DDP?? Help!!

[princess-rn]

We are a family of 3. We are headed to WDW in December for our 3rd family trip but 1st "Christmas trip". This is going to be a very special vacation for us (we are splitting our stay between our usual POFQ and my DREAM resort..GF!!!) so we decided to try the dining plan. Now I'm rethinking it. Let me explain. DH and I are watching what we eat (we hope to be lighter by the time we get there) so I know there is NO way both of us could sit down and eat an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert EACH. We normally would split an appetizer...get our own entree and split a dessert. (but I don't even know if we could do this EVERY night) DS is 5. He's a pretty good eater at times. He is a bit picky..but is usually good with the kids meals.

With all that said....we LOVE to eat at WDW. We do alot of Character meals/Table service meals. Here's the TS meals I know we will hit this December.......

Chef Mickeys
California Grill (we've never done this..but I want to)
Sci Fi
Mama Melrose (fantasmic package)
Planet Hollywood (I thought wasn't covered in DDP..but reading posts it seems that it is!)
Rain Forest Cafe (Never been here either..also not covered in DDP)
Cinderellas Castle Dinner (Never done this. Want to do it. Can't remember the "official" name)
Le Cellier (Never been here , but heard great reviews....hopefully I spelled it right.)
I'm also going to do "private dining" at GF one day. JUST me. The boys will be in the parks. I'm having a spa day! *YIPPEE*

So..what do you think? DDP...or not? My husband is afraid if we KNOW we can order that much food then we will "backslide" and undo all the hard work we are and will be doing over the next year to get healthy.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[ssnelle]

You have one BIG advantage...you know where you want to eat. What you should do is spend a little time reviewing the menus at the restaurants you will be at and get an idea what you will eat and jotting down the price. Get an idea for lunch and snacks too. Then you can easliy compare being on the "plan" or paying as you go.

Versus the weight challenge, I sort of have the metabolism of gaining quickly if not careful...we are going in 2 weeks and I do not want to come home with an extra 10 lbs., so I reviewed the menus and now have sort of a plan. I will be on vacation, but can enjoy choosing the healthier restaurants...and at some they offer fruit platters for desserts. GOOD LUCK!

 

[princess-rn]

You have one BIG advantage...you know where you want to eat. What you should do is spend a little time reviewing the menus at the restaurants you will be at and get an idea what you will eat and jotting down the price. Get an idea for lunch and snacks too. Then you can easliy compare being on the "plan" or paying as you go.

Versus the weight challenge, I sort of have the metabolism of gaining quickly if not careful...we are going in 2 weeks and I do not want to come home with an extra 10 lbs., so I reviewed the menus and now have sort of a plan. I will be on vacation, but can enjoy choosing the healthier restaurants...and at some they offer fruit platters for desserts. GOOD LUCK!

That's what I've been trying to do. I can pretty much figure out 8 days of dinners and lunches...but as far as the snacks..I'm clueless. Most days we really don't get snacks (when paying OOP) . We are driving down so we always take cereal, cereal bars etc for breakfast. (Stop off and get some fruit at the grocery store) There are a few snacks that are a must- Fudge (MK) Caramel apples (MGM) Dole Whip (MK) etc...We have agreed to do this but in MODERATION this time. LOL.
Now I hear that you can share meals. That's good. DH and I could share 1 TS meal...but then again..we like totally different entrees (he's a chicken guy..I'm a fish girl) *AAARRRGGHHH* Why is this so hard for me to decide???

 

[DisneyKidds]

Based on how you would likely eat if you weren't on the plan I estimate that the plan will still probably save you a $100 or so over what you might spend out of pocket without the plan.......however, along with the savings the plan will allow you to each get your own appetizer and dessert at sit down meals (as opposed to sharing) and to get a lot more snacks. Only you can decide if that is a good or a bad thing .

 

[ZekeKelso]

The DDP is great for the convenience and for having meals be pre-paid. It can be a lot of food. But as long as you plan well, it shouldn't encourage you to overeat.

You seem to be doing the biggest step, which is scheduling a lot of 2TS meals. That basically cuts the amount of food in half, forcing you to share. And, to be honest, the 2TS meals tend to have better "healthy" choices.

Next step is deciding ahead of time not take the cookies/brownies/etc. that will be offered to you. It really is possible to say no. Most TS and CS places will substitute fruit or something healthy for the chocolate cake.

 

[ssnelle]

Princess-rn...regarding sharing meals, I started a post last night, "DDP-rules question" asking about sharing and it seems to be fine to do, so that is another option we are going to do to...

 

[JimMIA]

I'll give you a couple of options/suggestions.

One is, you don't have to have DDP for the entire trip if you make your ressies as two separate ressies. The best way to do that would be to make the POFQ ressie DDP (because you have to pay rack rate, and rack is a lot less extra there than GF), and the GF without DDP.

As far as the amount of food, they don't force you to eat it. We rarely eat the desserts, and often order soups or salads for appetizers. Get the cheese soup at Le Cellier (yes, you spelled it right, but I betcha can't pronounce it!). The soup is outstanding.

For Cindy's (Cinderella's Royal Table or CRT) -- go to the restaurant board and read the strategies about getting Cindy's ressies. They might sound like overkill, but you won't get in without following them. Cindy's, incidentally, is two TS credits and one I would certainly NOT use DDP for. I'd pay cash for that.

If you miss out on Cindy's, consider 1900 Park Fare at the GF. Cindy is there, as is Prince Charming, and other assorted characters, and there is a LOT more character interaction there that at Cindy's. It's a buffet, so the food's average, but it's worth going for the characters.

In fact, we are planning our next trip and asked Girlie if she wanted to go back to CRT. She said, and I quote,"No -- been there, done that!" (She's four!) But she wanted to go back to 1900 (been once) and the Norway Princess dinner (been twice).