How do you decide whether to do DDP or OOP?

[usmcwife1]

We are staying 6 nights in the first 2 weeks of May (not sure exact dates as DH is waiting to find out pre-deployment training schedule) I am leaning towards doing the DDP (the regular one, not deluxe) this time.

The first time we went to disney we stayed off property (Bonnet Creek) in a 2BR villa with full kitchen and were on a fairly tight budget so we didn't do any TS meals on property (and I really wished we could have, but looking at the prices for TS OOP and comparing to CS we opted for CS each time), all sit down TS meals were off-property, we packed the kids lunch on most days in the park (Pb&J, fruit etc) and had breakfast in the room. In the Parks DH & I did some QS meals and we all ate multiple snacks at the park each day (some we brought in and many were purchased).

I can't remember the exact numbers but I believe for a week we spent over $1200 on food (whether it was the groceries we picked up and I prepared in the room or we bought it)

We traveled with Disney Gift Cards and our debit card but every meal I had to keep track so we wouldn't run out of funds too early and even so we over spent our "food budget" by at least $200, maybe more (whoops! lol), it was a little stressful, especially when DH and I split up and the younger boys wanted snacks that I hadn't planned on (not to mention how many dolewhips we bought, who knew those could be so tasty!!!).

We have a much more generous budget this time around (having a full 2 years to save instead of 4 months like last time LOL!) so I am leaning towards the DDP for convenience with some add'l $$ on Disney Gift Cards for tips and incidentals. However, we could just as easily put that amount on a Gift Card to start and pay for meals OOP... I'm just not sure how to estimate what we'd really spend OOP since we didn't eat much at Disney last trip.

For reference, we are a family of 6 (3 considered children, the other 3 are adults) and staying 6 nights (we plan to use the military discounts for tickets and room, DDP is at full cost). With the regular DDP we are looking at a little over $1300, I have $2000 set aside in our budget this time around (double what we budgeted last time and we are staying 2 less nights, so I thought that would be fine).

We cut back on the room budget (opting for a value suite) to free up more money for food and activities so there is cushion in the budget but I don't want to waste money either.

Is the dining plan usually a better idea or is it truly paying for convenience? How do you decide which to choose?

 

[bookgirl2632]

There are several factors to consider. What are your family's eating habits? Do you like having a sit down meal each day? Are any or most of you big eaters? Do you tend to have dessert with every meal? If you answer yes, the DDP might be right for you. My suggestion would be for you to check out the menus on Allears.net to roughly figure out what you'd be spending and compare it to the DDP price you would be paying. But remember, you have to take into account what you'd be spending if you were paying out of pocket. If you skip or split desserts, if you split meals or order less expensive menu items, it would be better to go without the DDP.

 

[dgagnon519]

Depending on how you dine, it might be more for convenience. Are you doing alot of character meals which tend to be buffets or fixed price meals? Snacks can bve worth it if you use them on the higher end snacks. We did the basic plan our first trip, we did deluxe dining on two other trips and then tried oop on our last trip. We were on a budget the last trip with some unexpected expenses popping up. It was very stressful being oop on a budget. If not on a budget oop might work if you share apps, don't order the more expensive meals which sometimes you do when on the plan, share desserts. I agree with the above go on allears.net and go to each restaurant menu that you would want to go to and do a bill for yourself and then compare it to cost of plan. The average snack is between 2.50 and $4 so figre how many you might get.

 

[Cafeen]

Math.

Yup, the dreaded M word.

I base it around what I want my trip to be, and if it's more food focused, then I verify that my ideal plans will match a dining plan. If they do, I check again to verify that what I'd probably order at each place would keep me above my breaking point (e.g. the point where, to me, the plan no longer becomes worth it, which is likely to differ between people for various reasons).

For the past 2 trips (and this upcoming one), food has been the focus and such, DxDDP has worked. (Plus being solo offers a lot more flexibility) I may change that up a bit for next year though if I end up not going solo

 

[bdklein]

Is the dining plan usually a better idea or is it truly paying for convenience? How do you decide which to choose?

A winner only for Disney. Not paying for convenience when you are locked in to so many rules/conditions. And you might end up paying more as well.

 

[usmcwife1]

Math.

Yup, the dreaded M word.

I base it around what I want my trip to be, and if it's more food focused, then I verify that my ideal plans will match a dining plan. If they do, I check again to verify that what I'd probably order at each place would keep me above my breaking point (e.g. the point where, to me, the plan no longer becomes worth it, which is likely to differ between people for various reasons).

For the past 2 trips (and this upcoming one), food has been the focus and such, DxDDP has worked. (Plus being solo offers a lot more flexibility) I may change that up a bit for next year though if I end up not going solo

NOT MATH! lol.. I actually just downloaded your spreadsheet and am going to give it a try, thank you so much for putting that together, there is no way I could figure it out on my own!

 

[usmcwife1]

A winner only for Disney. Not paying for convenience when you are locked in to so many rules/conditions. And you might end up paying more as well.

This is true... I have been researching the plan and all the rules are a bit confusing, I think the biggest issue I'm having is all those darn desserts! It'd be an easy choice for us if we could sap the dessert for an appetizer or a snack credit, but dessert 2x a day? IDK about that..

 

[sharonabe]

I'm going to throw another option in to your plans.

IF free dining comes out for the dates you decide, you'll want to run the numbers again. You'll lose your military discounts (room and tickets), but it could still be cheaper overall.

 

[bdklein]

This is true... I have been researching the plan and all the rules are a bit confusing, I think the biggest issue I'm having is all those darn desserts! It'd be an easy choice for us if we could sap the dessert for an appetizer or a snack credit, but dessert 2x a day? IDK about that..

Yes you do know. The answer is don't bother.
I'm with you on the appetizer (or even snack) for dessert
Do you drink non-alcoholic beverages other than water?
Refillable mug? Will you really use it?
Still have to pay gratuity.
And it's no bargain.

So just go on vacation. Eat what you want or don't want. TS or CS. Appetizer and/or dessert, or not. Or wait and get dessert later. Don't break the bank if you don't want to. You lose so much flexibility on the Dining Plan. And forces you to overplan and overthink (and maybe overeat). And you can still make ADR's. And you can get free cups of water at any CS-water and ice are filtered-to save some money.

Are you going to be "afraid" to order an appetizer since you have to pay for it OOP when on the plan? And then feel obligated to eat the dessert since you already paid for it? Dining plan is done to lock you into eating at Disney and not off-site. Just like Magical Express is used to lock you into Disney and not allow easy transportation to non-Disney locations.

Just my opinion.

 

[bdklein]

I'm going to throw another option in to your plans.

IF free dining comes out for the dates you decide, you'll want to run the numbers again. You'll lose your military discounts (room and tickets), but it could still be cheaper overall.

True, but big IF for Free Dining in May. Highly doubtful (I think).

 

[Mom2six]

We just got back from 10 nights at WDW. The first 4 nights we stayed at AoA and had the quick service plan. The remaining 6 nights were at the Treehouse Villas and had the regular dining plan. While we did use the refillable mug a lot at AoA, we barely used it at the Treehouses. Overall, the dining plan had too much food for us! We rarely ended up using snacks because we couldn't eat dessert with the meals and ate them later. Sometimes we split meals and then ended up with too many credits! To be completely honest - we eat a lot. Probably too much to be good for us, and I have 4 teenagers. And the plan was still too much food!

However, it was so nice not to worry about the cost. It was easier to pay a lump sum before going and not think about lunch cost almost $300. The food was so expensive that having a little cushion from paying attention to those super high prices (price gouging) was nice. So, I'm still not sure what I will do next time.

 

[Cactus girl]

I think some of it boils down to your personality. If you cringe at high prices, do the dining plan. That way you won't stress about the cost of a meal. If your family are grazers (share meals, appetizers for entrees, etc) and you don't plan on doing a lot of buffets or character meals, than do OOP. We have done both. We eat better and feel more free on the DP--"order whatever you want guys.". Paying OOP was a bit more regimented--"ok, the two of you are sharing. No, you can't have the steak, you may have a salad or the chicken"

With little ones, it depends on their personality. If they eat whatever you put in front of them, perhaps OOP. If everyone has their own ideas (and they all want their own pails) perhaps the DP.

For me, it doesn't boil down to savings, it's all about te attitude I want to have on the trip. I spend my life budgeting and figuring out how to make it work. On vacation I don't want to be the bad guy and say "no.". Thus, we now always do the DP.

 

[Tanyabeth8]

I always choose to pay OOP unless I go when they are offering free dining. I think I end up spending about the same amount that the dining plan costs, but I eat the way I like to. I normally don't eat a lot of desserts or snacks, but sometimes my husband and I like to split an appetizer or have a glass of wine with a meal and we end up spending right around what the plan costs. The one bit of advice I have to offer is that whether or not you get the plan ALWAYS order what you REALLY want. So many people try to order the most expensive thing even if it's not what they want just to get the most bang for their buck and vice versa those paying OOP try to order the cheapest thing. It's your vacation order what you want and enjoy,