To do DP or not; that is the question

[sotodog]

I am struggling about what to do about dining. We will be going in the first week of November. It will be my husband, just 7 year old son and 5.5 year old daughter. We'll be staying in SSR studio with fridge and micro and hope to have some cereal or bagel breakfasts. I hear the Hoop-Dee-Do is worth it as is a Princess meal (not sure about Royal Table or Norway though) and maybe a meal with Mickey. Typically when we go out we each order an entree. The kids don't have similar tastes. One might order steak and the other grilled cheese. My son barely eats any fruit or veggie so it would go to waste if it comes with a CS ticket. We usually just take home doggy bags but that seems impracticle without getting back to the room to refrigerate and just having to carry it. Everyone but my husband only drinks water. Depending on the restaurant or meal we might get an appetizer or dessert for one or for all to share. I can't imagine getting 4 desserts lunch and dinner; especially if the meals are as big as they claim. How do we even possibly know if we'll be up for a sit down dinner anyway? It just seems to require so much planning whether or not you do a plan.

This is what I can't get past. Disney has to make money on the dining plan or it wouldn't offer it. If we have to split meals to make the tickets work because of shows/signature dining, why couldn't we just do that on our own? Based on averages, a family of 4 at a TS restaurant would run about $60 (1TS tix) while at a signature dining would cost about $90 (2TS tix). I was blown away that someone would even consider buying a lobster dinner for $60 when you can get them for $13/lb at the grocery store!! That to me is highway robbery. It seems we could also order from fooddeliveryorlando to get more reasonably priced meals. Anyway, I figured that if we were to average $27 for lunches every day and $60 for dinner plus the HoopDeeDo, a princess breakfast, and a signature meal (no lobster thank you) it would cost about $100 more than the dining program where we'd have to TS share meals in order to get through the week anyway. The only thing not factored here is snacks and desserts for every meal but if we shared meals like we'd share if we had tickets, wouldn't we break even at least. I have a spreadsheet if anyone wants to look at what I've figured out.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

We're heading to WDW in December and for the 1st time are doing the DP. We are a family of 4 with one of our 2 kids under the age of 2 so there will be no charge for her. For us per day it is actually a good deal. We had dinner at Chef Mickey's on our last trip (then we were just a family of 3) and our total including tax, but without tip was just under $80. For the 3 of us on the DP it's $91 per day. For snacks and lunch we easily paid an addition $30-$40 per day. That for us totals about $120 for meals a day. By using the DP we're pretty much getting our lunch and snacks for free.

I know somewhere I've seen a post about a DP calculator/spreadsheet where you can look at the menus (allears.net), guess what you think you're going to eat at each restaurant you want to visit and it will tell you how much you're saving. I kind of did this on my own and by my calculations for us it's about a $350 savings.

We're also not a stay-all-day at the parks kind of family. We go in the morning, head back to the resort after lunch. Nap or use the pool. Head to our dinner plans and then usually head back to a park for the evening. We go at least once every 12-18 months so it's not about doing it all every trip. I'm pretty sure Disney isn't going anywhere and will be there for us in the future.

Happy planning whatever you decide. There are people that love the DP and others that won't waste their time on it. Until our kids hit the age where we have to pay the adult price then it's worth it for us.

 

[beachgirl2000]

We are a family of 3 (2 adults and a 9 year old son who eats like a bird) -- We have done the DP two times and while I LOVE IT (because I don't have to worry about paying out of pocket) -- I am not sure if its really worth it.

When we went this past May, I saved every single receipt and made a note of how much we actually spent on meals compared to how much we paid for the Dining Plan -- It came out that we saved about $70.00 -- But, mind you, if we didn't have the dining plan, I would have NEVER ordered the desserts that came with our meals (we are not dessert people) and we would not have gone to all of those restaurants which are great but you need to have every single meal planned out before you even leave for your trip and say you are in the middle of the Worldshowcase in Epcot and have reservations back at the Sea at the Coral Reef -- you need to run over there to get to dinner (this happened to us and we lucked out by getting seats at Chef de France instead) -- Like I said, I love the dining plan because I would have NEVER tried all of the restaurants I did but is it really worth it when you have children? Probably not. But I think that some people really know how to work that plan and get the most for their money and then some but we just didn't have that kind of luxury or time since we were more concerned with getting on every attraction!

Good Luck and hope that helped some!

 

[dd50]

You have to figure out how and when you like to it. Check the menu's and see what you would spend vs what you would spend on the plan. It works for some but not others. I am getting it on this trip but don't think I will again because for me and three teens we will just about break even on the restaurants that we have picked out but for my older daughter that is meeting us there with 2 kids, it will work out good for her.

If it is free then it is always a good thing. We are going the week before free.

 

[hart6066]

I have two kids about your ages (they are now 4 and 7) and have used DDP for the past 3 years. The past 2 years we have noticed that the kids meals are really not that big. I have good eaters--they don't eat many snacks or desserts, but will eat a good sized meal. Especially for my older one, the kids meal just about did it--so I'm not so sure about the meals being too big. The portion at most restaurants is also not that big anymore--certainly more than we all should be having, but no more than at a normal restaurant (no Cheesecake Factory sized portions!). I think the thing that is more is the dessert. That being said, some CS places will let you substitute a side that you can have with the meal or take with you.

I think that if each person in your party will order 1 CS and 1 TS per meal 2x a day, it's at worst about a wash with the DDP. I think it would be hard to "not get your money's worth" on the DDP. I think the issue comes in with people who just really don't want to do a sit down each day--which is a point to think of. Yet it can be very hard to do CS each night depending on when you go.

Unless you are planning on having breakfast in your room, bringing in lunch/dinner half of your trip, I don't think it saves you much money to not be on the DDP. It just sort of depends on what you want--and that extra couple hundred dollars could be gas/souvenir money--just depends on what you want.

Have fun!

 

[sotodog]

This is what I understand we might do. Each day we'll have a CS lunch using 1 tix each. That works out great. Then if we do a character breakfast (maybe 2), the Hoop De Doo and a signature dinner all requiring 2 tickets, we will pretty much use up all our TS tickets. DH wants a sit down every night. Not ever doing a trip like this with kids before, I really don't know what to expect. We'll at the parks 8 days and I want to take a relaxing pace if we can. We're hoping to do breakfast in the room. I am hoping to pack a few snacks and bring containers for water for the day but I know we'll be buying some snacks too. The idea of individual beverages and dessert for both lunch and dinner seems excessive in cost and calories.

 

[sotodog]

BTW, what restaurants don't particpate in the DP? Is there any reason to go to those restaurants?

 

[hart6066]

You should really go to the allears sight and look at all of the restaurants and menus. Then do a quick guess as to what you would order for the day, and see if it matches up with the cost of the DDP. If you plan on going to restaurants off property (I don't think there are too many at Disney that don't take the plan--most are at Boardwalk or DTD) I certainly wouldn't do the plan. But just do a quick look at allears and read the sticky note about DDP at the top of the Disney Restaurant page. I wouldn't stress out too much about it. Again, I think at the end of the day, you're really not saving or losing much money over the course of a week (maybe $200) if you plan on doing one CS and one TS a day--unless you only order most expensive items.

 

[sotodog]

I did go to allears and looked at the menus. Instead of working through what I think we might order, I just used averages and it seems they don't vary too much from restaurant to restaurant. I know my husband will mostly order steaks or seafood (more expensive things). My son will mostly do 'regular' kid food cr*p; chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pizza. My daughter might have steak or shrimp or a grilled cheese. I also may just want something light or maybe something heavier depending on how I'm feeling. I'm a wildcard like my daughter. Let's say that I pick out meals like my husbands but when I actually get there I'm not as hungry or I am in the mood for a vegetarian meal then my math doesn't work so well. Even based on averages, it doesn't make sense. It looks like a meal for 4 at TS is $60 and CS is $27 and snacks are $16. This will get you to the same price as the DP but you still have to split meals if you want a TS meal every day unless you do the Deluxe plan. It seems there is much more freedom with paying a-la-carte but I can tell you I tend to watch dollars and cents and I don't want to stress about it when we get there.

 

[Faldred]

When doing price comparisons, do note that OOP costs are taxed at 6.5%, while the DDP cost already has all taxes included in it.

 

[dd50]

I think that since you have 2 children under 9 and 2 adults you would probably do better on the DDP if you want to do the TS. Some people don't. Since you are doing 2 TS credits you and DH may be able to split a meal here and there if you aren't that hungry. This way it is all paid for except tips and you don't have to stress about how much this or that costs.

 

[gailpetrillo]

We used the dining plan 2 years ago. I know it's changed since then, but I was so disappointed. My husband, unexpectedly couldn't come on the trip but I had to pay for his dining plan anyway. We never were able to use all the credits we had I I swore I'd never take it again. The next time I go down, I'm going to really have to be convinced to try it again.

 

[caroline1851]

You have to count on a TS meal being more than $60 and a CS being more than $27. Add in the drinks and tax.
A TS meal will run you more like $80+ and + the tax. A CS will run you closer to $35 w/ drinks + tax. With kids under 10 and if you want to eat some TS meals, the ddp is the way to go, definently!

BTW, i found that instead of using TS credit for dinner, we liked using them for lunch instead. It gave us a nice, relaxing break from the parks and really was a great rest for the kids. (ds6 and dd2)

The meal plan cost us $604 and i recorded everything we ate and it was $800 worth of food. And we didn't "maximize" the plan. If I didn't want dessert, I just didn't order it,etc. The only thing I made sure to do was not to use a snack credit unless it was at least $3. If it was less (a fruit or whatnot) i just paid oop.

 

[sotodog]

Caroline - were you sure to add in the OOP costs in your $604 calculation?

I didn't add the tax in which will add up. For meals or most any thirst issue, everyone drinks tap water so no cost there. I took a close look at 6-8 menus of TS as well as CS and the prices seemed to average at $60 and $27 without beverage, dessert or tax so maybe they are low but they are averages too. I feel pretty comfortable with those numbers.

I wish meals would be an entree and choice of appetizer, side, beverage or dessert. This would make much more sense for my family. We like to share an appetizer and dessert as a family at a TS type restuarant rather than 2 desserts.

If you only paid $600 for meals which cost of $800 and many other people are doing similarly, how does WDW make money? Do they inflate the restaurant prices for those not using the plan? Do they increase the cost of park tickets? I have a hard time they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart.

If we are at WDW 8 days and we use 4 TS tix for Hoop Dee Doo and princess meals, how do we use 4 TS tix for the remainder of the trip?

One other question, can I make ADRs at 90 days and then decide at 30 days that I want the dining plan?

 

[caroline1851]

Caroline - were you sure to add in the OOP costs in your $604 calculation?

I recorded from the menus, etc. all the food we got that we paid for with the ddp. The total would've been $800 if we had paid oop, but the ddp cost $604.

In addition to the meal plan, we paid extra for food because dd2 wasn't on the plan and wanted extra food or if I had to pick up extra snacks and dh ate 2 extra meals that were not covered by the ddp. our total oop was $150.

So.....

DDP cost + oop = $750
IF no ddp = $950

OH, and I didn't even add in the savings because the 6% tax was included.

 

[Faldred]

If you only paid $600 for meals which cost of $800 and many other people are doing similarly, how does WDW make money? Do they inflate the restaurant prices for those not using the plan? Do they increase the cost of park tickets? I have a hard time they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart.

Some would say that they do make up the money by overcharging everyone else, but I doubt it.

Really, what they're doing with the DP is ensuring that restaurants are generally filled to capacity, but reducing the profit per seat. They'll take the guaranteed profit over the risk of empty seats. And when you see what people sit down and truly do comparisons, you'll see that folks on the dining plan generally spend as much -- possibly even more -- than they would OOP, but get more food for it. The food isn't that big of a cost to Disney, all things considered, so it doesn't cost Disney anywhere near as much to give it as the customer gets the perceived benefit.

 

[hart6066]

I think you are looking specifically at two different issues--and one of them I don't think many on the regular DDP deal with. It sounds like your family likes to do a fair number of 2TS meals--CRT, Hoop De Do, and I think you had said maybe another signature meal. If you're going to do a lot of 2TS meals, my guess is the DDP won't work--unless you compare with the deluxe one--which is quite a bit more money.

We don't do 2TS meals--we like the princess meal in Akershus, so we do that instead of CRT. We do usually do one breakfast character meal, but still do a TS dinner that day, and in that case, we just pay OOP for the least expensive TS meal--we just figure it out ahead of time. Even when we've done that, we've never had too many CS meals, because we get to Disney early on arrival day, and leave late on departure day, so we eat 2 meals at Disney both of those days (the number of meals are tied to the NIGHTS you stay, not days).

As far as the cost for Disney, I think first of all you have to remember that they are looking at revenue from hotels, parks, souvenirs, and restaurants together. So for them, keeping people in Disney their whole trip--not giving them reason to go off site--is very good business. Many people who would have gone off site for meals, now stay on site for each meal.

Also, at a TS, many people on the plan purchase additional apps and drinks that are OOP, so they make money on that even if not on the food. If you're on site more, you always end up spending more (people on average, not each family).

I really think it is VERY hard not to get your money's worth on the DDP (remember the snack per person each day, so even if you wouldn't normally order dessert at lunch, you probably would get some kind of snack--water, ice cream, fruit--for most everyone in your party) but I also don't think you "get" much more than $200 more for the money. That's not a small amount, but it's not life shattering either.

I would honestly just do what's best for your family--with several 2TS meals, and being skeptical of the cost saving for your specific family, it may not be worth it.

Just one other idea--some people have said they put whatever money they estimate they will spend on meals onto a prepaid gift card. Then they just use that at meals. Those people were taking about liking the "prepaid" aspect of the dining plan, but not wanting to use Disney's plan.

Good luck!

 

[clanmcculloch]

I am struggling about what to do about dining. We will be going in the first week of November. It will be my husband, just 7 year old son and 5.5 year old daughter. We'll be staying in SSR studio with fridge and micro and hope to have some cereal or bagel breakfasts. I hear the Hoop-Dee-Do is worth it as is a Princess meal (not sure about Royal Table or Norway though) and maybe a meal with Mickey. Typically when we go out we each order an entree. The kids don't have similar tastes. One might order steak and the other grilled cheese. My son barely eats any fruit or veggie so it would go to waste if it comes with a CS ticket. We usually just take home doggy bags but that seems impracticle without getting back to the room to refrigerate and just having to carry it. Everyone but my husband only drinks water. Depending on the restaurant or meal we might get an appetizer or dessert for one or for all to share. I can't imagine getting 4 desserts lunch and dinner; especially if the meals are as big as they claim. How do we even possibly know if we'll be up for a sit down dinner anyway? It just seems to require so much planning whether or not you do a plan.

This is what I can't get past. Disney has to make money on the dining plan or it wouldn't offer it. If we have to split meals to make the tickets work because of shows/signature dining, why couldn't we just do that on our own? Based on averages, a family of 4 at a TS restaurant would run about $60 (1TS tix) while at a signature dining would cost about $90 (2TS tix). I was blown away that someone would even consider buying a lobster dinner for $60 when you can get them for $13/lb at the grocery store!! That to me is highway robbery. It seems we could also order from fooddeliveryorlando to get more reasonably priced meals. Anyway, I figured that if we were to average $27 for lunches every day and $60 for dinner plus the HoopDeeDo, a princess breakfast, and a signature meal (no lobster thank you) it would cost about $100 more than the dining program where we'd have to TS share meals in order to get through the week anyway. The only thing not factored here is snacks and desserts for every meal but if we shared meals like we'd share if we had tickets, wouldn't we break even at least. I have a spreadsheet if anyone wants to look at what I've figured out.

I think you really need to figure out your own family's personal dining preferences. If you are the type of person who would prefer to have an appetizer for dinner instead of an entree then the DDP isn't for you. If you only want to eat a couple TS meals over the whole trip the the DDP isn't for you (though in this case you should at least take a look at the QSDP to see if it would work for you). If you rarely drink anything besides water with your meals then maybe the DDP isn't for you (though on the QSDP I would just get a fresh bottle of water for the park with my meal along with a cup of ice water). If you generally want desserts then the DDP likely isn't for you.

The DDP, DxDDP and QSDP are great for people whose dining habits match the plan. It's very easy to get your money's worth on whichever plan suits your eating style. If they don't fit your dining habits and preferences though they you can likely financially do a lot better on your own. There are many ways to save money on dining at WDW such as going for late TS breakfasts rather than dinners (for example late breakfast will get you breakfast and lunch offerings at breakfast prices).

Norway princess meal is cheaper than CRT either with or without the DDP.

For my family, we will likely always use some type of dining plan for every trip. Last time we used the QSDP, the previous 2 times we had free dining so the DDP and this upcoming trip we currently have DDP booked but we're considering upgrading to DxDDP. For us though, it's not about money. Because 3 of the 4 of us in my family have food allergies and the 4th person is diabetic, we don't order straight off the menu; many of our meals are custom designed. By using a dining plan, I don't worry about how the server/cashier rings in our meals as the meals cost the same regardless of whether we order lobster or a hamburger (yes, tip will vary a bit but not enough to worry about). That's just my reason for using dining plans. Each individual family needs to figure out if it works for them.

 

[cnjmom]

Disney has to make money on the dining plan or it wouldn't offer it.

I would bet my life that they make it up on people paying out of pocket for meals; for instance, the tiny little pizza my daughter was served at Akerhsus no way cost WDW $22; even when people mention that they are "saving" money, it's saving when compared with Disney's inflated prices. However, if your choices are paying the prices out of pocket or doing a Dining Plan which does offer a discount, it might be worth it to do the DDP. If you are staying onsite, unless you make all of your own meals with food you brought from home, where it is likely less expensive to buy food, you are going to have to pay one way or another. Even if you dine out at home, it's going to cost you more than if you prepared the same meal at home.

We just got back from a trip and we couldn't purchase the DDP because we had a CM room discount and the dining plan wasn't offered during our dates for CM room discounts. I really wanted to be able to do the plan, because based on my family demographics and the meals we were doing, it would have been to our benefit to be able to do it.

I have three kids--only one of whom counts as a child at Disney. The other two are still infants (the 2 year old turned three the last day, and I have a 13 month old baby). We did Akershus dinner, 'Ohana dinner, Chef Mickey breakfast, Hoop-Dee-Doo, Crystal Palace lunch, and the Whispering Canyon for dinner. All of those, except for WCC, are meals where you don't really order off the menu (well, you do at Akershus but all the entrees are the same price). We also had one CS meal the first day we arrived at SSR (totaled $23 for the three of us who would have had a CS credit) and about 7 snacks while at the parks (1 bottle of water and 6 ice cream bars). Not including HDDR and subtracting out the tips because we would have had to pay for those anyway even if we had the DDP, it cost us $435 for the 5 TS meals (adjusted for the WCC bill where my almost 3 year old did order something and we would have had to pay for him regardless), one CS meal for those of us who would have been covered on the DDP (again, I subtracted out the cost of my older son's meal that would have required us to pay anyway) and the 7 snacks. If we had been able to purchase the DDP, we would have received another TS meal each, 5 more CS meals for each of us and 11 more total snacks for about another $110.

I have read that if you have kids who actually count as kids in Disney's eyes (so no 10 year old charged adult prices) and/or you want to do a lot of family style/buffets, then the DDP is probably a good deal. What we did so we didn't blow our entire budget on food is that we ate all but the CM breakfast in our room and ordered cold cuts from Garden Grocer to make sandwiches for the meal we weren't eating out that day. (We also stayed at SSR as you are doing). We also brought a ton of snacks from home.