DDP help?

[blackmamba886]

I've been to Disney a few times but have never used the DDP. How are you figuring out how much it would cost without it? I'm trying to figure out if it would be worth it for 2 adults.

With the regular dining plan there is only 1 quick service and 1 sit down service... so if we wanted breakfast, lunch AND dinner, we'd still have to pay for 1 meal. (Do I have that right?)

So if I have that right, I'm wondering if it would be better to get the quick service dining plan to use for breakfast and lunch, and just wing it and pay for dinner wherever we end up. I'm not sure how many sit down dinners we're going to do.

At this point I'm just really confused. Help?

 

[twooley2]

I have found that each plan has its benefits.
Depends on your eating habits.
We did the basic dining plan one year and did end up paying for some meals. Another year we did the 3 meals a day and ended up not using some meals but never was hungary nor paid for additional meals, the CS seems great too but never tried that plan. although i would never go on the cs planning to pay for all dinners as they are expensive.

 

[Faldred]

Basically, cost comparisons are done by pulling up the menus of the restaurants and adding up what you'd spend based on menu price. (Then add 6.5% sales tax.)

This would be compared to the DDP plan cost for the same meals.

In both cases, factor in 18-20% of the actual bill (regardless of whether or not the DDP covers the meal) for tips at table service locations only. (Note that CRT and dinner shows already have gratuity included.)

As a quick example, let's say I have just a CS meal and a TS meal planned for the day (I'll do breakfast in my room, or something).

CS at Columbia Harbor House: $7.69 entree and $2.39 drink. Subtotal $10.08; $10.74 including tax.

TS at Tony's Town Square: $22.99 entree, $2.29 drink, $5.99 dessert. Subtotal $31.27; including $38.93 tax and 18% tip.

OOP, I would have paid a total $49.67.

For DDP the same dinner tip ($5.63) should be added to the plan cost ($39.99) for comparison purposes -- a total of $45.62.

So, in this example, the DDP saves $4.05, or appx 8.2% over what I would have paid. In addition, I get a "free" dessert at lunch (which I otherwise would not have gotten), plus one snack credit.

The total DDP "value" compared to OOP including those items ($3.59 dessert plus appx. $3 snack, both taxable) becomes $56.69 -- for the same food, the DDP saves $11.07 (19.5%). The question becomes what you want to use as the basis for comparison - what you actually get vs. what you would have gotten.

 

[teach22180]

Faldred, that has got to be the best explanation of the DDP comparison I have ever read! I don't know if that helped the OP, but that really helped me get some questions answered, thanks.

 

[blackmamba886]

Thanks

It helps but it doesn't help. I guess my question should have been, do you plan every place you're going to eat?

We tend to go a little less on plan and more by chance. We don't want to have a set schedule of what parks we go to on what days... it's more of a "oh today feels like a MK day" when we get up kind of deal. Which means when it's time for lunch, it'll just be anyplace that's handy.

I think out of the 8 nights we're staying, we'll only have maybe 3 planned meals so the rest of the dinners will be like the lunches, where we just end up somewhere.

Then my question becomes, without specific places in mind... how can you decide if the DDP is worth it?

 

[Perditamarie]

Well, with the popularity of the DDP, I think you may have a very difficult time getting a table in a restaurant w/o ADRs. Some planning for this will be necessary to ensure you can get into a restaurant.

Consider dining at monorail resorts for your Epcot/MK days and the Boardwalk for your DHS day and the AK resort or DTD for your AK days.

Here is a great site for reviewing menus and prices:

http://allears.net/din/dining.htm

Also, depending on when you go, there may be "holiday dining prices" in place...even higher prices for meals, so that also makes the DDP a value.


Even though you only get a TS, CS and Snack on the DDP, you can still get by w/paying minimal oop. Consider using snack credit for breakfast or packing non-perishable snack/breakfast items in your luggage to save time and $$$$.

 

[blackmamba886]

I mean 3 planned meals with reservations and the rest would be quick service... not sit down service.

 

[Faldred]

do you plan every place you're going to eat?

I'm in the position where I kind of have to -- traveling with three very young children, it will make our lives immeasurably easier to have most things planned with ADRs for TS locations, so that we can keep them reasonably "on schedule" in terms of meals/naps/etc.

But, you can "wing it" if you have to (see below).

Then my question becomes, without specific places in mind... how can you decide if the DDP is worth it?

Obviously, it would be hard to tell from a "value" view beforehand which is better if you don't know where you're going to eat. The best you can do is take a representative sample of a variety of TS and CS restaurants, come up with an "average" OOP cost for each, and then compare that to the DDP price.

From a "convenience" standpoint, having the meals pre-paid (exclusive of tip) has its own intangible value; which may be offset by the implied need to "use up" a particular mix of credits.

Personally, unless you're going to order the least expensive item on the menu, I find it hard to believe you would not save money (even if only a small amount) by using the DDP... assuming you would eat at least 7 TS and 7 CS meal anyway (or more correctly, 7 TS "credits"). If that assumption isn't true, than other factors come into play.

 

[Faldred]

I mean 3 planned meals with reservations and the rest would be quick service... not sit down service.

Then the QSDP becomes a better option, for sure. If you are only planning 3 TS meals, why pay for 8?

As for whether the QSDP is "worth it", I think it's iffy. Assuming you'd normally get just an entree and beverage, and then maybe use two snacks each day OOP, it's probably pretty close to break even (adding sales tax may tip the scales in favor of QSDP). If you like getting desserts (or a second breakfast beverage), then you come out more ahead. If you pick your places wisely and hit the ones with good "combo meals" (Cosmic Ray's and Flame Tree BBQ are good examples), you may get better value both in price per plate and the ability to spread out your credits by sharing.

Now, I think the QSDP is a no-brainer good deal for kids under 10. (For that matter, the Basic DDP for kids is also a slam-dunk good bargain) A kid's CS meal is pretty much a uniform $4.49 + tax, so you're basically getting 2 snacks/night and the resort mug for free.

 

[beroh2253]

Only me and DW for the past 3 years and had the regular DDP. The only thing we plan is an ADR for dinners and 1 TS breakfast for the week like Crystal Palace or Boma breakfast. So we get the hopper passes and make sure we are that that park, resort or DTD for dinner. We use a few of our snack credits for breakfast , sometimes split a CS for lunch (usually the TS breakfast day) and use that CS for a breakfast. I think the only thing we buy is a soda or water in the park. We usually have a few snack credits left for the Kringla Bakeri or back at the resort at night for an ice cream sundae. Did you check out some of the meuus there is so much to choose from.



http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

 

[blackmamba886]

Thanks everyone!

I think it looks like we'll probably be paying for it ourselves. Without everyone else around, we're definatly more of a grab and go couple.

 

[klmorg]

I am still deciding to purchase or not to purchase. We would definetly do the QSDP if we did purchase. We only have two table service meals planned and that is all we will do. We usually spend about $120.00 per day on dining. Some days it is less and some days it is more. The QSDP for our family comes out to $128.95 per day. So it seems I am getting a good deal right?? SO why am I so hesitant to purchase the plan? I think it is because I am worried about being forced to eat at only certain places....do most of the counter service eateries throughout the parks accept the plan?? Plus my family loves to get soft serve ice cream from Tom Sawyers Island...is that particular place included so that we could use that as one of our 2 daily snacks??

Help!...I need some advice!!

We leave for Disney in 42 days!!!

 

[Faldred]

SO why am I so hesitant to purchase the plan? I think it is because I am worried about being forced to eat at only certain places....do most of the counter service eateries throughout the parks accept the plan?? Plus my family loves to get soft serve ice cream from Tom Sawyers Island...is that particular place included so that we could use that as one of our 2 daily snacks??

Virtually every CS place accepts the dining plan CS credits. Check the stickies at the top of this form for links to the brochures that list all of the options (you might be surprised at how many there are) and for what people have used snack credits for.

 

[ctaci]

Basically, cost comparisons are done by pulling up the menus of the restaurants and adding up what you'd spend based on menu price. (Then add 6.5% sales tax.)

This would be compared to the DDP plan cost for the same meals.

In both cases, factor in 18-20% of the actual bill (regardless of whether or not the DDP covers the meal) for tips at table service locations only. (Note that CRT and dinner shows already have gratuity included.)

As a quick example, let's say I have just a CS meal and a TS meal planned for the day (I'll do breakfast in my room, or something).

CS at Columbia Harbor House: $7.69 entree and $2.39 drink. Subtotal $10.08; $10.74 including tax.

TS at Tony's Town Square: $22.99 entree, $2.29 drink, $5.99 dessert. Subtotal $31.27; including $38.93 tax and 18% tip.

OOP, I would have paid a total $49.67.

For DDP the same dinner tip ($5.63) should be added to the plan cost ($39.99) for comparison purposes -- a total of $45.62.

So, in this example, the DDP saves $4.05, or appx 8.2% over what I would have paid. In addition, I get a "free" dessert at lunch (which I otherwise would not have gotten), plus one snack credit.

The total DDP "value" compared to OOP including those items ($3.59 dessert plus appx. $3 snack, both taxable) becomes $56.69 -- for the same food, the DDP saves $11.07 (19.5%). The question becomes what you want to use as the basis for comparison - what you actually get vs. what you would have gotten.

This was such a great answer. We got the DDP without even considering cost. Heck - we didnt even know what it cost for the plan - we just checked it off that we wanted it when booking the trip. I then tried to figure out how much we would spend and it was confusing to go through the menus. I know Im not a dessert person but DH and I arent soup and salad people either - we go for nice meats or seafood and balance it out with a burger or ribs for lunch.

Id say we are saving with the DDP for sure. The conveinence just seemed like it was more than worth it, but we are planners and love the idea of knowing where we are going to be every night.

 

[blackmamba886]

WOW. Ok so we decided that we are going to sit down and eat dinner somewhere everyday. I went through and calculated what it would cost us (not including breakfast which would be paid OOP anyway) if we got the most expensive thing on the menu everywhere we want to go.

The number I came up with is half the price of what Disney quoted me for the DDP on the phone. Guess we'll be going OOP!