More for Less: A Theme Park Planning Strategy

[Laketravis]

Ok-- sample data? Breakfast: $25. Lunch at Universal: $39. Dinner at Chilis: $60. Simple. You know what these things cost..

Maybe you should start by actually reading my first post. Or you did but chose to ignore the relevant parts.

(Hint: "Breakfast/lunch will be light snacks as we aren't big on three meals a day.)" Simple. You just need to read.

I don't need to address the rest of your comments as they follow the same theme; although for the level of granular details you are requesting this early in the exercise maybe I should be charging standard consulting fees?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Regarding the DDP - I've read many times here that people will alter what they eat on DDP (as in, eat more than they otherwise would) in order to make the most out of the DDP. If one were indeed eating more than they would generally eat when on the DDP, then I wouldn't consider moving to eating what they'd usually eat if they didn't get the DDP as getting "less for less" the way it's being talked about here. I hope that makes sense, lol.

 

[Laketravis]

You're eating 1 meal a day? I can see a late breakfast/early dinner or maybe early lunch/late dinner but (and we're not big eaters) a single meal a day with a snack for breakfast and lunch seems pretty austere.

And since in previous trips you had the DDP, isn't the savings from not getting that simply a matter of eating less? Rather than "more for less" it seems to be "less for less".

LOL! Now that we have digressed to an analysis of my family's dietary patterns, yes - DW and I typically eat one meal a day (dinner). I have two cups of coffee in the morning and drink water throughout the day. I might even eat some pretzel sticks or something like that around noon. Dinner is around 6pm and usually consists of......... oh, well, you get the idea. DS9 is a light eater as well although we do feed him when he gets hungry. I also work out four days a week. I suppose that could explain why we aren't overweight. I'll have to draw the line at putting all of that in a spreadsheet, though. Simply don't have time. In regards to DDP, yes we found that to be more than enough food and usually took all of the snack credits home on the plane. I take it when the time comes I can expect the same reciprocity in terms of details?

 

[Laketravis]

Regarding the DDP - I've read many times here that people will alter what they eat on DDP (as in, eat more than they otherwise would) in order to make the most out of the DDP. If one were indeed eating more than they would generally eat when on the DDP, then I wouldn't consider moving to eating what they'd usually eat if they didn't get the DDP as getting "less for less" the way it's being talked about here. I hope that makes sense, lol.

Exactly. The most expensive items don't necessary correlate to high quantities. Or even higher quality, but I won't go there because food can be so subjective.

 

[Laketravis]

I can certainly re-calculate the cost of eating to reflect more meals per day if you'd like - I'm sure the savings will only increase when comparing three meals on-site to three meals off-site. Not to mention one's weight gain.

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[cakebaker]

LOL! Now that we have digressed to an analysis of my family's dietary patterns, yes - DW and I typically eat one meal a day (dinner). I have two cups of coffee in the morning and drink water throughout the day. I might even eat some pretzel sticks or something like that around noon. Dinner is around 6pm and usually consists of......... oh, well, you get the idea. DS9 is a light eater as well although we do feed him when he gets hungry. I also work out four days a week. I suppose that could explain why we aren't overweight. I'll have to draw the line at putting all of that in a spreadsheet, though. Simply don't have time. In regards to DDP, yes we found that to be more than enough food and usually took all of the snack credits home on the plane. I take it when the time comes I can expect the same reciprocity in terms of details?

You're the one posting the plans for people to read and discuss. I'm not interested in what you eat or how often. I'm interested in what you're buying- then vs now.

If your intent is to show people how they can get more for less, then it's appropriate to ask exactly what you aren't getting now that you were before. In this case, you've gone from purchasing a DDP, to eating 1 meal a day. Whether you made good use of the dining plan is irrelevant. You aren't saving because you're eating cheaper, you're saving because you're purchasing less food.

It's good to know you feed your son when he gets hungry though.

 

[Cormoran]

Don't lump us with the Frozen mania crowd, I just have a grandson who loves Olaf and I live to cater to his every whim, so off we went. Then again, I use any excuse to get to WDW, so it works for me.

I would think everyone is primarily concerned with their own families and their vacations, but Disney does what appeals to the most people. I just find it funny that someone complains because what Disney offers always costs money.

I'm glad you find my opinions amusing. What I find amusing is the fact that Universal is offering their guests New attractions instead of just silly hard ticket events. At least when Universal raises their park admission, their parks have new attractions. With Disney, not so.

 

[Angel Ariel]

We've never done the dining plan- a total waste of money as far as I'm concerned. I certainly don't know why anyone buys something that they have to change the way they eat in order to save money. But still, when comparing savings, I think it's important to know what you've were getting vs what you are getting- not just how much you're spending. I would've assume the OP was a savvy vacationer and not wasting money on things he didn't use to their fullest.

We've never done the dining plan either . I'm just stating what I've read here. I've read numerous times that people would maximize the DDP by ordering the most expensive things on the menu, where if they were paying OOP they wouldn't be ordering the most expensive things on the menu. Or when appetizers or dessert were part of the DDP (I honestly don't know if either are a part of it now), that they'd order 1 or both along with their entrees when if they were paying OOP they'd only have ordered entrees. From how often I read these types of behaviors, I don't think it's uncommon.

 

[MrInfinity]

(Hint: "Breakfast/lunch will be light snacks as we aren't big on three meals a day.)" Simple. You just need to read.

Ok, that is not a reasonable comparison. How can you compare "light snacks" as being an alternative to what you are comparing to, aka the full DDP? So I will take it then when you compare, your baseline will not include the DDP, but rather will include similar light snacks? Is is not right to say eating at Uni is cheaper, if it's only cheaper because you're buying less.

I don't need to address the rest of your comments as they follow the same theme; although for the level of granular details you are requesting this early in the exercise maybe I should be charging standard consulting fees?

You don't need to address any of my comments. If you'd like to back up what "More for Less" means with actual costs, feel free. Add up what this trip cost you and show that it cost less than a similar trip staying on Disney property. Or don't. 'Sup to you! If you don't want to show how this strategy costs less, just say "I do not wish to disclose how this strategy of More for Less costs less" and I will stop following it and have nothing further to ask on it.

Oh... and did you decide if we should use an Econolodge, Value, or Moderate as being equal in enjoyment to you as the Rosen?

Consulting fees... Does this strategy have consulting fees to simply display how you're saving? Um. I guess build that into the cost if so. You're the one volunteering a strategy about how to save money, then not showing how it saves money. [shrug]

 

[Laketravis]

You're the one posting the plans for people to read and discuss..

I sure am, aren't I.

You aren't saving because you're eating cheaper, you're saving because you're purchasing less food.

It's good to know you feed your son when he gets hungry though.

No, I'm saving because I'm paying less for food. But like I said above, it would be easy to increase the comparison to three meals a day on-site versus off if you think that would be more realistic.

And I'll let DS9 know you cared.

 

[Laketravis]

Ok, that is not a reasonable comparison. How can you compare "light snacks" as being an alternative to what you are comparing to, aka the full DDP? So I will take it then when you compare, your baseline will not include the DDP, but rather will include similar light snacks? Is is not right to say eating at Uni is cheaper, if it's only cheaper because you're buying less.

Whether obtained via the dining plan or without it, food bought onsite will be higher in cost than food purchased offsite. I can still purchase the same amount or even greater offsite for less than either the DDP cost or the raw OOP cost. Use your own example of three meals a day and compare to onsite costs. Are you saying that's not the case?

You don't need to address any of my comments. If you'd like to back up what "More for Less" means with actual costs, feel free. Add up what this trip cost you and show that it cost less than a similar trip staying on Disney property. Or don't. 'Sup to you! If you don't want to show how this strategy costs less, just say "I do not wish to disclose how this strategy of More for Less costs less" and I will stop following it and have nothing further to ask on it. Oh... and did you decide if we should use an Econolodge, Value, or Moderate as being equal in enjoyment to you as the Rosen? [shrug]

Again, you didn't read my post. Why don't you use the 3-star condo I have rented in June for $244 a week as a basis for comparison? You want to compare that to a cramped one room value with double beds? Okay, go ahead. Tell you what - since you want me to be serious and devote time to this so you can simply make fun of it, why don't you post the cost details of your last trip and I'll show you how you could have saved money and done more for less? Or, rather than come up with arbitrary comparisons in an attempt to debunk my plans, why don't you post the same information you are demanding? What exactly did that $25 breakfast, $39 lunch and $60 dinner consist of? And how much would the comparable items cost at WDW? Rather than ask for minute details and spreadsheets why don't you back up your own arguments with some?


.

 

[MrInfinity]

We've never done the dining plan either . I'm just stating what I've read here. I've read numerous times that people would maximize the DDP by ordering the most expensive things on the menu, where if they were paying OOP they wouldn't be ordering the most expensive things on the menu. Or when appetizers or dessert were part of the DDP (I honestly don't know if either are a part of it now), that they'd order 1 or both along with their entrees when if they were paying OOP they'd only have ordered entrees. From how often I read these types of behaviors, I don't think it's uncommon.

Hi Ariel,
After thinking about where I'd like to eat, I would actually like to get the DDP on our upcoming trip. Here's why: We're going for 7 nights. We'd get 7 of each point per person. 6 of the 7 points we have would be spent on fixed price events. This makes it very cut and dried to add up the OOP vs DDP costs, and see that we come out about 10% ahead via the DDP. There is no food selection dilemma, app vs dessert dilemma, etc. Just purely financial. Happy to share my dining plan w you if you like... would love your criticism. I plan to post it in the DDP forums eventually.

 

[cakebaker]

I sure am, aren't I.



No, I'm saving because I'm paying less for food. But like I said above, it would be easy to increase the comparison to three meals a day on-site versus off if you think that would be more realistic.

And I'll let DS9 know you cared.

Indeed you are. So why complain when people question it?

You're paying for less food and you're getting less food. That's not a strategy, at least not to me.

 

[cakebaker]

I'm glad you find my opinions amusing. What I find amusing is the fact that Universal is offering their guests New attractions instead of just silly hard ticket events. At least when Universal raises their park admission, their parks have new attractions. With Disney, not so.

The discussion of Universal vs WDW is probably best left for another thread. Suffice to say if you think Universal is so much better, you should definitely go there instead. That would be a smart thing to do.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Hi Ariel,
After thinking about where I'd like to eat, I would actually like to get the DDP on our upcoming trip. Here's why: We're going for 7 nights. We'd get 7 of each point per person. 6 of the 7 points we have would be spent on fixed price events. This makes it very cut and dried to add up the OOP vs DDP costs, and see that we come out about 10% ahead via the DDP. There is no food selection dilemma, app vs dessert dilemma, etc. Just purely financial. Happy to share my dining plan w you if you like... would love your criticism. I plan to post it in the DDP forums eventually.

Honestly, after all the posts back and forth today, I truly don't know whether this is serious or sarcastic.

Taking it as a serious response - honestly, we just have no interest in the dining plan at all. We've always found we spend less paying OOP. But we have not ever done a lot of character meals, nor do I see that really changing..not til DD is a bit older anyway. Maybe then we'll re-evaluate, but for right now I'd honestly have no critique as I have no experience with the DDP at all.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am not sure your KSC drive time is realistic. Do you pay for the transponder on your rental or will you be doing cash for tolls on 528?

We have spent $0 in Disney many times over the years. Easy to do with proper planning an a refusal to spend a dime.

Your vacation sounds like a nice Central Florida vacation. You are certainly doing more for less than we did on our vacation a year ago when we did one day at Uni and one day at MK before and after our cruise.

Your savings seems to include many popular tips such as eating offsite and staying offsite. So obviously, you will automatically save money on those decisions alone. We did well on our last vacation with an off site stay. And while we did eat on site, we did mostly limit that to one meal per day which helped save money. Kind of a no brainer when one wants to spend less money.

I am not a fan of Rosen Shingle creek . Stayed their once for a Convention and found the elevators quite annoying. For a convention hotel, their plan for getting guests from their rooms to lobby level was poorly executed. But if you got a great deal, good for you.

 

[Laketravis]

Indeed you are. So why complain when people question it?

You're paying for less food and you're getting less food. That's not a strategy, at least not to me.

I don't mind questions. I do grow weary of having to respond to false assumptions and criticisms.

I'm not paying less for less food. I've already explained that - I'm paying less for roughly the same amount of food we would have purchased on-site. But again, I'll make the same offer for the third time that hasn't been acknowledged - I'll be happy to throw the DDP versus Off-Site comparison out the window and simply compare three meals on-site versus three meals off-site if you'd like. But I can already tell you there would be substantial savings involved. Do you agree?

 

[Laketravis]

I am not sure your KSC drive time is realistic. Do you pay for the transponder on your rental or will you be doing cash for tolls on 528?

We have spent $0 in Disney many times over the years. Easy to do with proper planning an a refusal to spend a dime.

Your vacation sounds like a nice Central Florida vacation. You are certainly doing more for less than we did on our vacation a year ago when we did one day at Uni and one day at MK before and after our cruise.

Your savings seems to include many popular tips such as eating offsite and staying offsite. So obviously, you will automatically save money on those decisions alone. We did well on our last vacation with an off site stay. And while we did eat on site, we did mostly limit that to one meal per day which helped save money. Kind of a no brainer when one wants to spend less money.

I am not a fan of Rosen Shingle creek . Stayed their once for a Convention and found the elevators quite annoying. For a convention hotel, their plan for getting guests from their rooms to lobby level was poorly executed. But if you got a great deal, good for you.

I've got a SunPass. And I agree with you about Rosen - I'm not a big fan of it either. It just happened to play into this trip because I'm being comped as a speaker for a convention. Otherwise there's no way I would pay the $250+ a night to stay there even if it is less for comparable accommodations than on-site. As noted in my original post, this trip has some cost components that regardless of whether I am having to pay for them or not I'm counting as actual expenses, and they are higher than what I would have chosen. That's why I said it's a warm up for my June trip, which won't involve a rental car and accommodations that are a fraction of this trip's cost.

In reality, the options available to me on the June trip are more in line with general availability than what I'm getting next month. I agree much of what I'm doing is a no-brainer but are things that never would have occurred to the brain conditioned to staying on-site all these times and years. It's the new found ability to reserve those hardly-a-wait items in the parks at times that can be planned around that I think make these time-tested tips a reality for more people.

 

[SmithSmith]

You're the one posting the plans for people to read and discuss. I'm not interested in what you eat or how often. I'm interested in what you're buying- then vs now.

If your intent is to show people how they can get more for less, then it's appropriate to ask exactly what you aren't getting now that you were before. In this case, you've gone from purchasing a DDP, to eating 1 meal a day. Whether you made good use of the dining plan is irrelevant. You aren't saving because you're eating cheaper, you're saving because you're purchasing less food.

It's good to know you feed your son when he gets hungry though.

I don't believe the OP regularly purchased the DDP, he's stated before that he's booked Free Dining for all his trips since 2010.

 

[MrInfinity]

Whether obtained via the dining plan or without it, food bought onsite will be higher in cost than food purchased offsite. I can still purchase the same amount or even greater offsite for less than either the DDP cost or the raw OOP cost. Use your own example of three meals a day and compare to onsite costs.

Ok I agree with this statement, that food offsite costs less than the same amount of food bought onsite.

So then. Is this "More for Less" or "Less for Less"? If 3 people could spend $75 at Yak & Yeti, and then ride EE and Kali, or, in the same amount of time, drive out to a Chilis, eat the same food I could get at Chilis by my house, and miss out on 2 rides... but... do it for $60... We've saved $15. So did you get the same experience, or more, or less by doing so? Then, factor in the gas money for peddling around parking lots and I-Drive. I know you say it's cheap, but even 25 miles of misc tooling to get into and out of parking lots can add up to $5 pretty quick. Now your savings is down to $10.

Then you could say "yeah but eating at Chilis doesn't cost us $60 cuz we split a fajitas and don't order drinks". But then you have to factor that at Y&Y, it wouldn't cost you $75 to split an entrée and not buy drinks, either.

Now you've shown a pretty good touring plan that gets one on the rides you want... but it came at a steep price, of buying Uni tickets and Cape Canaveral tickets in addition to Disney tickets. Given I don't like just how much time you are in the car... this seems like more driving than I do in a week of going to work... but if you or anyone doesn't mind the driving, then the strategy is viable. All you have to do is show your actual costs make it all worth it.

OTOH, if you WANT to take in Cape, and you are willing to pay for it, fine. e.g. we do LEGOLAND. I don't do it cuz it saves me money over spending the same time at Disney, on the contrary it costs quite a bit more, but it's what we want to do so we do it.