The math on DDP

[Jenniww]

I have been sitting all morning with pen and paper, trying to figure out if its worth it. Our family of four went in Jan and the plan worked for us.

This upcoming trip I'm paying for myself and my 7DS (traveling with others).

Here is what I came up with~
__________________________________________________________
On DDP~

One Adult $37

One Child $10

Tip $10.

Breakfast at Resort $10.

TOTAL ~ $67.00 6 days= $402
__________________________________________________________


NO Dining Plan


Breakfast~ $10.

Lunch~ $15.

Dinner~ $15.

Two snacks or drinks~$6.

TOTAL~ $46. 6 days= $276
__________________________________________________________

I have two must have table services~

Whispering Cannon Cafe~ $43. W/tax & tip

Princess Breakfast @ Epcot~$46 W/tax & tip

So if I give my self a $25 credit for the One Breakfast and one lunch these two would be replacing from the NO Dining Plan quote that makes my

Total~ $340.
______________________________________________________

So do I want to spend $402 and have one nice sit down meal a day that I enjoy or save $62.

Which in the big picture $62 is nothing when you look at what the trip costs.

After writing that you would think I was sold on the DDP but I'm still not sure.

I made my 180 day ADR back in July-
Coral Reef
Liberty Tree Tavern
Whispering Cannon
Princess Breakfast
Chip & Dale Garden Grill
Wolfgang Puck Cafe

I know I can cancell just not sure what to do!!!! Any input????

I hate the major changes and huge price increase of no app and no tip. It's like in my head if I buy it Disney wins, silly I know.

 

[Jenniww]

Okay that was longer then I ment for it to be. Sorry! Needed to vent and complain.

 

[AnninIowa]

Since sit-down meals seem to be important to you and you've already planned out where you want eat, I would say just stick with the plan.

 

[Tinkrbell]

You have dinner OOP listed at only $15/day for 6 days. Do you not plan on having any TS meals if they are OOP? That seems a little unrealistic since you seem to enjoy them.

I tried to calculate the same thing, apples to apples, but soon gave up. It took way too long to keep checking menus and adding everyones prices up, etc, etc..

 

[mcco5543]

I agreed to the DDP for our honeymoon at my wife's insistance that it would work out (granted it was under the old ddp, so bear that in mind). I do not eat a ton, but liked the idea of being able to try different things and not worry if I didnt' care for it, and the ease of handing over your key card and having the whole thing done.

A good way to see if the DDP would work for you is to go to the menus of the TS's you've selected and see what you might order (of course this is just for comparison purposes, you dont' actually have to order that, when the time comes), ...

anwyay, see what you and your son would order and add it up. If you know what CS's you might try, add those meals in there too and add $4.00 per snack credit you think you'll use per day.

add this all together and save the total ....

then figure out the price of the meal plan per day for your and your child.

compare the 2 and you'll get a ballpark of whether it's worth it or not.

As it turns out. It was Well worth it for my wife and I.

 

[Disney-For-Life]

If there are a lot of restaurants that you would like to try and sit down meals are important to you then go for it. Hubby and I only like 1 big sit down meal every second day. We also are not in the habit of eating dessert with every meal. In fact, we are both small eaters - which means we usually order from the kids menu or order something small. We've done the math and for us, there is no value going with DDP. Now that gratuity is no longer included, we are convinced that we will never try it out.

 

[bicker]

I hate the major changes and huge price increase of no app and no tip. It's like in my head if I buy it Disney wins, silly I know.

Credit to you for recognizing it as silly. Disney isn't stupid. They're not going to make an offering that isn't worthwhile to anyone. If it is still worthwhile to you, definitely purchase it.

 

[smartestnumber5]

So it seems like for an extra $60 on the DDP you would get an extra 4 TS meals that you would otherwise not buy (because you're going to buy 2 TS meals OOP if you don't do the DDP). I would definitely do it if I were you--$60 for 2 TS meals sounds like a good deal.

Consider, though, if you'll have any extra OOP costs on the DDP that would add on to the price. (For instance, you list $10 for breakfast--will you spend that even if you are on the DDP, because then your cost will actually be $120 more, not $60 more).

I'm glad the plan seems to work for you and I think if it will benefit you, you should get it (even though it feels like Disney wins). I also hate the changes and when I did the calculations it won't work for us.

 

[Mickey-4-Me]

Just a reminder that the tip is 18% gratuity of what your meal actually costs NOT what the DDP cost you.

IMHO, If I have to grab a menu and calculate what I would likely order to see if there is a value, then there is not much value.

OP: You are not silly. I know what you meant.

 

[CarolA]

Did you really want to eat at these resturants or did you let the "dining plan" drive you to more TS meals then you want?

IMHO that's the real question. I know that for me I don't WANT (or NEED) a big meal every day while at Disney. (And at least one of your resturants is on my NEVER WASTE MY MONEY THERE AGAIN LIST. I found the service and food at LTT horrid. It tasted like Stouffer's Frozen Turkey Dinner which you can buy for about $3 LOL!)

Now if you want a nice sit down meal every day and are going to feel 'deprived' then it's proably a good idea. Only you can make that call!

 

[jsmla]

Definitely! We purchased the dining plan last year and found that it wasn't for us for that very reason. Just out of curiosity I did get the calculator out and priced out only the things I anticipated that we would eat on this trip. I didn't skimp, just planned for only the places we wanted to try, ordering only the items we would normally order. (Last year I threw more food away than I ate. I found many of the portions far too large for me and skipped 4/5 of my TS desserts. To be fair, DH did eat most of his.) With the tip/appetizer removed from the DDP I found that we'd spend far less money without the plan.

For reference DH is a picky meat and potatoes eater and I don't eat burgers/fries/chicken tenders. In January we'll be there 9 nights and we're planning on dining at:

Table Service
The Plaza Restaurant (before evening EMH)
The Rose and Crown (ditto)
Boma
San Angel Inn (lunch)
either Jiko or Artist Point (Trying to get hubby to expand his horizons and give Jiko a try!)
Planet Hollywood (maybe, I'll have a voucher from a previous trip. We may just have a few drinks and order appetizers here. I'm not a fan)

Counter Service
Columbia Harbor House
A "sample around the World" CS evening at World Showcase to accompany our "drink around the world" night.
Sunshine Season
Flame Tree Barbeque (for DH, I'll probably just have a salad, hold the chicken)

I didn't plan on any snacks, so that would be a bit extra. Last trip we were there during F&W and used up all of our snack credits there. Without F&W I doubt very seriously we'd come even close to using 9 nights worth, especially if the lines at the snack places are as crazy as they were last October. Main Street Bakery had a line that curved around the block! We might have used them on water but at $4.99/case I'll stick with Ozarka from Target.

We're yogurt/cereal/fruit eaters at breakfast and will be having a few meals in our camper at Ft. Wilderness. We like the flexibility of preparing our own meals and not being tied down to a specific place every single night. Another factor is that we like to share an appetizer and almost never order dessert. Although hubby has never met a steak that he didn't like I generally prefer pastas/vegetarian dishes. From personal preference we always drink water with our meals. Oh, and we have the DDE. I don't eat much but we like our cocktails and wine with dinner!

 

[Jenniww]

Did you really want to eat at these resturants or did you let the "dining plan" drive you to more TS meals then you want?

IMHO that's the real question. I know that for me I don't WANT (or NEED) a big meal every day while at Disney. (And at least one of your resturants is on my NEVER WASTE MY MONEY THERE AGAIN LIST. I found the service and food at LTT horrid. It tasted like Stouffer's Frozen Turkey Dinner which you can buy for about $3 LOL!)

Now if you want a nice sit down meal every day and are going to feel 'deprived' then it's proably a good idea. Only you can make that call!

Would that be Liberty tree? My Mom picked that....If so I cringed when I read Stouffer's mac and cheese on the menu. Is it a buffet?

I do like having a sit down /waiter come to the table meal. It's not that I like big meals its the atmosphere. One hour to sit and unwind.

After talking to the other 9 people going we are doing the dining plan.

Anyone have a TS meal suggestion for MK that is on the DDP?

 

[bicker]

Yes: Go to one of the MK resorts!

 

[Jenniww]

Just a reminder that the tip is 18% gratuity of what your meal actually costs NOT what the DDP cost you.

IMHO, If I have to grab a menu and calculate what I would likely order to see if there is a value, then there is not much value.

OP: You are not silly. I know what you meant.

Yes- We are on the same page. A bill that comes to $55.50 would be a $9.99 tip at 18%. I'm just thinking our bill would be less then $55.50 for myself and a child. So I used ten dollars as a guide line so to speak.

Thanks for not making me feel so silly

 

[Jenniww]

Yes: Go to one of the MK resorts!

Which resorts are close? I hate having to much travel time from park to TS. We are doing Whispering Cannon which is a ferry ride away for one of the days at MK. Is that correct?

For our second day at MK do you have any suggestions?

 

[BeckWhy]

I am currently sitting down and working out the details of our future trip also. I haven't figured out all the facts yet. But I do know if we do not do the DDP we will not eat at as many TS meals. I will get back to you and let you know how my figures turn out.

 

[PatsMom]

If you like buffets, consider Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary (you can walk) or 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian is a monorail ride. If you are in the mood to splurge, the California Grill at the Contemporary is wonderful. The Concourse Steakhouse is decent, but closing in the spring of 2008 I think. The Kona Cafe at the Polynesian is also on the monorail and we've enjoyed meals there in the past. We just don't care for the sit down options in the MK. The best of the bunch is the buffet at the Crystal Palace in our opnion. Castle is overprised and the food so-so - you go there for the atmosphere for the kids. Tony's is way overpriced and not very great italian, LTT is like a Stouffer's frozen dinner - OK but not great. If you want just sandwich type stuff, the Plaza restaurant in the MK is very good. And its not usually as busy as the others. We've had good luck getting a walk up seating there.

 

[BeckWhy]

Ok, I sorta figured it out, but it might get complicated. I don't know if my prices are exactly what Disney will be, but I used Allearsnet menus and assumed tax was 6.5% and all tips are 18% (though tipping could change depending on the wait staff when we got there). This is based on two adults for 7 nights and what I assumed we would be ordering. OOP expenses are tips and appitizers that we wanted to order.

Here is if we are on DDP:
Arrival Day:
Dinner @ Everything Pop (CS)

AK:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop (S)
Lunch @ Flame Tree BBQ (CS)
Dinner @ Whispering Canyon Cafe (TS): OOP $10.83

DS:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop (S)
Lunch @ 50's Prime Time Cafe (TS): OOP $8.92
Dinner @ Backlot Express (CS)

Day Off:
Breakfast @ 1900 Park Fare (TS): OOP $6.84
Dinner @ Yatchsman Steakhouse (SIG): OOP $17.82

Epcot/FW:
Breakfast @ Fountainview Cafe (S)
Lunch @ Sunshine Seasons (CS)
Dinner @ Coral Reef (TS): OOP $16.19

Epcot/WS:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop (S)
Lunch @ Cantina de San Angel (CS)
Dinner @ Tangierine Cafe (CS)

MK:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop (S)
Snack @ Aloha Isle (S)
Lunch @ Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn (CS)
Dinner @ Kona Cafe (TS): OOP $22.04

Depart:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop (S)

That is 7 Snacks, 7 Counter Services, & 7 Table Service credits per person. For the DDP it looks like it will be $531.86 + $82.64 = $614.50.


The next set of pricing is the cost of the meal/food with tax and tip if applicable.

Now if we do not have DDP.
Arrive:
Dinner @ Everything Pop: $21.28

AK:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop: $8.07
Lunch @ Flame Tree BBQ: $23.41
Dinner @ Whispering Canyon Cafe: $56.00

DS:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop: $8.07
Lunch @ 50's Prime Time Cafe: $52.26
Dinner @ Backlot Express: $18.72

Day Off:
Breakfast @ Boma: $42.31
Lunch @ Everything Pop: $17.02

Epcot/FW:
Breakfast @ Fountainview Cafe: $8.50
Lunch @ Sunshine Seasons: $28.39
Dinner @ Beaches & Cream: $33.45

Epcot/WS:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop: $8.07
Lunch @ Cantina de San Angel: $21.83
Dinner @ Tangierine Cafe: $29.71

MK:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop: $8.07
Snack @ Aloha Isle: $8.50
Lunch @ Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn: $23.82
Dinner @ Kona Cafe: $73.41

Depart:
Breakfast @ Everything Pop: 8.07

Costs for no DDP are $498.96. This leads to a difference of $115.54. Therefore, for us, it is cheaper to not do the DDP in the future.

 

[morgklm]

We have used the DDP in the past, and like the overall plan. In doing the number crunching with the new plan, we still would have saved about $60 on our dining compared to OOP during our last trip, and we did one buffett for a TS meal. We really do like at least one sit down TS meal, and will probably go with the DDP again in the future. The deluxe plan is simply too much food, and too much planning to make it worthwhile. I can handle the ADRs one TS a day ( or skip a day and do a sig meal).

I think people are getting a bit bent over the tip. Since you would only tip at the TS meal, and since you are not getting an appetizer, the cost is less than you might think. For us, the worst case is an extra $24 OOP in a day for a tip at LeCellier vs a DDP cost of $151.96. An increase of about 15%. If you share a dessert as well, the cost goes down further. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 growing teenage sons, and we will save money with the new DDP. I think the big losers will be the wait staff, since the 18% is no longer guaranteed for them. Of course, if they don't deserve it, they shouldn't get it!

Sorry for the long post, but it is a complex subject that is different for everyone. Some families will still save, some won't. Also, it would be nice to choose app or dess, but think that would cause more problems than anything.