I am the poster child for "Shouldn't do DDP"

[MamaBelle4]

Two of my party (all staying together in a 2 bedroom) are leaving 2 nights early.

We won't partake in the alcohol option very much likely once a day.

But we still want the DDP. I know it's not the smart thing to do in our situation.

I just know if we go down with money loaded on GC, every meal I will be stressed out about what to order and will order the cheapest thing or skip eating to make sure my family gets what they want.

I also know every time one of my kids ask for a snack, I'm going to freak out about the cost.

I know I could probably save a ton, but I think we are going to go with the dining plan. I can't change my mindset and I can't spend my whole vacation stressing about each dime we spend. That's my regular life. Someone tell me I'm not completely insane!!!

 

[ktate82]

You aren't. I'm the same way. We have a split stay in July, so going to do at least the Deluxe plan for the first part because it cuts down on the stress. If we don't have it, I start cutting sit down meals and thinking "we don't really need to go there", and that is part of the experience in my opinion.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Not insane at all. If that's your vacation style there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

[Summer2018]

The first time we went to WDW, we didn’t do the dining plan. We ran out of money at the end of our trip. It was so stressful.

Every other trip we get it and always get our money’s worth. We have saved money every time by doing the dining plan. I wouldn’t go to WDW without it.

 

[Lovetherodent]

If you are, so am I. I'd never be able to eat what I wanted when I wanted without regard to cost if I were paying OOP. Some of us just need a push to let go.

I come out ahead every trip on the DDP. (And I've come out ahead with leftover snack credits, not counting the "value" of the resort mug, having a signature meal, and having members of my party order the least expensive thing on the menu). I compare what I ate with the cost of the plan, BUTlike you, I'd eat differently without it. I know a criticism of the plan is that it forces you to eat a certain way, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

If I weren't on the plan, I wouldn't order without regard to price. I would almost never have dessert (and I LOVE dessert). I would never have a single adult beverage. I wouldn't ever say (about a snack), "Wow, that looks fun/tasty...let's try it!" I would probably split more meals and eat whatever my travel companion wanted, not what I wanted.

 

[canyoncam]

Not at all. I am doing same thing. It’s just easier being prepaid.

 

[Specter]

My DW and I are of the opinion that we'd rather pay for the dining plan up front and then not worry at all about what we order. And we are the sort that usually get a glass of wine or a cocktail with dinner, so now that they are including alcohol it's even better for us!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

My DW and I are of the opinion that we'd rather pay for the dining plan up front and then not worry at all about what we order. And we are the sort that usually get a glass of wine or a cocktail with dinner, so now that they are including alcohol it's even better for us!

Same! Plus we get to say "yes" every time our kids ask for a snack, which is a lot of fun!

 

[DisneyHardin]

We do the dining plan for the exact same reasons.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If you want the dining plan, then you want it. So long as you understand you won't be saving any money by using it in this fashion.

 

[Pumbaa_]

It sounds more like you are the poster child of who should get the ddp

Let's face it, disney food is expensive. Really expensive for a family for a week. Each check is sticker shock for some

If you are one that knows paying oop for each meal will stress you, then prepaying, even if you pay more, will increase your vacation happiness

Totally psychological. But paying out hundreds of dollars daily for food can make you stress and impact what you order. You know you. It sounds like the ddp is prefect for you n

 

[djc9699]

This is us exactly. We like to eat what we want on vacation. We scrimp enough at home. If I were paying out of pocket, I would order whatever was cheapest instead of ordering what I really want. And we always have plenty of snack credits to try things we wouldn't normally try. With it already paid for, it gives us the freedom to choose what we want and sample each other's choices. I took my son, his wife and my grandbaby over spring break and I loved that they didn't have to look at prices and just got what they wanted. We are going back in July for a split stay. trying to decide between regular and deluxe as we like a sit down late character breakfast or lunch and a nice table service dinner almost daily.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I totally get this mindset, it makes perfect sense. We like to just enjoy our vacation and not think about $$ at all. It's the same reason that even though we have our car parked at the resort, we don't want to drive, it's part of what makes our vacation a vacation. Getting to enjoy "time off" from those things we do everyday. However after the last time (2014) we did the DDP, we saw on paper how much more we spend using it vs paying OOP. To avoid thinking about money on our trips, we pay with most of our meals with our MB and we either tip cash or write it in. I already have the amount we will spend on food/gifts/etc in our account and when I get back home, I just pay off that card. I totally 100% get the why, but the frugal girl in me won't allow me to spend $$ on the DDP.

 

[jsmla]

I just know if we go down with money loaded on GC, every meal I will be stressed out about what to order and will order the cheapest thing or skip eating to make sure my family gets what they want.

I also know every time one of my kids ask for a snack, I'm going to freak out about the cost.

I did my first solo WDW restaurant dining last year during Free Dining and realized that I ate much, much better on the DP. Without it I tend to exist on kids' meals and carby snacks. I buy the gift cards and make ADRs but almost always end up cheaping out and having meal after meal of pretzels or kids' turkey sandwiches and apple slices. For some reason it's very hard for me to indulge myself once my boots are on the ground. Having the DP kinda "forced" me to order the fancy fish dish in a TS or enjoy the pricier QS like Tangierine Cafe. It was nice.

 

[Christinecinti]

I think every person needs to do whatever works for your family! If you truly can't relax & will stress about the cost, then paying for the DDP may be worth it for your stress level. For me- unless I get the DDP free, I will never pay for it. There is just no way my daughter & I will be even close to breaking even on the cost of the thing. Back before I ever knew free dining existed, I always did an "estimate" for our food spending, & I always rounded way high so I would have no surprises with the bill- & I had saved to cover the vacation amount including this food amount. But the pretty inflated "cushion" amount I figured per day for each person was still significantly cheaper than the dining plan no matter how many times I looked at it. So I'm more the other side of the coin- I'm able to 'let go' & we treat ourselves to what we want during vacation, because I save for it during the year so no guilt- & for me it would stress me out on vacation to know I had dramatically overpaid every day for what I was really eating. I'd be looking at it from the other side of the mirror all day, thinking about how I want to order what I want, & not always be on the look out for the 'math' of feeling pushed to order something I don't want just cause it's $5 bucks more. We also always have credits left at the end, which of course isn't a good value for the credits to use on snacks for home... but even when I include in our budget buying some "take home snacks" out of pocket, we still come out waaay cheaper out of pocket. For me I'd rather use the money we save on other extras during the trip (or just to bring the cost down overall), but it's such a personal thing, & it's whatever it works for you! ... now of COURSE if I can get it free I'll take it with a big smile! ... if we don't get lucky, I'll have to save some $ & I'll get Dis gift cards so our food is still paid ahead (cause even saving 5-9% helps & equals a free few meals!!)

 

[Ben E N]

Why not just purchase a giftcard that would cost the same as the DDP and drop it off at the front desk when you check in? You would still be able to order whatever you want without stressing, even more so since you would not feel 'forced' to get an appetizer, dessert, etc, and would then have money left over for other things at the end of the trip. It would cost you nothing extra, and you would not need to look at the prices of items if that is really what is stressing you out.
I personally would be more stressed out knowing I am throwing my money away just so that I don't have to think about it. Seems like an expensive way to have a low stress vacation.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I personally would be more stressed out knowing I am throwing my money away just so that I don't have to think about it. Seems like an expensive way to have a low stress vacation.

It isn't throwing away money so I don't have to think about it. It is throwing money away so I can give myself the freedom to get what I really want.

I agree it is throwing money away though. But if I just dropped a gift card off at the desk, I would be obsessively checking the amount and calculating and ordering the cheapest thing to be sure the rest of my party got what they wanted. If you have that mindset, it can't be changed or eased so easily.

 

[tinklvsu]

Definitely not. I am the same way. We are getting the regular dining plan for our fall trip. My husband, me, 7 year old son, and sons 7 year old friend. I love to "pre-pay" so that while I am there I am not looking at what something costs each time. I order what I want. Same for kids, I dont have to try to talk them into the cheaper option, haha. I may be spending more this way, but it doesnt feel like it while I am there, and I dont worry like I would otherwise. The less worrying is worth the extra cost upfront in my opinion! I'm sure the kids will be eating all of our daily snacks. hehe.

 

[Moliphino]

Conversely, when I'm on the dining plan I feel like I need to order the more expensive items. Prices are still influencing what I order, just the opposite way (and then I wind up needing to pay more in tips).

 

[MamaBelle4]

Conversely, when I'm on the dining plan I feel like I need to order the more expensive items. Prices are still influencing what I order, just the opposite way (and then I wind up needing to pay more in tips).

That's how I was the first couple times I ordered, then I realized we were getting what we needed out of the plan and just started ordering what looked best to me.