DDE, DDP, or a combination of both?

[WineGalTina]

So I am planning our Disney Wedding for next October (coinciding with the F&W Festival!!! )

I brought DF for the first time last September for free dining and he fell almost as in love with WDW as I am - ALMOST...Enough to agree to a wedding and 2 week honeymoon but not enough so that he still teases me about hanging out on Dis Boards all the time

So with the new Intimate Wedding Package 2 AP's are included. We are big on PI and the water parks so we will probably pay for the upgrade to the Deluxe passes. This gives us the opportunity to buy the DDE card which is excellent because it gives us 20% off all the alcohol we know we will be drinking!!! DF --> Me --> But then again the DDP was good because DF is such a incredibly picky eater about all he eats is burgers, steaks, mashed potatoes, fries and ceaser salad and I am a super foodie so there is no real option of splitting meals to save money and I like the option of trying apps, entrees and dessert at meals even if I do end up leaving half of it without worrying about price. I am also wanting to try some of the nicer restaurants this time (California Grill and Jiko, maybe Artist Point) so might have to pay OOP for some meals anyway if we run out of TS credits.

So now comes my dillema - should we get the DDP only, get the DDE only, or get both? Is it worth the money to get both? Has anyone done this before? I know this is still over a year away but I am seriously more concerned about how we are handling all the food stuff than the wedding itself!!!!

Oh yeah - and as a post note can you use the DDE for anything at the F&W Festival? I am guessing not for the food samples but can you for the drinks?

Thanks
~Tina

 

[caroleRWO]

Absolutely get both. This is supposed to be a truly memorable, wonderful trip. You don´t want to have any concerns around dining.
Book the DDP, make your reservations and use the DDE card to get your 20% of alcohol - no worries about tips or anything.
And now relax, enjoy - it doesn´t get much better than this

 

[DeeDeeDis]

We used both on our May trip. It worked out great for us.
with the price of beers at EPCOT, 20% can be quite a bit off, ie 1.40 off a 7.00 beer.

Just remember the DE card is not used everywhere. MK and MGM are not that DE friendly. Most resort restaurants will, Boardwalk places and EPCOT and AK are great to use it at and some places DTD accept it also (I know Wolfgang pucks & Raglan Road does), and you also get a PI pass discount with the DE card.

An October wedding at Disney - thats going to be beautiful - have you picked where you are going to have the ceremony? Good lunck and congratulations

 

[Pumbaa_]

The DDE is currently $65. Will you be drinking $325 worth of alcohol to come out even? (a logistics question only ) If not, will you be returning within a year to get 2 trips out of the DDE card? If not, it may not be worth it.

But if you also want more than 1 TS per day, then it could also help out there. I would try making a spreadsheet of planned drinks (and if the DDE is valid where you will be drinking) and see if it is worth it.

Depending on your TS meals, wine can get pricey. It may well be worth it to get the DDE card, but it is worth the time invested to see if the math works out.

Have fun planning, your wedding will be at a fabulous time of year!

 

[BCV23]

We have DDE and have added the DDP on 3 trips. We prefer TS meals so use almost all QS credits for breakfast that we take back to the villa in the am. We then pay OOP using the DDE card for most lunches as well as for wine at meals. Works for us.

I would plan out your meals with all your favorites and then do the math. Happy planning!

 

[WineGalTina]

Thanks for the tips...And yes, I can almost guarantee that we will be drinking WELL over $325 worth of alcohol in 2 weeks!!! I was also thinking that we could use it for at least 1/2 of our reception dinner - there will be 20 of us total and I know you can only use it for up to 10 people but do you think if we bought 2 cards they would let us combine them or do 2 separate checks? That right there would pay for the cost of BOTH cards 5 times over! I can also see using the DDE to pay for some more laid back TS meals OOP and then using the extra credits for the nicer signature meals.

The wedding we are planning on having a small ceremony at Seabreeze Point on the Boardwalk - I know some people don't like how public it is but I am a ham and I want people to be able to stop and watch Then we will probably do a reception dinner at Spoodles and a dessert party in the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot with lots of fondue and Illuminations!! To be honest I can't believe not only that DF is letting me plan this whole thing in WDW but that he is super excited and enthusiastic about having 2 whole weeks to explore

Any idea on whether the F&W Festival booths accepts the DDE card for drinks? What about the fabulous Grand Marnier and Grey Goose slushie booth in France? We were whipping through those things like CRAZY last year!

Okay so I am really wishing that the wedding was THIS October - 15 months seems so far away!!!!!!! Any other tips and tricks on getting the most out of both the DDP and DDE are welcome.

 

[Pumbaa_]

The DDE card has not been valid for the F&W booths in the past nor the slushie booth, sorry! It is only valid at the TS places on the list.