How DDP is like Costco and why I'll stick with the grocery store

Your analogy is good, but incomplete. There are a lot of items in COSTCO, such as berries, that are much less expensive then supermarkets. Some items you can throw out almost half of what you bought and still save money. Price a small box of Splenda packages at your grocery store and compare it to the big box at COSTCO.

The DDP is the same. Bicker's numbers show a guest will generally break even if they skip appetizers and desserts. A guest who order appetizers and desserts can skip the CS and more then break even.
 
OP-Very funny-and very true!

It seems like people are in one of two camps-DDP works for them or it doesn't. I find that for my family sometimes it works for us and sometimes it doesn't.

Last trip-Me, DH, DS. Didn't get DDP-but had a CM room discount for Christmas week at WL-saved much more $$$ with the room discount.

Next trip will be me and DS(6). I was lucky enough to get the offer in the mail for the 40% off room code for WL. :banana: I sat down and looked up all the menus and prices available on Allearsnet and added up what we would likely order at each of the restaurants that we would be going to on this trip-and it actually cost a few dollars less to get DDP-so I got it. We also will get more food on the DDP on this trip-whether we want it or not-but still less OOP cost. I will also stick to the included beverages this trip since it is just me and DS-if DH was with me, I'd likely get an "adult beverage" with dinner. We also won't be going to any signature (2 TS) meals.

Next trip-Me, DH, DS-next Aug. (hopefully);) -we probably won't do DDP b/c I'll hope for an AP room discount and would probably save more with a DDE card as there will be more "adult beverages" consumed on this trip-and more trips to signature dining restaurants.

So, for me-it depends on the particulars of each trip-who is going, where we are staying and how we are staying there, where, when, and what we plan on eating/drinking.
 
I totally get your analogy and got a good chuckle out of it! Like some other posters, we are 50-roll toilet paper purchasers also! Family of 5...three girls....TP goes fast around here! :teeth:

We just did the DDP for the very first time and we enjoyed every bite! I liked just being able to hand the dining card at the end of every meal and we ate at many restaurants we never would have normally. We travelled with my parents this time, so took the opportunity to relax at nice meals and give them some much-needed downtime. My teenage son was in heaven that he could order anything he wanted off the menus (He could eat the side of a barn at mealtime right now, so he was VERY happy!!). It was also nice not to have to worry and keep an eye on the cost of every meal, which is something I do constantly (can't help it....just my budget-conscious mind refusing to let go!). I added up the receipts at the end of the trip and we saved almost $600 over the cost of paying OOP for the same meals. And all 7 of us did not necessarily order appys and/or desserts at every meal.

Would I do it again? Depends. We are usually a "go, go, go" type of family and don't spend so much time at meals. For that type of vacation, DDP would be a waste of $$ for us. If we were planning on taking it easy and enjoying some nice sit-down meals, then I would most definitely do it again. We all really enjoyed it.
 
:rotfl2: Both the comparison and the DDP!! Of course, we got it free last year and I'm dragging DD back w/me in Sept for a repeat performance. We LOVE eating out, and a TS every day at WDW is a must. We found splitting CS meals (4 of us - all adults) between breakfast & lunch worked great for us. SC's were split between 2 or 3 drinks (frozen lemonades!!!) and 1 or 2 pretzels (the size of a small coffee table!!!) Then we'd all get our own TS. We'd eat off each other's appies & take desserts back to the room. Did this for 10 days and, I have to say that, by day 8 we weren't hungry any more!! Probably could have lived off the leftovers in the fridge for the last 2 days!! If I had to pay for it, and I would, I'd probably do a split stay, getting the plan for the beginning of the trip and a room-only for the last few days when we're all eaten out!!!!

You're right, not for everyone but WE LOVED IT!!!
 

No I don't agree with the anology, a real bargain is something that you want not just something to buy because its cheap. For example I have just brought a copy of several Georgette Heyer books on cd at half price. If I didn't like these books and hadn't been looking for them I wouldn't have brought them. That is how I see the ddp for me as a solo visitor without the annual pass (which as I am not going back in 2008) would be a waste of time I am a member of the RAC not the aa so no chance of an aaa discount, or annual pass discount. So a holiday with free dining is a good bargain for me. But you have to decide whether you would have brought it if it wasn't free if not its a false bargain.
 
This is for my family. Your family may be different. I included that often because people feel the need to flame any opinion other than DDP works great for everyone and only fools pay OOP or don't schedule their trips around free DDP If we were a family of 7 which included several teens, I may feel differently. But we're not.

Off my soap box now, flame suit on.

If you've read all of this, thanks for letting me vent.

We did find the dining plan to be a great deal for us when we went in '05 both in terms of money and convenience, but we are the kind of family that orders a couple appetizers and a couple desserts with our sitdown meals, and we do like a sitdown meal every evening. We do order somewhat more - each getting our own dessert & appetizer instead of sharing 2 or 3 between the 4 of us - but it isn't a big difference.

Where we notice the difference is in using CS credits - we don't use nearly as many as are provided, because we're more likely to split a turkey leg here and a sandwich there and a pizza in the other place, and snack credits are plenty for breakfasts. We like our long, leisurely dinners, but we don't spend much time on eating during the day. But one of the reasons the DDP works for us is because we don't feel any compulsion to maximize the value we get out of it. If we have leftover CS credits and use our last half-dozen snack credits for candy store treats to take home to the kids' friends, so be it.

That said, DH smokes so we're seriously considering switching to the Dolphin and doing without the dining plan for our holiday trip, and I can see the pros of going without it too. It would be nice to try Shulas and Kimonos and Fultons without thinking about fitting in those meals *and* the meals to use the DDP credits. And as we're planning this trip, we're not finding the plan to be as good a fit as it was for us last time around. I don't know that the convenience of the plan is will continue to be worth it as the kids get older and we do more signature meals. Even for this trip, we're going to have Shula's, CRT, and dessert at Beaches & Cream out of pocket on top of all that DDP food, and I'm rethinking the value of the plan.
 
Well,,,, that was very funny.
On our first trip last May we did the DDP and paid for it for 3 adults (daughter was 11) and 1 child. This time in January we went and didn't get the DDP.
I think for first timers the DDP is a good thing because 1. you pay up front and 2. it makes you think about planning your days and being organized.
We made sure we did CRT and took the time to sit down each day for a nice quiet dinner.
IT was definintely too much food and slightly limiting for my 9 year old...chicken nuggets he hates and macaroni also not a favorite of his...although most kids love both.
This time we ordered from Garden Grocer some breakfast and snack items cause my kids don't like breakfast and definitely don't wanna stop for breakfast first thing. We probably didn't save ALOT of money not doing the DDP because we still ate at our favorites but didn't do CRT again or Coral Reef, which cost more than some.
We won't do the DDP again I'm sure but that's just our family;)
 
We all know that the Cosco jumbo sized food container is actually a single snack size for a teenage boy (and some girls) . Therefore -- DDP means someone else in the family may actually get to eat part of what they order before he asks "Are you going to eat that?"

Enjoy the little eater --- they grow!!!!
 
But with 3 growing boys we LOVE Costco. My boys are big eaters. They are 3, 7 and 11. Some kids are picky and don't eat much. Mine eat everything in sight. There is just about no food that is off limits to them.

Even when I go the regular grocery store I ask the fish monger for an entire case of fish. :rolleyes1 All the kids like fish. So every time I cook fish for our family of five that is 2 pounds of fish. There is only 15 pounds of fish per case. That's 7 meals. We eat fish 2 or 3 times per week so that is only going to last a couple of weeks.

We love the free DDP as we do indeed eat all the food. The 3 and 7 year old will eat all there food and then help us eat ours.

Some people love Costco others hate it. It just depends on whether it works for your family or not. It works for us so we'll keep on shopping and loading up that flat bed. :cool1:
 
Thanks for the great analogy! I agree that the DDP isn't for everyone. I would swear to you it isn't a good fit for our (usually very budget conscious) family, but we're going to give it a try. With 3 kids, the free DDP offer was a huge discount. DH is very excited to try restaraunts at WDW that we never would have paid OOP for.

The other benefit of the DDP for us will be that we're not staying in a cabin and I'm not cooking (or even just making sandwiches). It will be a true vacation!
 
Wait a sec. A rational and well-argued opinion post that isn't snarky? What is this board coming to?

I'm going back to the board where people complain about the gay people during gay days. You guys are way too intelligent and drama-free for my tastes.
 
Interesting (and funny!) analogy. But if you were given a 10-day SPREE in Costco, and didn't have to pay for ANY of what you bought...maybe you'd change your mind! Sure, you'd still pay the membership fee, and maybe it's a little higher because some people get those sprees. But it's still a fantastic deal for the spree winner! That's us on the FREE DDP!:banana: Also, we are big eaters regardless of cost, on vacation. We eat healthy but we don't order salads and skip dessert at every meal. We avoid the things we would not eat no matter what (for me, that includes all animal products), but otherwise nothing is declined or wasted. We enjoy the food, don't feel too full, and don't even gain weight since we are commandos and walk many miles per day in WDW!:banana: That's why we have such big appetites there...it's like our own version of running a marathon! Anyway, we haven't always gone with the DDP. We bought it once previously at a discount. At full price, it would not have made any difference. We crunched the numbers down to the penny, just like you, and would have saved LESS THAN A DOLLAR on the DDP if we paid full price for it. At the discount price it was well worth it. FREE is...well, FREE! I'm very excited for this upcoming September trip!:banana:
 
Wait a sec. A rational and well-argued opinion post that isn't snarky? What is this board coming to?

I'm going back to the board where people complain about the gay people during gay days. You guys are way too intelligent and drama-free for my tastes.

I was gone for a few days, but am happy to see that my long-winded slightly insane post generated such a response.

We're leaving in a few days and I'll be keeping my receipts to do a grand total when we get back. Not a full trip report (we are a fairly boring drama-free family) but I will certainly post my non-DDP experience. If everything goes as planned, it'll probably cost me about $50 more than if I had the plan. We'll see.
 
I completely agree! It's only a bargain if you REALLY need to eat all those appys and desserts. Yes its convient but geeze put the amount of money on a gift card if it makes you feel better and use that,LOL!

The other problem with the DDP is if anyone get sick, been there, you will lose money big time unless you plan on eating all your park time away. Als oeveryone forgets the AP rate, 100 off a deluxe and then the DDE and I bet your ahead.

Let not forget the rumor of tip NOT being included then really the value is gone, IMHO.

FYI: I just let my Sams club expire after 5 years. I wasn't buying enough to pay for the 40$ cost. I also thought many of the food products were subpar.
 
I guess it all depends on what you use Costco (or, as the case may be, the DDP) for. I'm planning a trip to Costco tonight. What for? To pick up dinner and put gas in my car. Their gas prices beat the other gas stations by about 10 cents/gallon, and they make a rotisserie chicken enchilada that's fresh, cheap and feeds our family of 4. Beats fast food! :thumbsup2

I guess I'm in the minority, but I don't go to Costco to buy the 55-gallon drum of mayonaise. And I don't get the DDP to get the most massive quantities of food possible, either. At both places, I get what I'd normally get, in the same quantities as I'd usually get it, if it's something I'm looking for at that moment.
 
Interesting (and funny!) analogy. But if you were given a 10-day SPREE in Costco, and didn't have to pay for ANY of what you bought...maybe you'd change your mind! Sure, you'd still pay the membership fee, and maybe it's a little higher because some people get those sprees. But it's still a fantastic deal for the spree winner! That's us on the FREE DDP!:banana: Also, we are big eaters regardless of cost, on vacation. We eat healthy but we don't order salads and skip dessert at every meal. We avoid the things we would not eat no matter what (for me, that includes all animal products), but otherwise nothing is declined or wasted. We enjoy the food, don't feel too full, and don't even gain weight since we are commandos and walk many miles per day in WDW!:banana: That's why we have such big appetites there...it's like our own version of running a marathon! Anyway, we haven't always gone with the DDP. We bought it once previously at a discount. At full price, it would not have made any difference. We crunched the numbers down to the penny, just like you, and would have saved LESS THAN A DOLLAR on the DDP if we paid full price for it. At the discount price it was well worth it. FREE is...well, FREE! I'm very excited for this upcoming September trip!:banana:

Free is a whole 'nother story! I'd take FREE DDP any day! How could you possibly lose? :laughing:
 
Yep, opinions are just that.
But, if people don't like to "shop" at "Costco", then don't "shop" at "Costco" - if you know what I mean.

And I almost forgot, chickens don't have fingers. :rotfl2:
 
Interesting (and funny!) analogy. But if you were given a 10-day SPREE in Costco, and didn't have to pay for ANY of what you bought...maybe you'd change your mind! Sure, you'd still pay the membership fee, and maybe it's a little higher because some people get those sprees. But it's still a fantastic deal for the spree winner! That's us on the FREE DDP!:banana: :


Good point! If it's not costing you anything, why not take advantage of it? That certainly doesn't mean you have to eat everything that is offered. With free dining if you only ate one salad a day and it was free, you STILL come out ahead!

Also, about Costco, it can be a good deal if you are smart about it. We buy paper towels, toilet paper, dryer sheets, laundry detergent, ziplock bags, coffee, coffee filters, bath soap, dish soap, dishwasher soap, Kirkland brand canned Slim-Fast (I like it better than Slim-Fast - not as chalky and WAY less expensive), ibuprofen, Prilosec, some frozen stuff (big box of Panko breaded shrimp for $15.99), cat litter, Pepsi/Dr. Pepper ($8.15 for 36 cans - much cheaper than the store) and steaks there and ALL of that is a lot less than I could get it in the grocery store or Walmart. I don't go buy a gallon sized bottle of ketchup or mayonnaise cause that wouldn't make sense for me.
 
:rotfl2: Both the comparison and the DDP!! Of course, we got it free last year and I'm dragging DD back w/me in Sept for a repeat performance. We LOVE eating out, and a TS every day at WDW is a must. We found splitting CS meals (4 of us - all adults) between breakfast & lunch worked great for us. SC's were split between 2 or 3 drinks (frozen lemonades!!!) and 1 or 2 pretzels (the size of a small coffee table!!!) Then we'd all get our own TS. We'd eat off each other's appies & take desserts back to the room. Did this for 10 days and, I have to say that, by day 8 we weren't hungry any more!! Probably could have lived off the leftovers in the fridge for the last 2 days!! If I had to pay for it, and I would, I'd probably do a split stay, getting the plan for the beginning of the trip and a room-only for the last few days when we're all eaten out!!!!

You're right, not for everyone but WE LOVED IT!!!

This is exactly what we are doing this time around. We have s split stay at resorts (3 nts. FOFQ and 5 nts OKW). We are getting DDP for the first half of the trip, but not the second. I do have some Disney gift cards and a giftcard to Rainforest Cafe to use, so we will still have some TS meals, but last time we were really full all the time, which I really didn't like. I did LOVE the convenience of the plan and not having to feel like I had to be careful about what we ordered for foos. And it was nice to be able to try different things.

This time around though dd is 10, so right there, we won't get our money's worth. She would never eat that amount of food in a day. Also, I have been doing Weight watchers for the past 5 months and lost 22 pounds, and I don't intend to put ANY of that weight back on.

So we will live it up food wise for a few day, then take it a little easier on ourselves for the second half of the vacation.
 















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