DDP for seven

[David 1980]

I wonder with all the changes made if the DDP still is a good buy for my family of seven? 2 adults and 5 children ages 16,14,8,6,6? I hate to say it but Disney went way over board with the price increase for June. I am sure ole Walt would roll in his grave at all the price increases DW is putting through? I just hope this is still a good buy for seven and I think the 18% tip added to it all? Thanks Dave :

 

[TDC Nala]

I am sure ole Walt would roll in his grave at all the price increases DW is putting through?

Maybe, but Roy would have told him it was good for business.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I don't know Dave. The price increases for the holiday period of June (who knew June was something to celebrate ) may make the DDP more of an incentive if buffets are important to your family.

The only way to figure it out is to calculate the charges. Figure out where your family will eat, add up the charges with the 18% tip for your family size then figure out what you would pay on the DDP.

I hear you about the increases. The 'holiday' surcharges are making it very difficult for families to justify the additional costs for the meal.

Good luck on making your decision.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I wonder with all the changes made if the DDP still is a good buy for my family of seven? 2 adults and 5 children ages 16,14,8,6,6? I hate to say it but Disney went way over board with the price increase for June. I am sure ole Walt would roll in his grave at all the price increases DW is putting through? I just hope this is still a good buy for seven and I think the 18% tip added to it all? Thanks Dave :

We are a family of 6 and this is how it breaks down for us:

We have been on the dining plan 3 times. Twice we have paid for it and once we got Free Dining (receiving free dining on our September trip saved us over $1000). We are a family of six and it has saved us money everytime we used it. The value is especially good for the kids, there is no way we could feed them on $11.00 per day without the plan. We even used snack credits for breakfast items on our last trip. You could get a whole carton of Entimens donuts and a half gallon of milk for two snack credits. That was a quick breakfast for the kids before we left for the parks. We had a character meal everyday of our trip. I can't remember the price of every single item at every single meal (part of the beauty of the dining plan, not having to worry about prices), but I know the buffet at Crystal palace is about $28.00 per adult and $13.00 per child (the child's price on the plan for the entire day with cs meal, ts meal and snack was on $11.00!) so our bill was about $107.00 (before tip, which was included on our last trip), with tip about $127.00. The dining plan for our family for the whole day was only $120.00. We came out $7.00 ahead just on dinner, then you throw in lunch for the six of us that would have cost about $40.00 out of pocket and say $3.00 each per snack for each of us ($18 total), that has us saving about $65.00 per day. We also like the convenience of the plan. We have never had any trouble with it. You just hand them the card and they swipe it. No big deal. That's my husband's favorite part of it all, the ease of the plan and not worrying about the money.

Now, I must say I agree that people will not be saving as much money with the new 2008 plan because it does not include the tip. (I also don't think the revamped plan will last past 2008 either, just my opinion.) Even without the tip and the appetizer we would still come out ahead. So, as you can see we are "Fans of the Plan!"

 

[LSchrow]

if you look at the 2008 plan without referencing its predessors, it is simply a "dining plan" that will save a bit of money for many, & makes more sense from a business standpoint. i don't think the original concept was intended to provide significantly over $100 worth of food & services for $40, but that is what happened. WDW (belately ) thought it through, closed some oft used "loopholes" (e.g., using kids' TS for adults, etc), & revised the DDP accordingly (just like they never bolted items down in attractions & resorts, or put sensors on merchandise until a few years ago ~ they seem to be much more reactive than proactive ).
we enjoy having any DDP as an option & will use it if it fits our needs. if not, we'll prob do more off-site dining (as we've done in the past). i hope it does work for your family, but if not, there are some excellent off-site eateries, as well as counter-service options (namely, WPE ) that might "fit" you better.

IMHO, the "old" DDP certainly was fun while it lasted

have a wonderful trip