Disney Dining Plan calculator - Amazing Tool!!! - Page 3 - The DIS Discussion Forums

pbruce706 · 01-20-2013, 10:05 AM

Pretty sure the numbers are right, we're saving a good chunk thanks to the rate our CAA agent was able to get. Also, I think we're saving so well because we chose some more expensive restaurants than we'd otherwise not go to if we were OOP, part of the reason I like the dining plan. That and it's all paid for.

Now I have a good idea what our OOP costs will be. It also recommended where to use our credits. I guessed at a couple CS restaurants for lunch, won't always do that, but we'll be further ahead paying for some breakfasts OOP and saving the CS credits for in park lunches when we want them.

AngiTN · 01-20-2013, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJDisneymama

very interesting......... wonder how accurate it is though. I plugged in our ADRs and guessed at which park QS restaurants we might eat at. Mine comes out to

Reg. Dining Plan - $1342
Out of Pocket Cost - $1449

So we'd save $100 by getting the DP....

My theory has always been that the DP is close to break even. You don't save buckets and you don't usually pay out lots more with it. It is wonderful to those of us who like to know we pay nothing more out of pocket once our trip is paid off. It's a mental thing more than a huge cost savings. So I think results showing a $100 difference one way or the other are typical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisGirl819

Works fine on my macbook

And thanks OP!! That is aaaaaa-mazing!!!!!

What software do you run on your MAC? Open Office won't see the drop down menu on the dinner column. I did remote to my desktop PC at work and pull it up with Excel and it works great on that.

pilotwife_02 · 01-20-2013, 10:26 AM

Wow!! What a great tool. We aren't big ADR people, even going for 2 weeks we only have 4. So I figured it out with my estimates of where we would eat on certain days and even with high estimates it looks like we would save $500 WITHOUT the DDP so I was right not to get it.

Thanks for sharing.

momto3gr8boys · 01-20-2013, 11:06 AM

Wow! I was debating the DDP, and I was correct in my thinking that we are better off without it. We do like a sit down every day, sometimes two and like several of the 2 credit places. OOP saves us $380.75 according to this. Unless a deal comes out, looks like we are going OOP this trip. Thanks for the link!

GreenCntryGirl · 01-20-2013, 11:38 AM

This was really neat. I will save more OOP but if I decided I preferred a pre-paid plan, I now know which one would be cheapest for our family.

Thanks!

neilbrassfrog · 01-20-2013, 12:08 PM

This is cool and confirms what I thought: if my daughter was 9 the plan would be worth it, but because she is 10 it is not.

staceycanada · 01-20-2013, 01:39 PM

For those having problems getting the drop down bars to work (for number of people etc.) I had to click on the enable editing button which popped up near the top. Once I enabled that everything worked amazingly.

PA Disneymania · 01-20-2013, 01:39 PM

My MacBook Pro was able to download the file. I entered the data using Excel for Office 2004.

I cannot, however, make ADRs using my MacBook Pro. I don't get the Continue or Next button, only the Cancel button. I can, however, make the ressies on my iPad. Strange but true.
It's a long time until June.

starsweeper · 01-20-2013, 01:47 PM

Thanks for the info. I'll have to look at this more once we have our park days settled for October and see if there is free dining.

DisneyStarWisher · 01-20-2013, 02:55 PM

After playing around with it and checking the accuracy of the prices, I found that the total cost isn't very accurate (like several hundreds of dollars off). But it did confirm that TIW is the best way to go for our dining style (breakfast in room, CS for lunch, signature for dinner). I was surprised to find that the next best way to go is OOP, not the DxDDP like I suspected.

I do wish they would include the Swan/Dolphin restaurants, and I wonder how updated it is considering Bistro is now Monsieur Paul and Yakitoria House is now Katsura Grill.

NHKristy76 · 01-20-2013, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisneyStarWisher

After playing around with it and checking the accuracy of the prices, I found that the total cost isn't very accurate (like several hundreds of dollars off). But it did confirm that TIW is the best way to go for our dining style (breakfast in room, CS for lunch, signature for dinner). I was surprised to find that the next best way to go is OOP, not the DxDDP like I suspected.

I have to say that I anticipate the dollar amounts are WAY off too. We have never spent $1500 for food and that's what it is estimating... I guess we'll have to see what happens this time!

Either way it's a pretty cool tool... especially for us WDW addicts!

SPHB ILU · 01-20-2013, 03:08 PM

I don't know when it was last updated but I did plug in where we ate in October 2012 and then compared receipts from my trip back in October and when using the "Average" option, it said my OOP was $1,788 and using the "High" option it said my OOP was $2,312 and my receipts were $2,217 and we do usually (but not always) order the most expensive things! So it was pretty accurate for us!

DisGirl819 · 01-20-2013, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by momto3gr8boys

What program did you use to open it?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Excel. Its an excel spreadsheet.

SPHB ILU · 01-20-2013, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHKristy76

I have to say that I anticipate the dollar amounts are WAY off too. We have never spent $1500 for food and that's what it is estimating... I guess we'll have to see what happens this time!

Either way it's a pretty cool tool... especially for us WDW addicts!

Did you look at the breakdowns on the other tab by meal and then look at WDW menus and see if there was a glaring discrepancy? I'm not sure how it works but that could show if something is off!

DisGirl819 · 01-20-2013, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngiTN

My theory has always been that the DP is close to break even. You don't save buckets and you don't usually pay out lots more with it. It is wonderful to those of us who like to know we pay nothing more out of pocket once our trip is paid off. It's a mental thing more than a huge cost savings. So I think results showing a $100 difference one way or the other are typical.

What software do you run on your MAC? Open Office won't see the drop down menu on the dinner column. I did remote to my desktop PC at work and pull it up with Excel and it works great on that.

I have Excel...I think its the latest version for macs but not positive. I'm not really sure why it wouldn't work in excel on a mac as long as you have excel. Its an .xls file which should work in excel on any computer.

01-20-2013, 10:05 AM	#31
pbruce706 Earning My Ears Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: ON Posts: 22	Pretty sure the numbers are right, we're saving a good chunk thanks to the rate our CAA agent was able to get. Also, I think we're saving so well because we chose some more expensive restaurants than we'd otherwise not go to if we were OOP, part of the reason I like the dining plan. That and it's all paid for. Now I have a good idea what our OOP costs will be. It also recommended where to use our credits. I guessed at a couple CS restaurants for lunch, won't always do that, but we'll be further ahead paying for some breakfasts OOP and saving the CS credits for in park lunches when we want them. __________________

01-20-2013, 10:26 AM	#33
pilotwife_02 DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 953	Wow!! What a great tool. We aren't big ADR people, even going for 2 weeks we only have 4. So I figured it out with my estimates of where we would eat on certain days and even with high estimates it looks like we would save $500 WITHOUT the DDP so I was right not to get it. Thanks for sharing. __________________ Dawn

01-20-2013, 11:06 AM	#34
momto3gr8boys DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rockville Centre, NY Posts: 1,329	Wow! I was debating the DDP, and I was correct in my thinking that we are better off without it. We do like a sit down every day, sometimes two and like several of the 2 credit places. OOP saves us $380.75 according to this. Unless a deal comes out, looks like we are going OOP this trip. Thanks for the link! __________________ Christine DWDS(16) DS(15)DS(12)Picasso MY Family-moon PTR: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3038962 My C2C Adventure Starts Here!:http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3061395

01-20-2013, 11:38 AM	#35
GreenCntryGirl The DIS keeps me up past my bedtime. Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 798	This was really neat. I will save more OOP but if I decided I preferred a pre-paid plan, I now know which one would be cheapest for our family. Thanks! __________________ #AbedForEpisodeVII #sixseasonsandamovie Mimi, Papa, Daddy, Uncle Alec, and Boo Star Wars Weekend 2013 All Star Music

01-20-2013, 01:39 PM	#38
PA Disneymania Earning My Ears Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 45	works on a Mac My MacBook Pro was able to download the file. I entered the data using Excel for Office 2004. I cannot, however, make ADRs using my MacBook Pro. I don't get the Continue or Next button, only the Cancel button. I can, however, make the ressies on my iPad. Strange but true. It's a long time until June.

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01-20-2013, 12:08 PM	#36
neilbrassfrog Earning My Ears Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 27	This is cool and confirms what I thought: if my daughter was 9 the plan would be worth it, but because she is 10 it is not.

01-20-2013, 01:39 PM	#37
staceycanada Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 104	For those having problems getting the drop down bars to work (for number of people etc.) I had to click on the enable editing button which popped up near the top. Once I enabled that everything worked amazingly.

01-20-2013, 01:47 PM	#39
starsweeper Mouseketeer Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 396	Thanks for the info. I'll have to look at this more once we have our park days settled for October and see if there is free dining. __________________ Me(38) DH(40) DS(6) DD(6) DS(29 mos) DD(17 mos) Me: Aug79 - PR, Apr85 - Golf Resort, Apr88, Apr91, Jun97 - Off property, Nov06 - CBR w/DH Our Family: Feb09 - PCR, May10 - Mariott OWC w/Mom The Dream Trip in Memory of Mom ~ Summer 2014 20+ family members having a once in a lifetime trip together

01-20-2013, 02:55 PM	#40
DisneyStarWisher Love My DVC!!! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,939	After playing around with it and checking the accuracy of the prices, I found that the total cost isn't very accurate (like several hundreds of dollars off). But it did confirm that TIW is the best way to go for our dining style (breakfast in room, CS for lunch, signature for dinner). I was surprised to find that the next best way to go is OOP, not the DxDDP like I suspected. I do wish they would include the Swan/Dolphin restaurants, and I wonder how updated it is considering Bistro is now Monsieur Paul and Yakitoria House is now Katsura Grill. __________________

01-20-2013, 03:08 PM	#42
SPHB ILU Earning My Ears Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 47	I don't know when it was last updated but I did plug in where we ate in October 2012 and then compared receipts from my trip back in October and when using the "Average" option, it said my OOP was $1,788 and using the "High" option it said my OOP was $2,312 and my receipts were $2,217 and we do usually (but not always) order the most expensive things! So it was pretty accurate for us!

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