Someone Please Help Me Figure This Out DDP

[MommyJack]

I'm planning a trip for late Sept 2014. There will be 3 adults, DS - 14 and DD - 10. We will stay at AoA family suite for 7 nights. I'm trying to figure out if free dining is offered should we go for it. I have already purchased a 5 day hopper with water park tickets. We plan to spend one day at each water park, so I don't think we have a need for the additional tickets to get FD. Without DDP, we would probably eat cs with 3-4 table service meals. With DDP, in the past we have upgraded to the regular DDP so we could do a dinner show and character dining. I have already calculated the we would do better paying oop for dining, but what if FD is offered?

So if free dining is offered, should I:

1. Stick with my room only reservation and pay oop?

2. Take fd cs only which means I will have to add tickets to my reservation and pay oop for table service meals?

3. Take the fd with tickets added to the reservation and upgrade to regular DDP?

 

[MommyJack]

Also, does anyone know how it would work with the extra tickets that we wouldn't be using?

 

[bigbabyblues]

If you don't need more tickets, the free dining isn't truly free. I would take a room-only discount (assuming one is offered), and use the money your would have to pay for the unneeded tickets to pay for food.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

There's a great spreadsheet out there at a site called See Ya Reel Soon (not REAL, but REEL). You can download it for free and enter all your information -- party size, number of nights, etc. -- and the restaurants you plan to eat at, and it will give you an approximate cost OOP, with DDP and there's even a tab that will figure out if "free dining" is a good deal for you.

Otherwise, you really just have to do the math. Figure out each different scenario, look at menus to see how much you can expect to spend at meals, and add it up every different way. There's not an answer that fits everyone - some families don't like to eat the way the DDP "makes" them eat, with dessert at every meal, soda at every meal, etc. We used to like the DDP, but since our oldest became a "Disney adult" I can't make it make sense anymore so next trip we're going OOP.

 

[bumbershoot]

Also, does anyone know how it would work with the extra tickets that we wouldn't be using?

Those tickets can be saved for the future. Of course, if you keep checking out the dining plan and feeling that it's a good value for you, you'll keep on not using them. Might be worth it for you to not buy tickets in the future, if you continue to go during possible times of free dining!

 

[khaoskat]

Why would you need to purchase more than the 5 day PH w/ WPFnM tickets? I think it is usually a minimum of 3 nights, and need at least 3 days worth of tickets, don't think you would need to purchase the same number of days of tickets as you have hotel nights/days.

You just need to do the math. I think room only was a 15% discount for AOA:FS this year. So, apx. $260 a night. About a $45 discount. That being said. FD for QS runs apx. $35 an adult (x5 = $175). I think the cost difference between QS and DDP is about $20 (x5 = $100). (I am taking it you mean 3 adults plus your kids....for a total of 5 ---- btw, both your kids are considered Disney Adults).

I'm planning a trip for late Sept 2014. There will be 3 adults, DS - 14 and DD - 10. We will stay at AoA family suite for 7 nights. I'm trying to figure out if free dining is offered should we go for it. I have already purchased a 5 day hopper with water park tickets. We plan to spend one day at each water park, so I don't think we have a need for the additional tickets to get FD. Without DDP, we would probably eat cs with 3-4 table service meals. With DDP, in the past we have upgraded to the regular DDP so we could do a dinner show and character dining. I have already calculated the we would do better paying oop for dining, but what if FD is offered?

So if free dining is offered, should I:

1. Stick with my room only reservation and pay oop?

2. Take fd cs only which means I will have to add tickets to my reservation and pay oop for table service meals?

3. Take the fd with tickets added to the reservation and upgrade to regular DDP?

 

[khaoskat]

Read that wrong, didn't see you had purchased your tickets.

In that consider renting DVC points for your stay...it ended up being the same to stay at the Deluxe DVC Resort as it was to stay at ASMu in a FS.

 

[Shmily1]

Without knowing what the prices will be next year, this is the best I can do for what I know.

I would do the free dining and upgrade to DDP. Using info from the current year, you would need to buy two day base tickets that you could save indefinitely for your next trip. They would also be upgradable when you do want to use them. Since value discounts are typically 10-15%, I think you would come out better getting free dining.