Comparing apples to apples....figuring out the DDP

[crzy4mk]

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?

 

[brandylouwho]

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]

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]

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".

 

[ReneeDisney]

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]

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]

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

 

[Schmoodle]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.[/QUOTE]

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.

 

[Sandisw]

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]

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

 

[snykymom]

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]

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...........

 

[mwatson011]

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]

Funny enough, I did a similar comparison and came out ahead with the DxDP vs paying OOP. 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) 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]

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!

 

[jcjohns91107]

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.