Going crazy trying to decide DxDP or DDP?

[stella27]

PLEASE, someone, out me out of my planning misery and just tell me what to do here!

We are a family of 2 adults, 2 young children (5 and 7) and a baby (1).
We are staying 6 nights at the Poly in August.
We do love to eat, and have ADRS at multiple character breakfasts, dinners, Ohana, Boma, and California Grill.

Should I upgrade to DxDP for the sake of getting whatever we want whenever we want it and knowing it's pre-paid? Snacks, appetizers, occasional room-service, etc., or should we just pay out of pocket for those things, realizing that just because we don't get it on DxDP doesn't mean we can't ORDER it and pay for it out of pocket?

I tried to seek dh's advice, and I confused him so by explaining the 2 plans that I saw his eyes glaze over, and he nearly collapsed. And said "I don't understand any of this - you just decide."

So please, someone just tell me what to do, and I will do it.
A thousand thanks.

 

[kim_d]

I have the same dilemma. We did the basic dining plans a few times and always paid OOP for extra meals and especially snacks. We also always buy the mugs.

My DH said to go for the deluxe even though it might not save us any money. We have 2 kids who will be 4 and 6 when we go and they like frequent smaller meals. So I figure if they need an extra CS meal to split at 2:30 to tide them over to dinner the deluxe plan works better for that flexibility. We also are splitting our stay between 3 resorts and only have the dining plan for the middle portion (8 nights) but we can use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the day we check in and check out- since we aren’t leaving only changing resorts. So that saves us what we would have spent OOP for the non-DDP days.

We also go to WDW 1-2 times a year and usually stay 10+ nights—so we don’t mind taking the time to sit down to eat—we have plenty of time to see the parks and if we don’t get to everything will be back sometime in the near future.

I did beef up our ADRs once we decided to try the deluxe—I added Yachtman’s and CRT as well as a few more ADRs (so we have quite a few days with 2 TS ADRs).

 

[stella27]

Thanks for the reply - I appreciate your insight about the "extra" meals here and there - just depending on when somebody's hungry. I think doing the DX would be nice because we can just order whatever whenever - without me trying to skimp and save $$ by ordering something inexpensive when I really want it all.

 

[wdwfanatic80]

We are trying to make the same decision!!! We go often, so we don't need to rush around and we like the TS down there, but I am worried halfway through we will be burnt out. Although like the pp we are staying for quite a bit (2 weeks) and as of right now we are only doing the DP for our middle portion - 7 nights. We are in a 2 bedroom villa though and planned on eating a meal a day in there....we may add the DxDDP for our early or later section of our trip. We are torn though too...I feel your pain!!!

 

[aurorafan]

I'm having the same dilemma (right down to the DH with the glazed over eyes ). The 4 of us--3 adults (incl. DS 11 who's really starting to eat like an adult!) and one child are going in Dec. We have several TS' scheduled, including the 4 of us at CRT and DH and I at Cali Grill for my birthday, as well as several character meals. DH and I would definitely get the mugs regardless, and I'm sure the boys will use them (if we get the DxDP) for lemondade without arguing . When I ran the numbers it was $156 more for the DxDP, which given how much we're already spending on this trip isn't that much to upgrade and to have the relaxation of knowing 3 meals a day are paid for, not having to figure out how many CS or TS credits we have left, etc. I figure we'd probably spend that much on the 3rd meal that isn't included in the regular DDP (we love our breakfasts--cereal in the room just doesn't cut it ). I loved the regular DDP when we used it in Oct., but I was the one in charge of remembering/figuring out what credits we'd used and how many of each were left. With DxDP I wouldn't have to worry about it--I think maybe my sanity is worth it so maybe I've talked myself into it .

 

[Aliceacc]

This is my first trip to WDW since 1990, so take this for what it's worth.

I'm happy to be on the regular DDP. One table service meal (dinners in my case) per day will be enough. More than that and I think the kids will be itching to be in the parks or pool.

My sister just returned from her first trip in about 20 years (there was NO way to get our schedules to coincide) ; she said the Deluxe plan was simply too much food and too much time in restaurants.

What we're doing is this: I placed an order with www.gardengrocer.com for bottled water and breakfast foods. (cereal, milk, fruit, muffins, donuts....) We'll do breakfast in the room each day, get an early start, have lunch in the parks, hit the pool in the afternoon, then head to our ADRs on our way out for the evenings.

Does that help at all?

 

[annnewjerz]

GREAT thread.

I completely understand about DH's eyes glazing over...although we don't go until September 09 so I also can understand why my DH doesn't give a hoot about planning this early in advance (I on the other hand, am too excited NOT to already be thinking about it).

Because we are going to Mexico this year and want to head to Alaska the year after, we thought that our 09 trip to Disney would serve as the inexpensive trip on our off year. Between my husband wanting to upgrade to a moderate, me wanting the DxDDP and wanting to stay 7 instead of 6 days...we have already reached $3300 for two of us!

If anyone has experience and can help steer us in the right direction for whether to get the DDP or the DxDDP that would be great. I really like the re-fillable mug, the extra snack and the ability to try out almost all of the restaurants I want to sample in a 7 day period!

It also helps that I just realized if you book the DxDDP, you still get the appetizers included with the plan. That's always a plus ) There is always room for calamari!

Ann

 

[nicolemag]

We are going in January with 2 adults and 3 children (6, 2, & 1) we are going for the deluxe plan. My children love to eat 3 small meals plus snacking throughout the day. We have scheduled a character breakfast every day and a TS for dinner. We will use the 3rd credit as a CS for lunch. I am lucky because my younger two are still free so they can help eat my share of the food. I hope this helps. Have a magical vacation.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Do it. Do it. Do it. Upgrade already.

We are going in August during free dining and have upgraded to the deluxe. I figure with free dining the upgrade was affordable.

We had too many ADRs we didn't want to cancel, we were already going to purchase the refillable mug, and we were going to order some appetizers anyways. The extra snacks were just the bonus.

We're just going to be the coolest parents when we tell Victor & Bella, "Sure you can have another ice cream, churro, etc. (fill in your own snack here)." ... "I kow your only allowed one treat a day and you already had an ice cream sundae at lunch" ... "we don;t have to follow mommy's rules ... we're in disneyworld"

 

[septbaby]

PLEASE, someone, out me out of my planning misery and just tell me what to do here!

We are a family of 2 adults, 2 young children (5 and 7) and a baby (1).
We are staying 6 nights at the Poly in August.
We do love to eat, and have ADRS at multiple character breakfasts, dinners, Ohana, Boma, and California Grill.

Should I upgrade to DxDP for the sake of getting whatever we want whenever we want it and knowing it's pre-paid?

I think that's true on either plan:
Basic plan just doesn't give you an appetizer and one less meal per day. Room service would be "expensive" but not prohibitive on the Basic plan.

I'm not sure exactly what your dilemma is, money?

We had a 5yo with us last summer and found we had enough food with the Basic plan for him and for us. We ate at 3 buffets (CM's, Boma, H&V) and Coral Reef and Narcoossee's. We actually paid OOP for him at Narcoossee's as he only wanted pasta and his drink was included. He ate there for $6, you may find a similar situation at CG! That saved a couple of child TS credits for "overbooked" meals. We used all of our credits, but had 2-3 CS left at the end and a CM are our resort Grab 'n Go helped us select "meals" to go. We ate well at WDW and spent very little OOP. Mom did a great job spending our snack credits. We had 15 and I can only account for 1-2 that were actually "mine". Alas, it was Mom so what do I say. Even with that I had plenty and enough.

The Deluxe will cost you $84 more per day. Let's say that's $12 for snacks and another $12 for refills. The question becomes does your family need/want more meals daily to the the tune of $60/day? Honestly, I think you will find a lot of sharing of CS meals so those credits will go far. Even if you have to pay OOP for additional CS type meals it probably won't cost you $60/day for your group. Look at it like this: if you ate a TS breakfast at Kona everyday would you spend $60 on breakfast? You'd stil have a TS left for dinner and a CS lunch as well as 4 snacks per day.

Kona Breakfast: no skimping option
Big Kahuna platter, Steak and Egg adult meals with Pressed pot of coffee, juice, smoothie and add a bowl of fruit for the baby $32.25
Kids Meals - $10.18
Total $45.19 with tax, and that includes extras (pressed pot, fruit bowl, not sure about smoothie) that aren't included on either DP

So even if you had a whale of a breakfast daily you'd still be $15 under the Deluxe plan fee.

Now if your upgrade is from Free Dining, the $84 a day might be worth it just for the heck of it. Just be sure there aren't some other things you'd rather spend that money on: BBB appointments for your princesses, GF Tea for the girls, in room sitter and date night for you and DH, etc. Pirate and Princess party tickets (not sure if it is during your stay), shopping at DTD, a meal at Rain Forest cafe(not on DP), etc.

 

[danielle.st]

We're doing deluxe because my family needs 3 real meals a day (snacks in the room for breakfast just aren't going to work for us). Also, my kids would be bored silly eating the same things for lunch and dinner everyday. With the deluxe we can choose a lot more buffets for choices.
Also, we are not coming back to the room on the middle of the day (December) to rest or swim, so the midday TS meal will be a nice break where we can still see characters/be entertained and still rest our feet. So we don't mind taking time from the rides to eat.
Good Luck deciding!

 

[snykymom]

I'm going to go the other way - d and I love to eat, and we have ADRs at three 2 credit restaurants. I've decided not to get any dining plan.

The Basic, while it would probably be enough food, doesn't work for the way we like to eat. There are times when the appetizers are more interesting to me than the entrees. Sometimes I'll want one or two, skip the entree and have dessert. Can't do that on the Basic plan. D would love to have the cheese soup at Le Cellier, but it's not included on Basic. So that's out.

Deluxe? Way too much food. It's very rare that either of us will have an appetizer, entree and dessert at a meal, never mind at two. And then, on top of 3 meals, having two snacks as well? I want to walk around Disney, not roll!

Make no mistake - whether it's "prepaid" or not, you're still paying for the meals. So I'm "prepaying" them myself - I'm keeping the $80/day for each of us in an "escrow" vacation account. I'm still going to order whatever I want, have the snacks I want when I want them. Then I'll figure out what we've spent, not depriving ourselves at all. My guess is that, at worst, I'll break even. But I won't feel like I have to overeat or run around looking for meals I'm not hungry for, just to "get my money's worth".

So it's out of pocket for us!

 

[inkedupmomma]

we have also decided to upgrade to deluxe from the free basic plan. I am happy we did this! I know how everyone keeps saying "oh how can you eat three meals a day".. we're not. What we are doing is as many siganture and 2ts credits as we want though! I loved the basic dp in 2005, it worked well at the time. But now we can do HDDMR,CRT,SOA,NARCOOSES,etc and not even bat an eye lash! it also leaves lots of leftover for our brekafast and lunches on th days we have late dinner. And dd will be thrilled to bring home awesome wdw snacks.. well what's left of it as i have mega plans for them.. can you say school bread and goofy's candy in dtd!! yeah we're pysched. I also like that I can share all my food with ds who is free on the plan as he is my adventurous eater and allergic to most of the things on the kids menu anyways

PP I am curiosu to see how your plan turns out, please keep me/us updated. we may do the oop thing as well next time!

 

[annnewjerz]

snykymom -

You do have to take into account with the DxDDP that the "snacks" are considered drinks, as well. If you are going in September to take advantage of the free dining offer, most people will drink at LEAST two drinks when it is that hot and humid. As far as the food goes, with the DxDDP you get three "meals" but none of them have to be TS, so you can still get a CS breakfast and use two of the meals for Signature dining, which ends up not being that much food for one day when all is said and done.

I know that for our 09 trip my Husband and I would like to go to Hollywood Brown Derby, Flying Fish Cafe and Cinderella's Royal Table which will use up 6 meal credits out of 18 total for a 7 day trip. Considering those meals for two people including an appetizer, entree, dessert and drink would probably run around $100 for two people, for some people the DxDDP is definitely a great savings. And, you also can't forget that if someone goes out to a TS meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner...they aren't obligated to get each course offered. If I wanted to skip dessert (since I also would never really eat dessert at lunch), you can, and probably still save money.

All depends on how you look at it.

 

[snykymom]

Oh, if I were doing free dining, then yes, I would upgrade. I was talking about buying one or the other of the dining plans. We're going in January - no free dining for us.

And yes, if I can find the thread when I return, I'll be certain to keep you updated!

 

[mpls_mm]

We went regular dining last time and are upgrading this time. We paid just enough out of pocket last time to really be annoying. I want the freedom this time. We ran out of credits on our next to last day and paid oop for CG and Garden Grill, it was over $200 right there, we would have been better off and not had to pinch credits.

 

[amyy]

Can someone help me figure out the price difference from the basic dining plan to the del. I see where it is figured in with tickets and I get confused trying to subtract the tickets out etc. And if I want to upgrade can I do that the day we check in? No extra charge?

We check in on Wed. We have a few 2 TS meals, then when I think about paying for the app, extra snack, lunch etc maybe it pays to upgrade.

thanks for your help.

Came back to edit-I found and it is about $32 more per day if I did the math right.

 

[Cookie Princess]

I am trying to decide whether to go with the deluxe plan too. It just seems like a big price jump. It also seems like a lot of time spent eating which can take away from time riding the attractions. I am getting splinters sitting on the "DDP fence".

 

[stella27]

I am trying to decide whether to go with the deluxe plan too. It just seems like a big price jump. It also seems like a lot of time spent eating which can take away from time riding the attractions. I am getting splinters sitting on the "DDP fence".

Me too. Someone said earlier that they didn't understand the dilemma - was it money? and the answer is It's not the money, it's just the dilemma of whether we will feel like we're spending too much time eating; whether it's a good value for us; whether we will need all those meals; whether we will regret NOT getting it as we are paying out of pocket for every little extra...

it's just the dilemma of whether it's the right plan for us - that's all. And it's still making me crazy!

 

[septbaby]

Me too. Someone said earlier that they didn't understand the dilemma - was it money? and the answer is It's not the money, it's just the dilemma of whether we will feel like we're spending too much time eating; whether it's a good value for us; whether we will need all those meals; whether we will regret NOT getting it as we are paying out of pocket for every little extra...
QUOTE]

That was me asking about the dilemma. Financially you can likely eat for less money. However, since money isn't the concern I say go with the plan. Here is my rationale.

You are staying at the Poly, so the fears of being tied to ADR time is eased by the availability of room service. If you make an ADR and miss it you always have the option of going back to the room to eat. You can also use RS or breakfast. Order one adult meal and one child meal. There should be enough food to feed everyone and that works out to one meal credit per person. So that takes care of the being tied down and taking time.

Schedule some other 2TS meals: HDDR or Luau for the kids, Narcoossee's or CG for Wishes and even CRT since you have princesses. All of those will help squeeze time out of the eating part of your schedule while giving you some special meal experiences.