Help me with dining plan decisions.

[texascop2]

 

[sharonabe]

Still waiting....

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our dining plan board.

 

[havoc315]

dining plan is ALWAYS worth it if you pick the right restaurants!! book early and get into goo table service and that meal alone will be around 50 bucks a person. eat the good snacks and its really a no brainer.... i just dont think you see it

Right restaurants? Good snacks? The right restaurants and good snacks for me, are the ones I want to eat -- not the ones that cost a ton of money.
I can go to the "right restaurant" - but I would still have no desire for dessert, and may just want a salad for dinner. And I may want an apple as my snack during the day. Under such circumstances, the dining plan would never be a value.

If you want lots of desserts, and tend to go towards expensive entrees, and expensive snacks, then yes, the ddp is a value.

 

[amandals2007]

Right restaurants? Good snacks? The right restaurants and good snacks for me, are the ones I want to eat -- not the ones that cost a ton of money.
I can go to the "right restaurant" - but I would still have no desire for dessert, and may just want a salad for dinner. And I may want an apple as my snack during the day. Under such circumstances, the dining plan would never be a value.

If you want lots of desserts, and tend to go towards expensive entrees, and expensive snacks, then yes, the ddp is a value.

And if that's how you eat then it's not good for you. My family eats very cheaply ast home all the tone and on vacation we like to splurge and the dining plan makes that possible for us. It's not for everyone but I meant that saying that it works for us. The more expensive restaurants are the ones we found we like the best so we save money using the plan.

 

[pooch]

and, yes its covered under the plan!! The first year we tried Free DDP, we gave up the only discount available to us (15% AAA room discount of $300 at WL) and got $1900 in free food for a family of 4 for 9 days. Would we have ordered all that food OOP? Abso-bloomin-lutely not but we had a lot of fun doing it, everyone tasting everything and certainly taking a lot of desserts back to the room.

Since then, the plan has become less all-encompassing and, for the first time, we are paying to upgrade from QS to Reg. However, DD and I are so attuned at this point to the plan that I can't imagine going without it. We stay at POP so a room discount would save, at most, $30. Free DDP gives us way more than that. Maximizing the plan for us means eating where and what we want, don't mind planning ADR's and we split our CS meals usually getting packaged fruit as dessert to munch later. Its not for everyone but can be a lot of fun!!

 

[sharonabe]

Okay DDP Diehards...here's a challenge.

The OP asked (almost begged) for someone to show them how the DDP is a value.

So, show us! Give us a couple sample days of realistically eating in the parks and how much money you "save."

It's bedtime on my side of the world. Hoping to find some takers in the morning.

Come on you guys,

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

 

[lesabrowning]

my cards get paid off every month so putting my meals on a cedit card or putting the DP on a credit card doesnt matter, it will get paid for in a few weeks either way. I know some families on a tighter budget like the idea of having the food already paid for when they get there. I can appreciate that.
i am all about the numbers...
i looked at the links to the menus and believe I will save money without the DP.
Whatever works for each of us, right?

Those are my thoughts exactly. I pay the bills exactly the same way. Currently the dining plans work for our family, but the minute I am not saving money, I am back to going OOP or with the TIW card as we have APs.

I thought this might be the year we skip the plan, but when I added up all our meal costs for our next trip, we are saving a decent amount by using the Deluxe plan. (lots of signature meals and our only kid this trip is still a Disney kid..)

Everyone should do the math and then do what works to save them money.

 

[pooch]

It's bedtime on my side of the world. Hoping to find some takers in the morning.

Come on you guys,

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

We stayed at a Moderate so I am estimating at most a 30% room discount on $150.00 that we gave up so $45 per night. We stayed 9/5 thru 9/12.
This is based off receipts I saved, there may be more I can't find and yes for the most part (90%) we would have WANTED what we ordered even OOP. Where possible I subtracted the price of desserts and most CS desserts were fruits to go:

9/5 WPE Lunch Chinois chicken & rigatoni bolognese. 2 diet cokes $32.00 without the desserts
Coral Reef dinner NY strip steak & Mahi Mahi, 2 sodas w/o dessert $68
Snacks bottled water & Fruit Cup $5.00
Total for the day : $105.00 plus desserts

9/6 ate the desserts for breakfast (hey its vaca!)
Cosmic Rays lunch (split) w/dessert 14.00
LTT dinner $62.00
Snack bottled water 2.00
Total $78.00

9/7 Breakfast POFQ Bounty platter & OJ (split) $14.00
Dinner Le Cellier w/dessert $94.00
Snacks 2 diet cokes $5.00
Total $113.00

9/8 Breakfast POFQ Waffles & Juice (split) $10.00
Lunch Terrace Grill Chili Dog, Pulled Pork Sand, 2 sodas & apple slices to go $22.00
Dinner MM Fantasmic Pkg $70
Snack Diet Coke $2.00 & a Frozen Banana no price listed
Total $104.00 plus frozen banana

9/9 Lunch POFQ Turkey sub, meatball sub drinks & dessert $27.00
Dinner Rose & Crown Roast Pork, surf & turf, 2 hot teas w/out dessert $55
Snacks frozen lemonade & carrots/celery sticks no price
Total $$82 plus snacks

9/10 Lunch w/dessert $13.00
Dinner Yak & Yeti w/out dessert $45.00
snacks 2 sodas, apple slices & chips $10
Total $68.00

9/11 Breakfast POFQ Pancakes, OJ $11.00
Lunch Electric Umbrella Chik nug, fruit, drink $10.00
Dinner Ohana $58.00
Snacks soda, muffin, bakery item - no prices
Total $79.00 plus snacks

9/12 Lunch POFQ Ham Sand, Club Wrap 2 bottled water, 2 rice crispie treats - no price $22.00?

So I gave up $315.00 in est room discounts and got over $650 in food plus the items for which I had no price and the desserts which we might not have gotten and I left off where I could. We spent about $30 in OOP food for items not included on the plan and $12-15 per TS meal for tips ($18 at Le Cellier)

I think I came out ahead.

 

[sissy_ib]

We stayed at a Moderate so I am estimating at most a 30% room discount on $150.00 that we gave up so $45 per night. We stayed 9/5 thru 9/12.

So I gave up $315.00 in est room discounts and got over $650 in food plus the items for which I had no price and the desserts which we might not have gotten and I left off where I could. We spent about $30 in OOP food for items not included on the plan and $12-15 per TS meal for tips ($18 at Le Cellier)

I think I came out ahead.

You had free dining. That is not offered all year and not everyone who goes when it is offered is eligible. I think it is offered less than two months a year.

 

[havoc315]

And if that's how you eat then it's not good for you. My family eats very cheaply ast home all the tone and on vacation we like to splurge and the dining plan makes that possible for us. It's not for everyone but I meant that saying that it works for us. The more expensive restaurants are the ones we found we like the best so we save money using the plan.

Agreed completely. I disagreed with your earlier statement that the plan is "always" worth it if you pick the right restaurants.
Under 2012 pricing, you can possibly still save money on the basic ddp. But you truly have to have very specific dining preferences and habits. Have 1 or 2 cheaper meals, skip 1 or 2 desserts, and you really won't save anything. (the math is very different under the DxDP)
Personally, I don't have cheap tastes, BUT I do not want dessert at every meal, and I'm not going to eat a steak more than 1-2 times in a week. I also very rarely would eat a CS meal.

 

[rawley2]

We stayed at a Moderate so I am estimating at most a 30% room discount on $150.00 that we gave up so $45 per night. We stayed 9/5 thru 9/12.
This is based off receipts I saved, there may be more I can't find and yes for the most part (90%) we would have WANTED what we ordered even OOP. Where possible I subtracted the price of desserts and most CS desserts were fruits to go:

9/5 WPE Lunch Chinois chicken & rigatoni bolognese. 2 diet cokes $32.00 without the desserts
Coral Reef dinner NY strip steak & Mahi Mahi, 2 sodas w/o dessert $68
Snacks bottled water & Fruit Cup $5.00
Total for the day : $105.00 plus desserts

9/6 ate the desserts for breakfast (hey its vaca!)
Cosmic Rays lunch (split) w/dessert 14.00
LTT dinner $62.00
Snack bottled water 2.00
Total $78.00

9/7 Breakfast POFQ Bounty platter & OJ (split) $14.00
Dinner Le Cellier w/dessert $94.00
Snacks 2 diet cokes $5.00
Total $113.00

9/8 Breakfast POFQ Waffles & Juice (split) $10.00
Lunch Terrace Grill Chili Dog, Pulled Pork Sand, 2 sodas & apple slices to go $22.00
Dinner MM Fantasmic Pkg $70
Snack Diet Coke $2.00 & a Frozen Banana no price listed
Total $104.00 plus frozen banana

9/9 Lunch POFQ Turkey sub, meatball sub drinks & dessert $27.00
Dinner Rose & Crown Roast Pork, surf & turf, 2 hot teas w/out dessert $55
Snacks frozen lemonade & carrots/celery sticks no price
Total $$82 plus snacks

9/10 Lunch w/dessert $13.00
Dinner Yak & Yeti w/out dessert $45.00
snacks 2 sodas, apple slices & chips $10
Total $68.00

9/11 Breakfast POFQ Pancakes, OJ $11.00
Lunch Electric Umbrella Chik nug, fruit, drink $10.00
Dinner Ohana $58.00
Snacks soda, muffin, bakery item - no prices
Total $79.00 plus snacks

9/12 Lunch POFQ Ham Sand, Club Wrap 2 bottled water, 2 rice crispie treats - no price $22.00?

So I gave up $315.00 in est room discounts and got over $650 in food plus the items for which I had no price and the desserts which we might not have gotten and I left off where I could. We spent about $30 in OOP food for items not included on the plan and $12-15 per TS meal for tips ($18 at Le Cellier)

I think I came out ahead.

This does not prove a thing?

Well it does prove it would be cheaper OOP. VS $54.00 a day per person

 

[sissy_ib]

This does not prove a thing?

Well it does prove it would be cheaper OOP. VS $54.00 a day per person

That poster came out ahead because they had free dining staying in a moderate resort. From what I have seen and read on the DIS getting the free regular dining plan staying in a moderate is about the only way you come ahead vs. room discount, monetarily. Staying deluxe with the free regular plan is not worth it if you can get a room only discount and staying value with the free QS plan also can be done cheaper with a room discount. Plus many who stay at a value with free QS upgrade it to the regular plan for additional cost.

 

[honeymo78]

From the earliest I can remember, my family used some plan that included dining (usually one that included tours and recreation). After joining DVC we had to completely rethink whether a dining plan was for us. Without the tours and recreation (plat and premium) we realized that we don't actually eat the way the plans want us to.

For our upcoming trip we were undecided on APs and therefore weren't sure we would have TiW so we looked at whether DDP would work for the trip. While it would have saved on the days we ate at Garden Grill, Whispering Canyon Cafe and did the Fantasmic Dinner Package, we weren't going to save at all the days we were eating at Crystal Palace breakfast, Kona Cafe breakfast, Via Napoli, Sci-Fi and 50s. We end up paying more on DDP. Maybe DxDDP would work - we couldn't remember what the break-even credit value was. But even the last time we were on DxDDP were were just going to break even but I got sick and we ended up losing money. Thankfully we decided on APs and TiW and we didn't have to worry about any other calculations.

 

[texascop2]

After reading these responses, I can see it is a good program for many.
I think for my family it may or may not save us anything...I am doubting any savings right now, but mainly the idea of having to plan our meals around what credits we have would cause more stress than I care for. I like stopping and eating what I want, when I want. While we are a working family and budget for our vacations, we have enough disposable income to not have to sweat the price of every meal.
I think paying OOP allows us more fredom and less constraints and (for us) that makes our vacation more enjoyable.

I may change my mind before March 2012, but these are my thoughts on the subject as of today.

As for the comparisons of free dining to hotel discounts...
Free dining isnt available on spring break which is when we have to go.
My question was DDP vs. OOP.

 

[pooch]

This does not prove a thing?

Well it does prove it would be cheaper OOP. VS $54.00 a day per person

the example I gave was from a 2008 trip. The price of the reg DDP at that time was $42 per person per day. So, for us that would have been $588 (42x2x7) plus the extra $30 OOP for a total of $618 for which I got $650 worth of food. So OOP would have cost more than the DDP and we still would have ordered what we ordered. The DDP plan costs more now but so does the food.

Additionally, DD and I never try (and we didn't that year) to max out the plan. We get what we want (see how many snack credits we used on $2 waters because we were thirsty not hungry, best use of credit? for us, yes. We didn't want more food, we wanted water!) I actually think this is a good example of how the DDP can work and save money (not necessarily much but savings is savings) if it fits your eating habits. We eat what we want when we want and love TS dinners as a relaxing break.

I won't say the DDP is for everyone. It certainly is not but you can eat the way you want and what you want and save money using the DDP even if it isn't free.

 

[pooch]

oops

 

[rawley2]

the example I gave was from a 2008 trip. The price of the reg DDP at that time was $42 per person per day. So, for us that would have been $588 (42x2x7) plus the extra $30 OOP for a total of $618 for which I got $650 worth of food. So OOP would have cost more than the DDP and we still would have ordered what we ordered. The DDP plan costs more now but so does the food.

Additionally, DD and I never try (and we didn't that year) to max out the plan. We get what we want (see how many snack credits we used on $2 waters because we were thirsty not hungry, best use of credit? for us, yes. We didn't want more food, we wanted water!) I actually think this is a good example of how the DDP can work and save money (not necessarily much but savings is savings) if it fits your eating habits. We eat what we want when we want and love TS dinners as a relaxing break.

I won't say the DDP is for everyone. It certainly is not but you can eat the way you want and what you want and save money using the DDP even if it isn't free.

If it was still $42.00 a day I would be all over it. When I sit and look at what my family would order we would come out an easy $30.00 a day in the red. For one they want to charge my 12 YO like an adult!!

It's just not for us.

 

[pooch]

If it was still $42.00 a day I would be all over it. When I sit and look at what my family would order we would come out an easy $30.00 a day in the red. For one they want to charge my 12 YO like an adult!!

It's just not for us.

your family like you do. That's why we have choices. Hope you have a great vacation.

 

[havoc315]

the example I gave was from a 2008 trip. The price of the reg DDP at that time was $42 per person per day. So, for us that would have been $588 (42x2x7) plus the extra $30 OOP for a total of $618 for which I got $650 worth of food. So OOP would have cost more than the DDP and we still would have ordered what we ordered. The DDP plan costs more now but so does the food.

Comparing 2008 to 2012... If your savings were small in 2008, then you will not likely save in 2012.
Yes, the prices of the food have increased, but not nearly as much as the price of the ddp. The ddp has been going up 10% per year, while the food, on average, goes up 2-3% per year.