Disney Dining Experience

[Disney Doll]

We have a trip scheduled for Labor Day weekend. I keep reading about the free DDE. What is this? What's the story?

 

[CarolA]

The Disney Dining Experience (DDE) is a "discount" card that gets you 20% off at select resturants at Disney (Most full service, limited counter service) It is available for purchase by Florida Residents and AP holders

Free Dining was a limited time promotion sold by Disney If you purchased a package including rooms at rack rate and at least a one day park ticket for each guest in the room, you received the Disney Dining Plan (One Counter Service, One Table Service, One snack) for each person for each day of your stay. The booking window on that has closed. Watch for it next year.

 

[Chuck S]

I think you are reading about the free DDP. Disney is running a promo for Aug and Sept (I think ressies had to be made by the end of June). Pay rack rate for a room, and buy a park ticket, and getthe DDP (pre-paid dining plan) free. Folks who may be posting about free DDE probably are unaware of the difference between the DDE (Disney Dining Experience) and the DDP (Disney [pre-paid] Dining Plan).

 

[Darkside]

I bought my DDE card in May and used it on our 4 day trip. It saved us about $150, more and above what the card costs. We are going back in three weeks for another 4 day trip and I will be able to use the card again. Pretty sweet deal.

 

[LarryM]

We just came back from a weeklong trip. Even though we have DDE we bought the Dining plan anyway. I kept going back and forth about it. I am glad that we did buy it! We saved 165 dollars over what we would have saved if we used the DDE, so for us at least next time it will be the Dining Plan over the DDE.

 

[elijahpep]

DDE worked great for us. We usually eat lunch at the parks and eat breakfast and dinner in the room. We will be using it for 3 trips but got our return on the purchase this last trip. DDE also covers your "adult" little umbrella drink discount which is great if you choose to sit and enjoy those during a hot Disney Day. I don't think the other, DDP, covers that but I could be wrong. For the price and our personal choices , DDE worked wonderfully!

~DW

 

[CarolA]

It's not mutually exclusive.

For my August trip, we bought dining and we will have my DDE card. The card will cover the wine at dinner and maybe some of the meals not covered by the plan.

(For me as a solo traveler the plan is normally not worth it, I don't need to eat that much!)

 

[castleri]

Got the DDE card last Sept and had a 7 day trip then - a 3 day trip in April and still haven't broken even. We just didn't do that many of the restaurants that are included. That will change in Sept as there will be 7 adults in the party and since the DDP will not cover "adult beverages" I imagine it will help out there. We also have someone joining us for meals who will not be on the DDP so it will be used there. I debated using just the DDE in Sept but really did not want to sort out the 5 different "checks" for each meal we used it for. I think using them together will be very beneficial for us this trip.

 

[dianeschlicht]

WE used the DDE card for our January and March trips and broke even on it after just one meal at Artist Point with 5 people. It will still be active in December, but we are buying the DDP for half of our trip and using DDE for the other half.