AP/DDE questions

[Mary Diehl]

I wanted to know if there were any restrictions on the DDE card. I'm thinking of purchasing an AP for our upcoming trip but wanted to see if the DDE card could be used at ALL restauratns within the parks and resorts. Also, how do I obtain the DDE card? Also, other than resort discounts, what benefits are there with the AP? Any helpful information would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[kcashner]

No, a DDE card is not good at ALL restaurants. THere is a specifiec list of about 100 restaurants where it is good. Most are TS places, but there are specific CS listed (like Pizzafari.) After you get your AP, you call a specific number to order the DDE. It is valid for one year + whatever weeks to the end of the month in which it was purchased. If your trip is before it arrives, you can pick up a voucher letter at EPCOT guest services which serves as a temporary card.

The phone number and restaurant list are available at the WDW web site.

Obviously, the biggest benefit of the AP is that you don't cringe when a kid is tired after 2 hours in the parks. You get 10% off at a lot of restaurants, discounts at spa services, cirque du soleil, shopping, etc. The specific offers vary. You get a newsletter.....

 

[eliza61]

I wanted to know if there were any restrictions on the DDE card. I'm thinking of purchasing an AP for our upcoming trip but wanted to see if the DDE card could be used at ALL restauratns within the parks and resorts. Also, how do I obtain the DDE card? Also, other than resort discounts, what benefits are there with the AP? Any helpful information would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi Mary,

You can use your DDE card at least 95% of the restaurants in disney. The 20% off of each meal, including any adult beverages (my DH does enjoy his beer) usually pays for the cost of the card itself. If you go to www.wdwig.com look under planning and then click on discounts it will give you a list of all the restaurants that take DDE cards. If you have your AP or your exhange voucher you can go directly to the disney site, click on pass holder and order it there. I think it's 65 or 75 bucks. Now that my children are all teenagers and eat off of the adult menu it save us a bunch of money routinely.

 

[eliza61]

The phone number and restaurant list are available at the WDW web site.

Obviously, the biggest benefit of the AP is that you don't cringe when a kid is tired after 2 hours in the parks. You get 10% off at a lot of restaurants, discounts at spa services, cirque du soleil, shopping, etc. The specific offers vary. You get a newsletter.....

It's actually 20% off of restaurants.

 

[Soccer Princess]

I was wandering about this too. If I don't get my AP voucher until a week or two before my trip, can I just purchase this in WDW or would I need to do it online and then get a letter when I got down there?

 

[ReallyFunMom]

Hi Mary,

You can use your DDE card at least 95% of the restaurants in disney. The 20% off of each meal, including any adult beverages (my DH does enjoy his beer) usually pays for the cost of the card itself. If you go to www.wdwig.com look under planning and then click on discounts it will give you a list of all the restaurants that take DDE cards. If you have your AP or your exhange voucher you can go directly to the disney site, click on pass holder and order it there. I think it's 65 or 75 bucks. Now that my children are all teenagers and eat off of the adult menu it save us a bunch of money routinely.

Maybe its 95% of all table service restaurants but its not good at hardly any counterservice locations. I'm getting it but it is no where near as all inclusive as DDP. You can't use it at the water parks or disney quest. There is only one place in DTD that accepts it and takes ADRs, Planet Hollywood. You can't use it for HDDR unless you want to eat at 9:30. Its a no brainer if you have older kids and/or eat a lot of tableservice meals and/or make multiple trips within a year. If you have young kids that prefer eating the pb&j you pack or grabbing something quickly from counterservice, you may need to do some math while deciding. You spend 300 to break even on cost of card. ($60/.20) So if you spend 400 in food where they accept DDE, you have saved $20, or 5%. If you spend 1000 in food using DDE, saved $140, or 14%.

 

[Mary Diehl]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I did a quick figure and will probably spend about $1,400 on food for our 8 day trip. Having three boys(two of which are teenagers, the other 12) plus one hungry husband-(always has to order the most expensive thing on the menu-go figure!) I guess this would be worth purchasing. Of course, that $1,400 would include counter service meals which some of you said may not be included. I'll have to do more research. Anyone know exactly which counter service restaurants are included? Thanks

 

[tkd lisa]

There are listings that show which restaurants take the DDE. There's a very inclusive list on All Ears that compares discounts from DDE, AP, and DVC.

Here's what my experience has been. Most table service restaurants in the parks accept this. One exception I found was Teppanyaki (Japan table service).

The only counter service I can think of in a park were in AK. They take it at Tusker House and Flame Tree. Someone mentioned pizzafari earlier. This makes sense because other than RFC, there's no sit down restaurant in AK.

Many of the table service resort restaurants accept it. And those resorts that don't have TS take it at their food court.

One thing to consider is that the AP will get you a 10% discount at many of the restaurants that give you the 20% DDE, so the actual savings is only 10%. But DDE gives you 20% off drinks as well as food (including alcohol).

I ended up buying this just before my spring break trip, and it paid for itself on that trip alone. I did use it a lot at the AS Sp food court (usually saved about $5 each time). I also used it at: Boma, Sci Fi Cafe, 50s Prime Time, Trails End, Kona, Tusker House and Whispering Canyon. My DDE savings were around $90, and that was feeding 3-4 light eaters. But I would have had the 10% AP discount at several of those restaurants, so my true DDE savings was closer to the $60 cost.


And my final comment is that the $60 price is a discounted price. That's what I paid. I can't remember if it was because I was a FL resident, but that's what I think it was. I think the general price is $85.

 

[Soccer Princess]

The 10% AP discount is only at lunch and only Mon-Friday at SOME of the same restaurants. The DDE is 20% at all meals, includes alcohol and is every day of the week. It is $60 for any AP holder.

 

[Mary Diehl]

Can I use the DDE to get just sodas at the smaller booths? You know the ones that just specifically sell sodas in the parks-or would we have to order sodas from a cs restaurant to take out(only if it's one that does accept the DDE) Also, I didn't see Mara food court listed. We'll be staying at the AKL for a few days. Bummer if they don't acccept it.

 

[ReallyFunMom]

Can I use the DDE to get just sodas at the smaller booths? You know the ones that just specifically sell sodas in the parks-or would we have to order sodas from a cs restaurant to take out(only if it's one that does accept the DDE) Also, I didn't see Mara food court listed. We'll be staying at the AKL for a few days. Bummer if they don't acccept it.

Mara will not accept it b/c AKL has Boma and Jiko that do accept it. (Victoria Falls SHOULD accept it because on the list but I've heard the bartender will tell you that don't, maybe it has been resolved.) Think of CS as the rare exception for times when the diner CAN'T do TS. (This should mean the waterparks take it, though, but they don't.) POR - has Boatrights, a TS restaurant, so their foodcourt does NOT take DDE. POFQ and the value resorts and animal kingdom do not have TS options, so CS will take the discount. Best to print out the list and take it with you. Sounds like it would be worth it to you, especially if make another trip using it. The lack of options in DTD with Wolfgang Pucks dropping DDE is probably the most disappointing. On the upside, Vero Beach restaurants were added.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

I don't know if this is still the case, but we received a 50% discount for an admission to Pleasure Island. We were also able to do the cheap "carpe pm" 5-day add on later that evening. We basically had a week pass to PI for less than the cost of one full admission. Since your boys are older, PI may be a nice get-away for you and your DH.

We our DDE card. Then again, the thing paid for itself after our V&A meal .

 

[mjmcca]

One restaurant that I know takes it but is not listed is Raglan Road. I used it there on my April trip.

 

[paras4ri]

Can I order my DDE card if I buy my AP at The Disney Store? Will it have the same info on the voucher that you get when you order your AP directly from disney.com? I'd like to save the postage and purchase it locally.

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

Can I use the DDE to get just sodas at the smaller booths? You know the ones that just specifically sell sodas in the parks-or would we have to order sodas from a cs restaurant to take out(only if it's one that does accept the DDE) Also, I didn't see Mara food court listed. We'll be staying at the AKL for a few days. Bummer if they don't acccept it.

AK is the only park that has counter service on the DDE. Many of the resort bars and lounges are listed on DDE, or at least they were. You also get a discount on alcohol purchases! If you go to the Allears website, they should have a complete list of participating restaurants.

 

[Amyrlin]

The DDE is designed as a discount on TS resturants, it does not try and compete with the DDP. The card can be used at almost all TS resturants, it can be used at CS where there are no TS, such as AK, POFQ and the values.

It is a great card for those who like the sit down meals, and has the benefit of including alcohol.

 

[Allison]

The DDE is designed as a discount on TS resturants, it does not try and compete with the DDP. The card can be used at almost all TS resturants, it can be used at CS where there are no TS, such as AK, POFQ and the values.

It is a great card for those who like the sit down meals, and has the benefit of including alcohol.

Terri is right. It is mainly for table service restaurants. The only CS that are included are those places where there is no sit down restaurant like at Animal Kingdom and the value resorts. People have mentioned being able to use it food courts where there is also table service but that would be because a cm is accepting it when they shouldn't be.

 

[byoung]

It's all the Disney owned resturants.