Did you overestimate/under estimate food $?

[JJsmama]

I am still waivering about which plan vs OOP to choose. The money I am estimating to spend OOP (looking at menus and trying to 'order' several months in advance ) comes within about $100 of the DxDP. I wonder when others went through this, did they find they spent more or less than they thought they would?

Part of me says: It is so close, just do the DxDp and take all the worry out of it!

The other part says: You are over estimating what you will want. Just go OOP.

 

[MPHARJ]

This will be our second trip on the Dx plan, I too have sat down and figured out the costs, and eating at the places we want to go to this year, we were very close to the cost of the plan as well. This however did not include the snack credits or the refillable mug, I may have over estimated a bit on some meals, but that also was not including an appetizer for each of us. I personally like to have everything paid for ahead of time and I guarantee we would not eat at most of the places we are going to if it weren't for the Dx plan, we would be eating cheaper if I paid out of pocket, and I personally get tired of CS meals rather quickly. I like to sit and relax and enjoy being waited on.

If the cost is that close I would opt for the plan, did that include your snacks as well? Did you only figure out the costs of the meals or did your calculation include the tips, since they are no longer included in DP.

Where are you eating are you maximizing the DP?

Enjoy whatever you decide!

 

[2Tiggies]

We went OOP the year before the QSDP came in and I over estimated what we would spend - by quite a lot. I had quite a bit of cash left at the end of the trip. Since the CS plan came into effect in 2009 we have used that and love it, but still do TS meals, which have to be paid OOP. Again, I have always over estimated the cost. But it depends on how you usually estimate a budget. I prefer to allow a bit too much room for error than not enough. Others like a very accurate prediction and come pretty close.

 

[havoc315]

With the QSDP and DDP... if you end up being "less hungry" than you predicted, your savings could go out the window. If you start skipping desserts, ordering cheaper entrees, even skipping credits... It will erase savings.

The DxDP, as it includes far more, has a bit more wiggle room. You can skip a couple of the credits over the duration of a trip, you can skip some of the snacks or desserts.. and still come out pretty well ahead. As long as you are going to use *most* of your credits, and mostly use them for TS meals. And as long as you will usually get appetizers/dessert.
But if you really think that once you get there, you aren't going to want 2 TS meals per day or more... or you really will lose interests in appetizers and desserts... etc, etc.. Then you might be better off just going OOP.

Doing my own math for my upcoming DxDP trip... there are days where it looks like the plan is about break-even, but there are also several days with significant savings (like $20-$30 per adult on some days).

 

[mlm5l]

I had the same problem. I choose the Quick serve and definetely think it's worth the price. Overall the food is comparable to a diner. Some places are great others not so great. But you will get enough, no matter which place you visit. This year I am upgrading to 1 sit down meal.

 

[Scuttle]

We had a split ressie this past trip, and decided to give the DDP a try for the second half of our trip and pay OOP for the first half.

As a family of five (2 adults, 3 children), eating very conservatively, sometimes sharing meals, no extra snacks, etc we burned through our budgeted amount 2 days sooner than expected.

I hate that I had to run my life around ADRs and the DDP, BUT I have deducted IF we plan to eat strictly IN the parks, it pays to do the DDP.

For us, we couldn't do the DxDP because I already feel like we ran our days around eating. I already feel like we were leaving parks early to get to the meals, etc.

In my opinion, IF you are eating all of your meals in the parks, it really does pay to do one of the DDPs!

 

[dd50]

The year before last we purchased the DDP. We were sick on eating in restaurants after a few days because we didn't seem to be hungry at that time.

The summer that just pasted we paid OOP at QS but I kept all my receipts to see if we would save money if we had the QS plan. It turned out that I saved more than $200 not doing the plan and we ate what we wanted when we wanted. Some meals I would share with someone and a few times we were at the Boardwalk and the kiosk's don't take the plan.

When I go on vacation any where I always over estimate what I think we will need so I don't have to worry about it.

 

[lblume91]

We always come out ahead by using the regular DDP. However, if we were paying out of pocket, we wouldn't order desserts all the time, etc. We like having the meals prepaid & I love being "the good guy" who says yes to the kids' requests for desserts & treats while on vacation. Unless we start losing money by using the DDP, we'll continue to use it.

 

[DisneyKobi]

I'm going to buck the trend here and recommend that you don't purchase the Disney Dining Plan.

We always stay at a Disney resort or area condo with kitchen facilities. With our large group a dining plan can be a budget-breaker. Instead, we visit the local grocery chain store and buy about $200 worth of food to feed our little army.

We eat like kings. And, the added benefit is that we can pack snacks in our bags to take into the park with us so that anyone can nibble when hungry/cranky. We save our money for park fees, souvenirs, etc.

the few times that we've eaten in the parks at restaurants...we've been disappointed (sorry to say) with the crowds, the wait times, and, yes, even the quality of the food and service.