Best times to book meals with DDP

[mommymanda]

Last time we went to WDW it was nearly 6 years ago. We had a dining plan, but it was different than whats offered now (we got 2 quick service, one sit down, and 2 snacks/person/day). So we got up in the morning, had breakfast at the hotel, grabbed a quick service lunch around one, and dinner at 6 or 7pm. Snacks was usually a treat at the parks, and another before bed.

So I think this time getting the DDP is our best option, gives us enough food and fits into the budget. That gives us technically two meals only though, as opposed to the three we had last time.

I admit we had more than enough food and ended up bringing a ton of 'snacks' home. Yet with the new plan how do I spread out the meals so we are paying as little OOP as possible, without hungry whining kids?

 

[Nancyg56]

I booked a TS meal every evening because my family likes to have a sit down relaxed dinner. Normally at home we do not all have a big breakfast but my DH does like to eat three meals when we are vacationing so we sometimes would split a CS breakfast and then split a CS lunch. It was plenty for us and DH is a big guy.

I would suggest that you look at some of the snacks as supplements to the meal. I have not been in a few years but i remember having a yogurt parfait for breakfast and that was a snack credit. Plenty for me and mirrored how I eat at home. You will not be taking your snacks home but for my family it was a good thing to use them.

 

[TDC Nala]

There has never been a dining plan that offered 1 TS, 2 CS and 2 snacks per night. Not sure what plan you were on. The deluxe is 3 meal credits a night and 2 snacks, but they are not designated TS or CS as they can be used for either. Between 2005 and 2007 there was only one dining plan, 1 TS, 1 CS and 1 snack per night.

 

[figment_jii]

So we got up in the morning, had breakfast at the hotel, grabbed a quick service lunch around one, and dinner at 6 or 7pm. Snacks was usually a treat at the parks, and another before bed.

In terms of economics, the best use of the TS credit is usually for dinner. If it were me, I'd probably plan on a QS meal around noon and then a TS dinner around 7 pm. As a PP suggested, you can use the snack credit to supplement breakfast or as a mid-day snack. You'll probably have to pay OOP for at least one meal (if you're used to eating three meals per day). In that case, breakfast is almost always the cheapest (especially if you don't do character meals).

 

[FencerGirl]

You'll probably have to pay OOP for at least one meal (if you're used to eating three meals per day). In that case, breakfast is almost always the cheapest (especially if you don't do character meals).

I'll second that. Depending on where you're staying, your resorts restaurant might have a big breakfast that the kids can split. My husband, 3 yo, and myself split AKL's Bounty Platter each morning usually supplemented with some fruit as a snack credit.

 

[stitchlover]

Here is another option if you don't need a full meal for breakfast. Bring items from home. My husband eats oatmeal bars from home. I throw a couple of boxes of those int he suitcase and that saves money out of pocket for breakfast. You can use your drink refill mug for your breakfast beverage and use your snack credit to supplement the oatmeal bar with fruit or yogurt if you would like. But we aren't big breakfast people so that might not work for you.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I'm confused, too. We had the ddp 6 years ago and it was 1TS, 1CS, 1 snack. Not sure if they had a deluxe plan? Did you have that? Maybe you paid oop and don't remember doing so.
We usually split some cs meals and pay for a few cs oop. We also keep some snacks in the room.

 

[mommymanda]

You guys must be right, I asked DH and he said he's pretty sure we paid for breakfast OOP...I just can't recall spending it lol...I remember we brought $500cash and returned with $350, buying DD some stuffed toys...so I must have balanced things out somehow.

 

[Cafeen]

From a monetary standpoint, for the majority of restaurants, the best use is going to be for dinner. There are a few restaurants that share the same menu for lunch and dinner (The Plaza (not a good use in general), Via Napoli (not a good use for pizza), Mama Melrose, and 50s Prime Time, along with several others), so for those it's not going to matter. You will want to aim for the upper half of the restaurants on the pricing scale as well, since the margin is so much tighter than it used to be, it's a bit tougher to make sure you'll come out ahead.

Breakfasts should nearly always be from home, snacks, or OOP. The exception comes with kids at character breakfasts, where the cost of the breakfast is typically higher than the nightly cost of the plan. The same doesn't necessarily hold true for adults though, so you'll want to watch out for that.