Should we do DDP or not?

[Tray c]

If we are only planning on doing 1 sit down dinner while we are at WDW. Is it worth it to get the DDP? I'm confused about the whole thing. this will be our first visit to WDW. thanks for any help

 

[ginnibobb]

There are many things to consider when trying to decide if the DDP is right for you.
Can you tell us:
When you plan on going?
How many nights you plan on staying?
How many in your party?

Answers to these questions could help form better responses for your individual situation.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I love the DP and could never do WDW without it, but that's just my opinion. It's not for everybody. If this is your first trip, and you only have a day or two in the parks and want to spend every single minute in the parks and only care to do 1 TS meal, then No, you probably shouldn't do it.

On the other hand, if you have at least 3 or more days or if you've been before, I would suggest doing it. There are some wonderful dining opportunities in WDW and you have to eat anyway, so it may be worth it. Pickey eaters don't do so well either, so if your used to just burgers and fries as your usual meals, you might want to just do counter service (fast food) meals instead to save money and time.

 

[RFrank9504]

Just remember - its DISNEY- everything is expensive....if you're on the dining plan, basically your meals are prepaid for and less travel money you'll need to save. Lunch and Dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids in a quick service restaurant can run about $35.00. Thats not including, the 3 bottles of water you'll buy walking around in the heat at $3 - $4 each, or any of the popcorn or ice cream before the shows at night-it really adds up. If its a weekend trip, then no-its not worth it, but anything over 4 days-buy the dining plan-its one less expense you'll have to worry about. My aunt didnt buy her plan for her family (4) and they spent all week worrying if they would have enough money, budgeting so much per day-it didnt work out and they had to run to an ATM maching the last day. Hope this helps!

 

[Tray c]

There are many things to consider when trying to decide if the DDP is right for you.
Can you tell us:
When you plan on going? May 24-31
How many nights you plan on staying?7
How many in your party?4

Answers to these questions could help form better responses for your individual situation.

Thanks for any help. It's getting close and I think this is the only thing I am questioning myself about.

 

[amaley01]

We did the DDP in '06/'07 & '08 and enjoyed it, but we made 1 TS/ADR for each day of our trip (including Crystal Palace, O'hana, Garden Grill, Whispering Canyon, Hollywood & Vine & Cape May Cafe etc). Coral Reef had outstanding service and we doubled the tip. The bills averaged out to be $120.00/per TS for our family (2 adults & 2 girls under 10).

This year, the tip issue really frustrated us because of the suggested amount and the service was not up to par the majority of the time.

Considering we always shared CS, (which cost less then $50.00 with drinks & dessert) which I considered to be big combos & had left overs, our next visit, we will budget $$$ for food, pay cash and honor good service.
CS have healthy food & a good variety and gives your schedule more flexibility with young kids.

Best bet is to take the time to calculate $$ on and off the plan to consider if it would be worth it and compare it to your budget.
Good luck

 

[Ageout96]

We did the Dining Plan for our December 07 trip. Two adults and two children. We are all big eaters, so we loved it

We found out that counter service meals would have cost us about $45/per meal, and buffets were about $110/sans tip. You can ask the servers to tell you what your "real" total for the meal would be. It's on their tab, but previously was not on the tickets the customers received. We wrote down every total and when we got home figured out that we saved about $400.

We will NEVER do WDW without the dining plan.

 

[Wife2Grumpy]

Figure out where you plan on eating each day without the plan. Look at the
menus and try and get a ball park figure for day. Then figure your cost for the
plan per day. If the plan number is close or less then figure out if there are
enough table service meals you would want to try. You will get 7 table service
credits, 7 counter service credits, and 7 snack credits per paying person.
(Children under 3 eat for free.) If there is not really 7 table service places your
family would even like then do not do the plan. Also you are coming up quick
on those dates. Do you have reservations already? You may have a problem
getting reservations this close which will make it hard to even use 7 table
services.
If any in your party are children then you should also consider their eating
habits now. For our last visit I planned Character Breakfast because my kids
were big breakfast fans at home. This was true for the trip to. They would
want to eat a big breakfast and then really did not even care to do anything
but snack the rest of the day. They just wanted to hit the rides and could not
have cared less about food.

 

[gatorfreud]

We saved a ton on the DDP last year, 9 nights, (when apps and tip were included)... this year I think we may save about $100 if we're lucky (for 5 nights). If you only want 1 TS meal the whole trip then NO WAY!! You have to do 1 per day to use the credits. You will have to do 4 TS meals (or a couple of 2 TS's).

 

[Tray c]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and suggestions. Since we are only doing one dinner I think I am going to pass this time. It's probably too late to book things anyway. We leave May 23rd. Oh well.

 

[ExtinctDino]

I would not recommend purchasing the DDP for a first-timer family with kids. The first time you go, you and especially your kids will not want to spend the time it takes to use the table service credits. On subsequent visits when you've already seen everything once and will have a shorter list of attractions you want to go back to, it won't seem like such a big waste of time to sit in a restaurant for an hour and a half each day.