Savings question?

[simplymama]

I'm curious if somebody could give me a general idea of how they figure out the 30-40% savings with the DDP.

I've been looking at the plans and the CM told me the most populuar is the $40.00 one which is one TS, one CS, one snack.

If we eat at a character buffet that is TS, I'm guessing about $27.00 and then $10.00 for a CS meal and then $3.00 for the snack. That totals $40.00.

So I'm trying to figure out if my prices are way off and these things cost way more than what I'm finding online, or if the savings ends up being only a few dollars a day.

 

[ajleone]

For the most part if you only eat buffets when you are paying for the DP you save only a few $ per day on the adult plan. If you eat at say Le Cellier the entree and desert paid separately can easily come to more than $30. The children's price of $10 per day is where I see the biggest savings. It's really what makes the plan worth it to me. If you look at the cost for a child at most buffets and they are $15-$20 so I'm already ahead. Hope this helps and sorry if I rambled abit.

 

[simplymama]

For the most part if you only eat buffets when you are paying for the DP you save only a few $ per day on the adult plan. If you eat at say Le Cellier the entree and desert paid separately can easily come to more than $30. The children's price of $10 per day is where I see the biggest savings. It's really what makes the plan worth it to me. If you look at the cost for a child at most buffets and they are $15-$20 so I'm already ahead. Hope this helps and sorry if I rambled abit.

Thanks, that was helpful and what I was thinking. The main savings would be on the kids meals, but I think when all is said and done, with our littlest possibly sharing some meals at lunch etc. especially if they've had a big breakfast, it's really not going to be enough of a savings to bother with it since our TS reservations are mostly for buffet type meals (most of them breakfast, which seems to be cheaper) with characters.

 

[RahRah573]

When you pick pricer character meals, like the Princess Lunch at Askershus ($31 for adults, , $19 for kids) you can save as an adult....but the real savings on character meals is with kids. On the other hand, if you pick pricer table service restaurants to eat, there are some really good potential savings if you choose restaurants you'd eat in any way that are expensive, like Coral Reef for lunch ($31 to $38 adults, $7.50 kids).....once you look at what you'd eat for your TS meals, then you can estimate what you'd spend for your CS and snacks to see how much you save.

On another thread I posted an Askershus breakfast, Crepes lunch (snack credits) and Liberty Inn dinner (Epcot Day) that would be $121 out-of-pocket, but with 2-adults and 1-child it was a $91 day for the DDP....so saved $30.....or 25% for the day.

 

[gratenana]

We went to WDW this past Aug/Sept and totally enjoyed the DxDDP!!! There were 8 of us in our group and it was great not to have to worry about food prices or paying out of pocket.


Here's who went DH, me, DBIL, DD, DGS2, DGS9, DGD5, DDBF

We stayed at the All Star Sports in 2 rooms.
Our trip was 10 days, nine nights

Our dining credits were as follows:
Meal credits--adult 135 credits child 54 credits snack credits 126 credits

Here's where and how we did it:

Aug 24--check in day
Breakfast--Crystal Palace used 7 meal credits (baby was free) would have paid OOP w/o tip $128.54
Dinner--Crystal Palace again--used 7 meal credits (OOP-would have been $184.18 [175 meal credits left]

Aug 25
Breakfast at Chef Mickey's --used 7 meal credits--(OOP would have been $150.10
Dinner at the hotel since we went to sea world this day
we used 7 meal credits for this --not sure of the total
[161 meal credits left]
Aug 26
Breakfast at the hotel used 7 credits--not sure of cost
Dinner at Mickey's BBQ--used 14 credits (OOP cost would have been $278.94
[147 meal credits left]

Aug 27
Breakfast at PlayHouse Disney <Hollywood & Vine> used 7 credits (OOP would have been$160.71)
Dinner at Hollywood & Vine used 7 credits (OOP would have been $160.75
[133 meal credits left

Aug 28
Breakfast at Crystal Palace used 7 meal credits (OOP would have been $124.54)
Lunch at Cosmic Rays used 8 meal credits (not sure of OOP cost)
Dinner at Chef Mickey's used 7 meal credits (OOP would have been $191.64)
[111 meal credits ledt]

Aug 29
Breakfast at Norway Akershus used 7 credits (OOP would have been $192.70)
Dinner at Poly LUAU used 14 meal credits (OOP would have been $328.89)
[90 meal credits left]

Aug 30
Breakfast at Tusker House used 7 meal credits (OOP would have been $124.54)
Dinner at 1900 Park Fare used 7 meal credits (OOP would have been $216)
[76 meal credits left}

Aug 31
Breakfast at CRT used 14 meal credits (OOP would have been 254.82)
Dinner at the hotel used 7 meal credits (not sure of OOP)
[55 meal credits left]

Sept 1
Breakfast at Ohana used 7 meal credits (OOP would have been $145.58)
Lunch at AK Pizzafari used 7 meal credits (not sure of OOP)
Dinner at the Hoop Dee Doo used 14 meal credits (OOP would have been $361.90)
[27 meal credits left]

Sept 2
Breakfast at hotel used 7 meal credits (not sure of OOP)
Counter Service lunch used 7 meal credits (not sure of OOP)
Dinner at Chef Mickey's used 7 meal credits (OOP would have been $ 191.64)
[6 meal credits left]

with the remaining 6 credits we purchased small pizza's for the drive home and also used up our remaining snack credits. (on drinks and snacks--so we didn't have to buy anything on the road except gas and coffee...lol)

We are going again in June and are definately planning on using the DxDDP again. This time we are going to venture and try some different restaurants.

The above quote is from another posting I had made in regards to our trip last summer.

We did save a lot by purchasing the DxDDP over paying out of pocket.

The one thing that we really use in considering whether to buy the plan or not is the fact that we know our meals are paid for in advance. We think that this makes the trip a lot less stressful money wise. The only thing we need to worry about are tips.

Just remember, each families view on the dining plans is different, go with what works best for your family. Even if the savings are not 30-40% off, is the fact that your meals (and some snacks) are paid for already a huge burden off your shoulders?

Which ever you choose to do, have an awesome time when you're there!!!!

 

[catne]

We have done paid basic Dining Plan, Free Dining, and DxDining...I have kept receipts and when we have paid for the plan, we average about 28% savings. To get the 30% savings you'd really have to be very careful to always order the most expensive items at the most expensive places...but you could certainly do that if you wanted. Most people don't, preferring to eat where & what they want so I'd guess a lot of people just come closer to breaking-even on the plan. Which is fine if you're just looking for a pre-paid plan like an all-inclusive vacation. But it is possible to save a lot without planning if you happen to naturally favor eating in more expensive ways (as my grandmother used to say "champagne tastes on a coke budget.")

As other posters mentioned, buffets are not likely to provide the most savings - we rarely eat at buffets, and do not use our table service at breakfast or lunch which are both much less expensive than dinner prices. If your choice for table service tends to be buffets, and you'd prefer breakfast or lunch for restaurant meals you'd probably do better paying cash.

We tend to like the sit-down meals for dinner at menu restaurants much more than the buffets, and we also prefer the high-end entrees as opposed to cheaper pasta dishes and the like. For example, our favorite meal at Le Cellier is the mushroom filet ($34.99) and the whiskey cake ($7.49)...throw in the soft drink ($1.99) and you're already more than $4 over the $39.99 total cost of DDP for the day. Your counter service meal and snack are totally free that day - and your estimate of $10 per person on the counter service would really only apply to burger/fries type counter service. Which we tend to not do -- figure we can eat Mc D's at home, anytime -- on vacation we want something different. Places like Flametree, Tangierine Cafe, Wolfgang Puck Ex. all cost considerably more than $10 per person.

 

[Faldred]

$10 for CS seems low, I'd go with closer to $13, especially including tax, as an average. (When doing cost comparisons, remember that OOP prices need to have tax added to them -- the DDP costs are priced out including all taxes.)

That aside, if you're trying hard to "optimize" your savings, you could easily get well over 30%. As an extreme example, I'll take dinner at Tutto Italia, lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express, and use my snack on a Dole Whip.

Dinner:

• Entree: Tagliata di Manzo with fennel and arugula salad $36
• Dessert: Copetta Sotto Bosco - berries, zabaglione cream gelato and chocolate sauce $14.00
• Beverage: Iced Tea with mint and orange $4.50
• TOTAL INCLUDING TAX: $58.04

Lunch:

• Entree: Pizza - Meatball and Parmesan - Niman Ranch meatballs, fresh basil pesto, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, tomato-basil garlic sauce and fresh basil $13.95
• Dessert: Creme Brulee $4.95
• Beverage: Fountain Drinks, Iced Tea, Lemonade $2.65
• TOTAL INCLUDING TAX: $22.95

Snack:

• Dole Whip Float $3.99
• TOTAL INCLUDING TAX: $4.25

TOTAL: $85.24
PLAN COST: $39.99
SAVINGS: $45.25 (53%)

Now, all of this begs the question: "yeah, you can save that much, but is that what you really have ordered if you were paying out of pocket?" In most cases, the answer is: "probably not."

 

[acpalmer]

Because we go during a Disney "holiday" period, we see more savings on buffets than during other times of the year because of that surcharge that they put on there. So keep that in mind when figuring--if you are there during a "holiday" (I put that in quotes because I still don't consider the month of June a holiday), then you will see savings there because the surcharge is covered in your dining credits.

 

[acpalmer]

Sorry, double post!!

 

[catne]

Because we go during a Disney "holiday" period, we see more savings on buffets than during other times of the year because of that surcharge that they put on there. So keep that in mind when figuring--if you are there during a "holiday" (I put that in quotes because I still don't consider the month of June a holiday), then you will see savings there because the surcharge is covered in your dining credits.

dang, guess that means I'll have to send back those June holiday decorations and cancel the June holiday parties...just kidding

agree, there is no "holiday" that lasts from May until July. Wonder if they really mean "holiday" in the sense that our friends in Great Britain refer to vacations as "holidays", maybe?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'll agree with the previous posters that said the biggest savings comes if you are traveling with children. We did 4 character meals last trip and the total for my daughter for just those 4 meals was a few dollars shy of the amount I paid for 7 days of the dining plan for her. It was like I got 3 additional table service meals, 7 counter service meals, and let's say 5 or 6 snacks (not 7 since the 4 character meals didn't quite add up to the DP cost) for free.

For me alone, the DP is a savings over the cost of the food that I get. But when I went in March without DD, I spent less on food than I would have spent on the DP. I only had one TS meal, and didn't order dessert with any of my meals.

 

[ajleone]

Oh and to add to my post from earlier-Even if I don't save alot I do like the dining plan because it's paid for ahead of time so its one less thing to worry about it when I'm down there.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm curious if somebody could give me a general idea of how they figure out the 30-40% savings with the DDP.

I've been looking at the plans and the CM told me the most populuar is the $40.00 one which is one TS, one CS, one snack.

If we eat at a character buffet that is TS, I'm guessing about $27.00 and then $10.00 for a CS meal and then $3.00 for the snack. That totals $40.00.

So I'm trying to figure out if my prices are way off and these things cost way more than what I'm finding online, or if the savings ends up being only a few dollars a day.

I think it is important to look at the whole party and the whole week, because some places are much more expensive than others and the $10/day for kids on the plan is a LOT less than you'll spend feeding your little ones if you're doing character buffets. I don't imagine you could save 30-40% over an entire week, because those numbers are based on the most expensive options, but you might find that you save more than a few dollars per day.

Also, $10 is on the low side for CS. A burger is $6-7, plus $2 for a drink and $3 for dessert, putting even a cheap CS meal at $11-12. Get into the better/pricier options like the grill at Sunshine Seasons and you're looking at $10 for an entree, $2 for a drink and $3-4 for a dessert for $15+ total.

Also, it looks like you're going in June, so don't forget to account for the holiday surcharge at the buffets. That makes the DDP in general and the kids' plan in particular a much better deal - for the kids, you're paying $10 for the plan and getting a $20 buffet dinner plus a $5 CS and a $2-4 snack.