Cost Effectiveness of DxDDP

[PrincessNewsie]

Has anyone done a cost effective analysis of the Deluxe dining plan?


Would this hold true if we do as we plan (One Signature Meal, one Late breakfast/early lunch a day, a snack for b-fast and to tide us over for our late siggy dinner???)

FH and I are honeymooning in Disney in May... We plan on going to Cali Grill, Citrico's, Le Cellier Tutto Itallia, and Artist's Pointe. We always go to Crystal Palace for Breakfast, and Josh REALLY wants to try Jiko, a Poly Luau, and 50s Prime Time Cafe... I have a hankering for the Princess Storybook SOMETHING.

We figured out the price ranges + tax for what we'd most likely order, we didnt' necessarily put in an appy or dessert every time (For Example: Cali Grill: split an order of sushi, full entree, split dessert). The DxDDP wound up being cheaper for the couple things we figured out. What do you all think?

 

[srdisney]

The dining plan is one of the best things Disney ever created. It saved my family a ton of money. There are a lot of advantages to the dining plan, especially if you want to go to the fancier restaurants or if you have a large family that goes on the trip. I would suggest doing it, especially if you said it came out to be cheaper for you.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I am doing a solo trip next year for 14 nights. I plan to go to all the signatures to leave me one night to go to Victoria and Alberts and one to the dino resteraunt. As for costing it out I have just brought an upper class plane ticket for the trip so can't exactly say I am costing anything out.

 

[katieam1]

Has anyone done a cost effective analysis of the Deluxe dining plan?


Would this hold true if we do as we plan (One Signature Meal, one Late breakfast/early lunch a day, a snack for b-fast and to tide us over for our late siggy dinner???)

FH and I are honeymooning in Disney in May... We plan on going to Cali Grill, Citrico's, Le Cellier Tutto Itallia, and Artist's Pointe. We always go to Crystal Palace for Breakfast, and Josh REALLY wants to try Jiko, a Poly Luau, and 50s Prime Time Cafe... I have a hankering for the Princess Storybook SOMETHING.

We figured out the price ranges + tax for what we'd most likely order, we didnt' necessarily put in an appy or dessert every time (For Example: Cali Grill: split an order of sushi, full entree, split dessert). The DxDDP wound up being cheaper for the couple things we figured out. What do you all think?

I would go with the DxDDP. just the two of you, well worth it. I would do the DxDDP if it was just myself and my husband. We are bringing our kids this time (first family trip, little kids little tummies) and we figure spend more time at the park but I think for me and my husband and when the kids get bigger the DxDDP plan is the way we will go.

 

[Krmrr]

Hi,

If you spend about $21/meal you break even with the DxlDP; 2 TS means $42.

My wife and I visited a few of your places on our last trip. Read my review at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1953162&page=1&highlight=retirees

Your tastes may be different from ours but here are the "costs" not counting tip.

Calif. Grill $122
50s Prime Time Cafe $66 (Lunch)
Princess Storybook Breakfast Akershus $62
Tutto Italia $103 (Lunch)

As you can see we spent much more than $42/meal for the two of us or even $84 for Calif. Grill.

Have fun,

 

[alan_renfroe]

Has anyone done a cost effective analysis of the Deluxe dining plan?


Would this hold true if we do as we plan (One Signature Meal, one Late breakfast/early lunch a day, a snack for b-fast and to tide us over for our late siggy dinner???)

FH and I are honeymooning in Disney in May... We plan on going to Cali Grill, Citrico's, Le Cellier Tutto Itallia, and Artist's Pointe. We always go to Crystal Palace for Breakfast, and Josh REALLY wants to try Jiko, a Poly Luau, and 50s Prime Time Cafe... I have a hankering for the Princess Storybook SOMETHING.

We figured out the price ranges + tax for what we'd most likely order, we didnt' necessarily put in an appy or dessert every time (For Example: Cali Grill: split an order of sushi, full entree, split dessert). The DxDDP wound up being cheaper for the couple things we figured out. What do you all think?

I did a pretty extensive analysis for our family on what would be better: the regular dining plan or the deluxe dining plan. Check out this link from my pre-trip report. Hopefully it will help you in answering some of your questions.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27069686&postcount=172

For the restaurants you've mentioned above, I can't almost guarantee you that you'll be better off with the Deluxe Dining Plan.

 

[tinks86]

Hi, I was having the same dilemma! Its just the 2 of us going and we don't want to have a crazy busy holiday dashing round the parks, so I think it will suit us as we want to have a signature meal most nights we are there and then either plan on a late brekkie or early lunch most days. Our snacks we will prob use up as drinks etc when we are in the parks then. We have got the DDP for free so think we will pay the extra to upgrade to DxDDP

 

[PaulaSB12]

I have tentatively chosen where I will eat next september and decided the delux was the way to go, I have got the free ddp but paid the extra to upgrade

1st night Beaches and Cream not the best use but didn't want to book a reservation for the first night and I love B&C
2nd day Akershus breakfast $28.99
Sci Fi Cafe drink milkshake $4.29 appetiser Spinach and Artichoke Dip $6.99 main course Beef and Blue Salad 14.99 dessert hot fudge sundae $4.99 total cost $31.26
dinner Jiko appetiser Artisan Cheese Selection $14.99 main course Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon $39.00 dessert Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake $8 assume $2.29 dor a pink lemonade total $64.28 total for one day $124.53

 

[Colleen27]

I've got a spreadsheet linked in my siggie that will do the math for you if you look over the menu and plug in some choices. Yeah, I'm *that* nuts about planning!

We saved quite a bit with the plan and we didn't try to maximize it at all. We had a few counter service breakfasts, some one credit meals that are considered a poor use of the plan because of lower prices (Plaza, Sci-Fi), a lot of signature dinners, and we didn't always order dessert if we were too full after our meal. We still came out a few hundred dollars ahead, and we won't hesitate to use the plan again on our next trip.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I've got a spreadsheet linked in my siggie that will do the math for you if you look over the menu and plug in some choices. Yeah, I'm *that* nuts about planning!

We saved quite a bit with the plan and we didn't try to maximize it at all. We had a few counter service breakfasts, some one credit meals that are considered a poor use of the plan because of lower prices (Plaza, Sci-Fi), a lot of signature dinners, and we didn't always order dessert if we were too full after our meal. We still came out a few hundred dollars ahead, and we won't hesitate to use the plan again on our next trip.

I love your spreadsheet...I have used it to figure out the benefits of the DDDP and it is great! Thank You!

 

[abc999]

Here is our breakdown from our 6 night trip in Sept during free dining...

Restaurant Subtotal Tax Total Tip Grand Total
Narcoosee's 185.31 12.97 198.28 32.50 230.78 Dinner
Yachtman's 143.58 9.34 152.92 28.00 180.92 Dinner
Tutto Italia 116.00 7.54 123.54 23.00 146.54 Lunch
LeCellier 112.20 7.30 119.50 20.20 139.70 Lunch
Cinderella's Royal Table 131.08 0.00 131.08 0.00 131.08 Dinner
Boatwrights 88.00 6.16 94.16 18.00 112.16 Dinner
Tokyo Dining 81.25 5.29 86.54 14.62 101.16 Dinner
Akershus 80.91 4.94 85.85 12.05 97.90 Breakfast
50's Prime Time 77.65 5.44 83.09 14.00 97.09 Lunch
Liberty Tree Tavern 78.18 4.78 82.96 13.21 96.17 Lunch
Yak & Yeti 69.40 4.86 74.26 12.49 86.75 Lunch
Kona Café 67.03 4.69 71.72 12.07 83.79 Lunch
Riverside Mill 45.54 3.19 48.73 0.00 48.73 Lunch
Riverside Mill 40.00 2.80 42.80 0.00 42.80 Dinner
Riverside Mill 20.00 1.40 21.40 0.00 21.40 Dinner
Total 1336.13 80.70 1416.83 200.14 1616.97





Cost for Deluxe Upgrade 444.00
Out of Pocket 644.14
Actual Cost of Plan(without free dining) 959.82

 

[PrincessNewsie]

Here is our breakdown from our 6 night trip in Sept during free dining...
Total 1336.13 80.70 1416.83 200.14 1616.97

Cost for Deluxe Upgrade 444.00
Out of Pocket 644.14
Actual Cost of Plan(without free dining) 959.82

So you ate at some counter service and it cost 1416.83, but would have cost 959.82 to pay for the plan out of pocket?

FH and I would only eat one signature per day + 1 TS + 2 snacks.... But just looking at Narcoose's and Cali Grill prices with everything, it kinda seems worth it.

 

[PrincessNewsie]

I have tentatively chosen where I will eat next september and decided the delux was the way to go, I have got the free ddp but paid the extra to upgrade

1st night Beaches and Cream not the best use but didn't want to book a reservation for the first night and I love B&C
2nd day Akershus breakfast $28.99
Sci Fi Cafe drink milkshake $4.29 appetiser Spinach and Artichoke Dip $6.99 main course Beef and Blue Salad 14.99 dessert hot fudge sundae $4.99 total cost $31.26
dinner Jiko appetiser Artisan Cheese Selection $14.99 main course Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon $39.00 dessert Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake $8 assume $2.29 dor a pink lemonade total $64.28 total for one day $124.53

I've got a spreadsheet linked in my siggie that will do the math for you if you look over the menu and plug in some choices. Yeah, I'm *that* nuts about planning!

We saved quite a bit with the plan and we didn't try to maximize it at all. We had a few counter service breakfasts, some one credit meals that are considered a poor use of the plan because of lower prices (Plaza, Sci-Fi), a lot of signature dinners, and we didn't always order dessert if we were too full after our meal. We still came out a few hundred dollars ahead, and we won't hesitate to use the plan again on our next trip.

Thanks so much for all of your help, I think we're going to go ahead and book it!!!

 

[katieam1]

I just upgraded our trip in January to DxDDP since the promo came out and we saved money there we decided to go for it too.

Hope you have a great Trip!!

 

[forgop]

Here's our plans:

Breakfast-Boma(x2), Chef Mickeys(x2), Grand Floridian Cafe, Tusker House=6 TS

Lunch-50's PTC, Le Cellier, WCC, Tutto Italia, Yak and Yeti=5 TS

Dinner-Chef Mickeys, Le Cellier, Yachtsman, Narcoossee's, Citricos, Coral Reef, Boma=10 TS

From the last menus on another site, I've figured our meals without any consideration for tax. With the snacks included, our overall "cost" of the deluxe plan is right at $1498 without the dining plan, but $1,007.86 with the dining plan.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I just this weekend started REALLY looking at the numbers from our August trip. We lost money on the plan.

We had 7 nights of DxDDP. We ate at Flying Fish, Citrico's, Narcoosee's, and Yachtsman that were signature dinners.

For the day I looked at in detail, my entree was about $32, appetizer was about $15, dessert $8, drink $2. Add tax and that comes to $60.70. Buffet breakfast was about $20, so about $81 for the day, then snacks were maybe $2 for a bottle of water and maybe $3 for an ice cream. So $86 total for the day, and we paid $70 for the plan. BUT now you have to tip on the full price of those meals. That's $16, and that wipes out the savings for the entire day.

I got sick on the last day so we ended up having 2 credits expire, DH used 2 credits to get take-out sandwiches just to use up the credits, and we used 3 credits on CS for dinner one night that we had an ADR booked but I wasn't well enough to go.

Just be really careful when you are running the numbers, because the tips absolutely stomped us.

 

[forgop]

I just this weekend started REALLY looking at the numbers from our August trip. We lost money on the plan.

We had 7 nights of DxDDP. We ate at Flying Fish, Citrico's, Narcoosee's, and Yachtsman that were signature dinners.

For the day I looked at in detail, my entree was about $32, appetizer was about $15, dessert $8, drink $2. Add tax and that comes to $60.70. Buffet breakfast was about $20, so about $81 for the day, then snacks were maybe $2 for a bottle of water and maybe $3 for an ice cream. So $86 total for the day, and we paid $70 for the plan. BUT now you have to tip on the full price of those meals. That's $16, and that wipes out the savings for the entire day.

I got sick on the last day so we ended up having 2 credits expire, DH used 2 credits to get take-out sandwiches just to use up the credits, and we used 3 credits on CS for dinner one night that we had an ADR booked but I wasn't well enough to go.

Just be really careful when you are running the numbers, because the tips absolutely stomped us.

How do you figure you lost money because of tipping? You would have to tip no matter whether you were on any dining plan or paying out of pocket. The savings comes from your $86 from the menu price compared to the price you paid, which you said was $70. If you said you ate a number of counter service meals in place of table service meals, you may very well run into that problem.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

How do you figure you lost money because of tipping? You would have to tip no matter whether you were on any dining plan or paying out of pocket. The savings comes from your $86 from the menu price compared to the price you paid, which you said was $70. If you said you ate a number of counter service meals in place of table service meals, you may very well run into that problem.

Oh, we have the DDE card. That is an important piece of info, isn't it? Sorry, I should have said that in the first post!

That gives us a 20% discount on all TS meals, so using the card would have essentially covered the tip. We used the DDE card the other 9 nights of that trip and we came out much better than we did the 7 nights we had DxDDP.

But even without the DDE card, some people might save more money by just ordering exactly what they want from the menu instead of buying the plan. There is a tendency to calculate "savings" on all of the food you order on the plan, even if you would not have ordered all of those things ordinarily. We thought that by eating buffet breakfasts and signature dinners that we wouldn't be absolutely stuffed, but we were. By about the 5th night we were eating less than half of our entrees because we were still full from the previous days!

 

[PrincessNewsie]

But even without the DDE card, some people might save more money by just ordering exactly what they want from the menu instead of buying the plan. There is a tendency to calculate "savings" on all of the food you order on the plan, even if you would not have ordered all of those things ordinarily. We thought that by eating buffet breakfasts and signature dinners that we wouldn't be absolutely stuffed, but we were. By about the 5th night we were eating less than half of our entrees because we were still full from the previous days!

That's what we did, we added up what we'd actually order from the signature restaurants (i.e. ONE appetizer and ONE dessert to split; not the MOST expensive entrees) and we figured we'd get a small savings from there.

My question to you is, we will be back in December for a week; and we will be in Daytona Beach in July (so possibility for a day trippie to WDW)... We currently have 7 day No expiration passes for both of us (no park hopper) that we were going to use and then Deluxe Dining to our Beach Club Honeymoon.

My current thought process now is, since I'll have to buy passes in December for sure, and possibly July (or at least no expiration); would i be better off holding onto the MYW 7 day passes and purchasing a discounted AP (we just bought BLT and are now DVC) and adding DDE? We plan on drinking and going to lots of fancy restaurants, but don't want to gorge ourselves because we are stuck on some plan. Would DDE cover Victoria and Albert's ? The 20% off?

I know about DDE automatic Gratuity; but i always leave 18-20% anyways.

I guess I'm just asking should I do Deluxe and buy more passes in July/December; or should we do APs and DDE (or tables in wonderland) from your previous experience.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

That's what we did, we added up what we'd actually order from the signature restaurants (i.e. ONE appetizer and ONE dessert to split; not the MOST expensive entrees) and we figured we'd get a small savings from there.

My question to you is, we will be back in December for a week; and we will be in Daytona Beach in July (so possibility for a day trippie to WDW)... We currently have 7 day No expiration passes for both of us (no park hopper) that we were going to use and then Deluxe Dining to our Beach Club Honeymoon.

My current thought process now is, since I'll have to buy passes in December for sure, and possibly July (or at least no expiration); would i be better off holding onto the MYW 7 day passes and purchasing a discounted AP (we just bought BLT and are now DVC) and adding DDE? We plan on drinking and going to lots of fancy restaurants, but don't want to gorge ourselves because we are stuck on some plan. Would DDE cover Victoria and Albert's ? The 20% off?

I know about DDE automatic Gratuity; but i always leave 18-20% anyways.

I guess I'm just asking should I do Deluxe and buy more passes in July/December; or should we do APs and DDE (or tables in wonderland) from your previous experience.

You can apply the cost of your 7 day passes to the cost of your APs - you just trade them up.

We've never been to V&A's so I don't know if they take DDE or not.

We just lost money with the DxDDP so of course I would say go with DDE. That way you don't have to worry about them separating out the bill for whatever isn't covered by the plan (wine, side dishes, etc.). Much easier that way. And then you just order the food you REALLY want, not the food required to make your cost on the plan break even. The cost of the plan added to the tips we paid out of pocket was MUCH higher than what we would have paid using the DDE card, even if we ordered the exact same food.