How many times have your heard?

[debsays]

We've had the DDP in the past and going in May with the Annual Passholder DDP. You can choose wisely and for dessert many places will give you a fruit cup or sherbert if you ask. I have to say that an appetizer, main course and dessert is alot. Many times we would order one appetizer and split it and one dessert and split it. I think it's worth it even if one has to pay the gratuity. Where are you going to get a great meal for the price.

 

[ssawka]

I think many of the "too much food" comments are related to the the deserts and snacks. When we were there, we did the standard plan and loved it. I simply liked being to order anything off the menu and not worrying about how much it cost. Did we maximize the plan? I thinks so. Sure, we could have done an analysis to see if we would have been better off paying OOP, but hey this is vacation and I for one couldn't be bothered.

Back to the question at hand. At each CS you are given a desert, which we often did not want, however it comes along with it and they are distributed in a to go container. So, the logical thing is to bring it back to the room for "later". The only thing is that the portions at each meal are so large that "later" never comes. Add to that the fact that you snacks are included and you wind up with a stockpile of uneaten junk. Hence you find yourself with a choice at the end of your trip, "eat it or toss it". Hence, "too much food". One thing we did was switch to using snack credits for breakfast (muffins and such) since we had the refillable mugs for coffee.

 

[bedell32]

We did the 2008 version earlier this month. We thought it was a good amount of food. Not too much, never too little . The TS and CS served a complete meal and it was delicious. The only thing I regret was not using the snack credits to their full potential. We kind of forgot about them and had lots the day we checked out when we tried to use them in the food court and gift shop.

Would I do this plan again? ABSOLUTELY!!!!! We saved lots of money (family of 4, children's ages 4 & 6).

It was wonderful and I fully recommend it to anyone who asks. If you are going to be doing character breakfasts, lunches or dinners, you will not regret this choice. You get your money's worth!

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Count me in as one of those folks who doesn't get the whole, "It's too much food!" refrain. If you eat three meals a day at home, why does that change when you get to Disney?

For my family, eating out at Disney is part of the vacation for us. That doesn't mean 'bulk loading' for every meal. Some meals are light, some are heavier. Salad appetizer, broiled fish with veggies as an entre, sorbet for dessert, and so on. More often than not we order our desserts 'to go' as a snack later in the day. We use snack credits for bottled water and frozen lemonade. And just because it's all there to get doesn't mean you have to eat it all and lick your plate clean.

The DDP works perfectly fine for us. We've been going to Disney for years so we're not concerned about time taking away from 'touring. We're not concerned with 'maxing out' but with having the flexibility of where to eat when we want for TS without worrying about the cost--especially since we visit at Easter and Christmas. And I love that the DxDDP will spare me from ever, ever, ever having to eat CS unless I absolutely want to.

 

[Tricia1972]

Count me in as one of those folks who doesn't get the whole, "It's too much food!" refrain. If you eat three meals a day at home, why does that change when you get to Disney?

I will fully admit that the DDP works well for some, and that's great! I will also say that the DxDDP works well for some, which is wonderful! However, I get just as tired of the assumptions that because it doesn't work for us personally, that I don't feed my children three meals a day.

Simply put:

Home
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers or turkey sandwich with Milk
Supper - Chicken, Veggie, beverage, occasionally dessert

Disney
Breakfast - Cereal in Room
Lunch - CS Sandwich with Milk (soda for adults)
Supper - Chicken, Veggie, Beverage

Disney Costs
Breakfast - Not part of DDP
Lunch - Sandwiches $6, Beverage $2.09
Supper - Chicken & Veggies $20, Beverage $2.19

It is possible for us to eat like we do at home, at Disney for less. Often too supper and lunch are so large that we could easily split between two people, so for us it doesn't work - but we still manage to feed our children (and ourselves) three meals a day for less without the DDP. Personally I think that's fine too.

I am glad it works for so many, butif it works for you please don't imply that we are somehow not feeding our children three meals a day because we think it's more food than we want and it doesn't work for us. To each their own.

 

[ReneeA]

It was a lot of food for us. All of us tend to graze lightly throughout the day and then eat a decent, healthy dinner. Our kiddos were 3 & 4 our last trip and were not big eaters (that has since changed since apparently they are both growing right now...I can't seem to fill them up )

Anyway, we typically had breakfast bars on our way to the parks in the mornings, had an early CS lunch and then an early sit down dinner. I could never find the room in there to eat snacks! You already get 2 desserts a day with the CS and TS meals. I ended up using most of my snack credits for coffee drinks in the mornings (and let me tell you, Disney leaves much to be desired in their selection of coffee!)

We've gone for free dining in 2005 & 2006...I'm not certain that I would pay OOP for the DDP. I'd have to do lots of figuring ahead of time to see if it would be advantageous for us.

 

[Trina7020]

Its is not that its too much food... I don't think it is that good of a deal... I plan on eatting the same at Disney no matter which plan I am on.

I just wanted to add... that we plan on purchasing 3 meals a day at Disney. When I did the all the math it actually came out that DDP is a much better deal for us.

For 3 meals a day (18 total meals = 10TS & 8CS) and 2 snacks a day

OOP = 1026.19 + tips (about $115)
DDP = 826.15 + same tips (that included cost of DDP + some meals/snacks OOP)
DxDDP = 959.82 = tips again

Yes, DxDDP saves us some money OOP, but it is still more than doing DDP and then paying OOP for some things. Also... we may end up saving more on DDP because we skip a meal, or share a CS, or don't each eat 2 snacks per day then we won't have to pay OOP above the plan.

I just say figure carefully... I like the idea of prepaying.... But really... the cost of DDP + OOP+ TIPS... is still less than the cost of DxDDP. I think that for US DxDDP would be a waste of money and possibly cause more stress as I try to use all the credits! (which honestly... bums me out because I REALLY want to do DxDDP!)

But like Tricia said... to each their own. But DDP seems to be best for us.

 

[kermer]

Some people may choose the DDP and DDXP for other reasons.

I am getting the Deluxe for convenience. I am bringing a frugal guest, my DM, and I WANT her to order whatever she wants. But if I was paying OOP she would always be checking the price and order the least expensive instead of what she really wants.

So for me the DDXP is just another way of making this vacation as worry free as possible.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We also use the dining plan for convenience and as a bonus it saves us some money. I like knowing that our meals are paid for so we don't get to the end of the trip and have to eat CS every meal because we overspent. Yes, this year we will have to budget tips but I still like the idea of our meals being paid.

We are going deluxe. I calculated many meals where DS and I will share one appetizer and one dessert and we still come out ahead. DS has always been the kid that wants the filet over the chicken nuggets so this is perfect for us. It is allowing us to do several signature restaurants that I wouldn't have even considered if we were paying OOP at the time of vacation. And we have 11 days so we will have plenty of time to see everything we want to even taking time out to eat.

 

[Trina7020]

I don't understand why it is such a big deal to pay OOP? Am I fooling myself thinking it will be no big deal?

OOP = 1026.19
DDP = 826.15
DxDDP = 959.82

When I came up with these number I included App./desserts/2 snacks a day... never sharing a meal. Ordering whatever I wanted on the menu without regards to price at all. On my total with DDP... I am eatting EXACTLY the same foods as I would get on DxDDP? Why would I to pay more just to have it prepaid?

 

[Tricia1972]

Trina, I wouldn't pay more just to be prepaid either.

We went through the menus, just like you, and came up with the following numbers.

OOP with DDE (including tax) = $929.76
DDP = $1,399.58
DxDDP = $2,589.58

We too are ordering just what we want. I figure one or two appetizers for the group, individual entrees, and individual beverages at TS's. For CS's I figure on a sandwich or salad as well as a beverage. I am figuring on sharing at two CS's that I KNOW we need to share at.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I am glad it works for so many, butif it works for you please don't imply that we are somehow not feeding our children three meals a day because we think it's more food than we want and it doesn't work for us. To each their own.

By the same token, people who do not use the plan shouldn't imply that those of us who do are gorging ourselves and/or wasting food./money.

Some people may choose the DDP and DDXP for other reasons.

I am getting the Deluxe for convenience. I am bringing a frugal guest, my DM, and I WANT her to order whatever she wants. But if I was paying OOP she would always be checking the price and order the least expensive instead of what she really wants.

So for me the DDXP is just another way of making this vacation as worry free as possible.

I booked the DDDP for convenience. If I happen to save a few dollars in the process that's fine. If not, that's also fine.

I don't understand why it is such a big deal to pay OOP? Am I fooling myself thinking it will be no big deal?

OOP = 1026.19
DDP = 826.15
DxDDP = 959.82

When I came up with these number I included App./desserts/2 snacks a day... never sharing a meal. Ordering whatever I wanted on the menu without regards to price at all. On my total with DDP... I am eatting EXACTLY the same foods as I would get on DxDDP? Why would I to pay more just to have it prepaid?

I know I'd have second thoughts about spending the money if I paid OOP. Instead of ordering what we wanted to order, I'd focus on the price.

If I were paying OOP, we would end up eating more CS (yuck) than TS meals.

If the meals are prepaid, I don't worry about the prices and we won't spend the whole trip eating CS.

 

[ReneeA]

I know I'd have second thoughts about spending the money if I paid OOP. Instead of ordering what we wanted to order, I'd focus on the price.

If I were paying OOP, we would end up eating more CS (yuck) than TS meals.

If the meals are prepaid, I don't worry about the prices and we won't spend the whole trip eating CS.

This I totally agree with. I'm still up in the air about paying OOP for the DDP, but if there is one overwhelming reason to buy it...this is it. That and it would be completely paid for, and none of us would need to sweat while we were there.

My DH would still order what he wanted, but I'd look for the most inexpensive menu item, and then share most of it with the kids.

Having the DDP would eliminate *any* of that business.

 

[momx2]

For us it was too much food. We are not representative of everybody, and really are only representative of ourselves. However since you asked....

Our day typically was:

Breakfast in room

CS Lunch. 5 Adult Meals, 5 Desserts, 1 Child's meal with dessert. The portions are large and we easily could have split our meals in half and still felt full. Sure you don't need to eat it all, but if you figure paying for 3 Adult meals, which is about what we ate, we start to lose savings on the DDP.

Rest at Resort - Naps and maybe a light snack for the kids and for ourselves (cheese & crackers or similar) All but two of us have hypoglycemia and need to eat throughout the day for our blood sugar.

TS Dinner. 5 Appetizers, 5 Adult Meals, 5 Desserts, 1 Child's meal with dessert. Again the portions are large. Sure again, we could just eat the equivalent of one or two appetizers, but if you figure paying OOP and NOT buying those appetizers, again DDP starts to lose value. We can also eat half of our plates and throw away the rest for the entrees, but if we'd ordered and paid for just 3 Entrees and split, then again the DDP loses value. Dessert - same thing. We were so full from appetizers and the meal itself, we'd take a bite or two. We generally ordered the same dessert, so if we'd ordered and paid OOP for one dessert....

We also had 6 snacks to use throughout the day - every day. We may use one or two for waters, one for popcorn, but the rest of the time we still felt full from our larger meals that we didn't want to eat anything else.

I took a look at what we actually ate/wanted to eat of our meals. I went through the menus and found that we can still eat well and save without the DDP.

Our days will look like this in March

Breakfast - In Room

CS Lunch - 5 Sandwiches, 1 or 2 Fries, 5 Beverages, 0 Desserts, 0 Child's meal - they'll share with us.

TS Dinner - 1 Appetizer, 5 Entrees, 1 Child's meal, 0 Desserts

Snack - In park after Dinner - something sweet and indulgent to make up for our 'virtuous' skipping of dessert at supper. We'll probably get one or two snacks and share. Or all get one if we're feeling wild and crazy. We can also get whatever we want and not worry if it's included in the DDP or not.

Yes we still eat three meals, and I am sure we'll still have plenty to eat, but much less than we would on the DDP.

With this new way of eating, we'll save over $450 for our group in an 8 day/7night trip.

It works for us, but not for everyone - and that's cool. I'm glad that there are options for everyone.

In this situation I would have used 2 CS credits for breakfast and 3 for lunch. That way you could have maximized your credits and not thrown food away. But that's just me.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I am glad it works for so many, butif it works for you please don't imply that we are somehow not feeding our children three meals a day because we think it's more food than we want and it doesn't work for us. To each their own.

I wasn't implying anything--just putting out there what my family does and how it works for us. As you said, to each their own. It's nice that Disney has choices for everyone to use to their advantage.

 

[Tricia1972]

In this situation I would have used 2 CS credits for breakfast and 3 for lunch. That way you could have maximized your credits and not thrown food away. But that's just me.

That's a great idea, especially if you're saying in a regular DVC Resort.

This is where I think that DVC could easily be a factor for us in the DDP not being the best deal. We have a full kitchen in our villa. The kids eat while the adults are getting dressed and vice versa. That way we aren't all getting ready and then heading to the CS location for breakfast. Being that we usually do rope drops, it saves us time in the morning. Like I said though, DVC is certainly a factor and with a full kitchen and toaster it's different than staying in a standard room.

 

[bumbershoot]

"which honestly... bums me out because I REALLY want to do DxDDP!"

I totally understand. Well, I don't want to do the deluxe plan, but I emotionally WANT to do the DDP and have a package plan for our first trip to WDW.

I want to so much that I'm going through menus, trying to imagine what each of us might want...what would we eat in a day at MK, what would we eat at a day at EPCOT. It's made more simple b/c we're vegetarians; "our" menus are smaller. Go through, figure out what we would want, add the price plus the tax (what's the salestax again?)...get the OOP things for the times one of us might want a salad instead of an entree... And compare that to the DDP + any salad days we might want. Nutty! But I really want to do the DDP, while DH is scared of all the food (maybe I should just do it and not tell him LOL, just take care of the checks?) he will be allowed to have.


I've only worked on MK so far, wish me luck!

 

[Tricia1972]

Go through, figure out what we would want, add the price plus the tax (what's the salestax again?)

All parks are at 6.5%

 

[disneyfav4ever]

People think I'm a pig for booking the deluxe plan on my next trip. I don't really plan on eating that much though. Most days I'm only going to make ADRs for two meals a day. I'll be eating good food at signature restaurants most nights, where the portions aren't huge, and that will use up the majority of my credits. I'll also be going to several character breakfasts, which I'm going to more for the characters then for the food, I do not eat tons at breakfast, two semi-full plates of food, and I'm done. Then I'll book the rest based on what I like, and what I want to try, and won't eat everything on my plate unless I want to.

 

[bumbershoot]

All parks are at 6.5%

Thank you! I wasn't looking forward to searching for the info.