Comparing apples to apples....figuring out the DDP [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

crzy4mk

07-06-2009, 08:44 AM

brandylouwho

07-06-2009, 08:59 AM

I think that is a fair way to look at it.

Anytime I have crunched the numbers of what we'd actually order compared to the Dining Plan...it has been pretty even (no savings or very little) so we usually don't do it. And now that we stay in DVC Villas it is even less appealing, as it is no big deal for us to eat in the room more (gasp).

This year we are going with friends and loading up on character meals for our dinners...and decided to go for it. I am not doing it for some great savings (which I am sure the receipts will point out to us) but for convenience.

and I think it is hard to do a "fair comparison" the DDP gives us a dessert we don't normally want or need, but leaves out the appetizer we so enjoy.

Tinkerbell3014

07-06-2009, 09:14 AM

We too would save money by not using the DDP but then we would miss out on Character meals, and great TS restaurants. On the DDP we go where we want and order whatever we want. I would never do that if every meal was out of pocket. I would always be looking at the prices and saying it is too expensive. Plus it is nice to have things pre-paid.

catne

07-06-2009, 10:59 AM

ReneeDisney

07-06-2009, 11:07 AM

Great comparision! I too feel the same way and recently sat down with a calculator and the internet to figure out the cost of eating (we usually do two TS meals a day) verses the cost of the DDP. For our use, it comes out cheaper to eat on our own as there is no specific plan for two TS meals a day. The Deluxe dining plan is three sit down meals and it too much for us.

I think either way we all win b/c we are going on vacation!!!

candielips

07-06-2009, 11:13 AM

We have always gotten the DDP & probably always will. We like having it all paid for ahead of time & not having to worry about the prices of things. When we are on vacation the last thing I want to do is be budgeting, so I try to do it all ahead of time.
But remember no 2 families are alike & that is why Disney offers so many different options!

Andie272

07-06-2009, 12:50 PM

I totally Agree. What better time to "splruge"! I would never do so many TS meals if paying out of pocket.

Schmoodle

07-06-2009, 02:46 PM

I think your comparison is a fair one. If you are going to want to splurge and have some treats while on vaca, and the plan saves you some on those, then it's a good deal.

I would add though, that not being on the dining plan does not mean that you have to miss out on fun things like character meals. We visited last fall without the dining plan and I included a birthday lunch at the Coral Reef for my son, dinner at the Garden Grill to see Goofy and Pluto, and breakfast at the Crystal Palace so that DD could see Pooh. I was able to feed us for an average of $28/day including those meals.

Another factor for us is that we don't eat out much and are used to home cooked food. While we enjoy restaurant food as an occasional treat, if I am eating restaurant food all day every day on vacation, I start to feel gross and bloated. So I feel like I really need some "normal" food in there to keep me happy and healthy so I can enjoy the parks. We usually have access to a kitchen or at least a fridge, so we can do this.

So for us, the Dining Plan has never been an attraction. In full disclosure, I've never done it though.
I have a grownup trip planned for this fall with my girlfriend, and we are staying on-property for the first time, so we decided to go ahead and get the Dining Plan. We are thinking it's a good chance to try it out without a big investment (only have to buy for one person), and that we won't be so rushed in the parks since we won't have kids along. It will be interesting to see - maybe I will come back a convert for the next family trip!

disneygirlinnj

07-06-2009, 03:10 PM

I totally agree with you. While it might be slightly cheaper if you pay OOP, I know that mentally i would automatically not order the $35 lamb chops and instead order the $21 chicken just to save money. With the DDP, I don't ever have to think about that.

kool_kat

07-06-2009, 03:25 PM

We usually stay at the Shades of Green so the DDP is not usually an option. This year we are staying at the Beach Club, so I really wanted to try it. I'm cheap, so I know if I wasn't on the DDP, I would eat maybe one TS meal and the rest CS. We probably would also rent a car & eat out of park meals because one can only handle so many CS meals. I would also order the cheapest meal because food is just not that important to me & I don't want to pay for it.

We figured that we would save the 300 for renting a car & the convenience of eating in the park. I wanted to do the DDP because it would be paid up front and I would get what I truly wanted, not what I was willing to pay for. We never get desserts so this will be new too. To me, this is a new part of DW that I have never experienced so I am so excited. I've been pouring over the boards, looking at pictures, and trying to figure out where I want to eat. I think I am more excited about this than the rides because it's new.

Golf4food

07-06-2009, 03:44 PM

Of course one CAN eat cheaper in WDW if paying OOP than the cost of the DDP. Our first trip as a married couple in 2005 when DW was still in college and funds were limited we only did one TS meal (a buffet) and split a double cheeseburger and paid the $0.40 for an extra bun a few times, had breakfast in our room that we bought from Publix, and didn't get much in the way of desserts, etc. I think we averaged less than $20 per day for food - combined!

Thank God that is all behind us. :)

If you intend to eat a TS meal each day, enjoy desserts or appetizers (or both) and do a little planning the DDP can certainly be a bargain compared to paying OOP for the same exact meals/items, even now that tips aren't included like they used to be. It's a bit of a splurge, but hey - it's vacation! :)

catne

07-06-2009, 03:51 PM

We usually stay at the Shades of Green so the DDP is not usually an option. This year we are staying at the Beach Club, so I really wanted to try it... I wanted to do the DDP because it would be paid up front and I would get what I truly wanted, not what I was willing to pay for. We never get desserts so this will be new too. To me, this is a new part of DW that I have never experienced so I am so excited. I've been pouring over the boards, looking at pictures, and trying to figure out where I want to eat. I think I am more excited about this than the rides because it's new.

That's kind of where we're at...but we've done the parks & the dining plan enough times to know we love both rides & Disney dining -we get excited about both: it's all part of our Disney vacation experience. I'd say we're about equal on which we like more! We've done almost all the rides we would ever want to try...but we still have some restaurants we haven't gotten to.:thumbsup2

Sandisw

07-06-2009, 04:03 PM

That is exactly how I have always looked at it. When we visited WDW, before the had the DDP, we always watched what we ate because of the cost. Things like dessert did not happen very often, simply because we were trying to stay within what we had budgeted.

The last time we went, we were on the DDP and loved it! We did eat things we would not have eaten had we not been on the plan, but felt that it was worth it because we ate better then we had in the past.

To me, it is like staying at a value vs. a deluxe. Sure, instead of staying at the CR for our trips, I could have stayed at POP, and saved money. But, I would not have gotten the same thing.

mitsybella

07-06-2009, 04:23 PM

I agree, I know at home we usually split a meal between our two young children but on the meal plan we have to pay for both, and yes we would eat at less TS meals but I like the fact you can order what you want without worrying about the cost and thats why we do the DDP, my decision for my next trip is if I stay with Dinning + or upgrade to Deluxe :teacher:

snykymom

07-06-2009, 04:36 PM

And I'm the opposite. I'd rather pay out of pocket and get exactly what I want when I want it. I definitely splurge; it's one of those "don't look at the prices" vacations. But I'm not "locked in" to the dining plan. If I decide not to go to an ADR, I don't have to worry that I'll lose the TS credits. I don't worry if a restaurant is "worth" 2 credits. I can have 2 appetizers instead of an entree, or an appetizer instead of dessert, or any other combination. I can have dinner at one place and dessert at another (a favorite thing of mine to do at Epcot!). I don't have to count credits. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. I don't worry about "getting my money's worth."

I have a generous budget, which is already in savings, so the food's "paid for." If for some reason, we spend less, that's great. If for some reason we go a bit over, well, I can work on it when we get home.

And before we go, I have the use of my money, not Disney.

MarkinNM

07-06-2009, 11:08 PM

Agree with your assessment...could we save money by not doing the DDP? Yes, of course we could. We could save a lot of money by carefully picking & choosing the less expensive items on menus, skipping dessert, etc. But we consider the dining as part of the vacation fun...and love not having to check menu prices before we order. And we love getting dessert on vacation - we rarely get dessert at home so that too is "part of the vacation".

Agreed, but while on vacation its very nice to treat my family to the little things like a desert, or a really nice meal. Best part is when we do go to WDW its all paid for...........:banana:

mwatson011

07-08-2009, 08:44 AM

We do the deluxe ddp and there are 4 of us. I calculated the average price on the menus at places where we would eat, if we each had breakfast, then shared 1 app, 2 meals and 1 dessert for lunch, then each had our own dinner, and it is actually cheaper to buy the deluxe ddp than to pay for this out of pocket, and on the deluxe ddp, there is no sharing anything. This doesn't even take into account the snacks and mugs. So, we stick with the deluxe ddp and don't fret if there is a credit or two leftover.

Imagineer5

07-09-2009, 11:29 AM

Funny enough, I did a similar comparison and came out ahead with the DxDP vs paying OOP. :woohoo: Looking at the menus, I added up what we'd typically spend assuming 1-2 appetizers (depends on the day), 2 entrees, and 1 dessert (as we'd normally share). This is mainly bc it is hard to eat all that food, not for budgeting reasons. At any rate, adding all this ended up being $300 more than doing th DxDP. So, I figured with that we'll even get more breakfasts, snacks, dishes, etc. than what I planned (added bonus, woohoo) :cool1: AND knowing that we're already saving $300, I don't have to feel too bad about skipping a meal or whatnot. I was realistic about our dining choices, but that's also because when on vacation we don't look at the prices anyway...

ha...just read the post above, must have missed that, guess it does work for some ppl right off the bat to save $$!

colinsdad

07-09-2009, 01:26 PM

I think the DDP is a great value if you plan on eating 1TS meal per day.

Below is an except from my PTR for May. I'm going again in August and by following these rules I will be breaking even just on TS. I have an excel spreadsheet which adds up my anticipated meals w/ taxes, gratuities, and lists all OOP meals that I will do as well.

By "breaking even", I mean that the anticipated costs of TS for 2 adults and 1 child on DDP will equal the cost of the plan. That means whatever we spend on CS Meals and Snacks for the week will be my realized savings. Not bad.

What people often neglect to realize or figure into their costs is that the DDP includes tax. So if paying OOP for anything, you pay 6.5% more than what the prices are listed on the menu, even for CS. So if it costs you $39.99 per day for DDP, you only need to eat $37.54 per day to break even. So for instance, in August I have dinner planned at the Cape May Cafe Clam Bake which costs $30.99, I only need to spend $6.55 the rest of the day to break even. Very easy to do with a CS and Snack. At Le Celier, a filet, creme brulee, and coke is over $42. I'm up before even including a CS or snack for that day.

From my May PTR: When following these DDP "rules" you should always be ahead even when you factor out the price of the CS desserts (which I don't particularly want each day, and skipped all but a few days on my September '08 trip. I did have Mickey Ice Cream bars with my CS lunch at the waterparks though!!).

1. Always use DDP Adult TS credits on DINNER.
If you want to book a Character BF or 2, pay OOP because an adult CBF is 18.99 for most of them (much less than the cost of an average dinner). Note: If you want to use your Adult TS for Character BF's, you likely will not come out ahead on the day (but it should still be within $7 of the daily plan cost).

2. Addendum to #1: If you have kids with you at the Character BF use their Child TS credits for these meals while you PAY OOP. This is because a child CBF is usually 10.99 (while child TS dinner is usually $7.49). Of course you will have to pay OOP for 2 of their TS dinners during the stay if you do this.

3. Never (repeat Never) use 2TS for any meal.

4. Always use CS credits on LUNCH.
Same principle as #1, but this time since lunch costs more on average than breakfast.

5. Use snack credits on BF items, not snacks. Most items under $4 qualify for a SC. You can get a nice coffee roll or mickey muffin at MS Bakery, Boardwalk Bakery or Starring Rolls each morning for a snack credit. Use another credit to split an OJ, pay OOP for a coffee and you'll be set. Since you get 7 SC's each, you should be set for BF for about 4 days using the SC's in this way. The days you aren't using SC for BF items pay OOP or go to a character BF and have some fun following rules #1 and #2.

Sorry for the long post, but it works for me! :goodvibes

jcjohns91107

07-10-2009, 04:20 PM

As stated in my previous post which was mysteriously pulled off the site, I saved $180 over the week by not buying the plan. We don't eat desert after evry lunch and dinner and my teenage girls were fine snacking for lunch and wanted to eat off the kids menus at more than half the TS restaurants.

We ate at a TS restaurant every night, and at what I consider the better ones, Rose and Crown, Coral Reef, Tepan Edo, 50's Prime Time, Jiko, etc. and I still saved money.

I wouldn't want to eat the amount of food you need to eat each day and desert at both lunch and dinner each day. I'm not interested in gaining weight on vacation. I lost weight running around the parks actually, and that was just fine.

We were with friends who bought the plan and they got out of control and ran out of credits about 2/3 of the way through.

hrh_disney_queen

07-11-2009, 03:01 PM

Ok, so I decided to really sit down and look at menus with a calculator in hand and determine whether the DDP makes sense for my family, and here's what I discovered.

It's kinda hard to tell for sure.

Here's what I mean: I really tried to figure what we would order and eat each day if we didn't have the DDP and it did come up a little cheaper than if we didn't have the DDP, but I realized it wasn't really a fair comparison. If I don't have the DDP, there's no way I'll "treat" my kids to a dessert at every meal, and I would really monitor what they were ordering if paying out of pocket (i.e. making sure they don't order the most expensive thing on the menu). So I've come to the conclusion that I could probably do things alot more cheaply without the DDP, but instead I'm choosing to look at it as a bit of a luxury that will allow us to get some things we normally wouldn't.

Anybody else look at it this way or does that not make any sense?

Makes total and perfect sense to me. We are the same way, probably even more frugal. We are not big eaters, and usually share CS meals-no dessert. We may get a snack one day, we may not. I will be so happy to be saying "YES, you may have that!" to my kids this trip. (and to myself, too. I LOVE dessert, but never order it.) My only fear is the high level of expectation I am setting on this trip-we may never be able to go back without free dining again!

Dopey's twin Dippy

07-11-2009, 07:21 PM

we have never been on the plan when we have gone. i guess if it were free we might try it. but i think we would rather just eat whenever or where ever. thats just us. heck i dont even know what we will have for dinner tomorrow it depends on what we are in the mood for. haha. i could not book for months ahead....haha.

Anonomom

07-11-2009, 07:53 PM

I did the same comparison before planning our trip in September. I calculated the cost of staying offsite in a condo and cooking all breakfasts and most dinners, figuring on 2ts meals for thr whole trip and cs meals for lunch every day.

DH, however, feels like a key point of a vacation is eating out. He'd rather eat TS at least once a day, so I had to redo the calculatios. Even without desserts, I figured we'd spend more on meals OOP than the dining plan cost.

And then we booked free dining. :lmao:

caroline1851

07-11-2009, 08:03 PM

I figured I could eat cheaper by not doing the ddp by eating cs and sharing meals and scrimping wherever possible, but it was nice to do the sit down meals and not worry about what you're ordering and how much it cost.

DCDisney

07-12-2009, 10:35 AM

I think the DDP is a great value if you plan on eating 1TS meal per day.

Below is an except from my PTR for May. I'm going again in August and by following these rules I will be breaking even just on TS.

I do agree with your rules being necessary to get the full value out of the DDP. But if we are using the DPP for it's convenience factor but then we HAVE to have dinner as TS and shouldn't use it for 2 credit meals, and need to order the most expensive meals, etc etc it really becomes just as onerous as scrimping a bit. When I compare the DDP to paying OOP I look at what we ideally would enjoy most and inevitably for us that ends up being at least 1 breakfast and 1 lunch TS. Often for us we don't even want the CS desserts. My kids like the ice cream bars which are among the cheaper snacks, etc etc. When my kids were kid DDP aged it was a total no brainer to do the DDP even not using it ideally but now that I have 2 "adult" aged kids it's just about even plus we usually end up eating 1 TS meal each trip where none of us are hungry but need to use those credits. We got a pin for free dining on our upcoming trip but otherwise we were going to do OOP and I was going to get the kids a gift card to be able to get whatever snacks they wanted each day since that is their favorite aspect to the DDP.

averysmom

07-12-2009, 08:12 PM

I love the dining plan, because, like you, I would never "treat" myself with a sit-down meal every day, dessert every day, tons of snacks, etc. And with the prices being what they are at the world right now, really one sit-down meal pays for the whole plan - so the counter service and snack is pretty much free!

I also think that the kids plan, is a great deal at 10.99. There is no way that I could feed my kids on 10.99/day at WDW, IMO.

averysmom

07-12-2009, 08:19 PM

I think the DDP is a great value if you plan on eating 1TS meal per day.

Below is an except from my PTR for May. I'm going again in August and by following these rules I will be breaking even just on TS. I have an excel spreadsheet which adds up my anticipated meals w/ taxes, gratuities, and lists all OOP meals that I will do as well.

By "breaking even", I mean that the anticipated costs of TS for 2 adults and 1 child on DDP will equal the cost of the plan. That means whatever we spend on CS Meals and Snacks for the week will be my realized savings. Not bad.

What people often neglect to realize or figure into their costs is that the DDP includes tax. So if paying OOP for anything, you pay 6.5% more than what the prices are listed on the menu, even for CS. So if it costs you $39.99 per day for DDP, you only need to eat $37.54 per day to break even. So for instance, in August I have dinner planned at the Cape May Cafe Clam Bake which costs $30.99, I only need to spend $6.55 the rest of the day to break even. Very easy to do with a CS and Snack. At Le Celier, a filet, creme brulee, and coke is over $42. I'm up before even including a CS or snack for that day.

From my May PTR: When following these DDP "rules" you should always be ahead even when you factor out the price of the CS desserts (which I don't particularly want each day, and skipped all but a few days on my September '08 trip. I did have Mickey Ice Cream bars with my CS lunch at the waterparks though!!).

1. Always use DDP Adult TS credits on DINNER.
If you want to book a Character BF or 2, pay OOP because an adult CBF is 18.99 for most of them (much less than the cost of an average dinner). Note: If you want to use your Adult TS for Character BF's, you likely will not come out ahead on the day (but it should still be within $7 of the daily plan cost).

2. Addendum to #1: If you have kids with you at the Character BF use their Child TS credits for these meals while you PAY OOP. This is because a child CBF is usually 10.99 (while child TS dinner is usually $7.49). Of course you will have to pay OOP for 2 of their TS dinners during the stay if you do this.

3. Never (repeat Never) use 2TS for any meal.

4. Always use CS credits on LUNCH.
Same principle as #1, but this time since lunch costs more on average than breakfast.

5. Use snack credits on BF items, not snacks. Most items under $4 qualify for a SC. You can get a nice coffee roll or mickey muffin at MS Bakery, Boardwalk Bakery or Starring Rolls each morning for a snack credit. Use another credit to split an OJ, pay OOP for a coffee and you'll be set. Since you get 7 SC's each, you should be set for BF for about 4 days using the SC's in this way. The days you aren't using SC for BF items pay OOP or go to a character BF and have some fun following rules #1 and #2.
Sorry for the long post, but it works for me! :goodvibes

ITA with all your points - but an addendum to point 5.

Main Street Bakery lets you use counter service at breakfast - two pastries and two drinks. On our last trip we got two large juices and two cinnamon buns (the size of my head, I swear!) for one CS credit. Since we are not big breakfast eaters, the four of us ate breakfast, sharing the large juices and buns between the 4 of us (2 A, 1 4 year old, 1 6 year old) for one cs credit instead of 4 snack credits - a better use of credits, IMO.

colinsdad

07-12-2009, 09:21 PM

I do agree with your rules being necessary to get the full value out of the DDP. But if we are using the DPP for it's convenience factor but then we HAVE to have dinner as TS and shouldn't use it for 2 credit meals, and need to order the most expensive meals, etc etc it really becomes just as onerous as scrimping a bit.

If you're getting FREE dining, then your point is moot. You dont HAVE to have dinner TS, can waste 2 credits on a meal, and order the cheapest meal on the menu, etc, etc. Eat wherever and whatever you want. It's not costing you anything.

However, if you are PAYING for DDP, then you should at the minimum do the math and see if you're getting value.

Taking your criteria, when I compare the DDP to paying OOP I look at what we ideally would enjoy most too. For my family, that means sitting down for a family TS dinner with meat/fish/pasta just like we do at home every night. We would not enjoy eating cafeteria style CS for dinner and I would argue most people would rather sit down for a formal meal at dinnertime if given the choice.

So extrapolating the cost of these dinners (and what I would normally order if its not a buffet) vs. the cost of the DDP, and determining that the entire daily DDP cost is almost covered by our TS meals, makes it a no-brainer for me to add DDP. And FYI, you don't have to order the most expensive item on the menu. I never said that in my PP.

You note "Often for us we don't even want the CS desserts".

I agree, and I noted in my PP that I don't want/eat them either. There is only so much dessert you can eat. But again, if your entire days DDP is covered by dinner, skip it. You don't lose anything but calories.

You also note "My kids like the ice cream bars which are among the cheaper snacks, etc etc".

While I don't let my kids use snack credits for extra desserts (I think the 2 included daily with DDP is enough), I also never noted that you need to get value using snack credits. In fact, I noted in my PP we use snack credits on BF. BF items are also among the "cheaper" use for snack credits. In fact, BF items in most cases are cheaper than mickey bars. But by using them on BF, it saves money because you're not paying OOP for BF some days when you could use these "cheaper" snack credits for things you normally would buy anyway. It also saves you from scrambling to use up snack credits on the last day by buying up junk food like I read about time and time again on these boards.

Your final point actually seems to be in total agreement with what I was saying all along. "When my kids were kid DDP aged it was a total no brainer to do the DDP even not using it ideally."

Sounds familiar.

"... but now that I have 2 "adult" aged kids it's just about even plus we usually end up eating 1 TS meal each trip where none of us are hungry but need to use those credits."

So it seems as though you are doing the math. Have done the math. And know the math.

I'm just telling people how I use the math to my benefit.

You actually noted when you now use DDP, "it's just about even plus we usually end up eating 1TS each trip".

You break even and waste a TS? I can see a CS maybe, but a TS???

I'd say on this trip with your FREE dining, if you think you're going to waste a TS, you should use 2TS for a DDE dinner. Or maybe go through the "onerous" process like I do of actually planning out your ADR's. :rotfl:

colinsdad

07-12-2009, 09:26 PM

ITA with all your points - but an addendum to point 5.

Main Street Bakery lets you use counter service at breakfast - two pastries and two drinks. On our last trip we got two large juices and two cinnamon buns (the size of my head, I swear!) for one CS credit. Since we are not big breakfast eaters, the four of us ate breakfast, sharing the large juices and buns between the 4 of us (2 A, 1 4 year old, 1 6 year old) for one cs credit instead of 4 snack credits - a better use of credits, IMO.

I like it! Gold Star. A+ :thumbsup2

Use that idea at MK for breakfast and then do a Chicken and Ribs Combo at Cosmic Rays at lunch (which is HUGE and more than enough to share) and breakfast and lunch can both be covered with just 2CS.

goofy4tink

07-13-2009, 08:27 AM

Before every single trip, I sit down with the menus and my calculator. I pretty much know what we will be eating, and where, on any given day. I have found that the DDP really isn't a savings for us. I have the TiW card, which is a 20% savings for me on table service meals.
For instance, we are heading down in a month..there will be 3 of us for the majority of the trip, with dh added for 3 days. We are eating most lunches in our villa, rather than counter service. Not so much a cost saving mechanism, but since we'll be headed there for a midday swim, it makes more sense to have lunch in the room. So, we'll have some groceries shipped in, as well as what we bring with us. But, we'll have a table service dinner each night for the most part. The DDP would have cost me about $150 more than what we will be spending on food as it stands now.

But....my friend and I are headed to WDW for 5 days the week after Thanksgiving. We will use the DDP then. It makes sense for us and it means no trying to figure out who owes what...we both pay our DDP cost up front and be done with it.

You really do have to sit and figure it all out, being sure to compare the same things..apples to apples. Then, you need to decide how much the convenience is worth if you use the DDP.

CariAnn

07-14-2009, 11:44 PM

While the previous posts illustrate, it's different for everyone, but here's my family's take on it:

I have done the DDP three times, never free. Not only do I obsessively plan my own disney vacations but those of friends and family as well. With me, DH and DD, I figured out how cheaply we could eat and still enjoy our meals, then looked at the dining plan. For us, it only costs about $10 a day more total for the dining plan, versus OOP where we would probably only do a couple table service meals the whole week.

Also, it is just nice not to keep track of how much we're spending, just how many meals we've eaten. While I do wish you had a choice of appetizer or dessert, I did find before when you got both, it was really too much food and a lot went to waste.

Finally, an idea, in order to balance out desserts with every meal, I used most of my snack credits for fruit or vegetables. A healthy snack as well as refreshing on those hot Florida afternoons.

DsnyQueen

07-15-2009, 12:19 PM

While we probably would save money by not doing the DDP (assuming it's not free), we would most likely be forcing ourselves to eat all CS, which is not all that appealing to me. Since we only use Disney Transportation, the average on-site CS meal with drink only is about $8-10 and consists of a burger and fries which is not my favorite. I would probably want a snack and maybe a dessert at least once a day, so add in another $4-10 per day. Total, this would be $20-30 per person per day if we only ate two meals. While this is a "savings", it's better for me to spend the extra $10 or so and get to go to nice TS and have the option of all those desserts and snacks without more out of pocket. I can also target what I refer to as the "better" CS where you can get rotisserie chicken and pork chops, etc., but that you might not want to pay more for if on a budget and OOP.

I also agree with the others that the "pre-paid" convenience is what helps aid my decision to go with the DDP each time. I've noticed that even with a budget for food, things can still get out of hand if you don't plan ahead carefully. I prefer to have it all paid ahead of time, and then I can change my mind if I decide to get the more expensive entree or snack. I don't have to sacrifice something later in trip because of my splurge the first day!

DCDisney

07-18-2009, 07:46 PM

[QUOTE=colinsdad;32681664]If you're getting FREE dining, then your point is moot.

Free dining isn't free though because you pay rack rate for the room. Other times of year you can get the same room and DDP for the same cost as free dining when they run other good promotions plus you don't have to travel suring hot hurricane season and fight for ADRs.
.

"... but now that I have 2 "adult" aged kids it's just about even plus we usually end up eating 1 TS meal each trip where none of us are hungry but need to use those credits."

So it seems as though you are doing the math. Have done the math. And know the math.

I'm just telling people how I use the math to my benefit.

Your math is ideal if you follow the "rules" but if you PREFER having a lunch or breakfast TS rather than dinner a few times or junior gets the $12 pasta dish it can be a slippery slope in terms of the break even on the DDP.

You break even and waste a TS? I can see a CS maybe, but a TS???

We eat the TS to not waste the credits but if we were paying OOP we could skip it and it would be money saved. We've never had anyone get sick on our trips but if that happens you could lose lots on the DDP.

We've taken multiple trips with the DDP and I run the numbers every single time. Whether on the plan or not we do a TS every day. On our last trip I figured out to come out ahead at all we had to spend no less than $25 on a TS which was right where the buffets price out. Some days it worked in our favor like at Le Cellier and some it didn't like 50's Prime Time (which though it was cheap was our favorite meal that trip).