Camping with DDP - is it worth it?

[ltighe21]

We will be camping for the first time at FW. I've read alot of recommendations for the Disney Dining Plan. However, those recommendations are not from campers. We will be there for 5 nights, but getting in late on the first night (around 11pm), so we can use those meals during the other 4 days.

My opinion is that we will be in the parks all day . . . the last thing I want to do is come back to the campsite and cook! (Plus I'm two months pregnant and exhausted!) I'm looking forward to truly having a vacation on this camping trip, and enjoying not packing up lunch, drinks and snacks for each day in the park.

Traveling will be me and my husband, plus our 4 children, 9 years old and under. So it's about $100 per day for the DDP for us.

Your advice, please!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Many of us do cook, so I'm not sure how many you will find who do the dining plan.

 

[BradyBz12]

We've camped and used the DDP the last 2 trips... BEFORE they changed the plan. We found that it was definitely worth it for us, even though the dining options at FW are somewhat limited. When we weren't in the parks for mealtime, we did many dinners at Downtown Disney (an easy/quick drive from FW if you have a vehicle - take a LEFT out of the campground parking lot for a quicker route!) and it's also nice to catch a launch to the Contemporary or Wilderness Lodge for a meal.

That being said, since they changed the plan - dropping the appetizer and gratuity - we've decided not to do it this year. Not really anything to do with the fact that we're camping, just that it's no longer really worth it for us for the way we use the plan.

Plus we traded off an extra week at FW for keeping to a tighter food budget this year, meaning more meals at the camper (fair trade in my book!)

 

[clkelley]

If you don't want to cook, then don't cook!! If you feel the dining plan is a good value for you, then by all means get it!! Staying at the campground or resort should make no difference.

We don't feel the value of the dining plan is good for us whether we are staying at a resort or staying at the Fort.

Even if we're staying at the campground, the only difference is we have a quick breakfast at the camper (oatmeal, breakfast bars, yogurt, juice). We still eat most other meals out. This October we may only have 1 large meal in at the camper the whole week cause our group is having a potluck.

 

[terri01p]

It's as simple as this, if you want the DDP and it works for you get it.

I've had it in the past and loved it, our next trip I just don't find it affordable so we won't be getting it. So do what you feel like is best for your family and have a good time.

Or you can just develop another type of eating plan, we have never took food into the parks per-say, we always come back for lunch and just eat at the camper, we don't feel the need to pack stuff for the parks, we might grab a snack or two in the parks and come back for supper, you can always throw something in the crock pot and come back and it's done the work for you.

So what ever works for you and your family.

 

[TheChaoticChef]

When I took the family last December to WDW we did the dining plan. This was when it included the appetizer and tip. I thought we got the better end of the deal because all of our table service was character meals. Now that we're heading back to WDW in Feb. and camping at FW, I decided to get the 2 counter service/2 snack per person plan. I know I don't want to come back to the site and have to cook every day. I remember from December how exhausted we were daily when we got back to the room. I do plan on having bfast at the trailer daily and using the 2 meals to service us for lunch and dinner. That being said, if the plan fits into your budget, do it! I'm glad we did the 1st time and I would have still done it had we camped back then too.

 

[ntsammy5]

We've done the dining plan before and won't do it again. We were staying at a resort though when we did it. That trip was all about the food!

 

[LarryJ]

We will be camping for the first time at FW. I've read alot of recommendations for the Disney Dining Plan. However, those recommendations are not from campers. We will be there for 5 nights, but getting in late on the first night (around 11pm), so we can use those meals during the other 4 days.

My opinion is that we will be in the parks all day . . . the last thing I want to do is come back to the campsite and cook! (Plus I'm two months pregnant and exhausted!) I'm looking forward to truly having a vacation on this camping trip, and enjoying not packing up lunch, drinks and snacks for each day in the park.

Traveling will be me and my husband, plus our 4 children, 9 years old and under. So it's about $100 per day for the DDP for us.

Your advice, please!

Only you can really answer that and you didn't indicate if you have camped with your family of six, and what sort of RV you have or will be in a cabin all of which have some bearing on what to do. Even of you do do the DPP are there available ressies available in the park where you will be at. I like a little more freedom. A couple of other things to consider ...

With 4 wee-ones all under 9 just how long can you actually stay in a park continuously. ... only you can answer that. We like to eat a simple breakfast in the trailer go to a park to around noon, come back eat and wait till about 4 eat an early dinner go back for another 3 or 4 hours and then come back and have a snack. We have seen way too many cranky wee-ones on either the boat or buses at around 8PM or later that have obviously been in a park since the morning. As I said you know your children better than us so only you can judge how long they can last, but a cranky child makes for a poor vacation vs. just cooking and feeding them and giving them some downtime somewhere.

Larry

 

[juligrl]

My opinion is that we will be in the parks all day . . . the last thing I want to do is come back to the campsite and cook!

This is the reason crockpots were invented!
I have taken mine on weekend camping trips before and I totally depend on it when I'm up at my cottage. When we spend all day out on the river or putting in 20 miles on the bike trail, the last thing I want to do is go back to my cottage and figure out what I'm feeding my exhausted yet starving family. I love my slow cooker.

DDP is nice but it can also be kind of a pain since you really do have to plan your day around your meals.

 

[momoffive]

Whatever works for you. We are a family of 7 and we did the the DP in Dec and loved it. I am on vacation, we are in tents not a RV so no "kitchen".. We do oatmeal for breakfast and plan our days ahead of time. Not a big deal to us, but for others that can be a pain. I like a schedule, and I don't like to clean, a win win for me. After my kids turn 9 it probably won't work for us so until then I will continue to use the DP, even with adding tips it saves us time money and sanity.
Loretta

 

[PrincessMom98]

We tried the DDP on our last trip in August and I loved it! We did a split stay with the first part on DDP and then a few nights campground only. For 2 adults, 2 kids and a 2yo(free at buffets) it was less than $100/day and so worth it. I think the DDP added about $580 to our package but the meals we ate would have cost about $870. For me it was nice to not have to worry about how much each meal was going to cost and I enjoyed it more that way. We did the HoopDeDoo and let each kid pick a character meal. We could have eaten cheaper at our camper but we really enjoyed eating out for a change.
Take a look at the menus and think about where you think you would like to eat. Add up the prices and see if it works for you.
Your post didn't mention when you are going, but if it is not a busy time you may be able to change your ADRs when you see how you day is going. We were lucky, we arrived with no ADRs and were able to do everything we wanted but that was risky.
As a PP mentioned be careful not to over schedule your little ones (or yourself). My kids were 9, 5, and 2 and we needed a down day every other or every third day. We scheduled Chef Mickeys and HoopDeDoo on our non-park days and just hung out at the pool and rented a golf cart for a few days. My kids liked the pool and golf cart almost as much as the parks!
HTH - If you have any questions just ask!

 

[BRDof3]

As it's been said before, do what you feel most comfortable with. We went to WDW in April for a week, stayed in a resort, and took the DDP. Oldest DD was 10, so they charged her as an adult. Personally, we decided that next time we probably won't use the DDP, either at a resort of FtW.

We ate very well that week, far more than we would have on our own. We discovered that the counter service lunches were big enough that 2-3 would feed all 5 of us lunch. We had to eat lunch early, as we were locked into the table service reservations for dinner, so we ate a lot more often than usual. We packed light b-fast stuff to eat in the room.

All in all, we decided it wasn't worth it dollar-wise, esp with DD paying the adult rate. On our own, we would probably eat a counter service mid afternoon, then light supper or snack-level later. We could probably have eaten well enough with only a CS each day, plus a splurge table service once or twice. That would have ended up a lot cheaper than the week's DDP. On the other hand- we had some REALLY good food that week that we would have missed w/o the DDP.

I hope our next visit is at FtW, so the DDP would def not be in our plans. As far as being tired, crock pots are a life-saver! (So is having DH do the cooking, but that's another topic! )

 

[gillenkl]

We have used the DDP and I do really like it - but that was before all the changes and tips were included at that time. We also wanted some character meal experiences and sit-down meals. We really wanted to experience "the food".
This year we're skipping it. I will make breakfast, lunch will probably just be CS and then dinner will be something simple or whatever I've put in the crockpot. I'm planning to take enough to spend $40 a day for a CS meal and snacks - for a family of 4; I think this will be plenty since the kids can often share a meal.