DDP - Do you love it or hate it?

[kelleigh1]

We are big fans. I really love having everything pre-paid and not having to worry during the trip if we're going to have enough $$ to cover everything. I like to pay for my trip before we go and then I can just enjoy it, so having the dining plan built in is great for us. It also gives us the opportunity to try places we may not have gotten to otherwise.

 

[ExtinctDino]

I've had it for free 3 times (4th time coming this August) and it's been wonderful. But there is no chance I would ever pay for it. As little as my wife and kids (10, 11) eat, WDW would have to cut the price in half for it to be worth it to us.

 

[buckirj1]

Doesn't matter whether it's free or not. It isn't worth it if it doesn't match the way you eat. I can have much the same effect (and a dang sight more flexibility) by going to the local Disney Store and buying myself a gift card to use for food.

 

[ExtinctDino]

If it's free I'll happily match my habits to its requirements. Even if we don't eat $160 of food every day (what the plan would cost if we paid for it), it probably saves us around $100 per day. That can make the difference in whether the whole trip is affordable or not.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I liked it much better the old way when it included EVERYTHING for one price. Much better value to me. I wish they'd bring that back and just have raised the price.

 

[RahRah573]

Last year we did deluxe dining for our trip and it was love at first try (and we did pay for our plan last year)....not only is it totally convenient to us to have everything pretty much paid for in advance (like an all-inclusive resort in the islands), it does save money if you use the plan you have.....if you have deluxe, but don't plan on eating at many table service locations, it's a waste of money. We like sit-down, table dining much more than counter-service meals....I like to relax, unwind and just let someone bring me my lunch rather than wait in line, order and then look for a table to sit and eat. But that's me and my family!

Last year I was very much the novice in the planning and we didn't use all our credits (especially the snack credits) and I had us running park-to-park on some days.....this year my planning strategy is totally different and we're planning way more 2TS meals since none of us going want to try to eat three a day! This year I also want to keep track of the value of the meals we eat to see how much (if anything) we save purchasing the deluxe plan versus not haivng the plan....that way, in years to come I have an idea of whether it's worth paying in advance for the plan or just making ADR's and pay out of pocket for meals or not.

 

[Pakey]

I don't hate it but I'm not a huge fan either; it does not fit our eating lifestyle.

 

[lizet313]

LOVE IT

 

[Amy&Dan]

It just depends. Some trips we want to economize a bit more so we eat more counter service (WDW has some very good counter service so we don't feel jipped). On those trips I really enjoy the freedom we have. No rushing to ADR's, no feeling like I have to use up those credits by God because I paid for them type feeling! So I don't hate it per se, but there are trips when I just want the flexibility to not be going from ADR to ADR and then we take a break from it.

Also, if you have kids that are paying adults that can really factor into your feelings about the DDP. Not long ago, my kids simply couldn't finish the food. At 10 and 12, we were paying for a lot of wasted food, often ended up ordering kids meals for the adult price and it felt like a waste. But when the plan was all inclusive, we still came out ahead. When that changed, not so much. Today however, my son is 14 and that boy can eat! So he can eat his food, whatever my dd (who is 12 and a light eater) can't finish and for once in his life, not be starving. So now we are back to adding the DDP most trips. I do miss the old days when it was all inclusive and wish they would adjust the price to relfect that so it would all be prepaid. I don't really miss the appetizer though. But now that my kids are older and can actually eat what they order for the most part, I am back to finding it a good deal for my family.

If you want to eat TS most or all days, it makes a lot of sense. If you are content with all the great cs offerings WDW has, then it doesn't. I'll add that the QS plan is not something I'd do. Its not as good of a deal in my opinion. If it was a bit cheaper, I'd be all over it. But whenever I do the math, that plan ends up costing me money even with the free mugs. Which brings up another item to my wish list, I wish they'd include the mug with the regular DDP. That would make it easier for me to swallow the price since as I said above, I did the plan pre changes and miss the huge savings that offered!

I'm also a big fan of the Tables in Wonderland card. I'll miss that this year, no AP so no discount card. When I had that, I found I could save more over the DDP esp with the savings on adult beverages.

 

[Mrs.Reese]

I neither love or hate it. When we went in October 2007, we didn't use it. I'm not a big eater and prefer to order appetizers for my main entree. DH LOVES it! He is the big eater and this gives him freedom of choice without the worry of expense. We always come out ahead using the DDP when we stay for more than four days.

On short trips, we prefer to not use the DDP simply because we're their for such a short period and would rather see the parks.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

We love it!!! We've used it every time for the past 3 years with DDs and stayed on site.

 

[onejellyshelly]

Love it. I get to plan a lot more TS meals because of it.

 

[ReneeA]

I love it - the basic plan works great for us. I've added up what we would spend OOP, and even cutting out most of the desserts and a few of the TS, I still save money by using the DDP.

That may change once my kids become "adults" in Disney's eyes, but for now, it works great for our needs.

 

[JoePa4Ever]

We love it - especially since we get it for free in Sept! However, we would be willing to pay for it because we enjoy eating on WDW property. We like the convenience of eating in WDW, the theming of various restaurants, character meals , and we like to try new restaurants. For us, eating in WDW is a significant part of our trip & it would be worth it to have the DDP even if we had to pay for it.

 

[pooh2001]

Duriing Peak weeks - like Easter or Christmas - the DDP can save money because of the TS price increases of $4 to $5 per adult meal.

We will be at WDW Easter weeks.
Just hoping for a 4/3 deal for room only.
DD wants the YC and it's the only way we can afford the YC resort

 

[Carol23]

WE LOVED it, but found that we "wasted" a bunch of CS meals (because we didn't have a list of CS locations, note to myself for next time) and didn't use all of the snacks!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

We haven't gotten it, have gotten it and gotten it for free. I still can't decide if I like it??

 

[pixiemom917]

Another vote for LOVE it!! The convenience of it may have been my favorite part. Even though I paid for it the first time around with the 4/3 deal and am going during free dining this August, I still would pay for it. I actually went through each of our planned days prior to last trip and looked at every menu for each place we planned to eat, both CS and TS. I guess-timated each meal choice for my daughter and I, added tax and tip, added in a couple extras (an app here, a Lapu Lapu there) and still came out ahead with purchasing the DDP. Granted, it wasn't hundreds of dollars, but a savings is a savings and like I said, it's convenient - just bring your KTTW card and you are all set.

 

[Nikisha421]

LOVE IT.....

 

[Stephanie VanMeter]

We love it. I think the convience of being able to order off the menu without the conern of the price is great. I like the prepaid fact and I don't have to take a lot of money with me to the park. I find that we don't use a lot of snacks because we are always so full. But this year our goal is to use them. Last year we have 16 left to use the last day! Let's just say we had lots of Mickey rice krispie treats to eat on the way home!