Does DDP spoil spontaneity?

[aubriee]

I am an AP holder so am eligible for the DDE card which would give me 20% off my TS meals. However, within the last year or so I have found that I really prefer the DDP over my DDE. I love the convenience of having everything paid for before I get there, of never even glancing at the prices on a menu, and and knowing that I will owe nothing on my VISA card when I get home. I do hate that they did away with the tip and now must carry some cash to the park. Tips for luggage service, DME, mousekeeping, and now meals is all I ever carry with me and I usually have that cash each in their own little envelopes already made up and labeled. I've been enough times that I very seldom find any souvineers that interest me, so seldom have to buy anything at all while I'm down there. I do ususally know where I want to eat each day. I have a tendency to go to certain parks on certain days and either have my favorite restaurants or already know new ones I want to try, so don't mind making ADRs at 180 days out. If I do change my mind while I'm down there, I have the WDW Dine number programmed into my cell phone and can make any changes while I'm down there. I guess I am a creature of habit, because I don't find the DDP confining at all. The exact opposite in fact. I don't necessarily try to get the best value out of it. If I'm in the mood for chicken I eat chicken, if I'm in the mood for steak, I eat steak and again never have to look at the price of either.

Again the main value of the DDP for me is not having to carry money around or having to use my credit card and knowing that I will owe nothing when I get home. On my last trip this past Dec, I had a $20.00 bill that I carried to the park everyday, but never found a reason to spend it. That same $20.00 bill, I had in that same WDW bag during my trip last Sept, and I guess it will be going back to the parks for my trip in May. I always carry at least a $20.00 bill, plus two credit cards in case I find something that I might want, but since I'm on the DxDDP for my May trip and will be on it again for my Sept '08 trip, I doubt I'll find anything I'll need to spend it on. Due to tips no longer being included, I will have that cash needed for tips already placed in little envelopes with the restaurant's names on them to take out of the safe each day. When I get home my VISA will still have a zero balance (unless I see a souvineer that interests me) and I love knowing that. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not cheap and if I see something that interests me I have no hesitation in buying it. I've just been enough times that I don't find that much that I'd want to buy anymore. With the DxDDP including three meals and two snacks/day I can't think of anything I'd want that it wouldn't cover. Now if Dole Whips and Kaki Gori were suddenly not included as a snack, I could see needing a little extra cash!

 

[photobob]

Thanks everyone for the insightful responses. We have in the past done our TS meals at lunch because they usually have similar menus for a little less money, easier to get in w/out an ADR and allows more freedom for evening events. Maybe that's what I should do w/the DDP as well. I was looking at dinner just because it was a better value for the TS credit. Instead of completely changing my plans for the DDP, just go with my normal eating patterns implementing the DDP into our plan. I think I've just been too conscious about making sure we get the best value for the DDP, but still that's the point of the DDP.

 

[septbaby]

Spontaneity implies that you can do what you want when you want. You said you are going at a busy time of year and that you've been to Disney before. Even your LeCellier wasn't spontaneous, it was late. You still had to plan to arrive before opening and were lucky to get the seat.

There are TS restaurants that don't take ADRs, so you can not make ADRs and always pick one of those places to wait and eat.

Not sure of the make up of your group, but if there are children I really wouldn't make them wait daily for their "good meal" of the day or miss out a character meals that you've easily paid for on the DP.

I get 4TS credits for our next trip and they are all planned and I'm loving it. I already know that I may cancel our arrival day ADR in lieu of CS at the resort, but you never know how that day will go so I have a plan B already worked out if things aren't perfect. I also have an extra TS booked that we will keep or cancel depending on what happens on Day 1. We could keep it anyway as its a cool breakfast on our departure day; one of the cheaper meals to pay for OOP.

 

[Gotta Love Eeyore]

Yes, it CAN but it doesn't HAVE to...

We have used the dining plan several times because it was free and that is always good. The first 2 times, I didn't feel like it hampered us at all. We had several lunches and breakfasts planned for our TS credits. Last year, I fell into the trap of "I must eat dinners to get the most value from the plan" trap and we felt like it really cut into our plans. Since we are not early morning people, we usually grab a light breakfast on the way to the bus, eat a decent lunch and then grab a smaller dinner and snacks to close out the EMHs. The thought of having to be in a certain location during the dinner hours was a hamper to our spontaneity. This year we are going back to more lunches for our TS and CS for our dinners and we are very excited about being able to stop and grab a bite wherever we may be at what ever time we get hungry.

So, the DDP is a good deal but make sure you cater it to your family's needs and don't fall into the "Most Value " trap - - unless that just works for you!

 

[septbaby]

Yes, it CAN but it doesn't HAVE to...

So, the DDP is a good deal but make sure you cater it to your family's needs and don't fall into the "Most Value " trap - - unless that just works for you!

Excellent point, very well said!!!

 

[tinaluis]

We did the DDP in 2006, skipped it in 2007 and will do it again in 2008. I thought we'd hate having to "be" somewhere every night (and was minorly irritated with the DDP in 2006), but we really missed it in 2007. We had "plans" in 2007, but not an ADR every night and, as weird as it sounds, I missed HAVING to be somewhere each night. (I'll try to remember that this year). I'm not sure I'd do it every trip, but every other trip seems just about right for us.

 

[Colleen27]

We didn't think so, but we travel at slower times. In January we were on the deluxe dining plan, but were able to change around several ADRs on the fly when plans changed. I doubt we'd have been able to do that during a busier time, though, which might leave us feeling differently about the value of the plan.

And boy do I know what you mean about waffling. I do it every time! We've loved the DDP and the DxDDP every time we've used it, but still when we're planning a new trip with a new set of specifics, I wonder if maybe paying OOP would be the better choice this time.

 

[kaybird]

We have always looked at ADRs as our FastPass to food. We have seen people turned away over, and over. Don't think that adds to anyones spontenaity. We travel the parks with a loose outline, make ADRs based on where we think we will be, and the food we know we'll enjoy (even if it is something new) and agree 100% that for us, having it mostly all prepaid gives us the ability to be freer to choose. We don't pre plan CS at all, with the exception of noting something we may want to particularly try. For us, it gives us much more park time, less trips back to the room, and consequently a much easier trip!

 

[photobob]

I've been talking to my wife and DDP and the pros and cons and she's afraid of going on the DDP gaining ten pounds to add to my waffling. BTW our trip consists of my wife and me, DS 21, His GF23 and DD 15. We all like to eat and no one is a picky eater. I think if I really want to do the DDp and allow the flexibility that we usually have we'd probably need to do our TS meal at lunch. I usually plan our day as to what park we'll go to in the morning through lunch time or after and then fly by the seat of our pants from there on out.

 

[Krmrr]

I'm an old fat guy. I loved the regular DDP and now am going to use the deluxe plan. My wife and I LOST weight on our last 2 trips. The heat and the walking and the "I really don't need to eat ALL of that Dessert" or bread or whatever.

If I go for a sit down meal, there's a flow that I get into, meeting the server, maybe a little chat, esp. at Epcot (we had a server from a French villiage we had stayed overnight in, she loved it that we new about this little cafe); then the meal starts arriving, maybe talking about dessert or how we liked the entree.

The there's the CS line (Sunshine Grill excepted), standing in line behind 3 families who first look at the menu when they are asked "what do you want?"
Getting the food and then having to find a place to sit down. Eating too fast, because of the noise and crowds. And I have a feeling (no scientific proof) that the TS meal has less fats and sugar than the average CS.

 

[septbaby]

With the group you've got the DP seems to make a lot of sense. You and the "kids" don't actually have to eat all or even most meals together. Having meal credits pre paid on the KTTW card gives all you freedom to dine at your leisure. Plan a couple of ADRs as a group of 5 and let the young ones plan some for themselves, then you and the wife can be as spontaneous as you want!

 

[photobob]

After much waffling mainly on pros and cons, I don't think we are going to do the DDP. All our discussions on ADR's, getting the most value out of your credits, having your trip more planned on eating, my decision came down to mathematics. I think I would probably have done it had the tips and appetizers still been included. I went through the TS restaurants I was planning on going to and figured up how much each meal would cost including with entrees, dessert and beverage. Same thing with CS restaurants and snacks. My numbers came up to around $1,235+ or-. The DDP would cost us $945 then add in tips at 20% for the TS meals in comes up to almost exactly $1100. Still a savings of $135. I then went and checked the places we had planned on eating if we weren't on the DDP and came up with a number in the $750 range. One of the things to take into consideration is that we rarely get desserts, and if we do we share it. While I like alot of the things the DDP would offer, I think I'd rather save that $350 and eat the way we normally do. Thanks to everyone in sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons, you've been very generous with your thoughts...Bob

 

[Belle5]

I haven't read through each post but let me tell you how I have dealt with the dining plan. I don't want some ADR to dictate that I be in a certain park for dinner when that is not the park that works for us that day. Instead, I make almost all ADRs in the WDW resorts. We have lunch at 11 am so we're ready for dinner at 5 pm. We always go back to the resort for swim/naps or whatever and after we freshen up we go to whatever resort (or DD) where we have made our ADR. After that we catch a bus from that resort to the theme park for the evening. We are totally spontaneous about our snack and counter service meal. BTW, we have found the theme park restaurants to be not as good as most of the resort restaurants. (Just our opinion)

Oh, and one more thing...we can try to get into any restaurant we want once we are there. But, if we fail, we have something better than spontaneity --we have someplace to eat!



Getting ready for our 23 family vacation to WDW!

 

[planplan]

yes it does but do it anyways....well worth it. imo everyone must try the plan at least once. it's like king for a week on the plan at disney!!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

I have reasons of my own for not using it:

I can afford the food anyway.

At the TS, you must order an entree and a dessert. If you want an appetizer you must pay for it, or get the deluxe plan. The deluxe plan is far too much for me to handle. If you don't want the dessert, then you don't order it. Do that enough, and there goes the value of the plan. I don't really want CS desserts, and I don't want TS desserts at every meal.

I generally don't order steak or lobster. I am a fish/chicken eater. I would prefer NOT to order the most expensive item on the menu because I happen to like the foods that cost less.

I am not hungry enough during the day to use the snack credits. They went for Diet Coke. Anybody here will tell you that is not the best value for a snack credit - but it beats not using the credits at all I suppose.

Alcoholic beverages are not included. I'd be ordering those instead of a nonalcoholic at dinners. Even on the dining plan I ordered them anyway.

Most of the restaurants I prefer take 2 credits. Some of the restaurants I prefer don't take the dining plan at all.

At some of my favorite places, if they're full when I get there I can eat at the bar, where the entire menu is offered. They won't take the dining plan at the bar, they can't ring it up.

 

[Tinka_Belle]

yes it does but do it anyways....well worth it. imo everyone must try the plan at least once. it's like king for a week on the plan at disney!!!!

That's why we did the Deluxe Dining Plan this year. Last year when we went we counted every penny and it took away from the magic. This time I want to be able to order what I want and be able to have snacks and not have to count everything. I know that the Deluxe DDP will be more than we need, but then again it may not. I'm not worried about it either way. This will be our last trip for awhile so I want to enjoy it.

 

[GlendaO]

Does DDP spoil spontaneity? <snip>
What are your experiences in this regard?

Yes. I would say it does spoil it to a certain extent. Or at least, as already pointd out, ADRs can. I think it depends on you and your family.

Me, I like to plan. I really do! DH would wing it the whole trip if he could but he does enjoy just knowing I have a plan. Plus, for us, the youngest is a little picky and the last couple of years they both were; easier for me to just decide and go.

I like knowing!!

 

[Wendy5055]

Hhhhmmmmm...

After planning a Grand Gathering event 2 years ago, I would NEVER not get at the very least DDP...JMHO. We are going to WDW during Free Dining and have upgraded to the DlxDDP simply because there is only 3 of us (DH, ME & DD6)and the upgrad was just about equal to a Hoop De Doo Musical Review dinner show and Breakfast at the Castle...which I would have had to pay OOP for both.

With the DlxDDP, we are able to go to WDW and eat what we want, where we want and with a little planning and research, we can create some magical moments for our DD6.

A trip to WDW is a HUGE deal for many people which is why the task of planning and making ADR's is acceptable. I know that I feel far more comfortable (especially with a 6 year old) knowing where and when I will be eating breakfast and dinner...I don't mind getting CS for lunch wherever we are with the knowledge that we will be eating a decent meal later.

 

[Jletendre]

I've only used the DDP during free times as frankly for us it's too much food. We usually eat only a light lunch and want to enjoy a nice sit down meal in the evening. So when we go outside of free dining it just makes sense to pay OPP for when we want to eat.

That being said the ADR are what take away the feeling of eating when / if you want. DW does not like having things "planned" and since we've had the fortune to vacation at WDW so many times never have any formal "plans of attack" on what parks to do, when to ride / see an attraction. We tend to go with the flow on what we feel like doing. ADR forces her to decide where we will eat. Now one is free to not make any ADR and maybe CS meals are fine with you but I enjoy a nice meal every night and you do need to eat

I think the larger issue is WDW is just too busy, too much to do to just have no plans at all.

 

[MississippiMamma]

I know a lot of the waffling pps have described is based on getting the best "value" for the dining plan and the idea of spontaneity. I can totally identify with that! Now, I know the OP has more kids to deal with, so it's a little bit different than my situation. I know that in my family, with DS3, what works best for us is to vary it up a lot. We have a trip planned during Sept with free dining. I have done it for the past two years, and it has felt a bit scheduled.

This year to counteract that, I have scheduled only two dinners during our eight day trip. The rest are breakfast or lunch ADRs. I find, for us, personally, then we have our whole evening free to be sponatenous. Want to park hop and eat counter service somewhere else? No problem. Didn't get to go on a particular ride earlier? We'll catch it later. I think this will really work for us, so take a look at what your family's habits are like. Maybe I'm misreading, but I feel like a lot of posters get more overwhelmed when they "have to" make that dinner ADR. Perhaps if you only pick a few must do dinners, then you'll free up your evenings, and it may give you the spontaneous feel you're looking for.

I love this idea. We went for six nights for the first time two weeks ago. We were on Deluxe and by the end we were feeling a little trapped by ADRs. However, we really enjoyed all the fancy food; it was part of the trip for us. If I go again, I will do it your way. Regular dining plan. Only one or two dinner ADRs. You can ALWAYS pay OOP for an appie, or even an extra TS if you want it. Also, if you are careful, some of the 1TS restaurants are as good as the signature places. Even if you want to be spontaneous, you have to plan it at Disney!