2 adults, 1 child, debating dining plan.

[v0mich01]

We are going November/December 2018. Currently booked 11/28-12/5 and WL, but flexible with dates. We currently have the DDP on our reservation, but I'm debating it. It'll be me, DH, DS(3) and our new baby(6 months at time of trip)

Here's our current restaurant list
Day 1: Roaring Forks for Dinner
Day 2: Biergarten Candlelight Processional Package for lunch, late dinner at Via Napoli
Day 3: QS at HS for lunch, Cape May for Dinner
Day 4: Lunch at Grand Floridian, Dinner at Ohana
Day 5: Tusker House Brunch(ROL dining package maybe), Dinner at QS in AK
Day 6: Crystal Palace breakfast(hoping for an 8:05 res), Columbia Harbor House Lunch, QS for dinner.
Day 7: MK QS for Lunch, MK QS for Dinner.
Day 8: Whispering Canyon for Breakfast

I've done the calculator thing. I said we'd 2 appetizers at every meal, no desserts. And 3 snacks per person per day. We go over the TS alottement by 6 credits. Without the DDP it'd be $1434.97, with the dinning plan it'd be 1585.46. So clearly, it'd cheaper to not do the dining plan, and it gives us more freedom. We're not *really* going to be getting appetizers at any sit down dinner besides Via Napoli right. And I we would actually utilize the adult beverages at meals provided with the dining plan. But the calculator doesn't have that option. So, is it reasonable to assume $20 for two drinks?

We'd likely partake at Biergarten, Via Napoli, Cape May(maybe), and I could see buying a drink in the parks in the evenings with the quick service meals. So maybe an additional $120 on adult beverages throughout the week.)

So really, I'm only saving $30. Which is negligible to me. It could be nice to have it "prepaid" except for a bit.

Thoughts?

 

[Faldred]

First of all, understand that on basic DDP, you get dessert, but not an appetizer, with your TS meal, and you can't swap the dessert for an appetizer. So that may change your numbers accordingly.

Swapping a soft drink for a cocktail would probably be a difference of roughly five to nine dollars per person at current menu prices, depending on options and choices made. And obviously you can't do that in the MK unless you're doing BoG dinner, which you're not.

 

[v0mich01]

First of all, understand that on basic DDP, you get dessert, but not an appetizer, with your TS meal, and you can't swap the dessert for an appetizer. So that may change your numbers accordingly.

Swapping a soft drink for a cocktail would probably be a difference of roughly five to nine dollars per person at current menu prices, depending on options and choices made. And obviously you can't do that in the MK unless you're doing BoG dinner, which you're not.

I know that we don't get app on the ddp. If there is a restaurant that has them(not a buffet) we will buy them, and that is factored into those calculations. Dh is a t1 diabetic, so he wouldn't eat his dessert, I know sometimes you can swap it for something else, so he'd try to do that if we got the ddp. But swapping for grapes wouldn't cut it. He'd need like a green veggie it side salad, is that possible?

Thank you for the input on the cocktail switch. So $20/2 drinks would cover it for sure.

I like the idea of no ddp, for freedom, but I like the idea of ddp for convenience.

 

[Faldred]

Swaps are always at the restaurant's discretion, and typically for a small salad or soup when it is allowed. Mentioning the diabetes might get the server to suggest options, and there's usually a no-sugar added dessert (though that might still be too much natural sugar) on the menu.

I'd use $20 for 2 alcoholic drinks for OOP as a reasonable average, but use $14 when factoring into DDP value, given that a soft drink (~$3) is usually assumed and will be replaced. (Except at buffets, where the drink is included in the price; there, you can use the full $20 to determine value.

 

[v0mich01]

Swaps are always at the restaurant's discretion, and typically for a small salad or soup when it is allowed. Mentioning the diabetes might get the server to suggest options, and there's usually a no-sugar added dessert (though that might still be too much natural sugar) on the menu.

I'd use $20 for 2 alcoholic drinks for OOP as a reasonable average, but use $14 when factoring into DDP value, given that a soft drink (~$3) is usually assumed and will be replaced. (Except at buffets, where the drink is included in the price; there, you can use the full $20 to determine value.

I should have been more clear, we're traveling in 2018, when adult beverages are part of the dining plan. which is what is making my decision tougher.
With the dining plan + 6 ts credits + extra three snacks a day + appetizer at Via Napoli = $1585
Without the dining plan the calculator says $1434, but I'm trying to factor in adult beverages for the times we'd have them. So I figure maybe 6x2 beverages($120), so it'd be $1554. For $30, is it worth having most of it prepaid?

 

[sharonabe]

I should have been more clear, we're traveling in 2018, when adult beverages are part of the dining plan. which is what is making my decision tougher.
With the dining plan + 6 ts credits + extra three snacks a day + appetizer at Via Napoli = $1585
Without the dining plan the calculator says $1434, but I'm trying to factor in adult beverages for the times we'd have them. So I figure maybe 6x2 beverages($120), so it'd be $1554. For $30, is it worth having most of it prepaid?

I'm only counting 9 total TS credits, and you have an 8 night stay, so that's only 3 TS extra for all 3 of you. What am I missing?

On the flip side, I'm only counting 7 QS, so with the plan, you will have one extra QS you paid for, but didn't use.

OOP sounds better to me.

 

[v0mich01]

I'm only counting 9 total TS credits, and you have an 8 night stay, so that's only 3 TS extra for all 3 of you. What am I missing?

On the flip side, I'm only counting 7 QS, so with the plan, you will have one extra QS you paid for, but didn't use.

OOP sounds better to me.

Biergarten for the candlelight processional is 2 table service. Then there are seven others.

Via Napoli
Day 3: QS at HS for lunch, Cape May for Dinner
Day 4: Lunch at Grand Floridian cafe, Dinner at Ohana
Day 5: Tusker House Brunch(ROL dining package maybe), Dinner at QS in AK
Day 6: Crystal Palace breakfast(hoping for an 8:05 res), Columbia Harbor House Lunch, QS for dinner.
Day 7: MK QS for Lunch, MK QS for Dinner.
Day 8: Whispering Canyon for Breakfast

I'm not sure we couldn't use those extra was for breakfasts and the like. I just didn't have those explicitly planned out.

 

[sharonabe]

Biergarten for the candlelight processional is 2 table service. Then there are seven others.

Via Napoli
Day 3: QS at HS for lunch, Cape May for Dinner
Day 4: Lunch at Grand Floridian cafe, Dinner at Ohana
Day 5: Tusker House Brunch(ROL dining package maybe), Dinner at QS in AK
Day 6: Crystal Palace breakfast(hoping for an 8:05 res), Columbia Harbor House Lunch, QS for dinner.
Day 7: MK QS for Lunch, MK QS for Dinner.
Day 8: Whispering Canyon for Breakfast

I'm not sure we couldn't use those extra was for breakfasts and the like. I just didn't have those explicitly planned out.

7 + 2 = 9. Are you only staying for 7 nights? I don't get where you have 6 extra TS for the 3 of you. If you're staying 8 nights, it's only 3 extra.

 

[v0mich01]

Sorry, we're only staying seven nights. So the biergarten would put us 6 credit over, or be oop. Sorry I probably haven't been super clear with everything.

 

[Faldred]

I should have been more clear, we're traveling in 2018, when adult beverages are part of the dining plan. which is what is making my decision tougher.
With the dining plan + 6 ts credits + extra three snacks a day + appetizer at Via Napoli = $1585
Without the dining plan the calculator says $1434, but I'm trying to factor in adult beverages for the times we'd have them. So I figure maybe 6x2 beverages($120), so it'd be $1554. For $30, is it worth having most of it prepaid?

I get that. What I'm saying is that the calculator is still probably based on the assumption that the beverage component of your entitlement is typically a soft drink (~$3). If you're going to have an alcoholic beverage instead, you want to factor in that $3 against the value of the beverage to get the difference between the calculator's value and what you'd actually be getting.

So if, for a $45 meal according to the calculator, you add a $10 alcoholic beverage, you also need to subtract $3 for the soft drink it's replacing, meaning your value would be $52 (not $55).

 

[powellrj]

What about buying a gift card equal to what you will spend on meals and that way you are prepaid without the DDP.