Is DDP Quick Service a Good Value?

[Hopefully]

Thanks for the update on the pricing! I didn't see that it was going up. That definitely does make a difference. I guess I should look in to the gift cards. My fear is that I'll give each kid a gift card, they will totally blow it in the first two days, and then I'm left buying their food for the last two on top of what I already spent on the gift card. I guess I'll just have to be VERY specific when I hand them out.

Susan

You have identified a good point. What are you most trying to achieve? Cost control or cost savings? I personally think that the QSDP might be a good one in your situation. Teenagers eat alot. On the plan, they would know what they were entitled to, and could have some degree of control. I think your concern with the gift cards is valid, suddenly it is all gone and you are paying more OOP.
If you are looking primarily for cost savings, it probably isn't going to save you anything,
Your DH and yourself will have to be on the same plan. Does that work for you too?

 

[disneypoor]

Bill--you didn't offend me at all! I always appreciate your advice on these forums, and I do know that you have a wealth of information about DVC based on all of the threads I've been stalking for months and months. I just knew when I wrote my comment about the kids wasting their gift card that it would prompt a response. That's all it was. I'm also very glad to know that I can get a print out because as it has been stated, I'm sure keeping track of the credits would be the most challenging part of any DP. Did you mean I could only get a printout of their KTTW card if they had charging privileges, or can you request that as well if you're just wanting to track credits for the DP? Do they have to have charging privileges with the DP? Thanks again for all of your input. I truly do appreciate it!

My DH and I will be fine with the QSDP. In fact, if we're not, we'll use one of our credits for breakfast and sneak off somewhere nice and pay for a sit down meal for either lunch or supper since it's likely the kids will be ditching us on this trip.

One of the previous posters asked how the kids would pay for their second snack if they were to get popcorn and a soda. My plan is that each kid carries their own cash to pay for their own extra stuff. None of the kids, including my own, will be given charging privileges on the KTTW cards. I will send my own kids with cash, and the parents of the other kids are sending spending money with their own kids. That was my whole point in thinking about getting the QSDP. I would provide the dining plan, but each kid would be financially responsible for anything they got above and beyond that. I was afraid that if I didn't set a limit, my DH and I might really be Disneypoor when the trip was over.

Susan

 

[DMKEDM]

We used DDP (once for CS and once the regular plan that includes a TS per night) when I took DS and a bunch of his friends (college graduation gift), and when I took my DD and two DGC (it's a much better value when you have kids under the age of 10 who actually eat!)...

The convenience factor is worth money! In the case of the college kids (who did want their sit-down meals!), the ability to "peel off" and not be w/me in order to get their meals paid for was invaluable! (Plus, they were very grateful for the treat and didn't skip ANY TS meals w/me--but they did peel off for almost all CS meals--also ok w/me as they had a TON more energy than I did (plus, I'm a DVC/Disney vet so I don't "commando" anymore--and my DS' friends were all there for either the first or second time and they went from sun-up to the wee hours ("sleep is for sissies," they told me!)...

Anyway, they can count! (And my guess is so can your younger, responsible teens)...they knew exactly what they were entitled to and while one time one extra snack got used, there were lots of apologies and an immediate offer to either skip snack the next day or reimburse in cash--and they told me about it; I didn't monitor it in any way...just told them: "here's what you get; anything beyond what you get you pay for" -- side comment: they were all gung-ho to do the water parks until they found out that while I happily bought them 5-day park hoppers, I was NOT going to pay for an add'l 6 water park admissions; if they wanted to go to a water park, it was on them...amazing how the desire to go to a water park disappeared in less than a nanosecond!)...

The convenience of DDP when you're dealing w/kids you're "turning loose" makes it so worth it...you don't have to fret about whether they're choosing "expensive" food...and they can do all sorts of trading and planning--split a big CS (e.g., at Tangerine Cafe in Morrocco) in order to have an extra credit to use for Mexican food late at night--that was one thing my group of kids did)....they LOVED the independence the DDP gave them (and appreciated all the more the time they CHOSE to spend w/me)...

And while you can use the refillable mugs only at the resort, "free pop" will send one or more kids over to the drink refill stand quite frequently, I promise! My kids LOVED it...

The other trip we used CS was another time when the DDP QS plan works well--small children and one TS restaurant/day are NOT a good mix (at least not w/my small children!)...and it's pretty inexpensive for the under-10 set (mine DO eat!)...

Good luck w/your planning and decision...and I hope you have as much fun watching your kids have fun w/their friends as I did!

 

[disneypoor]

Thank you for your reply! It sounds like you used the DDP in exactly the same way I'm planning to possibly use it. It's nice to hear that you thought it was worth it. Like the kids you took, mine will also be able to count and will most definitely tell me if they accidentally go over on something, so I'm not really too worried about that part of the plan.

When I wrote my previous comment on how I was worried that with gift cards the kids might not eat like they would on the DP, I was thinking of my son in particular. He would be totally fine skipping a meal if that meant he could play more games. While I wouldn't be too worried if my own child skipped a meal, I'd feel terrible if one of the other kids I'm responsible for did that. My thought process when thinking about the DP was that it would be a way for me to pre-spend a set amount of money on food for all of the kids so that I could tell them exactly what they were getting up front and let them know that anything above and beyond that would be their responsibility. It's kind of scary to think about taking 5 teenagers to WDW and thinking about how much money you could spend if you made multiple stops for drinks, ice cream, etc. I could see that adding up without us even realizing how much we were spending.

Again, I appreciate your input, and I thank you for sharing your experience with the DP when older kids are involved.

Susan