Hubby wants DP as it's much cheaper than Tables, but I'm worried!

[Tiger926]

We have had Tables for years now, with a few DP and DxDP thrown in there, but after doing our calculations for July (as we do each trip), we have discovered that DP will be much cheaper for us. We are also only going to have 1 trip on the card, as opposed to 2-3 trips, as next year we won't be going for spring break, plus, we are going to Vero and DCL, so no parks for us, and therefore, no need for a Tables card.

We have 2 kids between 3-9 years old, and despite saying we weren't going to do any character meals, we realized that wasn't fair to kids. They really don't ask for much, and thoroughly enjoy character meals, so when you factor that in, it is much cheaper for DP due to peak season surcharges.

We are eating 2 meals per day in our room during our 2 week trip, so we are saving huge money, but Tables is considerably more, so DP it will be.

I am worried about the segmented aspect as we have AK Value room that we have had booked since 11 months. What if there is a glitch with them adding DP?

I have read all threads on the matter, and getting new cards is no biggie for us, as we usually do crazy split stays, and won't be doing that anymore, so a few minutes to get new KTTW cards is ok.

Anyone else worried about segmenting an upcoming reservation?

Tiger

 

[cvjw]

I just segmented a trip that will occur in 2 weeks. It is also a BLT reservation that can't be rebooked. I just told the CM exactly what I wanted to do, and told her she might need a manager's help - there was no way I could lose my reservation. She got a manager and it took about 5 minutes - it was painless. I even had an extra twist - I had already prepaid for the DDP for the whole reservation, so I needed to segment off one night and cancel that night of the DDP while keeping the other two nights as is.

 

[Tiger926]

I just segmented a trip that will occur in 2 weeks. It is also a BLT reservation that can't be rebooked. I just told the CM exactly what I wanted to do, and told her she might need a manager's help - there was no way I could lose my reservation. She got a manager and it took about 5 minutes - it was painless. I even had an extra twist - I had already prepaid for the DDP for the whole reservation, so I needed to segment off one night and cancel that night of the DDP while keeping the other two nights as is.

Glad that worked out for you!

Hoping it works out that well for us too! Tiger

 

[Crystal_27]

I have to say that after years and years and years of always being on the DP, this year we are doing the TIW for our entire stay. I'm going to save our receipts and see how we fare... Good luck to both of us!

 

[Dean]

I'm surprised DDP is better for that trip, must be the nature of the meals for the kids. For 1 meal a day I wonder if nothing and using pass/DVC discounts might be as cheap or cheaper. Remember the DDP is all or nothing so if you pay and someone gets ill, you can't get any refund. If you're getting it for longer segments, this is a big risk.

 

[Tiger926]

I have to say that after years and years and years of always being on the DP, this year we are doing the TIW for our entire stay. I'm going to save our receipts and see how we fare... Good luck to both of us!

Thanks! Happy eating!

I'm surprised DDP is better for that trip, must be the nature of the meals for the kids. For 1 meal a day I wonder if nothing and using pass/DVC discounts might be as cheap or cheaper. Remember the DDP is all or nothing so if you pay and someone gets ill, you can't get any refund. If you're getting it for longer segments, this is a big risk.

As I mentioned, it's the character meals as we go during summer so it's peak season surcharges in effect - 4.00/adult plus tax and 2.00/child plus tax. So, that makes character dinners like Chef Mickey's cost more than the actual DP for the day, and there is still a CS and snack to use up.

We were going to eliminate all meals, but realized that was too much. So, we went to 1 TS meal per day for lunch, like we did in March with Tables, but then kids were asking about character meals. So, we updated our spreadsheet, and it showed us that Tables would be a lot more for us when adding in a few character meals. Looked at DVC/AP discounts, but there aren't many at all, plus, there are none for character meals. It's because we've added in character meals, and that is why Tables is more, plus the 75.00 cost of the card is added in there too.

We always do this each trip, and the results vary depending upon the meals chosen. It's always an interesting experiment to see what our spreadsheets tell us! This time it's showing a $250.00 higher cost to do Tables over DP, and that's with me eliminating half of the snacks on the DP, as we wouldn't have purchased all of those with Tables. If I count those in, I'm at like $280.00 more to do Tables, and that's a good amount!

Tiger

 

[patsal]

Makes sense, the magic key to making the DDP or DXDDP work to your benefit is children under 10 and character buffets!

 

[mousefan1972]

DDP will always work better for us than using the TiW card, as long as both our kids are under age 9. Which gives us 2 more years...

 

[rocketriter]

Something else to watch out for on DP. Our kids, when they were quite young, got their first taste of lobster tail, king crab and prime rib on DP. It's been costing us a fortune ever since!

 

[CarolMN]

If you are worried about losing part of your reservation, why not send an email request to MS? As long as you are very clear about what you want, and since it isn't urgent (like getting the reservation may have been), I think this is the way to go.

MS will give the request to someone who knows what to do (rather than a call which could end up with anyone), and you should get an email back saying it's all been done.

 

[Tiger926]

Something else to watch out for on DP. Our kids, when they were quite young, got their first taste of lobster tail, king crab and prime rib on DP. It's been costing us a fortune ever since!

Thanks for the reminder! Our kids have eaten pretty much everywhere on property, including a bunch of Signatures, many, many times. They've been eating adult meals since they were like 2 (share them), which is why Tables worked out best. You are right about wanting to eat more fancy foods. They are really asking for character meals, and since we didn't do any in March, we want to be able to add a few in there. During the 2 weeks we are there, we are only doing 4 character meals, and the few other TS meals we will pay cash for with discounts, and they will get adult meals. So, with character meals, they will get enough food, with lots of variety.

My kids at 3 and 7 already eat more than me!!!!

If you are worried about losing part of your reservation, why not send an email request to MS? As long as you are very clear about what you want, and since it isn't urgent (like getting the reservation may have been), I think this is the way to go.

MS will give the request to someone who knows what to do (rather than a call which could end up with anyone), and you should get an email back saying it's all been done.

That is a great idea! I've been reading about people doing this, so I think that is the way to go. I find sometimes on the phone, MS gets confused at times, even with simple requests, as I imagine they are always worried about messing up and causing distress to us as members.

Thanks, Tiger