Sugestions to get the most out of DDP please?

[Kara19840]

Hi

We are a family of 4 with 2 kids (6 yrs & 2 yrs) visiting at the end of August 2016.

I have never had the DDP before and want to know how to get the most out of it.

What are your suggestions please?

Do we have a meal for breakfast, snack for lunch (12-1pm) and then a meal for dinner (5-6pm)?

Do we have a meal for breakfast, later meal for lunch (3-4pm) and then a snack for dinner in the evening(5-7pm)?

Do we have a snack for breakfast, meal for lunch (12-1pm) and then a meal for dinner (5-6pm)?

All suggestions welcome. This planning stuff is quite stressful. Thanks

Kara

 

[sharonabe]

Breakfast is THE worst use of any meal credit on the plan if you are looking to maximize your value. The only exception here would be Be Our Guest breakfast. Most people bring cereal bars, cereal, or stuff you can eat in your room while you're getting ready.

After that, maximizing value is more based on what you order at any particular restaurant than where you eat. Your QS credit is roughly "worth" $18 and your TS credit is $38 and your snack $5.

With your kid's ages, character buffets will be one of the best ways to use your plan and maximize value as well as time with the characters, so you don't have to try to find as many in the parks.

 

[ChimCher-ee]

Agree with PP. I always pack cereal, and DD would have that dry with a hot chocolate (I always made a coffee/chocolate run with the refillable mugs in the mornings) in bed front of the TV while the rest of us got ready.

DD was a picky eater, so we never went for table service. A quick service meal and snack spaced out in whatever park we were in for the day was good. Then the second quick service meal back at the hotel.

You'll see this all over the boards, but don't use your snack credit to get a bottle of water. Get a bottle with your meal (and ask for a free cup of water with ice to go with your meal) and take that with you.

Snacks that are filling though mostly sweet not savory are waffles at Sleepy Hollow, huge cinnamon rolls at Gaston's (but people say they're not as good as when they were on Main St), ice cream sundaes rather than cones, chicken fried rice at Anandapur Animal Kingdom, carrot cake cookie at Writer's Stop Hollywood Studios, and (I haven't personally tried this) soups at various locations.

Finally, there has been a change in the plan, where you can get three snacks from the same location at the same time, in place of a quick service meal. Though not a good $$ value, this may offer you flexibility that comes in handy sometime (we used it on occasion!).

I've always loved the feeling of freedom that comes with using the plan. Once I've paid and that part is over, it almost makes it seem like the dining is free and the livin more easy!

 

[loves to dive]

We don't do the plan any more because it was just too much food but when we did we would use a snack credit for breakfast, usually a yogurt or muffin from the resort QS and have coffee in the room (we always stay deluxe but they do provide it in the mods too) before my son drank coffee we would just bring dry hot chocolate and make that with the water in the coffee pot, then QS lunch then TS supper. We had problems using our other snack credits because we were usually stuffed from all the food we ate during lunch and supper. We would usually buy something we could snack on in the room late at night if we got the urge and half the time we would even skip the dessert at the TS since we aren't big dessert eaters after a big meal, I think you can get a cheese plate now. We don't drink soft drinks that much, we are more water drinkers when it's hot so we just grab a free cup in the parks. We would normally have at least one TS credit left by the day we left because there would always be one night we just didn't want a big TS meal so we would use that for a breakfast on travel day.

 

[Kara19840]

This is all really helpful thank you everyone. Makes me feel a little less stressed about it all.

 

[jamescanuck2001]

flying 2 bags free southwest, one of the bags is going to contain dry breakfast items. wrapped in clothing of course. buy milk at the resort. QS lunch, TS dinner.

 

[DJFan88]

I'm sure you've heard this one, but just in case there are also packaged goods in gift shops that count for snacks, like cookies, candy, etc., so these can be bought easily to keep if you have extra credits. I often thought ahead. For example, if at a quick service night dinner at my resort, I may have grabbed a small milk for the beverage to stick in the fridge for breakfast since I was using my mug right then anyway. And if I wasn't hungry for a dessert, I may have grabbed a pastry type item to keep for breakfast too.

 

[Nancyg56]

August is HOT! One thing you can do is to schedule a meal for lunch and split it between the two adults. Use one credit for the two of you. If you look at the menus, both CS and TS, check out the reviews, you can see where this can work out, and while you are not going to be able to share at AYCTE and buffet meals, or Via Napoli, you can in most locations. If you plan this well, you will not only stretch your credits, you will be able to have a break that you scheduled during that heat, and you will also not waste food.

WE just did this in December. Split two meals between three women, and it worked really well. Not every day, and not every meal, but a few times. WE used all of our credits, and had a nice signature meal that was lovely. No wasted food, no over full bellies.

 

[Lisa F]

It's just me and my (at the time) 8 year old son going in December. I never would have thought DDP would work for me but I was still thinking about all adult mode. If your party is at least half kids, the numbers change a lot if you do a bunch of character meals/buffets. Basically on any day you do a character buffet, you are anywhere from already breaking even to $4-5 ahead (sometimes even more, like for Hollywood & Vine Fantasmic) on the kid plan and they are basically getting QS and snacks for free. I am still on the fence about the DDP but am thinking of using it for more expensive character meals than I wouldn't have ordinarily have done, or not so many either. It is much easier for my kid to eat well at a buffet than a regular sit-down too as I am much more likely to find proteins he will eat there than at TS.

It is a daunting question though

 

[Nancyg56]

It's just me and my (at the time) 8 year old son going in December. I never would have thought DDP would work for me but I was still thinking about all adult mode. If your party is at least half kids, the numbers change a lot if you do a bunch of character meals/buffets. Basically on any day you do a character buffet, you are anywhere from already breaking even to $4-5 ahead (sometimes even more, like for Hollywood & Vine Fantasmic) on the kid plan and they are basically getting QS and snacks for free. I am still on the fence about the DDP but am thinking of using it for more expensive character meals than I wouldn't have ordinarily have done, or not so many either. It is much easier for my kid to eat well at a buffet than a regular sit-down too as I am much more likely to find proteins he will eat there than at TS.

It is a daunting question though

Your scenario is much like ours in that we factor kids in the final cost. Once you add in those character meals, the value changes. This is why I don't like it when posters arbitrarily say the DDP is a waste of money. It can be, but it is not always, and when there are different discounts offered, you really need to have the dynamics in order to know which discount is the best, as well as to know the dining preferences of those in the room. WHen you start booking more than one room and perhaps different dining plans for each depending on the family dynamics then it eally gets complicated. On our last trip we booked character meals galore, and added TS lunch due to heat so our plan paid off.

I made my own spreadsheet to get a rough idea of cost. I knew wht my family woudl order, but did nto plan for the appetites of the girls. They ordered steak just about every time it was available. The plans owed us nothing.

 

[Lisa F]

Your scenario is much like ours in that we factor kids in the final cost. Once you add in those character meals, the value changes. This is why I don't like it when posters arbitrarily say the DDP is a waste of money. It can be, but it is not always, and when there are different discounts offered, you really need to have the dynamics in order to know which discount is the best, as well as to know the dining preferences of those in the room. WHen you start booking more than one room and perhaps different dining plans for each depending on the family dynamics then it eally gets complicated. On our last trip we booked character meals galore, and added TS lunch due to heat so our plan paid off.

I made my own spreadsheet to get a rough idea of cost. I knew wht my family woudl order, but did nto plan for the appetites of the girls. They ordered steak just about every time it was available. The plans owed us nothing.

Yeah I am used to doing the math with two adults, which is how I used to travel. It would be work to get two adults to the money savings point. Honestly until a friend pointed out the huge value on the kids plan I didn't even consider it, but when I saw it was $579 to add it to our 7 night DVC reservation.... I am pretty sure I paid more like $700-800 in food on our last trip. I'm sure I have that pile of paperwork. We did do a few room service breakfasts and one room service dinner but with good planning of getting some snack credit pastries the night before my kid would be just as happy.

I personally would not order dessert at every meal but with the buffets it doesn't matter what you would order, it is what it is. And although in general in my adult life i prefer a sit down dinner served to me, with a picky eater who nonetheless has an increasing appetite as he gets older, honestly, buffets might end up being the way to go.

The only thing I am really unsure of right now is whether to use 2ts for the candlelight processional or pay for a less expensive one out of pocket (like via napoli lunch). I would do coral reef for dinner if I did the 2ts. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Nancyg56]

Yeah I am used to doing the math with two adults, which is how I used to travel. It would be work to get two adults to the money savings point. Honestly until a friend pointed out the huge value on the kids plan I didn't even consider it, but when I saw it was $579 to add it to our 7 night DVC reservation.... I am pretty sure I paid more like $700-800 in food on our last trip. I'm sure I have that pile of paperwork. We did do a few room service breakfasts and one room service dinner but with good planning of getting some snack credit pastries the night before my kid would be just as happy.

I personally would not order dessert at every meal but with the buffets it doesn't matter what you would order, it is what it is. And although in general in my adult life i prefer a sit down dinner served to me, with a picky eater who nonetheless has an increasing appetite as he gets older, honestly, buffets might end up being the way to go.

The only thing I am really unsure of right now is whether to use 2ts for the candlelight processional or pay for a less expensive one out of pocket (like via napoli lunch). I would do coral reef for dinner if I did the 2ts. Any thoughts on that?

We were adults and wanted SAI, and paid oop. I admit that on signature meals I am terrible at determining value. If I paid oop with a kid, I probably would book the least expensive lunch. If I used the DDP credits, book a dinner that includes appetizers you both will enjoy. I think the only reason the package would be a value is this way.

 

[Lisa F]

Kara, to address some of your other questions... You don't have to do the same thing every day but yes, except for character meals (and I will do at least Ohana breakfast), breakfast is a bad time to use TS credits... even with the character meals it is not the best but closer.

I will sometimes do snacks for breakfast, TS lunch and QS dinner. Or sometimes I will do QS breakfast, snacks mid day and then earlyish TS dinner. I think both of those scenarios work out pretty well for kids (at least my kid). The QS breakfast I am most looking forward to is BOG which is really virtually a TS at QS prices. I have to sit down and plan it all out still.. it is hard with only sketchy predicted information so far in advance and of course I want to plan it NOW.

 

[Lisa F]

We were adults and wanted SAI, and paid oop. I admit that on signature meals I am terrible at determining value. If I paid oop with a kid, I probably would book the least expensive lunch. If I used the DDP credits, book a dinner that includes appetizers you both will enjoy. I think the only reason the package would be a value is this way.

My child does not eat most appetizers. Bad mom moment but he won't touch most fruits and vegetables (I can get him to eat apple slices with skin off, that's about it). He is on the spectrum (but super smart and high functioning) but has major major texture issues. I have been mostly following his lead and not pushing him and just offering him a taste of whatever I have (which he almost always refuses if it is fruit and veggie) and I am definitely not going to take a stand on vacation. Most kid appetizers are things he would not touch with a 10 foot pole.

I really want to do Coral Reef and was thinking of doing that CP but maybe I will do CP on that (still does not seem a great value at $56.99 for 2ts at lunch). It's more than via napoli for me (same for kid) but it was a meal we had planned ANYWAY rather than trying to shoehorn an extra meal we hadn't planned in there... and I can swap it out in the plan for another expensive character meal I would not have otherwise done.

Kid also really wants to so Sci Fi Dine in (we did that last time and it was his favorite restaurant). I have read good things about the steak there surprisingly enough so I had planned to do a lunch there and get a grownup shake and an appetizer for myself but now I'm thinking rather than the 2TS and having that OOP, doing Sci Fi on plan and pay for CP OOP. I guess I will have to run the numbers on all that too.