Do you get DDP when you camp?

[jbrostek]

Last year we bothered to track how much we spent on food at Disney to decide if the DDP was worth it. It turns out, it is not worth it for us as we eat in as much as we eat out. And we spent nearly as much on Mickey bars as we did dining out.....yes we have a slight addiction to that treat.

 

[Rland8228]

AS we have yet to be to the fort I cant really say about cooking back at the campsite but this year in May was our first time coming down and not having the dinning plan. We stayed at pop and we spent 440.00 on food (we ate at t-rex and lets just say hubby and I had a couple cave man punches) I just priced it out it if we were going in slow months which we try to do and stay for 7 days it would cost us about 800.00. I would never do it again even if staying in a room. The very first year we went down we had upgraded to the sit down meals and I hated I mean hated being tied down to meals.And I love food don't get me wrong. As much as I miss having it and not having to worry about budgeting food into our spending money,It just does not add up to me at least to spend the money. I am the same way I cook at home (for 9 ranging from 93-1) and all the big holiday meals, I do NOT want to cook on vacation. Luckily hubby is really big into grilling so I wont cook at all Enough of my rant but I think like other posters have said you have to really look at the menus and see what you would like and go from there for other family's is might be the best option..

 

[amylevan]

We don't even get the dining plan when we stay in a hotel - we just don't see the value in it. I have priced it out very carefully every year, and have yet to see how it would save us money.

That said, when we camp we eat breakfast in the camper every day. If it is a park day, we eat lunch at a CS wherever we are, otherwise we eat at our camper. Dinners are split between between grilling at our campsite and a TS.

 

[jbrostek]

I will add that one reason we can deal with the cooking back at the camper is probably because we travel with several families. And with that we all agree who is making which menu, but we generally do not choose which day until we are on our way down there or following the weather. Because sometimes it just better to eat out, others its better to eat in.

 

[nabi]

Tables in Wonderland is an option for some. 20% discount at many places. Tablesinwonderland.com

 

[FSU ED]

DW and I sit down about 2-3 months out from a camping trip and plan what we will try to do. We go day by day to make it work, food and cost wise. When we are at the Fort its goes like this a day at a park, then a day at the fort. So we plan a meal for all. Breakfast is always at the trailer. If its a park day we get there at rope drop, our 2 DD's are good with about 4-5 hours at a park since we live so close and go alot. Maybe have a snack at the park and eat somethings at the trailer late. After a good Nap ( it is a Vacation) then we do a dinner. Maybe something from Trails end take out, or Grill something, or we also plan a few dinners at a park or resort. We love good Sushi from Poly. It's all about the fun, resting, and good times. We try to keep it a cost friendly trip also.

 

[MorganandMadelinePie]

We have been going to Fort Wilderness for over 10 years. One year we didn't stay at Fort Wilderness so we could get the free dining plan. LOVED IT!! who doesn't love free food! I really enjoyed not worrying about how much we were spending. We did counter service and stopped to eat when we felt like it and where we wanted, no reservations to worry about. One year we packed lunches and cooked at motorhome. Yes, we saved money but I hated preparing , packing and carrying our food there. The hassle of waiting to get on buses and etc to get back to cook also cut into valuable park time - can't have that I started to question the whole plan, it was more aggravation than being home. That quickly got old and a couple days into it everyone agreed on counter service. On the rare visit we have stayed at Fort Wilderness but didn't go to the parks we cooked out each day and it was very relaxing and enjoyable. I just don't see the point in making more work for yourself on vacation That being said, I understand the high cost of Disney food and think packing snacks and drinks is a good compromise.

 

[Teamubr]

How does the math really work out with DDP vs paying out right? I've seen varying reports. When I'm online making reservations, it seems like a huge expense for the DDP. I have never kept track of how much we actually spent just on meals to do the comparison though.

We typically would eat breakfast at the camper, do counter service anywhere for lunch and try to do a nice sit down at least half the nights for dinner. The rest of the dinners were either at the camper, Trails End or a counter service somewhere.

j

 

[amylevan]

I think the math is highly variable based on where you eat and WHAT you NORMALLY would order. For us, the numbers have never worked out.

But I like to think of it this way....Disney is a major corporation, very skilled at making money. I have a feeling the ddp is priced very close to the break even point.

 

[LglBlonde]

We are doing free dining this trip. Having a cabin is more about separate sleeping space for our kids. THe full kitchen feels like overkill with free dining, but it will allow us to eat breakfast at the cabin each morning more healthy than if we were limited to a hotel room fridge/micro or food court.