DDP is it worth it???

[ArmyWife3-4]

I don't like to spend a lot of time sitting and eating when we are at Disney. We spend a few nights of our trip sitting and eating, but otherwise we like to spend our time in the parks. I would rather spend time sitting at the end of the night watching people leave and having an ice cream rather than sitting while we could be out touring.

We also bring our own cereal and eat it in the room. As a child, we never did DDP, but it has greatly grown in popularity since then. I just feel that it ties you in so much to what park you are at when, and if you want to eat at a resort it really takes away from your time in the park.

What do you all think? Is it worth it?

 

[Elmo888]

From your description of your family's habits, I would say no.

DDP only begins to be worth it if you plan to do one TS (table service) meal per day (you can do more than one per day, but you get the idea). If you eat mostly CS (counter service) with only two or three TS meals over 7 nights, then I would skip it.

We enjoy sitting down once a day and the TS meals and don't mind having to be somewhere at a certain time. We have only used the DDP once, and that was with kids. If we were just going as adults (which we did before kids), I would probably enjoy more flexiblity. Plus, I crunched the numbers, and I'm not sure that you would come out ahead $$-wise on the 2008 plan with adults only in your party.

That being said, if you plan on any TS meals, it would be best to plan ahead and make your ADRs. The popular places fill up. On the other hand, if you are flexible about places (don't have your heart set on a certain TS restaurant) and times, you can be more flexible about when you make your ADRs.

Have a great trip!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'd say no given your eating habits too. Unless you could get it for free, then you'd have nothing to lose.

 

[DisneyKidds]

If the plan would force you to significantly alter the way you eat and how you spend time in the parks then the answer is probably no, especially if you don't normally eat a TS meal per day.

 

[DVC Sadie]

From your post I would definitely say that the DDP is not realistic for your family. However, if you usually spend 40.00 per adult per day for 2 counter service meals and a snack and spend more than 13.00 per day for a child then it might be worth it to reconsider the dining plan.

 

[ArmyWife3-4]

Thanks for all of the advice! I really appreciate it! I didn't think it would be worth it for us, but it's nice to hear others' opinions.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

posted this in a new thread.....

 

[septbaby]

I don't like to spend a lot of time sitting and eating when we are at Disney. We spend a few nights of our trip sitting and eating, but otherwise we like to spend our time in the parks. I would rather spend time sitting at the end of the night watching people leave and having an ice cream rather than sitting while we could be out touring.

We also bring our own cereal and eat it in the room. As a child, we never did DDP, but it has greatly grown in popularity since then. I just feel that it ties you in so much to what park you are at when, and if you want to eat at a resort it really takes away from your time in the park.

What do you all think? Is it worth it?

Seems more like you want us to confirm your opinion, not as much a question here. The dining plan doesn't make you eat TS dinner, that's your choice. If you want to eat cereal everyday you can do that on or off the DP. You can use those TS credits to start your day with breakfast, character or other. We welcomed our lunch at Coral Reef as a great break from the heat and as it turned out rain, that day we did LOMH at MK, Epcot for our late lunch, napped and returned to MK for the Pirate party. We got plenty of park time and still had time to eat (CS during party). Another day we went to AK, it closes at 5 so planning a dinner at 6 at Boma was logical for us. We went to Epcot for Illuminations and to MK for EMH after dinner.

In its most basic form to DP or not DP is an economic decision. There also a way to value the dining experience as part of the trip. For us both worked. Months later, my nephew is still talking to us about his Chef Mickey's meal (one of his top 3 things at Disney). We'd never done the DP before at Disney and would have to think hard about skipping it again. It brings a whole new feel and freedom to the trip. I was so glad my trip was paid for before arriving!

Just another point of view. I had done a few TS meals at Disney over the years, but nothing came close to the full Disney dining experience.

 

[TDC Nala]

There are a lot of options. Apparently most DDP users are on the counter service lunch /1 credit table service dinner for every day of the trip method.

You can mix up the table service credits. You can use them for breakfast or lunch, or use 2 of them for a signature restaurant, for CRT, for a dinner show, or room service if you like that sort of thing. The DDP itself does not make it necessary to eat a TS dinner every single night, although some may say that is the way to maximize the value of the plan.

 

[pwyu1969]

One thing to consider are the ages of your children. If they are 9 and under then the plan costs only $9 a day! So in our case, two adults and two kids cost only $100 a day. You can eat for less than $100 a day, but its quite a value when you throw in a character dinner or nice ts like Le Cellier or Coral Reef. If your kids are 10 and over and are not big eaters, then the $160 a day cost for a family of 4 may not be worth it.

 

[GreatLakes5]

I was wondering the same thing this year for our family. By Disney standards we have 2 children and 3 adults. For our coming trip we'll pay about $1200 in DDP expense. The only way to really figure it out for yourself - if you want to take the time - is to sit and figure out where you really want to go, go through the menu, and approximate the costs. This is what I sat and did.

In order to reach the identical DDP cost I ended up with some of the places we would eat on the plan, but not all. I took into account paying a tip in all instances, etc...

If you're truly questioning it - sit and do the calculating. We're actually still coming out ahead (for now). When our second child becomes an "adult" for DDP eating purposes I'll sit and figure it out again as it may become cost prohibitive.

Good luck...puruse online menus if you are that curious... enjoY!