Cost of the DDP - A Few Questions

[Bowen9475]

I believe the price is 37.99 for adults and 10.99 for kids. Is this the total cost? Do they add tax to this price? Thanks for the info!

 

[ItaliaDisneyFan!]

Not quite... its 37.99 per person per day for an adult and 10.99 a day per child... for 4 adults it would be $1500 (i believe... i just did that off the top of my head and math isnt my best subject but its somewhere around that price!!)

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

That's the bottom line price.

If you're traveling in 2007, it goes up $1 a day.

 

[JimMIA]

I believe the price is 37.99 for adults and 10.99 for kids. Is this the total cost? Do they add tax to this price? Thanks for the info!

The price includes both tax and 18% tip on the TS meals. There are no additional costs. As mentioned above, it's $37.99 adult/$10.99 child for 2006, and $38.99 adult/$10.99 child for 2007.

However, the dining plan -- either free or paid -- is almost always a part of a "package," which includes an onsite room and some kind of park ticket. Depending on the composition of your party and your normal WDW eating habits, it might save you money...or not. Everybody's math will be different.

 

[Bowen9475]

I realize the prices I quoted are per night. We have APs. If we book a room, hopefully with an AP discount, can we then add the DDP. We visited WDW in August and were able to try out the dining for free. We are now planning ahead for a possible February school vacation week visit. Thanks again!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I realize the prices I quoted are per night. We have APs. If we book a room, hopefully with an AP discount, can we then add the DDP. We visited WDW in August and were able to try out the dining for free. We are now planning ahead for a possible February school vacation week visit. Thanks again!

Sorry, you can't. Unless you're a DVC member staying at a DVC resort on points, the DDP can only be purchased as part of a Magic Your Way package. Those packages typically don't have AP discounts. You'll be paying the rack rate for your room. In addition, the package also includes a park ticket. You can get the cheapest park ticket available -- single day non-hopper; but even though you don't really need it because of your AP, it has to be in the package.

Some find that even with the expense of this extraneous ticket and the inability to get discounted rooms, the DDP still saves them enough money (or has enough other benefits) to be worth it. They buy the package and find another way to use the included park tickets. (You can save it for a future trip when you don't have an AP. Or, you can save it and upgrade it to an AP in the future. With the new rules for AP renewals, it's frequently more beneficial to buy a new AP (or upgrade a MYW ticket to an AP) than to renew your current AP.)

However, many others with annual passes feel the Magic Your Way package requirement is too restrictive to make the DDP worth it, and choose to go with the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) instead. DDE is a discount card AP holders can purcase which allows you to save 20% on most WDW table service meals.

Sorry to burst your bubble. You've stumbled across the biggest down side to the DDP.

One other noteworthy item: room only bookings and package bookings come from two separate pools of rooms. If you have a reservation for a room only booking at an AP discount, and later decide you want to change to a package, you'll have to completely cancel your original reservation and start again from scratch. For a slow time of year like February, this is just a paperwork drill. However, if you tried to do it at a popular time, you might not be able to find another room.

 

[JimMIA]

You might be able to get some discount on the room, but not an AP discount. I believe the only room discount allowed on the free dining was AAA, and I'm not sure about that.

You'll have to purchase the park tickets, but I believe you can either keep them or exchange them for a voucher which you can use for AP renewal later.

I'd check with CRO on those details, though, because those things are always subject to change...and the devil IS in the details with something like this.

 

[Bowen9475]

OK - another question. If we booked a package with one day tickets - can my sister-in-law, who is coming with us, in the same room, without an AP, use all of the adult 1 day tickets as her park admissions? We have previously had the DDE card and that is defnitely another consideration. Thanks, yet again!

 

[bicker]

Yes. 1 day tickets do not have a tie to a specific person, and can be used by anyone in your party. However, they're typically provided to you on each person's individual room key, so that might make what you're suggesting more difficult.