Breaking even...

[markopolo]

I've added it up before, we've never gotten the DDP, but what we end up spending on food, is about the same as if we had gone with the DDP, except we have a bit more flexibility in where and what we eat without the plan.
But my question is with people that say they save so much money. I don't get it. I'm figuring some restaurants charge a lot more, and therefore you save a lot more? What are some of the more expensive restaurants, and what are the pricier dishes?
So just curious about that, it just almost seems you have to go out of your way to find and eat at the more expensive restaurants, just so you can get the best deal.
And do travel agents get a bonus or something to sign you up? We just booked (CAA/AAA) and they wouldn't drop it, we were saying 'no, no, thats about how much we spend anyways, and we like Rainforest Cafe, so no.' But they kept pushing hard on how much we save, and no one ever refuses it, and people always say how great it is. We had to repeatedly say 'NO' and they seemed really disappointed.
So just curious, how much are some people saving with the DDP, and where have you been eating, and ordering what? Thanks for answering!

 

[Tricia1972]

If you could break even, but not eat where you want to eat, then the DDP may not work well for you. The DDP is only a good idea if it fits the way that you normally eat and is accepted at the places that you want to eat.

To me, the DDP loses value when I am changing what I want to fit it, unless I am saving a lot of money by doing so.

I think that you should go with your gut, if it doesn't feel right then don't do it.

Don't worry if you hurt your travel agent's feelings, they're only trying to do their job.

 

[KatMark]

The Dining Plan works for us (especially the Free Dining) as it enables us to eat at a lot of places that we wouldn't eat if we had to pay for it. We probably wouldn't do LeCellier or as many character meals if we had to pay because it just gets too expensive.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We used the DDP on pur last trip and LOVED it. We got to eat at places we never would normally go to. On the rare occasion we go out to eat it is no drinks and no dessert. It was nice to be able to tell the kids go for it. It just added to our experience, course I like having the meals planned out ahead of time. We loved the sanck credits, in the past snacks came out of my purse, it was fun to let the kids get something when they wanted it. It wasn't necessary, but it was fun. we were lucky enough to get free dining on our upcoming trip. We are trying new places like Cali Grill and LeCellier that we would never pay for OOP.
Do what works for you, that is the beauty of multiple plans, you pick the one that works for you...

 

[catne]

Here's the break down on our recent free dining trip:

Cost of our rack rate Value Resort room for 6 nights & Free DDP: actual cost to us was $492.00

Cost of discounted Value Resort room and pay for DDP would have cost us $837.48

Cost of discounted Value Resort room, skip the DDP entirely and pay cash for all the food we ate would have cost us $1013.05 The discounted room would have been $393...the rest was actual cash cost of the food we ate during our September trip.

...none of these totals include park tickets, because we would have had to purchase park tickets no matter which way we went.

Of course we saved a lot, with Free Dining. But we also went last May, and paid for the DDP. In May, we saved approximately $10-20 per day using paid DDP.

For free dining, we ate snack credit for breakfast, counter service for lunch, and table service for dinner (all one-credit dinners) Our table service was not at the most expensive places: We did 2 buffets and one Family-platter-style place. These options are in the low-to-mid range for Disney table service. The two dinners we had at full menu restaurants we did have the steaks/filets so those were higher totals, but not as high as the top-line Disney restaurants. We kept all receipts, so I know exactly how much all the free food would have cost us.

 

[tigergirl]

Went on a trip for 6 days in early August with myself, DH, and DS3. If it were just us 2 adults alone on the DDP, we would have likely saved ~$4-5 each per day - essentially getting our snack for free. Not much savings in my book, and we would have never have done the DDP. Because we also had our son and ate mostly at character meals/family style meals, we wound up saving $$ because the child's dinner prices at these places are all $14-17. Adding in his CS and snack, that typically came to $12-15 savings per day for him alone.

Other posters have reported something similar - that the more children <9 years, the more likely the savings.

 

[dizneeat]

We just had 12 days and 6 days of free dining. I always scribbled down the amount when they brought out the bill, so I was able to keep track.

12 days - amount spent 1432$ (remember FREE dining - would we have had to pay for it we would have paid 960$ so savings were 472$ for 2 adults1)

6 days - amount spent 704$ We used ALL our credits and carefully planned on where to eat and it included most of our favourites and a few new restaurants.

 

[racefanof88]

When we were there in May we came out about even. We payed for the ddp and for us the cost was for 4 adults and 1 9yo. If you go with free dining of course you come out ahead. For us the price was $165.95 a day for the ddp. It just wasn't worth it to me. Next year our plans are to go in early October, and if the rumors hold true, they will still be offering free dining at that time. I will go with the plan if it is free, but I have no plans to pay for it again.

It really is a personal choice though. I had never used the ddp before this past trip and wanted to try it, I tried it and I didn't like it. A co-worker and her family just got home 2 weeks ago and they always get the ddp, free or not, because her husband is the ultimate planner............

 

[Pixiedust34]

You have to do the math and decide what you'd normally order to see if the DDP is a good deal for you.

We have had trips with and without the plan. Unless the dining plan is free, it's not a good deal for us.

--Dd (10) still likes to order kid's meals, and we don't need a dessert with every meal. It's not worth paying $40/day for her when she orders kid meals.
--We usually drink water in FL to deal with the heat, and you can get free ice water at all cs locations.
--Snack credits are nice to have, but we share some of the snacks (it's easy to break a soft pretzel or churro in half) so we don't spend too much OOP money on snacks. Dh and I don't mind asking for an extra plate so we can share a pastry such as the school bread.
--We order groceries for our room and unless we have a ts breakfast scheduled, we eat our own food (fruit, cereal bars) in our room for breakfast so we don't need extra cs or snack credits for breakfast.

When we're not on the plan, we will do some ts meals but they will be 1-2 breakfasts and several lunches which aren't too expensive. We'll do more cs meals than when we have the dining plan, but that's OK as it gives you more freedom of when & where to eat.

But if you are doing a lot of ts meals (1 per day) and if all of your kids eat the age-appropriate portions (If you don't have a 10+ year old who still wants kid's meals), the dining plan will most likely save you money or at least break even. You can use the online menus to see the prices of the places you'd like to eat and estimate the cost of your daily dining expenses to decide if the DDP is a good deal for you.

 

[Sammy]

We travel with three teenagers with big appetites, who can be pretty adventurous eaters. Being able to tell them they can order anything they want off the menu makes the DDP worth it to us. We had DDP in April '07, but did not do it in April '08 and boy did we miss it! I saved all receipts from the April '07 trip and we ended up saving over $600 over what the meals would have cost OOP. And....we got to eat at lots of restaurants we wouldn't have normally. It was great fun!!

 

[bleeps]

Our first couple of trips were without any dining plan; the last 3 have been "with" and in about 2 weeks we head down for 9 days with the deluxe plan.

The first trip with DDP, I planned and compared and agonized over whether we would come out ahead or not. We always eat at several Signature Dining places (2 plan credits) and we always do a few character breakfasts. Also, my husband and son are both "meal" people -- they really need to sit down and eat 3x a day or they get cranky/miserable (very fast metabolisms!). We are also a family who gets worn out pretty quickly on CS offerings -- hot dogs, burgers, and chicken nuggets don't go too far with us.

So what I learned on the first DDP trip was that, yes, we saved $$ because of the way we eat and the places we like to eat. But the real reasons we keep using the plan, and will use DDDP this time are that:

-- Our meals are paid for ahead of time. In terms of budget planning and peace-of-mind while on vacation, this is HUGE for us.

-- It's in my nature under usual circumstances (going out to a restaurant to eat) that I give a great deal of thought to what things cost. I don't just pick what looks best to me on a menu; I hem and haw over choices based on cost -- just the way I was raised. The pleasure I get on WDW vacations when the price makes no difference at all is a treat beyond words for me, as is the ability to try an appetizer or have a desert when normally I wouldn't spend the money on extras.

-- We don't get hung up on "getting" every penny's worth. If we're not hungry enough for appetizers, or deserts, we skip 'em (although this drives the poor CMs crazy -- they really want you to get what you've paid for!). But DH still does the mental math and we still come out ahead.

-- As someone else mentioned, being able to be free and easy with snacks is also a "quality of life/vacation" component for us. Without the plan, I am loathe to shell out $$ for popcorn or a Mickey Bar when DS asks; I'll also tote around a half-empty bottle of luke warm water because I hate to throw out what I paid for. But on the plan, I can relax and have fun and let my DS get his beloved box of popcorn or whatever -- he's happy, I'm happy, and we're at Disney; it's just a lovely touch. And if that bottle of water is all warm and old, I can water some plants before tossing it out and not feel guilty.

So all in, having a dining plan both saves us some money and improves the quality of our vacation.

 

[mom2aredhead]

I've added it up before, we've never gotten the DDP, but what we end up spending on food, is about the same as if we had gone with the DDP, except we have a bit more flexibility in where and what we eat without the plan.
But my question is with people that say they save so much money. I don't get it. I'm figuring some restaurants charge a lot more, and therefore you save a lot more? What are some of the more expensive restaurants, and what are the pricier dishes?
So just curious about that, it just almost seems you have to go out of your way to find and eat at the more expensive restaurants, just so you can get the best deal.
And do travel agents get a bonus or something to sign you up? We just booked (CAA/AAA) and they wouldn't drop it, we were saying 'no, no, thats about how much we spend anyways, and we like Rainforest Cafe, so no.' But they kept pushing hard on how much we save, and no one ever refuses it, and people always say how great it is. We had to repeatedly say 'NO' and they seemed really disappointed.
So just curious, how much are some people saving with the DDP, and where have you been eating, and ordering what? Thanks for answering!

We are 2 adults and a child under 10. We break even or save a little bit of money on DDP. I still have flexibility because I make more ADR's than I have credits. For this trip (leaving tomorrow) we have 7 ADR's and credits for 4 days. If there are some we need to change/cancel, we'll do so, but I'm confident that we'll use 4 of them before the end of the week. We usually use snacks for breakfast (yogurt, muffin, fruit) have a CS lunch and a TS dinner. For my son, DDP cost per day is about the same as a character meal so I've already come out ahead there.

But yes, there are people (whether they admit it or not) that will pore over menus to make sure they go to the more expensive restaurants and order the more expensive entrees to assure they have gotten their money's worth. Just look at all of the posts about "where can I get lobster on DDP" or the people that eat filet mignon every night just because they can...

We eat the same way on DDP or not, and we've found we saved a bit of money, even paying OOP for gratuity and appetizers. But when my son is 10 years old and I have to pay adult price for him (assuming he still has the horrendous eating habits he does now), then no, probably not a good deal for us.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

But yes, there are people (whether they admit it or not) that will pore over menus to make sure they go to the more expensive restaurants and order the more expensive entrees to assure they have gotten their money's worth. Just look at all of the posts about "where can I get lobster on DDP" or the people that eat filet mignon every night just because they can...

I'll admit it, at least in part.
On the rare occasion that we go out to dinner, we get no drinks or dessert. I had never had a fillet mignon in my life till we ate at Concorse Steakhouse on our last trip, and haven't since, but I plan on having it at LeCellier. I don't say I have to eat the most expensive thing, but I do allow myself (and family) and actually encourage them to try new things now while we can. It isn't a "get every peny out of this plan" thing so much as a "try things we can not normally afford" thing. We live on mac and cheese, sloppy joes and the like to be able to go crazy every couple years at Disney, so I do go a bit crazy. I like ordering a smoothie or a chocolate soda, a steak or other piece of meat that isn't ground beef (all we seem to buy at home), and while I rarely have dessert at home, we always order it even if it is to go to enjoy later. If the chicken sounds good to me, i'll order it (and plan to at Kona), but if there is a steak, why not? just my opinion, I don't look at myself as taking advantage of the plan, but enjoying it to it's fullest!!!
We have done Disney without the plan, I ate kids meals, brought food in the backpack, and it was fine, but being on the plan has enhanced our experiences at Disney, and I am happy to get to enjoy it. I am going to Cali Grill with my husband to celerate our 15th annivarsary (a bit late). We would never justify doing that for the 2 of us, the nicest place we have every splurged on is Outback. This will be a dream for us and likely a one time thing. I am so excited for this oppurtunity.

I hope this doesn't come across in a negative way, I am just trying to point out why some people (like me) may want to research the restaurants, not necessarily to come out ahead, but to enjoy things that they normally would not.

 

[sherabby]

We went in July and dined at 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's, garden Grill, Liberty Tree Tavern and Whispering Canyon Cafe. We did save at least $20 a day and most days were much more.

 

[kaybird]

We think the DDP gives us GREAT flexibility. Never look at the prices, can't imagine where we would want to eat that isn't covered, and don't have to worry about the prices once we get there. We have gone twice without the plan in the last two years, ate less and still spent about what the DDP would've cost us.

 

[tzeitel]

I don't go out of my way to find the most expensive restaurants - they just happen to find me . I really do not care for the Signature restaurants, don't get me wrong they are good but I have been there, done that and I would rather go to Kona, Spoodles, Teppan Edo, Le Cellier, Tutto Italia, Chefs de France or any other great restaurants that are 1 ticket.

I did do some research and looked at menus for prices to see if it was worth it. Not that I will order the most expensive thing but if I happen to want it then I wont feel bad about getting it - and dessert too . This upcoming trip we are doing the luau ($51 pp = 2 tix), 2 dinner buffets ($25-29 pp each), Yak & Yeti, Teppan Edo, Coral Reef and Chefs de France. Those restaurants plus the CS and the snack make it more than worth it for us.

I guess it all depends on where (and what) you like to eat - we HAVE to have at least one nice TS a day just to regroup and talk about all teh cool things we did that day.

 

[secretpantssam]

I used the dining plan for the first time a few weeks ago because I got it free. When we added all the stuff together, I think we did save more than what we would have paid for the dining plan. However, if I was just ordering things I wanted my bills would have been less. I normally don't like dessert after every single meal, but since it was included I ordered it. I also order more smoothies and fancy drinks than I normally would. But I also really hated having to make reservations and having to plan our days around what we were going to eat and when. So I guess I can see the benefits and I can see the negatives. I certainly don't mind being on the dining plan if it were free...but I'm still iffy on whether or not I'd actually pay for it.

 

[mom2aredhead]

BI hope this doesn't come across in a negative way, I am just trying to point out why some people (like me) may want to research the restaurants, not necessarily to come out ahead, but to enjoy things that they normally would not.

Not negative at all! Believe me, I research too. I want to know what the buffets cost ahead of time so if we need to pay cash for one of them I pick the cheapest one. I make sure ahead of time that there is at least one thing on the kids menu my picky kid will eat. Without researching, I could potentially use DDP credits Sci-Fi Dine-Inn and end up with none left and have to pay cash at Le Chef's de France or Tutto Italia later in the trip. Research is great!
I was talking about the people that will take 90 minutes to travel clear across property to go to the Pepper Market just to get a Ribeye steak for a CS credit to "maximize". Or the others that refuse to do character meals because it doesn't "maximize". It's almost like a sport around here sometimes

 

[Freyja]

We will be eating at like Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, Marrakesh, Coral Reef, Boma and Kona café. When I looked up the menues on www.allears.net and calculated the costs of our meals, I decided to get the ddp. I figured that the ddp would cost us approx. the same as paying for these meals and CS oop and that the ddp would thereby provide us with "free" snacks

 

[mom2aredhead]

We will be eating at like Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, Marrakesh, Coral Reef, Boma and Kona café. When I looked up the menues on www.allears.net and calculated the costs of our meals, I decided to get the ddp. I figured that the ddp would cost us approx. the same as paying for these meals and CS oop and that the ddp would thereby provide us with "free" snacks

Pretty much the same for us. Not a huge savings, but enough.
Someone on here once said to look at is as a pre-payment plan rather than a way to save money. And then if you do happen to save a few bucks or get an extra snack or 2 that you normally wouldn't, consider it a good day!