3 nights DxDP: Good for the Tummy, Wallet, or Both? (All the math!)

[DisOrBust]

Well I HATE math,lol. My head would start to explode when doing diining planing and Disney math especially when I have to factor in a vegiterian and a 86 yo who eats like a bird.

 

[DISbot]

Hello!

I'm back! I'll try to get something written up tonight or tomorrow for the first few restaurants.

For the actual math I'm going to track three values:
1 - What we actually got and paid for
2 - What we probably "would have gotten" if we weren't on the plan (as close to what we want as possible)
3 - What we realistically would have gotten if paying out of pocket

I will also try to track "how much" of what we ordered we ate vs. leaving behind.
I will track the cost and the variance in cost, but not the physical tips (as tips are subjective). The difference in tips is then just a percentage of the difference in cost (15, 18, 20, 25, whatever you tip).
I will also try to do a comparison to AP discounts (I have) as well as TIW (didn't buy this year b/c I didn't think it would be worth it).

Overall, I think it was wonderful and was excited to try new places. I do think if you get everything it's too much food, but without an obligation to spend it all it isn't too bad. C was adamant that two sit-down meals a day was too much - I don't think it meshed well with her touring style. I enjoyed the relaxed pace of sitting down twice a day, but definitely think breakfast/dinner is a better split than lunch/dinner.

 

[DISbot]

Actuals Part 1: Purely Math (1 Adult)

I promise pictures and reviews are coming later, I just need time to get all the pictures pulled. For now...the numbers.

This will be the math for myself, as though I had been the only person on the trip. Part 2 will be C's math, and part 3 will be the combined math for 2 adults. I'm doing it this way, because part 3 will involve some joint thoughts and tradeoffs (where we would have split a dessert or app and the likes) showing how the number of people on the plan impacts the value and dynamics.

For the following, DDP Total is the amount paid for on the trip, OOP Want is realistically what I would have wanted paying out of pocket (best effort to remove items that had DDP obligation pull), and OOP Real is what I would have actually paid for out of pocket. I'm doing all three values to show what I might have missed out on from the OOP stingy spend, and to see if my actual wants made the plan worthwhile.

The numbers in the table don't include tax. I will do tax and discount math later.

Content...........Details.............DDP Total.......OOP Want.......OOP Real
Tutto Italia..................................$62.00..............$45.00.............$27.00
-App..............Calamari.................$18.00..............$18.00.............$0.00
-Entree...Fettuccine Campagnole.....$27.00..............$27.00.............$27.00
-Dessert...Bacio al Cioccolato.........$14.00..............$0.00...............$0.00
-Drink........Diet Coke....................$3.00...............$3.00...............$0.00
-Extras......NONE

CA Grill......................................$80.00..............$80.00..............$80.00

Yachtsman..................................$69.00..............$59.00..............$47.00
-App.......French Onion Soup..........$12.00..............$12.00..............$0.00
-Entree.....10 oz Filet Mingnon........$54.00.............$47.00...............$47.00
-Dessert....NONE..........................$0.00...............$0.00................$0.00
-Drink........Diet Coke....................$3.00...............$0.00................$0.00
-Extras.......NONE

Yak & Yeti..................................$41.50..............$27.98..............$27.98
-App.......1/2 Dim Sum Basket.......$7.49................$0.00...............$0.00
-Entree......Sweet & Sour Chicken...$18.99..............$18.99............$18.99
-Dessert......Fried Wontons............$8.99................$8.99..............$8.99
-Drink....Strawberry Daqueri (ToGo).$8.00...............$0.00..............$0.00 (Estimated cost)
-Extras.....Rickshaw Rickie.............$9.99................$9.99..............$9.99 (Not included in total, because OOP regardless)

Skipper's Canteen.........................$36.50..............$28.50..............$0.00 (Would have cancelled OOP)
-App........Hot & Sour Soup............$8.00................$0.00................$0.00
-Entree....Tastes Like Chicken.........$23.00.............$23.00...............$0.00
-Dessert...NONE...........................$0.00...............$0.00.................$0.00
-Drink.......Schweitzer Slush...........$5.50...............$5.50.................$0.00
-Extras......NONE

50's Prime Time............................$39.50.............$34.00................$26.50
-App.........Onion Rings...................$7.00...............$7.00.................$0.00
-Entree......Fried Chicken................$21.00.............$21.00...............$21.00
-Dessert...Vanilla Milkshake (ToGo)..$6.00...............$6.00.................$0.00
-Drink.....Root Beer Float................$5.50...............$0.00.................$5.50
-Extras

Snacks
-Funnel Cake..................$6.79
-Clementines..................$4.19
-Popcorn........................$4.25
-Cupcake.......................$4.99
-Bacon Caramel Square....$4.49
-Chocolate Coins.............$3.00 ? (Estimated...sign said 4.99 but cashier said $2 or $3 before ringing it up as a snack credit. Didn't catch the cost)

Additional Spending
-Marathon Power Pack.......$9.99
-Apples with Caramel........$3.99
-Airport McDonald's...........$9.36

Totals/Summary

Notice that I am still short one credit. This credit was used to pay for C's friends at Tusker House and she gave me $40 for it. You will see from the summaries that it isn't necessary to account for this credit, but if it helps you sleep at night, consider it 13.98 for the apples and power pack purchased and add that to all my totals below before comparing them to the DDP cost. Personally, I deduct 40 from the DDP cost to account for this.

Total Cost of DDP: $312.00
Total Cost Covered by DDP: $379.36 (Sum of the above * 1.065 for tax)
Total Cost of Items Wanted: $318.64
Total Cost if Paying OOP: $226.49

None of the above include OOP expenses (Alcohol, or Additional Spending) as these would have been the same regardless of the situation.

Given this I could have saved $85 by not getting the dining plan. Personally, that is just like saying I could have saved another $150 if I had just packed sandwiches and skipped all the sit-down meals when you look at what I wanted compared to what I would have actually paid for. I got the plan because what I expected I would want would come out over the cost of the plan. As you can see, what I identified as actual wants came out $6.64 above the cost of the plan. This includes not using one credit. If I factor in the power pack and apples I would have got, then it is about $20 ahead, or if I factor in the $40 that C gave me for that credit, I was almost $50 ahead with getting what I wanted.

But what about the AP?

AP Savings........$29.6......$24.40.....$16.48

Total Cost of DDP: $312.00
Total Cost Covered by DDP (adjusted for AP Cost): $349.76
Total Cost of Items Wanted (adjusted for AP Cost): $294.24
Total Cost if Paying OOP: $210.01

Factoring in the AP and excluding the one additional credit it looks like what I wanted comes out just below the DDP plan cost by about $20. If I had used that credit on the power pack and apples, the items I wanted would have come out to $308.22. Personally, $4 is a reasonable margin to be able to get everything I wanted (Realistically it wasn't a deficit, because I got an additional $27 for use of that credit, as well as the additional $50 of items that I got to taste/try/enjoy). The big thing to note is that if I was paying OOP, at best I would have gotten what I outlined below, and yes I would have saved $100, but I would have skipped out on things I wanted. A $100 deficit of wants compared to a $4 expense in order to have the freedom to get what I want - as well as trying additional things. This is why I do the math to see where the line falls.

Next up - The compound fullness of multiple adults on the DxDP - Or: To Share or Not to Share.