has anyone done the actual math

[moaddi]

to see if the ddp is worth it? we would get an app/dessert maybe a couple times but not every night? i was wondering if the actual numbers showed the real value? i thought i saw this a long time ago???

 

[SpecialK]

I went through the menus and added up what we would typically order at the TS restaurants where we have ADRs. I didn't include desserts. The total ended up being about $100 less than what the dining plan would cost us. So, when you figure in what we will spend on counter service and snacks, even if we order TS differently, we'll come out ahead or break even. We ended up adding the dining plan for the convenience.

 

[dd50]

Yes, I don't normally do a TS every day of my stay. I never buy dessert with dinners either. So for me it is way more than I usually spend but I figured we will try it and see how it goes. Should have tried it when it was free but going the week before.

It depends on how you eat. Check the menu's and see how you normally eat and how much you spend vs what you would get with the plan.

 

[remark44]

It depends on how you use it. But for me the savings is under the $200 range. However I do it for the convenience. It's nice to know it is (mostly) paid for when you arrive. I say mostly because there are still tips and a few extra meals.

And this time it's FREE. So it is totaly worth it.

 

[princessjane]

After doing the Math for our last trip we came out ahead $39 bucks. But then again we had about 5 snack credits left on the last day and ended up getting some stuff to bring home on the plane.

If you use your TS credit for Dinner, you can end up ahead depending on where you eat. I don't normally order dessert so sometimes that's a waste on me. I've decided to only do the QS from now on unless I'm getting free dining.

 

[ReneeA]

While our kids are still considered children on the DDP, it will be a good value for us. Once they become "adults" on the plan, we'll have to refigure.

I have ran the numbers over and over again, and we come out ahead about $100-200 on the DDP...we end up "spending" about $400-500 more that the DDP costs. Even with the fact that we wouldn't do a TS meal every day (probably every other), and we wouldn't order as many desserts without it.

You won't ever know for sure until you take about an hour and sit down with the menus and pricing and figure out what everyone in your party would be likely to order. That's how I've decided that it's a good deal.

 

[gigi1313]

we have done the "math" by keeping our receipts, adding up the total cost of the meal and subtracting out the cost of the dining plan (when we were not there for free dining... obviously *then* it's a great deal! LOL!) and have consistently come out ahead by hundreds of dollars over a 7 to 10 day trip... we came out furthest ahead when we used the deluxe dining plan...

 

[themousetrap]

We did the math. For our 4/3, wanted to sit down at least 5 times during our 7 night stay with at least one character meal. After adding up all the meals for two adults and a child for the places we wanted to eat, we came out at approx the same price as the DDP - and that was before counter service lunches and quick snacks. So, it's basically like pre-paying all the meals and getting counter service and snacks for free.

So, it would have definitely benefited us to get the DDP.

 

[Tricia1972]

We did the math prior to our last trip, and our numbers prior to the trip were the same as what they were after the trip. We save without the plan, but the regular DDP and DxDDP don't fit the way we eat. We're looking at possibly doing the QSDP in January 2010, which might fit us better.

 

[Misty89]

i did the "math" for upgrading from free dining to deluxe, it added $197 to my bill ( 2 adults) and after i did rough mock up our estimated ADR's (like PP said, it took me about an hour to do)
I estimate it would cost us about $467 OOP.
so it would save us $270 roughly.
we have chosen a mix of 2 TS, reg TS, Character and CS.

I plan to save all reciepts to figure it out exactly when we get back home.

 

[lilandvisma]

We did the math. For our 4/3, wanted to sit down at least 5 times during our 7 night stay with at least one character meal. After adding up all the meals for two adults and a child for the places we wanted to eat, we came out at approx the same price as the DDP - and that was before counter service lunches and quick snacks. So, it's basically like pre-paying all the meals and getting counter service and snacks for free.

So, it would have definitely benefited us to get the DDP.

Same here....

I went back and forth about adding it on and finally did today. I added it all up came out way ahead, refigured the way I would order if we werent going to do the plan and limited to 3 or 4 ts and like 1/2 of the cs meals and am still coming out nearly $300 ahead so yes, its worth it for us, esp. with the ages of our girls and the fact that we made 5 character meal ressies.

As tight as I am I sucked it up and added it today It does not make sense for us not to, esp with the raise in cost for the summer pricing for character meals and such... I think I was at $600 for only 3 ts for 2 ad and 1 child (essentially) and a lot of splitting of cs and $5-$10 approx per day for snacks...oh and a planet hollywood dinner with our $15 certificate.

I just hope it adds to our Magic I doubt we are going to regret it (unless I come home weighing more lol, then we'll have some problems haha)

 

[mom2aredhead]

While our kids are still considered children on the DDP, it will be a good value for us. Once they become "adults" on the plan, we'll have to refigure.

Us too. I have one 5.5 year old, and we still do lots of character meals, so for that alone, it's a huge savings since the price of 1 character meal is the price of a child DDP for the day. When he's 10 - probably not if he continues to be as horrific an eater as he is now.

Our TS last trip were:
The Wave (dinner)
Chef's de France (dinner)
Boma (dinner)
Crystal Palace (dinner)
Chef Mickey's (breakfast)
Grand Floridian Cafe (dinner)
Cape May Cafe (breakfast)

If I added up what we ate at those alone, I'd probably be close the $650 we paid for the DDP, and we had all of our CS and lots of snacks on top of it. I do have to add that we ordered NO DIFFERENTLY just because we were on DDP - no one got the most expensive thing, just 'cause we could, we skipped our included dessert (once) and we ordered apps and just paid OOP. We ate what we wanted, not what was included.
My intention is always to save every receipt and do the math, but in the end, the receipts end up in the trash and I ballpark the numbers in my head. I figure that if I break even, I'm happy.

 

[SpecialK]

We did the math. For our 4/3, wanted to sit down at least 5 times during our 7 night stay with at least one character meal. After adding up all the meals for two adults and a child for the places we wanted to eat, we came out at approx the same price as the DDP - and that was before counter service lunches and quick snacks. So, it's basically like pre-paying all the meals and getting counter service and snacks for free.

So, it would have definitely benefited us to get the DDP.

Same for us. We have 8 TS meals scheduled for our 7 night stay so I'll either cancel one or pay OOP for the least expensive. Even though I have to pay the adult price for my 11 and 13 year old boys, it's worth it for the way they eat. I'm looking at snacks and counter service the same way.

 

[singnring]

Everyone is different because everyone uses it differently.

I really think you're bet off to do the math for your own family's plans.

For my family, we would never pay OOP for it.

We use the DDP only if it's offered for free. Even then, I have to do the math because the price of the room is at full rack rate.

When I compare the FD package cost to a room only discount and purchasing our usual food, it's a break-even.

Once I factor tips into the equation, it actually ends up costing more to go on the FD.

But, it makes it so we can do the breakfast buffets, so we opt for the FD and pay the tips!!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

DS12 and I went earlier this year and did DDP for the first time. He likes breakfast a lot so we did buffets mainly with 2 TS dinners, 2 TS lunches, and 3 TS breakfast buffets. I saved our receipts and figured that we saved about $40-$60.

We are going back in December and taking the whole family and I have decided to do the DDP again. When I looked at where we wanted to eat and what we would order I think we will save a $100-$200.

I really enjoy eating at Disney and love the convienence of having our food prepaid.

 

[La2kw]

We have never spent as much on food as the DDP would cost us. We use TIW instead. Besides, I prefer an appetizer over a dessert and 3 desserts a day is way too much.

 

[chrismom3]

It really depends on your specific situation. We've never used the DDP and this year we were going to Disney during the Free Dining period, so we figured we'd go ahead and try it. However, when I booked by room, the CM told me I had a 40% discount rate on the room attached to my name (we're annual passers). After figuring out the totals, it was over $300 MORE to get a Free Dining package versus booking a "room only" with my 40% discount and paying OOP for my food. Also with the AP, you have the option of buying the Tables In Wonderland discount card for $75 and this gets you 20% off all your TS meals for the entire year. So, we're going during FD and not getting FD!! Go figure!!!

 

[catne]

I have done the math, every trip, and we've always saved money using the dining plan. But it really depends on how & where you want to eat. We like small breakfast (a cereal bar or pastry & coffee) We like counter service lunches & sit-down menu table service. We tend to like the higher end menu items at both counter service & table service...we're not your hot-dog for lunch & pasta for dinner types. We like the BBQ ribs for lunch & the steaks for dinner. And we really enjoy desserts...don't usually eat those at other times, just part of our vacation experience. We tend to save about $20 per day for DH & myself; saved about $30 a day with DH, me, DD & her BFF last week. (The girls do tend to order less expensive options than DH & myself.)

If you prefer large breakfasts, if you prefer buffets, if you're not going to want the desserts...if you don't want a sit-down table service a day then no, the dining plans are probably not a money-saver for you.

 

[jennc27]

We did the math as well! We decided on doing CS meals. With two small kids did not want to be tied down to ADR's each day. I used my excel sheet and the menus from allearsnet.com to get prices for what we would want to eat each day. My husband wanted us to share meals, order an extra side, drink water, and let the kids get their own meals for lunch and dinner (they can eat a lot). My husband could eat a whole meal himself, so I was not to sure how this would work. I sat down for weeks going over menus, typing in amounts, and also figuring in buying breakfast foods, water, and snacks from a store. Once I had the price down I figured what the package would be for QSDP. I have since deleted the excel sheet, but I think it was around $200 we saved and each person had their own meal. Plus as a bonus we each got a refillable mug and two snacks per day. Looking at the snack list here on DIS I relized that I could use one of the two snacks for breakfast. Yeah more money saved! The best reason of all for my family is that we can order what we want without haveing to watch the budget. It does depend on each family what works for them. As I said, my husband can eat a meal himself, and my kids can eat a lot. So for us it works great.

 

[3lilpiggies]

This will be our first time getting the ddp. My husband and kids are big eaters. I figure this way we could order what we wanted and not worry about the price. When we went last year, we spent around $600 in 3 days on just food. We only had 2 ts meals during that time. I even went to the store and got food for the room. With spending just $400 more, we could get a ts meal everyday and not worry about the price. The way I look at it is that we get more food at one time and that means less everyone will want to eat later because we may have food to go. It could also mean leftover snacks.