Just booked all our ADRs for the DXDDP and it is saving me over $500!

[triplefigs]

am i understanding that the DXDDP includes gratuity?

It only includes the tip for room service, dinner shows (HDDR and the Luau) and CRT. All the rest is OOP.

 

[daniel475]

the delux dining plan does not include tip. and yes, i did estimate(ball park)on the amount of money i need for tips.

 

[Wendi2000]

Boma for breakfast or dinner. Kona Cafe for dinner.

 

[4myrrh1]

What I mean is no one will easily get a good value out of the DXDDP. You will need to commit to an entirely Disney vacation. Any breaks or taking a day to do something interesting on your Florida vacation is not going to allow you to break even. I could “Live to Eat” or I could hope for a plan that was similar to this years plan. I put effort into getting a good value but didn’t have to kill quite so many brain cells trying to make the figures fit the reality. I know I could get the DXDDP to be a lot of fun assuming I could eat that much for an entire trip. But here is the kicker---You will be totally committed to Disney restaurants and then much more time will have to be spent away from the parks themselves. On my last two trips the current DDP was enough but it should not be reduced in value. I cannot understand how Disney can give away FREE dining to get guests to go during the summer but turn around and GREATLY raise the expense for paying guests like myself.

 

[Colleen27]

What I mean is no one will easily get a good value out of the DXDDP. You will need to commit to an entirely Disney vacation. Any breaks or taking a day to do something interesting on your Florida vacation is not going to allow you to break even. I could “Live to Eat” or I could hope for a plan that was similar to this years plan. I put effort into getting a good value but didn’t have to kill quite so many brain cells trying to make the figures fit the reality. I know I could get the DXDDP to be a lot of fun assuming I could eat that much for an entire trip. But here is the kicker---You will be totally committed to Disney restaurants and then much more time will have to be spent away from the parks themselves. On my last two trips the current DDP was enough but it should not be reduced in value. I cannot understand how Disney can give away FREE dining to get guests to go during the summer but turn around and GREATLY raise the expense for paying guests like myself.

Generalizatons are generally a bad idea.

We commit to an all-Disney vacation each and every time we go to Disney. When we want to see Florida, we go to the Keys or Daytona or any number of non-Disney destinations. When we want to do the other Orlando attractions, we don't do Disney. So that commitment to only Disney days and only Disney restaurants isn't a downside for us.

We don't want to go theme park commando for our family vacation. We'll be there for 12 days, plenty long enough for meals and theme park fun! We'd take the time out for sit down meals regardless of the dining plan. We'd take the time for a few character meals so that we don't have to take the time for character greeting lines. So taking the time to eat the meals that the plan includes isn't a downside for us.

We will get value from the deluxe plan without even thinking about it. The plan costs about $100 less than I'd budgeted for meals and snacks, and allows us to add meals that hadn't made the cut when I was planning the budget.

It isn't just the free dining promo that has prompted these changes. Do the math on the dining plan that you paid for compared to the food you ate, and think about how the paid plan times millions of visitors was affecting Disney's bottom line. Disney had to make the plan more profitable. So rather than an outright price hike, they lowered the plan's value in ways that address two of the most common comments about the plan - questions over quality of service since the tip was included, and comments about the sheer quantity of food on the plan.

 

[NMW]

What I mean is no one will easily get a good value out of the DXDDP. You will need to commit to an entirely Disney vacation. Any breaks or taking a day to do something interesting on your Florida vacation is not going to allow you to break even. I could “Live to Eat” or I could hope for a plan that was similar to this years plan. I put effort into getting a good value but didn’t have to kill quite so many brain cells trying to make the figures fit the reality. I know I could get the DXDDP to be a lot of fun assuming I could eat that much for an entire trip. But here is the kicker---You will be totally committed to Disney restaurants and then much more time will have to be spent away from the parks themselves. On my last two trips the current DDP was enough but it should not be reduced in value. I cannot understand how Disney can give away FREE dining to get guests to go during the summer but turn around and GREATLY raise the expense for paying guests like myself.

Well, we do commit to an entirely Disney vacation-Deluxe dining plan or not. We do not see, nor do we have any interest in seeing more of Florida than the airport. We get a limo that takes us to Disney and there we stay! That's one of the reasons we love Disney-never having to leave! Honestly the Deluxe dining plan is how we normally eat-charcter breakfast, signature or other TS dinner, a few TS lunches. I can't imagine doing it any other way. For our family it works.

 

[thunderbird1]

I would have definitely gone for the deluxe DDP except my dd turns 10 in September! No way is $70 a day worth it for a girl who will eat mostly chicken nuggest and macaroni and cheese. If I was able to get a child's Deluxe DDP for her I would have snapped it up in a minute!

Us, too. Can't say for sure we would have bought it, but with a 10 year old I can say for sure we won't. The flexibility alone would have made for an amazing trip. With the current DDP, I'm hesitant to use credits for 2 credit meals, like signature restaurants, dinner shows, room service and pizza delivery. With the DXDDP, I'd be able to try them all without worrying about running out of credits.

What I mean is no one will easily get a good value out of the DXDDP. You will need to commit to an entirely Disney vacation.

Of course that's what Disney wants! Like NMW, we commit entirely to Disney anyway--that's what makes it such a relaxing vacation. With ME, Disney transportation and the DDP, the trip was nearly all-inclusive for us, which we loved. The DXDDP really does put the trip in the realm of a cruise ship or all-inclusive resort.

I guess I would be a little concerned about how difficult it might become to get into signature restaurants, but if we did our planning 180 days out like we do now with the regular DDP anyway, it shouldn't affect us too much. Not to mention that room service option--my dh would love to be able to get room service!

 

[LizinSTL]

We are 2A/3C. Cost of 7 days of the DXDDP is $1400. Calculated the cost of meals (included tip at CRT and HDDR) at $1780. The tip at 18% (which I may only 15% at buffets) is $217. This savings (with 2 credits left) is at $163.

How I computed these savings: I went to allears.net to view the menus and prices. I calculated each non-buffet TS meal and included drink, appetizer, dessert, and main course. For each buffet I just calculated the set price. I made an Excel spread sheet to keep track so that I could see exactly what we would save. I summed all the food items for each person, added tax, and 18% tip at CRT and HDDR (they are included in the DXDDP). This subtotal was used to compute my savings. I calculated 18% tip on each total to see what my OOP tip would be, sans HDDR and CRT. It was complicated, but I really wanted to see if we could get our moneys worth out of the plan.


I made all TS. We will not eat all the food at each meal, but it is definitely allowing us to try lots of new places:2 Signature restaurants, almost all character meals (the kids' favorites), and a dinner show. We prefer TS, taking a break, and the TS allow us down time and good character interaction which is vital for my DS who is special needs. So for us, the DXDDP is fantastic!

We each have 21 credits total. We booked:

• CP Dinner (1)
• CRT breakfast (2)
• CM Dinner (1)
• H&V Character Lunch (1)
• Brown Derby Dinner (2)
• WCC breakfast (1)
• HDDR dinner (2)
• 'Ohana character breakfast (1)
• Plaza lunch (1)
• LTT dinner (1)
• Garden Grill lunch (1)
• PSB dinner (1)
• 50's PT lunch (1)
• Yachtsman's Steak House dinner (2)
• CM breakfast (1)

That is 19 credits, so I still have 2 credits left to use. Any suggestions?

We also will be getting refillable mugs ($11.99 each) and 2 snacks per day per person (currently listed as max $4 per person) which is 70 snacks total. That adds another $60 plus $280 to the prior $163 for a grand total savings of

$503 with 2 credits left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​

I'd save the other 2 credits for CS if you want a quick meal at some point in the week. You can even share some of them for lunches/breakfasts/eating around the world in Epcot, grabbing something for by the pool if you are at the resort, etc. That's 10 meals right? I'd make sure you have that much available so you aren't OOP if you do decide that you MUST have a casey's hotdog or a turkey leg or you guys just have to have a double cheeseburger between your chef mickey's breakfast and your dinner show, you know?

 

[Cinderumbrella]

WTG Denise!! I did a similar thing for our family when the rumors first surfaced and saw that we would save about $350 for 9 days with the Deluxe too!! Since the Dec 2008 trip will be our 5th time in 4 years, we are looking forward to 3 TS per day since we don't need to "commado" the parks. It will be all about the Christmas activities and doing our favorite attractions not trying to cram everything in.

 

[triplefigs]

I'd save the other 2 credits for CS if you want a quick meal at some point in the week. You can even share some of them for lunches/breakfasts/eating around the world in Epcot, grabbing something for by the pool if you are at the resort, etc. That's 10 meals right? I'd make sure you have that much available so you aren't OOP if you do decide that you MUST have a casey's hotdog or a turkey leg or you guys just have to have a double cheeseburger between your chef mickey's breakfast and your dinner show, you know?

Yes, you're right. That would be 10 meals (4 A and 6 C) for CS. That's a lot of grazing at Epcot. And I do love Casey's hot dogs!

 

[triplefigs]

WTG Denise!! I did a similar thing for our family when the rumors first surfaced and saw that we would save about $350 for 9 days with the Deluxe too!! Since the Dec 2008 trip will be our 5th time in 4 years, we are looking forward to 3 TS per day since we don't need to "commado" the parks. It will be all about the Christmas activities and doing our favorite attractions not trying to cram everything in.

I think if you were going during a busy time, the DXDDP might be harder to fit in. But, we always go during slower times, and I'm anticipating the 1st week of Feb to be slow again. Last Sept we slept in until 9 or 10am every day, took our time getting to the parks, definitely didn't go commando, and we saw EVERYTHING, and rode our faves many, many times. I think the DXDDP will be wonderful, and I know having the breaks, seeing the characters up-close and personal vs long lines, etc will be a God-send for families like us with a special needs child.

Have fun in Dec, Kristin!

 

[triplefigs]

Well, we do commit to an entirely Disney vacation-Deluxe dining plan or not. We do not see, nor do we have any interest in seeing more of Florida than the airport. We get a limo that takes us to Disney and there we stay! That's one of the reasons we love Disney-never having to leave! Honestly the Deluxe dining plan is how we normally eat-charcter breakfast, signature or other TS dinner, a few TS lunches. I can't imagine doing it any other way. For our family it works.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!! I can't wait, and I only want to be at Disney, stay at Disney, eat at Disney when we go. That's a huge part of the magic for us. If we want to go to Universal or SeaWorld, we'll do that on a separate trip.

 

[4myrrh1]

Well, we do commit to an entirely Disney vacation-Deluxe dining plan or not. We do not see, nor do we have any interest in seeing more of Florida than the airport. We get a limo that takes us to Disney and there we stay! That's one of the reasons we love Disney-never having to leave! Honestly the Deluxe dining plan is how we normally eat-charcter breakfast, signature or other TS dinner, a few TS lunches. I can't imagine doing it any other way. For our family it works.

I have also commited to a Disney Vacation on my trips. That said I did it without having to do it because of a policy that requires such commitment to get my value out of the DXDDP. It was easier to justify this years plan and both the basic DDP and the DXDDP are comprimises. I don,t know if scheduling the entire vacation is as comfortable for me when there are many more ADR's to get lined up. Actually I agree that the DXDDP offers alot but for me it is simply to much to both mannage and to splurge on. Admit it the DXDDP is not your typical family vacation--- ---At least for my family.

 

[angelmav]

I could see myself really enjoying all those credits! But your math for tips looks too much like its based on the cost of the plan, I would forewarn you that tips will set you bck a good deal more than your thinking (assuming a minimum 15%).

 

[triplefigs]

I could see myself really enjoying all those credits! But your math for tips looks too much like its based on the cost of the plan, I would forewarn you that tips will set you bck a good deal more than your thinking (assuming a minimum 15%).

Nope. I based 18% tip on our exact meal cost which is much more than the cost of the plan. I did an extensive Excel spread sheet, picked appetizer/dessert/meal/drink or buffet for each of us, added tax, and then calculated tip. BTW, most of the items I picked were the MOST expensive on the menu, so if we order something cheaper than our tip will actually be less than I calculated. Need to remember that I did NOT have to include paying tip for HDDR or CRT as it is part of the DXDDP.

 

[danalee]

The spread sheet is AWESOME!!!! I am a planner and have been thinking about the deluxe plan and with it "laid out" to me, it looks even better!
We do All Disney in our trips as well, so fitting the Deluxe plan in wont be a big deal!

Thanks again for sharing your chart

 

[daisy112878]

Thank you so much for posting your spreadsheet. Dh and I do almost all TS while in WDW and are planning on doing the deluxe plan next year. Last time we did the premium just so we would have 3 meals a day but we didn't use half of the "extras" on the plan. I got so excited when I saw this new deluxe plan and now you've helped me see it in excel (which I love love love excel).
thanks again.

 

[melomouse]

Excellent job, lots of work - but the fun kind! - and thank you so much for sharing!

Seems to me it is not that important if you have "miscalculated" tip estimates on 2008 DDP - for your family, you've done the math and know your family's needs and are saving a bundle - be it $500+ or as little as $200.

It's important to remind ourselves that the DDP, currently OR in 2008 may not meet every family's style. In this case, it works out great and I am so glad you have shared - lots of us - (less ambitious!) appreciate the effort and the post!!!

You are going to have an awesome trip!!!Wahoooo!

 

[WETWHISTLE]

I've been doing some research myself trying to figure out which plan will be best for my DF and I on our upcoming trip in February. I've put together 2 different spreadsheets - 1 for the DDP and 1 for the Deluxe DDP.

We like to order appetizers so I factored those in, and we would be paying OOP for 2 Character breakfasts. Above the cost of the DDP ($779.80 since we are going for 10 nights), we would end up having to pay approximately $475 OOP for the appetizers, gratuity, and character breakfasts. So that brings the food total to approximately $1255.

If we were to get the Deluxe DDP, our appetizers and character meals would be included, and we'd only have to pay for gratuity. But since we'd do a lot of TS meals, the gratuity would be more. With 6 credits leftover, our estimated gratuity for the whole time we would be there would be about $315. Now I'm sure my DF and I would use some of those 6 leftover credits over the course of the 10 nights, so the gratuity would be higher...say $350 just for an easy number to work with. The food total for this plan would be about $1750.

I'm just torn as to what to do. We love food and love to try different restaurants and foods...but part of me can't justify paying almost $1800 on food for our vacation!!!!

 

[canwegosoon]

Nope. I based 18% tip on our exact meal cost which is much more than the cost of the plan. I did an extensive Excel spread sheet, picked appetizer/dessert/meal/drink or buffet for each of us, added tax, and then calculated tip. BTW, most of the items I picked were the MOST expensive on the menu, so if we order something cheaper than our tip will actually be less than I calculated. Need to remember that I did NOT have to include paying tip for HDDR or CRT as it is part of the DXDDP.

You did a fantastic job on your sheet...obviously your type of touring WDW is not what everyone would do. People on a tight budget, 1st trip or even a trip every few years obviously would not be doing this type of touring. I love it because I hate to cook on vacation and you can only eat so many hamburgers....so I am going to think hard about it. Unfortunatly on our only planned trip for 08 we have 13 people coming and I think we are going to stick with the basic dining plan...but we are flying in 2 days early(and we are DVC) so I could split the ressie and try the DXDDP...... Gonna have to look at those # again for me.