Regrets anyone?

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

We have debated so many times about doing the DDP. and have never. Again this year we are trying to figure out what to do, so I was just wondering if anyone has ever done it and regretted it for any reason. Either you didn't feel like you go your money's worth or you felt the table service meals cut into your touring time. We usually do 1-2 table ervice meals, but last time I found that we did have extra time where we could have enjoyed a nice sit down and relax dinner.

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

We have done both and in my opinion, the DDP is worth it hands down. You are able to take advantage of some really nice (expensive) restaurants, that maybe you wouldn't have been inclined to splurge on without the DDP. The ADR's for TS meals are a must (again, in my opinion). Having an ADR is just so much easier. They can cut into your park time if not planned out well. We opt for our TS either as an early breakfast or later dinner. That way you are not having to stop doing something or not be able to attend a show or something of that nature b/c you have a ressie in the middle of the day. This is just how is seems to work best for us. Good luck!

 

[Grendalynn]

And have decided to try it. If one year was better to try it than another - its this year for us as our youngest doesn "count" yet, as he is 18 months when we go. And DS8 is still considered a "child" as far as prices for tickets and meals. DH was not sold on the idea, I was eager to do it as all of our meals would be paid for and we wouldnt really have to worry about much when we are there - kind of like an all inclusive resort/package - l;ike the DCL. In short, we will try it this year and see how it goes. If we are happy with it, than we will do it again the next time we go. If we think we can do better on our own, we will opt out next time. Hope this helps!!??

 

[kscottiemom]

We did the plan and enjoyed it, but not enough to do it again...altho I might if we were going when it's free. I mean, it's a no-brainer then.

With a young family I would think it would be tempting...but we like to wander around, not commit to a particular park at a particular time. In fact, for our next trip (in May) we have only one ADR, and that is for Jiko, our favorite. We had made others but cancelled them.

I do think it's nice to have family time at the table, conversations, recollections of how the day was spent, what was special for each, or what you all are looking forward to for the rest of the trip...and for that, table service is a real bonus.

Regardless of what you decide, make happy memories.

 

[wezee]

DH and I have done the DDP several times a really enjoy it. We have tried soooo many great restaurants and experienced cusines that we would prolly not have attempted without the DDP

 

[RhodyJim]

We had it once and I have no regrets. One of the underrated things is that it forces you to sit down and enjoy a meal. Especially if you have a family with you it can be very tempting to grab something easy (and often cheaper) at a quick service restaurant. But, the meal plan forced us to sit down together about once a day and just have a meal as a family.

 

[byoung]

Will not regret doing the DDP this year. Will still save.

 

[Tricia1972]

We did it in April of 2007 for a four day three night trip and thought it was fine.

We did it in October of 2007 for a 14 day trip and hated it. We swore never ever again, we felt it was way too much food for us, and the meals didn't fit our normal eating pattern.

I looked at it for March 2008. I went through the menus and figured what we would eat if we went out and ordered whatever we wanted. I did not figure in what we could eat if we were on the DDP, as that's irrelevant to me. Why pay for it if we don't want it? If I knew some would order steak, I figured in steak for those people. I also didn't skimp restaurants, I figured out which restaurants we wanted to eat at.

The end result is that we are saving $450+ by not doing the plan and eating our way.

(April 2007 was 2 Adults, October 2007 and March 2008 is 5 adults, 1 child and 1 infant)

 

[craig15]

I will never pay for it again. We normally do one or two TS meals in a week at the World. We paid for it last year and having a meal scheduled almost every day took away a lot of flexibility in our trip. I will do it for free (and use as many 2 credit restaurants as possible) but I will not pay for it again. It is too much food and too much time and too much loss of flexibility.

 

[belle&sebastiansmom]

We view many of the restaurants as attractions and experiences, so we don't feel like the dining plan cuts into our schedule. The dining plan gives us the flexibility to go to some restaurants we may not normally be able to pay "full price" for. We've watched the plan dwindle down over the past few years, but it's still worth it to us.

 

[Gymbomom]

We loved the dining plan as we felt like we were truly on vacation, no money worries, everything paid in advance. With advance planning of meals, we had our credits figured out in advance. I think it would be harder if you were trying to figure that out the week of. We will miss the app. and would have rather had that then the dessert, but I still think we will come out ahead.

My sister just got back and they did the ddxp and they said they were MISERABLE. They felt like they were eating non-stop and it really cut into their touring time.

We don't eat out very much at home and we never eat at expensive places, so we enjoy doing that at Disney!

 

[melomouse]

It has worked for us - 3x DDP - once free, once paid '07 and once just back January '08. Ninth WDW trip since '01. DD is 11 and DS is 16.

So much depends on whether you not your family is commando-style, whether you have young kids, and individual appetites. Price is nearly a moot point since new DDP, tho I believe we had the convenience of paying up front, and likely saved about $150 over the course of a week.

Now that we have adopted a more leisurely touring style and my kids are less into character buffets and more into "fine" dining, DDP continues to work well for us."Extra" CS drinks and desserts go in the room fridge for breakfasts or snacks. My kids know the DDP inside out and backwards now and can get their own snacks and CS wherever we are.

We love Kona, Le Cellier and Tutto Italia. I love seeing them both trying new foods or sharing each other's dishes. It enhances our dining experience, and even sometimes makes me wistful for the chicken finger days with a bagful of toys to get through a meal!

The important thing about DDP, to me, is to know what your family needs and give it a shot. We are all different and that's why there are so many options!

 

[ssaa]

We've done the DDP once and we're doing it again. We took 3 major things in consideration before we decided:
1. Food: We really do enjoy our sit-down meals. It makes you sit back and enjoy your vacation. We love good food!

2. Planning: I love to plan, so figuring out where/what/when is actually fun for me! When I have a good plan, I feel much more relaxed. I know that once I've thought it through, we will use our time the best possible way when we are at WDW. For us, I don't think it reduces our flexibility.

3. Money: Even with the changes, we will come out ahead with the basic DDP (thankyou Tricia1972 for the spread sheet!). I plugged in the numbers for what we would want to eat (not what we could get), and it would cost us more OOP. So for us, the DDP still a good value.

Hope this helps! Have fun at WDW!!!

 

[TLSnell1981]

We had it once and I have no regrets. One of the underrated things is that it forces you to sit down and enjoy a meal. Especially if you have a family with you it can be very tempting to grab something easy (and often cheaper) at a quick service restaurant. But, the meal plan forced us to sit down together about once a day and just have a meal as a family.

This is one of the reasons we have added the deluxe dining plan. It also gives you a chance to rest.

 

[comicguy]

There are some pros and cons to using the DDP:

The Pros(IMHO):

The meals are paid for in advance
A nice selection of table rest. and you do not have to worry about price.
Forces you to slow down and enjoy your food
Gets you out of the heat and into some AC
Healthier meals
Not "stuck" eating burgers and chicken fingers all week
Sample food that you may not otherwise have tried


The Cons(IMHO):

Takes time away from the parks
Takes some planning and cooridination
Takes away flexibilty
Should make ADR's at the 180 day mark