DDE vs DDP - can someone with our eating style help???

[MichelleB]

We are AP holders and DVC members going in 5 wks. We had decided to go with DDP but now I'm not sure. We typically eat 2 meals while at WDW - one late morning (either late breakfast or early lunch) and then one at dinner. We do like the TS (but usually only once every other day) but have been known to do a lot of CS to cut expenses as well. This next trip is a special occasion and we'll be trying Le Cellier, Corral Reef, Liberty Tree, and Sci Fi which we've not done in the past. We'll be there 5 days and there will be 6 people in our party. We'll be purchasing our AP for this trip and then using it again in Nov. and again next Jan. If we went with DDP, I think we'd be inclined to try the more expensive meal options available to us, but if on the DDE our economic side will still kick in. I guess I could still order the DDE and use it on our other trips. Can someone with similar eating habits please tell me which plan you use?

 

[patsal]

You sound rather like us. We are DVC with AP's as well. I have tried both the DDE and DDP. We like the DDP better, and it saves us more in the long run. We usually have breakfast in the villa and grab lunch whereever we are at that time. We like to enljoy a nice dinner, but sometimes not everynight--sometimes we'd just like to grab CS and continue doing what we are doing. I find that we enjoy signature dining very much--so I plan at least on during a five day span. I may also go for one TS breakfast jsut to break things up a bit. WIth DDE we saved 20% (the tip) with DDP we saved 40-60%. We did not always order all we entitled to or work the plan for maximum % of savings, I liked that it was prepaid and that gave everyone a great sense of freedom. I did not order a new DDE card since I'd have to spend $300 just to break even on the cost of the card. I have added the DDP to our vacation in July.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've compared the two plans several times now...the DDE card seems to consistently come out ahead for us. We have 3 'adults' in our party...myself, dh and 13 y/o dd. We like to eat one big TS meal a day, usually later afternoon/early evening. A counter service meal, 2 that we share between the 3 of us, does it for late morning. The times I have done the DDP, I have left WDW with credits still on the table..mostly snack and counter service credits..no TS credits left behind!!! So, if you eat on TS a day and plan to eat a counter service a day, then it may work out better for you, depending on where you eat. I did find myself stressing over leaving so much behind.

 

[aes74]

I don't think you have to leave snack credits. Especially if you are DVC. We used to grab a whole bunch of rice crispie treats, or cookies and take them home with us. At SSR the CMs are great at helping you find snack ideas.

If you usually only eat a TS every other day, what a great way to try some 2TS credit signature meals! California Grill...yummy!

 

[MadToad]

We are also DVC / AP folks...

We prefer the DDE as the majority of the restaurants we eat in are 2 TS credits. Plus alcohol is included on the DDE, which makes it priceless.

Good luck!

 

[tyandbash]

We are also DVC and AP. Last summer we did both. I like the DDP better, but only because we don't have to worry about what the meal is costing. I realize it is still our money, but I am like you and would still go cheaper with the DDE. That said we are planning to go next month with lots of family and didn't know if we would do the DDP so we just ordered the DDE last summer to use. Using both was GREAT too, because the DDE can be used for extras, like drinks!

 

[jjohnson]

Since it's a special trip and you have alot of planned TS meals I would go with the DP. Also you can make a better decision for the next 2 planned trips whether the DP is right for you.

 

[Lori of the Lodge]

Sharing my experience: My mother and I do a "girls long weekend trip" to WDW every year or two. We love to experience the different restaurants and try new things.

We just got back from a 3 night trip (1/3/07=1/6/07) ... not our first trip, but our first DDP experience.

We aren't big "breakfast eaters" so it was nice to use the snack credit for a morning pastry or fruit cup (but I'm not sure it was a very good value). We still had to pay for coffee, so we basically got a $2 or $3 muffin with our daily snack credit.

We found that with the large portions available we could typically share a quick service meal at lunchtime, and the dessert selections were pretty blah (not something I would pay for normally).

The Quick service meal at Tangerine Cafe was very good, as was Quick service at the Mara (our resort's food court). In most places the desert offering was nothing we'd pay for (or want anyway), so it felt wasteful. (we actually threw some deserts away, uneaten)

In general, the table service credit was just more food than we would normally order and the quality of appetizers was marginal. At Restaurant Marrakesh the beef appetizer and chicken were totally dry and flavorless. The entree was good, but the appetizer and desserts were a real let-down. We won't eat there again. (Tangerine Cafe was a much better quality meal for the money!)

We also had table service at Kona Cafe. Appetizers were disappointing. I found the $10.95 "lump" crabcakes to be dry and "fishy." They tasted like something out of the freezer, rather than "fresh lump crab," as the menu described. The potstickers were marginal and the sauce was very bland. Our entrees were both very good - I had the noodle bowl with chicken, mom had the club sandwich. The best part of the meal was the dessert...banana creme brulee and chocolate macadamia nut tart were both DEVINE!

In the end...the dining plan wasn't for us. We just don't eat that much food at one seating and it was unnecessarily stressful to keep up with the credits and "how many meals remain" and picking an item under $4.00 for a snack, and so on... I don't think we saved much money...we probably would have spent the same eating the way we normally do.

We also agree that the overall quality of food at Disney World restaurants has declined over the last 2-3 years. I'm not sure if that is contributable to the DDP or not?

In the future we'll go back to our typical way of snancking and "grazing" as we want to and planning a few table service meals throughout our stay. The dining plan was an okay value--but too much food and too much hassle.