To do DDP or not

[eeyore913]

Sooo I have been back and forth on this for a while now and my Dbf is not much help on it haha!

Confirmed ADR's are:

Jiko's(2TS)
The Wave
Boma's breakfast

We plan to eat around the world somewhat at Epcot and at Beaches and Cream DHS day. We would have to pay for Beaches and Cream out of pocket because we only are staying 4 nights. We often share QS so were thinking we could use like 3 QS around the world at Epcot and a couple snacks and be set that day and then use the other QS other days sharing for lunch before doing dinner elsewhere. So I've gone over it and over it and I don't think we'd lose money but I don't think we'd save money. My theory is kinda we aren't really interested in the desserts at Jiko or The Wave and Boma's breakfast isn't that expensive so if anyone has been in this situation what have you done? We used it last May and enjoyed it but we the more expensive 1TS places. Anyways just thought I'd talk it out on here. Thanks in advance!

 

[ReneeA]

Everytime we've gone to WDW, I debate the DDP.

It's kind of a pain and time consuming, but what I always end up doing is looking at the menus with my family and adding up what it would cost us OOP for what everyone wants to eat.

What I've found is that end up ahead on the DDP. It would cost approximately the same amount for a week of 2 CS a day, a snack per person, and 2 or 3 TS meals thrown in there as it does for a week of the DDP. I like the guarantee that I'll get a nice relaxing sit down meal everyday and the fact that meals are prepaid with the plan.

Of course, both my kids are still "kids" on the DDP. Once they hit the adult stage, then we'll have to reconsider again.

 

[katieam1]

I agree look at the menus on allears and plan out what you might want to order and then see if the DDP is worth it.

 

[summermac]

Add it all up OOP (don't forget tax) and then compare it to DDP.

Another option could be the quick service plan which would get you breakfast & dinner CS and then just do OOP for the TS meals. Don't forget that the quick service plan includes the mug.

 

[redrosesix]

For a shorter stay, I would definitely consider DDP. But we stayed 11 nights and there was no way we were going to do 11 TS meals. We actually did have 3 ADRs that we cancelled half way through our trip, so that our only TS's were Akershus and Sci-Fi.

I agonized over the dining plan decision myself, whether to do it and which one, but ended up not choosing either. And every time I ordered a meal without dessert, used my refillable mug for my drink, ordered the entree without the side, or split a meal, I was so happy I hadn't done it.

Don't get me wrong - if WDW let me split up my credits so I didn't have to use them all at once, I would probably go for it. But they don't, so neither dining plan really works for us.

 

[TxTiggergal]

This year we have decided to skip the DDP and go strictly OOP in an effort to save money.

For the past several years, we have been doing the basic DDP, which we really enjoyed and felt like we got our money's worth. Especially when you consider that we ate at some really nice, expensive restaurants (Coral Reef, Le Cellier for ex). But this year, we have had to cut our vacation budget and passing on the DDP was one way we think we can shave some money off the trip. We are going for 7 nights, and plan on eating TS for only 4 of the nights and will just eat CS for the remaining 3. We will eat CS for our lunches, and we are not big breakfast eaters, so that meal is not an issue.

If we are able to return to our "normal" vacation budget next year, I would prob go back to the dining plan. But this year, we are willing to be flex and cut expenses where needed.

 

[bcrook]

Add it all up OOP (don't forget tax) and then compare it to DDP.

And don't forget those TIPS. Every time you add a TS to agenda over a CS you pay another tip. At $120-$130 meals for a family of 4 - that tip adds up quickly.

Last year we ate everything we wanted at all the restaurants we wanted. My DD 15 years old got the most expensive steak meal everywhere we went. We ate desserts when we wanted to etc. I kept all my receipts. When were finished with our 5 day trip, our total expenses for restaurants was almost exactly the cost of the DDP. Of course, it could have been much cheaper if weren't such pigs about it. I swear I have never eaten so much.

I think I will refrain from the DDP, in an effort to save a little $$ and also a little calories.

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

We really like the DDP, and for our family of 3, it has saved us some $. Our son is 9, and this will be the last time he will eat for the child's price.
I agree with previous posts that said to look at the menu prices and decide if the plan will save you money or not.
Your choices look great!!

 

[rt2dz]

THIS is a fairly decent look at whether or not the dining plans are worth it for you. It's kind of like a how-to guide.

 

[Tricia1972]

I took a look at the menus and came up with the following approximate cost calculation.

Jiko's(2TS) - Fillet, Dessert and Drink - $49 + tax
The Wave - Tenderloin, Dessert and Drink - $39 + tax
Boma's breakfast - $17 + tax
Food Total - $105
Tax - $6.83

Total OOP - $111.83

DDP - $159.96

To break even you'd need to average $12 between your four CS meals plus four snacks. So long as you order the most expensive items at Jiko and the Wave, and always get dessert with your CS I think you could save money with the plan.

The question is - is this what you'd want to oder if you were going out to eat and money weren't an object? If you prefer chicken or lighter entrees, then the DDP is probably not for you. Your DBF and you would both have to order the expensive items in order to break even on the plan.

Hope this helps!

 

[bangzoom6877]

I have been making various calculations myself to see if we will get the basic DDP again or the deluxe plan, and came up with the basic DDP being better for our normal eating habits. What I did was look at the TS restaurants and CS restaurants we would eat in...looked at their menus and added up the cheapest meal possible and then the most expensive meal possible, to come up with a definite price range for that restaurant. DH and I will not know exactly what we will order until we sit down and look at the menu, so this was the only realistic way to do it, then we could go and order whatever we feel like eating and not think about it. I know I am not ordering a steak at every dinner, I will maybe want chicken, maybe even the vegetarian option. Many of our meals will be character meals so those are easy to figure out since it is one price definite. We came our ahead even before adding in snacks, with ordering the cheapest things on each menu. We are also dessert lovers...in fact many times when we go out to eat at home we do not get an app because we don't want to be too full to enjoy dessert! So the basic DDP works for us. Plus at the all-you-can-eat buffets, we get to also have salads and try different things which we like (especially Biergarten and Crystal Palace!).

I know that what I did is time consuming but I actually find this stuff to be a lot of fun. Our trip is still far far away but I love to sit down and look at various restaurants to see if we come out ahead and we always do. And as for the kids, on days we do character dinners they come out ahead before even having a CS lunch! It fits into our normal plans as well...we like having a quick lunch and a sit-down dinner whenever we are on vacation, no matter where we are. In any theme park always a quick lunch...on a cruise, a quick lunch on deck and always dinner in the dining room. Going to a place like Washington, DC for the weekend, we would have lunch at a place like Panera Bread and dinner at a nice restaurant. It's just our pattern. The basic DDP fits this pattern and saves us money so for now it works for us.