Disney math HELP!

[taximomfor4]

I have priced this out several times. Trying to decide whether I should just pay for DDP. I have an AP, but if DDP is only costing a LITTLE more, it might be worth it for convenience. My ticket could always be used at a later time.

Right now, I have 8/12-8/24 booked, 2 standard rooms at POP with AAA discount ($1771.20 total), through DU.

We are 2 adults, 4 children (1 charged as adult, 3 charged as kids). We would get 10-day parkhoppers (expiry). To make comparison fair, I would do the math as though I were buying myself a ticket as well. ($1450)

So before food, $3221.

When I try to price this out on disney's website as a regular old Dining Plan package with 10 day hoppers for all 6 of us, I come up with like $5500. We would NOT eat $2300 in food!! So it seems our AAA room-only ressie is best for us (especially with our DDE card). Am I missing something big?

I know we could reserve through AAA but I cannot price theirs out -- I would have to send away for a quote. And I hate arguing Disney stuff with them -- the ones I got last time didn't seem to have much accurate info.

Anyone? What am I not thinking of? Can I go to an AAA agent not by me to book? Are their cancel policies TERRIBLE?

Beth

 

[scanmom]

is it not availale for the dates/resort you want? I think I would change dates or resort to get it if I could. With 6 people, free dining would be a huge savings. Check online for your dates, and see if that will be a better price!!

 

[taximomfor4]

is it not availale for the dates/resort you want? I think I would change dates or resort to get it if I could. With 6 people, free dining would be a huge savings. Check online for your dates, and see if that will be a better price!!

Nope -- DH is a teacher, and goes back to work the day free dining begins.

 

[Ishy]

I have priced this out several times. Trying to decide whether I should just pay for DDP. I have an AP, but if DDP is only costing a LITTLE more, it might be worth it for convenience. My ticket could always be used at a later time.

Right now, I have 8/12-8/24 booked, 2 standard rooms at POP with AAA discount ($1771.20 total), through DU.

We are 2 adults, 4 children (1 charged as adult, 3 charged as kids). We would get 10-day parkhoppers (expiry). To make comparison fair, I would do the math as though I were buying myself a ticket as well. ($1450)

So before food, $3221.

When I try to price this out on disney's website as a regular old Dining Plan package with 10 day hoppers for all 6 of us, I come up with like $5500. We would NOT eat $2300 in food!! So it seems our AAA room-only ressie is best for us (especially with our DDE card). Am I missing something big?

I know we could reserve through AAA but I cannot price theirs out -- I would have to send away for a quote. And I hate arguing Disney stuff with them -- the ones I got last time didn't seem to have much accurate info.

Anyone? What am I not thinking of? Can I go to an AAA agent not by me to book? Are their cancel policies TERRIBLE?

Beth

I would call AAA and tell them you are thinking of upgrading your package - THEY SHOULD BE JUMPING THRU HOOPS FOR YOU! They work for you.
They will quote it out and then you can make up your mind - but you should still keep your AAA discount if that is who you book thru.

Good Luck.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

I have priced this out several times. Trying to decide whether I should just pay for DDP. I have an AP, but if DDP is only costing a LITTLE more, it might be worth it for convenience. My ticket could always be used at a later time.

Right now, I have 8/12-8/24 booked, 2 standard rooms at POP with AAA discount ($1771.20 total), through DU.

We are 2 adults, 4 children (1 charged as adult, 3 charged as kids). We would get 10-day parkhoppers (expiry). To make comparison fair, I would do the math as though I were buying myself a ticket as well. ($1450)

So before food, $3221.

When I try to price this out on disney's website as a regular old Dining Plan package with 10 day hoppers for all 6 of us, I come up with like $5500. We would NOT eat $2300 in food!! So it seems our AAA room-only ressie is best for us (especially with our DDE card). Am I missing something big?

I know we could reserve through AAA but I cannot price theirs out -- I would have to send away for a quote. And I hate arguing Disney stuff with them -- the ones I got last time didn't seem to have much accurate info.

Anyone? What am I not thinking of? Can I go to an AAA agent not by me to book? Are their cancel policies TERRIBLE?

Beth

ok, this gets a little crazy, but the price if you book 2A 2C in a standard room at POP through AAA and 1A 1C in another with dining and a 1 day MYW base for all, then upgrade the tickets at check in to 2A 3C 10 day MYW hopper (expiring) the total would be $4882.59. That way you could use your AP and have an extra 1 day ticket left over.

The AAA agent we have used does not charge a booking fee or canc fee. You may decide that the DDP is too much food for your group and just pay OOP. Especially since you have the DDE.

Are the AP rates out yet for that time? If so, you might want to check that as a room only.
Hope that makes sense. Good Luck!

 

[taximomfor4]

ok, this gets a little crazy, but the price if you book 2A 2C in a standard room at POP through AAA and 1A 1C in another with dining and a 1 day MYW base for all, then upgrade the tickets at check in to 2A 3C 10 day MYW hopper (expiring) the total would be $5219.16. That way you could use your AP and have an extra 1 day ticket left over.

The AAA agent we have used does not charge a booking fee or canc fee. You may decide that the DDP is too much food for your group and just pay OOP. Especially since you have the DDE.

Are the AP rates out yet for that time? If so, you might want to check that as a room only.
Hope that makes sense. Good Luck!

Thank you so much! There are days we'll spend $150 on food, but there are days we'll spend $100, too (with DDP we'd eat TS every day, but normally we would not). I think we'd probably spend about $1500 on food in 12 park days. So with the AAA MYP + Dining costing $5219, and the way we have it now costing about $3221, that is still about $2000 we'd have to spend on food to break even. I just don't see that happening. So I guess I am just waiting to see if AP rates come out. I think with AAA room-only I am paying $62/night/room x 2 rooms. I doubt any AP rate would save much more off of that. I'll be watching, though!

 

[5DisneyNuts]

You're welcome. Here's hoping that the AP rates work! Plus DU is great to deal with.

Thank you so much! There are days we'll spend $150 on food, but there are days we'll spend $100, too (with DDP we'd eat TS every day, but normally we would not). I think we'd probably spend about $1500 on food in 12 park days. So with the AAA MYP + Dining costing $5219, and the way we have it now costing about $3221, that is still about $2000 we'd have to spend on food to break even. I just don't see that happening. So I guess I am just waiting to see if AP rates come out. I think with AAA room-only I am paying $62/night/room x 2 rooms. I doubt any AP rate would save much more off of that. I'll be watching, though!

 

[taximomfor4]

You're welcome. Here's hoping that the AP rates work! Plus DU is great to deal with.

Yep. I am finishing my last semester of nursing school, and rarely have the time to jump on here looking for new codes in the mornings. So knowing DU is doing that for me is wonderful! and my agent is super-quick at trying to get my ADRs for me, and letting me know about them. It's a new experience for me, doing it this way, but I could get really spoiled by it!!

Beth

 

[beth_cam]

Dining plan for 12 nights for 2 adults and 2 children is only 1799 so there is something else coming in to play for that 2300. Which i'm assuming at this point is the aaa discount that you can't figure but plugging it into the disney site. Have you looked at the menus and prices (you can find them on wdwinfo.com) and looked at what you will actually spend. It is very expensive to eat at disney - one dinner time character meal will cost your family around 135 or more (ddp is costing you about 150 per day). Even counter service can get much more expensive than you realize. For our family of 4, doing 3 character meals and then eating cs for the rest of the meals totalling 2 meals a day(we dont get a kitchen and arent going to be eating sandwhiches) we close to broke even.

You also can not get a aaa discount on a package (must book a package to get the dining plan) through disney or du...this must be done through aaa only.

So a package with a aaa discount -
tickets 10 day park hoppers - 1511 (with tax)
ddp - 1799
Room - 1721.20
Package if available should cost - 5031.20

Now to do what was suggested - get everyone one day then upgade the others -
Tickets 392.99
ddp - 1799
room - 1721.20
Package = 3913
Price to upgrade tickets = 919
TOtal = 4832 (upgrade price may be higher i was using all advance purchase prices)

 

[beth_cam]

So looking at the other posts etc if my calculations are right on the cost to upgrade the extra tickets, this puts you spending about an extra 1650 over the way you have it now..About an extra 150 over your projected food budget (above). For us we were at about the same thing an extra 100 to do the ddp and we went for it...but obviously that would be up to your needs.

 

[taximomfor4]

Dining plan for 12 nights for 2 adults and 2 children is only 1799 so there is something else coming in to play for that 2300. Which i'm assuming at this point is the aaa discount that you can't figure but plugging it into the disney site. Have you looked at the menus and prices (you can find them on wdwinfo.com) and looked at what you will actually spend. It is very expensive to eat at disney - one dinner time character meal will cost your family around 135 or more (ddp is costing you about 150 per day). Even counter service can get much more expensive than you realize. For our family of 4, doing 3 character meals and then eating cs for the rest of the meals totalling 2 meals a day(we dont get a kitchen and arent going to be eating sandwhiches) we close to broke even.

You also can not get a aaa discount on a package (must book a package to get the dining plan) through disney or du...this must be done through aaa only.

So a package with a aaa discount -
tickets 10 day park hoppers - 1511 (with tax)
ddp - 1799
Room - 1721.20
Package if available should cost - 5031.20

Now to do what was suggested - get everyone one day then upgade the others -
Tickets 392.99
ddp - 1799
room - 1721.20
Package = 3913
Price to upgrade tickets = 919
TOtal = 4832 (upgrade price may be higher i was using all advance purchase prices)

$
We don't eat TS dinners ever. We either do TS lunch, or TS breakfast. Maybe once every other day, I would say. So a CP breakfast for us would, out the door (tax and tip included) with DDE be a little under $100 if my math is correct. A couple of snacks ($3-$4 each) a couple times a day = $12/day. Then our only other meal would be CS. We tended to, in summer, get 3-4 meals to split among us -- $8 x 4= $32. So on a TS Meal Day, $100+$32+$12=$144 (say $150). The other days, CS Only days, CS#1=$24 (3A meals) + $15 (3C meals)= about $40...then snacks again=$12...then CS#2=about $40 again. $40+$40+$12=$92 (say $100). 6 days @ $100/day + 6 days @ $150/day=$1500 for food.

Even if we did our TS brunches every day, which would make every day's food cost the $150 or so, that is $1800 (almost exactly the cost of the DDP for us, right?)

If the DDP would cost my family $1799, that is about $300 more than our food cost estimate. Plus we'd lose our ticket-broker discount on tickets, which is about $100 discount on the 5 tickets we'd be buying.

My head hurts. I guess we're leaaving things as they are, unless my math is way off. Arrggh. Anyway, that extra $ will cover my delicious libations.

Beth

 

[scanmom]

sorry, I misread your dates! If your DH is a teacher, why not stay at the Swan or Dolphin? They are great resorts, and in a perfect location. You would qualify for a teachers rate, or I think for that time you could get an even lower rate, check the link at the top of the resort discussion page. You could not get the dining pkg, but you have the DDE card, and with the savings on the cost of the room, you may save a few dollars. Some people say the Swan/Dolphin lacks Disney magic, but we thought the Swan was full of magic. Sitting on your room balcony looking over the Boardwalk and maybe even seeing some fireworks from Epcot.... well, it doesn't get much better than that! And we love being a short walk or boat ride from Epcot and Disney Studios. Check it out, you may be surprised!!!!

 

[taximomfor4]

sorry, I misread your dates! If your DH is a teacher, why not stay at the Swan or Dolphin? They are great resorts, and in a perfect location. You would qualify for a teachers rate, or I think for that time you could get an even lower rate, check the link at the top of the resort discussion page. You could not get the dining pkg, but you have the DDE card, and with the savings on the cost of the room, you may save a few dollars. Some people say the Swan/Dolphin lacks Disney magic, but we thought the Swan was full of magic. Sitting on your room balcony looking over the Boardwalk and maybe even seeing some fireworks from Epcot.... well, it doesn't get much better than that! And we love being a short walk or boat ride from Epcot and Disney Studios. Check it out, you may be surprised!!!!

We had our stay booked at the special $125/night/room for the first half, then at the teacher rate $149/night/room foir the second half, but even the 125/night was costing us $250/night PLUS parking fee (we drive down). So moving to the value resorts cut that in half. That's a big savings!!

Beth