Ddp

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Hi all,

I have come over all unnecessary! We decided for the first time ever to add DDP on to our booking - it just seemed more sensible to pay for our meals in advance in £'s rather than pay for them with $'s which cost us a small fortune with the dodgy exchange rate once we get there!

Now I am having a panic attack at spending that much money in one go on food!! Is the DDP easy to find your way around once you get there? I feel like a newbie again doing something different after all this time!!!!

 

[martinrmn]

We are thinking of doing this as well and would be interested in the answers. We would like to stay at the Poly for our last 5 nights so are curious if we would save money by doing the dining plan.

 

[paulh]

would say compare it to what you would usaly spend per day on food.we normaly have a big sit down every outher night,we budget $150 a night for evening meals,but each to there own
Difernt TAs will charge differnt £ for the plan
Would i pay for it.in the newer virson no.only if it was free which is usaly in late aug-early oct
Have paid for it on the old plan when it was worth to do it and had it free several times
Would look at menues at all ears and work out costs of places you would eat to see if it is realy worth while
Paulh

 

[Elise79]

If you have booked with Disney UK they charge £19.99 per adult per night which is about $29 at todays exchange rate - which is about the cost of a buffet!

As long as you plan to use all your TS credits you will be getting your CS & snacks free!!

I would do it myself but we like the DDP as it suits the way we have always eaten.

And it is very easy to use and understand once you get there and if you get stuck just ask the CM serving you. You just hand you KTTK card over and ask for your meal to be charged to the DDP. At TS restaurants they ask you when you sit down and will run through to make sure you know how it works

 

[team harris]

We had free DDP in Aug 07 and will be again this August.
We loved it.
We used all our credits, even bought some gifts for children at school with some of my snack tokens.
Had too much to eat, (if honest).
Main bonus to us, but probably someone else's idea of a nightmare: we booked loads of ADR's and intend to again. We found it easier to plan our days and also main holiday arguements is where to eat, so we built our plan together and stuck to it.

 

[wayneg]

Main bonus to us, but probably someone else's idea of a nightmare: we booked loads of ADR's and intend to again. We found it easier to plan our days and also main holiday arguements is where to eat, so we built our plan together and stuck to it.

We have it free this August and this is my nightmare. We hardly ever decide more than about 2 hours in advance where we want to eat. 16 nights of ADR's
Once I get into planning mode I am sure I will enjoy doing it, its just the thoughts of it putting me off.

 

[Clare D]

Hi Sonya
We like you are going to pay for the DDP as I would like to know that the big costs are covered before we go.

Like Wayne I don't like the idea of having to book ADR's but we have 2 small kids who are going to want to eat proper meals so we are going to have to do it.

I am going to buy Birnbaum's WDW dining guide 2009, currently £5.87 on Amazon for some pointers on where to eat etc. Another Dis'er on the US boards highly recommended it as they didn't know about half the restaurants in there.

We will probably pay the extra and book table service.

 

[fuse04]

For our last trip we did DDP for the first time. I would suggest for it to work you need to plan in advance and get ADR's , otherwise you may have to use your credits at a venue you would rather not. Also the benefit of DDP is get to get more expensive meals at a cheaper rate by using the plan.

As Wayne said if you don't like to plan then the DDP may not be the best choice.

When we used DDP we had our itenery worked out for each day and knew where we were going to eat with ADR's made 6 months in advance.

For bidgeting the DDP works really well becaus ewhether you pay up front or when you get there, you still need to pay!

Rob

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

I have gone ahead and booked! I always make ADR's ( I LOVE the planning part!!) so that part is not a problem for me - it was just seeing that much money added onto my holiday bill that freaked me out!!! But working it out we would have spent far more than that on a day for day basis (we like our food!!!) so we have gone ahead and committed!

Just need the park hours for May now so I can finalised my meal plans!!!!

 

[martinrmn]

Can someone tell me how you book these reservations?

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Can someone tell me how you book these reservations?

Book the dining plan, or the ADR's??

 

[fuse04]

Just need the park hours for May now so I can finalised my meal plans!!!!

Me too, only been waiting since October

 

[Twinkly-Tink]

I have gone ahead and booked! I always make ADR's ( I LOVE the planning part!!) so that part is not a problem for me - it was just seeing that much money added onto my holiday bill that freaked me out!!! But working it out we would have spent far more than that on a day for day basis (we like our food!!!) so we have gone ahead and committed!

Just need the park hours for May now so I can finalised my meal plans!!!!

I'd never really thought about doing this plan - always seemed so expensive!

When we booked back last June the $ was c1.85ish (I think) so didn't seem worth it. Now the way it's going suppose is makes sense but like you I'm struggling with the extra on the holiday bill (I know it needs paying at some point but....!!)

Think will have a look at the menus on allears and try and do a quick recky!! Just worried - never stayed onsite - does it not get restrictive if you are in the parks and working to ADR's?

 

[Clare D]

Think will have a look at the menus on allears and try and do a quick recky!! Just worried - never stayed onsite - does it not get restrictive if you are in the parks and working to ADR's?

To be honest the chances are you are going to plan which park you are going to do on which day so you will have a pretty good idea what restaurants will be at which park. All you need to do is decide where you want to eat and at roughly what time and book it from there.

To be on the safe side I am going to think about table service at about 2pm we can fill up on on fruit etc before then. I just know that by this time we will have a fair few things under our belts and will probably be ready to eat by then.

 

[Cinderella]

Hiya Sonya - the rates they're still offering for the UK Disney Dining Plan are reasonable - they don't seem to have put them up after the change in exchange rates. But, you don't get a starter anymore and you have to pay tips on top of the cost of the plan.

I did the plan before changes with kids and I thought it was great. Then I did it with 2 adults using the disney dining experience card - now Tables in Wonderland and it was a better deal. You have to pay to get Tables In Wonderland but it's worth it if you're doing a few sit down meals, as you get discounts on food and alcoholic beverages.

 

[martinrmn]

Book the dining plan, or the ADR's??

Sorry, I meant the ADR's.

 

[Twinkly-Tink]

If you have booked with Disney UK they charge £19.99 per adult per night which is about $29 at todays exchange rate - which is about the cost of a buffet!

I just called to add the quick service plan and seems all prices have gone up

QSDP is now £19 pppd
DDP now £24 pppd


Interestingly for new bookings prices online are still at QSDP £15.99 & DDP £19.99 - not sure what's going on??? -

I was all set to book the QSDP as thought this would be better for us but not sure now if this is still a good deal??

what do you think?

 

[wayneg]

I don't think the quick service is anywhere near as good a value as the regular Dining plan, even at £15.99
3 of us at Quick service lunch spend about $30 twice a day $60 plus 2 snacks $24 = $84=£18.66pppd
To be worth £15.99 you would have to use every meal and every snack to be worth it, at £19.99 you could possibly even lose out, especially if the £ gains value.
I guess its different for every family but I could not eat quick service twice a day for a full holiday.