Comparing dining discounts

[MouseOfCards]

So confusing. Is there an easy way to compare the various (DVC, AP, TIW, DDP) dining discounts? Or is there some helpful calculator out there that we can input # of guests (adults and kids), length of stay, # of visits in a year, restaurants to be visited (including breakfast, lunch, or dinner), etc.?

 

[Dean]

I've always found the all ears comparison of discounts (http://allears.net/pl/disc_dining.pdf) to be helpful. A quick search on google gave me 4 calculators. I've seen 2 of them before and they're useful but not magic. My best tool has been to look through the menus for where we have reserved and pick out the likely options we'd order on cash and compare that to discount options. I usually ignore the drink mug and tips and give $4 per snack though as options have evolved, I may have to raise the snack comparison going forward. I want a 20% discount or 20% added value of thing want, to justify the DDP. Remember it's use or lose so if you have to leave early, cancel the trip short notice or someone is ill, you may lose out on credits; we've had that happen personally. It's difficult to get a value (and easy to pay more than OOP) for the quick service plan. The deluxe plan is the easiest to get a value/discount if it fits your trip. The basic plan is in between in terms of being able to get a value, you have to have the right choices for it to work. After you've gone through the calculations a couple of times, it gets much easier.