I am on a budget but I want to DDP

[jlsfagan]

Hey guys I need help!!

I am on a budget but it is my honeymoon so I am looking into getting the DDP. I already bought my tickets and room from different sources.

My questions are can I even get a DDP? If so what is the cheapest way to do this? and is it worth the price?

I do plan on going to some of the select dinning options and just bringing some bagels and skipping breakfast or eating a late breakfast and using some of the snacks for something to tide us over till dinner. I am staying at BWI so I am staying on property. I tried to call Disney and ask them but I was talking to this woman that did not really help me under stand she said something about having to pay one day entrance to the park. I asked her to price this for me so I could find out and she just said I would have to cancel my current room to do this. Is this correct? I am so confused at this point please help.

Oh and if you have stayed at the BWI tell me how your stay was I have read so many opinions but still not sure I made the right choice.

 

[pigletto]

Yes, if you want the dining plan it requires at least one day of tickets booked through Disney. I am guessing you are on a room only reservation at BWI. They would need to cancel this and then book a package reservation with your one (or more) days of tickets, your room and the DDP. Where did you get your tickets?
it really isn't a big deal to cancel the room only and switch to a package. It only takes a few minutes.

You''ll have to price whether it is worth it for you to get the one day tickets to pay for the DDP. At that point it might end up costing you more than it would to just pay out of pocket for the restaurants you want. You can have a look at the menus and prices at Allears.net to predict what you plan to spend.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Hey guys I need help!!

I am on a budget but it is my honeymoon so I am looking into getting the DDP. I already bought my tickets and room from different sources.

My questions are can I even get a DDP? If so what is the cheapest way to do this? and is it worth the price?

I do plan on going to some of the select dinning options and just bringing some bagels and skipping breakfast or eating a late breakfast and using some of the snacks for something to tide us over till dinner. I am staying at BWI so I am staying on property. I tried to call Disney and ask them but I was talking to this woman that did not really help me under stand she said something about having to pay one day entrance to the park. I asked her to price this for me so I could find out and she just said I would have to cancel my current room to do this. Is this correct? I am so confused at this point please help.

Oh and if you have stayed at the BWI tell me how your stay was I have read so many opinions but still not sure I made the right choice.

You need to be on a package to book dining; you cannot have a room only reservation and purchase tickets separately. What the woman was suggesting was cancelliing your current hotel reservation and booking a package through Disney with just a one day park pass. Doing that will allow you to get the dining plan as the plan is based on the number of night stays, and not on the number of days on your passes.

 

[jlsfagan]

I got my tickets from undercover tourist before the prices went up in June.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Hey guys I need help!! I am on a budget but it is my honeymoon so I am looking into getting the DDP. I already bought my tickets and room from different sources.

My questions are can I even get a DDP? If so what is the cheapest way to do this? and is it worth the price?

I do plan on going to some of the select dinning options and just bringing some bagels and skipping breakfast or eating a late breakfast and using some of the snacks for something to tide us over till dinner. I am staying at BWI so I am staying on property. I tried to call Disney and ask them but I was talking to this woman that did not really help me under stand she said something about having to pay one day entrance to the park. I asked her to price this for me so I could find out and she just said I would have to cancel my current room to do this. Is this correct? I am so confused at this point please help.

Oh and if you have stayed at the BWI tell me how your stay was I have read so many opinions but still not sure I made the right choice.

Yes, if you want the dining plan it requires at least one day of tickets booked through Disney. I am guessing you are on a room only reservation at BWI. They would need to cancel this and then book a package reservation with your one (or more) days of tickets, your room and the DDP. Where did you get your tickets?
it really isn't a big deal to cancel the room only and switch to a package. It only takes a few minutes.

You''ll have to price whether it is worth it for you to get the one day tickets to pay for the DDP. At that point it might end up costing you more than it would to just pay out of pocket for the restaurants you want. You can have a look at the menus and prices at Allears.net to predict what you plan to spend.

To the OP, the answer from the PP is good advice. It might be advisable to cancel the room only reservation at BWI and book through Disney, if possible for the date(s) you wish. Also, you might want to research a lot more before making plans. There are stickies for the DDP which explain its value under various conditions. Good luck and enjoy your visit.

 

[Darcy03231]

Hey guys I need help!!

I am on a budget but it is my honeymoon so I am looking into getting the DDP. I already bought my tickets and room from different sources.

My questions are can I even get a DDP? If so what is the cheapest way to do this? and is it worth the price?

I do plan on going to some of the select dinning options and just bringing some bagels and skipping breakfast or eating a late breakfast and using some of the snacks for something to tide us over till dinner. I am staying at BWI so I am staying on property. I tried to call Disney and ask them but I was talking to this woman that did not really help me under stand she said something about having to pay one day entrance to the park. I asked her to price this for me so I could find out and she just said I would have to cancel my current room to do this. Is this correct? I am so confused at this point please help.

Oh and if you have stayed at the BWI tell me how your stay was I have read so many opinions but still not sure I made the right choice.

I've done the DDP several times. I kept track of what we would have spent OOP vs the cost of the DDP and I found, for us, its really "break even." I like it for the convenience, but it really didn't save us any money. Since you've already booked your room and have your tickets I would just pay OOP for your meals. You might find that by paying OOP you will save some money as you might choose lower priced items or not have dessert.

 

[torinsmom]

Just book a few TS/Character meals and pay OOP for them. It will be cheaper than having to pay for one day tickets and losing the discount on your room.

 

[brymolmom]

I'm going to go against some of the comments here and say that if you already purchased your tickets for that discounted price - GOOD FOR YOU! And I would NOT, in your situation, change it up and buy a package solely for the purpose of DDP (you will lose any discount that you got and you said that budget is important). First off, I would look to rent DVC points (go to the DVC Board here in the DIS and read about it) for your room - might end up cheaper than your room only ressie.

Given the way it sounds like you want to eat on your honeymoon anyway, it sound to me like the DDP might not save you any money anyway (given that it is not always a great deal with only adults buying into it) - so I certainly wouldn't sacrifice tickets you already purchased just to get it. Instead, I would plan accordingly and 'prepay' the same way by just buying WDW gift cards in the amount that you will need to pay for your meals. For all your Table Service places, figure out about how much your two meals (or, if you want to aim high, the HIGHEST two meals) would be - and factor that into the amount you need to buy. Then throw in about $20 per day for CS meals and snacks and I'm GUESSING you'll end up LOWER THAN or maybe right around the $98 per night that you would be paying with the DDP. If you just put it on gift cards instead - you get the benefit of prepaying...and, depending on your TS choices, maybe even ending up with 'extra' money from your food budget to get a couple special souveniers or other....

 

[torinsmom]

I'm going to go against some of the comments here and say that if you already purchased your tickets for that discounted price - GOOD FOR YOU! And I would NOT, in your situation, change it up and buy a package solely for the purpose of DDP (you will lose any discount that you got and you said that budget is important). First off, I would look to rent DVC points (go to the DVC Board here in the DIS and read about it) for your room - might end up cheaper than your room only ressie.

Given the way it sounds like you want to eat on your honeymoon anyway, it sound to me like the DDP might not save you any money anyway (given that it is not always a great deal with only adults buying into it) - so I certainly wouldn't sacrifice tickets you already purchased just to get it. Instead, I would plan accordingly and 'prepay' the same way by just buying WDW gift cards in the amount that you will need to pay for your meals. For all your Table Service places, figure out about how much your two meals (or, if you want to aim high, the HIGHEST two meals) would be - and factor that into the amount you need to buy. Then throw in about $20 per day for CS meals and snacks and I'm GUESSING you'll end up LOWER THAN or maybe right around the $98 per night that you would be paying with the DDP. If you just put it on gift cards instead - you get the benefit of prepaying...and, depending on your TS choices, maybe even ending up with 'extra' money from your food budget to get a couple special souveniers or other....

This is so true, and if they check out the menus at Allears.net, they could probably come up with a great estimate of how much each meal would cost.

 

[chartle]

I got my tickets from undercover tourist before the prices went up in June.

As others have posted if you already have tickets and want the DDP you will have to buy a minimum one day.

Though you can keep the tickets and use and upgrade for a future trip.

 

[ssawka]

If I were you, since you already have your tickets, I would not do the DDP. If you want to "prepay" for your meals, consider purchasing Disney gift cards and use that towards your meals. As others have stated, DDP is convenient but rarely do you save much money and having to buy a one day ticket may eat up any savings you would have.

 

[GinnyEmma]

You got a good deal in your tickets. If you are happy with your reservations, I wouldn't do the ddp change. Especially if you don't normally eat desserts for every meal or get drinks for every meal. Or eat that many snacks per day. You don't even break even if that is the case. IMO. Congratulations! And have a wonderful trip!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

If I were you, since you already have your tickets, I would not do the DDP. If you want to "prepay" for your meals, consider purchasing Disney gift cards and use that towards your meals. As others have stated, DDP is convenient but rarely do you save much money and having to buy a one day ticket may eat up any savings you would have.

I fully agree, I'm a big fan of Disney Gift Cards! And did you know you can add $$ to a DGC.... simply call DelivEARS ~ 800-362-4533 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info and they mail you the receipt. Last time I did this *a couple months ago* the $$ was on the GC the next day. This way you only have 1 gift card to keep track of, if you go this route make sure to write down *I prefer to email myself* your gift card(s) #s and pins - if they're lost you can call and get it replaced.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I'm going to go against some of the comments here and say that if you already purchased your tickets for that discounted price - GOOD FOR YOU! And I would NOT, in your situation, change it up and buy a package solely for the purpose of DDP (you will lose any discount that you got and you said that budget is important). First off, I would look to rent DVC points (go to the DVC Board here in the DIS and read about it) for your room - might end up cheaper than your room only ressie.

Given the way it sounds like you want to eat on your honeymoon anyway, it sound to me like the DDP might not save you any money anyway (given that it is not always a great deal with only adults buying into it) - so I certainly wouldn't sacrifice tickets you already purchased just to get it. Instead, I would plan accordingly and 'prepay' the same way by just buying WDW gift cards in the amount that you will need to pay for your meals. For all your Table Service places, figure out about how much your two meals (or, if you want to aim high, the HIGHEST two meals) would be - and factor that into the amount you need to buy. Then throw in about $20 per day for CS meals and snacks and I'm GUESSING you'll end up LOWER THAN or maybe right around the $98 per night that you would be paying with the DDP. If you just put it on gift cards instead - you get the benefit of prepaying...and, depending on your TS choices, maybe even ending up with 'extra' money from your food budget to get a couple special souveniers or other....

I agree. A room discount on a deluxe is usually substanial savings. Getting two, one day tickets and possibly losing a discount would not make sense.

For two adults, room discounts are always the best and the DDP is not as good of a deal. When the DDP adds a lot of savings is if you have kids that are under 10 and do a lot of buffets. That way the kids are eating whatever they want off a buffet for $10ish a day total.

The DDP savings is not what it used to be.

If you want to do some prepaying, you can always buy Disney gift cards and have those ready in hand and long paid for when your trip comes. When I buy gift cards at my grocery store, I get fuel points which makes even more $$$ sense.

This way you can what you want and where you want and not be eating stuff you would not order because you paid for it.

I am to the point I only do the DDP if its during free dining, with four of us, staying in a moderate and all over age 10 its our best discount. Otherwise, I pay OOP and use gift cards.