DDP vs. DDE

[surgefest]

we have had the disney dining experience card which gives you 20% off most meals for a few years now. We have been reluctant to try the DDP. What can anyone tell me about which would offer a greater "discount". i do realize DDP gives you 1 counter service and 1 table service meal per day. Thanks. any other info or tips would be greatly appreciated. also we will have 3 adults and 1 child. And we plan to do quite a few characters meals. I dont know if that helps or not.

 

[joenan88]

we have had the disney dining experience card which gives you 20% off most meals for a few years now. We have been reluctant to try the DDP. What can anyone tell me about which would offer a greater "discount". i do realize DDP gives you 1 counter service and 1 table service meal per day. Thanks. any other info or tips would be greatly appreciated. also we will have 3 adults and 1 child. And we plan to do quite a few characters meals. I dont know if that helps or not.

I would take the basic dining plan if I were you...It really is a great savings! Look up the places you want to eat at on allearsnet.com and decide for yourself if the savings is worth it or not..the menu's on that site have all the prices...

 

[ChelleinNC]

Is your child a "Disney Child" (9 & under) or a "Disney Adult" 10& up? I think that makes a huge difference. If the child is 9 & under, you can't beat feeding them for $10 a day.

Do you like to eat 1 CS and 1 TS each day?

My "baby" just turned 11, he doesn't eat enough (yet, coming soon ) to justify the adult price for him, except at the buffets where we have to pay for him as an adult no matter what. We also don't tend to eat a lot of CS, so it doesn't work real well for us. We tried it in December, paid OOP (with DDE) for DS to order kids meals at the TS and ended up with 5 CS credits left that we used for 5 "to go" lunches for our drive home. We also had a ton of snack credits that we had to kill off our last day, mostly because I worried about "spending" them early in the trip and didn't want to "run out"

We'll stick with the DDE until DS starts eating like a teenage boy or Disney comes up with a plan that's inbetween DDP & DxDP.

 

[tiggerrr]

we have had the disney dining experience card which gives you 20% off most meals for a few years now. We have been reluctant to try the DDP. What can anyone tell me about which would offer a greater "discount". i do realize DDP gives you 1 counter service and 1 table service meal per day. Thanks. any other info or tips would be greatly appreciated. also we will have 3 adults and 1 child. And we plan to do quite a few characters meals. I dont know if that helps or not.

I'll give you a quick overview of our analysis. Here is a couple of days that we mapped out for later this year to see which way was worth it. All analysis is before tip and taxes. The assumption is that you pay tax on the DDP on your hotel bill. If the $38 includes tax that might improve the analysis in favor of DDP.

Day 1 - EPCOT
Snack: Bottled Water - Cost $2.00
Lunch: Sunshine Seasons - Chicken Flatbread, Coke, Cookie - Cost $12.77
Dinner: Akershus Character Dinner - 20% Discount on Flat Rate - Cost $28.80
Total on DDE: $43.57 vs DDP $38

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom
Snack: Dole Whip - Cost $2.89
Lunch: Cosmic Rays' - Bacon Double Cheeseburger, Brownie, Coke - Cost $12.37
Dinner: Chef Mickey's (Character Buffet) - 20% Discount on Flat Rate - Cost $24.00
Total on DDE: $39.26 vs DDP $38

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom
Snack: Fruit Cup - Cost $2.99
Lunch: Flame Tree BBQ - 1/2 slab of ribs, Coke, Key Lime Pie - Cost $14.97
Dinner: Tusker House - 20% Discount - Cost $21.60
TOtal on DDE: $39.56 vs DDP $38

So, in general, the DDP was slightly better than DDE, PROVIDED that you can use all your credits and eat all that food AND that you consistently make meal choices that are worth the cost.

For example, if you use one of your table service credits for the Crystal Palace character breakfast buffet (which we want to do) the most you would spend on DDE that day would be $15 (snack and CS lunch) + $16 (discounted buffet) - $31 total on DDE. On the other hand Filet Mignon and Whiskey Cake at Le Cellier for dinner along with a good lunch and snack will cost you nearly $50 for the day even with the DDE discount.

In the end we decided to go with DDE, because we didn't like trying to eat all that food, plus we'd like to have a couple of drinks with dinner and the DDE discounts alcohol at participating restaurants.

EDIT: I see by the FAQ on this page that the DDP does include taxes, so that does improve the DDP value by a reasonable amount. At 6.5%, the DDE version my 3 days now costs $130 versus the $114 on DDP (a 12% savings over DDE, 24% over retail).

 

[Tricia1972]

Some things to keep in mind or ask yourself when comparing DDP vs DDE/OOP

-Do you want to eat desserts with your CS meals? Yes No
-If Yes to #1 - Do you all want desserts at CS meals? Yes No

-Do you want to eat desserts with your TS meals? Yes No
-If Yes to #1 - Do you all want desserts at the TS Meals? Yes No


IMO tip doesn't factor into it, you need to tip 18% with the DDE card, but you'd be tipping on the DDP anyway.

Being that you're doing almost 100% character meals for your TS, you are probably a better candidate for the DDP. If you start figuring in some regular TS meals, where you may share or may not all order dessert, etc - the DDE will probably work better for you.

Let's look at Crystal Palace Dinner, Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner, 'Ohana's Breakfast, Tusker House Breakfast, 1900 Park Fare Dinner.

Crystal Palace Dinner
Adult x 3 $27.99 = $83.97
Child x 1 $12.99 = $12.99
Discount = -$19.39
Tax = $5.04
OOP - $82.61

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Adult x 3 $28.99 = $86.97
Child x 1 $13.99 = $13.99
Discount = -$20.19
Tax = $5.25
OOP - $86.02

'Ohana's Breakfast
Adult x 3 $18.99 = $56.97
Child x 1 $10.99 = $10.99
Discount = -$13.59
Tax = $3.53
OOP - $57.90

Tusker House Breakfast
Adult x 3 $18.99 = $56.97
Child x 1 $10.99 = $10.99
Discount = -$13.59
Tax = $3.53
OOP - $57.90

1900 Park Fare Dinner
Adult x 3 $29.99 = $89.97
Child x 1 = $14.99
Discount = -$20.99
Tax = $5.46
OOP - $89.43

CS Calculations
No Dessert - $10/Adult $5/Child = $35 per night
With Dessert - $14/Adult $5/Child = $47 per night
OOP for 5 Nights: $608.86 - $668.86
TS - $373.86
CS W/out Dessert - $175.00
CS w/Dessert - $235.00
Snacks w/Plan - $60

DDP for 5 nights - $619.80

 

[magsmom]

It really depends what you like to eat. I just returned using DDE/no ddp. We prefer apps to deserts. I figured I would come out ahead of the game if we ate $120 per day or less.

We came out just fine on this trip - so well that we will not do the plan in August. For example, the bill for the 3 of us at Le Cellier was $115 after tax and tip, which included 2 bowls of soup, sausage appetizer, 2 adult drinks, salmon, 2 prime ribs, side of bearnaise, and a side of creamed spinach (YUM!). If we were on the plan, the OOP cost would have been around $60 to get what we wanted as opposed to what we had to get from the plan.

My family and I were able to eat what we wanted, and did not heve the stress of getting every last meal/CS/snack. We have forefited these in the past.

And don't forget, they still take the DDE at the values and at POFQ.

DDE Rocks!

 

[jrandtysmom]

It will just be me and my 2 DS (age 7 & 4). We probably won't be eating very many TS except for a couple of Character meals but I don't want to have to carry cash/debit card. I like that the DDP is based on your room card. Can you also charge you meals with the DDE to your room key or do you have to use cash/credit card? Can you only get the DDE with an AP?

 

[Tricia1972]

It will just be me and my 2 DS (age 7 & 4). We probably won't be eating very many TS except for a couple of Character meals but I don't want to have to carry cash/debit card. I like that the DDP is based on your room card. Can you also charge you meals with the DDE to your room key or do you have to use cash/credit card? Can you only get the DDE with an AP?

You can charge to your room card (as long as you have charging privileges put on your room card). You can get the DDE if you have an AP or if you are a Florida resident.

 

[TDC Nala]

It will just be me and my 2 DS (age 7 & 4). We probably won't be eating very many TS except for a couple of Character meals but I don't want to have to carry cash/debit card. I like that the DDP is based on your room card. Can you also charge you meals with the DDE to your room key or do you have to use cash/credit card? Can you only get the DDE with an AP?

If you are eating mostly counter service in the parks, don't use DDE. DDE is good at only a few counter service places. It might be worth it if you are staying at a value resort, POFQ or SSR - it's good at the food court locations there.

You must be an AP holder or a Florida resident to get DDE.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's been mentioned, but to clarify:

You do not need to be enrolled in DDP or DDE to charge meals to your room. You only need to supply a credit card at check-in.

 

[Mom2PixiePrincess]

We found the DDE to be a much better deal for us. I think it all really depends on where you like to eat and what you want to eat!

A simple example:

DxDDP for 2adults/1child
2 night stay cost $320 plus tips

Paying OOP for the food that we would actually order $331 including tips (planned TS and CS) (this is less food and restaurants than on the DxDDP)

Price with DDE (this is our TS minus 20%, plus our planned CS) $289


In most cases the DxDDP and DDP offer you more food for your money IF you use it correctly. However, each individual has to decide for their own family if in reality they are paying for something they don't really want and therefore wasting money and food.

For our family the dining plans are a waste. DD and I share most meals, so it's a waste to pay for her meals. And we like flexibility; being able to change our minds a moments notice and not worry that we've already paid for a meal and will we be able to make it up later. For example if you forgo the 2TS meal because you just aren't that hungry or for whatever reason and chose to snack then are you going to be able to make up those meals on the backend of your trip or just count it as a loss?

Hopefully, I didn't confuse anyone more! The above are just some things to consider when making your plans. So overall I'd say figure out what and where you want to eat and what kind of flexibility you want. Then add up the different scenerios and pick the one that works best for your family! Above all: don't stress over it, food is food is food! Have fun with your family and enjoy your vacation!