How are you getting the most out of DDP?

[jcpuppy.com]

I think, you hit the nail on the head. We used the dining plan last year and I think we saved a good bit of money. 4 adults 3 kids. We especially had a lot of snack tickets left over which we just got the rice cripsy treats and took home with us. I never did the exact calculations for cost savings, but even if I didn't save a dime or even paid extra, the peace of mind of not having to guess how much we are spending, whether we can afford this meal or choosing off a menu based on cost was worth the dining plan anyday. certainly, no one went hungry and neither daddy nor I were stressed and worrying about cost.
I think it is a fantastic idea Disney has. We stayed at a resort, flew to the airport, had the magical express take us there. Once we got to Fl we didn't worry about anything mundane beyond "which park do you want to do today"
No phones, no bills, no house problems, work problems..just relax and peace.
We are doing it all again this year and the biggest reason we choose Disney over all the other choices we had was simply because we won't have to think or worry about anything while there.

 

[new_mouser]

Post here your plans to get the most out of the DDP. Are you planning on......
1) sharing meals so you can eat at more places,
2) Pay OOP for some things to eat at more places,
3) order expensive menus items,
4) Pay OOP for child's means and use the TS credits for other restaurants
5) other than what is listed.....

Just curious what everyone was doing.

1 - Yes, DD and I will probably share CS meals. She's 5 and I generally eat kid-size meals to begin with, so I feel like we can subsist on splitting these. If not, we can always split another meal someplace else in the park.

2 - Yes, but in a different way than what I think you mean. I want to eat at more TS meals than I have credits for, so I'm splurging for a couple of extra meals - CRT and one of my breakfasts - OOP to take them all in.

3 - No, but I will probably eat more desserts than I need to.

4 - No, that's just tacky

5 - May save up some Mickey Rice Krispie treat snacks to eat for breakfast. Hey, it's cereal and we're on vacation, right?

 

[MinnieM3]

The only thing I want out of the dining plan is no stress for dh. I want it all paid for and he can kick back, relax, enjoy our meals without worrying about price. I want my girls to go to resturaunts we will enjoy and order whatever their little hearts desire (big or small).

I've done the calculations, I do believe we will get our monies worth on the plan. But, the stress free atmosphere is the main perk of the plan for us.

Ditto! I'm not doing any major calculations on sharing at this place and not sharing at another. I do think if we have things left over toward the end of the trip, we'll use it for breakfast and not have a muffin in the room as usual.

The only thing I'm still not sure about is the snack thing. I would like to get things like a cone at Mrs. Potts' Cupboard or an cookie/ice cream sandwich at Main Street Bakery. Maybe they'll add some stuff onto the snacks. It seems kinda limited compared to the other things.

 

[tinkerbeth]

we haven't done it before, but part of the appeal of the ddp to me is the lack of stress like some others have said. Of course, we're going during free dining which is even LESS stress. I'm not planning to crunch the credits, or waste food. We have a ds4 who is a "skinny mini" and doesn't eat too much usually, especially not in the heat of august. So if 2 cs meals looks like enough for the 3 of us, that's what we'll do, same as if we were paying. If not, we'll get him his own. At a TS meal, we would never ever be able to eat app, main and desert so we'll likely order 2 adult meals and share with him. I'd rather he eat some of my food than chicken nuggets and fries anyways. We try to have him eat healthy food and not "kids meals" when we go out anyway.

I dont' feel like I'm cheating the system one bit. If we use up all our ts credits and we want to go to Boma for breakfast on our last day, we'll go anyway and pay oop. We've still saved a TONNE of money so paying for one meal at boma instead of the 4 we did last trip will still be a bonus to me!

If I have extra snack credits, I'll take mickey rice crispy treats home for my mom and my nephew.

I'm interested to see how it will work for us. And I'm totally looking forward to it. If anything, at TS restaurants that aren't buffet, I at least won't have to pay such close attention to the prices of the meals I'm ordering. I'm alwasy conscious of how much the entrees cost but this time I will order whatever I feel like, even if it's the most expensive thing on the menu! Wahoo!

JMO.

Beth

 

[Tinkerbelll]

I really don't understand all the problems people have with food sharing. When people share food, they are ordering the same amount of food (or maybe even less) than if they didn't share, they are paying the same price for the plate of food, and the food is going to the same place... in their tummy or in the garbage. I really don't think it matters what PLATE you're eating off of... ont eh DDP you still get the same # of food credits whether you share or not and each meal that you order will come with the same amount of food on the plate, regardless of the number of people who will be eating it. You're paying the same price, for the same ammount of food. What's the problem??

 

[Cookie Princess]

Our plan is to eat what we like, where we like and not worry about trying to "maximize the plan". We did this last year based on e-mails from this board and trying to maximize the plan took away from the pleasure factor. Especially since we are getting the plan FREE this time around, we aren't going to worry about how much we are saving...

 

[calie_j]

Post here your plans to get the most out of the DDP. Are you planning on......
1) sharing meals so you can eat at more places,
2) Pay OOP for some things to eat at more places,
3) order expensive menus items,
4) Pay OOP for child's means and use the TS credits for other restaurants
5) other than what is listed.....

Just curious what everyone was doing.

We're going during free dining, just DD8 & I, and only able to go because it was so cheap so no OOP for us (well maybe for a dole whip float but that's it). DD is a picky eater so it's hard to share with her since I don't want to eat chicken strips or grilled cheese, if our family of 5 was going we would be sharing at all TS but I'd make the teens share the entree and I'd share the app with H and we'd all share the desserts. I considered sharing one TS meal at Sci Fi (DD wants to go) but that messes up our credits and we'd either have an extra TS or CS we couldn't use since we only need 1 meal on arrival and departure days. I like ordering what I want so wouldn't order the most expensive items.

Since it's free dining I'm not worried about value I just want to use our credits in a way that uses them all up without us going hungry so here's my plan: We have 7 nights/8 days so 2 meals/day for our 6 full days and 1 meal for the 1st and last day that are half days. 7 TS meals each using our own credits, 1TS/day mostly with 2 on one day but none on arrival or departure day. For CS we'll have 1 each on arrival day & departure day which gives us 1 each day we only have 1TS/day. I might share a CS one day with DD so she can have tuna sandwich at CHH and share another with her the day we have an early character breakfast. I'll bring some breakfast food for the room to eat every day except our early character breakfast day and departure day for mickey waffles at the food court before we leave. Not sure what I'm doing with our snack credits yet; I want to get 5 mickey krispie treats to bring home, I'll be getting water with all CS meals just cause I don't want soda twice a day but I don't have a problem refilling them with tap water, I might get fruit a few times just so DD is eating semi healthy. The rest will go for icecream but not sure if we'll need snacks often enough to have to share.

Calie

 

[pedro2112]

We have more than one TS planned a day (on average) and are also doing signature dining and Hoop Dee Doo. Consequently we are being forced to pay for some things out of pocket. We are obviously not idiots, so we will pay for kids meals out of pocket rather than adult meals.

Other than that, we will just eat what we normally eat. We really don't change our eating habits while on the dining plan, and we end up saving money anyways.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Post here your plans to get the most out of the DDP. Are you planning on......
1) sharing meals so you can eat at more places,
2) Pay OOP for some things to eat at more places,
3) order expensive menus items,
4) Pay OOP for child's means and use the TS credits for other restaurants
5) other than what is listed.....

Just curious what everyone was doing.

I am going on a solo trip so

1 Can't share, might get odd looks if I tried that one
2 Pay OOP for a breakfast at Boma and a lunch at CRT (I know its expensive but I really want to eat there)
3 I will order what I want but I thought I saw buffalo at one of the resteraunts I have an ADR for and I haven't ever had that.
5 just relax and have fun I will not be at work, I am missing a night shift and a morning shift what could be more perfect than a couple of weeks with normal days?

 

[Letsbgoofy]

My DH and I will be going in late August. The DP is free, but we had planned to purchase it anyways after using it last year.

We will share a meal at the Sci fi Diner because I haven't heard many good reviews of the food, but have always wanted to check out the restaurant itself. We also have another TS for dinner that day so I don't want to eat too much. We may share CS at Epcot so that we can eat at 2 different places.

We will pay OOP for snacks not covered on the plan like Dole Whips and sweet pretzels in Norway, but not at meals themselves.

We probably will order different things than we usually would because it's free and I won't feel guilty if I don't eat it. I don't really know if they will be more expensive than what I would usually order.

Not traveling with kids. My son eats like a horse, so he would have used all our credits for him anyways.

 

[cdntourguide]

Over the years I have been on many trips to WDW.
On each of the trips (which usually were 10 days), I budgeted $400 to cover food over the period: this would include two meals per day and two snacks, usually I got to one Character meal and one/maybe two TS restaurants.
Now I am going for 10days and can have one CS and one TS per day, and still have a snack (just love the ice cream all over the world): as far as I am concerned I am going to be eating much better on this upcoming trip.
Plus I can now go to those restuarants which were always out of my price range.
to me the DP has opened a new window onto WDW and I am much appreciative about that.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am planning but loosely. I will make ADR's, for the first time ever from home months in advance instead of the day before from our resort. I have picked places that we have never tried because if we do not like it the pain will not be so great since it is free! If we find that we do not want to go where we have reserved I will call and cancel as soon as we know this so someone else can have a seat.

Since I am not a breakfast eater I am going to let my dh use some of my snack points along with his so he can have a couple of sweetrolls and some juice at the Food Court before we head into the parks. He will probably use the rest of them at the F&W Festival.

We will eat at some of the resort places before and after going to the parks and that will be on the days I drive so we will avoid the long and sometimes complicated bus routes.

We will order two completely different meals and share them so that I can have a bite or two of different things and then my 'junkyard dog" otherwise known as dh will finish it off.

If, when we get there, this plan is not working we will switch gears. I am bound to not be hungry for many of the meals so I may end up ordering an iced tea for myself OP occasionally. If so we might check out some of the 2 credit places.

If we have credits left we will do our best to find a likely looking family to share them with. That would make my day!!

Slightly Goofy

 

[Goobergal99]

Post here your plans to get the most out of the DDP. Are you planning on......
1) sharing meals so you can eat at more places,
2) Pay OOP for some things to eat at more places,
3) order expensive menus items,
4) Pay OOP for child's means and use the TS credits for other restaurants
5) other than what is listed.....

Just curious what everyone was doing.

1) Nope too much hassle and we are big eaters which is why the DP works for us
2.) Yes but the "intended" way Like we will Pay OOP for a breakfast and save our SD for a more expensive dinner
3.) We will order what we want and not look at the price, another perk of the DDP
4.) Nope, too much hassle and besides to me that just appears cheap
5.) I may bring my mug back from last year though since I am staying at POR and last year I stayed at POFQ

 

[Goobergal99]

I won't be saving my receipts just to calculate just how "free" it was either, I honestly could care less

 

[frannn]

all but two of our free dining TS meals are buffets . This rules out saving credits on our TS meals. We are maximizing the plan (in addition to it being free for us) by eating at places we've wanted to try in the past, but passed based on cost. We usually have a few character meals each trip, and maybe one reg TS. Now, we get to pick something for each night! Also, DD3 will share with us for CS lunch (DH and I will order 2 adult meals), and we will probaby use whatever CS credits are leftover for breakfast. We will make a grocery stop for extra beverages and snacks (fresh fruit, applesauce, etc). It would make more sense for us to pick up bagels, etc, to have a quick breakfast in the room, but DH would rather get his "energy boost" bkfast in the food court in the AM, so luckily, I have DDE from last trip to discount that. The only reg TS meals I have planned are CR and Teppanyaki. I do have an extra character breakfast planned at Ohana on our next to last day. If there are any TS credits left by this time, for whatever reason, we'll burn them here, or just pay OOP. I am sure DH will use his snack credits on cold sodas in the park, DD3's on ice cream, and I will be on a mission to use mine to sample some of the fine treats WDW has to offer (baked stuff, frozen stuff, dumplings)! Oh, yeah, in my defense, I didn't plan to eat at so many buffets, it just happens that those are the character oriented, fun ones we want to try/revisit. We are doing (all dinners) CM, CP, Boma, Cape May, PSB, Ohana, PF, H&V FDP. I guess just because we are eating at an all you can eat doesn't mean we have gorge ourselves..........

 

[disneycrazzzy]

My sister's family and mine are cruising with DCL in August. They are staying two nights at WDW before the cruise and three nights at WDW after the cruise. We are only staying the three nights after the cruise. When I found out about free dining I was able to change our reservations and price went from $1154 to $726 for our three nights at the Coronado Springs. Great!

My sister's before cruise reservation is for two nights and costs $856 at Coronado Springs. Since free dining is only applicable for 3-night reservations, can she pretend she is staying 3 nights and get the 3 night package for $726? She would then have an extra day's worth of credits.

Thoughts? Risks?

 

[disneymom3]

The only thing I want out of the dining plan is no stress for dh. I want it all paid for and he can kick back, relax, enjoy our meals without worrying about price. I want my girls to go to resturaunts we will enjoy and order whatever their little hearts desire (big or small).

I've done the calculations, I do believe we will get our monies worth on the plan. But, the stress free atmosphere is the main perk of the plan for us.

This is totally my point of view!! When we were at the World in Feb, we ended up eating onsite a lot more than we ever have before and ended up with many days of one CS and one TS. Even being frugal at both meals--DH and I sharing a CS drink and having water at TS, no desserts and no apps, we still spent more than we would have on the DDP. (Of course we were offsite for that trip in a condo that cost us $200 for the week instead of the more than $200 per night our fam of 5 would spend to stay onsite.) So, when we do go and stay onsite, I am just going with the attitude of we would be spending at least this much anyway and I don't want to have to check the vacation budget all the time to make sure we are within the limits we have set. I just want to relax and everyone can order whatever and there is no bill to pay.

I am pretty frugal and can get caught up in the money saving aspect of the whole thing but just have to remind myself that it will all work out and we'll just be having fun.

 

[disneymom3]

My sister's family and mine are cruising with DCL in August. They are staying two nights at WDW before the cruise and three nights at WDW after the cruise. We are only staying the three nights after the cruise. When I found out about free dining I was able to change our reservations and price went from $1154 to $726 for our three nights at the Coronado Springs. Great!

My sister's before cruise reservation is for two nights and costs $856 at Coronado Springs. Since free dining is only applicable for 3-night reservations, can she pretend she is staying 3 nights and get the 3 night package for $726? She would then have an extra day's worth of credits.

Thoughts? Risks?

How on earth can one "pretend" to stay three nights? Disney is going to know if you have a reservation or not for the three nights. It's not like you can just say you are going to be there and not really be there.

 

[formernyer]

My sister's family and mine are cruising with DCL in August. They are staying two nights at WDW before the cruise and three nights at WDW after the cruise. We are only staying the three nights after the cruise. When I found out about free dining I was able to change our reservations and price went from $1154 to $726 for our three nights at the Coronado Springs. Great!

My sister's before cruise reservation is for two nights and costs $856 at Coronado Springs. Since free dining is only applicable for 3-night reservations, can she pretend she is staying 3 nights and get the 3 night package for $726? She would then have an extra day's worth of credits.

Thoughts? Risks?

Without offering any personal opinion, I think it would work just fine. There's no way of them knowing that you check out a day early. As long as you have no outstanding charges to the room, all you would need to do is call on your real check-out day and let them know that you're out of the room.

 

[Daisysmom]

I had the dining plan last October when I went with my 6 year old grandson (our first time to WDW). For us it was too much food. I decided if I did it again, I would do a character breakfast like Chef Mickey's almost every day (using CS credits), then just have a snack in the early afternoon, followed by a TS dinner around 5:30 PM. That would be plenty for us. I made myself sick trying to eat a big dinner at places like Whispering Canyon Inn - when I had just eaten a CS lunch around 1:00.