Opinion needed re: DDE w/Annual pass & Park hopper

[DVCFAM5]

We are new owners of DVC and are staying at SSR the last week of March.

I was thinking of purchasing an AP for myself w/the DDE added on to save 20% on our meals. I also am assuming that we will also get 20% off of our lunches and etc. We will not be cooking meals at our "Home away from Home" but we will eat breakfast in our room. I was going to purchase PHP with no experation for my wife and three kids ages 11, 9, and 6. We don't all need AP's since we live in New England and will not be visiting the park several times per year.

Would it be worth doing our ticket purchase this way to save money on meals?

 

[ddave]

We are new owners of DVC and are staying at SSR the last week of March.

I was thinking of purchasing an AP for myself w/the DDE added on to save 20% on our meals. I also am assuming that we will also get 20% off of our lunches and etc. We will not be cooking meals at our "Home away from Home" but we will eat breakfast in our room. I was going to purchase PHP with no experation for my wife and three kids ages 11, 9, and 6. We don't all need AP's since we live in New England and will not be visiting the park several times per year.

Would it be worth doing our ticket purchase this way to save money on meals?

From what I've seen, the AP has a break even point over a Magic Your Way Ticket of something like 7/8 days with DVC discount on the AP. So it depends on how long you are staying and/or your plans to return before the AP runs out.

I just bought myself an AP and plan to buy the DDE next week for a trip in March. Buying the DDE next week (March 6) makes it good through the end of April 2007. It will work for us because, we are staying 5 days in March, at least 4 days in November or December and hope to go one more time before the AP expires. But I break even on it during the November/December trip. Hope this helps.

 

[CarolMN]

Maybe. The break even point on the DDE itself is $300 of purchases at participating DDE restaurants. (Figured at $60/0.2)

How much more will your AP cost than the ticket you would buy if you didn't get the DDE/AP? Let's say the AP is $100 more than the PHP ticket (I'm just making that up for the example). That means you'd have to spend $500 ($100/0.2) at participating restaurants to make up the extra $100 the Ap costs.

So anything you spend over $800 at participating DDE restaurants will save you $$. You can do the same calculations for the real cost difference between the Ap and the PHP ticket you would otherwise buy.

Best wishes -

 

[DVCFAM5]

Here is the breakdown:

Family of 5 with 3 over the age of 10 and two under 10.
staying 7 days in the park @ SSR. Again my children are ages 11, 9, and 6. We will only be eating breakfast at our two bedroom studio. We will be eating lunch and dinner out.

One AP cost w/tax included $335.48
Two adult & two kids PHP
w/waterpark no experation
tax included. 1,382.42
DDE added to AP 50.00

Total: $1767.90

OR

Three adult & two kids PHP
w/waterpark no experation
tax included.

Total: $1745.60


Average cost of dinner out for my family:

$80.00 per night X 6 nights= $480.00
Less 20% - 96.00
Total: 384.00

I am still assuming that the AP can be used for lunch so if that's the case then the savings could be more. I also don't know if there are further discounts available with the AP for merchandise and etc.

Any thoughts, and would it be worth purchasing one AP w/DDE?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[JimMIA]

I am still assuming that the AP can be used for lunch so if that's the case then the savings could be more.

Yes, DDE is 20% off ANY purchases, including alcoholic beverages, at any participating restaurant.

If you are going to split your family up on some days, you may want to look at getting a second DDE card. You don't have to buy an additional AP to do that, it's just an additional charge (used to be free ). That would allow you both to get the discounts simultaneously. Don't know if that's important to you, but it is an option.

 

[CarolMN]

FYI, the cost of the DDE card went up to $60 per year for annual passholders. It was $50 last year.

Also, APs do not include waterpark visits so if you plan to go with the rest of the family, you'll have to add in the cost of admission to those (or get a PAP).

Best wishes -

 

[DisneyBill]

AP and plan to buy the DDE next week for a trip in March. Buying the DDE next week (March 6) makes it good through the end of April 2007. It will work for us because, we are staying 5 days in March, at least 4 days in November or December and hope to go one more time before the AP expires. But I break even on it during the November/December trip. Hope this helps.

I was planning to order the DDE card on March 1, hoping to also have it valid until the end of April '07. Is March an official date for valid dates of April, versus March? Thanks!

 

[CarolMN]

I was planning to order the DDE card on March 1, hoping to also have it valid until the end of April '07. Is March an official date for valid dates of April, versus March? Thanks!

If you order the DDE on March 1, our card will be good through the end of March, 2007. If you wait a few days (I think the turn over date is the 7th or 8th of the month), it will be good through the end of April, 2007. You can call the DDE office and ask the CM - the one I got was very good about telling me when to order when I was in a similar situation. It took about a week to get the card (faster than the CM said), but I had planned to call back and ask for a temp card (to be picked up at EPCOT) if I didn't get the card before I left on my trip, so I wasn't too worried about actually getting the "permanent" card..

Best wishes -

 

[CapeCodFam]

We are a family of 5 and having the DDE has saved us lots of $$$$ each trip. However, we do tend to pick more expensive restaurants now because we know we're getting 20% off. In the end, we spend more. But, enjoying every meal throroughly.

Since 2 of your kids are considered adults in the eyes of Disney, the meal plan may not be as a good deal as the DDE card. Depends on how much you intend to order and if you want adult beverages.

 

[Cinderella]

Regular AP usually break even about 7 days. DDE is worth it, if it's worth you buying the pass and you eat at least one sit down meal a day. We had a 3 course meal and bottle of wine each day, and we save a huge amount of dollars.