astronomical food cost

[Belle5]

We have been on the DDP many times...paying for it sometimes, getting it free others. We have had the TIW over the course of four separate trips including when it used to be called something else.

I think that unless we get the DDP for free, we have outgrown it...

I am tired of feeling like we have to eat in a way that is not our preference.

My ideal way of eating on vacation (within a practical budget...not a DREAM budget):

Breakfast: Two or three TS during the course of a 10 day vacation (this is a BAD use of DDP credits, so we never do it on the DDP)

Three or Four TS lunches (again, not a good use of DDP credits) For example, we love lunch at LTT, but not the dinner there.

Two signature dinners (again, a poor use of DDP credits...much better deal to pay OOP)

One or two TS meals that would normally be one credit on the DDP...but sometimes we may not want dessert...may want an appy instead...

We really do like snack credits, but the truth is...sometimes the snack we want is just out of range of being covered on the plan or the location (tea stand in AK) is not covered at all.

I know the "draw" of having everything prepaid. That is HUGE to us, as well. However, with some clever planning this can be worked out other ways. As I mentioned in previous post on this thread-- last year we handed each of our kids money each morning to cover their snack and QS meal for the day (older college age and high school age kids). Really, the key is to work a budget based on the menus and set that amount of money aside to be divided each day on vacation...some days allowing for more than other days.

 

[ozzyla]

Your plan sounds like a lot of table time rather than park time, I know my small kids would revolt. We prefer the reg dining plan. One large meal a day is plenty. Have you ever thought about moving to the reg dining plan and moving to a club level room?

 

[katydyd]

I think it's fun to see how every family does everything differently. You could probably take 100 families and up with 100 different permutations.

My DS(17) and I do the DxDP. For us, it works out as at least a break even and at best a decent savings.

We have a touring style that could at best be described as "random." We know which park we're going to each day (although, that's been known to change at game time). Once we get into the parks, we tend to just meander around aimlessly. We prefer a sit down lunch as we are usually tired at lunch (probably from criss-crossing the parks about 17 times before noon) and the break is good for us.

We also like going to signatures for dinner, especially ones outside of the parks. Again, because we've usually seen everything about a billion times by then (Oh look! We're in Frontierland again).

We rarely eat much at b'fast, but I'm never gonna be organized enough, or interested enough to pack b'fast items in our luggage. Where would my 12 pairs of shoes go then??!!

DS is an almost 18 y.o. boy. Not a single morsel of food gets wasted. He'll typically eat 3/4 of the appetizers we order and share, his entree, his dessert, and about half of mine. Of course, he then goes and walks around the block twice and loses 10 lbs.

The refillable mugs are important to me because I'm usually awake well before him, and I like to have a couple cups of swill....I mean coffee, while I'm chatting with my DH on Skype.

Now, in contrast, DH is going to WDW with me in November when I'm there for a conference. I wouldn't even consider doing a dining plan for that trip. He's not that interested in the parks (why DS and I go alone for vacation). He also hates to plan, so we'll be "winging" it completely (except for the QVR) while he's down. We'd never get our money's worth out of a dining plan that trip.

 

[darlaya]

We have looked at the DxDP and always decide it is not worth it. We do like the regular DDP as it is convenient and fits well with how and what we like to eat. Generally, two meals per day while on vacation with only one meal planned.

This September, we are travelling with our two teen boys, taking advantage of the free DDP. We are definitely saving money. They are way beyond kid meals and have a palette for really good food. On the dining plan, its nice not to preface our ordering by saying...you cannot order the most expensive steak on the menu.

Last month, my husband and I traveled alone and made out better by taking advantage of a 40% room discount and paying for the dining plan.

I think it just comes down to knowing your family, what they like to eat, how scheduled to they like to be, and is the opportunity to try so many different restaurants and foods part of your vacation experience?

 

[Tistal]

It just comes down to what will work for your family. We always get the deluxe plan (we saved close to $800 one trip with it after adding up everything when we got home), but we don't take breaks to go to the hotel in the middle of the day so sitting down is our break. We do most (if not all) 2 credit dinners and and lunch (no breakfast; we're not early risers). It's about figuring out what will work best for you.

 

[Colleen27]

I always find it funny that so many people say the dining plan is convenient... but every time I'm at WDW, people are wandering aimlessly around food courts all confused about snack credits.

Yeah, but those folks aren't DISers. I have the snack credit sticky list from the DDP board condensed into half-sized "cheat sheets" for each park, DTD and the resort we're staying at. I know exactly what I'm after with my snacks!

Can we all agree on one thing??? The value of any dining plan depends ENTIRELY on how your family eats. And if you adjust your normal eating habits to account for the dining plan, I think you are doing yourself more harm than good.

Absolutely. It is all about finding which plan best matches your vacation style and running the numbers from there. The DxDDP works for us because eating is a big part of traveling for us, and because my youngest is one of the most mellow toddlers ever born and a budding foodie in her own right. If she had a different personality, all the signature dining would be impossible and none of the plans would suit us.

We have been on the DDP many times...paying for it sometimes, getting it free others. We have had the TIW over the course of four separate trips including when it used to be called something else.

I think that unless we get the DDP for free, we have outgrown it...

I am tired of feeling like we have to eat in a way that is not our preference.

We felt that way on our last trip on the basic DDP, back before the DxDDP was introduced. We found that we were limiting our TS, avoiding signature restaurants that we wanted to try, and forcing ourselves to use up CS entitlements when we'd really much rather sit down and relax at meal times. We'd made the decision to go with no DDP in Dec '07, but pushed the trip back to Jan '08 specifically because the DxDDP was something we really wanted to try.

TiW would work out well for us if we were eligible to purchase it, but the cost of upgrading to an AP that we wouldn't otherwise buy gives DxDDP a slight edge. We may actually have both next trip if we end up going in Nov rather than Aug, simply because it'll be worth having for our 2012 adults-only anniversary trip (no dining plan, going to V&A, Shulas, etc.).

 

[tinacaplan]

For our first two trips, one that was just DH and I, the second was with our three year-old son, we did the Deluxe plan. For trip one, which was our anniversary trip, I think it made a lot of sense. Because it was just the two of us we had no problem spending two hours at a signature every night, nor did we have an issue with sticking to the plans I had laid out for us month in advance. Going back with our son was a different story. We cancelled numerous ADRs because our son wasn't in the mood, and that's fine, but it meant we lost a ridiculous amount of money. It also sort of forces us to order in ways we might not otherwise. For example, I would have loved to do Cali Grill with just flatbread, sushi, and maybe a salad. And we were often so full from dessert, we just didn't want it right away. Plus, there are so many yummy options for sweet treats throughout the parks.

Long story short, we're not doing it for our upcoming trip in July. We'll see how paying OOP compares. I'm just happy to have the flexibility that comes with paying OOP.

 

[TisBit]

I did do the math and it appears that if we order the most expensive item on the menu in each category this is the amount with the exception of the refillable mugs and Cinderella's table and one dinner show so we do save a little.

Honestly, this is where the math breaks down for me. If you depend on ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, is that what you really want to eat or are you doing it just to get the most bang for your buck. I always hand a menu to my wife and say, what would you order here and it rarely is the most expensive item....it is usually a moderately priced one that appeals to her or me.

The great thing is that as DVC members, we can pick and choose which days we want the plan for, and we also don't have to pay the peak season DP cost. So, for our 14 days, we are doing the DP 4 times, spread out over the 2 weeks - TS for dinner one day, and next day a CS lunch with a snack somewhere in between.

But this isn't quite comparing apples to apples. Yes, most people could find that they could come out ahead if they were able to split the dining plan and the ability for DVC members is new and has not carried over to cash guests. And it has come with a lot of problems as well, so I am not sure if it is going to stick around if they don't figure them out.

And again, I'll disagree that paying out of pocket is cheaper. We've done it all with dining: DDE/TIW, discounts (DVC and AP) and cash, so we really have compared the numbers many, many times. We've been comparing TIW to the dining plans for years, as we do a spreadsheet for each and every trip, and so if doing many character meals, the DP wins out each and every time, as we kids 3-9 years old.

I will agree though that the DxDP can be a lot of time in restaurants, but it never took us 6 hours per day in restaurants! We can get in and out of character meals within the hour, with 2 kids, as long as things are running smoothly in the restaurants. We have been so many times, so we are very efficient and brief with the characters, so that's not a problem for us.

It sounds like the regular plan fits your family's needs, so that is great!

Happy eating to all, Tiger

To clarify, it is cheaper for your family. See, my family doesn't feel we NEED to do character meals. Even you said that you spend minimal time with characters and are in and out of the restaurant quickly...to me it is not worth the additional costs if you aren't all about the characters and we could just do another meal in its place that is considerably less expensive.

And while the character meals do pay for themselves in that one day, there are a lot of other days that you have to make up for. Now, I completely agree when you have kids between 3-9 it can really change the formulas, as the kids dining plans are very cheap and you will always save money with them.....you just to have to figure out if it is enough to make up for the adults eating styles.

 

[Tiger926]

But this isn't quite comparing apples to apples. Yes, most people could find that they could come out ahead if they were able to split the dining plan and the ability for DVC members is new and has not carried over to cash guests. And it has come with a lot of problems as well, so I am not sure if it is going to stick around if they don't figure them out.

To clarify, it is cheaper for your family. See, my family doesn't feel we NEED to do character meals. Even you said that you spend minimal time with characters and are in and out of the restaurant quickly...to me it is not worth the additional costs if you aren't all about the characters and we could just do another meal in its place that is considerably less expensive.

And while the character meals do pay for themselves in that one day, there are a lot of other days that you have to make up for. Now, I completely agree when you have kids between 3-9 it can really change the formulas, as the kids dining plans are very cheap and you will always save money with them.....you just to have to figure out if it is enough to make up for the adults eating styles.

I know that the DVC DP splitting is not available to all members - I'm just speaking about what we are doing for this trip. We used to eat 2-3 TS meals per day, by using DDE/TIW, DxDP and DP/OOP combination. We've since become lovers of cooking in our villa, but with younger kids who love character meals (ages 3 & 7), they said they'd miss some character meals. For the first time ever, in March, we did not go to any character meals, so for us, we are taking advantage of the DVC DP for a few days for the summer to go to a few character meals, and it comes out way cheaper in terms of a per meal cost over TIW, plus the cost of the card, and the fact that we are going to Vero and DCL next summer, so no need for a TIW card for a few character meals. Plus, there is the summer surcharge with TIW as well as it's OOP.

In terms of spending time with characters, why do you assume just because we are efficient and don't hold them up, that it's minimal time? I don't understand most guests' needs to continually hold up characters, when they know that other people are waiting? We are very efficient, yet we still get our photos/autographs, and interact with characters in a postive manner. It's good for our kids, as it teaches them to be brief and not hold up the characters, and that benefits the other guests around us.

Of course, every family's eating style is different, but people on these boards like to make sweeping generalizations about each of the dining plans in terms of costs, amount of food eaten, etc., and that is why I will disagree when someone says that this particular plan is not worth it. As someone who has done it all, multiple times, and has years of dining spreadsheets to compare to, we have run the numbers for our family of 2 adults, and 2 kids ages 3-9, and we have found that the DxDP maxmizes cost savings during peak season, especially if character meals are involved due to surcharges. But the biggest savings by far is with kids. The cost of all DPs is less than the cost of food, so it's a win each and every time. Even just with regular TS meals, the DxDP should utilize the most cost savings as you have appetizers, if desired, plus 2 snacks and a mug. Now, even though we don't always order appetizers or desserts, and frequently don't buy the mugs, we have found savings each and every time, especially the last few years, as restaurant menu prices keep rising. If other families are not finding cost savings with DxDP, then I don't know how, as we don't frequently order desserts or appetizers, so we remove those, and we also take out the cost of the mug, and we still see a cost savings. Despite these savings, we don't do DxDP anymore though as it's an astronomical cost when totalled out over 2 weeks, as that is the length of our vacations. And, even though we can spread out our DVC DP now, we still won't do DxDP, as it's too many meals for a short amount of time, as we only want 1 meal per day in the parks/resorts, as the remaining 2 meals are in our villa.

I also keep a spreadsheet of all buffet meals (I have a thread about it, that frequently gets linked on these boards), and adult buffet meals during peak season are over $50.00 now. So, for those of us who go during peak season, our numbers are higher right off the bat.

Thanks for the discussion, Tiger