Check my math?

[TI double-GUH ER]

DH and I are debating about whether or not to get the DDP for our next trip. We'd have 2 adults, 1 child, so for our 8 day trip, I figure it will cost $1016.
I then looked up menus, and estimated costs for where we were most likely to eat, rounding to the nearest $- including dessert and drinks. I added the cost of the mugs, and used $3/ day for snacks. See below. I am not sure if I did this right -- really only a $3 difference? Any math gurus out there? I'm not sure we'd get the mugs or all those desserts, but I still thought there would be more savings OOP.


MK - Crystal Palace - $40 adult, $20 child
MK- Cosmic Rays - $10 entree, $2.50 drink, $3 dessert adult, $6 child (all inclusive)
MK - Liberty Tree- lunch - $16 entree, $2.5o drink, $6 dessert adult, $9 child all inclusive
MK- Pecos Bills - dinner - $9 entree $2.50 drink $4 dessert adult, $6 child
EP - tutto italia - lunch - $20 entree $2.50 drink, $9 dessert adu;t, $10? chiild
EP- Rose and crwon - dinner - $21 entree $2.50 drink, $5 dessert, $9 child
EP- Sunshine seasons- lunch 10$ entree, $2.50 drink $4 dessert, $6 child
EP - Sunshine seasons - dnner $10 entree, $2.50, $4 dessert. $6 child
HS 50s- lunch - $15 entree, $6 dessert, $4 drink, $8child
HS - pizza panet - $10 entree,$2.50 drink, $3 dessert, $5 child
AK- Donalds - $30 adult, $15? child
AK- Yak and Yeti - $10 entree, $2.50 drink, $4 dessert, $6 child
CR - Chef Mickey - br. $30 adult, $15 child?
GF- 1900 Park Fare - din - $40 adult, $20 child
FQ- sassagola- lun- $9 entree, $4 dessert, $6 child
FQ- sassagoula - din - same as above

Thanks!!!

 

[havoc315]

Sounds about right. If you use every entitlement, all the mugs, every dessert and snack, a couple expensive meals... And you approximately break even. Having the child helps -- if you break it down further, you would see the adults lost money and the child saved.

But if you take out the mugs (our family gets minimal use from them), cut out a few of those cs desserts, maybe share just a few desserts, and you should fi d it is 10-15% cheaper to skip the dining plan.

 

[POOHsie]

One way to save by dining OOP would be skipping dessert. If you don't normally eat dessert except 1-2 times a week, I wouldn't budget for this. On the other hand, our family likes to order an appetizer to share when dining out. DDP doesn't cover that.

I think your budget for beverage is low by about $.50 each drink. I can't guess what entrees you ordered, but it seems there's no 6.5% tax in your budget. DDP includes tax in its daily cost.

I can generally agree with you that OOP and DDP are very comparable. I give the edge to DDP because of the resort beverage mugs, the included dessert if this is important to your family, but most importantly, because you don't have to look at menu prices on DDP. If you want the highest priced entree, you can get it and not have to opt for the bargain chicken dish because of cost. That's a huge selling point for lots of people on vacation. You have to analyze how your family would really dine if money were no object. But keep in mind expensive entrees would raise the amount of tip owed.

 

[OThopeful35]

Sounds about right. If you use every entitlement, all the mugs, every dessert and snack, a couple expensive meals... And you approximately break even. Having the child helps -- if you break it down further, you would see the adults lost money and the child saved.

But if you take out the mugs (our family gets minimal use from them), cut out a few of those cs desserts, maybe share just a few desserts, and you should fi d it is 10-15% cheaper to skip the dining plan.

I agree with this. You will save some money in this aspect. After awhile we stopped eating those cs desserts. DS had lots of them in his back pack We preferred getting our sweets at Main St. bakery or somewhere else in the park.

 

[abdgeek]

The amount of savings you see with the DDP is dependent on how expensive an entree you choose at each restaurant. Based on the information you provided, it doesn't appear that your savings will be that great(if at all).

I always get the dining plan when I go to WDW and love it; however, I tend to choose the higher priced entrees because they are something I would not normally eat. That way I get the maximum amount of savings from the plan.

 

[havoc315]

.
I can generally agree with you that OOP and DDP are very comparable. I give the edge to DDP because of the resort beverage mugs, the included dessert if this is important to your family, but most importantly, because you don't have to look at menu prices on DDP. If you want the highest priced entree, you can get it and not have to opt for the bargain chicken dish because of cost. That's a huge selling point for lots of people on vacation. You have to analyze how your family would really dine if money were no object. But keep in mind expensive entrees would raise the amount of tip owed.

I like oop for exactly that reason. Oop, I don't have to look at the prices. I just order what I want. I can afford a $25 entree just as well as a $16 entree. But on the ddp, I have to stress looking at the prices, making sure I get good value. Most of the time, I prefer the cheaper items on the menu, but I stress about ordering them on the ddp. Oop gives me the freedom to order anything I want. Cheap or expensive. Wine or soda or tap water. Appetizer, entree or both. Included or not included. Vacation should be freedom, and oop gives me that freedom.

 

[Cafeen]

Assuming 2013 prices:
Total for all meals = 906
Total for snack = 63
Total for mugs = 45
Total for all = 1014

Using DDP (note: there are 9TS here and 7 nights, so I took the 2 cheapest and added them as OOP)
DDP Total = 898.38
Plus cheapest 2 = 995.38 (Note, used the same restaurants for both adult and kid, you can save ~$1 by choosing 50s for the kids meal instead of LTT )

So, here it looks very close. However, remember that DDP also includes tax.
Total tax amount = 65.91
Total grand total = 1079.91

DDP tax amount = 6.31
DDP Grand Total = 1001.69

So, it's still not GREAT savings, roughly 8% or so while mirroring the same orders. But a bit more than the $3 you were getting .

Now, as a note, skipping all CS dessert, and splitting all TS dessert will land you under, by about $4 (997.91). Also, tips would be slightly lower (really, not by much though since it's 5 meals (the non buffet ones), and you're saving between $2 and $5 each by splitting the desserts). Skipping the mugs (I never use mine either, and don't figure it in) would lower that even more (by about $48 incl tax). So still ahead with DDP not sharing/skipping dessert, but a bit behind when you skip/share desserts if not counting the mugs.

As a note: if going in 2012, knock another ~$70 off of the DDP cost (826.70 base)

 

[TI double-GUH ER]

Thanks!!

DH loves being on the plan - especially because he likes not having to think about it, and it's paid for before we go. I think we'd do better to go oop and save some $. We're also bringing our DD, who won't be on the DDP (under 3), so we're going to have to get her food oop either way. I guess now I won't sweat it either way.

We've never had the mugs before - so not sure how that will work, but it's included. I'm not much for soft drinks in the heat.

And thanks to Cafeen and Poohsie - I had rounded things off a bit, and didn't remember to add tax!! See why I was not a math major!!

 

[danceintherain]

Thanks!!

DH loves being on the plan - especially because he likes not having to think about it, and it's paid for before we go. I think we'd do better to go oop and save some $. We're also bringing our DD, who won't be on the DDP (under 3), so we're going to have to get her food oop either way. I guess now I won't sweat it either way.

We've never had the mugs before - so not sure how that will work, but it's included. I'm not much for soft drinks in the heat.

And thanks to Cafeen and Poohsie - I had rounded things off a bit, and didn't remember to add tax!! See why I was not a math major!!

That's how it works for us, and we pretty much always buy things that aren't included on the plan - an extra QS meal etc - which makes the savings even more confusing.
My DH loves the Dining Plan too, but we saved over $100 without it the last time, and we ordered everything we wanted. Every year it seems to become less of a good deal

 

[bdklein]

I like oop for exactly that reason. Oop, I don't have to look at the prices. I just order what I want. I can afford a $25 entree just as well as a $16 entree. But on the ddp, I have to stress looking at the prices, making sure I get good value. Most of the time, I prefer the cheaper items on the menu, but I stress about ordering them on the ddp. Oop gives me the freedom to order anything I want. Cheap or expensive. Wine or soda or tap water. Appetizer, entree or both. Included or not included. Vacation should be freedom, and oop gives me that freedom.

Exactly my sentiment. We recently traveled with another family. We both stayed CL; they did the DxDP (2 adults 2 kids) and we (2 adults, 12 year old who eats like a kid and 9 year old) did no Dining Plan. We loved not being locked into having to get a dessert, getting non-alcoholic drink when we only drink water, not getting an appertizer included (on most meals), having to order an entree as opposed to just ordering a few appetizers, etc. And by the end of the trip our friends were buying us snacks and drinks and one night's dinner to use up their credits.

My wife was concerned that I would put restrictions on her/us if we were not on the dining plan. And I said just the opposite. Eat whatever you want. I'd be upset if we were on a DP and didn't follow it to a "T". The potential cost savings of being on the DP is far outweighed by the flexibility/freedom of paying OOP.