Are we the only ones that.....

[wwaleye]

...did not feel stuffed all the time on the DDP?

Most threads talk about how the DDP is too much food and they are super stuffed all the time. We used the DDP in July, DH, DW, DS (16) and DD (14). Now I know my kids are at the optimum eating age, but neither one of them are huge eaters like some teens. Anyway, we had all of our TS meals in the evening, and the only place we didn't eat everything, including dessert, was Chefs de France. At Artist Point and Lecellier the waitresses made the comment that she was sorry the chef hadn't been able to make anything we enjoyed. We each ordered our own TS meals. We were on the DDP for 5 days and payed less that $10 OOP, sharing CS and snacks for breakfast and lunch. Side note.....I loved the DDP and am sad they are changing it!!

 

[Praying Colonel]

We tend to eat lunch early at WDW--around 11:30 or so. That helped us be hungry by dinner, and also helped avoid lines for the usual lunch rush.

For dinner, we just order what we want and didn't think about ordering the biggest entree or "maximizing" TS credits.

Most days we didn't get a snack. We might get one and share (like a popcorn on Main Street or a bag of candied pecans at Epcot). I used most of my snack credits on a baked item at the resort for breakfast. At the end of the week we still ended up with several snack credits, which we used to get snacks for the trip home.

We just tried to pay attention to how we felt at the time and not eat just to be eating. The 1 time we went against that guideline, we didn't have a very good experience. Due to a scheduling problem, we ate a very late lunch 1 afternoon at Pepper Market. It was a lot of food. We had an ADR scheduled at Cape May just 4 hours later. We should've just cancelled, but the kids wanted to do the seafood buffet, so we went. We didn't like it very much--I think the buffet just wasn't very good that night, but even if it had been good, I don't think we would've enjoyed it as much because we were still full from lunch. Lesson learned for us.

 

[stitchlover]

I wouldn't say I'm stuffed on DDP but it doesn't hurt my feelings that there is no appetizer anymore! I don't think I ever used my snack credit, I just let DD have a snack in the morning and then one later in the day. She's 11 they tend to eat more often. I take nut/granola bars in my backpack to eat for snacks.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

We were always plenty full but not totally stuffed. We usually did not eat breakfast other than a piece of fruit at 7:00 am and then at lunch right at 11:00. We made our ADR's for dinner usually around 6:00-6:30 so we were really hungry by then.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

We never thought it was too much food. Sure, some could feel that way if they ordered CS right after breakfast. But, we always become very hungry as we walk thru the parks- and our CS lunches are always refreshing and welcome. It is a time to sit down, rest, relax, think about the rest of the day, go to the restroom, and have a family breather. TS meals are scheduled later (7 or 8 pm) and that gives us time to go to the resort and take a nap before dinner. This is perfect for us, and I look forward to using the deluxe plan.

 

[ntsammy5]

...did not feel stuffed all the time on the DDP?

Yes.

Not really, I guess. I can't eat everything either so I don't try. After using DDP twice I said I'd never do it again, but now I'm getting it in December. Guess that means I must think it's a good value too.

 

[Mariposa]

We were never really stuffed, either. I think it has a lot to do with how you space out meals. We brought snacky-type food for breakfast in the room, ate an early CS lunch and were pretty hungry by dinner.

 

[itchin2go]

We didn't feel stuffed on the plan. I think we also didn't make a concerted effort to make sure we got the most food that we could possibly get --- which is what it seems like some people did. We just ate where we wanted to eat. We tried to make good use of our credits, but it wasn't the end-all and be-all to us. We probably did not get as good of value from the plan as other people did, but I'm not sure I would have done anything any different. I'm not a dessert person, so the plan just afforded me the chance to try a bite of dessert. As wasteful as that sounds, it was a treat to try something I ordinarily would not have tried. Some people have questioned why we would do the plan if we didn't "get our money's worth". We really like having virtually everything paid for up front. With the plan, we just buy souvenirs and don't have to worry about anything else. The peace of mind means the world to me.

 

[ReneeA]

I didn't feel too stuffed, either. I did think it was a ton of food, but we spaced our meals properly and I never felt like I should bloat up and roll out the door of any eatery.

We usually split 2 pastries between 4 of us or ate granola bars early in the morning. Had lunch between 11:00-11:30, the kids had snacks about 2:30 and we ate dinner about 5:30 every night.

I'm not a member of the "clean plate club" either because I don't like to eat until it's painful. My DH on the other hand hasn't quite learned how to say "No!" to no more food. He spent most of the vacation complaining about feeling too full.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I think the reason we often end up with leftover credits (our version of too much food) is because there is a least something paid for OOP - whether it's a meal or two, a few snacks/drinks, treats brought from home, etc.

I think it also depends on where you eat and what you order.

For instance, I have never finished my complete meal at Planet Hollywood - huge appetizers, entrees and desserts. But at the Coral reef, I am usually able to finish my meal (or at least come close) because the portions are more reasonable.

Also, I think the more buffets you do, the more you might feel "it's too much food" since there are so many appealing food items, you want to try more things, therefore you eat too much and feel bloated which makes you think, "there's too much food!"

And, like others have pointed out - if you space your meals too close together, it feels like you are eating all the time.

 

[Miss Mary Poppins]

We ate at Buffets and stopped when we were full. I know we left a few TS credits unused when we left last year and plan to do the same this year if need be.

 

[daisy112878]

We never felt stuffed and used all our credits. We are early risers and late to bed. Last trip we were on the premium plan so 3 meals a day. We had breakfast at 830 or 9am, lunch somewhere between 1130-1pm, dinner around 8 or so. We are also of the "don't have to clean your plate" group or order the best thing on the menu. We ordered what we wanted and ate enough to be full but not stuffed.

 

[patsal]

Not stuffed and no weight gain--we were satisfied, it was the right amount of food for us and nothing went to waste. We always had a small breakfast in the Villa, lunch at about 11:30, and dinner at 7pm. We didn't share TS, but occasionally shared at CS--let's say ordering two pizza combos, two figaro fries (snacks) and two desserts as wellas 2 bottled water. The kids usually polished off the desserts and pizzas and some fries while DH and I would each have one quarter of the pizza, the salads and some fries as well. If we didnt' combine snacks with CS then we each got our own. I was by no means uncomfortable and I have been watching my weight--I won't do the new plan because without the appetizer it doesn't work for me--gotta have my salad. Besides if it isn't all inclusive then why bother?