Anybody Else Pay OOP to avoid the hassle?

[winterman]

DH and I have done the DDP three times (for free). We didn't find it to be a hassle at all. But, it doesn't really match our eating styles. DH rarely gets dessert and I usually prefer a salad and appetizer rather than an entree. So when we go at non-free dining times, we do not pay for it.

 

[tinkandpan]

we were just having this conversation last night as we were planning another upcoming trip. we always do OOP- and i can't see the plan working for the way we like to travel. We like to do a lot of signature restaurants, but we don't nec order dessert- sometimes an appetizer or a shared entree works better. My youngest dd doesn't really eat - so she'll eat my food. My oldest child doesn't eat off the kids menu- and would rather sometimes have a salad or appetizer from the adult meal instead. We also don't snack a whole lot during the day so i don't think this works for us now.

 

[poohmomof3]

This is a great debate.....

I am struggling with purchasing the plan or not for our upcoming trip. I really think we are going to pay oop. We are staying at the Beach Club, and wanted to do QSDP. There aren't enough options there. I've heard the Swan & Dolphin has good food, and that's another reason I think we should just pay as we go and enjoy what we want. If we were staying at a resort with a food court, we'd give it a try. The regular dining plan is too structured for our vacation style. I've ordered some breakfast groceries for our room, and we will just eat lunch/dinner out. It's always worked well in the past.

I think

 

[ercrbc]

We also tried the DDP last trip and weren't happy with it. DH is not a sweets person and didn't like all the desserts and snacks, he would have rather traded out for a salad or app at dinner.

This Fall we plan to schedule a few ADRs and eat what we want. I have a feeling we'll come out ahead.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We always pay OOP. We tried the dining plan one time and it was just not for us. On average it is just my wife and I traveling to WDW, so it is not worth it for us to do the DP. On our last trip I kept all our reciepts and figured the difference between OOP and the DP when we got home. We saved $213.00 by not doing the DP.

 

[blanq]

I do not think that the DDP is a hassle, but it is not always a good value for our family. We have done the DDP 2x, and the rest of our trips have just paid as we go. I really enjoyed the plan when an appetizer was included with the TS meals, as was the tip, but did find it hard to eat all of that food. We generally do one TS meal per day while at WDW, and make an ADR, so there is no change in that whether we are on the plan or not. For my family, the amount of food, especially dessert, you get on the plan is just too much. If we throw away food, then the plan really isn't a value for us. We prefer to share an appetizer and dessert once in awhile, so the current DDP really doesn't fit with our eating style either.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I've done the deluxe plan the past two trips - I'm going OOP/TIW next trip. In some ways it was nice but in some ways frustrating because you felt you had to use your credits. This next trip I'm eating at places that aren't on the dining plan so there is no point in getting it.

 

[TDC Nala]

I saved about $20 using the quick service plan for just one night - but the savings were not worth it to me, because I much prefer not being restricted as to where and what I could eat. That savings was over paying OOP for everything that came with the plan though - entree, dessert, and large Coke for two meals, plus a refillable mug that was used for 8 nights on a split stay and two snack credits. Ordinarily I would not order a dessert with a CS meal and I would not buy a Coke with one either - I'd ask for a free cup of water. Nor would I buy a refillable mug if I didn't have a plan that included one. So I don't think it was that big a savings over what I'd normally order.

 

[Manda]

We did it twice (twice? maybe 3? can't remember) when it was free. I'd only take it again if it was free (and probably not then either - since room discounts are almost always a better deal for us).

It was too much pre-thought and stress for me, LOL. It just doesn't match up well with the way we eat either. For one, we always have adult beverages with meals, so we have to pay something OOP when we dine anyway. We do room service at least a couple times each trip. And I like to be able to cancel a reservation or totally change our plans at the last minute without worrying about not using that credit. Also, we're more appetizer people than dessert people - so when the plan stopped including appetizers, it became less desirable for us. And, my son (6) doesn't want to eat their kid food for every meal. He often gets soup or something from the adult menu and shares an appetizer with us for his meal.

 

[boldlyreal]

We are paying OOP on our next trip since we are staying off property. My DD and I did the DP a few years ago on free dining. It was a great deal for us. When we stay on property again we will probably use it because we have 3 teenagers and feeding them is like feeding farmhands after a full days plowing!

 

[acourtwdw]

We have done the DP several times and really enjoy it. We often take our parents and they would have heart attacks at the prices if it wasn't for the plan. We often get our desserts to go and eat them as snacks later so that we can use our snack credits for breakfasts.

Like others have said, it's not for everyone just like there are a lot of different views on what's good to eat at WDW.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

We did DDP once and liked it. The only "problem" we had with it was using up our snack points. We had no problem using up the CS and TS points, but on the last day, we were scrambling to buy up snacks so we wouldn't lose the points.

All the other times we've just gone OOP, mainly because we stay offsite. We have AP's, so also bought the TiW card last time. We used it enough on one trip to pay for it and save a few $'s, so on our upcoming Feb. trip, it'll be pure savings.

But as for DDP being a hassle or confusing, we didn't have any problems, but I can't tell you how many times we've been stuck behind a confused family trying to understand why they couldn't get whatever they were tyring to get because it wasn't included in the DDP. Or the CM would tell them they also got "X" with the DDP and then we'd all wait in line while one person from the party ran around trying to collect the missing pieces of the meal.

 

[tiredsigh]

I'm a heavy planner. We are doing the DxDDP for our upcoming trip because our youngest is too young for the plan. The extra credits for snacks really helps with a toddler who likes to eat small meals throughout the day.

A few years ago, we went OOP and DH didn't handle the constant stream of cash well. With the dining plan, we pay up front and are done.

But we like to go out to eat a lot. It covers all of our meals just fine

I think that if you don't like all that is offered by the plan, it wouldn't work well for you. Also, if you stress out over using all the credits, it might not be for you.

Any extra snack credits are used up with Rice Crispy treats for DH to take home. He loves those!

 

[NMAmy]

I've done the math and it just doesn't work for my family. We do have one TS per day but we prefer to have our big meal at lunch. My dd and I both do better with several little meals throughout the day so sometimes we even skip lunch. DD and I sometimes order an appetizer and dessert to share instead of a meal.

We've found that getting a villa and having simple meals in the room works better for us. Grilled cheese, egg salad sandwiches, etc. Too much restaurant food bothers my stomach.

We're not tied to certain restaurants and we don't have to worry about getting our money's worth. On our last trip, DH came down with a stomach virus and didn't eat much except tea and toast for 2 days. It would have driven me crazy if we'd had unused dining credits that we'd paid for. I understand that it works great for some families but it's just not worth it for us.

 

[hildarumpole]

We tried the DP last trip, but won't do it again. It wasn't difficult to use, it was simply too much food for us. We felt like we were constantly eating. Also, we don't generally eat dessert, especially not with every CS meal. On departure day, we had 10 leftover CS and 18 snack credits. We got breakfast from the Beach Club Marketplace, then used the remaining credits for sandwiches to eat on the plane ride home. Snack credits were used on a whole lotta rice krispie treats and candy.

 

[MickeyNicki]

DH and I always pay OOP, no meal plan for me

 

[Minnesota!]

We've tried the regular plan and the deluxe plan and have decided that we,too, would prefer to just wing it. I wouldn't even care if the plan saved us $500 per person, I don't want to spend the week eating desserts I don't want, planning to make sure I use all of those credits, etc.

I think it's a great deal and am glad to see so many people enjoying it but it's not for us.

ditto. might work better for us when my kids are older, but I don't want to be tied down right now...

 

[MelanieC]

DH never wanted to do the dining plan, partially because it was too much food and the hassle. This year we had half our vacation on the dining plan during free dining. He is now in love with it. It was great with the kids. They could order ANY thing they wanted off the adult menu and also got dessert. It was nice to let them have the freedom without worrying about cost.

 

[itchin2go]

We've tried the regular plan and the deluxe plan and have decided that we,too, would prefer to just wing it. I wouldn't even care if the plan saved us $500 per person, I don't want to spend the week eating desserts I don't want, planning to make sure I use all of those credits, etc.

I think it's a great deal and am glad to see so many people enjoying it but it's not for us.

ITA agree with this, except for the $500 part.

The dining plan doesn't fit the way we eat. We did DDP once, DxDDP once, and winged it the next year. Winging it was the way to go.

I LOVE the idea of pre-paying, but we don't eat desserts very much, and I don't always choose an entree, so we ended up with random credits and wasted food on the DDP.

I've run the numbers and we end up spending about the same whether we're on DDP or just paying as we go. The difference is, with pay-as-you-go, we end up ordering EXACTLY what we want, rather than trying to fit into Disney's idea of what we should be eating.

 

[VictoriaT]

I have been planning a big christmas-NYE trip for next year, and looking at the benefits of using the DDP or the DxDDP, and I estimated the "value" of what we would have to eat- going OOP actually would save our family money, and we would be able to eat anywhere we selected. I am a compulsive planner anyway, so I know where we want to go and how much it will cost getting what we want to eat, not what we should eat to get our money's worth.