Should we do DXDDP again?

[frannn]

We have upgraded from the free DP for the past two years, and it was great. We ate all TS meals, as DH, DD7, and I are 3 meal/day folks (or 2 big meals). We have done the reg DP in the past, enjoying the CS, but having to add a food court or similar breakfast OOP, doing a small grocery run for drinks/snacks, plus buying the mugs OOP. I'm trying to decide if we've "done it all" foodwise and should step back to DP on our 2010 trip to switch it up & have a bit of freedom. Only thing is, the DXDDP kind of makes sense for us. Not doing it would save about 400-475 (including tips), and that would be adding 2 extra TS, all CS bkfast, mugs, grocery run OOP. We've been to WDW a handful of times, so we're ok with missing a bit of park time to relax over a meal. In '09, we spent a day at Universal, plus I got sick one day, so we had extra credits to use with an almost full dining schedule...maybe thats what turned us off this last time. DH loves to have everything moneywise taken care of before we go, but also doesn't love having everything scheduled out so long before our trip. We do mostly character meals, but like appetizers at places like Teppan edo, Le Cellier, etc. Total "spent" on meals in '09 with DXDDP credits was 2555 (not including snack/mugs), total cost for the upgrade was 825. Wowza! Wouldn't go to all TS off the plan, though. I'm still going around in circles....any thoughts?

[Condorman]

If you plan to eat the way the DxDP is designed to let you eat, then do the DxDDP. This will help DH with regards to having everything planned out in advance moneywise, and it will allow everyone in the family not to have to worry about whether you can or can't/should or shouldn't order that appetizer, or get that snack, etc.

As for how much money you'd save by not doing the DxDP, I don't think you'd be saving as much as you think. If you go OOP, and still dine close to how you would have if on the DxDP, you'll see the charges mounting faster than the Cavalry in the Old West.

I, too, was in the same boat as you with our upcoming trip. I vowed after our '09 trip never to do the DxDP again because it was just too much food. But when I booked our latest trip, and I priced everything out again, it was still cheaper to do the DxDP than to go OOP. In fact, I'm saving even more money on our upcoming trip than the last one due to some of the current discounts -- and our last trip even had Free Dining. Go figure.

In the end, only you can decide, but from the info you gave us I say stick with the DxDP. You won't be saving that much if you go OOP. It only seems that way because your CC won't have such a large charge on it this early on. Serenity now, insanity later.

Either way, good luck and have fun!

[Colleen27]

I second Condorman's advice. And I wouldn't worry if you do have a few credits leftover, since you're still getting your money's worth and then some out of the plan. Sure, you'd have saved MORE if you used every credit, but I really don't think that should factor into the analysis of the plan. To me, it is a simple question - If I were paying OOP, would I spend at least as much as the DxDDP costs? For us the answer is a resounding YES, so we go with the deluxe plan and don't worry about making the most of it.

[Donaldswife]

Myself, DH and my DD7 always do the deluxe plan....we usually schedule a couple of days with only 2 larger meals and try to plan a couple of dinners that are 2 credits (a dinner show or a "fancier" dinner experience) Also, just because you have 3 table service credits doesn't mean you HAVE to eat table service. We usually throw in a couple of CS lunches and still come out way ahead when you add in the mugs and two snack credits a day. We also usually use our snack credits for beverages during the day like water since we are full from all our delicious meals. The cost for the Deluxe Dining plan in 2009 for 2 adults and one child was @$167/day. We usually had a bill at dinner each day for @ $150, so I know we were getting our money's worth! :)

[Tikitoi]

I think the only way I could ever do the DDP is doing a TS for breakfast then a Signature for dinner. :goodvibesThough this is sounding like something to try. Anywho, if you've done it before and enjoyed it, why not. Do it again. :cool2:

[Faldred]

It's a very personal decision to make.

In my case, I'm strongly tempted to do DxDP again on the next trip, regardless of cost issues, because we have autistic twins. As such, they are very schedule-oriented, and the process of planning our days down to 3 sit-down meals at specific times is not only not daunting, it would essentially be required to avoid behavioral issues. From our previous trip, we found that "winging it" or using some meals for CS (at peak meal times, to stay on schedule) were much more trouble than they were worth.

But we're a very atypical family in these regards. With older children who were not as schedule-dependent, basic DDP or Deluxe with a 1-credit and 2-credit meal each day (late breakfast or early lunch plus dinner) would be a more legitimate option for us.