DDE VS DDP (sorry, couldn't help it)

[mowog]

HI:

Has anyone figured out how using the DDP versus the DDE card compares? I like the flexibility of the DDE card and had one two years ago that we used for 2 trips.

I like the idea of the fixed cost of the DDP, but don't like being locked into the fixed selections. We like AP, so would use two dinners for that. What good counter service places are there? How about supplementing DDP with DDE for beverages and extra meals like AP?

My gut feeling is to forget DDP and just go "a la carte" with the DDE, but am open to any feedback that others have.

Thanks, Jean and Bob

 

[BCV23]

We like both but if we could choose only one it would be DDE.

Not sure what you mean by locked into "fixed selections" by the DDP. You really can order what you want on the DDP with a handful of exceptions that I know of. There are restaurants that are excluded but that is true on DDE too.

We are not very experienced with counter service spots but love TS meals...even three a day sometimes. So the DDE works better for that obviously.

You can combine the two. We did on our last two vacations without any problems at all.

I did add up our receipts after our first DDP trip and found that we made out slightly better on the DDP than if we had paid with DDE. Essentially our CS and snacks were "free." Both JimMIA and Bicker have done calculations as well. I know others have but sorry can't remember who?

And we did not "maximize" the DDP in the least. As I recall 10 out of 15 TS meals were lunch and we certainly didn't order courses we didn't want.

As for CS, the restaurants in AK sound good but we've not tried them! Mara at the AKL has some excellent selections. BCMarketplace has a great yogurt parfait for breakfast that can be either a CS or a snack but that location is very restrictive for CS meals in general....or at least they were in September. I hope others chime in with good CS meals near DVC resorts.

Both are great discounts IMO and we're lucky as DVC/AP to be able to participate.

On a side note, it is the fashion lately to blame the DDP for a perceived downward curve in Disney dining. It was just under two years ago when FL residents were up in arms on the boards blaming the availability of DDE to all AP holders for a similar perceived decline. We've been doing Disney Dining almost exclusively at TS since the early 80s and it is so much better across the board than it was then. A particular restaurant may change its menu and chefs of course come and go but we've seen no over all decline in quality or service. There does seem to be a lot of penne pasta out there now though!

 

[Chuck S]

We use DDE and not DDP. There are just too many variables for the DDP to be worth it to us. Having to plan and book meals months in advance; we rarely eat appetizer, entree and dessert at one meal; if something unforeseen happens, like a cold or flu, and you aren't hungry you've basically wasted the DDP.

We generally eat our table service for lunch, then have a counter meal dinner. Or if we leave a park early, we go to the food court at POP for dinner, they honor the DDE.

The DDE just works better for us.

If, on the other hand, you tend to eat full meals at dinner time and have a relatively large counter service lunch, the DDP may work well for you.

 

[Cyndy]

We've used DDE in the past and liked it, but let it expire as we only have one trip in the year, so that gave us the perfect excuse to try the DDP.
As many have said, it is a LOT of food (we took all but 2 of our 12 snacks home as Rice Krispy souviners). We travel each fall with our best friends and each of us were interested in tracking our totals to see if it was a value. We made our usual dining ressies and kept track of the amount we spent, totaling them on the last night. we came out about $200. per couple. Note: we do not usually order an appatizer ar desert with each meal, though we do at our favorite locations. Still, if you don't mind gaining a little extra weight on vacation, I mean more than the ususal weight gain, it is a fair deal. We have invited my DH's 3 sibilings and spouses to be our guests next fall and suggested the DDP both for the value and the fact that it is nice not have to worry about paying at each meal. Also, we did not tip anything beyond the tip included with our dinner except on one occasion when we had outstanding service.

Finally, several have used both DDE and DDP if they like to have wine or bar service at their meals. The DDP doesn't have a discount on alcohol as the DDE does.

If you try it be sure and let us know which you prefer.
Cyndy

 

[JimMIA]

I think the relative value varies a lot depending on the composition of your family or group, and your normal Disney dining habits. We have used DDE and liked it. There's no question it saved us money. One of the biggest advantages of the DDE (IMHO) is the ability to use it for up to ten people at one meal. If you are traveling with a herd of people, you get the discount for everyone. With DDP, everyone would have to choose DDP to get the benefit, and that undoubtedly would not work well for everybody.

Despite that, we are big DDP fans, and no longer use DDE. The last two trips we've used DDP and we'll be using it as long as it's available at a reasonable price to DVC owners. One reason we like it is that we normally consider good dining at WDW an integral part of our trip, so every day we are either doing a nice TS meal or a character meal.

When I evaluate the cost of DDP, I do it very conservatively comparing the DDP cost only with what we really would have ordered for our TS meals only. I calculate the value of CS and snack credits at zero, despite the fact that we use them all. We still come out ahead, and if I assigned any value at all to the CS meals and snacks, we'd probably save several hundred bucks each trip.

I understand the reluctance folks like Chuck have about making ADRs months in advance, but that just does not apply to us. We enjoy the dining, and we usually eat a rather late dinner, so our dining plans are not an encumberance on our enjoyment of the parks.

In fact, I am much more comfortable knowing I have a dinner ressie. If our plans change, I can cancel; but if we go with no ADRs and we want to eat a nice meal, we're at the mercy of what is becoming a very unforgiving system. Particularly during free dining and during the holidays, there ARE no dinner ressies to be had at the last minute. On both of our last two trips, we saw signs at MK upon our arrival in the morning that there was NO TS availability anywhere for that day. You either have ADRs or you eat offsite -- and that's true no matter how you pay for the meals.

As far as the counter service options, that's really been a pleasant surprise for us. We never used CS before we got DDP, but we find the options varied and quite good. A few of the CS venues offer amazing values that could easily substitute for a TS meal if you were trying to save credits and double up for a 2 TS Signature Dining. Even though I don't count CS in our calculations, we get real value there. We usually hit them a little light and take one days worth home for food on the road. A stop at Earl of Sandwich on the way to the airport would be a wonderful option for anyone flying out.

I know many say it's a lot of food, but I have yet to have a server hold a gun to my head and make me order food I didn't want, or eat food I didn't want. I see people complaining about gaining weight on DDP (or on a cruise). I'm not a doctor, but I believe that's caused by actually ingesting too much food -- not by the fact that the plan provides a certain amount of food. If I pig out on DDP, that's my bad, not the program's.

 

[dumbo71]

I'm sure many will click here looking for my DDP rant. EVERYONE knows where I stand.

I've piled on enough. I'll simply vote for DDE.

 

[dis-happy]

I prefer the DDE because we always stay in the 1 b/r units and make some use of the kitchen. For our family of 5 DDP would cost $170. per day and we don't spend anywhere near that, nor would we want to be locked into eating that much food. One or two TS meals for a 5 day stay, selected CS at our favorites, and breakfast and occasional dinner in the room works best for us. We do come out ahead on the DDE card this way.

 

[Muushka]

The jury is still out for us on the DDP. We just got back and did it for the first time (as a couple paying for it, I got it for free in Sept).

Yes it is a lot of food. Really not good for those of us who struggle with eating (love it!). I did all the calculations for our trip for if we had paid OOP with DDE (that would not be ordering desserts and appetizers), and it was just about the same price we paid for the DDP.

That being said, we ordinarily would not eat every single meal out (except for breakfast, we ate in our room every day, which we always do). We would usually cook at least 5 or so meals (that would be out of 10), and we would usually eat a meal or two away from WDW. So all in all, I think for us the DDP is more expensive. It is way too much fun though! I can understand why people enjoy it so much. Not sure what we will do next Dec. My guess is that we probably will not do the DDP.

PS we brought some 'snacks' home with us also. Just had a bite of the MOST DELICIOUS chocolate mint patty thingy we got on Main Street at the candy shop. It is $3.99, so it counts as a snack. Pure heaven. DDP, the gift that keeps on giving! Weeks later!

 

[crisi]

DDE
You have an annual pass (or go for long enough to make one worthwhile)
You eat at a lot of site down restaurants
You enjoy drinking alcohol with dinner
You'll visit your hotel lounge a time or two for a drink as well
You do signature dining
You'd rather take a flat discount than get the "best value" through three courses.

DDP
Everyone in your room wants to participate
No one is a tiny eater (DDP doesn't necessarily work with a 10 year old "adult" who doesn't eat much)
You are going to eat one sit down a day
You like the fixed cost
Your party will split up
Your travel arrangements are for shorter trips once a year - no ap, fewer days to get the value out of the DDE.

Neither
You'll eat a lot of counter service
You don't like being tied down to PSs and are just as likely to grab something
You cook in the room
You like to eat offsite

While the DDP and the DDE can add a lot of value, a lot of people forget that they can still eat cheaper (if that is the motivation) - and fairly well. It isn't "saving" anything if you would have been content spending $25 per person per day.

 

[Jynohn]

I vote for the DDE card. It just seems so much more convenient for us not having to keep track of what meals we've already used and what is remaining. And I can't tell you how many times we were stuck in line behind people on our last trip arguing with CM's about what items were included on the plan. I'd much rather eat what I want, when I want, get my 20% discount, and be done with it.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We used the DDP for the first time early this month. We did find it to be a good value, even though we like the signature restaurants. The use of 2 TS credits for each signature made us use counter service more than usual, and we learned that there actually are a few nice counter service places around...especially at AK.

We did have guests with us for 5 days of the trip (seperate reservation during those days), and we found it was a bit difficult to track when it was more than one family group using the same plan. The DDP was much easier when it was just the two of us, and the 12 year old didn't eat enough to make his cost worth it. Both the part of the trip where we had 5 of us on the plan and part of the trip when it was just the 2 of us on the plan, we found we did NOT use the counter services enough. Our normal pattern is to eat at a sit down spot between 12-3 with an occational signature thrown in on an early evening time. We ended up over the 10 days having 8 counter service meals get wasted. Using the snacks was easy....a Mickey bar here and there and an occational bottle of water or soft drink.

We used the DDE card for our other 2 trips this past year, and we felt we actually spent a bit less with the DDP, but not sure we would do it again with more than just the two of us. We have a wedding planned for Thanksgiving next year at WDW, and we definitely will NOT be using DDP then. If we choose to stay on for a few days as a couple after all the guests leave, maybe.....But that would be it. Someone else mentioned how much of a hassle it is to make dining ressies so far in advance. We really hated that part of it. I like vacation to be more spontaneous than that when I'm there.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I think the relative value varies a lot depending on the composition of your family or group, and your normal Disney dining habits.

I totally agree with JimMIA here.

We go with DDE.

2 adults
1 adult - age 12
1 chid with adult taste buds - age 9

During a typical 8 day stay, we enjoy a sit down breakfast probably 4-5 times plus 1-2 character meals (can you tell DH LOVES breakfast?).

We do not do a real lunch. A churro, pretzel or ice cream do the trick to hold us over.

Every night is a TS dinner. Some are signature. Some are even off-site due to the recent decline in the overall dining experience in WDW.

I re-evaluate every time we come home, comparing receipts for what would have been on the DDP, costs, etc. DDE still puts us ahead.

You really need to have a sense of how you like to eat on vacation as well as where in order to make the best choice (IMO). For some, it's great. We just don't see it.

 

[eliza61]

HI:

Has anyone figured out how using the DDP versus the DDE card compares? I like the flexibility of the DDE card and had one two years ago that we used for 2 trips.

I like the idea of the fixed cost of the DDP, but don't like being locked into the fixed selections. We like AP, so would use two dinners for that. What good counter service places are there? How about supplementing DDP with DDE for beverages and extra meals like AP?

My gut feeling is to forget DDP and just go "a la carte" with the DDE, but am open to any feedback that others have.

Thanks, Jean and Bob

We go with the DDE card. We have 2 teenagers who eat like grown men and both DH and I enjoy an adult beverage (wine) with our meals and the DDE card includes a discount on alcohol. Also we often eat 2 TS meals a day, We love starting the day with a nice sit down breakfast (or character meal) and then a large lunch (yeah, we are so backward) dinner is usually our lightest meal. So the DDE card was just a lot nicer for us.

 

[Deemarch]

One of the places that we enjoy a drink is at the pool and the bars at the pools didn't accept the DDE card.

As the others have said, it depends upon your group and eating habits.

It's just DH & I and we like a good TS meal in the evening. And I am a planner to the nth degree, so making ARs 180 days out is no problem for me.

My daughter, SIL, DGD (9) and DGS (2) used it this past October and they will do it again next year. They would have spent about $275 more OOP and they didn't optimize the plan at all.

I say, try them each once and make your own decision!

 

[jodifla]

We like both but if we could choose only one it would be DDE.



On a side note, it is the fashion lately to blame the DDP for a perceived downward curve in Disney dining. It was just under two years ago when FL residents were up in arms on the boards blaming the availability of DDE to all AP holders for a similar perceived decline. We've been doing Disney Dining almost exclusively at TS since the early 80s and it is so much better across the board than it was then. A particular restaurant may change its menu and chefs of course come and go but we've seen no over all decline in quality or service. There does seem to be a lot of penne pasta out there now though!

Food may be better than the '70s and '80s today, but it's suffered since the heyday '90s. A trip to Blue Zoo crystallizes that in a jiffy. Because they don't have the DDP albatross around their neck, you can see and taste the quality of the food. Just compare Blue Zoo to any of the DDP restaurants, and you'll see the difference.

We use the DDE. WOrks a lot better for us. We don't want to feel compelled to take a lot of crappy premade desserts so we can feel like we're getting a deal. We order drinks, two appetizers, two entrees, and maybe split a dessert between us, so the DDW is a way better deal for us.

 

[Deemarch]

Who are newer to the Disney experience by stating that the food was better before? It's all relative anyway.

I guess I just don't have the complain gene, but really. Think about what a downer it can be...

 

[dumbo71]

Who are newer to the Disney experience by stating that the food was better before? It's all relative anyway.

I guess I just don't have the complain gene, but really. Think about what a downer it can be...

With all due respect............

Downer or not most would agree there has been a decline in WDW dining over the last few years.

It isn't said to be a downer to new members. It is said and said by me directly to DVC, WDW and WDW dining in the hopes of turning things back around.

We simply miss some of the things removed and the quality and uniqueness that USED to be found at WDW restaurants.

If you are new and like the food then you are one happy camper and none of this applies to you.

 

[BCV23]

Food may be better than the '70s and '80s today, but it's suffered since the heyday '90s. A trip to Blue Zoo crystallizes that in a jiffy. Because they don't have the DDP albatross around their neck, you can see and taste the quality of the food. Just compare Blue Zoo to any of the DDP restaurants, and you'll see the difference.

I disagree with you. Blue Zoo is good but no better than California Grill, Jiko or AP in our opinion.

Since maybe the mid 90s to now, things have varied from restaurant to restaurant. Around the mid 90s we stopped going to Chefs because of the food and especially the service. At around the same time, we stopped going to Brown Derby because the quality of the food just wasn't as good as it had been. Both restaurants are back on our must do for lunch list and have been for a couple of years now. In the meantime, Kona developed into a fine choice for lunch and dinner as well as breakfast which had always been good. Things change, chefs change.

It is funny to me that some currently choose to use the DDP as a scapegoat whenever there is a change to the menu that they don't like. As I said, two years ago everyone was blaming the fact that we bad "APers" could now get DDE for a perceived downturn as well.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

when we were on the ddp- and we were in a large group- our servers had a terrible time trying to figure out how to charge us- twice we had to resolve being overcharges (they took too many ts credits on 2 separate occasions) Just another plug for the dde.

 

[goalie5hole]

HI:

Has anyone figured out how using the DDP versus the DDE card compares? I like the flexibility of the DDE card and had one two years ago that we used for 2 trips.

I like the idea of the fixed cost of the DDP, but don't like being locked into the fixed selections. We like AP, so would use two dinners for that. What good counter service places are there? How about supplementing DDP with DDE for beverages and extra meals like AP?

My gut feeling is to forget DDP and just go "a la carte" with the DDE, but am open to any feedback that others have.

Thanks, Jean and Bob

I'm not real familiar with the DDP but this is how it looks to me. It's $39 for adult,if it's broken down 1 credit for a snack(roughly $4),1 for counter service(roughly $7/8) which leaves sit down meals and according to my math,it leaves $27/28.If you average out a table of 2 to 4 share an appetizer and possibly dessert(which I don't get). It doesn't sound to me like it's that great of a deal. Can someone explain it better to me. And what is the DDE?