2011 DDP Rates - Is It Still Worth It?

[spurk5532]

For me I know that if I wasn't on the ddp that I would eat completely different and it probably would cost me a ton less. I would always eat cs, I wouldn't get snacks and I would never have dessert and I would probably just drink water. I would worry so much about spending money on food that I just wouldn't. I would save a ton of money by going OOP but really for me my Disney vacations are about splurging and forgetting the real world and for me that means forgetting about money issues. When I went on my honeymoon back in 04 we had the gold plan which was truely all inclusive and we definitely took advantage of it. We loved it and totally got our moneys worth. I wish they would go back to that kind of ddp. Also it was so much nicer back in 04 when you could just make reservations for almost any restaurant the day of. I like to have a flexible plan but that is hard when you have to make adr's months in advance.

 

[havoc315]

The treat-yourself-splurge can certainly be understood on a vacation. For many, that's the whole point of a vacation.

But even when splurging and treating yourself, nobody wants to flush money down the toilet.
For someone who really wants maximum flexibility, with the most fine dining, and highest food quality and quantity, the DxDP does still offer fair value. (If you want signature meals every night, for example).

But... on the level of the regular DDP, at 2011 adult prices, I think most (not all, but most) people would be better off putting $45-$48 per day on a gift card, instead of buying the DDP. For the same price, I think most people would get more flexibility, and more of the food you want to eat.

For example, you want to get a food court bagel with cream cheese + coffee for breakfast, pizza at Via Napoli for lunch, and the chicken breast from the Coral Reef for dinner. Skip desserts, and drink water:
Cost, if using the gift card approach: About $43.
Cost if using the meal plan? Well, you could use your CS credit for the breakfast, the bagel and coffee. And use your TS credit for dinner. But you would then have to pay for that lunch OOP -- Meaning cost, for the same meals on the DDP: About $62

Or... let's say on your Magic Kingdom day --
You want to do a resort breakfast platter for breakfast (about $7), for lunch, Cosmic Rays, bacon double cheeseburger, plus soda, plus strawberry yogurt (About $14), and then you decide to do dinner at Tony's, where you get the spaghetti and meatballs, plus a soda, plus a bowl of soup. (About $25).
So paying OOP using a gift-card -- Total would be $46, about the same price as the dining plan.... But if you were using the dining plan, this combination would not be covered. We used 2 CS meals, plus we used an appetizer: So to get this meal on the DDP, you would need to pay extra for the breakfast, and pay extra for the soup-- So if you were on the DDP, this Magic Kingdom day would cost about $58

One last example-- DHS day-- Start the day at Starring Rolls, get a coffee and croissant (About $5). At lunch, a burger from the Sci Fi drive-in, with a milk shake. ($18). For dinner, Pizza Planet, pizza + salad, plus soda, plus dessert. (About $12).
This basically matches what you could get on the DDP -- Except your morning coffee will be OOP.
So with the gift card approach -- total price -- $35. For the exact same food, using the DDP approach, about $49

I'm not arguing against splurging while on vacation. I'm just suggesting for most people, you will get a better splurge experience with a gift card.


If someone has the goal of truly splurging on tons of TS meals, fine dining, etc -- Then there is some value to the DxDP. But if the goal is to "splurge" at the $45-$50 per day level, I think most adults would find better value by just getting a gift card.

 

[CMAlumni]

sandym718 - sorry....I was posting quickly...thanks for understanding

 

[kaybird]

We did this exact experiment last summer. Believing that we don't eat as much when it is hot, we decided to forego any DP and just go out of pocket. While we did manage to save about $5 per person over the CS plan, we did not purchase any drinks, no CS desserts, and we deffinately ate the cheapest foods. It was neither enjoyable nor particularly cost saving. Depending on the trip, we either purchase the QSDP or the regular DDP. For us, it makes a trouble free trip, and have never found a lack of suitable snacks or meals.

 

[padawans]

For a party of two, it is a savings to us. Last year when we went, we saved over $300. The dining plan gives us the option of eating at places we never would even think of eating at because we would not be able to affrord it, plus we get dessert, which we never ever eat! If we did not use the dining plan, we would eat at counter service every meal. Plus, I like the convenience factor. I do not have to look at a menu price at all!

I cannot figure out how its possible to break even on the reg ddp. I'm interested to see how you saved so much.

 

[havoc315]

I cannot figure out how its possible to break even on the reg ddp. I'm interested to see how you saved so much.

That's a bit extreme. If you actually want and use all the entitlements of the DDP, it isn't very hard to break even. Basically, full use of any character meal dinner or buffet, plus any typical CS lunch, plus the $3-$4 snack, will result in a small savings.

Examples: Animal Kingdom: Tusker House Dinner = $29, Flame Tree lunch = $15, plus $3 snack = $47, about break even.
DHS- Hollywood & Vine Character Lunch = $29, plus Pizza Planet dinner of about $14, plus $3 snack = $46 -- about break even.
Epcot - Sunshine Seasons lunch, about $15, Akershus Dinner, $40, $3 snack= $58 (a very reasonable savings)
Magic Kingdom- Pecos Bill lunch, about $13, Crystal Palace dinner-$33, $3 snack= total of $49, so a very slight savings.

So the problem is not that it's impossible to break even. You can break even, or enjoy a slight savings, pretty easily. The problem is, you only get those savings by following the exact entitlements of the DDP, and only if you actually would have purchased those same items anyway. For example, if you have 2 adults -- they get a total of 4 desserts plus 2 snacks per day. If you would really only be interested in sharing 1 dessert and 1 snack per day, it would be cheaper to just pay OOP.
Or... if you wanted a few less desserts and a few more appetizers-- cheaper to pay OOP.
Or... if you didn't want a 50/50 split between TS/CS -- If you actually wanted 6 TS meals, and 4 CS meals, or vice versa.. then it would be cheaper to just pay OOP.

But if you what you want, happens to be 1 of the exact layouts I outlined above, then you would break even, or save a tiny bit.

 

[mmwalker]

I want to preface my remarks by saying that my family (two adults and one 12 year old - so the price of 3 adults) eats very much like the dining plan (we do not like apps and prefer desserts). We were on the deluxe dining plan for 3 days and saved $276.14. Then, we were on the regular DDP for 11 days and saved $514.65 for a total savings of $790.79!

I have every receipt and could give you details of what we ate. We did not go for only the most expensive (I eat a lot of steak, but my son and husband eat pasta, fish, etc.) We enjoy having all the snacks and desserts.

It may not work for everyone, but we were very happy with the plan and will do it again this summer.

 

[havoc315]

I want to preface my remarks by saying that my family (two adults and one 12 year old - so the price of 3 adults) eats very much like the dining plan (we do not like apps and prefer desserts). We were on the deluxe dining plan for 3 days and saved $276.14. Then, we were on the regular DDP for 11 days and saved $514.65 for a total savings of $790.79!

Interesting, and a very significant savings. But I am curious as to where you used your TS credits? You were *averaging* $58 in covered food per day. With a snack of $3-$4, and an average CS of about $15, that means your TS meals were averaging approximately $40 per meal, per person. While a $40 meal is easy to achieve at Le Cellier and a few other restaurants, but for many TS meals, it would be a real stretch for 3 people to average $40. (If you don't get the steak at Sci Fi Dine-In, for example, you would have difficulty going over 30. Most of the character dinners are priced in the low 30's.) So I would be very curious for your list of TS restaurants, that you used to average such a great value for you and your family.

 

[mmwalker]

Interesting, and a very significant savings. But I am curious as to where you used your TS credits? You were *averaging* $58 in covered food per day. With a snack of $3-$4, and an average CS of about $15, that means your TS meals were averaging approximately $40 per meal, per person. While a $40 meal is easy to achieve at Le Cellier and a few other restaurants, but for many TS meals, it would be a real stretch for 3 people to average $40. (If you don't get the steak at Sci Fi Dine-In, for example, you would have difficulty going over 30. Most of the character dinners are priced in the low 30's.) So I would be very curious for your list of TS restaurants, that you used to average such a great value for you and your family.

Here is the list of TS (prices with taxes but without tip since that is not included in oop or ddp - the cost of ddp includes taxes):

Deluxe:
Day 1 - Tony's $97.24 and Coral Reef $144.83
Day 2 - Planet Hollywood $103.12 and Hoop-de-doo $197.97
Day 3 -Grand Floridian Cafe $86.26 and Chef's de France $116.25

First day of regular dining plan used held over credits from deluxe

Day 1 - Kona Cafe $91.81 and Maya Grill $141.80
Day 2 - 'Ohana $111.80
Day 3 - 1900 Park Fare $121.38
Day 4 - Teppan Edo $111.94
Day 5 - Chef Mickey's $127.97 typing error - should be $107.97

Day 6 - Biegarten $111.80 (worst meal of the trip)
Day 7 - Garden Grill $111.80
Day 8 - Teppan Edo $111.46 (love this place!!!!)
Day 9 - Sci Fi $104.38 (I was the only one to have steak)
Day 10 - Cape May $99.02
Day 11 - Yak and Yeti $ 94.91
Check out day used held over credits from DDP - Saratoga Springs Turf Club and Grill $100.55

We also used all of our snack credits and had a couple of the more expensive QS meals (twice and Sunshine Seasons and once at Wolfgang Puck's)


I hope this helps! Even with the increase, we still come out far ahead!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I calculated what we'd (2A and 3C) order for our 14 TS and 14 CS (not including dessert which we may or may not have ordered on any particular day if paying OOP) plus 14 $3 snacks including tax (okay actually I calculated 13 TS and 15 CS since if paying OOP we'd choose Y&Y CS instead of TS). And had a savings of $500 on the DDP with 2011 prices. If there was no DDP and I had to pay everything OOP then I would most likely eat less TS and more CS just to save some money, HOWEVER we'd all be extremely crabby eating CS for every meal for 2 weeks, plus we'd spend just as much money on 3 CS plus 1 snack.

 

[lauralw]

Using the current restaurant prices, it looks like it's a lot harder to make the DDP a good deal.

However, those prices are likely to climb, the question is, by how much?

When I booked CP, Boma, and LTT for my March 2011 trip, they gave me the total price for each meal over the phone. (They have never done this before, so I wonder if it is a new policy.)
I was shocked at the prices so asked for a breakdown. The prices went up about $5 for each meal, plus we had holiday pricing. So for instance, the price for an adult dinner at Boma is going to be $39. It gets to be pretty easy to see the value of the dining plan at those prices. It also makes McDonald's look better and better.

 

[havoc315]

Day 3 - 1900 Park Fare $121.38
Day 4 - Teppan Edo $111.94
Day 5 - Chef Mickey's $127

We also used all of our snack credits and had a couple of the more expensive QS meals (twice and Sunshine Seasons and once at Wolfgang Puck's)


I hope this helps! Even with the increase, we still come out far ahead!

There is something off. The prices for Chef Mickey and 1900 Park Fare are both incorrect. Chef Mickey should have been about 105 for 3 people, certainly less than 127. (tax isn't 20%)

Also seems you are counting the use of some of your deluxe credits as ddp savings. Your average meal was about $37 per person. Even with expensive cs and snacks, doesn't quite add up.

 

[mmwalker]

There is something off. The prices for Chef Mickey and 1900 Park Fare are both incorrect. Chef Mickey should have been about 105 for 3 people, certainly less than 127. (tax isn't 20%)

Also seems you are counting the use of some of your deluxe credits as ddp savings. Your average meal was about $37 per person. Even with expensive cs and snacks, doesn't quite add up.

havoc315 My original post stated what we saved from deluxe and DDP, then I added them together. The prices are accurate (except Chef Mickey's which was a typing error) I have spent the last hour or so rechecking all of the actual receipts and my figures are correct. I have every last receipt from the trip. You do not have to believe me, but it is the reality.

When I talk about the savings, it is true we spread some things out over the days, but it is still the same total of credits (27 for deluxe and 33 for DDP). I figured the cost for the 3 days for deluxe then added all the meals that used deluxe credits. I did the same for the DDP cost and credits. I was not putting in the deluxe savings in to plump up the DDP savings; I spelled out each one separately. We averaged between $15 - $18 per person for QS $3.50 per snack, and don't forget $43 for the refillable cups with the deluxe....I believe that if you add up these numbers, they will "add up"

We were on the deluxe dining plan for 3 days and saved $276.14. Then, we were on the regular DDP for 11 days and saved $514.65 for a total savings of $790.79!QUOTE]

I could scan some of the receipts for you if you need proof, but I get the feeling you still would not believe my figures. I am sorry the plan does not work for you, but it does work for my family and we will continue to use it until it no longer works for us.

PS I changed my typing error and it will be correct on my original post

Here is the list of TS (prices with taxes but without tip since that is not included in oop or ddp - the cost of ddp includes taxes):

Deluxe:
Day 1 - Tony's $97.24 and Coral Reef $144.83
Day 2 - Planet Hollywood $103.12 and Hoop-de-doo $197.97
Day 3 -Grand Floridian Cafe $86.26 and Chef's de France $116.25

First day of regular dining plan used held over credits from deluxe

Day 1 - Kona Cafe $91.81 and Maya Grill $141.80
Day 2 - 'Ohana $111.80
Day 3 - 1900 Park Fare $121.38
Day 4 - Teppan Edo $111.94
Day 5 - Chef Mickey's $127.97 typing error - should be $107.97
Day 6 - Biegarten $111.80 (worst meal of the trip)
Day 7 - Garden Grill $111.80
Day 8 - Teppan Edo $111.46 (love this place!!!!)
Day 9 - Sci Fi $104.38 (I was the only one to have steak)
Day 10 - Cape May $99.02
Day 11 - Yak and Yeti $ 94.91
Check out day used held over credits from DDP - Saratoga Springs Turf Club and Grill $100.55

 

[padawans]

That's a bit extreme. If you actually want and use all the entitlements of the DDP, it isn't very hard to break even. Basically, full use of any character meal dinner or buffet, plus any typical CS lunch, plus the $3-$4 snack, will result in a small savings.

Examples: Animal Kingdom: Tusker House Dinner = $29, Flame Tree lunch = $15, plus $3 snack = $47, about break even.
DHS- Hollywood & Vine Character Lunch = $29, plus Pizza Planet dinner of about $14, plus $3 snack = $46 -- about break even.
Epcot - Sunshine Seasons lunch, about $15, Akershus Dinner, $40, $3 snack= $58 (a very reasonable savings)
Magic Kingdom- Pecos Bill lunch, about $13, Crystal Palace dinner-$33, $3 snack= total of $49, so a very slight savings.

So the problem is not that it's impossible to break even. You can break even, or enjoy a slight savings, pretty easily. The problem is, you only get those savings by following the exact entitlements of the DDP, and only if you actually would have purchased those same items anyway. For example, if you have 2 adults -- they get a total of 4 desserts plus 2 snacks per day. If you would really only be interested in sharing 1 dessert and 1 snack per day, it would be cheaper to just pay OOP.
Or... if you wanted a few less desserts and a few more appetizers-- cheaper to pay OOP.
Or... if you didn't want a 50/50 split between TS/CS -- If you actually wanted 6 TS meals, and 4 CS meals, or vice versa.. then it would be cheaper to just pay OOP.

But if you what you want, happens to be 1 of the exact layouts I outlined above, then you would break even, or save a tiny bit.

Your correct. If you never skip dessert you will break even or save a little money, but how many people normally eat dessert twice a day. That the part I don't get. I would not break even on the plan because no way would I eat 2 desserts a day. It seems easier to get your moneys worth out of the dxdp even if you skip dessert.

 

[mmwalker]

Your correct. If you never skip dessert you will break even or save a little money, but how many people normally eat dessert twice a day. That the part I don't get. I would not break even on the plan because no way would I eat 2 desserts a day. It seems easier to get your moneys worth out of the dxdp even if you skip dessert.

You are right. We saved about $90 a day for deluxe and closer to $45 (half the amount) per day on the DDP. I think that is because you really do get some savings for TS whereas QS is only a couple dollars savings.

 

[havoc315]

Mmwalker, I don't mean to sound accusatory. I do not think you are lying. And I wasn't discussing the DxDP, which includes the mugs.
After adjusting the Chef Mickey price, and excluding the Dx credits from your first regular day...
Your Ts credits averaged about $35 per day.. With $3.50 snack, and 15-18, that's 53-56 per day, or a savings of $11-14 per day. Further, it appears there may be some more errors in your transcription. For example, Garden Grill is a buffet priced at $31 per person, so 3 people couldn't be $111. Same with Ohana. Seems the prices are inflated by $10-20.

Even if your numbers are corrected now, the savings are obey realized because you mostly maximized with more expensive meals. If you had decided to skip 1 ts, and just a couple of desserts, you would have lost money under 2011 pricing.

As I have said--- if you really happen to enjoy eating in the exact manner that the plan is designed, then you do get some modest savings. If you do not maximize all your credits, then it quickly becomes a losing proposition.

That's why I personally feel that I would look at menu prices with greater stress, on the ddp as opposed to oop. I never mind paying a few dollars more for the entree I prefer. But on the other hand, if I knew I -had- to spend a minimum of $30 on dinner just to break even, I feel I would be stressed about getting my money's worth. (the deluxe plan offers enough savings that you can be flexible and still save money, without maximizing every credit)

 

[mmwalker]

Mmwalker, I don't mean to sound accusatory. I do not think you are lying. And I wasn't discussing the DxDP, which includes the mugs.
After adjusting the Chef Mickey price, and excluding the Dx credits from your first regular day...
Your Ts credits averaged about $35 per day.. With $3.50 snack, and 15-18, that's 53-56 per day, or a savings of $11-14 per day. Further, it appears there may be some more errors in your transcription. For example, Garden Grill is a buffet priced at $31 per person, so 3 people couldn't be $111. Same with Ohana. Seems the prices are inflated by $10-20.

Even if your numbers are corrected now, the savings are obey realized because you mostly maximized with more expensive meals. If you had decided to skip 1 ts, and just a couple of desserts, you would have lost money under 2011 pricing.

I am sorry to correct you, but indeed Garden Grill was $111 - $104.97 plus $6.83 tax came to $111.80 and 'Ohana was the same. Perhaps your price difference is that we ate at 'Ohana on August 7 and Garden Grill on August 12. I believe that is considered "high season" or whatever they call it and there is a higher charge during that time of the year. I have the dated receipts here and my total at each was $111.80 for 3 adult dinners for a total of $130.80 with a $19 tip. So perhaps what you are seeing as inflated prices are the seasonal pricing

 

[mmwalker]

trying to upload a copy of receipts...doesn't seem to work...I'll have to try to take a pic tomorrow and upload it

 

[havoc315]

If we are talking about peak season adjustments to pricing, recall that the 2011 pricing of the ddp increases further.. To $48 per person. So using your model, during peak pricing, the $11-$14 savings, per person, per day, would get reduced to approximately $5-8 of savings, per person, per day. For someone who wants to eat in that exact fashion, 5-8 dollars is nothing to sneeze at. But for someone who dormant want to eat in that exact fashion--- someone who would rather have an appetizer than dessert, or someone who would only eat 1 dessert per day, or a family that would only use 9 ts meals out if the 11, the gift card approach makes much more sense.

A few years ago, when the plan included tips, appetizers, etc--- the plan could easily save an adult $10-$20 per day. Thus, you could save money without maximizing every credit. But the tips are gone-- a $5-6 value. Appetizers are gone--$5-$10 value. And the price of the plan has increased faster than menu prices. So that 10-20 value comes down to closer to a $5 value, that can only be obtained by generally maximizing your credits. (there are a handful of combinations that can still create a $15+ value like Le Cellier, but such combinations are getting harder to find )

 

[mmwalker]

If we are talking about peak season adjustments to pricing, recall that the 2011 pricing of the ddp increases further.. To $48 per person. So using your model, during peak pricing, the $11-$14 savings, per person, per day, would get reduced to approximately $5-8 of savings, per person, per day. For someone who wants to eat in that exact fashion, 5-8 dollars is nothing to sneeze at. But for someone who dormant want to eat in that exact fashion--- someone who would rather have an appetizer than dessert, or someone who would only eat 1 dessert per day, or a family that would only use 9 ts meals out if the 11, the gift card approach makes much more sense.

A few years ago, when the plan included tips, appetizers, etc--- the plan could easily save an adult $10-$20 per day. Thus, you could save money without maximizing every credit. But the tips are gone-- a $5-6 value. Appetizers are gone--$5-$10 value. And the price of the plan has increased faster than menu prices. So that 10-20 value comes down to closer to a $5 value, that can only be obtained by generally maximizing your credits. (there are a handful of combinations that can still create a $15+ value like Le Cellier, but such combinations are getting harder to find )My figures show how we did it (and we do not even like or go to LeCellier). Our specific list of restaurants include a variety of places...so we will agree to disagree....I think there are many places you can eat with meal and drink and dessert (or seasonal buffet pricing) that brings your average up to save around $15 per person per day...Using your adjusted figures (subtracting $6), I would still save around $9 per person per day...that still adds up to $297!...not as much of a savings, but still making it a better option for us than oop....again we like to eat the way the plan is set up - so that part works for us

You are correct that it depends on each family's situation - this year it worked for us!We did the regular DDP for 11 days and saved $514.65 - that is $47 dollars a day - (I think 15+ dollars per person per day is significant - basically we each got a free QS every day) that money we saved help us by our APs. I will continue to save our receipts and make sure it is still working for us. When it no longer works, I will leave it behind...Cheers!