Did you decide yes or no on the DDP?

[Fintastic]

We started planning our trip in September 2006, so now we're *almost* to the six-month mark where we can start making our reservations. Yay! We were planning on using the DDP, but now I'm having second thoughts. It just seems like too much food. Two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts and X snacks per day (I'm not sure how many off the top of my head). Plus the portions are huge.

How good of a deal is the DDP, really? DH and I could get away with ordering one appetizer, one entree and one dessert and splitting it between us. Our three-year-old is a snacker so she wouldn't eat a full meal. She'd graze periodically during the day. How much money would it cost us to pay out of pocket for all our meals? We'll probably do very few table service meals anyway.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

The first time we used DDP it was free and AMAZING!!! We did not eat all the food but for us we wont go without it. Its so nice to have it paid for in advance and not have to budget EVERY meal, if the kids want a snack we use a snack credit, it dh and I want an app. entree and dessert we get it. We LOVE the DDP!!!!!

 

[tadamom]

What we did to decide is look at what you would order for a full day OOP versus what you could get on the DDP. There are 10 of us going (7 adults and 3 kids) - 2 kids are just two years old, so they don't qualify for the DDP. The extra food that we all have between us will be their food. It's going to work out good for us.

Here's how we decided. A typical day for me last time (in '04).

Lunch Pecos Bill's
Bacon Double Cheeseburger & Fries - $7.39
Coke - $2.39
Total - $10.37 I used 6% tax.

Supper Mama Melrose's
Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana - Served over spaghetti. - $16.49
Coke - $2.39
Total + Tip = $23.00

Snack Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
Single scoop ice cream cone - $2.69
Total = $2.85

Total for the whole day for me is $36.22.

The DDP costs $38.99 (tax and tip included), so for a little more than $2.00 this is what I could have gotten.

The same thing at Pecos Bill's and added the dessert ($3.00).
The same thing at Mama Melrose's and add the appetizer Oven-baked Caprino Cheese $5.99 and for dessert Chocolate Truffle Cake $5.69. That's another $14.00 with the tax and tip.

So we added another $17.00 worth of food for $2.00.

When we started talking about this w/DH's family, they didn't really see it as worth it until I broke it down the way I did above. Then the light bulb switched on and the deal was just too good to pass up. And, the even better deal is if you are going to do any characters meals, most of them can run you close to $30.00 - $35.00 by themselves. So for just a couple of dollars more you get your lunch and a snack added in.

Sorry if this was more information than you wanted but it was the only way that worked for our family to really see the deal.

 

[LizinSTL]

We started planning our trip in September 2006, so now we're *almost* to the six-month mark where we can start making our reservations. Yay! We were planning on using the DDP, but now I'm having second thoughts. It just seems like too much food. Two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts and X snacks per day (I'm not sure how many off the top of my head). Plus the portions are huge.

How good of a deal is the DDP, really? DH and I could get away with ordering one appetizer, one entree and one dessert and splitting it between us. Our three-year-old is a snacker so she wouldn't eat a full meal. She'd graze periodically during the day. How much money would it cost us to pay out of pocket for all our meals? We'll probably do very few table service meals anyway.

If you won't do at least one TS meal per night of your vacation (breakfast, lunch or dinner), then don't do the dining plan. The portions are not that huge. You don't have to clean your plate. You don't have to order the appetizers and desserts. The snack can be a bottle of water. The appetizer can be a salad or cup of soup. Dessert can be a bowl of fruit.

The DDP is a tremendous value IF you eat one TS meal per trip. IF you order at least an entree at that TS meal or if that TS meal is a buffet. IF you use your CS credits and use your snack credits. You will at least break even and with a little one, you'll probably come out way ahead. Her meal (even breakfast) at a character buffet exceeds her cost for the whole day plus you get a counter service meal (about $5) and a snack (up to $4) too.

 

[bookgirl2632]

We have done the DDP twice, once paying for it and once free. We will get the DDP every time, whether or not we have to pay for it.

Last year doing the free dining, I saved all my receipts and totaled them up at the end of the trip. For four adults for 8 days worth of dining (8 TS, 8 CS, 8 snacks), the total came to approximately $1800. If we had purchased the DDP instead of getting it free, it would have cost us about $1200 total. The $600 savings is worth it to me.

Now, some would argue that wouldn't have eaten so well if we weren't on the DDP, perhaps foregoing many appetizers, expensive entrees, and desserts. And that's probably true. But I'm on vacation and want to get the most out of it. We like a TS meal everyday. And I don't want to have to worry about the prices on the menus. I like that it's all paid for up front, including the tip. It just takes so much headache out of all of it.

Yes, it's a lot of food. But because of this, we only ate two meals a day, either a CS breakfast and early TS dinner or an early CS lunch and late TS dinner. We often used our snack in between. I was never hungry nor was I overstuffed.

I'll say it again. I will never do Disney without the DDP as long as they offer it.

 

[mom2aredhead]

I think I'm the only one who is not doing DDP, and frankly I feel like I need a support group.
I decided against DDP for a few reasons:
1 - It's too much of a commitment for me. I don't want to drop what I'm doing to eat my TS meal because I already paid for it. What if I feel like eating CS that night?
2 - Food is not the reason I go to Disney. I'm sure the restaurants are wonderful and the food is to die for. But I am in Disney with a 3 year old. Filet Mignon is not my priority, especially if I have to eat it at 4:30 in the afternoon because that was the only ADR I could get. Park time and time with my family are my priority. I'd rather just eat as I go.
3 - My family of 3 also includes a picky, grazing 3 year old, so I want to have options. Not that we will cater all of our meals around him, but if the kids selections don't work for him, I want to be able to buy him an adult meal (like pizza in the pizza place or chicken fingers at CHH) without already having paid upfront for something he won't eat.
I went on allears and checked the menus and picked places/things on our "must do" list ...it included Mickey's Backyard BBQ, (very fun for a 3 year old btw), Playhouse Disney Lunch, and Breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Rainforest Cafe is also a must do, but is not on DDP so we would pay OOP for that one. The rest of the meals, we'd probably grab CS or snacks. Adding up only the food we would ACTUALLY EAT regardless of how we paid for it (not everything that we could stuff in just because it's included in the plan) we probably wouldn't save much.
Also, people doing the math tend to forget BREAKFAST. You get a CS, a TS and a snack each day. Looking at tadamom's example above, there's nothing for breakfast. So you can add another few dollars for a Mickey waffle or a yogurt for breakfast. Or you could use a snack credit, then add a few dollars for the ice cream.
Do some research, do the math and do what is right for your family. Reading these boards I felt a lot of "pressure" because it's such a good deal, etc etc. and it can make you crazy! Have a great trip whatever you decide!

 

[tadamom]

mom2aredhead is right! It doesn't work for everbody and it may not work for us. We have never done the dining plan before and it may turn out that it doesn't work for us - who knows.

The reason I didn't add breakfast in is b/c my husband and I can actually go without breakfast, others in our party cannot (hypoglysemic, diabetic, etc.), so they will be getting breakfast. We know that is an OOP expense and will have to be paid for DDP or not. My FIL usually goes & gets McDonald's for everyone while they are getting ready. Everyone in our party will eat lunch, supper & a snack regardless of what they eat or don't eat for breakfast. That's just how it is in our family.

 

[lustergirl]

Here are my reasons that the DDP is a must for my family:

Added up last year's receipt, came to over 1800 dollars, dining plan would of cost us 1100 dollars.
Teenage sons have huge appetities.
Enjoy sitting down with my family eating a good table meal (we don't do that much at home, always too busy)
Like to try the different restaurants at Disney World.
Reserve alot of our table service restaurants at different resorts just to check them out.
I like the idea that 99% of my meal costs are paid for.
The list can go on and on and on but for us it is an awesome deal.

We went the past 2 septembers on the free dining plan- I would of paid for the plan if this promo wasn't offered, as with this year- I made my "world" reservation including the dining plan so if the free promo comes along once again (which I am sure it will) I will save even more money.

 

[mom2aredhead]

Here are my reasons that the DDP is a must for my family:
Teenage sons have huge appetities.

You're right. If I had teenage sons, I'd probably do it too! Not so much with the 3 year old.

My FIL usually goes & gets McDonald's for everyone while they are getting ready.

I may try that with my husband. My little guy is not only picky but a sloooow eater too. Instead of the 40 minute Mickey waffle marathon at Mara each morning, maybe I'll just send hubby for an egg mcmuffin while I'm drying my hair. Hmmm...multi-tasking...I like it!

 

[tadamom]

tadamom: My FIL usually goes & gets McDonald's for everyone while they are getting ready.

mom2aredhead: I may try that with my husband. My little guy is not only picky but a sloooow eater too. Instead of the 40 minute Mickey waffle marathon at Mara each morning, maybe I'll just send hubby for an egg mcmuffin while I'm drying my hair. Hmmm...multi-tasking...I like it!

We do this at home to when my inlaws come to town. He is usually the first one up and is ready w/in 10 minutes. Usually in the time it takes him to go and get back, everyone else is pretty much ready to go and we can all sit down and eat together when he gets back. With 7 adults getting ready, it works really well for us!!

 

[bookgirl2632]

No one should feel pressured to get it. It's not a right fit for everyone. We do not travel to WDW with kids. None of us are picky eaters. And we all like to eat a TS meal each day. It's a nice respite from the parks. So, for us, it's a no-brainer. For others, not so much. That's why it's an option.

 

[justplaingoofy]

In my opinion if you are planning on eating a couple sit down meals or buffets during your trip I think it is well worth it.

You don't have to eat all the food..maybe go to allearsnet website to check menu's and pricing to figure out how much out of pocket will cost you. remember dining plan includes gratuity.

 

[WDW Traveler]

We did the DDP in Feb/Mar. And while I will say that had we paid OOP for the meals that we did eat, the DDP was worth it, BUT...... normally we would have never eaten at half of the places we made reservations at. We only did all the TS meals because we were on the DDP (in-laws decided it was a good deal). So like others have said, if you normally eat at a TS every day, it is, budget wise, a good deal. But if you are more into CS and quick meals, then it may not work for you. I honestly felt like I HAD to order an appetizer and HAD to order dessert where ever we went to make me feel like I was getting my money's worth. And like a couple of others have said, I felt so scheduled. I felt like I was always watching my watch to make sure I wasn't missing a TS reservation. A couple per trip is one thing, but every day was too much for us. So IMO, unless we go when it's free and wouldn't feel guilty about skipping some meals, I would not choose to get the DDP again.

 

[mamacatnv]

I think I'm the only one who is not doing DDP, and frankly I feel like I need a support group.
I decided against DDP for a few reasons:
1 - It's too much of a commitment for me. I don't want to drop what I'm doing to eat my TS meal because I already paid for it. What if I feel like eating CS that night?

You are not alone and I agree that there is a lot of pressure, people get very adamant about using the DDP - personal vacation choice in my book.

I figured we spent approx. $1600 on food on our last 9 day trip - but we ate when we wanted, where we wanted without being tied to ADR's etc. Probably spent more than we would of if we had the DDP but saving the few extra bucks was not worth it to us. We have taken 2 trips to WDW in a year and declined the DDP both times with no regrets. Sure, I think it is a great deal if you are willing to play by it's rules - I'm not.

We are big eaters and always have a huge breakfast. This is something I definately consider while doing the math as a strong factor.

If WDW changed their ADR policy so that you could either walk up or make same day ressies then the DDP would be more attractive to me, but the advanced meal planning is not our style at all and therefore the DDP would just cramp our style.

 

[aprild873]

I did not sign up for DDP for this trip. I am beginning to reconsider that decision though and actually talked to someone face to face today ay work about it.
I definitely like the idea of DDP as when I sat and figured out the cost for both me and DD. I figured I will most likely spend the same amount OOP if not more.
My only concern though, is will I still be able to add this on to my pkg (I know this has probably been posted before, but there are so many to look thru). Does it need to be added before a certain time or can I add it when I check in? Any info that anyone has is appreciated.

 

[Steph9072]

What we did to decide is look at what you would order for a full day OOP versus what you could get on the DDP. There are 10 of us going (7 adults and 3 kids) - 2 kids are just two years old, so they don't qualify for the DDP. The extra food that we all have between us will be their food. It's going to work out good for us.

Here's how we decided. A typical day for me last time (in '04).

Lunch Pecos Bill's
Bacon Double Cheeseburger & Fries - $7.39
Coke - $2.39
Total - $10.37 I used 6% tax.

Supper Mama Melrose's
Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana - Served over spaghetti. - $16.49
Coke - $2.39
Total + Tip = $23.00

Snack Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
Single scoop ice cream cone - $2.69
Total = $2.85

Total for the whole day for me is $36.22.

The DDP costs $38.99 (tax and tip included), so for a little more than $2.00 this is what I could have gotten.

The same thing at Pecos Bill's and added the dessert ($3.00).
The same thing at Mama Melrose's and add the appetizer Oven-baked Caprino Cheese $5.99 and for dessert Chocolate Truffle Cake $5.69. That's another $14.00 with the tax and tip.

So we added another $17.00 worth of food for $2.00.

When we started talking about this w/DH's family, they didn't really see it as worth it until I broke it down the way I did above. Then the light bulb switched on and the deal was just too good to pass up. And, the even better deal is if you are going to do any characters meals, most of them can run you close to $30.00 - $35.00 by themselves. So for just a couple of dollars more you get your lunch and a snack added in.

Sorry if this was more information than you wanted but it was the only way that worked for our family to really see the deal.

WOW! I had never thought of doing that great idea.

To op our trip was a gift from my folks and they added the ddp. Had they not have I think we would have. A few words may tell you why a "near teenage boy" He eats more than me all the time and more than dh about 1/2 the time. I figure what we save on him alone will make the difference.

 

[Flagondry]

I agree that, for dh and me, it is a lot of food. Well me anyway But, we did decide to go with the DDP. We made that choice based on two things.

1. It's a vacation. I want to add the extra fun of trying places to eat that I might skip otherwise. I almost never get an app. or dessert IRL, so it is a treat. I don't feel the pressure to eat every last bite.

2. I am cheap. If we paid OOP I would be scanning the menus for pricing, bugging dh to get something cheaper and always trying to save a buck. I would do this no matter what budget we set for food. With DDP I can avoid that stress, for both dh and I. I want us both to be able to totally relax, just enjoy every moment and not focus on the small stuff. The DDP just totally eliminates my need be hyper about what we are spending. I know dh will really enjoy that I don't mind making ADR's at all. We don't have kids and the TS's will give me a chance to see the other resorts.

 

[kentear]

My partner and I are going to try the DDP for the first time this fall. We have no kids and dining out is part of our vacation experience. We are "foodies" I guess you might say. Food and Wine Festival one of our favorite things. Frankly, I don't know why we didn't think of it before. We spend WAY more than $39 each a day on food anyway. We don't have any kids so it is just the two of us.

Just work the numbers and see what works for your style of vacation.

Now, if the DDP is FREE, as it sometimes is, you are crazy not to take it.

 

[Katiebell]

The DDP isn't good for every family, but it's a fantastic deal for many.

If you like to have TS meals at all on vacation, you really should make ADR's whether or not you are on the DDP. You can still get in some places walk-up, but may have to go to more out of the way, less popular restaurants, be willing to eat at odd times, or be willing to wait a long time to be seated.

The connection between the DDP and ADR's is that if you are on the plan, you get 1 TS meal per day. If you don't have an ADR, you risk that you might not be able to get seated at a TS restaurant and end up wasting some of those TS credits. Even so, a couple of days we've planned more than one TS meal, and another day we have only CS planned, so it is flexible to some degree.

If the adults in your group eat an average of one TS meal a day of at least $25 (could be entree alone, entree w/appetizer and/or dessert, or a buffet), then the $39/day for the plan is worth it. You don't even have to include appetizer or dessert in your figures; you could just price it with a $25 steak or seafood entree.

$25 meal
$2 beverage
$2 tax
$5 tip
$34 total -- and that's not counting the $4 snack credit or the CS meal valued at $10-$15.

For kids 9 and under, the $11/day plan is an absolute bargain for the TS alone, especially for buffets. The snack credit is still worth $4, and the CS meal, although people aren't wild about many of the kids' CS choices is worth $4-$5.

The plan is very economical if you have teens that eat a lot; it's not a good deal if you have kids 10 and over who eat very little but are being charged the adult price. It's also is probably not a bargain if your family eats very lightly, typically shares all your meals, eat meals and snacks in your hotel room, or plan on eating off site.

 

[LizinSTL]

The DDP isn't good for every family, but it's a fantastic deal for many.



The plan is very economical if you have teens that eat a lot; it's not a good deal if you have kids 10 and over who eat very little but are being charged the adult price. It's also is probably not a bargain if your family eats very lightly, typically shares all your meals, eat meals and snacks in your hotel room, or plan on eating off site.

I'd like to just add that it can be a great deal if you have picky eaters over the age of 10 AND your family tends towards buffet meals. You need to pay the adult price for them anyway. It hurts a lot less to sign off on the DDP credit than it does to pay $30 for them to eat that single chicken strip or meat ball. .....