DDP.. AWESOME, but NEVER AGAIN!

[Muushka]

LOL! I know they do not have PB&J and tuna kits for CS meals at Disney. I was refering to the OP's stated preference for these items OVER all the food on the dining plan. Even though I am not a huge fan of CS we ate it almost every day for lunch this past Dec. My kids were always starving from all the walking. It was pretty cool too, so we didn't get that "too hot to eat feeling."

That's what I get for just reading the new posts and not going back to the original post that I had read several days ago! Silly me! Sorry about that!

 

[PamNC]

Just returned from 8 days with the DDP.

I spent half my time in the bathroom. OK, so I'm not perfect. I cant look at a plate of perfectly crispy pan seared Salmon and NOT eat it. If its on my plate, and its hot (or cold) and fresh, and its REALLY REALLY good, I just dont have the ability to not stuff myself and eat every bite. I wish I did. At home, I can put it in the fridge, and I know I can eat it later, so overeating isnt a problem. I was raised poor. I just cant waste food. I ate too much at EVERY dinner, and most of the lunches. I found it EXTREMELY hard not to eat every bite of a flan (my favorite dessert by far) or a cheesecake.
I had LOTS of SERIOUS stomach problems this trip. This is MY fault, not Disney's. I posted this so those of you who are like me, and cant turn down an expensive, fresh, delicious meal might take a second and consider this point before getting the DDP.

Next trip (whenever that may be) we will do our usual and bring in PB&J sandwiches, fresh fruit, and tuna kits. We will eat light, eat FAST, and be back on the rides feeling full, but not STUFFED in about 10 minutes flat!

We spent 2 hours in Chef's du France. The food was superb, but I remember looking out the window thinking I'd rather be on Soarin than sitting in a crowded noisy restaurant waiting on food.

now, before you attack me, I agree the DDP is AWESOME! Its an EXCELLANT VALUE, the food is SUPERB, and overall we had NO problems with ANY of the restaurants or staff, and ALL the food we got was DELICIOUS! I cant remember saying to my wife that ONE SINGLE thing was bad (except the children's pizza at Morocco, and it was still edible, just not that good)
I highly recommend it to ANYONE. But as for me, I cant control myself from eating every bite. If your the same way (considering the average weight in the US, I dont think I'm completely alone here) you might want to reconsider.

JMHO.

Hi there! First I must say hello to a fellow Piedmont Triad DISer. We live in Davie County - Mocksville to be exact. We've never done the dining plan but we're going to try it for our upcoming trip in 41 days. I'm concerned it's too much food as well. But, we've decided to give it a try. I'm not going to try to stuff all the food down into my stomach though because I already have stomach issues. If I don't think I can eat dessert, I won't order it...whether it's included or not. Plus, we're going to try to share some. Not to be cheap, but to save our tummys and not gain weight. I'm glad you posted - I like to hear opinions on the dining plan. I'm sure it's way too much food for human consumption but I guess it won't hurt to try it. It is a good deal.

PamNC

 

[OneMoreTry]

.....That is what we did. We eliminated 2 TS each with the intention of doing 2 signature meals. We ended up only using one (at Cali Grill) and then using the other for a regular TS and traded in a TS for a CS (plus the 2 snacks). That last TS was one of the places we ate at that I actually enjoyed less than the CS, in addition to one other TS! I really enjoyed a lot of those CS meals.

Did you end up saving much $$$? Enough to justify the hassle of the advance planning required for DDP? Or would it have been easier/less expensive to pay OOP?

 

[Muushka]

Did you end up saving much $$$? Enough to justify the hassle of the advance planning required for DDP? Or would it have been easier/less expensive to pay OOP?

Well, considering it was free, it was a no-brainer as far as justification.
But I enjoy planning and we will pay for it this Dec. We'll see then if it is really worth it or not.

 

[robinb]

Did you end up saving much $$$? Enough to justify the hassle of the advance planning required for DDP? Or would it have been easier/less expensive to pay OOP?

If you have any interest in eating at one of the popular table service restaurants, then you *must* plan in advance. It doesn't matter if you are on the dining plan or not. Picking out our special meals is one of my favorite parts of my planning.

IMO, the dining plan is only "worth it" if you're going to eat at a table service restaurant every day or every other day. If you eat off-site a lot, eat mostly at counter service places, eat PB&J or tuna kits, or cook back at your villa, then the dining plan is probably not for you. In that case, paying OOP would save you money.

 

[everest]

SelfEmployedDebtFree: One of the issues that I had when planning our trip was that I didn’t want to spend too much time eating with the limited time that we had at each park. So I booked dinners that took 2 TS credit like Hoop De Doo and Citricos and used them on our more relaxed days. So on the day of a table service meal me and DW would share a CS meal to save our appetite for later and then again next day share a CS meal. This method work for us in three ways; (1) we didn’t feel like we were over eating (2) We didn’t feel like we were taking time away from other activities. (3) And got to see some great shows and enjoy a very nice meal like Citicos.

Just on more food for thought idea that worked for us. We had four people in our party most of the time and when it came to deserts we would always ask the server to bring us four of his favorite deserts and then we would sample them all as a group. At Citricos we sat next to were they would make the deserts and the chef heard us ordering our deserts this way and she piped in and said that she would put a combination desert platter together for our party of 5 at that time. That was a very big highlight of the evening especially because 2 of the members of our party said at first that they didn’t want any desert until the Desert platter came out.

 

[Cmbar]

LOL

I don't think you're alone I, too, cringe at wasting food. Because of that, DH and I ended up splitting a credit almost every meal (except 3 - big mistake!). Even then, I left behind food. It's SO much! Those meals that I got my own, I had to repeat in my head that it was okay to leave it behind... the guilt nearly killed me. It actually sorta helped some that my Crohn's was acting up and I physically couldn't handle the pain of eating much so it alleviated some of my guilt

DDP is a great value - but it's not for everyone. Glad you had a chance to try it!

Aimeedyan , Fellow Crohnie here! We are on the DDP in November and I am going to have to share meals to keep myself from going into a full blown flare up! Good Advice!

 

[ReallyFunMom]

What about getting fewer meals on the DDP by combining for the Signature Meals or Dinner shows? .

This worked well for us. Basically, do anything you can do thats considered a "bad" financial investment regarding credit use and then you will be able to use all your CS credits and not be overly stuffed! We did Sign meal and HDDR and so we needed CS credits for other meals. We used half of them on breakfast which isn't considered the "best deal" on the plan. We still came home with some DQ CS desserts and bottles of powerade but "burning" 8 credits in one shot at HDDR really helped us have room for CS. Doing the things that run countrary to the best DDP deals will help you avoid crowds and not gain too much weight on trip.

 

[mousecatcher]

Hello back to PamNC and other Piedmont Triad folks. We live in Walkertown and are going to give the DDP a try this time also. I've read for hours (ok, months ) on this board and allears and no matter how I calculate it, I always end up at the same conclusion - it's just a great deal. Another family that is going at the same time we are has given me rave reviews as well.

I saved receipts from our last trip to Disney (yes, I'm - please forgive me), which we paid for everything OOP. When I compared the cost of DDP, based on where we like to go (Ohana, Chef Mickey, Biergarten are our favorites), it's less than paying OOP. The bonus is the opportunity to try new (expensive) places that we would not have considered otherwise.

BTW - I've talked to several other families from the area that have a trip planned to see Mickey during W/S Forsyth Country fall school break.

Less than a month to go!!!

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Eww

ww. At least there will be more ADRs for the rest of us and everyone will be happy. Just don't eat those tuna kits while in line behind me . I'll be the one heading for the bathroom .

Actually, the flavored tuna kits are DELICIOUS!!! Theres Lemon Herb, and Thai Chili to name a few. They are REALLY good! Seriously, and Im not a big tuna fan. Walmart $1.00. comes with crackers. try it before you knock it.
As far as PB&Js, if you dont like them better not bring kids to Disney. Theyre on 3/4th of the menus for children.

One person mentioned sharing credits. We did that too. At the end of the trip they allow you 2 snacks and a drink for one CS. We had LOTS of credits left over. We brought a trash bag full of food home!!!
Another mentioned timing. That too is true. As the week went on, we booked earlier and earlier lunches, and skipped breakfast completely. We also booked later and later suppers.
One mentioned using the credits for signature meals. We did that too. CRT was AWESOME!
As far as food goes, it was ALL superb! Just too much of it. Weve all been on diets for years, and we blew it this past week!!!

At free.... value is great!!! But it wasnt good on the body.

 

[PoohHappens]

We found it was still cheaper for DDP even if we did not order everything we were entitled too. Our preferance was to just order it try it an not eat all of it. It is a restaurant and it is going to go to waste whether I order it and do not eat all of it or not. I used to eat ALL on my plate, but made a decision a while back that it was even more wasteful to put it all in my body beyond my needs than to throw it away. Extra weight, lack of energy and poor health are just as wasteful to my life. I do agree that we live in a country of abundence, but as far as waste we are describing this within the context of a vacation that is expensive and some people would consider wasteful. I also agree that the plan is not for everyone, it is great to have so many choices withing the World.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I just did a 15 day holiday on the dining plan and it was great. I ate lunch at about 11:30 and dinner at about 7pm so I was hungery again. Next year I am doing a 21 day holiday with the ddp free ( ) so I will go to Universal for a couple of days, one day at Kennedy one day at Seaworld, one day at Busch and a day shopping at premium outlet and walmart.

 

[nbodyhome]

Keep in mind that food is not going to waste: It's contributing to your reveling in that feeling of abundance and plenty -- and beyond that, don't worry: The American farmer is poised ready to "make more" food. (Really, it's already made -- they just need folks to be willing to buy it from them, before it goes bad.)

I don't like wasting food - especially meat. I am not at all a vegetarian - but if an animal is losing it's life so I can eat, then that is the least I can do. I have really gotten to the point where I hate throwing meat in the trash.

I don't like throwing out other food, either. I'd rather just be able to buy the portion size I need. I enjoyed the DDP for free, but I'd not pay for it - and I think that the amount of food is way too much for me. I could eat very nicely at Disney (like my $2.67 meal at Earl of Sandwich) and not stuff myself silly. Not that it's not great to have a mushroom filet at Le Cellier, just to have stuff like that every day is too much for me. I did a lot of extra walking in those few days I did the free dining last year!

 

[OneMoreTry]

I don't like wasting food - especially meat. I am not at all a vegetarian - but if an animal is losing it's life so I can eat, then that is the least I can do. I have really gotten to the point where I hate throwing meat in the trash.

I don't like throwing out other food, either. I'd rather just be able to buy the portion size I need. I enjoyed the DDP for free, but I'd not pay for it - and I think that the amount of food is way too much for me. I could eat very nicely at Disney (like my $2.67 meal at Earl of Sandwich) and not stuff myself silly. Not that it's not great to have a mushroom filet at Le Cellier, just to have stuff like that every day is too much for me. I did a lot of extra walking in those few days I did the free dining last year!

This is how we usually approach WDW dining (without the qualms for pitching meat). But I think for our next trip we may get the DDP and eat at higher priced places we normally wouldn't. We would probably combine for at least "Signature" meals. I think we're also going to sign up for the Grand Gatherings Illuminations buffet which takes two TS credits.

For our family of 7 I think the DDP will be about $1400. That's not a whole lot more than we usually spend anyway.

 

[bicker]

I don't like wasting food - especially meat. I am not at all a vegetarian - but if an animal is losing it's life so I can eat, then that is the least I can do. I have really gotten to the point where I hate throwing meat in the trash.

I can see the distinction with regard to meat. However, beyond meat, I cannot fathom the logic behind "not wasting food". It's a myth. We're not running out. We let a lot of food just wither away.

 

[Vickie46]

I totally agree.... I find myself wasting so much time that we would rather be enjoying Disney..

another thing I can't enjoy my food when its a character meal.. I am afraid to go to the buffet bar.. b/c I might miss a character.. by the time we have seen all the characters .. I can put my camera down.. everyone is done.. and I am just starting... its a huge wait!

 

[frannn]

We did the free DP last month. Most TS of our 11 day trip were buffet dinners. I love to eat. I love to try a little bit of most things, then get more of what I like. In WDW, there were a lot of things to try and a lot of things I liked, so I definetly had lots of seconds and lots of yummy deserts. It was a dream vacation in that respect, but it was a bit uncomfortable to 1) be very full each night and 2) pass up on rides/shows because we seemed to always be eating, on our way to eat, or be getting ready to go out to eat. We usually plan a few character meals on each of our annual trips, and it's a treat for DD4 to wear her costumes, get the autographs, etc. This trip, thats really most of what we did. The first 5 or so days of the trip, that's all we did. We literally hit like 1 or 2 rides a day, and ate. The non buffet TS we had did not seem like too much food, so if I wasn't such a variety lover, we'd be better off with that. I also gained between 5-10 lbs. I'd be a bit hesitant to repeat the DP with the same zeal as I did with this trip. We are AP holders, and will most likely go mid Oct next year, so its not likely we'll get the chance anyway (unless we want to buy more 1 day tickets ). I'd have to think long and hard about doing the DP again (unless it was free, of course!). It would probably cost a few hundred less for us to eat like we normally do.