To DDP or Not to DDP

[oldhag]

We've always gone to WDW with some type of Dining Plan and would like to hear the pros and cons about NOT using a plan. We really like to eat and like some of the better restaurants. Can anyone help me?

 

[PlutoLuvr]

For us, it didn't make financial sense. We're FL residents & have annual passes. In September, we would normally spend about $60 per night in a value; $80 in a moderate on site. I just can't justify spending rack room rates.

Also, we would need to buy park tickets at full price. Since we're currently APHs (and don't foresee not being APHs), spending even more money on top of the $230 per person we paid in May to renew to get into the parks would just be a fortune. Even if we weren't APHs, there's always really good promotions for FL residents on park tix (three days of parks for $119 right now).

Lastly, my family has several must-do restaurants off site. If we were to do the DDP, we would feel sort of required to always eat at Disney restaurants on vacation.

For a family that would otherwise have to pay rack rates anyway and full price on park tix, don't plan on leaving WDW property, this is probably a good deal.

 

[JimMIA]

We're also FL resident AP holders and we love the DDP.

The FREE dining question is an academic discussion because registration for free dining is over.

I'd say to take a look at the restaurants covered, with special attention to which ones are a single TS and which require two.

For those which require only one TS (and that's most of them), my math is pretty straightforward. DDP is $37.99 per day per adult, and that price includes tax and tip. I can't eat dinner in most WS TS restaurants for that price including tax and tip, so I figure I pay $37.99 inclusive for dinner and all my CSs and snacks are free bonus items.

I did an analysis of our May trip on DDP, comparing NOT to the menu prices of an appetizer, entree, and dessert, but to what we really would have ordered if we'd been paying cash with our 20% DDE discount. Even comparing it that way, we saved $70 in a five-night trip and all the CS and snacks were free. If I'd counted the CS and snacks, we'd have saved several hundred bucks.

Your math will vary greatly depending on the composition of your family and your dining habits. But even worst-case, if ALL of your party are adults and you typically eat a nice dinner each night, you'll come out ahead with DDP unless you're eating at 2 TS places.

 

[CPer'sMom]

Your math will vary greatly depending on the composition of your family and your dining habits. But even worst-case, if ALL of your party are adults and you typically eat a nice dinner each night, you'll come out ahead with DDP unless you're eating at 2 TS places.

But you also have to figure in the cost of your room. For someone who is not DVC don't you have to be paying rack-rate for your room to be able to buy the DDP?
Maybe I've misunderstood, but I didn't think you could purchase DDP if you were using a code or AP rate for a room. (or is that only if you were getting the "free" dining?)

Then the math gets a little more involved ~

 

[JimMIA]

But you also have to figure in the cost of your room. For someone who is not DVC don't you have to be paying rack-rate for your room to be able to buy the DDP?
Maybe I've misunderstood, but I didn't think you could purchase DDP if you were using a code or AP rate for a room. (or is that only if you were getting the "free" dining?)

Then the math gets a little more involved ~

Yes, I think you are correct. I use DVC, so I did not factor in either any increase in room cost (which may or may not be an issue if you use AAA) or the one-day park pass.

Everybody has to do their own math, because the composition of your group will affect the cost picture more than anything else. If you're a single at the GF, and therefore absorbing all of the increase in room rate in one DDP, your math will be very different than a couple with two <10 kids staying at a value.

 

[HaleyB]

OK Guys is the OP a FL res?? I don't think so. So why are we talking about FL res rates?

oldhag Great user ID.

To add the DDP to a WDW package you need to book a rake rate package. The one exception to this is AAA packages do have the room discount and can have the DDP added.

The current DP is a fantastic deal. Before you decide to go without it, research it some.

People who are a bad fit for the Dining plan:

1) If you never eat counter service meals.
2) Possibly if you only eat at the signature places (which I doubt, there just are not that many of them)
3) You are very light eaters
4) You prefer to eat off site more than one or two times a week.
5) all your kids are over 9 but small eaters (we have 1 young 'adult' and still do fine on the plan)
6) People who can get a deeply discounted room rate

I really think this plan is so flexable and such a great price that it would be hard to think of any benifit to NOT being on it, unless you are a bad fit for this plan.

 

[JimMIA]

OK Guys is the OP a FL res?? I don't think so. So why are we talking about FL res rates?

Because folks other than OP read this thread. PlutoLvr's experience is that DDP doesn't work for them because of FL/AP. I don't doubt that they're right for them. But our experience is different, so I thought it was a valid idea not to just leave one view hanging out there.

People who are a bad fit for the Dining plan:

1) If you never eat counter service meals.

I look at it differently, probably because I look at stuff very conservatively when making comparisons with someone's marketing program. We have rarely eaten at Disney CSs prior to using DDP. If we are not on DDP, we would not eat regularly at CSs.

So when I evaluate DDP for my family, I ignore the CSs and snacks. We still come out ahead.

There are so many variables, I think its hard to set up guidelines like this. They're helpful, but everyone needs to do their own math.

I agree the DDP is a good deal for most, even if one or two of your guidelines don't apply precisely.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Last year we had the Dining Plan for free, and agreed it worked so well we would pay for it next time. Well, next time rolled around in May and because we were doing mainly waterparks, I figured we'd try and just snack our way through WDW for 4 days instead. Kids wouldn't hear of it. They wanted Chef Mickey's or else! One dinner at Chef Mickey's for 3 runs about $105 with tax and tip. Then they wanted Le Cellier one night... so.. at that point... I pretty much HAD to get the dining plan...

 

[simpilotswife]

I'm still going back and forth on the dining plan. Cons for me is that if we decide to cancel an ADR we have to make sure we make it up somehow. I just hate feeling pressured to eat. Also I have concerns about winding up eating too much. If I have to pay for appetizers and dessert I may be less inclined to order them, if I know they're included well then I will be ordering.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

OK Guys is the OP a FL res?? I don't think so. So why are we talking about FL res rates?

The OP asked for pros and cons of "NOT" being on the dining plan. I simply illustrated one scenario where it might not be beneficial for folks who get a better savings on WDW hotel rooms and park tix (although, the DDE works very well for FL residents who aren't DVC and hit the parks monthly for long weekends).

Someone from Europe may chime in, as well, and illustrate their pros and cons. Isn't this supposed to be a forum where all views are welcome?