Is the DDP REALLY a value...I think not!

[sharonabe]

For all of you who are still wondering if the DDP is a deal for you, I wanted to share my list of desired places to eat for a 7-night stay at WDW. I've perused the menus to decide what I WANT to eat instead of ordering what I thought would give me the greatest value on the plan. Now, I am a water drinker, but have included a few drinks where I thought I might want one. I've also included a dessert here and there that I really want to try. At the bottom is the comparision of my cost vs. the cost of the DDP.

Tusker Breakfast...24.49
Yak N Yeti...Pot Stickers, Side Wok fried green beans, side of chicken fried rice...18.97

Brown Derby Lunch..Cobb Salad, Grapefruit cake....22.00
Mama Melrose Fantasmic Pkg....32.99

Crystal Palace Breakfast 22.99
Kona Cafe Dinner...Coconut Almond Chicken...16.99

Sunshine Seasons lunch...Reuben Panini...8.89
Garden Grill Dinner...34.99

Kona Cafe Breakfast...Big Kahuna, Coffee...14.68
Plaza...Chicken Stawberry Salad...14.99

Kringla Bakery...Soup & Sandwich...9.99
Via Napoli...Individual Ortolana Pizza, Zeppole...28.00

Pepper Market Breakfast...Veggie Frittata Platter, juice 12.98
Earl of Sandwich...Hot Sandwich, Earl Grey Lemonade 7.98
Ghiradelli...Cable Car Sundae....8.95

Total...279.88
add 6.5% tax
Grand Total (w/o tips)...298.08
7-Night DDP for adult....321.93

That leaves me with $23.86 to spend on snacks, drinks, and desserts. That amount is easily enough to even change my mind about what I want to eat and still come out ahead.

AND I have TEN (10) TS, only FOUR (4) QS, and a trip to Ghiradelli's (which isn't even on the plan!)

Are you still on the fence???

 

[smiths02]

I don't think an adult is the best value on DDP especially if you don't eat dinner every day at a TS (or use the credits for 2TS meals)...for my family with a child on DDP and doing a ton of character buffets, I think we will come out ahead (even without the constant drinks and desserts)

 

[sharonabe]

Smiths02: You're right, with a child, you probably do come out ahead with the DPP, but once even one child hits 10, you really need to do some research and planning to see if you will still come out ahead. That's what happened to us. When our oldest hit 10, I knew the DDP would no longer work for us since he would not eat an adult's worth of food. Without the DDP, we can still order kids meals and do a lot of sharing. Plus since we have to pay adult DDP for him, as you see, I still got three character buffets in to my week.

 

[sharonabe]

I know some of you will say, "but with the DPP's desserts and snack credits, I can eat three meals a day."
Okay, try to eat this much food with your desserts and snack credits:

Tusker House Breakfast...24.49
Yak/Yeti CS...Mandarin Chicken Salad...8.99
Flame Tree...Smoked turkey sand, onion rings...11.68

Starring Rolls Cafe...2 pastries/coffee...4.79
Min & Bill's Dockside...Pretzel Dog, chips...10.28
Mama Melrose Fantasmic Pkg...32.99

Crystal Palace Breakfast...22.99
Columbia Harbor House....tuna sand...8.29
Kona Cafe Dinner...coconut chicken...16.99

Pepper Mkt...Biscuits & Gravy, whole fruit, coffee...6.93
Sunshine Seasons...reuben panini...8.89
Garden Grill...34.99

Kona Cafe Breakfast...Big Kahuna, coffee...14.68
Casey's Corner...hot dog meal, soda...8.78
Plaza...Vegetable Sand...10.99

Sunshine Seasons...Oatmeal, milk...4.78
Kringla...soup & sand...9.99
Via Napoli...personal Ortolana pizza, zeppole...28.00

Pepper Mkt...Vegetable Frittata, juice...12.94
Cap'N Jacks...Open Face Chicken Parm Sand...11.99
Earl of Sandwich...Hot Sandwich, Earl Grey Lemonade...7.98

Total...302.43
Add 6.5% tax....322.10

7-Night DDP.....321.93

AHHHHHH! I'm a whopping .17 cents over!

Granted, this leaves no room for snacks, more desserts and drinks,or for changing my mind about what I want to eat. But if I eat all that, I don't have room for any snacks or more desserts or drinks. As for changing my mind, if anything, I would eat less food than this plan gives me.

AND, I still have 9 TS and now 12 CS.

Will any of you now concede why SOME of us find no value in the DDP?

P.S. My husband says I'm verging on the point of obsession with this.

 

[Faldred]

Will any of you now concede why SOME of us find no value in the DDP?

Who's been saying otherwise? DDP is a good value only for those who want to eat the way the plan is designed. (Note, that is not exactly the same as "would eat without the plan" -- for some, the real value is being able to dine in the style allowed by the plan.) If you prefer to eat differently, then of course it isn't going to be a good option or value for you.

However, just because it isn't a good option for you doesn't mean it isn't a good option for others.

I've said repeatedly that in almost every case, you can eat for less than what the dining plan costs and that you should only get a dining plan if the extra cost adds a subjective value to your vacation that you think is worth the money.

P.S. My husband says I'm verging on the point of obsession with this.

No comment.

 

[TDC Nala]

One thing that comes up on the board is that there are a lot of persons who don't use the DDP and that there are a lot of persons who would use it all the time no matter whether it's actually saving them money or not because they just like having everything prepaid. That's powerful psychologically, whether or not they make choices that would guarantee that they actually get everything they prepaid for. If you have children under 10 and do buffets or all you can eat restaurants (read: character meals) the table service plans verge from good deal to absolute steal territory, depending on how many children you have and what time of year you are going.

Those guests are not going to be moved by the possibility that they could spend less on food than the dining plan would cost them. And a lot of prospective Disney guests do not WANT to do all that math to see if they are getting the best price. It's easier to put the money down going in and then not count what you are spending when you get there. You might also have to contend with Disney raising restaurant prices YET AGAIN and the calculations would be different once you get there.

I saw the dining plan referred to once as an upsell. Disney is basically saying "take our plan, pledge to eat all your meals in our restaurants and we will throw in some snacks, desserts and drinks." To some people that is a huge deal. To others, who aren't really going to want the extra food anyway, it's not that big a deal unless they just like the prepayment aspect.

Personally I don't like being restricted by the dining plan and I no longer use it. I'd rather have a margarita than a Mickey bar and that's not on the plan anyway.

 

[MHSweb79]

We would never eat a TS meal every day OOP. So for us, the plan allows us to try different restaurants that we ordinarily wouldn't go to because of the cost. That's really the only upside to the plan and now that we've "been there, done that" we're not planning on doing the dining plan unless there's some really great free deal. (Usually it's just the two of us, and a room discount is often better than "free" dining.")

Back when the plan included tips, it was a much better value. But most travelers are putty in the hands of the genius Disney marketeers so the dining plan continues to be popular.

My DH keeps saying the QS plan would be good for us, and I can't seem to make him understand that it's not a savings at all, given the way we eat and often share meals. So you're not alone, OP!

 

[catne]

Good for you, to do the work and find out what the numbers will be. I always suggest this step: "do the math" to anyone who wonders if the plans will work for them. Obviously, you don't want the components of the plan so it's not going to be a good value for you.

However, for people who DO like the break-down on meals & snacks, the dining plan CAN save money. Lots of savings, especially if you're a person that tends to prefer more expensive restaurants (such as not eating at buffets, not using table service credits for breakfast...and not ordering pasta, sandwiches, soup, or salad entrees...all of which tend to lower the cost of the meal dramatically.) We love eating at the steakhouse-type places, we tend to order the steak or expensive seafood entrees (because we LOVE them, not because we're trying to maximize plan.) We drink soda, and we enjoy getting dessert at Disney (it's a vacation treat)

We have used the DDP and the DxDP numerous times, and I save receipts to "check the math" every time...the worst we did was to save 22%...it's usually closer to 28%.

 

[mousegear]

Everone has opinions and everyone's situation is different. DDP works for some families and it doesn't work for some. For us, we have DS who is 7 so it's still a value to have DDP on our trip to the World. We also like to eat at LeCellier, Teppan Edo, Mama Melrose with F! package, etc so it makes sense for us to get DDP. We don't intentionally go to those restaurants so that we'll win out of DDP cost. We like the food there and we tend to get more expensive things on the menu b/c we like to eat that. Both DH and I are not into "adult beverages" and so DDP works perfect since we like to drink soda/smoothie. Normally at home, we would get one appetizer and one/two dessert to share among three of us. But with DDP appetizer is not included and all three of us get desserts, so sometimes we add appetizer OOP or we skip since food is plenty.
As for sharing with you family, that's good if everyone could agree on same thing. With my family, we tend to like different things so even at home, we get different entrees. Do we finish what we order? Besides DH, DS and I could never finish our meal since portions are too big for us. But we are happy b/c we each get what we like and it's very hard for us to agree on something that both of us like. So eating at Disney is the same. We don't like to share the entire meal... although we nibble each other's entree to taste alittle.
For snack credits, DS like to get ice creams and other things along the way. DH and I don't reallly snack too much at home, so sometimes we use for slushies when it get too hot at park or sometimes DS ends up using ours since he's growing boy and he says he's hungry between meals. We always almost end up using most of DDP credits (4 times on DDP) so it's value for our family.

 

[Nadjalu]

OP....I think it is great that you did the numbers and went with what is best for YOU. But just because it was in your best interest doesn't mean that the plan doesn't save money for ME or for others.

You said right away in your post you are a water drinker. Well we are not, so we can add ~$3.00 per person at least 3 times a day. If I ate exactly like you with just the added sodas...that would put me over your calculation.

So you see, that is why we tell people do the math. If it works for you GREAT!!! If it doesn't pay OOP and enjoy your trip.

Sorry to rain on your parade...but at least you know it doesn't benefit you.

 

[magicmonette]

"Is the DDP REALLY a value...I think not!"

Sharonabe, I get where you are coming from! LOL! I collected all (I MEAN ALL) of my family's receipts and expenditures on the two Disney trips prior to our trip a week ago. I wanted to see "real time" $$ numbers on Disney dining. We were spending $30-32 per day and weren't eating at any signature dining spots. We WERE more spontaneous with our snacks and they added up quickly (even though we carry crackers, etc. with us and drink lots of water). On the DDP we were so full, we NEVER ate snacks.

So yes, it was $13 cheaper to go off DDP, but we found it MUCH more relaxing ON the DDP. We took time each day to DIGEST our DAY! My DH is an engineer and analyzes EVERYTHING, and he even said he had a more enjoyable vacation overall on the DDP and definitely wants to do it again next visit. (but, you should note that we are premium annual pass holders for the same reasons...relaxing--and discounts available).

 

[ReneeA]

I do run the numbers...every trip. We've been to WDW 5 times since 2005, and had the DDP 4 out of the 5 times. We ended up paying more OOP than what we would have for the plan the one time we went without it, and didn't eat nearly as well.

My kids are still under 10. DS is now 9, and eats more than I do in a sitting. I can't wait for him to be an adult on the plan because then I can eat my own meals rather than supplement his.

Here's the reason why I pay more...I don't do buffets or "price-set" meals. If I'm going to sit down for a meal, I don't want to be at the cattle call for crappy buffet food. I know people love them...more power to them. They won't ever have to fight with me over the last dried up peice of chicken under the heat lamp. Even the cool character interaction is not enough to sway me...unless that's the meal the kids choose. Every year I let them each pick out a sit down meal they want to experience on our trip. Occasionally, DD will pick out a character meal, while DS always picks out Teppan Edo. It ends up being a better "value" on the DDP since I won't eat the cheaper meals.

It works for our family, but like I said...I don't blindly purchase it every trip. I sit down, plan where we are going to eat, pick out what everyone likely will eat, and then crunch numbers. We still always come out ahead on the DDP. It may change when both kids are adults, but I'll know before the trip since I'll still add it up.

 

[avic77]

I saw the dining plan referred to once as an upsell. Disney is basically saying "take our plan, pledge to eat all your meals in our restaurants and we will throw in some snacks, desserts and drinks." To some people that is a huge deal. To others, who aren't really going to want the extra food anyway, it's not that big a deal unless they just like the prepayment aspect.

Personally I don't like being restricted by the dining plan and I no longer use it. I'd rather have a margarita than a Mickey bar and that's not on the plan anyway.

Totally agree. If I buy the dining I wont want to pay extra for something not on the plan so I will miss a glass of wine or margarita.

 

[Allison]

I think your husband is right. The dining plan works for some and not for others. I think that is pretty widely accepted here.

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

I ran the numbers for our family with the DDP and without. We had three kids under 10. If we ate a TS meal once per day or had a meal such as CRT that was two credits, then we came out very much ahead. We OFTEN eat a TS every day of our trip. We have been to Disney many times and really enjoy particular restaurants as part of our vacation. Everyone in the family has a favorite, so that is five restaurants per trip. If we purchase the plan for the five of us with a TS each day, the CS meal and snack are FREE for us each day. If we do not eat ONE of those TS meals during the entire trip, then it costs more than OOP.

One trip, we were going to do the DDP, but then my son really wanted to eat at T-Rex one day which is not on the DDP. That tipped the scales, so we did not do the plan.

So if you are purely looking at the plan as a money saver, you must use as many TS credits as you have night's stays in order for it to be a savings.

That can be done! Just depends on your style of vacation as others have posted above. I have not run the numbers for kids ages 10 and up. I need to go and do that now...FUN!

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

Our family loves the Dxdp and buy it every trip. We have also sat down and actually picked items off all the menus and added it all up, and we feel Disney dining is a savings for us. Could we eat cheaper? Of course, but if we were paying oop it wouldn't be long before we would start scrimping, skipping CRT and Spirit of Aloha, no desserts and no appetizers, ordering the cheapest entree on the menu. Do we really need these things? No, but we want to eat what we want on vacation without worrying about price, so for us to eat the way we want, dining plans save us money. But it sounds like the DDP is definitely NOT a value for your family, so it's great that now you know not to buy it again.

 

[Colleen27]

Our family loves the Dxdp and buy it every trip. We have also sat down and actually picked items off all the menus and added it all up, and we feel Disney dining is a savings for us. Could we eat cheaper? Of course, but if we were paying oop it wouldn't be long before we would start scrimping, skipping CRT and Spirit of Aloha, no desserts and no appetizers, ordering the cheapest entree on the menu. Do we really need these things? No, but we want to eat what we want on vacation without worrying about price, so for us to eat the way we want, dining plans save us money. But it sounds like the DDP is definitely NOT a value for your family, so it's great that now you know not to buy it again.

That's us too. We love to eat out on vacation and don't want to do counter service or be thinking about prices when making our menu choices, but coming from the lower-cost midwest it would be very hard for us to ignore Disney's menu pricing if we were paying OOP.

As far as pure dollars and cents it is pretty much a wash - adding up the way we'd eat OOP (shared appetizers & sharing or skipping desserts) with the restaurant choices we'd prefer the total comes out to be within a few dollars of what the DxDDP costs, but the plan includes more (everyone gets their own appetizer & dessert if they wish, more snacks than I'd go for OOP, mugs for everyone rather than the 3 I'd buy OOP for the 5 of us). And it has the added bonus of removing all thought about pricing from our vacation dining experiences.

 

[jjant72]

DDP can be a good value...but every persons situation is different. When we went back in '09 we got the QSDP, we ate what we wanted and literally saved about $200 over purchasing everything individually. Did we need a desert or coke with every meal? No, but we said "What they heck, we are on vacation. Let's eat those little extras"; and it's not like we didn't burn off those extra calories walking around all day. Then again, for a light eater, or those who prefer the cheap entrees, and who drink strictly water or skip desert, then the DDP probably won't be a good value for you.

 

[NJDisneymom]

I did the exact same thing as you did - went thru all the menus and priced out where we'd probably eat and what we would likely order and for my family of 5 (3 of which are DDP adults) my totals came to about a $30-40 savings by doing the dining plan. Now, could I eat cheaper w/o the dining plan - YES. But we like TS meals and we love character meals. I didn't include desserts in my calculations because I know we'd skip them if not on the DDP - so we are saving about $30-40, getting "free" desserts AND its already paid for. Honestly, even if I broke even - the paying in advance and not having to worry about budgeting for food while we are on vacation is a "savings" in itself for me.

I asked here about doing the DDP when I was trying to decide and the general answer was "do the math". For some it will be a savings and others it will not. It depends A LOT on your dining style, who is in your party, etc.

 

[klhill]

To each his own We went back in 08' and got the free dining plan. At that time it was my husband and I, 2 of our children and my MIL. We like having everything taken care of in advance so it works for us.
Also this time when we are going I had the choice between 2 different packages..the kids stay and play for free and the free dining plan...the dining plan was the better deal..it was $400.00 less than the first package and this year we are taking all 5 kids.