savings questions TIW versus DDP?

[otterpop]

I'm too lazy right now to try and do the math, but has anyone ever done a comparison of the savings you get from TIW versus the DDP (I realize the DDP prices just went up a few bucks).

I am looking at this from just a money perspective and not flexibility or the amount or type of food (like, we never eat snacks, but the DDP requires you, etc). Also, I don't care about how much you would spend, just how much you would save!

I guess from the TIW perspective it's easy...it gives 20% off your final bill total at the participating restaurants. What % does the DDP give you?

Thanks,

Evan

 

[KathyK]

I did an analysis before we left on vacation in July, and on paper, we came out way ahead on DxDDP compared to TiW. In the end, we ended up saving 41% overall with DxDDP. However, we used *all* of our credits, and ate TS for all except for 1 meal.

 

[quirty30]

I'm too lazy right now to try and do the math, but has anyone ever done a comparison of the savings you get from TIW versus the DDP (I realize the DDP prices just went up a few bucks).

I am looking at this from just a money perspective and not flexibility or the amount or type of food (like, we never eat snacks, but the DDP requires you, etc). Also, I don't care about how much you would spend, just how much you would save!

I guess from the TIW perspective it's easy...it gives 20% off your final bill total at the participating restaurants. What % does the DDP give you?

Thanks,

Evan

You can't come up with an exact percentage of how much you save on the DDP, as it all depends on which restaurants you go to and what you order. Obviously the savings are greater if you use the TS credits for dinners at more expensive single TS credit restaurants and order the most expensive items on the menu. So if I go to dinner at Le Cellier and order the filet, a smoothie, and the chocolate whiskey cake, and pair it with a CS earlier in the day at Wolfgang Puck Express, ordering the salmon & creme brulee, my DDP savings will be greater than if I use my TS for breakfast at Kona Cafe and get the pancakes, and have dinner later at Casey's and order a hot dog & fries.

I look at the first example and all I can think is, OMG if I had WPE for lunch and Le Cellier for dinner, I'd be stuffed. And it's a perfect example of why I hate and love the DDP all at once. I feel compelled to maximize my savings instead of just getting what I want. We rarely have dessert at home and when we visit Disney on the DDP, I end up on sugar overload!

I have one child still under 10, so for right now, I think the DDP is a better value for us - for the 3 of us, the cost is less than $100 a day. Next year, when she turns 10 and the DDP price goes up, I think that TiW will make more sense for us. Besides, I'd rather have a discounted snifter of Grand Marnier after my dinner than a dessert

Seriously, though, I think we'll eat more sensibly with TiW than we have on the DDP - and I'm really looking forward to that.

 

[dianeschlicht]

How much you save and which is best FOR YOU depends on how your family views dining. We have done DDP and TIW and saved reciepts and figured costs that way. We spent more than $200 LESS when we used TIW. Or maybe I should say we spent $200 MORE when we used DDP.

The problem for us is that we really don't often do desserts, and much prefer appetizers. We always eat at a sit down restaurant each day, and often eat at Signature restaurants. Add to that the fact that in a week long trip, we maybe only eat 2 counter service meals, and it's a no brainer for us..... TIW is WAY better for us.

Now if you have kids in that 5-9 age group, DDP might be the best deal, and many with children find that the best thing about DDP is the convenience of not having to "pay as you go".

We are usually at Disney with just the two of us, so DDP isn't a good deal for us.

 

[vicki_c]

Well there is no one size fits all answer as the others have said.

For a recent trip, I did an estimate using the restaurants where we had ADRs booked, guesses on what we would eat, etc. TiW came out on top, but only about $100 difference. Since I didn't want the DDP anyway, that was a good answer for me. Even if the $100 had swung the other way, that probably wouldn't have been enough for me to pick DDP over TiW.

I think we will never do the DDP - just because the whole pre-paid / gotta use your credits thing does not appeal to me - even if it's a savings.

 

[Sandisw]

We just did the DDP for 3 of our 6 night stay. The average cost of our TS meal each night was $42.00. This included the drink, entree, dessert and tax.

Our average CS meal was $12.00 and our average snack was $3.00. So, for the 3 days, the food cost $163.00 for the 3 days. The DDP cost us $126.00 for the 3 days. So, our savings was about 23%.


We realized, however, that we will not be doing it any more and will either just go OOP or get the TIW card since we want the flexibility to get what we want. Our problem is that our trips are down to just 3 or 4 of us instead of the 5 that we had been going with (kids are in college).

But we also ordered a few drinks here and there so having the TIW would save here as well.

 

[lucyem]

For our next trip I sat down and figured out how much we would save with the ddp. We would save $100 using ddp vs paying out of pocket. BUT we would be forced to eat in a way we do not eat. Forced to all have a whole meal of our own when we often share, forced to have dessert when we often want to wait until later or skip totally. Really the ddp would not save us any money.

 

[staceymay00]

I have added receipts twice with the TiW card and both times we spent about the same as DDP would have cost, or a little less. That was with three children under age 10, though. It is easier to maximize savings with children since one character meal and you've already gotten your money out of DDP for the day. Now that one of my kids is 10 it will be even better for us to stick with the TiW since he might still sometimes eat off the kids menu, or he'll order an adult burger instead of a more expensive meal. We often eat TS meals for lunch, however, and don't always eat at the more expensive TS places. I don't want to change the way we eat just to maximize our savings with DDP and I don't like knowing if we don't make just one TS meal we've probably spent more than if we had paid OOP. That's just me...everyone is different. Some people do save more on the DDP than we would and they like having their food pre-paid.

 

[crisi]

Its going to depend on a number of factors - how many covered meals you eat with the TiW card over the course of the year - someone who is staying for four nights all year will probably do better with the dining plan - someone who goes for three weeks a year and eats table service every day - TiW hands down. How much alcohol you drink (TiW covers alcholic beverages - a 20% discount on a $200 bottle of wine can make a big difference). Wheter you tip 15%-20% (we all do, don't we? - but the TiW enforces it - you COULD but WOULDN'T stiff your server with the DDP).

 

[wildernessDad]

I think that if you are going to use 2 TS credits for a dinner within the DDP, then TIW comes out ahead. If you just use 1 TS credit per dinner, then DDP comes out a little ahead. We like the TIW card better because of the flexibility.

 

[rentayenta]

I'm too lazy right now to try and do the math, but has anyone ever done a comparison of the savings you get from TIW versus the DDP (I realize the DDP prices just went up a few bucks).

I am looking at this from just a money perspective and not flexibility or the amount or type of food (like, we never eat snacks, but the DDP requires you, etc). Also, I don't care about how much you would spend, just how much you would save!

I guess from the TIW perspective it's easy...it gives 20% off your final bill total at the participating restaurants. What % does the DDP give you?

Thanks,

Evan

If you don't prefer to eat what the DDP offers, non-alc beverage, entree, dessert, then the DDP provides no savings at all. For example, our family of 5 loves appetizers, shares entrees (adult ones for the kids), and doesn't love dessert enough to order 5 per TS. The DDP is not cost effective for us because it demands we order a certain way. The TIW card however proves 20% off the entire bill of items we enjoy such as wine and appetizers. With dinner I drink water and a glass of wine or cocktail and don't drink soda so the "free" beverage is a waste. For me it's like comparing apples and oranges- both regard food but it's an odd comparison. Plus the limiting feeling of the DDP is not enjoyable. I don't want to skip my appetizer because it's not included and then order a dessert I didn't want. I have thought a lot about this lately for our 2011 trip and poured over menus because I was debating on the DDP for half of our trip but realize, it's just not a good fit for us. If it doesn't fit, regardless of the cost, it has no value to me.

 

[JWG]

I find, if you alter your eating habits to match the DDP, that it isn't a good deal. We typically don't eat appetizers or desserts - just the main course. We certainly don't get individual desserts for each person - that's just too much food. My wife likes a glass (or 2) of wine with dinner as well.

We've not tried the TiW card yet (we will be this December) so I won't know which would be better until then and I do the math.

The TiW card costs $75 and offers a 20% savings at participating restaurants (which is very limited CS, typically only where no TS is available such as value resorts). You have to spend $375 to break even on the TiW card. We have 5 TS means planned in December, we'll likely come close to that on those alone. When we go back in October, 2011 we think everything will be gravy on top, especially since we're taking extended family members with us.

The ads for the DDP say "save up to 20% on dining" for what it's worth.

 

[katieandemismom]

For us the DDP is the best deal financially. Our girls are both Disney kids. We do many buffets for the selection options. Perhaps the biggest factor is we don't drink due to dh's medication so discounts on alcohol mean nothing to us.

I've run the numbers for clients, and it comes out that TIW saves Disney adults money especially if they consume at least 2 alcoholic beverages per day. In addition, you cannot use TIW at most quick service options so if you grab a quick meal in-park, it won't apply to those items.

 

[jco_direwolf]

I've tracked our meal spending at Disney (I know I've posted this before, I think I even posted a copy of the spreadsheet I used) and DDP isnt' even close for us TIW wins hands down. We tend to eat 1 sitdown per day, and we rarely use counter service.

On top of that we often eat with grandparents or friends, so the TIW is nice to be able to discount everyone's meal.

If we ate more DDP MIGHT work out better, but the amount of food you have to consume to hit break even is huge.

For example, we met some friends at Disney a year ago, and they had DDP for the part of the stay prior to staying with us at BLT (I think they where there for 4 days before us.) On the transition day they had to blow (use them or lose them) 3 CS and 1-2 snack credits. We stocked up the fridge and 4 adults had 1.5 meals off that run plus snacks for the next 2-3 days.

But because we tend to eat in the room in the morning have a late lunch (sit down) and then dinner in the room (once the little one is in bed.) we carry snacks for everyone in the park (from our publix/target run.)

So as others have said it's hard to say one is better than the other. It's on a case by case basis. It's easier to tell if you go a few times and get an idea what the "norm" is for you. Add to it TIW is only for Passholders and Fl residents. DDP anyone can get (so for some TIW while it might be better, it's unavailable.)

jco

 

[adminjedi]

We have done both and analyzed both.
Several years ago, we saved money with DDP. With the new pricing on DDP, it is close to a wash for paying cash. It doesn't make sense to give up flexibility for little to no savings.

However, the biggest reason we switched to using TIW is the flexibility on what and where we eat. Like others, we also prefer appetizers over desserts, and if we have dessert it isn't every meal! Sometimes, we want mostly QS, other times we want more TS. It just depends on the type of vacation and who is joining us. TIW definitely saves us $.

 

[Chellymouse]

We have been doing DDP for the past several years and this year have decided to switch to TIW for several reasons. The biggest is that in order to get any value from DDP, you have to eat at the most expensive CS (and order the most expensive items) and eat at the most expensive 1TS and again, ordering the most expensive items on the menu whether you want it or not. DH is not big on dessert, often we would prefer to split an appetizer and a dessert and we both like adult beverages with our meals. By the time we pay for the "extras" we've spent more money. Furthermore, you usually have to contend with making your ADRs and planning around your meal times. We usually wind up bringing snacks home or wasting credits on water (because we are too lazy to go the locker) so it's really not worth it.

 

[ToddyLu]

We did the DDP in 2008 with my parents and last year with my MIL and BIL. We are good eaters and enjoy the TS credits. However we also find that the current DDP is not as great for us as it use to be. We liked it much better when we got the App and gratuity was included--now that was a pretty nice deal. We will have the TIW this Dec for the first time and will see how it works out. We have kept the restaurants the same....only now I don't have to order the grapefruit cake at Brown Derby if I do not want it.

DVC changed our eating pattern last year,too. With the addition of fridge, microwave and toaster...our selections opened up and now we can eat more of the foods we like at home. For instance this year we are doing breakfast food in the villa of bagels with snacks throughout the stay. I have only given us 2 breakfast buffets at Boma, just becasue it is nice to walk over and see Jambo's lobby. The Mara just wasn't convienent for us while staying at Kidani. MIL didn't care for the breakfast selections. So DVC is changing the way we eat at Disney. Except for the TS meals in the evenings, we will do more in the villa.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

I've analyzed it for us many times. TIW always comes out a little bit ahead of DDP or DxDDP. I make a spreadsheet and put in what we would actually order at the restaurants we have ADRs for vs what we would order on DDP or DxDDP. When it comes out close, I like to go with the DxDDP because I do enjoy trying appetizers I would not normally order and snacks we would not normally buy.

One argument for TIW besides it always wins in cost comparison for us, is we also eat healthier that way. Don't get me wrong--we still splurge, but not desserts and soft drinks with every meal.

 

[jco_direwolf]

So a year ago Len Testa figured out what Disney thinks each part of the DDP is worth. Basically with some math you can figure out what numbers solve each of the dining plans.

http://blog.touringplans.com/category/recent-news/page/24/

Counter-service meal = $10.08
Table-service meal = $25.44
Snack = $2.53
Refillable mug = $4.48
Appetizers = $2.98
30 minutes of arcade time = $0.30
​

Spending these amounts gets you to BREAKEVEN, you have to spend more on average to have a savings. Remember the price of the mug is a fixed one time cost and these numbers are per meal-day, which means if you are on the DDP for 7 days and get a refillable mug (retail $13.84 w/ tax) you've just paid $31.36 for it, but if you get the same plan for 3 days you only pay $13.44.

When people, like me, say 2TS is never worth it what we are saying, if you don't spend AT LEAST $50.88 (at 2009 prices) Disney has made money, ie CRT is $48.54 according to All Ears so by spending 2 credits you've overpaid for your meal by $2.34 per adult person (tip cancels out since you are paying it out of pocket regardless.)

If you leave with 2 unused Snack credits you've just given Disney $5.06. etc...

If you eat meals or snacks you wouldn't "Normally" have again Disney is making a profit on those items they wouldn't have sold you. This is all why I think before you figure out how much you are saving on DDP you need a baseline of how much you spend. Which is why I think you need to have been to Disney a few times so you know what you eat normally.

To tie into the other thread about car rental to make a shopping run. ~$30 for a day's rental plus food, call it another $70 per 3 days. $100 is 4 TS Which 2 adults with 2 meals in room plus the snacks we take into the park. So that means the 3rd meal is pure savings over the DDP.

If anyone is wondering what I get at Publix and Target: frozen breaded chicken strips, snack sized chips and trailmix, 2lt bottles of soda, 20 oz bottles of soda and water, frozen pizza, ice cream, bag-o-greens, granola bars, OJ, Milk, some type of bread and deli meat, coffee, and some condiments (mustard, dressing, splenda.) I try to pick up the sale items, but I also buy the more expensive individually packaged items for the stuff we are taking into the parks.

 

[otterpop]

Thanks for all the responses. You have given me a lot to think about.

From a straight-up cost savings stand point (independent of eating habits), it sounds like the two are comparable.

But, what TIW gives you is flexibility (i.e. you are not locked into eating x-number of meals and snacks).

Eventually, I'm going to sit down and do all the calculations of what my family would normally eat and how much the normal cost would be, cost with TIW, and cost of the appropriate DP.

Please keep the posts coming...the more to think about, the better!

Thanks again,

Evan