Help me DDP Experts-should we be on DDP?

[Lyn-CA]

For me and DH's Dec trip, I never really looked into the DDP because, well frankly, I was simply unfamiliar with it. And since I started planning in June, my head has been swimming in all things Disney and I can't stop long enough to figure out on my own whether we should be on the DDP, based on our ADRs:

12/6: Lunch @ Earl of Sandwich; Dinner @ Hoop Dee Doo
12/7: Beignets; Lunch w/ Imagineer; Dinner @ Shulas (not part of DDP)
12/8: Lunch @ Mama Melrose; Dinner @ Citricos
12/9: KTTK Lunch; CP @ Marrakesh
12/10: GF Tea; Dinner @ CG
12/11: Lunch @ Yacht Club Galley; Dinner @ Yachtsman Steakhouse
12/12: Lunch @ Coral Reef; Dinner @ Narcoosees
12/13: Main St Bakery; Lunch @ WCC; Dinner @ LTT (MVMCP)
12/14: Breakfast 1900 Park Fare; Dinner @ Flying Fish
12/15: Lunch @ Sci Fi

 

[pooch]

but I count 19 TS credits based on your ADR's, give or take a few, for 10 days. Now this is JUST MY OPINION, but all those meals are going to take an awful lot of park time. You'll spend half your day eating! In my experience, TS meals can take 1 1/2 to 2 hrs each, not to mention travel time. I would cut out half of them and go for the DDP, especially because of the changes for next year.

 

[donatalie]

I agree with pooch!
The DDP with cover one Counter Service and one Table Service per day.
You seem to have all Table Service planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
The DDP will cover one each day and then the rest would be OOP........so not really much of a savings considering all of the cs you would be forfeiting.

 

[fla4fun]

Some people really prefer to dine at table service restaurants. If this describes your family, then no, the 2007 DDP will not work well for you. If you are willing to dine at CS locations once per day, then it will. CS has changed some over the past few years, so it's not all burgers and fries anymore.

In 2008, they do have a dining plan that will allow three TS meals per day, although it is much more expensive than the current plan.

So first, I would decide if you really want the TS dining or if you are OK with some CS. That is your first decision. If you decide some CS is OK, then look at how much you typically spend at a TS restaurant (do you order an appetizer, entree and dessert, or just an entree?). If you don't mind some CS, and you would typically order all three courses at a TS restaurant, then the DDP would be a good match.

Personally, the DDP isn't a good match for me, because I don't like to be tied to ADR's every day, and I'm OK with more CS dining. I also don't order all three courses when I dine at TS restaurants (in fact, usually I only order the entree). But each family's needs are different and only you can make the decision.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

It looks like you are staying 9-10 nights and eating at many high end (two credit) restaurants.

Based on what you have listed here, if an annual pass holder discount is offered on room rates, that may be beneficial as you could purchase an AP and the disney dining experience (DDE) for 20% off most of your meals.

This may provide you better savings based on what you've written.

Or, you could check into the premium or platinum plans as they cover 3 table service meals per day.

 

[Topo Bella]

We've gone to WDW with the dining plan and without, and we preferred going with the DDP. I will give you one suggestion, however. When we went in 2002, the dining plan provided 2 table service meals a day. Well, by about the 2nd day of the trip, my family was ready to lynch me because we spent more time trying to get to our meal reservations than touring. I also remember feeling like I'd never stopped eating.

The current DDP which provides one counter and one table service meal seems just about perfect to me. There still is an plenty of food, but one of the meals is quicker and smaller.

Mostly, I just like being able to enjoy some nice meals without worrying about the bill.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Given your plans I would say the DDP will not work. As others have mentioned, you are eating mostly full service and will end up wasting a lot of cs credits since you won't have enough meals to use them. If you can cut your list to one full service meal per day then the DDP would make sense. However, even with the total number of sit down meals being one a day, it still might not be the best thing. Carefully look over the menus and pricing on allearsnet.com If you think at some of these places, you can share a meal (you can share when you pay out of pocket as long as its not a buffet) then sometimes its cheaper to not do the DDP. For my family (which is two adults and two pre teen kids who are paying adults on the DDP) we can eat cheaper off the DDP using our DDE card and sharing some meals. It's alot of research I know! If you want to stick with all of your full service meals which is certainly understandable, then check into one AP and the DDE card to see if that might save some money.

 

[mrzrich]

Thr premium dining plan would be good for you. It DOES cover 3 meals a day and it does not matter if they are CS, TS, or Signature. Also It will cover the cost of your KTTK tour and maybe even the Imagineer lunch (Not sure though)

 

[Lyn-CA]

I made a decision to stick with OOP and not worry about DDP.

DH and I are trying out 16 new restaurants on this our 4th trip and repeating 5 of our favs. Most of our dinners are at Signature restaurants as it is also our 8th anniversary trip. I will be taking lots of pix (and hopefully remember to take pictures of the food before our first bites).

And Pooch, don't worry about us missing out on park time. We are chowhounds who 'live to eat' so for DH and I, it's food first, parks second.

Thanks also for the info about 2008 DDP offering more TS. Now, I just have to convince DH to go again next year and then we may just get APs and DDE. Hmm, gotta call DH now.