DDP is it worth the $$??

[hyland684]

I have been reading people's post and looking over the information and it seems to be a good deal but FI isn't sure about it. It seems like everywhere we would want to eat is on the list and I think it would be better not to have to worry about how much meals cost since they'll already be paid for. I also have one more silly question, if we want to order a beer or wine will they let us and just charge us for it since it's not included???????

 

[BlindTyldak]

I have been reading people's post and looking over the information and it seems to be a good deal but FI isn't sure about it. It seems like everywhere we would want to eat is on the list and I think it would be better not to have to worry about how much meals cost since they'll already be paid for. I also have one more silly question, if we want to order a beer or wine will they let us and just charge us for it since it's not included???????

Whether its worth it or not is up to your dining habits. If you prefer to sit down for a very light lunch and eat dinner on the go, it might not be because lunch is the cheapest TS meal, for example. But if you like a nice big sitdown dinner every night at a good restaurant, IMHO it is very worth it. We've easily "spent" $200 for two people for one meal on the DP and of course, it was all paid for and covered for much, much less.

You can still order all the alcoholic drinks or extras that you would like, they just charge you separately for those. Remember to tip separately for those as well, as they will not be covered in the dining plan gratuity program.

 

[beth_cam]

I am 100% for the DDP for us and sounds like a lot of people it is just awesome for. But it depends on your family and your eating style. I figured out that if i brought snacks from home and always shared doing all CS except two character meals. Never Never getting any extra drinks it was going to cost me an extra 140 to be on the plan and not worry so much. This was worth it. And you can try so much more/different foods than we did but we chose not to we just dont eat that way....all of the real expensive restaurants we tried were a disappointment to us because we just didnt like the foods enough to order the expensive entrees. We werent hungry for desert often so we ended up getting cheap deserts so they could be taken along as a later snack. The only foods we ate not on the plan were items we brought for the quick in room breakfast before getting on our way. We wont go without it.

On the other hand you cant always make it work. It isnt intended for everyone. If you want I'll see if I can find the thread, but a man(?) posted that he and his wife(?) went without plan ate atleast a table service a day and ordered whatever they wanted and had the cs's etc and snacks and came out less than if they had purchased the dining plan and it seems he was saying they ate much more in the number of meals not necessarily in the 'allowable' amount of food than they could have on the plan.

So it really depends on what you will eat. I thought the amount was astronomical until i sat down and looked at prices and figured out how much we would eat. Has your FI seen the menu's and prices?

And as far as the alcahol orders I wanted to add to the previous poster that while the tip is separate from your ddp order, the bill for any out of pocket items will sometimes come with the tip (18% just like the plan) already figured in so just check that so you dont tip more than you mean to.

 

[MariaEllerºoº]

It's definitely worth it in my opinion! The plan costs $38 per adult and $11 per child per day. I always plan $50 per person per day for food and this is normally what we hit each trip. Some days it's a bit cheaper and other days it's a bit more expensive, but breaking it down it comes to $50 per day per person and even then I have to worry about what we order off the menu. With the Dining Plan I don't have to worry what we order off the menu and we get to try TS's that we normally wouldn't eat at because of not being able to afford it. The plan is definitely worth it to me!

 

[bicker]

I used the menus posted online and figured how much we'd pay OOP if we didn't have the Dining Plan. Assuming we'd order no appetizers, and no desserts, we'd spend $902.50 for four adults, one TS meal and one CS meal and one snack for each of the five nights of our stay. The Dining Plan will cost us $759.80, so we'll save $142.70, and of course be able to order whatever appetizers and whatever desserts we'd like, if we so choose.

http://brianandrobbie.com/DiningPlanEstimatedCostsNoAppyNoDessert.htm

 

[angelmav]

Just to add my 2 cents, having gone to DL paris last month and not being able to afford many TS meals, was really kind of a downer! Bear in mind, this is a cost that you can work into your vacation budget and doesnt have to come out of cash on hand or go on the card meaning less worry and more enjoyment! For us its an added bonus because we are a family of big eaters so I know well enjoy the portions/atmosphere and chance to sit down!

IMO its not for you if your a person or family of light eaters or dont need two full meals and a snack a day (I know many people like that) or you dont want to spend the time necessary to sit and eat. Plus if you are fine with a big breakfast and not much else during the day then its not cost effective either

(If it were up to me I would sleep in everyday and then have a large brunch and I would be fine with drinks and a snack the rest of the day, the rest of my family however would lynch me if I tried that)

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

It is worth it for my family. The first time we used it, I went through the menus on Allearsnet and we saved a ton of money. Over time, we have gotten to where we want a sit down each day for dinner.

If you are fine with counter service or bringing your own food, then it isn't a good deal at all really. But, if you like the sit downs, then it is well worth the price.

My next trip, I did the same thing, went through all the menus for where we have ADRs. Only getting entrees, a few appetizers and desserts here and there, the cost was close to $1000 for us for our 9 night trip. And that was with the DDE discount. This was me only adding up one counter and the one table service each day. Did NOT include snacks of any kind. The dining plan is only costing us $881.64 and we will have all those snack credits as well.

 

[pooch]

actually cost $300, the difference in the room discount I lost. But I could never feed our family of four (3 adults - 1 jr) for 10 days for $300.00. We love TS restaurants and enjoy the time to stop & recharge. So even if we had to pay, we would be doing DDP. But for me, the best thing about DDP is not being the menu Nazi. I always hassle the family about what they're ordering. Not gonna happen this time!! I do expect to share some CS's. It'll be hot and we probably won't be super hungry during the day. But TS time is wide open! Order whatever you want. Gotta love that!

 

[bicker]

Oh, I intend to be the menu Nazi this time. "What do you mean you don't want an appetizer? I've been dying to try both of these -- you don't want yours? Good! Order me that one, so I can taste both."