DDP or DDE better value?

[whogirl'smom]

OK, so I am already planning next year's trip, which is only 11 months and 1 week away! This year stayed offsite, everything out of pocket. Next trip I want to try onsite, and after reading lots on the DDP thought that's the best deal for us. Then I read about getting an AP for one of us (we are 2 adults and one DD5) and getting the DDE for 20% off meals. Can someone who is a veteran at this tell me which would be the best value?

We will probably do 2 character meals (not CRT this time) during the stay and will have a TS for dinner every night. We will also eat CS for lunch, but I'm not sure if we would realistically eat 3 CS meals; it seems like a lot of food. We would use snack credits for breakfast to get fruit, etc. Just trying to determine if the extra paid for the AP would be offset by what we would save on meals? We will probably get 7 day non-hoppers--I try to plan the restaurant we want to match the park we're in for that day.

Thanks everybody!

 

[Amyrlin]

The on,y way of working it out is to sit down and add up hat you would usually spend and compare, dont;'t forget to include tax and gratuities. Also, you may want ao make a small allowance for any discounts that may become aviablem such as AP discouts, if you are going to get a AP.

We wprked it out and for 2 adults if we stayed at a value we were better off, but at a delux it was not worth it and the disocunts made it better to leave out the plan.

 

[whogirl'smom]

Oh, yes, and one more question with the above--don't you get a discount on room rates when you have an AP?

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Oh, yes, and one more question with the above--don't you get a discount on room rates when you have an AP?

There is often an AP code released, but it doesn't happen all the time. Don't count on it if you buy an AP, but be pleasantly surprised if you can get one. That's the best advice - so many people buy one just because of discounts, and the truth is discounts just aren't coming as quickly now that WDW is so busy so much of the time. It will save disapointment.

As to the DDP vs. DDE, it really depends on how you eat. Is the thought of getting an app, entree, and dessert at every TS meal, and dessert with every CS meal, appeal to you? Then it might work.

DDE would be more advantageous if you wanted to do lots of smaller TS meals, as the discount is generally only good at TS restaurants. The only counter service it works at is the Value resorts, Animal Kingdom, and one or two other places (can anyone help me out?) that don't have TS locations.

My advice is to take a look at the menus, see what you might like, and decide if 20% off TS would be more than the DDP would save, or if you'd be able to take advantage of the additional flexibility. And, of course, remember that this may all change within a year, so be ready to roll with any unexpectedness that may come along.

Good luck!

NED

 

[saschab]

I've decided the DDE would have given us the same break as the DDP with regards to food. Add the discount on alcohol and DDE is a clear winner.

That being said, we recognized that we wouldn't see the savings if we paid for an AP and only went once in a 12 mnth period. So we didn't purchase it.

If I could get my husband to go more than once in 12 mnths, it would be a no brainer.

 

[DVC Grammy]

We just returned from WDW and our "experiment" with the DDP.
Let me first put in a context...........it's only my DH and me, we're DVC, with APs and the DDE, and we purposely did a split-stay.........3 nights at SSR, with the DDP, and 7 nights at the BWV, with only the DDE.
Our conclusion is that for us, the DDP is not worth it, even though a) we stretched the credits to cover the 4th day when we changed resorts, and b) always took our desserts home from the TS meals to be used for the next day's breakfasts. Although I'd classify us as "foodies", it was way too much food for us, and unfortunately, being from the "now, clean your plate" generation, we tend not to leave too much uneaten (especially since we paid for it!). True, we didn't have to clean our plates, but then the sheer waste of food would've bothered us (in fact, to see what was being cleared from so many of the other tables was bothersome; the food "wasted" in the restaurants could've fed so many unfortunate people).
I can see where the DDP would've been wonderful if our kids were still living with us, since my two boys (aka "the human garbage disposals") plus their sister, ate enough to make the DDP a great bargain.
Whether the plan pays should be an individual decision, based upon your family's eating patterns. It's really a lot of food! If you're big eaters, it can be a great deal.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just got back late Thursday night and I had the same issues. But, and this is the biggie for me, I already had an AP. I get it through DVC at a discounted rate. I don't think I would get an AP just to be able to get the DDE card, or for the room discounts. I get it for park entry...anything else is golden. So, that being said....I was trying to figure out the best way to go for that trip since it would be myself, my dd who was turning 13 and another mom and her soon to be 13 y/o dd. My dd is not a big eater, the other girl can be at times. So...I had to renew my DDE card anyway, so I didn't figure that into the costs, but if you are figuring don't forget to add the $60 it costs to get it, as well as the difference between the cost of an AP vs park hoppers.
I sat with menus from each restaurant we wanted to eat at....I compared costs both ways, but I really didn't do much with the snack credits. The costs came out pretty close...the DDP was about $85 more for our group. But since we didn't want the hassle of figuring out who was paying for what, we just went with the DDP.

Now, would I do it again? No, I don't think so. I think that for me, and my family, the DDE is the way to go. We always eat one TS meal a day, so that was okay as far as the DDP went. But, we were hard pressed to use all the counter service credits....we were just too full. We used snack credits in the morning at Boardwalk Bakery, sometimes used a counter service credit since they were building up, rather than being used. THen we used snack credits at the Food and Wine Festival, but we still ended up leaving 4 snack credits and 6 counter service credits behind!!! Nothing to keep me awake at night over, but still, I had paid for them, it would have been nice to be able to use them.