Family on DDP, child under 3 not Have ???

[mousescrapper]

Hi,

Please help???

We are using the DDP for the first time this coming June, I have all my ADR's for our TS and have figured out basically where will eat for our CS meals. Now we'll be there 8 full days 7 nights so I know I have use of 7 times of meals for TS, CS, and snacks. So obviously, there is going to be some meals payed out pocket for everyone.

Last night DH and I tried doing some of that Disney fuzzy math and figure out how much we should budget for these pop times. As we went through our days and meals we started budgeting in meals for our youngest DD (17 mo at time of travel)too....this is were I start getting confused.

Now I know at the 4 characters meals, she is covered for "free" but what about at the other basic TS and CS meals. I assume becuase she is not on the DDP (doesn't have a KTTW) we'll have to pop for what ever food items we may need for her. YES???

We're hoping she'll share off our plates and with another child, but she'll need her own drink or maybe just one thing. At the TS I'm hoping I could just order an extra chicken strips w/out the extras if needed. But can I do this at CS places?

Also as far as these credits being credited, how do I make sure if we order a whole extra kid meal, one of my other kids don't lose a credit? AND do we, should we ask for a seperate check for her food and/ or drink we pop?

We're planning on charging most right back to room and pay up each night or next morning, so how do I do that w/out confusing the waitstaff, ringer or possibly myself?

Lastly to those of you who have done DDP before how much $$ have you budgeted for your pop food? or would recommend for a family of 6 (2 A, 4 C 9,9, 5, 17 mo)?

Sorry for such a long question. Really would love any feedback!!!

 

[Tricia1972]

For your child under 3 you will pay OOP (out of pocket) or POOP (no wonder we didn't adopt that acronym) for anything that they need at regular TS and regular CS.

The exception:
With our DS 2 they always just gave us a beverage for him at all TS locations. May not be the official policy, but they did it for us and we really appreciated it.

Your DD can eat whatever she'd like at the buffets and family style AYCE places. (Chef Mickey, Crystal Palace, Ohana's, LTT, etc)

She may share (free) the food from your plates at the rest of the locations you dine at.

Portions are generous at CS locations, you probably won't have time filling her up from your plate and DH's plate. However, if she needs her own meal then you will need to order it and pay OOP for it.

I have a spreadsheet that I am sharing with the Dis'ers that you can enter menu items in and it'll calculate your OOP expense, and compare it to the DDP and DxDDP to see which is the best for you. If you'd be interested in that PM your email address to me and I'll send it to you.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I think that you will be suprised at how little you will need to order for her. Our family of three, including an adult eating teen, paid 0$ out of pocktet using the DDP. The meals are really big and can be shared and credits saved for breakfast. Snacks combined with leftover CS credits stretched our credits for 7 nights/ 8 days enough that we stayed full the whole time. Ask for an extra cup and split a drink, everyone give her a few fries and a few bites of what ever they are having and she should be fine. Our DGB is 16mo and we eat out with him all the time and have never once ordered him anything exrtra.

 

[mousescrapper]

thanks to both (so far)....

Tricia I did the spreadsheet it has confirmed that we do save on the DDP at least for the kids as we had orginally thought. Not a ton but enough, and if our youngest DD can share off us for most every meal it's like another savings of at least $90 based on kid meals.

MSSANDRA thanks for the suggestion of splitting drinks. That hadn't even crossed my mind she drinks dilluted anyways, and we'll have her own sippy cup anyhow. WOW! that you streched your meals/credits and payed no OOP. I'm certaintly going to re-think some of our eating/dinning choices.


Of course as it seems w/ old questions answered I have tons of new ones.

Any more thoughts out there????

 

[Tricia1972]

I am just glad that the spreadsheet worked! You're my first report back on it.