Beating the DDP

[Aussie RJ]

Thought I would start a discussion on real data beating the DDP. Although I don’t think the DDP is right for everyone, it can be used to your advantage.

I’ll try to post a few of these; but here is the first. 4x QS credits at polite pig. My math a QS credit is worth $23. At 23x4 covers is $92. Polite Pig came in at $139.50. And we didn’t even order the most expensive items.

 

[Tbiafore]

I don’t understand the logic behind “beating the Disney dining” or “getting the most out of your dining plan.” I see posts about this all the time, and it feels completely backwards. Why pay for an expensive dining plan just to justify the cost by choosing the priciest items instead of what you actually want to eat?

Sometimes I want a cheeseburger instead of lobster, but with this mindset, I’d miss out on what I truly want at that time. Maybe I don’t want a steak that night? Maybe I actually ate a big lunch and some snacks so I am not that hungry for dinner. The dining plan is meant for convenience. We love it because it lets everyone choose what they want without worrying about cost.

Focusing on saving money after buying the dinning plan by always selecting the most expensive items or visiting pricier restaurants seems odd. Ultimately, you’re not getting what you really want, just chasing a price tag. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[Aussie RJ]

@Tbiafore Sorry. But that’s the point of my post. We did choose exactly what we wanted to eat… and we did beat it.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We have bought DDP in the past when there were two snacks a day. We would "buy" one snack (pastry) and have it for breakfast next day. It is not as good a deal as it used to be, though kids are a deal and a family can get three meals by splitting bigger entrees.

We have a split stay in October - one night at Poly and four nights at AKV. We qualify being DVC. I think we will get it for the one night at Poly as we can use it day one and day two by splitting meals. The other three full days we will get what we want so we are not tied down to ADR's.

Thanks for posting regarding Polite Pig. Good deal. DH was better able to grasp the concept by reading your post!

 

[Aussie RJ]

We have bought DDP in the past when there were two snacks a day. We would "buy" one snack (pastry) and have it for breakfast next day. It is not as good a deal as it used to be, though kids are a deal and a family can get three meals by splitting bigger entrees.

We have a split stay in October - one night at Poly and four nights at AKV. We qualify being DVC. I think we will get it for the one night at Poly as we can use it day one and day two by splitting meals. The other three full days we will get what we want so we are not tied down to ADR's.

Thanks for posting regarding Polite Pig. Good deal. DH was better able to grasp the concept by reading your post!

I think poly is a good spot for a single day DVC. Once you add Ohana you’re all set.

 

[Aussie RJ]

We also ate at Teppan Edo for 4 covers eating only what we want, $272.67. TS credits are worth $60 per cover so we came ahead by around $30. I do suggest this one on the DDP had a great time.

We also tried Crystal Palace. We came out well ahead at 4 covers for $288. But is it worth it? Very subjective. I honestly feel Disney has gone too far with the pricing for character meals.

 

[jo-jo]

Alcohol adds a lot of cost to the meals.

We are doing a one day TS dining plan. Without getting the mugs, we'd probably would just break even.

 

[Aussie RJ]

Another thing I’ve noticed, the current DDP pricing was set prior to the recent food price hikes.

 

[Aussie RJ]

Alcohol adds a lot of cost to the meals.

I do like a drink with my dinner

 

[jo-jo]

I do like a drink with my dinner

My DH may get something to try. I’ve never liked any kind of alcohol. Just taste yucky to me.

I’m just saying, the added alcohol cost adds another $7-10 per meal over the cost of soda etc.

Our plan is one TS, one CS is about $95. Boma is about $60 , lunch at flame tree at about $20, mug about $22 , snack about 6. So total would be roughly $108. I haven’t priced out meals/ snacks to the penny.

But you’re right, some people save gobs of money, but some people just like to know it’s paid for and some just break even,

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that before purchasing any dining plan it is wise to have a good idea where you want to eat. It helps to know what your family likes to eat, how they want to eat and what, if any, beverages they may choose. My family likes table service meals. We like dessert when we are on vacation and most of us want a cocktail with dinner.

We tend to get at least one snack in the parks. We stop for lunch and take time to eat. I am not above a cocktail during lunch.

For us, the DDP works. For others, it may be one of the most stressful purchases made for a WDW trip. If you do decide to get a plan, and you find that you are "barely breaking even" I would say let that go. It has been bought and paid for, so use it as a learning opportunity for the next trip. I have listened to people so stressed over their meals and what their family wants to eat, both with and without the plan. Why ruin a vacation over money already spent?

 

[Wendy5055]

Interesting thread! If I am planning to pay OOP for my meals I will average $170 for two people (going by WDW posted prices for each restaurant) minimum at a table service restaurant. I then think I need to conservatively guestimate at least $30.00 per person for quick service restaurants...so + $120 for breakfast and lunch 2 people...then $20 per person for water and snacks (again conservative guestimate...snacks and water are expensive!). So I am already at $330 for one day...how can having the dining plan be more expensive as I am paying $94.75 per person for a table service meal/quick service meal/snack $189.50 + $60 for breakkie = $249.50
I see that I would end up *saving* $80.50 per day! Am I off in my calculations? I am aware I could add an additional $40 for snacks and souvies and still come out ahead...what am I missing?

 

[georgina]

You just have to figure out if it works for you. You need to check out menus and prices and plan accordingly.

Water is available for free, no need to buy water.

We don't drink soda, don't do TS most days, don't buy many snacks. Would definitely not be our thing. I use Disney gift cards that I buy with a minimum of 10% discount, some up to 20%, and pay as I go.

 

[Shellyred8]

If we are doing a split stay and have one night somewhere, we will get the dining plan for that one night. We like to try new things while on vacation, so we use this time to try the new things that might be a little more expensive than we would normally go with. We also don't normally drink alcohol, but since it is included, we will usually try something that sounds fun.

 

[Shellyred8]

Interesting thread! If I am planning to pay OOP for my meals I will average $170 for two people (going by WDW posted prices for each restaurant) minimum at a table service restaurant. I then think I need to conservatively guestimate at least $30.00 per person for quick service restaurants...so + $120 for breakfast and lunch 2 people...then $20 per person for water and snacks (again conservative guestimate...snacks and water are expensive!). So I am already at $330 for one day...how can having the dining plan be more expensive as I am paying $94.75 per person for a table service meal/quick service meal/snack $189.50 + $60 for breakkie = $249.50
I see that I would end up *saving* $80.50 per day! Am I off in my calculations? I am aware I could add an additional $40 for snacks and souvies and still come out ahead...what am I missing?

The dining plans only have two meals and one snack per day. If you eat three full meals per day, you still have to pay for that third meal out-of-pocket. If you get more than one snack per day per person, you would also have to pay for that out-of-pocket.

 

[Mouse Tracker]

4x QS credits at polite pig. My math a QS credit is worth $23. At 23x4 covers is $92. Polite Pig came in at $139.50

I don't see where your formula takes into consideration that the QS DDP is charged per person.
($57 adult, $24 3-9 child)
You would need to figure the cost per meal / person for the day, not the Family 'ticket' for one meal.

Alcohol is a benefit on these plans.
Looking at that receipt, your alcohol was $39, without that the meal was $100 / $25 per person using your math.

The Mug refill - depending on frequency at resort is a perk and the snack could be used as a breakfast item. But this is a bare minimum food plan per day - which I still think you'll have some additional food/beverage costs.

I see it as "pay for the basics before or pay as you go".

 

[princesswahooey]

I think the DDP can be cost effective in some situations, and especially if you have a larger % of <9 kids in your party. We decided to try it one year (quite some time ago. Maybe 2017?) I kept track of receipts and we definitely saved money. But that was also when Le Cellier was only 1 TS and BOG was a QS credit at lunch.

We considered doing the Disney+ free dining deal when we booked our upcoming trip, but as we began creating our desired ADR list and doing the math, it just didn't provide the value we needed for where we wanted to eat. Space 220 is not even on the dining plan, BOG, Topolinos dinner, and Le Cellier are each 2 TS credits now. The value is not there. Not to mention, we won't have to keep track of whether we've spent our snack credits.

I can see the appeal and it can be fun to "work the system" with the dining plan and get the best value if it's something you're interested in trying, but as soon as it becomes a stressor to "get your value" then it loses it's appeal.

Depending on what type of a person you are, the "freedom of just ordering whatever & having it prepaid" does not translate to the "freedom to order whatever & don't stress over whether you're getting your value."

 

[Wendy5055]

The dining plans only have two meals and one snack per day. If you eat three full meals per day, you still have to pay for that third meal out-of-pocket. If you get more than one snack per day per person, you would also have to pay for that out-of-pocket.

I did include money for the extra breakfast "table service meal/quick service meal/snack $189.50 + $60 for breakkie = $249.50"

I will have 3 table service/3 quick service/ 1 snack per day and can even add an additional $40 in snacks and still save $$.

 

[Mouse Tracker]

prices for each restaurant) minimum at a table service restaurant

The TS credit has a range of value depending on location, $35-$60, doesn't include tip.
I think your figuring QS eating in the beginning of thread but using the TS DDP $ in the end.
QS DDP is cheaper than the TS DDP , your calculations appear to be 'apples to oranges'

 

[Mouse Tracker]

Try using the 'distripplanner' calculator, although flawed its a good approximation / comparison