Just crunched the numbers...DDP

[bdklein]

So far it looks like the same offerings, but higher prices. There's another thread with the new pricing in it on this forum.

That's a pleasant surprise. I expected a price increase and a reduction in the offering.

 

[vicb224]

I completely agree because I am the EXACT same way! I'd just prefer to know it's already paid for and not worry about it. Plus my DD loves the snack credits and the mugs (even though we have like 20 at home now! )

Agree also.. Even if I had more than enough on a gift card to pay for the meals, I'd still be stressing over each dessert or expensive meal ordered- thinking "if I didn't have that I could have gotten "another" souvenir to take home"!!

 

[buckeev]

I am in the process of crunching numbers and my head is spinning.
Doing this does make me glad that I am not an accountant.....

It could be worse...you could be MARRIED to an accountant!

Don't stress it TwistyGirl.....it looks like you have a great grasp on the things that y'all are looking forward to! Like your family, we're usually 5 or more and we do a significant number of character meals for our Autistic son, and those are crazy expensive. In our scenario, we are quite comfortable going with the DDP. I still carry a number of Disney Gift cards with me for a few OOP meals, tips, and various other purchases/expenses.
Best of luck!

 

[polkadotbikini]

Ok so let me guys a question? When are you doing this do you just figure in the price of the TS meals you are wanting to do and then an average on what you may spend each day on food and snacks? That is kind of what I did and it made the DDP about 20 dollars less.
Garden Grill- 131.92
Crystal Palace 138.19
Fantasmic Dinner Package 110.96

Then 800 dollars for 6 days for 2 adults and 2 kids. Total price 1181.07 and the dining plan was 1169.16.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sharonabe]

Ok so let me guys a question? When are you doing this do you just figure in the price of the TS meals you are wanting to do and then an average on what you may spend each day on food and snacks? That is kind of what I did and it made the DDP about 20 dollars less.
Garden Grill- 131.92
Crystal Palace 138.19
Fantasmic Dinner Package 110.96

Then 800 dollars for 6 days for 2 adults and 2 kids. Total price 1181.07 and the dining plan was 1169.16.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Where are you getting your prices? allearsnet has Garden Grill at $37.27 adult and $18.10 child for non peak. That would only be $110.74 (tax is already included in these prices)
Crystal Palace (assuming dinner) is $39.40 and $19.99 which would be $118.78

As for QS, it depends on what you want. Entrees for adults are on average $12 and drinks $3 and kids meals are $6 which includes their drink. So, 6 days would be 12 meals (not doing breakfast yet) and 3 of those are your TS, so 9 meals x $42 would be about $380.

Breakfast can be stuff you bring from home or as little as $3 for a quick pastry or $10 for a big breakfast platter. Since the DDP only includes two meals per day, will leave breakfast out of the equation.

Snacks are on average $4. So, you have four people, six days, so 16 x 6 is about $100. We now have a total of $480 for your six days, not your $800.

 

[mickeynut1]

It's ok. Just do what is best for your family. If it will be less stressful for you by doing the DDP even if you just break even or spend a little more (say $100) then go with the plan and have a stress free vacation.

Don't stress it TwistyGirl.....it looks like you have a great grasp on the things that y'all are looking forward to!

I agree with both posts . The DDP works for some, but not others and for whatever reason YOU want the DDP is a good enough reason for you to do it. Some people don't like the DDP and will never get it, while others won't go to Disney without it, regardless of whether they save money, break even, or spend a little more. Everyone vacations differently, so I would go with what works for YOUR FAMILY and not worry about others telling you it's not a good idea. Have a great trip .

 

[nugov2]

I can see the stress free feeling from the DDP, but I will say after just getting back that after being on vacation for 10 days by day 4 I was ready for minimal food. Plus I was hot and had little appetite so at lunch the adults ate very little, but drank a lot of water. So keep that in mind. My dad actually ordered a turkey goldfish sandwich kids meal at a CS restaurant for dinner in the MK because he couldn't eat anymore heavy foods(I don't even know if technically that's legal) As far as eating dessert, I normally consider that a must if we eat out, but not when eating out for that long. I also typically budget food with the highest priced items so that my food budget is high and we always have a lot left over. Then you don't have to worry about taking from another area of your budget.

 

[polkadotbikini]

Where are you getting your prices? allearsnet has Garden Grill at $37.27 adult and $18.10 child for non peak. That would only be $110.74 (tax is already included in these prices)
Crystal Palace (assuming dinner) is $39.40 and $19.99 which would be $118.78

As for QS, it depends on what you want. Entrees for adults are on average $12 and drinks $3 and kids meals are $6 which includes their drink. So, 6 days would be 12 meals (not doing breakfast yet) and 3 of those are your TS, so 9 meals x $42 would be about $380.

Breakfast can be stuff you bring from home or as little as $3 for a quick pastry or $10 for a big breakfast platter. Since the DDP only includes two meals per day, will leave breakfast out of the equation.

Snacks are on average $4. So, you have four people, six days, so 16 x 6 is about $100. We now have a total of $480 for your six days, not your $800.

One of my kids is will be 12 at the time of the trip so I guess I should have stated that. Thanks for breaking it down for me though because now I have an idea on how to do this more efficiently. Would you mind if when I redo it if I posted and you could briefly look over it for me? We are actually going to be there for 12 days but the first six we are staying gin a 3 bedroom villa with my parents at OKW so I am trying to make this trip a little more budget friendly since we will be there so long.

 

[sharonabe]

One of my kids is will be 12 at the time of the trip so I guess I should have stated that. Thanks for breaking it down for me though because now I have an idea on how to do this more efficiently. Would you mind if when I redo it if I posted and you could briefly look over it for me? We are actually going to be there for 12 days but the first six we are staying gin a 3 bedroom villa with my parents at OKW so I am trying to make this trip a little more budget friendly since we will be there so long.

I assume the first six days you'll be paying OOP since you're in the villa. The problem you're going to have in doing the DDP for the last six is tickets. Unless you're staying somewhere with DVC points or you're military, you have to buy 1-day tickets for everyone in your party in order to get the DDP. The DDP must be a part of a package. You can always save those tickets for a future trip.

 

[polkadotbikini]

I assume the first six days you'll be paying OOP since you're in the villa. The problem you're going to have in doing the DDP for the last six is tickets. Unless you're staying somewhere with DVC points or you're military, you have to buy 1-day tickets for everyone in your party in order to get the DDP. The DDP must be a part of a package. You can always save those tickets for a future trip.

Yes we are paying out of pocket for the first 6 days. My husband is also active duty so we are hoping that we are still allowed to book a room only and add the dining plan for this coming year like previous years because if not then we won't be doing it. I don't want the expense of having to buy two separate sets of tickets. We have only done the DDP one time in July because we had a pin for free dining and my husband hated it. So not sure I can talk him into it this time no matter how significant the savings may be.

 

[BenbowInn]

Now I'm worried that I'm running my numbers wrong. For 7 days with a family style/buffet every night, 3 buffet breakfasts throughout the week and the rest counter service meals it comes out a bit cheaper OOP for 2 adults and a child, and that's figuring a snack a day although I doubt we will be getting one since two meals will leave us pretty full.

Of course we are leaving towards offsite for the first time and if we do we will not be needing the mugs, so that's not figured into our calculations.

My husband and I have ran the numbers over and over and no matter how we figure, even with an expensive character meals every night plus 3 character breakfasts, it's still cheaper OOP and that's with 10 table service meals (Sci Fi being the only non all you can eat) and 4 counter service. Now I'm wondering if we are figuring way too low?

 

[bdklein]

My husband and I have ran the numbers over and over and no matter how we figure, even with an expensive character meals every night plus 3 character breakfasts, it's still cheaper OOP and that's with 10 table service meals (Sci Fi being the only non all you can eat) and 4 counter service. Now I'm wondering if we are figuring way too low?

My limited experience says the more kids, the better the chance for getting value from the DDP. So 1 kid just ain't enough.

 

[sharonabe]

Now I'm worried that I'm running my numbers wrong. For 7 days with a family style/buffet every night, 3 buffet breakfasts throughout the week and the rest counter service meals it comes out a bit cheaper OOP for 2 adults and a child, and that's figuring a snack a day although I doubt we will be getting one since two meals will leave us pretty full.

Of course we are leaving towards offsite for the first time and if we do we will not be needing the mugs, so that's not figured into our calculations.

My husband and I have ran the numbers over and over and no matter how we figure, even with an expensive character meals every night plus 3 character breakfasts, it's still cheaper OOP and that's with 10 table service meals (Sci Fi being the only non all you can eat) and 4 counter service. Now I'm wondering if we are figuring way too low?

While allearsnet is usually pretty good for pricing, right now, I would use this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3108466

Other than having only 1 child, the fact that you're doing more TS than the DDP allows is the other reason you're finding OOP better. Those extra TS meals will probably mean fewer QS too which you would have leftover if on the DDP.

 

[sharonabe]

Yes we are paying out of pocket for the first 6 days. My husband is also active duty so we are hoping that we are still allowed to book a room only and add the dining plan for this coming year like previous years because if not then we won't be doing it. I don't want the expense of having to buy two separate sets of tickets. We have only done the DDP one time in July because we had a pin for free dining and my husband hated it. So not sure I can talk him into it this time no matter how significant the savings may be.

Since you are paying OOP for the first half, and you are military and don't have to buy tickets, I was going to suggest doing the DDP for the 2nd half just so you can do some of the higher priced places. BUT, if DH isn't crazy about it, perhaps it's not worth it. As it is right now, you're not really saving that much. Why did he not like it the last time?

 

[zy144622]

If you are going to feel "locked" in by the plan. Then it is not a good choice for you and that is fine. I personally feel "freed" by the plan, because I know I can order what I want. I don't have to split a meal. I don't have to share a dessert. I don't have to compromise and get the chicken because it is cheaper than the beef.

Plenty of people can do this with a gift card or simply a budget. I cannot. If I put the same money on a gift card, I would feel "locked" into trying to keep cost down at meals, so that I could spend money on something else. I would try to share and compromise and be cheap. It is just who I am. I like all inclusive vacations because they give me a chance to be free and not worry about the money I am spending on food.

My point is, for every "con" to the dining plan there is also a "pro" for someone else. So there is no right or wrong answer. Try the dining plan. If you like it yay, if you don't, then don't get it next time. No shame either way.

I will say the snacks are super nice. I would never spend money on park snacks, but getting snack credits is awesome!!!

This is exactly why our family chooses the DDP. Buffets are easier to find something for everyone. We also have a child under 3 who eats free at the buffets. Convenience of being able to get healthy choices at each meal is worth it for us. Salad and fruit are always an option plus a small portion of something great. Both kids DD5 DS2 love character meals which makes meal time much more enjoyable. We really enjoy all aspects of the dining plan. We even plan to use our last CS before getting on ME. We eat this meal as soon as we get to the airport. Gives kids something to pass the 2hour wait and we don't pay airport food prices.

 

[havoc315]

I completely understand what you guys are saying, and we are not big dessert eaters, and we do love our apps...BUT we have mostly buffets if you look at my itinerary. That's really the reason I thought sticking to DDP would be best.
We sound like a bunch of fat slobs, but we are the complete opposite haha.
As far as CS goes though, we could all do without a dessert...
BTW this is my 2014 trip, so if DDP gets modified in any way my decision might change.

And looking at the 2014 pricing, your minimal savings are probably gone.

While restaurant prices may also rise in 2014, historically, the DDP price rises much faster than the restaurant prices. In 4 years, the DDP has gone up about 50%. The restaurants don't raise their prices anywhere near as fast.

Now I saw you express the concern that you're afraid you will order extra things without the DDP. I can't speak for your family, but the opposite is more likely to be true -- You already stated you can live without dessert.

Being on the DDP -- at least for me -- I feel obligated to use every entitlement. After all, if I don't use it, I'm losing money. If I skip a couple of desserts, if god forbid I'm stuffed and choose to cancel and ADR -- then suddenly I've lost a significant amount of money on the DDP.

By my math, with 2013-2014 pricing of the dining plan, even without knowing exactly what I'm ordering --- I know that it is most likely that OOP is cheaper than DDP . I know that if my family feels sudden gluttony, suddenly wanting a ton of desserts and suddenly wanting steak at every meal, then at most -- the DDP may save me 5%. And I know if we're not super hungry, OOP will cost about 30%-50% less than the dining plan. Typically, we would fall between these 2 extremes.. with OOP being 10-20% less than the DDP.

For me, it's not worth getting the dining plan, just for the small possibility that it might save me 5%... when it most likely would cost us an additional 10-20%.

It's not as if the plan is super convenient... You still end up having to carry money to pay for tips. It doesn't necessarily cover everything, requiring OOP expenses anyway. And you need to consciously keep count of all your credits, etc. It is much more convenient to eat what you want, when you want, without worrying about credit budgets.

 

[polkadotbikini]

Since you are paying OOP for the first half, and you are military and don't have to buy tickets, I was going to suggest doing the DDP for the 2nd half just so you can do some of the higher priced places. BUT, if DH isn't crazy about it, perhaps it's not worth it. As it is right now, you're not really saving that much. Why did he not like it the last time?

Oh we have to buy tickets I just want to be able to buy a 10 day Park Hopper/Water Park ticket and not 2 five day tickets. He wasn't thrilled with it last time because he felt like all we did the entire trip was eat and that our trip revolved around our dinner reservation. Thank you for helping me.

 

[DJFan88]

I've done both and have merits on both sides. Thanks for a great post where everyone has differing opinions and yet expressed them without being mean to the other. I haven't decided what I'm doing yet for my next trip yet. I have to decide which meals I know we want and then crunch numbers. We don't eat a lot and OOP went great for us - esp. at POR with it's awesome food court and make your owns. However, DH did love when we had FD and went to the excellent meals. I think we're leaning towards a few good TS meals and OOP or getting the gift cards, but of course it it's FD then Yeah! But would also like room discount, so yeah, number crunching!

 

[Jonathan Swift]

Every TS restaurant I went to, the question of "Are you using a Disney Dining plan?" was asked. When I replied, "No," there was a subtle look of relief on the waiter/waitress' face. I asked them about their reaction and it was basically because they didn't have to explain to me why something wasn't covered by the plan or why I couldn't use credit X for item Y. OOP is definitely more convenient for the customer and staff.

I skipped dessert at Le Cellier because I wanted to try the ice cream in the French section. Couldn't have done that on any of the DDPs. (For the record, I would have enjoyed the maple creme brulle at Le Cellier way more than the ice cream with grand marnier...but that's a different topic.)

 

[lucyem]

I do not think many people take this into consideration. I have heard it more then once by DVC people who visit WDW a lot. For a lot of people, the first few days, it is really easy to eat the DDP but after a few days it gets harder to eat that much rich food. Add in the heat/humidity and it can get even harder. I have seen people on the DDP at the end of their trip leave a TS meal having eaten practically nothing.

I do take the above into account because I know it is so true for us. We pick a couple of restaurants we love and space them out over our trip. That way we can enjoy them all. In between we eat very lightly whether in the room or at CS. Needless to say the DDP does not work for us. But that 11 yr old Disney adult who barely eats a kids meal would kill it for us anyway