DDP worth paying for for my family of 4?

[Melissa1977]

I have read several times that DDP is almost never a good deal unless getting it for free. I have also heard its worth it if you have a 1:1 ratio of adults and kids and doing several character meals. We are doing 4 but one is CRT which takes 2 credits. I have been crunching numbers and still can't decide if it is right for us. 2 adults, 2 kids (7,9). Staying for 8 nights.
Currently we have the following TS meals:
Chef Mickey (brunch)
CRT (dinner)
Ohana (breakfast)
Crystal Palace (dinner)
San Angel Inn (dinner)
Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe (dinner)
Mama Melrose (dinner)

Part of me is afraid its too much food. Dessert with every meal? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE dessert, but i'm not sure even i want dessert with every meal. And maybe at the TS we don't want a non alcoholic beverage and would rather an "adult drink". So is it really worth it if you don't always want things that come with it?

 

[Lala Lani]

Enter your choices and dates on distripplanner.com for price comparison

 

[knkmom]

We used the DDP on our first trip (2 adults, 2 kids...14 and 21) it was too much food for us, we didn't even use all of our snack credits! I felt like all we did was run from one reservation to the next to eat! This last trip was just dh and I and we did the regular DP and it was perfect. When I priced out meals it was cheaper to pay for the DP then to pay OOP.

 

[Nancyg56]

Your kids are under 10 which can make a difference.

I build a spreadsheet and enter the meals we are booking, the prices and then compare it to the cost of the DDP for the family. You are costing out your dinners, but you need to determine if that is all you will eat. You going to have lunch? That can be a CS meal but it still costs money. You want to plan for a few snacks for the week? Again, add them in.

The DDP is not a one size fits all deal, so you need to look at your own family, the meals you plan to book and the way you will eat breakfast and lunch. With kids, and all the character meals, in general, I think it pays to use the plan, but unless you do the math, there is no way to know if it will be right for your family.

 

[sharonabe]

Your fixed price meals leave you with $770 left of the DDP price. So, do you think you can do the other TS and all your QS for all of you for those 8 days plus get a snack if you want one for less than $770? With the plan, your kids CAN order from the adult menu at QS places if they want which will be an even greater value. But even if they only order kid's meals, their meals at those 8 QS and the 3 a la cartes will be about $165-70. So now, the adults have about $500 to "spend" at the remaining TS and all your QS and snacks for all of you. I think you're going to do okay with the plan.

As to beverages at TS, coffee with dessert comes to mind. As to the desserts at TS, the kids desserts aren't that great, so having 2 adult desserts to share with them, will be a treat. Remember at all QS meals, you can substitute your dessert/drink portion for a snack item on the menu.

The only other part of the equation is, do you WANT to do all the TS you have planned or did you plan them to use all the TS credits?

 

[Melissa1977]

Your fixed price meals leave you with $770 left of the DDP price. So, do you think you can do the other TS and all your QS for all of you for those 8 days plus get a snack if you want one for less than $770? With the plan, your kids CAN order from the adult menu at QS places if they want which will be an even greater value. But even if they only order kid's meals, their meals at those 8 QS and the 3 a la cartes will be about $165-70. So now, the adults have about $500 to "spend" at the remaining TS and all your QS and snacks for all of you. I think you're going to do okay with the plan.

As to beverages at TS, coffee with dessert comes to mind. As to the desserts at TS, the kids desserts aren't that great, so having 2 adult desserts to share with them, will be a treat. Remember at all QS meals, you can substitute your dessert/drink portion for a snack item on the menu.

The only other part of the equation is, do you WANT to do all the TS you have planned or did you plan them to use all the TS credits?

Wow, thanks for the thorough reply! My husband has convinced me to just go with the plan. Considering after 2 days of crunching numbers i came to the conclusion that we "may or may not save money using the plan" LOL. We do want to do the TSs i have ADRs for...my concern was...maybe at one of those TS i won't want an entree and would rather just get an appetizer or something. Or maybe we will want to split a QS meal and not need all those credits or we decide to just make the kids PBJ sandwiches every day instead of getting them QS meals. But i think we'll just go with it and enjoy all the food we can eat.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

I went through the same questions. We are going during Free Dining, and I am concerned about two desserts and a "snack" every day, when the snack will likely be something sweet or at least junk food. I'm not concerned that we won't be able to eat it--I'm concerned that we will!
But one good reason for people like me to do a dining plan is that without it, I am counting and pinching every penny. When I recall some meals during our 2012 and 2013 DLR trips and even this month at a local zoological park where we have an annual pass, I know that I tell the kids flat-out know for some entrees or try to steer them to less expensive choices, and definitely find myself choosing on a budget-conscious basis, which sometimes means not ordering anything, knowing I will have darn kid leftovers to eat. The dining plan will allow me to relax and allow everyone to order more of what they want, not to mention get me to chill out on the inflated prices on things like popcorn and ice cream. In short, it will change my behavior--as it should, because I will be on vacation.

 

[Melissa1977]

I went through the same questions. We are going during Free Dining, and I am concerned about two desserts and a "snack" every day, when the snack will likely be something sweet or at least junk food. I'm not concerned that we won't be able to eat it--I'm concerned that we will!
But one good reason for people like me to do a dining plan is that without it, I am counting and pinching every penny. When I recall some meals during our 2012 and 2013 DLR trips and even this month at a local zoological park where we have an annual pass, I know that I tell the kids flat-out know for some entrees or try to steer them to less expensive choices, and definitely find myself choosing on a budget-conscious basis, which sometimes means not ordering anything, knowing I will have darn kid leftovers to eat. The dining plan will allow me to relax and allow everyone to order more of what they want, not to mention get me to chill out on the inflated prices on things like popcorn and ice cream. In short, it will change my behavior--as it should, because I will be on vacation.

This is so true! I know if i don't go with the dinning plan, i'll be saying to myself "don't get dessert, it will end up costing more" or "don't get that expensive entree". "have a granola bar instead of that delicious mickey ice cream". Ok, that settles it. Dinning plan it is

 

[Nancyg56]

This is so true! I know if i don't go with the dinning plan, i'll be saying to myself "don't get dessert, it will end up costing more" or "don't get that expensive entree". "have a granola bar instead of that delicious mickey ice cream". Ok, that settles it. Dinning plan it is

LOL! ME too. I can't even apply that old "put teh money on a gift card" thing because that does not work fo me. THat money is not spent yet in my mind. I do okay when we dine out at hoe, that is one meal. I am okay for a day or two away, that is just a few meals. A week? 10 days? No. I am just a cheap old skate! LOL!

 

[amy1981]

For us, the convenience of having the plan can outweighs the cost factor. On the dining plan, I order what I want and if my kids want a $5.00 ice cream I say "go for it"! When I'm paying OOP I order the cheapest thing and get all stingy. For us, the dining plan really keeps us in the Disney bubble, we don't think about the money. As to the part of too much food...yes, it's a lot of food! We usually end up with left over snack credits and we use them the last day on bagged Disney candy to take home and enjoy after our vacation is over. You can also sub bottled water for dessert at QS places which we do frequently.

 

[nllarson]

Even if we come out a bit on the short end, not having to try to do the menu dance / pairing / meal splitting routine every time is worth every $.01. Just put the mind on cruise, let the kids get what they want to get and have a magical day!

 

[babesboo99]

Last trip we used the regular dining plan and this fall we are using DxDDP we will never go with out it again we are a family of 5. We used http://www.distripplanner.com/ to help us decide if it would be worth it. Last trip we saved over $250 give or take we are hoping to do the same this trip since we have more reservations and a few are 2 credits. But I guess it would be up to you on whether you think you would need it. My family likes their food and snacks so for us its well worth it. but use that planner it gives you a great estimate

 

[Melora]

I compared the Fall Room Rate vs Free Dining Plan for our family of 4 staying in a 1 bedroom at Old Key West for 8 nights.
The Back to School package totaled $4766 then paying OOP for food.
The Free Dining Plan totaled $5985. The comes out to $150 a day in food.
Considering there are several restaurants or buffets we want to go to that would cost us $40 per person, $160 total, we come out way ahead by getting the dining plan vs paying OOP.
The only way it wouldn't make sense if we weren't going to eat at these more expensive restaurants.

 

[Magical2017]

The good thing about the DDP is that it allows peace of mind and/or convenience. It is not really a financial deal, at least for our family. We usually save all year and then put money gift cards. We use them to pay for our food (except the one time we traveled when free dining was offered). We have always eaten wherever/whatever we wanted, including character meals and snacks, and come out ahead or even. The DDP does not include tips, and we usually spend less than we would on the DDP, even when we have ordered some wine or beer some nights, plus our tips out of pocket. We usually just buy Target gift cards at a 5% discount from cardpool.com, and then use those to get Disney gift cards at 5% off from the Target website. Now that our older son will be considered an adult, I do not think the DDP will be a good value for us. I will probably buy close to the same amount in gift cards as the DDP will cost. If we have money leftover, I will use it to purchase some souvenirs. If not, then we are no worse for the wear. This year I think I am putting everything in a Disney Vacation Account and getting one giant gift card sent to me before our trip.

 

[DrunkJam]

We just booked our Christmas 2017 package.
We paid for the dining plan (of course. No one gets it free over Christmas)
We like that it is all organised then. I can just broke the ADRs we want, and the meals are just a part of the cost of the holiday paid for before we even leave home, so there will ever be any juggling about on the last day.
Yes, it is a lot of food. But, we worked out that, there is also value in knowing you can choose whatever you want, and not have to think about the impact. We have never used up all the credits (although I usually use up all the snack credits by taking mickey rice krispie treats home with me) but for the feel of the holiday, it is really worth it. We always use up out TS credits. And, we know we can hit up a QS any time one of us is hungry enough,and/ or if we spot something we wold love to try.
Between 4 of us (age 2 over 21, 1 eleven yr old and 1 4 yr old) and factoring in the included drinks via mug, it definitely works out cheaper to do this than to pay for the same meals we pick on the DDP OOP. And it's kind of fun doing the TS credit planning.

 

[Los213]

I personally get the DDP to have peace of mind and not have to keep looking at the bills, it also gives my wife a number to how many reservations she can and cannot make. Using the DDP is a only good value if your family can eat alot. Don't worry about the snack credits because you can always get things like chip and dale crackers and pretzels ( which are amazing) to take back home. What you do have to make full use of is the TS and QS, Use the charts in this website to know which are better value than others. http://wdwprepschool.com/maximizing-disney-dining-plan-credits/

 

[Aliceacc]

The one year we didn't use the DDP, it felt as though we were hemorrhaging money. It got to where I would look at the prices before the descriptions, simply because we were going through so much money. Then, when we got home, I did the math and found we broke even.

We always get the DDP now; it's part of the cost of a trip for us. I love the convenience, the not having to think about the price of those steaks my kids love so much. We order what we want, we love the splurge of a dessert already paid for.

 

[emsstacey]

I really like not having to worry about what everything costs... I actually encourage the kids to get snacks because we ended up with credits left one time. Plus, this past time, I used a travel agency exclusive deal and it was almost like getting it free.

 

[sharonabe]

We paid for the dining plan (of course. No one gets it free over Christmas)

Not necessarily. Free dining ends on Dec 21 this year, so you could arrive on the 21st and have it all the way through New Year's Eve. It just depends on that end date and your arrival date.

 

[DrunkJam]

Not necessarily. Free dining ends on Dec 21 this year, so you could arrive on the 21st and have it all the way through New Year's Eve. It just depends on that end date and your arrival date.

Ah, OK, we have arrived 23/12 both times we booked christmas, and from UK. No packages would include it. But, thanks, I didn't know that was the case.