No Longer Have DDP Envy..

[DisOrBust]

Faye isn't the first to come to this conclusion. The DDP is convienent not really cost saving. Here is what other Disers have said along the same lines.

I will never do this again.
1) As Susan said, we ate way too much. After running the numbers, we could have eaten a sit down meal every day and split an appetizer and dessert rather than getting two of each. The cost would have been within $20 of what we payed for DDP and we wouldn't have been stuffed all week.
2) DDP took too much time out of our trip. We are used to just one sit-down in a week, and it took over an hour for dinner every day. This is a lot of time when you are in the off season and the parks are on their short hours.
3) Not flexible. Even in the dead off-season you have to make reservations ahead of time, and it is very difficult to try to change your reservations at the last minute. We ended up at BB one day because it was 85 degrees -- wanted to take advantage of the warm day. This was a MK EMH night. The original plan was Epcot during the day, dinner in World Showcase, then go to MK for the rest of the evening/night. We called in the morning to change our reservation, but were unable to find a decent time at a good restaurant. So we had to leave BB earlier than we wanted and we spent more than 3 hours on dinner that night -- transportation to Epcot, walk to the back of the park, wander a shop for a few minutes until it was time for dinner, eat dinner, walk back to the front of the park, catch two monorails to MK.

We really don't weigh 400lbs, but we sure felt like it after we were done eating. The group consisted of myself, my wife, 10yo son, 8yo daughter & 6 yo son.

This is going to be my opions and thoughts about the DDP.

I must start by saying that I crunched the numbers before we purchased the plan and that the cost was almost exactely the same as what we spent on food the last time we went. It was nice not having to worry about the cash side all week long.

1. There is way too much food - and I like to eat. We were there for 8 nights and we left still having 12 CS meals. Most of the time for lunch we shared 3 meals (plenty of food). Disney seperates Adult & Child TS Meals, CS are still all bunched as a group.

2. Disney needs to rethink what they consider an adult. My 10yo son could not eat anywhere near that amount of food as an Adult. In fact at Sci Fi we were told that he could not order off the Child's menu, had to be the Adult.

3. We felt that the servers were pushing the food on us. A lot of times we did not get the dessert. My thought about this is and I may be wrong. If you do not take all the food your bill is less therefore the server does not get as large of a tip. Am I right on this?

 

[ptrbryant]

We are going for the very first time ever in May. We are a family of 6. I did A LOT of research before booking this trip, and although I do feel like I could of saved a little bit of money if we 1. stayed offsite, and 2. did not have the DDP, I booked us for both. I think that the extra money more than compensates for the convenience that both will provide our family. This is our first REAL vacation (other than visiting family) and I want it to be MAGICAL. I want the kids to order cute desserts and have dinner with the characters and I don't want to sweat about it while we are there. It will be paid for within 3 weeks and then I can just count down the days for our special trip.

We went for the first time in 2002 and had originally booked 2 nights on-site and 4 nights off-site in a 2 room suite in a brand new Residence Inn suites at a great rate. This was when they were having the great room-only codes and we had Wilderness Lodge for $119 a night! Anyway, after the fantastic customer service we had at the resort, the total ease of going from the parks to our hotel room to rest before hitting the parks again in the evening, and just the general immersion experience, I booked the rest of our stay at WL and called the Residence Inn to cancel. That decision cost us more money, we had less space, but felt there's no other place in the world where you can experience the "escape from reality" feeling staying on site gave us.

We've traveled quite a bit and, especially in Europe, perfer renting a flat or cottage to save money and feel more like a visitor and less like a tourist. At WDW, it's so worth the extra money (to us) to really get the full experience there. I think you made a wise decision--esp. for your first trip!

Have a great time--we'll be there in May, too!

Karla B.

 

[FayeW]

I guess there is no right or wrong decision. It just comes down to preferences. For us the true "cost" of the dining plan is much more than just the $38.99 per day...it means living in a hotel room for a week vs a spacious condo. I don't see the magic in tripping over bodies, or listening to everybody snore. I don't see the magic in racing from a park or activity we are enjoying to get to a restaurant reservation. I don't see the magic in waiting for a bus with standing room only after a long day at the parks.

Others wouldn't find any magic driving a rental car in an unfamiliar city, having to carry their own souveniers, or missing out on EMH. Others turn up their noses at counter service meals or going off property to eat. Different strokes!

 

[joiev98]

Others wouldn't find any magic driving a rental car in an unfamiliar city, having to carry their own souveniers, or missing out on EMH. Others turn up their noses at counter service meals or going off property to eat. Different strokes!

You are right. We all have different preferences. But what we do all have in common is the desire to provide our own family with a wonderful Disney experience. And I do believe that can be accomplished whether onsite or off, DDP or OOP.
Here's to all of us finding MAGIC in our trips!!!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I am happy to say that I spent some time this morning looking over the menus and have come to the conclusion that based on what we would normally order, over a 4 day period (1 day for each park) we would save $135 NOT having the dining plan, and this included 1 dinner at 'Ohana. Over a full 7 days, the savings would be even greater.

It's always good to compare like you did ahead of time. We did the DDP once mostly to do a cost analysis and it turns out we would have saved money if we just stuck with the DDE card. We found that unless you choose the more expensive options on the menu (like steaks and stuff), we would never get to the point of saving money. We're vegetarians and it just doesn't work out for us.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

If you do not take all the food your bill is less therefore the server does not get as large of a tip. Am I right on this?

The bill is rung up as it normally is and the tip is based on what you ordered. So if you didn't get desserts, then that makes the bill less and therefore the percentage given to the waiter is less $$$. That's where the pressure comes in, I think.

 

[mercydisney]

FAYEW, I'm w/you. I did have DDP envy for all those who got it for free on bounce back program. I did book for Aug. hoping for DDP. BUT AS OF YESTERDAY, I am no longer at odds. I figured out I will be saving money if I don't get free dining. How, I am going w/DD"S best friend's family, those kids don't want to think of food when their together, they'll be forced to eat.
My girls will eat breakfast in the rm before they see their BF's, this way I know they will get one good meal in them before the park. We'll have a snack and counter service during the day.

I will also not have to pay for 3, 1 day ticket, because I have the the tickets I bought last yr. So I will be saving about $186.

So no more DDP Envy for me. I have crunched the #'s.
I am thinking of buying a DDE card.

 

[TaylorsDad]

We are considering dining plan this April. Never done it before but after calculating all the ts meals we have ressies for decided we come out ahead during our 9 night stay. This is even with us taking 2 days away and going to Universal/IOA.
I can still understand someone not wanting to try the plan though. We have DD8 with us who doesnt understand the concept of waiting until reservation to eat. Not having the plan during busy times mean freedom to choose when you eat but still not likely where unless you still have dining reservations.

 

[FayeW]

I reserve the right, however, to continue to be envious of anyone who gets the DDP for free!

 

[Katiebell]

Generally speaking, the DDP is not a good value for your family if you prefer to stay off site; you prefer CS to TS meals; you eat meals in your room/condo; you have a car and are comfortable with navigating the Orlando area to eat off site; you tend to be lighter eaters; you have children in the 10-15 age bracket that do not eat like adults but would be charged $39/day on the plan; you don't do many CM's or buffets; you are eligible for the DDE card (and the majority of guests are not eligible); you know that you typically spend less than $40/day per adult on meals and snacks (including tax and tip).

And, generally speaking, the DDP is a good value for your family if you want to stay on site with a package; you don't have a car or Orlando is unfamiliar and you don't want to try to find places off site to eat; you have little kids 9 and under who are fine with the kids' meals; you eat a lot of CM's or buffets; you like to try a lot of new restaurants; you want to splurge on appetizers and desserts; at least some of your family members are big eaters (teenagers, big DH's); you like to have a TS meal every day; you want the convenience of knowing your meals are all prepaid and you can order anything; you are not eligible for the DDE card; you know that you typically spend $40/day or more per adult on meals and snacks (including tax and tip); or if you got it free (of course!!!).

The DDP definitely isn't best for every family. For some, it would be a total waste of money and/or time, and for others it will save a huge amount of money and be extremely convenient. There's no "right" or "wrong" answer -- only what's right for your family

 

[sandym718]

Very good summary!! We definitely fall in that second group (for this trip at least!)

 

[PaulaSB12]

I am doing the dining plan with my 2007 holiday. It makes sense for me I am going solo so there is no sharing food with anyone. I feel that a hotel is safer than a villa somewhere so I was going to stay in a disney hotel anyway. I don't have an annual pass (next holiday is likely to be 2009, 2008 is going to be Norway for snorkelling with wild killer whales and a trip to the panda breeding centre in China) so I can't get the DDE card. So for me the ddp is perfect (got it free again which helps)

 

[MaeDaisy]

We loved staying on-site, and we loved having DDP. We will definitely do it again next trip. We're a family of 4 and we stayed for 6 days at POFQ. The room wasn't crowded at all and basically all we did in it was sleep anyway. I would even consider downgrading to a value next time. And I sure as heck am not doing laundry or cooking during a 6 day vacation, so staying on-site was definitely worth it for us. DDP just made it better. No way we could survive on a dinner of 4 hotdogs & 2 fries, or a couple of double cheeseburgers with extra buns.

You're right, Faye, it's different for each family. For us, eating (and planning all the ADRs) was part of the fun of a Disney vacation. Our trade-off was souvenirs -- the only souvenirs we brought home were Mickey ears for the kids. And a Mr. Potato Head and a Light Saber. And some glow-necklaces. The kids (and the big kid aka my husband) would have liked to get more, but we're not rich for cryin out loud. So whenever someone whined about wanting something, I just shot back "HEY! You got calamari, isn't that enough?!?"

.... I didn't really say that. But it would have been funny, wouldn't it?

 

[FayeW]

No way we could survive on a dinner of 4 hotdogs & 2 fries, or a couple of double cheeseburgers with extra buns.

So whenever someone whined about wanting something, I just shot back "HEY! You got calamari, isn't that enough?!?"

.... I didn't really say that. But it would have been funny, wouldn't it?

Actually, the hotdogs and hamburgers were lunch selections; the chicken and mashed pototes were dinner.

And you are right, it would have been funny to say that to your family!

 

[brooke1]

The first time I was faced with the dining plan decision my kids were 10 and 11. I was convinced that the dining plan wouldn't be worth it for us since they aren't usually big eaters. When the dining plan became free, we immediately signed up.

My kids completely surprised me. They ate ALOT! First of all - I think their appetites increased from all the activity. Secondily. they suddenly tried things in the TS establishments that surprised me. They ordered appetizers. They has a ball! They LOVE the dining plan and have favorite places they request.

Here's the way I look at it - I could watch what I spend at each and every meal and eat mostly CS with less TS and save a few hundred dollars. Or, for a few hundred dollars more, I can eat mostly anywhere, order what I want, and have a great dining experience. I love the dining plan. Yeah - it's a lot of food but we share CS so we have credits left for breakfast.

I agree with everything you said, me and mostly my 14 DS love to do the TS meals, that means every night we have great conversations on what we did that day, and you guys most of the time our teen age kids just grunt at us when we ask how school went and go straight to there room

Brooke

 

[Trishand5more]

Thanks for all the great info on both sides! This will be our first trip with the DDP. We have done two OOP.....but I didn't really pay any attention to what we spent (the whole trip was a lot....as we decided NOT to worry about money)! I will be tracking both what we spend on the DDP & looking and keeping track of what we would have spent without it.

 

[DaisyD]

I also don't think the DDP is a good value for us. We have APs and the DDE. We also have $200 off a night at the Poly. There are two adults and one child. There is NO WAY we would eat all the food normally in a day. We do one sit down a day plus two counter services. At dinner the adults split and appetizer but each get our own entree. We each get a dessert. We couldn't possibly stuff any more food down than that. We can barely walk out after eating all that! LOL! For a counter service DD and I always split because we can't each eat an entire meal by ourselves. For breakfast we do each get our own meal but that is usually a bagel or something light. No way does that add up to $200 a day. Even if you in add in 3 snacks that is still under $125. Take 20% off the sit down because of our DDE and it gets lower. With the DDP we would have to pay rackrate for the room AND buy a one day ticket. I also can't imagine eating all that food. Also have to add the cost of the dining plan on which is another $40 for an adult and $15 per kid. When we eat we don't look at prices. We chose based on what we want to eat. Price is not a factor. I'll stick with the DDE and get a much better deal for us.

 

[Dogslider]

This will be our first trip on the DDP. We usually budget 250.00 a day for meals/snacks and drinks. There are 5 of us. me, DH, DS 16, DGS 6 and DGS 4 (trip age). With the boys ages this looks like it will work out great for us. We are staying at a cabin at Fort Wilderness for 4 nights and renting points for a 2 bedroom at OKW for 5 nights.
We always have a TS dinner. We are non- sharers when it comes to meal time, we all like different things. We often get a couple appetizers and most of the time get dessert too. What the kids don't finish of there plates either DH or DS probably will.
I plan our park days first and then where we are going to eat. I would do this on or off the plan.
We drive down, but my husbands favorite part of Disney is not getting back in the van unless necessary (one trip to Winn Dixie, for diet pepsi and a few other things). My favorite part is no cooking, so even though we have a full kitchen, it's not happening! I will through a load of clothes in here or there on the way out as it cuts down on work when I get home.

All in all it seems a perfect fit for us. Totaled it up and it is actually 200.00 less than what we would actually order and this is without any appetizers, desserts or snacks!

 

[stepdisney]

We are non-sharers too. My DS (12) eats like a man as does my DS (6). I can't imagine after a long day walking around the parks or, even more so, the water parks, my children would be happy with a hot dog and splitting some fries. We enjoy sitting down together and dining. While the CS are good, you are serving yourselves and searching for seats. I'm a stay at home mom and cooking is what I do nightly. I'm not cooking on vacation. $38.99 per night for DH, me, DS and 10.99 per night for DS is a lot less than it would cost for a family of four like ours to eat all day on the quality of food we get. We compare apples with apples by saying you may spend less eating at only CS and paying OOP but you most certainly GET less.

I'm speaking from experience. Our first trip was off site and we rented a car. We looked for the cheapest places to eat at night and stuffed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in our backpack for us to eat. We ate at CS once in a while but thought about how much they wanted for a burger and fries all of the time. DDP is great for us. If we had unlimited funds and didn't consider price we probably wouldn't care.

 

[Susan555]

We're trying DDP for 3 days next month, then we'll be moving to an offsite villa for 7 days and obviously won't have the DDP. It will be nice to be able to directly compare both experiences - DDP and paying OOP, as well as to compare staying onsite with offsite. I'm looking forward to sampling all the options. We'll be eating TS meals those 3 days then sticking with counter service and a few offsite restaurants. I'm also planning on eating 1 or 2 meals a day at the timeshare (not a big fancy cooked meal - just sandwiches, raw veggies, etc). I eat 6 small meals a day, so the DDP just isn't suited to my eating habits - but I think the kids and dh will enjoy it for those 3 days.