DDP Or Not

[heynowirv]

Hi Everyone,
This is our first trip as members.OKW was wondering since we like nice dinners but don't really eat much during the day,maybe cereal and fruit for breakfast and and sandwich or yougurt foe lunch what makes more sense.,and what discounts for dining are there for members.Thanks for your help.

 

[Chuck S]

As to whether the DDP works for you or not depends on a lot of factors...including your normal dining habits and the demographic of your traveling party.

The best advice is to look up the WDW menus online, either here or on Allears and add up what you would normally order that is included on the plan. Then add 6.5% sales tax, and see if the DDP will be a savings.

 

[erionm]

Most dining discount appear to be for lunch. If you go to the Perks section of the member website, the available discounts will be there.

If you purchase an AP, you can also get a Tables in Wonderland card. This discount card is only available to FL residents ($85) and Annual Passholders ($60). With it, you can get a 20% discount at most table service locations and a few counter service locations. The discount will also apply to adult beverages and can be used for parties of up to 10 people. A 18% gratutity will automatically be added to the bill.

 

[spiceycat]

here is a comparison - okay based on 2008 not 2009 and does not consider all the DDP that disney now offers.

http://allears.net/pl/disc_dining.pdf

if you stay at SSR - the dvc discount is good at several places there.

 

[DisFlan]

We're like you - we eat a nice dinner, but the counter service and snack components of the dining plan are pretty much a loss to us. We eat breakfast in our villa and we might eat a couple of CS lunches during a week's stay, but that's about it. We'd only use maybe a couple of the snack credits. We've found we're better off and saved money with the Tables in Wonderland card. We can order (and pay for) exactly what we want - which isn't always the same as what the dining plan includes. (I sometimes order an appetizer or salad and dessert for "dinner".)

Alcohol is also included on the TiW card and we usually have a drink or a bottle of wine with dinner. And if we choose to add a table service breakfast or lunch, it's covered by the TiW discount. But as mentioned, you'll need to do your homework to see which is actually better for you.

Happy planning! Whatever you choose, you'll have a great time.


DisFlan

 

[Donna M]

I added up all the food we'd eat and found that the DDP cost more.

Lots of people say there is just too much food. If you're like me I'd be ordering the dessert and most expensive items to be sure I was getting my money's worth, which isn't the best idea health wise.

I"d like to try it for a short stay once though.

Don't forget that tip is no longer included in the plan.

 

[Juliet25]

Well, I've done it twice when it was a.) cheaper and b.) included an appetizer and tip. Now with the changes I find it too expensive.

 

[rkwier]

We were having this same debate for our upcoming trip. We will be there for 4 nights this month. The DDP would be approximately $320 for the time that we are there. I prepared a meal plan for the entire trip assuming that we would be having groceries delivered. Then I went to GG, selected the items that we would need, and put them into my wish list. Then I printed it out and added up the cost of the items. I am also assuming that we will order pizza one night, eat lunch at a park one day, and go to Fulton's for my b-day dinner. (I am not factoring Fulton's into the cost though, since we would be spending the $$ for it regardless of if we were on the DDP or not.) So far, the cost is far less than what DDP costs, but I am planning on keeping my receipts to see if this will be true in reality.

 

[JimMIA]

You might want to visit the DIS DDP board for exhaustive discussion of the pros and cons of DDP. Here's a link: DIS DDP Board

I agree with Chuck's approach to determining whether DDP is right for your family or not. Far too often, we see people comparing the cost of DDP to what they CAN get using DDP (rather than what they really would eat), but that's the bogus comparison the Disney Dining marketing kids want you to make. DDP is specifically priced to look good in that comparison.

The real test is what you would spend dining as you actually would dine vs. the cost of DDP.

Also, don't forget that for the last couple of years, neither the appetizer nor gratuity have been included in DDP.

And finally, there are now 3 DDP plans to choose from. You'll find details of all of those in the "stickies" at the top of the DIS DDP Board.

 

[JimMIA]

Well, I've done it twice when it was a.) cheaper and b.) included an appetizer and tip. Now with the changes I find it too expensive.

We were in the same boat. We used DDP 5 times before the changes, and stopped when they gutted the program in 2008.

Frankly, though, with the other things that were going on with Disney Dining, we were getting pretty tired of the same old food anyway. We would never have used DDP for more than 5 days anyway just because of the repetitive menus.

We now eat almost exclusively offsite (we always have a car), and we find the food choices much more varied, and the food better and less expensive. It doesn't seem to matter whether we're up for casual dining or fine dining, we like offsite a lot better. But that's just our experience. YMMV.

 

[Dean]

Hi Everyone,
This is our first trip as members.OKW was wondering since we like nice dinners but don't really eat much during the day,maybe cereal and fruit for breakfast and and sandwich or yougurt foe lunch what makes more sense.,and what discounts for dining are there for members.Thanks for your help.

IMO the original program with tip and appy was questionable for many people and situations and now with the changes, I think it's questionable for most people. Still I think it depends more on the ages of any children (if any), the number of people to a degree and the length of stay. Generally the best values are for shorter stays, kids (3-9) that eat a fair amount, teenagers, heavy eaters in general and those that plan the RIGHT restaurants and meal choices. I'd agree with looking at the menus and seeing what your actualy costs are likely to be based on your families approach, which will be different than mine. We often eat breakfast in the room then either eat a snack and early dinner or a later larger lunch and at later snack. If you tend to gravitate to the restaurants and meals that are more expensive for a singled ticket table service, that is always going to be your best "value". Likewise, options like Pepper Market at CSR, Combo Plate at Cosmic Rays and Seasons in the Land at EPCOT are going to be your best "value" for counter service meals. Often you can get smoothies are your drink at some locations, this can add to the $$ value as well.

 

[Hopefully]

We were having this same debate for our upcoming trip. We will be there for 4 nights this month. The DDP would be approximately $320 for the time that we are there. I prepared a meal plan for the entire trip assuming that we would be having groceries delivered. Then I went to GG, selected the items that we would need, and put them into my wish list. Then I printed it out and added up the cost of the items. I am also assuming that we will order pizza one night, eat lunch at a park one day, and go to Fulton's for my b-day dinner. (I am not factoring Fulton's into the cost though, since we would be spending the $$ for it regardless of if we were on the DDP or not.) So far, the cost is far less than what DDP costs, but I am planning on keeping my receipts to see if this will be true in reality.

One thought regarding your method of comparison. You don't account for your time and your ability to enjoy your vacation as well. Personally, although I don't mind cooking, I do not want to spend the time it takes to put together a meal that will please my family everyday. I want to play too.

 

[rkwier]

Originally Posted by Hopefully
One thought regarding your method of comparison. You don't account for your time and your ability to enjoy your vacation as well. Personally, although I don't mind cooking, I do not want to spend the time it takes to put together a meal that will please my family everyday. I want to play too.

You make an excellent point! It will just be DH and I, so I am only planning on very lowwww effort meals - sandwiches for lunch, etc. I also am looking forward to eating breakfast in my jammies in our villa instead of having to go to the market to get it.