Is DDP still worth it if it is not free?

[Antonia]

We won't be on free dining, so is the DDP still worth it if it is not free?

We are just two adults in our 40's staying DVC. I feel like we would break even paying OOP and not have to worry about credits, etc.

 

[PamNC]

We're doing the dining plan (not free) for the first time in November. We've often wondered if it's worth it as well. But, I really think it is depending on how much $$ you actually spend on food. It's just me and my husband, same age range as you. It's $75.98 a day for the both of us. We typically spend on average $125 a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But, that's our average. So, I figure we're saving about $49 a day. Only thing I'm concerned about is it's SOOOO much food. We like to practice portion control. So, we'll be sharing some meals. I figure why not try it once and see how it goes. Folks seem to really like it.

I think the key is knowing how much your family, no matter how large or small, spends on food and then determining if it's a savings for you.

PamNC

 

[laceemouse]

I have asked this question before so you may want to do a search. I would think if it was just my dh and myself I would probably buy it. We could take our time at meals and book the finer choices, ect. BUT, with 4 kids, 3 who are adults at WDW, we have decided it would not be worth it for us. Some of them are just so picky, would only order an appetizer as a meal, ect. We never spend what it would cost us to buy it, and we generally get what we want/feel like eating. MOST people here seem to think it is a great deal, I just think having an appetizer and a dessert for each person (particularly when there are so many of us) at the TS would be a HUGE amount of food and a big waste. You don't have to order all of that, but then is it really such a good deal? You need to look at the menus and decide for yourself.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

I went back in July--a solo trip. Although I did eat at Boma ( ) I planned on mostly counter service, so DP did not make sense for me.

For our 3 family trip planned trip for July '07, we want to do at least 5 things that take table service credits. Because of this, I calculated that DP will be worthwhile for us. If you are not planning on things that will use all of your TS credits, it is probably worth it. If not, I would just skip it.

 

[outlander]

if you plan on eating several meals inside the world, it's worth it.
i would definitely do it again.

 

[kellyg403]

We are more than 2 but for us DDP made sense for us. It allowed us to have the trip paid in full before we went. Didn't have to worry so much about the extras. So, it paid off for us to be relaxed and able to do the TS we wanted without worrying about the expense.

Kelly

 

[Nbtstatic]

Absolutely!

 

[bicker]

Here's the math showing how much the Dining Plan is worth to us. This is comparing the Dining Plan, with appetizers and desserts at every meal, against paying out-of-pocket, ordering NO appetizers and NO desserts (i.e., the most conservative comparison, biased in favor of paying out-of-pocket):

http://brianandrobbie.com/DiningPlanEstimatedCostsNoAppyNoDessert.htm

As you can see even after factoring the price increase for 2007, we'll still be better off with the Dining Plan, by $120.

 

[pigletforever]

I personally like not having to worry about what I am spending on a meal. This way I can just go, have what I want and be done with it.

 

[angelmav]

bicker thats a great breakdown and really points out the pricing structure for all those that say they dont know if they saved because they wouldnt have ordered the appetizer or desert anyway.

 

[DVC Sadie]

For us it is not worth it since we enjoy dining in restaurants that are not covered by the DDP. We do better with the DDE card that allows us to dine with 20% off all meals including alcohol beverages.

With all the menu changes we do not care for the dining as much as before, so find ourselves eating either 2 TS restaurants or dining offsite a lot more than previously.

 

[Castillo Mom]

It really depends on your eating habits. Last trip we spent a lot of $$$ on dining. This was in '04 prior to the current DDP so we paid OOP for all meals. Bear in mind that I have 3 teenage sons (13, 15 and 17 now) who are voracious eaters. Every day we had 1 sit down meal and the rest were CS. We don't often order appetizers however, taking into consideration dessert and entree alone, the DDP will still be a good deal for us next trip. And if free dining is offered again, even better!

 

[KatGarcia]

I think its worth it if you are interested in TS meals, as we are. When we were at the world last we only ate at certain places and had only certian things trying to save money, and to us being on the DDP will easily give us more freedom to eat what and where we want and to try out places we wouldnt have otherwise! A friend recommended it to me before we booked and she said it makes you feel special because you can order whatever you want and not feel liek you are wasting money. And as far as the abundance of food, i look forward to eating my desserts as a late nigth snack or even breakfast the next day!

 

[twoeeyy]

Last year when we were there on the free dining we ' gave ' away a lot of desserts to tables next to us that were not on the plan.

 

[Nanu57v]

I'm friends with Kim Possible's Frugal Lucre, so it was SOOO nice not having to buy the cheapest thing on the menu, drinking water, and skipping the appetizer and dessert. Sure I might've saved A FEW dollars doing it that way, but the enjoyment was way worth my $5 savings.

 

[Gina35]

We won't be on free dining, so is the DDP still worth it if it is not free?

We are just two adults in our 40's staying DVC. I feel like we would break even paying OOP and not have to worry about credits, etc.

Absolutely worth it. We are DVCers and have never been able to be on the DP before April. We paid for it in August and had a wonderful trip; dining was one of the best parts. I will use the DP every time as long as it is offered.

 

[S.Poppins]

We love the DDP! I agree with the previous poster who said it was a benefit to have everything paid for in advance. We booked our package a couple of months ago and by the time we go it will all be paid for. We like not having to worry about how much everything is while we are there. And we love eating in all the different restaurants!

 

[Destination Disney]

Just remember it is A LOT OF FOOD! We used it for 2 adults and 1 child. Came to about $260. Adding up all the expenses if we would of paid OOP. about $474! We saved $214. With that in mind without the DDP we would of never ate at the resturants we did and we most definately would of NEVER ordered that much food!

It's a toss up. I'm returning in March and we are purchasing the DDP. Although there were some days that my son was like, I don't want to eat. It is a lot of food for a 4 yr old. (He thrives on air to begin with! )I loved the DDP!! We did not have to look at prices for meals (some are out of control for what you actually get.) I am all for spending money on fine quality food, but someplaces how can they charge what they do...$26.00 for pasta???? Another perk was that we did not have to worry about the bill, change, etc. We are DVC so the main expense on our trip is food. With the DDP it all pans out and the left over snacks and the desserts we get with the CS we just take back to the room for later or use them to enjoy on our ride home!

 

[Temair]

We found the DDP to be worth it for us. We are a family of 3 with DD 6. We went last Dec and enjoyed lots of food. We usually got 2 entrees and split it between the 3 of us. Even then most of the time we didn't have room for desert. Its alot of food, but it was mice to know everything was paid for before we went. When we go back we will do DDP again.

Temair

 

[babywewe]

I did the math when I came back from dis and it was totally worth it for us (2 adults in our mid 20's)....I also felt this was a great way to budget....
I'd look at posts where people list what they got off the DDP and you can tell that way if its worth it for you....