My DD8 loves big people food - DDP or DDE?

[Samsma]

Hi! I'm trying to figure out weather to purchase the DDP or DDE. My daughter like having what everyone else is having. I could trade her food, but I'm really not into chicken strips or hot dogs either. If you eat only at buffets such as Boma or Cape May, Chef Mickeys, etc. Would this work out cheaper with DDP than DDE?

 

[mom2my3kids]

You could say she is 10, you would have to pay adult prices for the tickets but she would get adult meals on the dining plan. I have heard people on here talk of this..

 

[SmallWorld71]

Hi,
I had my 8 year old look over some of the menus with me and we are mixing up the buffets with other meals. We have 3 buffets, 1 family style, and 2 where he has to pick off the kids menu and one of those is at a place with good kids choices. I know he would be bored silly with those standard kids' menus by day 3, but by mixing it up I think we'll be fine.

 

[Amyrlin]

I'd be more likey to go for DDE, if you are only going to go to the buffests the 20% may still be better than the DDP if room discounts are available.

 

[tick221]

sorry to jump into your thread, but what is the DDE, any information and links would be great

Thanks

 

[Samsma]

sorry to have taken so long to answer. The DDE is the Disney Dining Experience, and is available to annual pass holders and Florida residents. It costs $65 I believe and gives a 20% discount for sit down meals and counter service where sit down is not available (value resorts counter service, AK counter service etc.) Now that AK is opening a sit down restaurant this will probably do away with DDE at their counter service. Anyway, we had it a couple of years ago, and it basically pays the tip for a meal. We saved way more than the $60 or $65 it cost us. You also get free valet parking at the resorts you are eating at.

 

[septbaby]

How was the HHI resort. I love vacationing at HHI and was there when the resort was being constructed.

 

[bookworm61]

I understand your dilemma. I have one kid who only likes grownup food and one who at age 17 still wants chicken strips or a burger all the time.
I think that I would probably stick with the DDP because it is so cheap for kids. I have heard that kids can get adult counter service choices (no flames please!) with their credits and the snacks are the same for everyone. For your sitdown meals, buffets or family style meals could be fine. For example, at Whispering Canyon Cafe the kids' skillet is the same food as the adult skillet. At any other restaurant, you could just pay OOP for your kids entree (and maybe still use the DDP for his drink/dessert so that the credit isn't complelety wasted).The price of the DDP for your son probably would have been covered by the cost of the counter service meal/snack.

 

[Samsma]

Septbaby- We really enjoyed Hilton Head Island, the only complaint I had was the hard beds! We had a studio, and I'm sure we would have been even happier in a one bedroom. The grounds are beautiful and the kids really enjoyed the layed back vacation. It is a totally different vacation from WDW, but it was fun too. We fished, rode bikes, swam, had a Dolphin Cruise, and ate and ate and ate! We took a side trip to Savannah and met a very nice Diser who talked my husband into joining the DVC. I haven't gotten it done yet, but soon I will. (we are selling a vacation home first).

 

[septbaby]

Thanks Samsa, I'll have to keep it in mind whenever I get a chance to return to HHI. Savannah is absolutely charming, flew in and out on our last trip to the area. I'm a golfer, so HH is kind of like paradise! And yes, the eating isn't bad either.

Hope you enjoy that DVC when you get it!

 

[thunderbird1]

Hi! I'm trying to figure out weather to purchase the DDP or DDE. My daughter like having what everyone else is having. I could trade her food, but I'm really not into chicken strips or hot dogs either. If you eat only at buffets such as Boma or Cape May, Chef Mickeys, etc. Would this work out cheaper with DDP than DDE?

If you stick to mostly buffets and family style restaurants, I think the DDP would end up being a better deal for 8 yo's who like adult food, since they can choose anything off the buffet. The DDP costs only $10.99 a day for kids, and many of those dinners are $11-$13 each, which makes your kids' CS meal and snack free. Even if you have to pay OOP for a few adult CS meals for her, you'll still make out better with the DDP than the DDE.

If you want mostly sit-down restaurants where she'd order off the adult menu, the DDE would be a better deal, since she would be restricted to the children's menu on the DDP. With the DDE, she could order whatever she wanted, and you'd still be able to save a little money.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I agree with the last post also.
To me, with the DDE you can hardly go wrong, unless you plan to eat a lot of counter service in the parks.

 

[writersblock42]

I think I would calculate where you want to eat and see if it is cheaper paying out of pocket or getting the DDP. My son like chicken fingers and fries and even he got really bored with the kid choices. I think you could get away with purchasing meals separately because the DDP is $40 per person per day. Are you really going to buy that much food?