Are we really saving money???

[Crystal_27]

We paid OOP on our last trip and I found that we spent the cost of the DDP on just our TS meal. When we factored in our CS meals and snacks for the day, we were way behind what we would have spent on the DDP. This year we are trying the DDP, so it will be interesting to compare the two experiences. One *great* thing about the DDP is that since it's added to the price of your package up front, you get to pre-pay all of your meals instead of forking the money out during the vacation. To me, it's nice to have an "all inclusive" vacation and know that we will only need a few hundred dollars in spending money (and tips) during our vacation, opposed to another thousand (or so) when we're not on the dining plan.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We share CS in so the DDP covers 3 meals a day. Sharing a breakfast platter a CS meal at lunch, then a TS for dinner, with a couple of snacks thrown in is fine for me and DH.

 

[chell]

so each day we have to pay 1 meal out of pocket, right?

First of all, when are you going to WDW? It looks like you will be there when we are there. What part of NC are you from? I'm about an hour from Charlotte. It's always great to see other NC DISers. When I first joined there weren't many.

Anyway, like others said you can simply do a snack in your room each morning. Sometimes I like to get a pastry from Main Street for breakfast. It is a special WDW treat. I don't know why I usually get the pastry for breakfast in the MK. A few times I have done this at Epcot.

MissMagnolia did up a great example in her thread if you want to use that to help guide you.

 

[TDC Nala]

On the basic dining plan you get one counter service meal, one table service meal and one snack allotted for each night (NOT DAY) of your WDW resort reservation. These credits are pooled and you can use them in any combination. Two adults staying two nights would get 4 TS credits, 4 counter service credits and 4 snack credits, therefore over the two nights of their stay they could plan to order two 1-credit TS meals each, 2 counter service meals each, and 4 snacks between them.

If you eat three full meals a day, you may have to plan to pay for another meal unless you can use the snack as a meal, or arrange to eat one very large table service meal and a counter service in one day, or provide breakfast items to eat in your room, all of which people have reported doing.

Or, you can book the deluxe dining plan, which gives you 3 credits per night that you can use for either TS or CS meals, 2 snacks per night, and a refillable mug for use at the resort. Two adults on the deluxe plan for two nights would receive 12 meal credits and 8 snacks. If they wished, they could purchase six 1-credit table service meals each.

The deluxe plan costs nearly twice what the basic plan costs.

 

[LAS321]

We were not going to do the DP this year. It's me and my DD (23 yrs. old) and we figured we could save a lot by splitting meals and desserts and really watching what we ate. But when I started figuring it out it was still pretty close unless we ate very little or did all CS meals. And I like knowing what I'm spending up front. So we went with the DP in the end and I'm happy knowing that my package is all paid for before we go. We booked mostly signature (2 TS) which we wouldn't have been able to do without the plan and will use our CS meals on the other days. We'll be there in 19 days!!

 

[robinbutterfly]

First of all, when are you going to WDW? It looks like you will be there when we are there. What part of NC are you from? I'm about an hour from Charlotte. It's always great to see other NC DISers. When I first joined there weren't many.

Anyway, like others said you can simply do a snack in your room each morning. Sometimes I like to get a pastry from Main Street for breakfast. It is a special WDW treat. I don't know why I usually get the pastry for breakfast in the MK. A few times I have done this at Epcot.

MissMagnolia did up a great example in her thread if you want to use that to help guide you.

Thanks. We are from the Raleigh area!

 

[abish19]

I have heard that next year's comparable dining plan price will increase to $45 a person per day, but will again include the appetizer and gratuity. This may affect whether the DDP is worth it to you in 2009.

Additionally, I found that being more or less "required" to eat at a table service restaurant each day (in order to get your money's worth and not waste credits) took up a lot of our park touring time. We had a 1 year old and a 3 year old, who aren't crazy about sitting and eating for an hour or more anyway.

It depends on your family dynamics, I think, and how you want to plan your meals.