DDP - When to Use TS or Pay OOP

[figment_jii]

Hi All.

I'm curious to know at what point do people opt to use a TS credit and when do they opt to pay OOP for a sit down meal.

I was guessing that a CS meals is between $12 and $15, depending on where you are and what you order. If snacks are about $3, then that would seem to say to me that if a dinner entree, drink, and dessert are going to cost about $25 (or more) then it's economically efficient to use a TS credit. Does that seem reasonable? What price points have other used?

Thanks!

 

[bangzoom6877]

We tend to have a TS dinner every night when we are on vacation, whether at Disney World or anywhere else. We also tend to indulge in dessert on vacation, so the DDP works for us. It saved us money since we normally would have a TS dinner anyway. We had all-you-can-eat TS meals on our trip last July, making it easy to figure out which ones to pay OOP and which ones to use TS credits for. We used the TS credits on the dinners (all cost between $25 and $30 per adult at the time, without tax which is included in the price of the DDP) and paid OOP for the 2 breakfasts we had (roughly $20 per adult before tax).

If you look at the WDW menus, you will see that the most expensive entree at a 1-credit TS restaurant will run between $25 and $29. Usually it is steak. I love steak but would I order it EVERY night of my trip? No, I would want to try other things too! So from a realistic point of view, it is better to see what you would pay for a full day of meals if you were paying OOP, with the cheapest items on the menu, vs. what you would pay for the most expensive. This is easier to do with all-you-can-eat places since it is one price.

Personally I am obsessed with Disney planning, so I looked at the menus for the places we will most likely try on our 2010 trip (yes, next year and I am already planning the meals...like I said I am obsessed). I did the math with the least expensive things for each of us to possibly order (even though I know DH will not be ordering a vegetarian entree and these tend to be the least expensive, but hey you never know if he will change his mind, lol!) and the absolute most expensive (that NY strip steak and the most expensive dessert). Both ways, on a 10-night trip, the DDP will be saving us lots of money. Now, as I said, we are also people who enjoy our desserts on vacation so that is good to have it included, we love the character meals with our kids, and we always have TS dinners on vacation no matter where we are. We also tend to snack a lot while at a theme park so the snack credits come in handy since we like to enjoy different things. I estimated that the DDP will save us anywhere between $265 and $566 on a 10-night trip next July with the boys. The lower figure was with the cheapest snacks as well, and the higher one with the most expensive options of everything in every place we are looking to go. Realistically the savings will most likely be something between these 2 figures.

I hope this helps!

 

[cnjmom]

If you look at the WDW menus, you will see that the most expensive entree at a 1-credit TS restaurant will run between $25 and $29.

'Ohana dinner during the surcharge period is $32.99. We went a few weeks ago and this is what it cost us for the adults. Akershus dinner for adults was $39.99, again, during the surcharge period. So some 1 TS restaurants are even more than this range quoted above.

 

[bangzoom6877]

'Ohana dinner during the surcharge period is $32.99. We went a few weeks ago and this is what it cost us for the adults. Akershus dinner for adults was $39.99, again, during the surcharge period. So some 1 TS restaurants are even more than this range quoted above.

Very true! If you go during the holiday surcharge period, the meals are more expensive at certain dining venues, particularly character meals. The quote I gave for a dinner entree was for a 1 TS credit restaurant that is an a la carte (non-character) place, for entree only. Remember you also have to factor in a beverage ($2-$3) and a dessert (can run from $4 to $8), plus add tax because tax is included in the cost of your DDP but tax is not included in the prices on the WDW menus. The only thing you pay OOP is the tip, and also for an appetizer or specialty or alcoholic beverage if you choose to get one. If you are on the deluxe plan, you would not have to pay for an app at an a la carte restaurant, and would more than likely not have to pay anything OOP. However, the deluxe plan is a lot more expensive than the basic, and in my opinion, too much food (at least for a long 10-night trip like ours will be next year). I did the math for how we would eat on the deluxe plan as well, and it was way too many TS restaurants, I think we would be overstuffed by the second or third day and be so sick of eating. We also like to have lunch at the CS locations, and we find the food to be very good at them and also have lots of variety. On a 5-night trip last summer, I only ate one burger the whole trip, and that was by choice because I felt like having one when we went to Cosmic Ray's. We would do much better (both economically and for our appetites/waistlines) if we do the basic DDP and pay occasionally for a breakfast OOP or for an app if we so choose to get one. Also, DH and I never get our own app at a restaurant. If we even get one at all, we share it (even if it is small). We really prefer to indulge in dessert after our meal, so we like to save room for it! We will also be staying in a DVC 1-bedroom at BWV when we go, so we will have the kitchen and although I don't like to cook on vacation the kitchen is convenient for breakfast in the villa before heading out to the parks. We did things like cereal and milk in the room at POP for breakfast and that worked out well too.

 

[figment_jii]

I didn't get the DxDP. I have to agree that as much as I love food and TS meals, I don't think I could find that many meals. My problem is that we usually are two or three meals short (we're going for 11-days and have 14 TS meals planned). So, I was trying to figure out how to best use the TS credits to minimize paying OOP without having to pre-plan what we're going to order at each restaurant before the trip starts. If towards the end we have to many TS, then I think we'd just use them without worry about the price-point.

So here is an example, let's say you went the Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot for dinner and decided to have the Fish & Chips and Trifle for dessert. Based on the prices (non-holiday, I think) on Allears.net, it would come to $22 ($16 + $6) before tax. Assuming drinks are about $2, that would mean the whole meal was about $24 before tax. Would you use your TS credit here?

What about if you ordered the Chicken at $18 and then same dessert and drink for a total pre-tax tab of $26?

Thanks!

 

[MagicPrincess]

This may have just answered my question I just asked a few threads above...
Basic may not be enough food, but DxDP too much (esp with young kids!)

We may decide to pay some meals OOP and the basic would work out perfect...but now I need to do the math (ugh, I hate math!!!) LOL

 

[Golf4food]

Breakfast buffets are not always a great use of TS credits due to the lower cost - paying OOP for breakfast (buffett or not) is often a better "value" of the credit. Also, 2TS signature meals are generally not twice as expensive but use up twice the credits, so they are also technically a better "value" to pay OOP.

 

[RachaelA]

We're planning two 2TS Signature meals next trip. We'll pay for my meal OOP at both since I usually get just chicken or an appetizer. Then we'll use just 2TS for DH's meal.

We've never done Deluxe so I don't know about paying OOP for CS but I would think since you have so many credits that it would be pointless. Most people end up with leftover credits on deluxe. I've never heard of it not being enough.

 

[Coparm]

I had this same dilemma the first time we used the DP, I paid for one meal OOP for the 4 of us, but at the end of the trip had 4 TS credits left. I kept the receipts for everything and went to the front deak at our resort. They exchanged the credits for the money we had paid OOP and recredited our room with the cash. They told me they can do this the other way as well, so if you've used credits and then wish you'd paid OOP, take your receipt and they can exchange the credits with how you want to pay.

 

[AlternateEgo]

Often you will hear about people that had too many CS leftover...

So it is my suggestion, that if you will be eating 3 meals per day... try to arrange your dining plan to pay for Lunch & Dinner, pay Breakfast OOP.

This is because "usually" Breakfast is less expensive than Lunch or Dinner & quite often your family could split a few breakfast meals.

OR

If you plan to just do 2 Meals per day, try to use your counter service meals up before you pay anything out of pocket.

The reason I say this, is because:

1.) Most counter service meals are within the same price range.

2.) If you are not hungry and choose to skip a counter service, you can then arrange to use it for breakfast.

3.) In the end, you most likely will not have unused Counter Service Credits.

 

[AlternateEgo]

I didn't get the DxDP. I have to agree that as much as I love food and TS meals, I don't think I could find that many meals. My problem is that we usually are two or three meals short (we're going for 11-days and have 14 TS meals planned). So, I was trying to figure out how to best use the TS credits to minimize paying OOP without having to pre-plan what we're going to order at each restaurant before the trip starts. If towards the end we have to many TS, then I think we'd just use them without worry about the price-point.

So here is an example, let's say you went the Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot for dinner and decided to have the Fish & Chips and Trifle for dessert. Based on the prices (non-holiday, I think) on Allears.net, it would come to $22 ($16 + $6) before tax. Assuming drinks are about $2, that would mean the whole meal was about $24 before tax. Would you use your TS credit here?

What about if you ordered the Chicken at $18 and then same dessert and drink for a total pre-tax tab of $26?

Thanks!

Ok... instead of trying to figure what everyone is going to eat... figure you have 2 breakfast planned 3 Lunches & 8 Dinners... I would plan those Breakfast & Lunch's where you would pay your OOP.

Or... say you have only Lunch & Dinner's Planned... I would choose your cheapest buffets to pay oop.

Also, if you have a Signature Dining Restaurant booked... you are most likely best off to purchase those OOP. You can usually figure this up by taking their average dinner and dividing it by two and see if they cost less than a buffet.

Maybe it would be easier if you posted your ADR's