How many DVC'ers use DDP??

[edk35]

Now that the DDP is available to DVC members...do you use it?

IF so do you have kids? Or are you a couple? Or single?

I am curious since a lot DVC people stay in 1 and 2 bedroom villas if they still use DDP?

Do you feel it is a " DVC PERK" if you choose to use on your DVC stays? In other words are you happpy you have the choice?

 

[florep1]

We used DDP for our Christmas stay and we loved not having to worry about prices. Made the vacation a lot less stressful on Christmas week especially since mist places charge a holiday surcharge. We are using QSP again this summer for a week followed by regular DDP for another week since DH is sold on the convenience part. We'll probably still get a TIW card for TS meals the first week though as we plan on returning before it expires next year to maximize APs. BTW, we have 3 kids, 2 that are "disney adults", and one child. We used all our credits last time and plan to do it again this time.

 

[DVC Mike]

The two of us stay in a 1-BR, rarely use the kitchen, and use the TIW/DDE card for our dinners.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Now that the DDP is available to DVC members...do you use it?

IF so do you have kids? Or are you a couple? Or single?

I am curious since a lot DVC people stay in 1 and 2 bedroom villas if they still use DDP?

Do you feel it is a " DVC PERK" if you choose to use on your DVC stays? In other words are you happpy you have the choice?

Hi Denise! We use it when its just the hubby, myself, and one son. If more than that go, we use the kitchen! Just too many people to try and coordinate sit down meals. Now maybe the CS plan might work better for the boys when they are out and about without us. But mostly, no, I will cook when its anymore than 3 of us.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

We have used it the last two DVC trips, but our upcoming one we will be forgoing it. Our two oldest children are considered adults now and they do not eat like adults, so sadly it is not worth the price. I love the convenience. We will cook more in our 2bd. and get the TIW card for our TS dining.

 

[FOXFIELDZOO]

We use it every time we go, found it to be a better value for a family of 8. It gives us the chance to relax and not worry about the budget and we plan so far ahead its no big deal with resv.

 

[robandkelly13]

We use the DP when we go with our DD (it's only the 3 of us), even though we stay in a 2 bedroom for 10 days we never use the kitchen. We feel that character dining is part of the experience - our 3 year old loves it. However, DH and I are going for a couples get away and we don't plan on cooking, but we're not getting the DP. We're going to pay out of pocket and only schedule only breakfast ressies. It's going to be nice to have an unplanned trip for once. DH and I are so excited!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Now that the DDP is available to DVC members...do you use it?

IF so do you have kids? Or are you a couple? Or single?

I am curious since a lot DVC people stay in 1 and 2 bedroom villas if they still use DDP?

Do you feel it is a " DVC PERK" if you choose to use on your DVC stays? In other words are you happpy you have the choice?

I'm not sure what you mean by now it is available to DVC members. Hasn't it always been. We did use it on our trip in Dec 2006/Jan 2007. Back then, it was a great bargain especially when they included tips and the appetizer in the price. However, we normally go every other year to WDW so, we normally don't get an Annual pass. However, this year we got the annual pass because we went in Nov 2008 and we are going again in June 2009. So, we are using the TiW card instead. Right now, the TiW is a better value because we have an eleven year old and sometimes she wants to eat off the adult menu and sometimes off the children's menu. It just depends so, DDP wouldn't be a good value for us now. We are a family with two dds ages 7 and 11.

When we used in it in 2006/2007 we felt it was a great perk and I'm glad they offer to us. However, we are the type to have at least one sitdown a day or sometimes 2. But this is because we travel during the VERY crowded seasons. We aren't willing to wait in a CS line for 45 minutes then, look for a table while our food gets cold. During Christmas time, table services work out better.

We normally stay in a one bedroom with a kitchen. Since the DDP only includes 1 CS, 1 TS and 1 snack per day we still needed to feed the kids breakfast. We like the one bedroom for other reasons like 2 TVs, Washer/dryer, more floor space, etc..

 

[Chuck S]

We never used it, even when it included the gratuities. The DDP was at best break even for us, usually more $$ than our normal dining expenses. Plus it no linger covers appetizers, and we don't always want desserts. I like the freedom to decide what I want to eat rather than relying on what Disney wants to feed me.

 

[Chuck S]

I'm not sure what you mean by now it is available to DVC members. Hasn't it always been.

No, the DDP initially was for cash resort guests as part of a package only. It was made available to DVCers several months (maybe a year) after it was available to the public. And it took a whole after that to be made available to those staying in AP discounted rooms, as they were considered "room only" reservations.

 

[plymouthmom]

We have used it twice as for us, DH and I and four kids, it was a better price breakdown using the plan. We did TONS of research and really got our money's worth. We had two kids as adults last trip and two as kids, not sure if we will do it next trip as they will all be adults! Kids on the DDP is a no brainer, at least for me .

 

[danielle782001]

We are a family of four and we always get the basic plan...We find that we save hundreds of dollars because the kids plan is so cheap...I do not know if the savings would be as great when the kids are older...I have not done the math for that yet...But I always figure out a ball park figure of how much each meal will cost after I make my ADR and I always came out ahead...Then I do the math when we get home to make sure my math was correct and I have been right on the majority of the time...We love character meals and we like eating the 2 and half times a day that we get with the plan...

It works well for us

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We B 3.

We use TIW/DDE. We think DDP is a waste of money and way more food than the three of us would eat. Besides, we like to wing it way too much to be on a schedule like DDP forces people into IMO.

 

[dcfromva]

Now that the DDP is available to DVC members...do you use it?

IF so do you have kids? Or are you a couple? Or single?

I am curious since a lot DVC people stay in 1 and 2 bedroom villas if they still use DDP?

Do you feel it is a " DVC PERK" if you choose to use on your DVC stays? In other words are you happpy you have the choice?

I am happy that we are given an opportunity to buy it, if we want. The plan can really work well in certain applications. Like having a couple of teenage boys who eat a lot and who want to go off and do their own thing.

Having said that, I am less likely to choose this option since they have made it more of a hastle with taking off the appetizer and making the tip separate on the table service meals. And, in the future if we do elect this option, I don't think we will use it for signature dining.

I am glad we had a chance to try it out.

 

[Disney_Villain]

We are now using TIW instead of DDP - starting this year. Up to now, we had used DDP since we first became DVC members.

We found that DDP was just way too much food for us, esp. with multiple desserts throughout the day. DDP also recently dropped the included appetizer from the deal, which disappointed us as we used to get salads for appetizers.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

We have never used it. My "kids" are all adults now, and I find the TIW works best for us since it includes "adult" beverages. Lately we've only been able to go for long weekends, so cooking is not an option.

 

[Castillo Mom]

We're new DVCers but are happy that we have the option to purchase the DDP. I'm a single mom with 3 sons ages 15, 17 and 19. Without DDP I'd be paying a lot more $$$ for food. Even just with my 17 year old and I going next trip, I went ahead and added it on because I feel it'll still be a good value even though it'll be just the two of us.

 

[edk35]

DDP is not for everyone.

I think it is a good value if you have kids that fall in the 3-9 category if you are going to a lot of character buffets. However I would think if you weren't some of those kids meals would get old because it is pretty much the same thing everywhere and you pretty much are stuck with that if you have DDP.

The old DDP would have interested me far more especially when the appetizer and tip was included.

I don't like being tied down to TS meals daily. Sure we might book a TS meal each day but sometimes we end up cancelling one or two.

I think the DDP is less flexible.

I loved the TIW card, but we don't have AP's right now so that will not be an option for us in July that is why I was considering the DDP.

The more I read on Dis about DDP.....I just don't see it working for us right now. I think if it were just DH and myself for a short trip....it would be worth trying. Paying for 5 adults when one is 10 and one is 15 and is very very picky and eats off the kids's menu sometimes.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Tiger926]

We have used DDE several times, as well as Dining Plans and for now, we find the dining plans are a better value, especially the Deluxe Plan. We are 2 adults, 6 year old and almost 2 year old, so for us, the plans are a better value as we eat 3 meals per day, plus snacks as we have low blood sugar. We don't eat fast food, drink pop or eat junk food, so we use our snack credits for food, fruit or water.

We have just completed extensive spreadsheets for all food options, and the Deluxe Dining Plan is a better deal for us than the TIW card. This is because we need food for our very hungry toddler, as well as snacks, which are not covered on the TIW card, but are on the plan. We love the Deluxe Plan because we use our appetizers and snacks to feed our very hungry toddler.

We do Signatures, as well as lots of sit downs and a few character meals as they have slipped over the past few years. We contemplated doing the basic plan, as well as supplementing with eating in our room for breakfast and dinner, but we don't care for CS that much at all, so this option doesn't seem as great for us. We love our 1 beds, but we really don't use them for the kitchen - while the kids are young, it's easier to go to TS restaurants and enjoy the air conditioning as we always go for 2 weeks each July as I'm a teacher. Once they get older, and meal options increase in price, we might do a combination, or go back to TIW. We re-evaluate each and every trip as to what is best for us.

Happy eating to all, Tiger

 

[stopher1]

We're a family of 5, with now 4 of us in the "adult" category. We have done the basic dining plan with and without the appetizer/gratuity portion. Regardless of how much food it was, we definitely preferred it when the tip and appetizer were included. Our younger son is 100% thrilled to finally be OFF the kids' plan, since they are all so generic and pretty much limited to only a few options. We're considering giving it a go once more in Jan, but are also weighing the TIW option instead. We're not sure yet. We're running the numbers and basically waiting to see what the 2010 pricing will be.

My sons and I will be going down at the end of May for a long weekend (for SWWs) and will be trying the Quick Serve version of the plan. We like that the beverage cups are included, and none of the 3 of us want to sit down and spend so much time in a restaurant, let alone deal with ADR's. They have now outgrown the character meals (only my DD remains as a reason for those).

While I like the overall concept of the plan (the convenience factor), I'm not really thrilled with the execution or the price.