Does the analysis sheet include gratuity? I see tax on the Credits sheet but not gratuity. Thanks!! Amazing!

I'm trying to decide btwn Deluxe and regular DDP

[MajorThomasina]

Thank you so much for your time and effort into making this! Bumping!

[bwmmfan]

subbing

[soozaay]

These are awesome!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to do these spreadsheets!

[stepdisney]

Oh my, this is great!! Thanks for sharing.

[robinb]

Since this thread came back to life, here is the 2010 version of the Top 25 Restaurants:

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/2010/DisneyDiningRanking2010.htm

[sophie832]

Let me just say.... THANK YOU!!! :worship:

[mikethern]

I took the info from the website you provided and and created a spreadsheet sorted by location....
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ainfsy1tSeJEdFFCel9HU0M4LVgxOWw2dm9aQlp6d lE&hl=en#gid=0

[3Minnies1Mickey]

This is awesome. I'm using as a reference for next year.

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

Thank you so much for putting this together! This will be extremely helpful!

[JimmyV]

Don't know if the OP still monitors this, but perhaps someone here can figure this out. Using the comparison spreadsheet, and keeping this as simple as possible to expose the problem, I assume that 1 adult will be buying meals for 1 day. There will be a counter service meal for lunch and a table service meal for dinner. I assume that the counter service lunch will include a $9 entree, a $5 dessert and a $4 beverage. I then assume that the table service dinner will include a $9 appetizer, a $24 entree and an $8 dessert. (No beverage input as I would order an alcoholic beverage). When the comparison comes up for the DDP, it shows that I have incurred $16.97 in "Additional Appitizers (sic) and Gratuities". I understand that the tip has to be figured in, but the tip on the table service meal is only $7.38. Subtracting that from the additional amount incurred leaves $9.59, which means that the spreadsheet is assuming that my $9 appetizer, (plus tax) is added on as an additional cost above and beyond that which the DDP covers. But I thought that the DDP covered an appetizer, entree and dessert. Am I wrong, or is there a bug in the system?:confused3

[Tricia1972]

Don't know if the OP still monitors this, but perhaps someone here can figure this out. Using the comparison spreadsheet, and keeping this as simple as possible to expose the problem, I assume that 1 adult will be buying meals for 1 day. There will be a counter service meal for lunch and a table service meal for dinner. I assume that the counter service lunch will include a $9 entree, a $5 dessert and a $4 beverage. I then assume that the table service dinner will include a $9 appetizer, a $24 entree and an $8 dessert. (No beverage input as I would order an alcoholic beverage). When the comparison comes up for the DDP, it shows that I have incurred $16.97 in "Additional Appitizers (sic) and Gratuities". I understand that the tip has to be figured in, but the tip on the table service meal is only $7.38. Subtracting that from the additional amount incurred leaves $9.59, which means that the spreadsheet is assuming that my $9 appetizer, (plus tax) is added on as an additional cost above and beyond that which the DDP covers. But I thought that the DDP covered an appetizer, entree and dessert. Am I wrong, or is there a bug in the system?:confused3

Apps aren't included on the DDP, just the DxDDP.

[JimmyV]

Thanks for the quick response. Ahhh. Went back to the pdf for the DDP on the official site and noticed that I missed the all-important disclaimer that apps are included only for kids. Weird rule, but there it is in black and white.

[Minnie Lor]

Love the spreadsheet. I tried doing this by hand and mama mia I plugged into your spreadsheet what I really thought we'd order whether it was the most expensive thing on the menu and we came out ahead with the DDP. It will be the first time using it for us.

Can I ask that the spreadsheet be updated to reflect the 2011 DDp price. I tried figuring out where to do that and :confused3 it's beyond my little brain.

[Saylan]

In the cell showing the "DDP Cost Adult" you would just change the 39.99 to whatever the cost is now per night per adult (45.99-47.99?). You can do the same in the child slot (and the different dining plans).

[Minnie Lor]

Love the spreadsheet. I tried doing this by hand and mama mia I plugged into your spreadsheet what I really thought we'd order whether it was the most expensive thing on the menu and we came out ahead with the DDP. It will be the first time using it for us.

Can I ask that the spreadsheet be updated to reflect the 2011 DDp price. I tried figuring out where to do that and :confused3 it's beyond my little brain.

In the cell showing the "DDP Cost Adult" you would just change the 39.99 to whatever the cost is now per night per adult (45.99-47.99?). You can do the same in the child slot (and the different dining plans).

Here's the cells to change: H57 & H58; O57 & O58; V57 & V58 to update to 2011 prices.

I totally forgot about clicking Y/N for the Tables in Wonderland. Thanks for all the hard work. This is awesome!