How popular is the DDP when it is NOT free?

[laceemouse]

Honestly it really depends on people's needs. The dining plan at the moment fits hubby and my needs. With just the two of us it allows us to eat at a lot more restaraunts then we were originally planning for the same price (or did when we weren't going during free dining, now it is free!).

However, this doesn't mean that when we go back either in December 2007 or December 2008 (hubby is talking about moving our December trip up a year) that it will still fit our needs. It probably will, but at that time we will have to re-evaluate it. Once we have kids we'll also have to re-evaluate it to see if it fits our and their dining habits. It really depends on the people going and how they feel it meets their needs.

I think for a lot of people $38 for adults and $11 for two kids under 9 (for instance) is a deal that can't be beaten. Plus there are people who will just pay and figure with everything paid they don't have to worry about it. Every family has to evaluate their own needs and see if it works for them.

YEP! If dh and I went by ourselves (it is a dream I have ) we would buy the DP in a heartbeat. I would eat seafood and he would eat steak daily!!! Two appetizers and two desserts to share would be no biggy.....but six of each !!! Most folks don't go with four kids I guess, particularly with three considered "adults!"

 

[katied]

We're going during free dining, but renting points for DVC, so we're paying for dining - 3 adults (one is a 10 yr old) and 1 child. But - when I looked at our meal plan, it made sense. We still do character meals, and we have a TS meal every day, even without the DDP on our last trip. So, buying the plan saves us about $100 (and that's looking at what we would actually order - which does not include app./desserts or drinks at most meals. But with 4 character meals, it doesn't matter how much the 10 yr old eats - I'd still be paying $35/day for her just to eat a character meal (with tax and tip) - so I'm only paying an extra $3 for a QS meal and snack. What a bargin!

 

[laceemouse]

We're going during free dining, but renting points for DVC, so we're paying for dining - 3 adults (one is a 10 yr old) and 1 child. But - when I looked at our meal plan, it made sense. We still do character meals, and we have a TS meal every day, even without the DDP on our last trip. So, buying the plan saves us about $100 (and that's looking at what we would actually order - which does not include app./desserts or drinks at most meals. But with 4 character meals, it doesn't matter how much the 10 yr old eats - I'd still be paying $35/day for her just to eat a character meal (with tax and tip) - so I'm only paying an extra $3 for a QS meal and snack. What a bargin!

It does sound like a great deal for you! Even when our kids were younger we never did more than one character meal per trip. Money had nothing to do with it, we just like more variety than that, and never wanted to spend that much time at restaurants. Just a personal preference. Enjoy .

 

[tabrizia]

YEP! If dh and I went by ourselves (it is a dream I have ) we would buy the DP in a heartbeat. I would eat seafood and he would eat steak daily!!! Two appetizers and two desserts to share would be no biggy.....but six of each !!! Most folks don't go with four kids I guess, particularly with three considered "adults!"

I'm one of 4, so when I went with my parents we would never have done something like the dining plan either. Though we also never stayed on site after the twins were born (so we won't have had the option either). 2 appetizer for two people is great but for 6 people you never need 6 appetizers, we would get 1 or 2 at most there too. Plus while me and my brother were more adventerous eaters neither of my sisters were (or for that fact still are) so they were quite happy with kid meals till they were 14/15. So I completely understand the not finding the dining plan useful for a family of 6 (though we would never have 3 as adults one as kids since the youngest two were twins). Well that and my dad was a bit of a cheapskate, so we never ate at a sit down restaraunt on property any time we went, but that is a completely diferent story .

 

[neutie88]

We used the DDP (paid for it) for the first time in December with a group of 3 adults, 3 teens, and a child for five nights. We were able to try restaurants we NEVER would have went to without the plan. We ate at the Concourse Steakhouse (where a steak costs $26+), Ohana, Crystal Palace character breakfast, the Fantasmic Dinner package at H & V, and Chef Mickey's. The Dining Experiences alone for the TS was worth the price we paid. Plus the counter service meals and the 35 snacks (which we ended up scrambing to use up the last day!).

We are going again using the Free DDP in September, and I have booked at Le Cellier, Coral Reef, Cindie's, and Boma. I calculated we will be getting about $790 worth of food/gratuity for the TS and CS visits (5 nights, 2A 1J 1C), and then snacks will tack on another $40-60.

If you really want to eat hot dogs and pizza for 6 days, this is not for you. If you want experience some real dining in a theme park setting, the DDP is the way to go.

Michelle (my 1st post!)

 

[kellyg403]

For us, going without the DDP won't happen in the future. It was a wonderful thing for us. For example, when we split up so the teens could go to the rides they wanted, they had their card to use if they wanted to get a meal and I didn't worry about them losing money, not once did I care if they didn't eat all their food and had dessert too, and overall we tried places we would not have been able to because of the prices.

We are doing the free dining in Sept simply because for a family of 8 it saved us well over 1700 that we paid in Dec. We were able to do the Candlelight Processional, Fantasmic etc. It also made us glad that everything was paid for when we left and didn't have to worry about anything other than little things here or there. That really helped with out budget.

So, yes we would pay even if we weren't going during the free dining.

 

[n2mm]

Certainly, we would NOT go to WDW without ADR's and expect to be served whenever and where ever we wanted to eat! Also, I suspect that Disney is banking on hooking A LOT of people like yourselves by giving them the free dining plan on one trip and then getting them to pay for it on the next trip! Great marketing!!

I agree, I actually told member services that when I called and had the DDP added to my April room reservation. I told the CM I had used the free plan and like it so much that their marketing plan had indeed worked on us and she said that is what disney was hoping for. So this August/September Disney will be hooking even more folks.

 

[kimis]

We love the DDP! We use it everytime we go! I can promise you that it is very popular! ENJOY!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Well, anything free is going to be popular. HOwever, I do believe that some like the "all inclusiveness" of packages - and DDP suits them perfectly.

Personally, I do not like DDP. It has compromised some restaurants offerings and has taken the creativity out of some of the most creative chefs at WDW. As I have heard, some chefs left WDW because of the restraints in the cooking for DDP.

We love WDW and loved having special dinners at WDW. We hope that DDP does not make the high end restaurants watered down. That would be sad.

 

[MissMichelle]

LOVER of the DDP plan here and won't visit WDW again without it. I love not pulling out $$ or credit cards at TS and CS...same goes for snacks. It is the care free way for me...We did save $$ on the last trip with the plan, but I guess even if we cut it close or didn't save as much as we did we would still do it as it was about convenience for us, who normally wouldn't stop to pay $140 for a TS.
Just my .02

 

[Gerweniel]

You sound just like me! When we go on vacation DH never wants to spend too much, before we get to WDW, but then once there he orders a coffee after dinner or that filet that you mention and I'm sitting there crunching numbers in my head going, oh great another granola bar for breakfast with tap water! Glad to know I'm not the only one out there like that. Next May we are trying the DP for the first time and I can't wait. We're not big eaters, but I just want to sit back and relax and order what we want without any stress!!!

I agree! Last trip (Dec 05) I purchased the DDP for myself and 2 DS ages 13 and 11 and had to work lots of OT to afford it, but in our case, we planned our meals long in advance, checked out the menus, looked and drooled at the food pics and planned everything out. It was fabulous not to have to restrict the boys (or myself) from ordering appetizers, desserts etc! My sons are very big eaters and the older one is a seafood lover with interests in becoming a chef, so he likes to sample more exotic fare. The younger one has a separate dessert stomach so he loves being able to order sweet treats and snacks! Other than special occassions, we rarely dine out at home, so all the TS meals were especially relished - and for me, I could kick back and relax knowing that it was all paid for.
We are buying the DDP for this October and looking forward to using it at restaurants we have not visited before and for character meals! In our case it is a great add on and worth every penny in food and piece of mind.

 

[DaisyD]

I won't take the DDP whether it is free or not! I don't want to have to wonder what is covered and what isn't. I would rather pay OOP and have an enjoyable vacation. I do stay onsite and would love if they never offered the DDP free again. It makes it difficult for us paying guests!

 

[JimMIA]

I won't take the DDP whether it is free or not! I don't want to have to wonder what is covered and what isn't. I would rather pay OOP and have an enjoyable vacation. I do stay onsite and would love if they never offered the DDP free again. It makes it difficult for us paying guests!

 

[queenof hearts]

I agree with MissMichele. The convience is a big part of it. We are going with another family-no worrying about agreeing on the tip or splitting the bill fairly and a chance to try appetizers and desserts I would never try usually. Plus you know the cost upfront and can start paying it off before the trip. Now with Magical Express and my Disney Visa points I need minimal cash.

 

[laceemouse]

I guess it is different strokes for different folks! I really don't get the whole "we love the dining plan because then we can order what we want to and not worry about the cost" thing because, well, you have already paid a VERY high (IMO) cost for the plan. And, as has been stated many times, you have to compare the cost of the plan to what you really would buy vs. what you did buy on the plan (mega appetizers and desserts!) I don't think it would be worth it for us, but I am obviously in the minority (most folks are not paying for 4 kids, 3 of whom are considered "adults" but no way eat what an adult usually can.)

 

[anneofgreengables]

We are paying for the dining plan in December! The $38 per adult and $11 per child works for our family of four. I did the calculations half a year ago comparing how much we would pay out of pocket to how much the dining plan would cost us. The dining plan came out slightly ahead in our favor--and that's even when I didn't budget for getting desserts or appetizers at each and every meal if I paid out of pocket.

If we were just doing counter service meals, I wouldn't get the dining plan. But we figure the Epcot restaurants are attractions in and of itself and with little kids we do character meals, so because we will end up doing TS meals, the dining plan works for us.

 

[JimMIA]

I guess it is different strokes for different folks! I really don't get the whole "we love the dining plan because then we can order what we want to and not worry about the cost" thing because, well, you have already paid a VERY high (IMO) cost for the plan. And, as has been stated many times, you have to compare the cost of the plan to what you really would buy vs. what you did buy on the plan (mega appetizers and desserts!) I don't think it would be worth it for us, but I am obviously in the minority (most folks are not paying for 4 kids, 3 of whom are considered "adults" but no way eat what an adult usually can.)

I agree, for the most part. I'm one of those who advocate using what you really would buy when evaluating DDP -- whether you're talking about "free" DDP or paid. To just compare the $37.99 per day to your receipts may make you feel good after the fact, but I don't think that's a sound way to make a purchasing decision.

I can actually think of three reasons for getting the dining plan.

One is if the numbers work, and that depends on the composition of your family and your normal eating habits. We have 2 adults and DD4, and we always do either a nice dinner or a character meal each day. For us, the numbers work, although DDP does not offer us what I would consider a huge savings over our normal food cost. If I used your family with our dining habits, I doubt very seriously whether the numbers would work because of the ages of your children.

Another way I think the plan works is for folks who don't currently eat a lot of expensive Disney meals, but who would enjoy some nice dinners and character meals. For many, the DDP is not so much about saving money, but about broadening their horizons and enjoying some restaurants they have never tried. That's a good rationale for using DDP, IMHO, even if it does cost you a little more.

And the final way is the convenience of the DDP. I wouldn't pay a lot extra for the convenience, but it IS way less stressful than biting my lip every time Girlie wants an ice cream, or wondering if I really need the twin lobster tails at Capn Jacks. It does take some pressure off, no doubt about that...and I can see that being an important plus for many.

The biggest thing I think people should realize about DDP is that it is not designed for every single combination and permutation of families, vacation schedules, and dining habits. It is what it is, and if that fits your situation, great!

I see a lot of people trying to twist the plan to fit some unique situation they have on this particular trip, or manipulate their vacation plans around to fit a plan that doesn't fit them. Sometimes you don't know whether to laugh or cry at some of these situations, but the right answer for most of those folks is very simple -- don't get the plan, it doesn't fit your particular situation.

 

[mnasf]

Okay, regarding the other thread about the DDP hurting regular diners.....YES, I can see that if you went during free dining all of the restaurants would be packed and service would suffer. However, you would most likely be on free dining too so that is just the breaks if you know what I mean. My question is, when DDP is NOT free, does almost every on-site guest BUY it??? This surprises me a LOT as it is pretty pricey!!! I mean, if you are the kinda a person who budgets carefully and eats some meals in the room or off-site to save $$$, would you just automatically sign up for the dining plan which would be mega bucks/day for most families?? I understand that some folks will always buy "the works" paying top $$$ to get the best of everything Disney has to offer, but does the average family just buy the plan without researching the options?

We have done the DDP three times and have paid every time. We like to do sit down meals with the kids. The DDP has allowed us to eat at restaurants we'd normally not pay for. We always spend more on the DDP than we were charged. Now the snack choices are better, too. We have kids aged 12, 7, and 2 and even bought the dining plan for the two year old this last time. We've stayed at Pop Century in the past so we felt like we could do the DDP. I'm not a big splurger. But we usually eat Le Cellier twice which is expensive and get to try food (appetizers, desserts) we'd normally not order or would share. It's nice to not have to agree on what appetizer we all want to share, etc. We ate at places like Chef de France, Coral Reef, Concourse Steakhouse, 1900 Park Faire, Chef Mickey's, etc. For us the amount spent per day is no problem because we easily spend what we were charged. We have more than enough food. We can try whatever foods we like at table service or counter service. The kids like eating and new places, etc. The reason we may not do this next time is that the table service meals can take a long time and maybe we'd rather be riding but who knows?

 

[mnasf]

For us the amount spent per day is no problem. We have more than enough. We can try whatever foods we like at table service or counter service. The kids like eating and new places, etc. The reason we may not do this next time is that the table service meals can take a long time and maybe we'd rather be riding but who knows?[/QUOTE]


I should've added that when figuring out what you would have ordered without the DDP don't forget tax and/or gratuity.

 

[JimMIA]

I should've added that when figuring out what you would have ordered without the DDP don't forget tax and/or gratuity.

Right, and any other discounts you may qualify for...

In our case, in a 5-night trip with 2A/1C, I figured what we really would have bought + tax and tip - our 20% DDE card discount. I compared those costs for the dinners/character meals only to what the DDP cost us.

I did NOT count the value of the CS and snacks because we usually don't do much of either if we're paying OOP. (If I'm going to justify DDP on the numbers, I want the most conservative numbers I can come up with.)

I calculated that we saved about $70 for the trip on dinners/character meals alone...and all the other stuff was free. That's not to say we didn't use our CS and snack credits -- we used all of them! I just didn't consider them in my calculus because we would not have purchased them OOP.