To do DDP or not...that's the question!

[Tiger926]

We do like the dining plan. We didn't get it when we were at the BCV 2 weeks ago and realized just how much money we were spending on our meals. I know it's not the best plan for some families, but for us it does work out well, and we definately get our money's worth out of it.

The dining plan is $37.99 for adults and $9.99 for children (3-9).

Just as clarification - the regular dining plan is $39.99 per guest 10 and older and $10.99 per child 3-9 years old.

Good luck to OP making this hard decision - we have done dining plans (regular and deluxe) many times over the past several years, as well as DDE/TIW, but after a ton of spreadsheets for our upcoming trip, we are going back to TIW as it will give us more flexibility to feed kids (we don't care for many kids' meals as our kids are foodies, and we don't eat fast food), as well as more flexibility in our schedules. The regular DP is not enough for us, and the deluxe is a bit much, so with TIW, we can do 2 TS meals per day, many of which are lunch and dinner. We have a few TS breakfasts scheduled, but rest of the days are breakfast in room, or Boardwalk or Mainstreet Bakery. We have a few CS meals for lunch, and a few Signatures, so it works out very well. This way will save us hundreds of dollars over doing the deluxe plan, so it will be great for us as we've done it before, so we know it's a great fit for our family.

Happy eating to all, Tiger

 

[christa112]

I think I may have found my long lost sister!!!

I completely agree. I do not want to cook on vacation, actually I don't want to cook ever.

We have discussed that we will do breakfast in our room on our next vacation, easy and cheap.

For us, eating out on vacation is just part of the vacation experience. I wish I loved to cook (and I wish I was good at it) but, to me, cooking is just a chore and would be unbearable on vacation.

My expectation is that we'll use the DVC kitchen only for refrigerator (chilling water, fruit, etc.) and continue to buy the standard DDP. Because of the way that CS meals are still "pooled," we are usually able to split 2 CS meals between the 3 of us which really makes us able to maximize our credits. We have also found that using our TS meal for dinner is really a great way to wind down and talk about the day's events. And, unlike many, I love getting dessert with every meal - - it's another luxury that screams "vacation" to me, and certainly something I would never do in "real" life. Also, having 3 snacks a day is heavenly as well. For us, the DDP just works perfectly, and having our meals pre-paid makes it a lot easier to stomach the "invoice" at the end of the trip - LOL.