To DP or not to DP

[SuperDan523]

DW and I are planning a visit to the World in September. I've already done my math to figure out whether FD or room only is better for us for each resort we may consider (I'm a compulsive spreadsheet artist, and I just figured the AP room deal that isn't released yet will be at least equal to the public deal minus the tickets). My next question is what is the best way to handle our dining?

We typically go with the Plus DP and I end up eating her desserts. We might or might not get 2-3 adult beverages over the course of the trip, and we sometimes will do one meal OOP because we'd rather do that for a signature than burn two TS credits. I probably don't need to be eating her desserts and mine. Last time we were in the World we found ourselves using snack credits on things to take home on the last day, and the time before that we had a QS left over as well.

Assuming we keep to the same pattern as usual (7 or 8 TS meals and 7 QS meals, probably 5-6 snacks each), are we best doing the DP, buying TIW, or just going straight up OOP? I'm not sure if we'll make it again in the next calendar year or not, so I'd like to be able to justify the $150 for TIW on just this trip. ($100 AP price for one of us then $50 for the other, right? Or do we both need TIW if we always dine together?)

Also, for my compulsive spreadsheeting purpovses, which site has the most accurate dining prices, and what is the appropriate sales tax to include should I try to spreadsheet out some hypothetical dining scenarios?

Thanks!

 

[PuppyPrincess]

I'd be curious on this response as DH always wants soup with his meal, which regular DP doesn't offer, but DxDP does. We are DVC members so we are deciding if we should buy DxDP plan or get AP and TIW. I believe I only need one TIW if we are dining together so that would be only $100. I'm OK with getting AP because I can use it for discounts on my purchases through out the park I'm know to buy a few things Anyway, just trying to decide the best way to go. We usually use snacks for drinks in the parks, or a dole whip or two, and end up taking some home as well. I, too, love my spreadsheets, but am unsure of the tax to add.

 

[NC Disney Fan]

DW and I are planning a visit to the World in September. I've already done my math to figure out whether FD or room only is better for us for each resort we may consider (I'm a compulsive spreadsheet artist, and I just figured the AP room deal that isn't released yet will be at least equal to the public deal minus the tickets).

Hey SuperDan, What did you find out with your analysis. It seems like you must have determined that it is cheaper to not do free dining. This is how we have traveled over the past 6 years in September and thought we are saving about $1000. for a family of 4. What have you found? I would love to know so that we could maybe do this same trip in later times without having to wait for free dining. I'd love to learn from your spread sheet expertise!

 

[SuperDan523]

Hey SuperDan, What did you find out with your analysis. It seems like you must have determined that it is cheaper to not do free dining. This is how we have traveled over the past 6 years in September and thought we are saving about $1000. for a family of 4. What have you found? I would love to know so that we could maybe do this same trip in later times without having to wait for free dining. I'd love to learn from your spread sheet expertise!

Basically I just went on the Disney website and priced out the same set of dates under the free dining offer and under the room only offer. For the room only offer I built it as a package then subtracted the price of the tickets to estimate the AP package (not yet available for September). I did so for a party of two adults and I checked different room types at a random sampling of resorts at all levels. For the values, I priced everything with both the Plus DDP and the QS DDP since the Plus DDP does require an upgrade fee under Free Dining. My results will differ from yours if the number of days, number of weekend days, or number of people on the reservation are different.

For AKL, BWI, and Poly, both with and without concierge level, for standard rooms everywhere and also savannah view rooms at AKL, it is cheaper across the board for us to do Room Only instead of Free Dining in this case.

Moderates were split. POR Royal Guest Rooms (all that was showing as available under the room discount) were better under the room discount. (Standard views were available under FD at a lower cost than the Royal Guest Rooms.) CBR standard view ended up cheaper using FD.

Values surprised me a bit. Usually Values end up cheaper under FD even with the upgrade to Plus. ASMu standard view held true to this, but Pop was (barely) tipped in favor of a room discount under both dining plans.

Time to do the same thing with dining I guess, pulling prices from the menus on the Disney site and AllEars and guessing what we might eat throughout the week. It took some tooth-pulling to get a web chat CM to give us a price of $59/day to add the DDP, so my next step is to see if we'd really eat less than that with and without Tiw. (Does anyone have any idea what my already picky eater of a wife is going to want to eat at 20 weeks pregnant?)

I'll come back with my findings, but I'd love to hear others' experiences if they've tried multiple ways.

 

[Kelleigh710]

Only one of you need to purchase the TIW card!! No sense in adding her if you are always dining together

 

[sephorachick]

I sat down last week & it took me 2 hours to figure out that it would be $300 cheaper if we bought everything on our own & didnt do the DDP. It was just for me & my hubby though.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

There's a website with a very comprehensive spreadsheet that can tell you whether FD is a good deal for you or not, whether DxDP is good or DDP or TIW or OOP. There's even a Youtube tutorial on how to use it, LOL.

http://seeyareelsoon.wix.com/seeyareelsoon#!dining-plan-calculator/cxc0

ETA: for dining plan prices, I usually use AllEars, and sales tax is 6.5% everywhere I think except the All-Stars (technically in Osceola County, 7% tax).

 

[SB in KY]

We are DVC members and typically get an AP and make 2 or 3 trips in 1 year while the passes are good and then take a year or so off Disney then repeat the process. This year we did TIW for the first time and we have come out much better than doing the DDP.
The card paid for itself on our first trip. On each trip I have budgeted the same amount of $$ for meals that we would have spent for DDP and each time we have been under budget. In May we were there for a week (7 nights) and had 11TS meals (one of which was at a Signature place), we ordered exactly what we wanted at each place....we usually ordered appetizers but rarely dessert (or maybe one dessert to share)...total for the week was about $80 less than we would have spent on the DDP and I felt like we ate exactly what and where we wanted...less counter service and more table service.

We had a trip with extended family (there were 8 of us) and we used the TIW discount for everyone in the party, another trip with another couple (4 of us) and we will have 2 trips with just DH and I....so it has been an excellent value for us.

We did the DDp or DxDP for years but I think the TIW is definitely a better plan for us.