DDP IS a good value...

[skygirltkw]

for me anyway.

With all the talk of how it ISN'T and how CRT and CP are a waste of 2 TS credits, I decided to add it all up for my upcoming trip since I am now paying for it (was originally booked at Pop on FD, now staying DVC and will buy it).

My confirmed ADRs are: Akershus dinner, 1900PF dinner, Crystal Palace dinner, Candelight Processional lunch and CRT dinner (both a "waste" of 2 credits).

We will do late breakfasts/early lunches at the following (or plan to anyway) Sunshine Seasons, Tortuga, MS Bakery, Wolfgang Puck Express, Starring Rolls, Mara (we are staying AKL)...and on CP night grab a QS dinner somewhere is WS.

I went to allears.net and got the prices for 1 adult, 1 child for each TS and then checked out each QS and added in what I thought we would probably order. I did NOT add in a dessert...I did NOT add in ANY snacks...I did NOT add tax...my total for the week was $485.56.

The dining plan will cost me $405.86 (1 Adult @45.99, 1 child @11.99, multiplied by 7).

Right off the bat I save around $80 and IF (I crack myself up, we are soooooo splurging ) we happen to get a butterfinger cupcake, dole whip, micky bar, etc. the savings just goes up.

Obviously we COULD eat cheaper, (split QS meals, pack pbjs...) but that would not be nearly as magical.

I the DDP...

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I have found the same thing. DDP doesn't work for everyone but it does work for us. We often find we end up getting some "free" desserts and snacks. Now would we order dessert everytime if we were paying. No probably not but espically for our kids dessert is a big treat on vacation.

Our last trip (2 adults Sept/Oct) our actual totals came in at : $886.64
We got "free" DDP but it would have cost us: $827.82

And I did a few things that are taboo on getting the best deal on DDP. I used 2 QS meals to trade for 3 snacks and we had 2 TS meals left when we checked out!! (Combo of being sick and CBR's set up and poor transportation on check out day so we couldn't use them b/c had to get to the customs house for DME)

We have gotten better deals before using DDP but we don't really try to maximize the benefits anymore we just like the convience of having everything included and not having sticker shock at check out when we see all our meals charged to our room.

We are going in a few weeks 3 days of DDP for 3 adults "free" at POFQ. We have 2 TS meals scheudled F! package and CP package so totalling about $300 right off the bat. Considering QS would be at least $15 per meal we will get our money's worth out of this one too before we even add in snacks. The free DDP would cost $413.91.

 

[summermac]

I think at $45.99 it's still a nice savings. I know it was for us at 2009 price which was $40 and $11. However next year the price is taking a rather large jump to $52 adults and $15 kids. The refillable mug is being added but for US that's not worth it.

Also, your meals are very character heavy and those are expensive OOP. That's how we saved at tremendous amount of money on our 2009 trip.

I've done the math for my family's trip in May:
2 adults/2 kids dining at Sci Fi lunch, CP breakfast, Ohana dinner, Akershush lunch, Yak & Yeti dinner and Kona dinner and I'm coming up cost being about $510. DDP next year will cost us $804.

That's why it's so nice to be able to do the math for your family and make your own decision. How much would it suck if WDW forced us to get the dining plan?

I'm glad it works out for the better for your family. We very much enjoyed the DDP and the "freedom" it gave us on our 1st trip. This time, I think I'm going to enjoy the freedom of not having it just as much.

 

[Caitriona]

It's the same with us! I really, really didn't want the DDP and spent hours figuring out how we could eat cheaper, but DH just talked me into it. He thinks that sit down lunches will be a welcome break for our kids, and he doesn't like trying to find places to sit whenever we eat anywhere that's busy.

We are 2 adults, 2 kids & 1 infant and my family picked out Akershus, CRT, Crystal Palace, Tusker House, Biergarten and we just changed our Ohana ADR to Liberty Tree Tavern. We'll more than likely eat most of our CS meals at our resort and even considering that I've also found a savings before snacks, drinks & desserts. (I'll probably use my snack credits towards side salads and get fruit or water as dessert - both of which, I'd buy anyway. Even though I would never order 'regular' desserts, having dessert included does help me out, especially since I'll be sharing with our 1 year old)

Sure, we'll be 1 TS short since CRT takes 2 TS, but I don't feel the need to book additional meals and pay OOP for CRT in order to see savings, since a huge savings is already there. I think it's mainly because the cost of the kids TS meals and the kids DDP cost really helps us see the savings. If they were older and had to pay the adult rate, we'd probably lose. We'll more than likely fill the void caused by the missing TS credit by splitting some CS or using snack credits. I know that if we go to Pizza Planet, my 2 year old would want to split a veggie pizza with me, since he hates plain cheese pizza, and he also hates chicken nuggets etc, so TS buffets work great for us. Because he won't eat many CS options and will want to share with me, we'll probably not have to pay any OOP costs.

I think CRT and other 2 TS places may be a waste of credits for a group of adults, but add a kid or two and it becomes less and less of a waste or credits IMO

 

[sharonabe]

for me anyway.

With all the talk of how it ISN'T and how CRT and CP are a waste of 2 TS credits, I decided to add it all up for my upcoming trip since I am now paying for it (was originally booked at Pop on FD, now staying DVC and will buy it).

My confirmed ADRs are: Akershus dinner, 1900PF dinner, Crystal Palace dinner, Candelight Processional lunch and CRT dinner (both a "waste" of 2 credits).

We will do late breakfasts/early lunches at the following (or plan to anyway) Sunshine Seasons, Tortuga, MS Bakery, Wolfgang Puck Express, Starring Rolls, Mara (we are staying AKL)...and on CP night grab a QS dinner somewhere is WS.

I went to allears.net and got the prices for 1 adult, 1 child for each TS and then checked out each QS and added in what I thought we would probably order. I did NOT add in a dessert...I did NOT add in ANY snacks...I did NOT add tax...my total for the week was $485.56.

The dining plan will cost me $405.86 (1 Adult @45.99, 1 child @11.99, multiplied by 7).

Right off the bat I save around $80 and IF (I crack myself up, we are soooooo splurging ) we happen to get a butterfinger cupcake, dole whip, micky bar, etc. the savings just goes up.

Obviously we COULD eat cheaper, (split QS meals, pack pbjs...) but that would not be nearly as magical.

I the DDP...

Anytime you add a Disney child in to the mix, it becomes a pretty good value since just one character buffet more than covers their cost for the entire day.

Don't forget that with your two 2TS meals, you'll need to pay OOP for at least two more meals and that needs to be added to your total cost. You're still going to save money, but that does bring the numbers a little closer.

 

[havoc315]

for me anyway.

With all the talk of how it ISN'T and how CRT and CP are a waste of 2 TS credits, I decided to add it all up for my upcoming trip since I am now paying for it (was originally booked at Pop on FD, now staying DVC and will buy it).

My confirmed ADRs are: Akershus dinner, 1900PF dinner, Crystal Palace dinner, Candelight Processional lunch and CRT dinner (both a "waste" of 2 credits).

We will do late breakfasts/early lunches at the following (or plan to anyway) Sunshine Seasons, Tortuga, MS Bakery, Wolfgang Puck Express, Starring Rolls, Mara (we are staying AKL)...and on CP night grab a QS dinner somewhere is WS.

I went to allears.net and got the prices for 1 adult, 1 child for each TS and then checked out each QS and added in what I thought we would probably order. I did NOT add in a dessert...I did NOT add in ANY snacks...I did NOT add tax...my total for the week was $485.56.

The dining plan will cost me $405.86 (1 Adult @45.99, 1 child @11.99, multiplied by 7).

...

Obviously we COULD eat cheaper, (split QS meals, pack pbjs...) but that would not be nearly as magical.

You have several factors in your "favor" --
1-- Half your party is a "child" -- And the savings for a child can be much more substantial than an adult. The majority of your savings are probably on the child.
2-- You are doing mostly above-average priced meals. Akershus dinner is 1 of the most expensive 1-credit meals at Disney... If you did dinner at the Plaza or Beaches & Cream instead, that could easily cut $40-$50 out of your savings, just with that 1 change. WPE is probably the most expensive CS location. None of your meals are really on the cheaper side.
3-- You are using up all of your TS credits, and again-- doing it at mostly above-average priced restaurants.

So given how you like to eat, it's not the least bit surprising that you obtain fair savings.

As to how you *could* eat less than for the cost of the dining plan ---
Many people seem to argue that it's all or nothing-- Either splurge with the dining plan, or skimp and go frugal (pack PBJ sandwiches, split CS meals) .
There is an in-between-- You can eat quite reasonably, without any skimping, for less than the cost of the plan. You can still eat very well, for a lot less than the cost of the plan.
Using your case as simply an example --- If a similar party wanted the exact same meals, except for the CRT dinner --- instead of CRT, they wanted to just grab a light meal. Then with that 1 change, it would probably be cheaper for the family to pay OOP.
If over 7 nights -- You wanted 5 TS meals are moderate priced restaurants, if you wanted to order desserts but share them (1 dessert for every 2 people), if you wanted CS dinners on your 2 other nights, and you wanted a CS breakfast every morning, and a mid-day snack every day -- For such a family, which isn't exactly skimping, they would be better off without the dining plan.

So your situation is a good illustration--
IF you have children under 10 in your party, AND you plan on using all your credits, AND you plan on above-average priced restaurants, then the dining plan can certainly save you a fair amount of money.

Personally.... for my family, the adult prices make no sense at all, but the children's prices make sense as long as both my kids are under 10.

 

[skygirltkw]

@summermac

"That's why it's so nice to be able to do the math for your family and make your own decision. How much would it suck if WDW forced us to get the dining plan?"

well said! I agree...I'm also very aware that given my cirmunstance (which may very well change) it's great...I WILL do the math every trip, and when it no longer is a savings, I will be glad I can OOP.

 

[Tricia1972]

You're plan is exactly what lends itself to working perfectly with the Dining Plan, and I can definitely see that you'll experience savings on the plan. Sounds like a wonderful trip for your family!