DDP vs Going it along - 1st timer

[PPH93]

Hi,

We are planning our first Disney vacation this fall. Is the basic dinning plan worth it, we have 3 adult tickes and one kid ticket. Do the disney meals cost that much?

 

[LisaBi]

It just really depends on your eating style. If you normally do a least one sit-down a day, it's probably at least break even. If you normally would do all counter service, then the plan probably costs more than you spend otherwise. For me, the kids ages also matter. I'm assuming one of your 3 adult tickets is a child? If he/she still prefers the kids menu, then you are spending a lot more for him/her than the kids meals would cost.

It's really a very subjective answer - each family has different styles and needs and tastes. Unfortunately, there isn't a correct answer to this one.

 

[Eoywin]

My husband and I used the dining plan last year for our honeymoon and we thought it was totally worth it - we saved a considerable amount of money, and it was very convenient.

Even though there are changes to the ddp, we'd do it again... though I am hoping that at least the tip is back by 2009...

 

[PPH93]

Thank you for your help. I am just not for sure what to expect, my husband, i with my 10yr daughter and 5yr old son are thinking abt a trip in Sept. Trying to get a basic idea on what this will cost! I would like to think we would do at least one sit down dinner a day, but u never know

 

[septbaby]

If you want to make the decision based solely on money, take a look at the menus for places where you plan to eat and add up the cost of food at those places. Don't factor in tips or alcoholic beverages (you pay those separately with or without the dining plan). DO add taxes as you will have to pay them, taxes are included in the dining plan fee.

DDP cost per night you stay at Disney: $123.96 for your family (3A, 1C).
On the plan you get a Snack, Table Service and Quick Service meal for everyone in your group. Say for example you chose this eating plan:

Late breakfast ADR at Chef Mickey's: $87.29 (includes taxes)
Snacks either before Chef Mickey's or after dinner: $12 plus tax = $12.78
Dinner at resort CS(chose Carribbean Beach Resort, lots of choices):
- Turkey Dinner $8.99
- Cheese Burger and fries (maybe for your 10yo) $5.89
- Fetticine Pasta with Chicken $7.99
- Pasta with meatball $3.99 ($5.19 for a more expensive kids meal)
- Drinks for everyone $5.56 (not sure, but let's say $1.39 each)
Total CS bill: $34.53 (includes taxes)

So for a rather inexpensive eating day you'd still spend: $134.60, more than the dining plan would have cost you.
This day would be considered "inexpensive" because:
- TS Breakfasts are the cheapest TS meal options
- CS resort dinners are often cheap
- Snack are just a breakfast item like a muffin, Mickey bar or popcorn for everyone, not too much to ask for a day in an amusemet park.

With the dining plan you could also share a breakfast platter, a lot of food and two beverages, then share a lunch combo meal. Then you could use your TS credit for really nice dinner which could easily cost $30-45pp without the dining plan.

One other benefit of the plan is that it is pre paid. It was so nice to know before my trip that our food was covered. Once on the trip it was nice to pick what I wanted and not have to consider price. With kids you won't have to tell them no or steer them too often so you will have to put a value on that.

One of the best memories is my nephew asked for an Itzakadoozie popsicle on our last morning at MGM. That is what he wanted for breakfast (11am). I said, sure we're on or last day of vacation. We used our last snack credit on that and had a real CS lunch meal an hour later back at the resort. He chose a second Itzakadoozie for his dessert there! This same child choose apple slices for dessert or snacks on previous days so we can live with the "treats" on the last day, no worries.

Hope this gives you an idea of prices and options at Disney! Good luck with your decision.

 

[mickeyfan1226]

We are planning our second trip to wdw and am trying to figure out if I want the dp as well. I know on our last trip we had a lot of credits left, but I know each trip is probably different. I really wish there was a simple answer.

 

[Disneydd2]

If you're more of a spontaneous diner, I'm not sure DDP would work as well. My family and I like planning our meals, checking out the menus, figuring out where we're going to be eating at each park, with some flexibility in regards to CS meals. We've really, really enjoyed the DDP- getting the most expensive meal off the menu or trying something we wouldn't normally try. We feel like kings. What ever you decide, enjoy your trip and the food.

 

[EnnEss]

I'd add that on my first time there, I used the DDP and booked everything in advance. I found it stressful getting everywhere on time and knowing where to be.

As previous people said if you want a table service meal every night it's good, if not is not very helpful at all cost wise, unless that isn't an issue.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hi,

We are planning our first Disney vacation this fall. Is the basic dinning plan worth it, we have 3 adult tickes and one kid ticket. Do the disney meals cost that much?

We have been on the dining plan 3 times. Twice we have paid for it and once we got Free Dining (receiving free dining on our September trip saved us over $1000). We are a family of six and it has saved us money everytime we used it. The value is especially good for the kids, there is no way we could feed them on $11.00 per day without the plan. We even used snack credits for breakfast items on our last trip. You could get a whole carton of Entimens donuts and a half gallon of milk for two snack credits. That was a quick breakfast for the kids before we left for the parks. We had a character meal everyday of our trip. I can't remember the price of every single item at every single meal (part of the beauty of the dining plan, not having to worry about prices), but I know the buffet at Crystal palace is about $28.00 per adult and $13.00 per child (the child's price on the plan for the entire day with cs meal, ts meal and snack was on $11.00!) so our bill was about $107.00 (before tip, which was included on our last trip), with tip about $127.00. The dining plan for our family for the whole day was only $120.00. We came out $7.00 ahead just on dinner, then you throw in lunch for the six of us that would have cost about $40.00 out of pocket and say $3.00 each per snack for each of us ($18 total), that has us saving about $65.00 per day. We also like the convenience of the plan. We have never had any trouble with it. You just hand them the card and they swipe it. No big deal. That's my husband's favorite part of it all, the ease of the plan and not worrying about the money.

Now, I must say I agree that people will not be saving as much money with the new 2008 plan because it does not include the tip. (I also don't think the revamped plan will last past 2008 either, just my opinion.) Even without the tip and the appetizer we would still come out ahead by about $400.00. So, as you can see we are "Fans of the Plan!"

 

[rangermom]

When I was deciding on whether or not to add the DDP last may, I looked at the menus and decided what we would eat and figured how much it would save us. We saved over $800 by using the DDP.

True we could have eaten CS and spent less, but the DDP allowed us to eat better than we normally would and do the HDDR (which DH would have never agreed to if we had paid without DDP).

Even with the changes now, we are still going to get it in October. Not as a great deal, but still will save us about $300.

As everyone has stated, it is really personal decision. It really is a lot of food, even without the appetizers.

 

[tlriv5]

We've only done Disney once and we had the dining plan free (very nice!) We are going back this fall and will have to pay for the dining plan. The best part is that it's taken care of before you get there and you don't have to sit and worry about what you are paying for each meal. Without the dining play we would probably eat more CS meals. Our last trip our meals were a big part of our trip. My three dd's woke up asking where we were going to eat that day. We had decided on our restaurant choices together and made reservations long before, so they were excited about each place. My husband said the best part of the dining plan, besides not having to carry much cash, was that his wife wasn't scrimping. By that I mean a lot of times I make everyone order water to save money, we would never order desserts and we wouldn't order certain items because of the cost. I hate that they took the tipping away, I'm sure the value won't be as good, but that's not why we do it. We like the ease of having it.

 

[mkycrzy1971]

I really like it because you do not have to limit your teenagers or pre-teens choices...my kids have caviar taste (unfortunately) and my oldest tends to like what my husband and I like...she ended up ordering a $30 plate at Maya during our last trip and of course being on the dining plan, I did not bat an eye! I like the convince of everything (well, except the tip now) being pre-paid.

 

[PPH93]

I want to thank everybody who has posted a reply, its helped a ton! I think not having to worry is the way to go! Now lets just hope that the free deal comes out (we're planning for mid sept) Wouldn't that be sweet!