DDP vs "prepaying" for food by buying Disney gift cards

[lblume91]

We have done the regular DDP the last three trips but I'm reconsidering for our trip next summer. The cost keeps going up & they keep removing perks. It really is to the point that you just break even. The only perk is having your meals paid for prior to arrival. Buying Disney gift cards in advance would do the same thing. Plus we could eat however we wanted & not feel like we had to use all the credits "because we paid for these!" Sooo... my question is... have you used GCs for your dining expenses? Did you like it? Would you do it again? Any problems? We don't use credit cards so linking KTTW card to a credit card is not an option. I don't want to come back from my trip with debt. Can you link your KTTW card to a Disney GC, if it has a large amount on it? Just looking for my best deal... TIA!!!

 

[KathyK]

IMO, you do better than break even with DDP. We saved ~41% on the DxDDP last time around.

 

[karrit2000]

I think it really depends on your eating style. If you rarely do TS then the regular Dining plan probably isn't a good deal. The QSDP may be a better fit. If you like to do a lot of sit down TS type meals then it may become more cost effective to have the dining plan but it stil depends upon how you eat when you dine out. If you rather have an appetizer than a dessert the DP isn't a good fit. I haven't done the DP since they eliminated the appetizer except once for a split stay. I found the original DP when the appetizer was included to be a great deal but we spent a lot of time eating rather than spending a lot of time doing the attractions. Fortunately it was a week long trip and it wasn't like we were trying to commando tour the parks. For me I would consider it again if visiting during a slower time of the year where the parks have more limited hours and I can enjoy more leisurely meals. I was considering doing the QSDP for my October trip but I know my Mom wouldn't get her moneys worth and I can't get it just for me. I would have loved using the snack credits for the F & W booths.

 

[serene56]

I am using gift cards on our upcoming trip. I have been putting money on one card each time I can. (since 2005)
It will pay for all our incidentals--plus if someone wants the appetizer-- the money is there. We are also paying tips using the card.


I scrunch the numbers to pay OOP vs the dining plan and just by eating where we say we are gonna go we are saving a ton of money--not including the money for the snack we can have each day

 

[MomofKatie]

We did the Dining Plan once, in 2005 (the first year of Free Dining). Since then, we have put $$ on Disney GCs every month leading up to trips to 'prepay' for our meals.

We have had no problems with the GCs. All CS and TS locations (except Rainforest Cafe, I believe) take them. We did find 1 or 2 kiosks/carts that couldn't take them, but it wasn't the norm, and we carried a little cash for such occasions.

What I like about using GCs is that we could eat what we wanted, when we wanted, and we never felt like we were "wasting" credits if, for example, we decided to skip a TS ADR one day. Also, if we had left over $$ on the GC, we could use it at any gift shop on property, or at our local Disney Store when we got home. With the DP, if you don't use all your credits, you lose them- no being able to buy souvenirs with leftover snack credits.

 

[TDC Nala]

IMO, you do better than break even with DDP. We saved ~41% on the DxDDP last time around.

Not everyone is going to do that well, and some are not going to save anything at all. I often buy appetizers, no entree and no dessert, and alcoholic beverages, and I don't do buffets - DDP would likely save me nothing over what I would order without it.

 

[lblume91]

What I like about using GCs is that we could eat what we wanted, when we wanted, and we never felt like we were "wasting" credits if, for example, we decided to skip a TS ADR one day. Also, if we had left over $$ on the GC, we could use it at any gift shop on property, or at our local Disney Store when we got home. With the DP, if you don't use all your credits, you lose them- no being able to buy souvenirs with leftover snack credits.

This was really my train of thought. On each of the 3 trips we've made with the DDP, we had extra snack credits that we "wasted" by buying oj or milk for the room just to keep them from being unused. We aren't big dessert people either so those would often go to waste, especially at the CS places. At the TS meals we would get them boxed to go & eat them in our room before bed, which we totally didn't need to do!

Thanks for all the great input!!

 

[Manda513]

Just FYI too...
If you live near a Kroger they offer gas rewards for purchase of gift cards. Occasionally they'll offer a promo where you can buy the gift card and get $5 back as well.

Also..you can room charge all your meals providing that the place you go accepts room charges and then pay at your hotel with the gift cards to settle the bill. I had about 20 $15 gift cards so it made it easier on me rather than piecing gift cards for each place. HTH!

 

[Cafeen]

Just FYI too...
If you live near a Kroger they offer gas rewards for purchase of gift cards. Occasionally they'll offer a promo where you can buy the gift card and get $5 back as well.

Also..you can room charge all your meals providing that the place you go accepts room charges and then pay at your hotel with the gift cards to settle the bill. I had about 20 $15 gift cards so it made it easier on me rather than piecing gift cards for each place. HTH!

This is probably the best way to do it if you're going with multiple gift cards (if you have 1 or 2 big cards, using them table-side should work fine, but this works for that case too). It will help to eliminate the "I have $12.47 left on this one, $3.12 left on that one..." annoyance.

As far as the value inherent in the DDP, it's all up to the way you dine on the vacation. If you dine they way the plan was designed for, you can save quite a bit of money. If you go outside the plan for most of your food (too many CS/TS, apps, alcohol, leftover credits/snacks etc), then you're more likely to lose money on the plan. As most things Disney (and non-Disney), it works for some while not so much others. It's all in determining which fits your style and needs better .

 

[MN_Cruz'n]

My two cents...

I'm a reformed Cheap B*****d (CB), but I still have CB tendencies, as my DW will attest...

My enjoyment of dining at WDW would be greatly lessened if I saved up my money and then paid out of that fund (vs. using the Dining Plan). I would be looking at the price tag of EVERY meal, and second guessing my choices. I would spend an inordinate amount of time trying to "maximize" the "Food Fund", ultimately trying to not spend it all and bring some of the fund home. What a miserable way to spend vacation.

On the DP, the only thing I worry about is where to eat and when, because my meals are pre-paid. The plan forces me to use the credits (use it or lose it!), since losing the credits would be a waste of money (yes, more CB tendencies). On the plan, I never look at the price of the meal, and I actually look forward to eating places were I would never choose to eat if I was paying out of pocket.

Dining at Disney is a HUGE part of our vacation. I can't see of doing it any other way at this point.

 

[2Tiggies]

Just adding in my 2c. I use the QSDP and pay OOP for some TS of our choice. The reason I choose to do this is because of what I order. I like salads and appetizers as an entrree. I can't usually eat a dessert and a meal in the same sitting. But something I wanted to point out, which is commonly overlooked when making this decision, is that I am not limited to restaurants which participate in the dining plan.

 

[emh1129]

We've done the DDP twice before but now we opt to set aside money and put it on a Disney gift card (which we then just put on the room & use KTTW to charge things to our room account). I much prefer it this way. We get a nice room discount (usually) and with the gift card, things are still sort of 'prepaid.'
I like that I don't have to worry about what counts as a snack credit, a child's meal, etc. We order what we want, when we want it. If we're exhausted and decide to cancel a TS, we can do that and not worry about credits going to waste.
We just like the freedom that we have doing it this way-- much more relaxed.. (although we wouldn't turn down free DDP if we were going at that time!)

 

[Sandisw]

We just got back and did a split stay which allowed for both the DDP and QSDP. I realized that next summer, we are going to do just as you suggested--buy gift cards in the amount of the DDP and then use those to cover the meals and see where we come out.

We found that we just did not eat as much food as the plans offer. DD 14 and I can get buy with one CS or TS meal daily with fruit and something small throughout the day to fill in for breakfast and our third meal. And, there were several times that I was just not hungry for the dessert and it went to waste.

We even ended up having to use up 8 snack credits before leaving today and we never even tried to save them. I used them for drinks throughout the week and still had credits left from the three of us.

My plan is to put the cost of the DDP on a few different cards and go from there. This way, we can eat what we want, when we want, and not worry about the cost.

We also realized that we like having TS meals for lunch and not dinner. With the DDP, it maximizes the savings when you use it at dinner. In addition, we only want to do 2 or 3 TS meals over the course of a week but want to split them up. Doing the DDP forces us to eat them for consecutive days.

I think it is a great idea.

 

[lblume91]

My two cents...

I'm a reformed Cheap B*****d (CB), but I still have CB tendencies, as my DW will attest...

My enjoyment of dining at WDW would be greatly lessened if I saved up my money and then paid out of that fund (vs. using the Dining Plan). I would be looking at the price tag of EVERY meal, and second guessing my choices. I would spend an inordinate amount of time trying to "maximize" the "Food Fund", ultimately trying to not spend it all and bring some of the fund home. What a miserable way to spend vacation.

On the DP, the only thing I worry about is where to eat and when, because my meals are pre-paid. The plan forces me to use the credits (use it or lose it!), since losing the credits would be a waste of money (yes, more CB tendencies). On the plan, I never look at the price of the meal, and I actually look forward to eating places were I would never choose to eat if I was paying out of pocket.

Dining at Disney is a HUGE part of our vacation. I can't see of doing it any other way at this point.

You may be my DH's long-lost twin!!

 

[cluvsdisney]

We don't really save anything with the DP either so we pay out of pocket. We use our vacation club money to cover this expense. I am not in favor of purchasing gift cards in advance, especially ones to specific places like Disney. I would save the cash in a savings account to earn interest and just use that. If someone is uncomfortable carrying cash, I'd recommend a visa or Amex gift card which can be used anywhere at any time.

 

[Cafeen]

We don't really save anything with the DP either so we pay out of pocket. We use our vacation club money to cover this expense. I am not in favor of purchasing gift cards in advance, especially ones to specific places like Disney. I would save the cash in a savings account to earn interest and just use that. If someone is uncomfortable carrying cash, I'd recommend a visa or Amex gift card which can be used anywhere at any time.

While I do agree with you regarding the Visa/Amex gift cards (and if I were to do this, it would be the way that I do it), another line of thought would be with the self proclaimed "cheap person" above. Using a Disney specific card would force them to use that money while in Disney, thus reducing the amount of "Well, if I order cheaper I could put it toward some back-to-school clothes..." or even worse "I could put it toward some bills..." something that some people aren't interested in. It would give them the freedom to choose what they want to eat based on menu item, not based on price.

In the end, it's all a matter of preference. For me, the way I eat (at least last trip and this upcoming one), the plans work and I saved/will be saving money. I do recognize that this isn't always the case though and that finding suitable alternatives is a great thing. Pre-paid cards (whether Disney specific or not) work well for those (like me!) who may have trouble saving the extra cash or just want a way to lock in the extra money at an earlier date. It's all about finding what works best for you and what you're most comfortable with .

 

[A&MsMommy]

This is a great thread! I found the last time we went, it was COLD! We went the second week in February. We're from New England and so when it's cold we eat! LOL. So when we were in Disney we didn't seen to have a problem using up credits. However, when we went in '08 we were there in September and as you know it was not cold at all. Very hot, very humid. For me, I'm not intereseted in sitting down and eating a huge meal and a big piece of chocolate cake and walking outside to 90 degrees and humid. Gross. So for us I think it would really depend on when we go. I know that sounds strange but those have been my two experiences with the DDP. Both times we had it.

Our newest dilemma is that we love to go off season but I've taken a job in the school system starting in September and will now be in the position where I'll need to go either during the summer or on school vacations. My prime would be April vaca and we all know there's never deals for that time. I think I'll start adding to the gift card now. We're planning to go back in April '12 ( I know it's killing me to wait that long but oh well...)

So here's my question. Can you add to a gift card online or only in the Disney Store? Also, some of the cards after a certain time period (two years) start taking money off? I guess DIsney's aren't like this since some of you mentioned doing it for a while.

 

[JLitfin]

Here's what I've been doing. I have used the DDP when I traveled with my sister and her girls and loved it. Not having to worry about carrying lots of cash or several gift cards while touring the parks.

My next trip is this coming January, traveling with my DH and no kids. I have a Disney Visa Credit Card and I charge just about everything, including college bills if I can. I could only charge 1 college bill for this fall since the other 2 started charging an extra fee for using a Visa card. (I'm not going to pay an extra fee). That's right I have three sons in college at the same time, very expensive. Oh well, with my reward points that I have collected I was able to purchase (2) 10-day non-expir park tickets and now I'm saving for our dining. We decided just to pay for our meals through my Visa rewards card from earning points for charging. Right now I have enough pts to purchase 1 DDP and am working toward the second one. So by January I should have enough to pay for our meals by using my reward pts, instead of purchasing the DDP.