DDP, TiW, or OOP for 3 Week Vacation??

[RobPickles]

We are going away for an extended WDW vacation this summer and was wondering what everyone thought about what was the best way to go.

There is Myself, my DW and my new DD (who will be 10 months old at the time of the trip)

In the past my wife and I, have done the DDP and has been totally worth it. Last trip we tried OOP and found that we SHOULD have done the DDP with all that we spent (and this trying to be good and healthy with some groceries).

Now with our new baby, we know things will be a lot different. So I was wondering if anyone out there has gone through "the change" from couple to family, and come out with some knowledge on which way was best.

Remember - 3 weeks! 8 days in AKL Concierge and 2 weeks in BLT.

What do you think?

 

[Marshay]

We just came back from a trip in November with our 8 month old baby. We had done the DDP in the past and loved it.

However, this time we decided to skip the DDP but still made ressies for each day at a TS. We ended up using only one of the ADRs, ate at Kona (not a good choice when on the DDP), and ate lots of counterservice instead but never ate pizza or a burger. There are lots of healthier choices at CS now.

With an infant, your plans are not your own and I highly suggest you do NOT do the DDP. Our baby got sick one day, she was cranky the day before and would have cried during the whole meal. Another mealtime she had just fallen asleep and the restaurants don't allow you to bring a stroller in so I had to hold her the whole time which didn't really allow me to eat that well.

Also, with the DDP, you are more set in your plans -- you feel like you have to eat there, got to go to that park, etc. We found not doing the DDP allowed us to skip a park day -- rent Sea Raycers instead, and eat whenever we wanted to. We also had some "snack meals" which we'd never do while on the plan.

Our baby's schedule changed on the trip, too. She was definitely stimulated by all the new sights, sounds and smells and she would nap at odd times, eat at odd times, and one day she slept until 10am and the other only until 6am.

I'd consider TiW or just paying OOP this time...you really won't know your schedule until after you get there!

Good luck!

 

[PHXscuba]

Personally, I don't think I could eat Disney food for 3 straight weeks, considering price and selection. If you have a kitchenette in either place, I'd consider keeping items fora few meals in house -- especially some emergency ones for when the baby is napping or you all crash early.

Maybe rent a car for a few days in the middle and get out of the park and park food for some meals? You'd probably nearly break even with eating at non-Disney-price places and have a break from the same-old options around your resort.

I think having the baby along would clinch the deal for me not wanting to be forced into a specific amount of TS meals. 10 months is a difficult age because they're not eating much real food to entertain them and usually won't sleep in a busy restaurant. Locally, we did very little eating out from the time our children were about 4-5 months and slept through meals until they were 1.5-2 and we could entertain them more easily. Even at 13 that seems to sometimes be a challenge.

I'm voting for flexibility. You might make every TS meal you plan on and could have saved some $, but I'd bet there will be some glitches and days you'd feel you didn't eat what you'd paid for.

PHXscuba

 

[julluvsdisney]

we went in may with our then 10 mo old and did the reg dp. The DDP will most likely be a waste because as PP pointed out some times babies will not be on your plan. I would opt for the reg DP itll prob save you some money. have fun! we had a blast with our DS. I will say tho plan on spending time feeding you DD in the park alot. Disney has a baby center in every park. Know where those locations are! They willl be your friends! They also sell baby items in the baby centers. Good luck! Enjoy!

 

[madelyn]

3 weeks is really a long time. If you want to do the DDP you might consider adding it to your first part of the stay. Then if your daughter seems to be cooperating then you can still add DDP to your second half of the stay 3 days before your check-in.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I have to agree with the PP to skip the DDP. You may make reservations and the baby may have her own plan.
Since it is just the two of you who would be eating I am sure you can save a lot money by skipping the DDP. Especially if you have a rental car. Pick up some items at the store for a few meals inside. Or go off property for a meal and see how much you save by doing this.
We just discovered a great place close to DTD. It called Sweet Tomato at the Crossing shopping center. Google the name and sign up for their coupons. They email buy one get one free coupons all the time. They offer a 55 foot salad bar with a lot of typical and untypical salad bar items such as unusual veggies. Soup, pizza, sundea bar, mac and cheese. I think they had a bake potato's too. Very nice place, clean, bussers were attentive and check to see if we needed anything. We liked it so much we ate there twice and the one trip was with the BOGO coupon so the 2 of us ate for $15.00 including our soda.

 

[RobPickles]

I made a mistake...

My DD will be 8 months old! LOL! So much for my math... now you see why I am asking for advice!

We were not planning on renting a car. With that added cost, we might as well just get the reg DP for the 3 weeks. I estimated ~ $1800 for the 2 of us.

Can you do both the DDP and TiW? For example...if we wanted to order appetizers, you would have to pay OOP for those extra, so can you use the TiW for that? Just curious about how it works and if you can use it at the same time as the DDP.

 

[poohfriend]

I made a mistake...

My DD will be 8 months old! LOL! So much for my math... now you see why I am asking for advice!

We were not planning on renting a car. With that added cost, we might as well just get the reg DP for the 3 weeks. I estimated ~ $1800 for the 2 of us.

Can you do both the DDP and TiW? For example...if we wanted to order appetizers, you would have to pay OOP for those extra, so can you use the TiW for that? Just curious about how it works and if you can use it at the same time as the DDP.

you know your child much better than any of us. We went with an 8 month old and had NO trouble at all doing whatever dining we wanted. He was an active baby. We took a baby sling and he "rode" in that more than a stroller. And at restaurants he enjoyed being with us.

Different families have different habits. I couldn't ever even consider a 9 pm meal ...but if that's your thing...baby might sleep through the whole thing. Personally I think traveling with a baby as much easier than a toddler. BUT only you know the personality of that baby and how likely she is to fuss through your vacation.

I would be inclined to do the DDP for at least the AK part of the trip. And concierge would prob help reschedule if you needed help. I don't know if I'd enjoy 3 weeks of eating out though! Perhaps a split stay at BLT and do part of it too? Lots of fun meals at Disney and it sounds like you've enjoyed DDp in the past.

Amyway, If it were me with ANY of my kids (just 1 kid) at 8 months old I would easily do the dining plan. You'll just have to make sure you find some sort of routine in the business of Disney. Naps most likely will be okay on the run at that age...but don't rule out a return to your resort every day for nap time. (I had one that required 3 hours in the afternoon...one that only needed 1.5 hrs) You'll probably still have a morning nap then too...just hope that one can be in a stroller or carrier for your sake.

Bottom line...do the dining plan you'd want if DD weren't there. You will have to be more deliberate in planning your dining times though. And I would avoid the hours of 1-4 at restaurants to allow for a long nap. (Hate to wake a sleeping baby!)

I wish we'd traveled more with our first...so much easier than later on! Have fun!

 

[DumboPrincess]

#1--CONGRATS on your new DD!
#2--Jealous! The longest trip we've done is 8 days--never long enough!

Just my 2 cents as a mom of 2

--Get the reg. dining plan, but not the deluxe. With the deluxe plan you will spend a lot of time in restaurants, but your DD may not co-operate! With the reg. dining plan, you have snacks, a TS and a CS a day. Still plenty of food, but not always a sit-down, long, involved meal.

--Going to Disney for 3 weeks, I would take advantage of the AKL concierge and the downtime it provides at the beginning of the trip. Unwind, enjoy the snacks, desserts, and drinks, all in the comfort of your (gorgeous!) hotel. You won't need to use your DP as much, and can save some credits for later in the trip.

--Traveling with a baby is different, but still fun if you are prepared. If she gets fussy, you can get your food packed up to take "home". One of the best items I took were the disposable placemats. Then, whether she's playing, or eating with her fingers on the table, what she touches is clean. Check them out here:http://www.tabletopper.com/tabletopper/Products/?Name=table_topper They even have Disney Pooh & Princess designs!

--Keep in mind that although your little one is not on your dining plan, you and DW can select food/snacks with her in mind. Sweet potatoes, bananas, applesauce, mashed potatoes, carrots and peas can all be mashed and offered up. Be sure to also have a snack on hand on the diaper bag--cheerios if she can handle them are great.

--Take lots of gallon zip top bags. You will find a million uses for them--to store clean clothes, wet/dirty/stained clothes, leftover snacks, etc.

--If you can--think about the baby carrier/car seat stroller as your stroller of choice. At that age, she may have outgrown it. But if she hasn't--if she is sleeping when you head into a restaurant, she can stay sleeping although you can't wheel the stroller in. Just lift out and go. Also makes it easier if she won't sit in a highchair, or wants to be held. You can rock her in her carrier, while still eating a little easier than just holding her.

Have a blast!

 

[DumboPrincess]

Different families have different habits. I couldn't ever even consider a 9 pm meal ...but if that's your thing...baby might sleep through the whole thing. Personally I think traveling with a baby as much easier than a toddler. BUT only you know the personality of that baby and how likely she is to fuss through your vacation.

I wish we'd traveled more with our first...so much easier than later on! Have fun!

Agreed--wish we'd traveled more when they were little, too!

One other item I thought I'd mention. My girls were always fussy the first couple nights getting used to the new surroundings. So, try to make it as similar to home as possible--use the same crib sheets if using a pack-n-play, bottle/breastfeed same time before bed and in morning, familiar lovey, same body wash and lotion, and bedtime routine.

Good luck!

 

[deerhart]

get the DDP (I think your using that for Disney Dining plan and not for Deluxe dining plan) and just skimp on the ADR's.

Many of the restaurants you can walk in on without many problems (again depending on when your staying). You might not be able to do the extremely popular ones, but most you still can (especially with the small party you have).

It will be just as much of a hassle to pay out of pocket and get a place to eat without the dining plan as it would be to use the dining plan w/o ADRs.

Other tricks (for getting in) is to arrive early in the eating time (so 4:30-5 versus 6-7, 10:30-11 instead of 12 or 2-3 etc) or later in the evening

 

[jboysen]

i would say skip the DDP and go with the TIW. I've done the DDP a few times and found that there is just so much food and time spent at the TS meals 3 weeks doing this could get very tiresome. Even with the $75 for theTIW you get 20% off everything you'll easilly make that back in savings in 3 weeks and you don't feel like your wasting money if you want to order just a salad. Also since you are doing consierge you'll have lots to take advantage of there and that on top of the DDP would seem overwhelming for me. It is also easier IMO to order for an 8mo with TIW. I know for me when they were that age I watched like a hawk what they ate.

 

[poohfriend]

#1--CONGRATS on your new DD!
#2--Jealous! The longest trip we've done is 8 days--never long enough!

Just my 2 cents as a mom of 2

--Get the reg. dining plan, but not the deluxe. With the deluxe plan you will spend a lot of time in restaurants, but your DD may not co-operate! With the reg. dining plan, you have snacks, a TS and a CS a day. Still plenty of food, but not always a sit-down, long, involved meal.

--Going to Disney for 3 weeks, I would take advantage of the AKL concierge and the downtime it provides at the beginning of the trip. Unwind, enjoy the snacks, desserts, and drinks, all in the comfort of your (gorgeous!) hotel. You won't need to use your DP as much, and can save some credits for later in the trip.

--Traveling with a baby is different, but still fun if you are prepared. If she gets fussy, you can get your food packed up to take "home". One of the best items I took were the disposable placemats. Then, whether she's playing, or eating with her fingers on the table, what she touches is clean. Check them out here:http://www.tabletopper.com/tabletopper/Products/?Name=table_topper They even have Disney Pooh & Princess designs!

--Keep in mind that although your little one is not on your dining plan, you and DW can select food/snacks with her in mind. Sweet potatoes, bananas, applesauce, mashed potatoes, carrots and peas can all be mashed and offered up. Be sure to also have a snack on hand on the diaper bag--cheerios if she can handle them are great.

--Take lots of gallon zip top bags. You will find a million uses for them--to store clean clothes, wet/dirty/stained clothes, leftover snacks, etc.

--If you can--think about the baby carrier/car seat stroller as your stroller of choice. At that age, she may have outgrown it. But if she hasn't--if she is sleeping when you head into a restaurant, she can stay sleeping although you can't wheel the stroller in. Just lift out and go. Also makes it easier if she won't sit in a highchair, or wants to be held. You can rock her in her carrier, while still eating a little easier than just holding her.

Have a blast!

love all these extra tips...

 

[Cheshire Figment]

For a three week trip I hope that you have (or will have) Annual Passes. Then get your rooms at a Passholder rate and you can buy and use TiW. If your first stay is a package with dining, immediately upgrade your package tickets to APs.

And there is never any problem to use both DDP and TiW on the same meal. Just tell the server that you need two different checks, one for the DDP-eligible items and the other for everything else. Note that since there is an automatic 18% gratuity on TiW, you may also be charged the gratuity on the DDP portion even though you are fewer than six people.

 

[ShariVT]

We used the tiw card for our 2 week trip and easily saved more then the cost of the card. We loved the free vallet you get with the card and also I find that I normally over tip so with the tip included I didn't have to even think about it but at most of the places we ate I would have left more.

 

[pamjb]

Can you do both the DDP and TiW? For example...if we wanted to order appetizers, you would have to pay OOP for those extra, so can you use the TiW for that? Just curious about how it works and if you can use it at the same time as the DDP.

Yes, you can do both. We did the regular dining plan in July, it was a short trip and we were traveling with another couple who did the dining plan. We were able to use our TIW card for adult beverages and appetizers.

 

[RobPickles]

Some great tips all...

Let me clarify... We are DVCers...have APs... and are staying for 3 weeks.

I did mean DISNEY Dining Plan for DDP (the regular one) not deluxe.

We tend to make a lot of reservations at the earliest possible moment. This year we are gearing it up for the DD and trying to add a lot of character dining if possible for all those photo ops!

I have heard about the posibility of the double tipping - need to watch for that, although we have always been good tippers.

Glad we can use the DP in combo with the TiW. We tend to do a lot of appetizers. I HATED when they took that off the regualr DP. They really should give you a choice of appetizer or dessert - even if limited by cost. I would go for an app over desert anytime, but my DW is the exact opposite!

It does seem excessive to have the DP while at concierge, but I know we will be in the middle of a park and my DW or I will say "Hey lets get soemthing to eat". I hate to have to run back to the hotel to make it in time for the apps in the lounge every day to suppliment meals. Just seems weird, altough we have done it on occasion.

Ummm... probably had a few more things to add. Will go back over the msgs and look.

Thanks for the great advice people. Please keep it coming!

 

[RobPickles]

Bumping this message for some new opinions and suggestions!

 

[Golf4food]

Glad we can use the DP in combo with the TiW. We tend to do a lot of appetizers. I HATED when they took that off the regualr DP. They really should give you a choice of appetizer or dessert - even if limited by cost. I would go for an app over desert anytime, but my DW is the exact opposite!

It does seem excessive to have the DP while at concierge, but I know we will be in the middle of a park and my DW or I will say "Hey lets get soemthing to eat". I hate to have to run back to the hotel to make it in time for the apps in the lounge every day to suppliment meals. Just seems weird, altough we have done it on occasion.

You are fans of apps and will be in concierge level... DDP seems to make no sense to me. I'd definitely go with TIW. It is easy to figure out, though - if you think you will spend more than $375 in TIW eligible restaurants over the three weeks then the TIW card will pay for itself completely and you have full freedom of menu with no limitations of the DDP (though, yes, you could do both). Anything past that $375 point is free food. And I'm guessing that in 3 weeks you will easily spend more than $375 on TS food?

 

[peyjax]

We did 2 weeks on DP with a 10 month old. To be honest it was a little much. We definatley had unused credits. I hated not using them but the reality was the 10 month old ran that show. You just never know. Now we did have the TIW card our last 3 trips and loved using it. We felt more free with that and liked that we did not waste anything. If you are eating at Character dining spots I say go for the TiW card as when I did the math there seemed to be more value with that (at least for our family). JMHO