To pay OOP or not?!

[Caitriona]

Has anyone ever decided not to go for the DDP and instead pay OOP in order to save money... but then actually end up spending more money than what the DDP would have cost?

We'll be there for 7 days and so far I'm thinking of booking;

Biergarten (lunch)
Crystal Palace (breakfast)
Tusker house (breakfast)
1900 Park Fare (dinner)

But I would also love Akershus (breakfast) Ohana (breakfast) and 50's Prime time (dinner) oh, and the refill mugs x 4

So, Nagging voice no. 1 is in my head and telling me to get the DDP but then nagging voice no. 2 is telling me to pay OOP and to put the money on a gift card instead. And then the voices go back and forth debating whether or not we'd save, what if we go over the budget. Plus, I know that if we pay OOP, we'd probably split cs meals and do without desserts, but then splitting CS meals might result in buying more snacks, which then again brings me back to the issue of possibly going over budget

I also notice that many of the buffet prices went up (according to Allears) since I ran my numbers, so if even more things go up by April, would it really be in our best interest to go for it, since above all, I would like to save money, but which is the real money saver?

 

[Gmouse]

Been debating the SAME problem myself. I think I have made my decision...........
See...our son will be 12 when we go this Nov. Last time he was 9 and we saved a TON of money with the DDP for 3 of us. His was only $9.99 at that time. We stayed 7 nights and paid less than what we paid for 7 nights 2 years prior. Had MORE food and had table seervice EVERY day instead of every other day.
Our problem now is he eats like a BIRD and with the DDP we will have to order him an adult dinner and watch 75% of it go to waist. I have tried to figure out if it would be best to do OOP and we can let him and our baby split CS and TS. She doesn't eat alot of "restaurant" foods so I will carry most of hers with us. The only thing with his this time is he won't get an appetiser....we were looking forward to that!
So....even with that-I still believe the DDP is going to be the best way. If we do OOP or TIW we WON'T get snacks-which if used the right way can be a light lunch/snack for all of us...adding an extra drink to it to share. Exactly what we did last time! Then CS or TS for breakfast, lunch-snack credits for Taluka turkey legs, popcorn or even a FUNNEL cake! you'll be surprise how far you can stretch those when you have to! Then we do early dinner (CS or TS-whichever we didn't use that morning) around 3-4 to beat the crowds (because we have a baby and we were stuffed ALL day. Kept a few snacks in the room if we just HAD to have one that night.

 

[Gmouse]

FYI- In our opinio-Kona Cafe breakfast is sooo much better than Ohana-unless you are looking for Mickey and the gang Our faves- Ohana for dinner, Kona for breakfast, lunch, dinner, SUSHI...is that everything??? We love Tutto Italia, Le Cellier (STEAK!) Chef Mickey's Breakfast for the best experience, not to mention the BIGGEST buffet I have ever seen. 50's prime time is FUN food is pretty good. You'll enjoy it for one trip-we'll skip this time-it's one of those been there, done that sort of things. It is a little upseting that you have to use TS credit for it, food is more like CS. But I am from the bible belt and KNOW how to cook like grandma used to! lol If you get a good "mama" you will have a BLAST. Sci Fi was awful. Mama Melrose-awful- food and service. Pizza Planet (CS)-very good! Kids love it! We want to do Cinderella's Royal Table-my baby will turn 2 while we are there. She's my only girl and I've waited YEARS to have her-I can't wait to take her! BUT I don't want to use 2 credits on it. I have heard of people using TIW and DDP in the same trip for diff. days. not sure if that's possible now, but it's a thought. You just have to have one AP in the group and pay for one TIW membership. I, for my family, don't think it's worth it.............

 

[havoc315]

OOP in your case.

Most of your TS choices are very very poor values on the ddp. Except for Akershus, all the other breakfasts are bad values on the ddp. Biergarten lunch is a bad value on the ddp. Even Prime Time diner -- it depends what you order, but it is often a mediocre value under the ddp.

Going in April, I believe you would be paying about $53 for the dining plan. If you can live without mugs, (which we never used in the course of a week), then you are paying about $34 per ts credit. Even including the mugs, you are paying $31 per ts credit. Look at most of your meals and you will see they are below these lines.

And remember, being on the ddp does not automatically eliminate "going over budget."
You may find yourself purchasing extra cs meals, or wanting an appetizer, or a snack that isn't covered. The previous poster mentioned using a snack credit for a turkey leg -- but that's not covered.

If you switched most of your meals to dinner, then the ddp could be worthwhile. But sticking to breakfast and lunch buffets, the ddp doesn't get much value.

 

[Caitriona]

Thanks so much for the replies!

I should also have mentioned that we'll have 3 kids with us ages 8, 3 and 1 and we'll be there when the prices go back down to $51.54 for an adult and $15.02 for a kid

Last month I ran the numbers through figuring how much it would cost us, but according to Allears, the character buffets have gone up (and they're really important to us since we'll be celebrating Birthdays... and I'm wanting to avoid too many dinners with over-tired kids) And I think I want the mugs because we'll be spending time at the resort for down-time with the kids, even though if we decide to pay OOP, we wouldn't buy one for the 3yo

Here are some of the scary price changes (original price --> new price)

Tusker House breakfast $24.49 (Adult) $10.99 (child)--> $28.75 (A) $15.97 (c)

Crystal Palace breakfast $22.99 (A) $12.99 (c) --> $28.75 (A) $15.97 (c)

1900 Park Fare dinner $35.99 (A) $17.99 (c) --> $42.59 (A) $21.29 (c)

Akershus breakfast (didn't note original prices if there were any)--> $39.40 (A) $23.42 (c)

Ohana breakfast (no change reported) $ 20.99 (a) $11.99 (c)

Biergarten $25.99 (A) $13.99 (c) --> $27.68 (A) $14.99 (c)



Which would then lead us to trying to 'save' on CS meals and snacks :/

Edit to add: and I know that if we pay OOP we'd have to pay tax, but the DDP includes tax, correct? so those prices would actually be higher when paying OOP. Is it 6.5%?

 

[TinkPirateMom]

It sounds like your main concern is going over budget when paying OOP. For the convenience alone of having your meals prepaid and less worry about food budget I think the DDP is right for you.

 

[OhThePain]

Basically in order for a TS credit to be a decent value on the DDP, the cost of the meal has to run about $35 for an adult, which most of your selections won't cost. Also, you keep mentioning the mugs. I'm pretty sure mugs are included on the QSDP and DxDP but not the basic DDP. Don't factor in the cost of the mugs when compairing DDP vs. OOP.

 

[TinkPirateMom]

Basically in order for a TS credit to be a decent value on the DDP, the cost of the meal has to run about $35 for an adult, which most of your selections won't cost. Also, you keep mentioning the mugs. I'm pretty sure mugs are included on the QSDP and DxDP but not the basic DDP. Don't factor in the cost of the mugs when compairing DDP vs. OOP.

Mugs are included in all the dining plans for 2012. However, you are correct for 2011.

 

[Braden's Momma]

FYI- In our opinio-Kona Cafe breakfast is sooo much better than Ohana-unless you are looking for Mickey and the gang Our faves- Ohana for dinner, Kona for breakfast, lunch, dinner, SUSHI...is that everything??? We love Tutto Italia, Le Cellier (STEAK!) Chef Mickey's Breakfast for the best experience, not to mention the BIGGEST buffet I have ever seen. 50's prime time is FUN food is pretty good. You'll enjoy it for one trip-we'll skip this time-it's one of those been there, done that sort of things. It is a little upseting that you have to use TS credit for it, food is more like CS. But I am from the bible belt and KNOW how to cook like grandma used to! lol If you get a good "mama" you will have a BLAST. Sci Fi was awful. Mama Melrose-awful- food and service. Pizza Planet (CS)-very good! Kids love it! We want to do Cinderella's Royal Table-my baby will turn 2 while we are there. She's my only girl and I've waited YEARS to have her-I can't wait to take her! BUT I don't want to use 2 credits on it. I have heard of people using TIW and DDP in the same trip for diff. days. not sure if that's possible now, but it's a thought. You just have to have one AP in the group and pay for one TIW membership. I, for my family, don't think it's worth it.............

You are so right about sci-fi. We have done the regular plan and quick service plan and will not be doing either on our next trip. We have found that we don't eat enough to make it worth it and sometimes we don't want a full meal. Having said that if I can get free regular dining I would take it

 

[Caitriona]

Basically in order for a TS credit to be a decent value on the DDP, the cost of the meal has to run about $35 for an adult, which most of your selections won't cost. Also, you keep mentioning the mugs. I'm pretty sure mugs are included on the QSDP and DxDP but not the basic DDP. Don't factor in the cost of the mugs when compairing DDP vs. OOP.

Thank you, but won't this number be lower when I factor in kids' TS meals some of which cost as much as the DDP (for a child) and often times more?!
And yes, the mug is included next year

 

[OhThePain]

Mugs are included in all the dining plans for 2012. However, you are correct for 2011.

Ahh, I had no idea. I've been out of the dining plan loop for a while.

 

[pooch]

Thank you, but won't this number be lower when I factor in kids' TS meals some of which cost as much as the DDP (for a child) and often times more?!
And yes, the mug is included next year

so I would look at the total price per day ($149ish) for 2 adults & 3 kids vs. the total price of your TS meals. Using your numbers, the only day that looks iffy is the 'Ohana breakfast day - that meal only costing $78. But the others are well over $100 for your family (Park Faire comes to $147) so are the mugs, counter service meals and snacks worth $45ish to you AND does the DDP fit your family's dining style? (yes for us but no for many)

Just what you wanted, more questions to ask yourself!!!

OOPS didn't notice the 1 yr old so numbers need to be adjusted down for both the plan and the meals as he/she doesn't count toward price but can eat at all the buffets (a bonus!)

 

[Diegosmom]

Are you the type of family that would eat dessert at 2 meals a day? Would you drink soda at both meals? If the answer is no then OP might be best for you.

I had decided to go OP but then disney decided to offer free dining so for $300 (increase from being offsite to onsite with free dining or if they offered a 25% off to rack rate, its still early for discount since we are going in Jan)for 7 nights we are getting quick service but we are going to do a few TS OP.

DS and I life deserts, hubby not so much but I would say I am a dessert snob and some of the quickservice desserts just sounded like "cheap" cake so I would have passed on that. Plus I am a water drinker and DS can be too. Hubby likes soda but not sure if he would get it at both meals.

Also DS will be 4 so we are using a stroller so my plan is to bring a cooler in with some drinks and also some snacks. DS is totally happy with fruit snacks, cheese, yogurt etc which are easy to pack and easy to eat. But we will be driving so we will pack a cooler and we will have a fridge in our room.

Also if you go OP I would buy just 2 mugs or maybe 3. But I know soda goes onsale 4 12 packs for $10 and I buy juice boxes for $2 for a 10 pack. You could spend $14 and have 48 cans of soda and 20 juice boxes. If you want coffee in the morning this wont work out as well and we will drive so I could easily pack the drinks if you are flying without a car this might be more difficult.

Another thing to consider. How are your little ones at going out to eat? I know DS4 is usually pretty good but if he is tired or bored eating out can be tough. So if you are going OP you have the option of cancelling ADRs and going with CS. I say figure out the TS that you really wont want to miss and book those in the begining of the week. Then near the end of the week book ones you wont mind missing. Imagine you stay up late watching Wishes and kids dont get to bed till late. Everyone is tired and crancky cause you ahve been touring parks for 4 days straight. In the morning you have a 8:30 ADR for breakfast. You wake up at 7 to start getting everyone ready and the gang is still sleepiong. So you either wake them all up and know they will be crabby all day or you let everyone sleep in cancel your ADR and run down to the food court and pick up breakfast for everyone and bring it back to the room. They can eat while others are getting ready and you are still at the park touring at the time you would have gotten out of breakfast. Now if you were on meal plan you mre then likely would have gotten everyone out of bed for the ADR but going OP gives you the option to skip it and not feel guilty about losing value.

You also could plan the more expensive TS for near the end of the week and if budget is getting blown you could change the ADR or go CS.

And being OP gives you the option of sharing meals or DH and I have been doing this alot lately when we go out, we order an app and then a meal and split them both. If your DS3 is like our DS4 we could do this and feed him as well. Oh course at buffets you would still pay for everyone (but not 1 year old).

Oh and 1 final suggestion. Why dont you do a split stay. Book first 4 days with your park tix and dining plan. Book all you expensive ADRs for these days. You will get the mugs. Then book remaining days room only and go OP for those days...best of both worlds...

 

[sharonabe]

Since you are looking at mostly buffets, the "do you want dessert" question doesn't really factor in.

The tax question does factor in since the prices on allearsnet now INCLUDES the tax, so those are the figures you need to use in your calculations.

With two children on the plan, you'll probably do better with DDP even though the adults may "lose" on a few of your days. Just make sure you maximize your CS and you'll feel better.

Oh, and I do expect Ohana to go up to the $28.75 price along with all the other character buffets. It doesn't make sense for it not to. My assumption is no one has been over there to check it out yet and no one has reported to allearsnet the change.

You could make your Biergarten an early dinner which would up the value a bit. There are a couple more things on the buffet for dinner.

 

[TinkPirateMom]

If you add Akershus you will have 3 character breakfasts so maybe do Ohana for dinner instead?

 

[Caitriona]

Are you the type of family that would eat dessert at 2 meals a day? Would you drink soda at both meals? If the answer is no then OP might be best for you.

I had decided to go OP but then disney decided to offer free dining so for $300 (increase from being offsite to onsite with free dining or if they offered a 25% off to rack rate, its still early for discount since we are going in Jan)for 7 nights we are getting quick service but we are going to do a few TS OP.

DS and I life deserts, hubby not so much but I would say I am a dessert snob and some of the quickservice desserts just sounded like "cheap" cake so I would have passed on that. Plus I am a water drinker and DS can be too. Hubby likes soda but not sure if he would get it at both meals.

Also DS will be 4 so we are using a stroller so my plan is to bring a cooler in with some drinks and also some snacks. DS is totally happy with fruit snacks, cheese, yogurt etc which are easy to pack and easy to eat. But we will be driving so we will pack a cooler and we will have a fridge in our room.

Also if you go OP I would buy just 2 mugs or maybe 3. But I know soda goes onsale 4 12 packs for $10 and I buy juice boxes for $2 for a 10 pack. You could spend $14 and have 48 cans of soda and 20 juice boxes. If you want coffee in the morning this wont work out as well and we will drive so I could easily pack the drinks if you are flying without a car this might be more difficult.

Another thing to consider. How are your little ones at going out to eat? I know DS4 is usually pretty good but if he is tired or bored eating out can be tough. So if you are going OP you have the option of cancelling ADRs and going with CS. I say figure out the TS that you really wont want to miss and book those in the begining of the week. Then near the end of the week book ones you wont mind missing. Imagine you stay up late watching Wishes and kids dont get to bed till late. Everyone is tired and crancky cause you ahve been touring parks for 4 days straight. In the morning you have a 8:30 ADR for breakfast. You wake up at 7 to start getting everyone ready and the gang is still sleepiong. So you either wake them all up and know they will be crabby all day or you let everyone sleep in cancel your ADR and run down to the food court and pick up breakfast for everyone and bring it back to the room. They can eat while others are getting ready and you are still at the park touring at the time you would have gotten out of breakfast. Now if you were on meal plan you mre then likely would have gotten everyone out of bed for the ADR but going OP gives you the option to skip it and not feel guilty about losing value.

You also could plan the more expensive TS for near the end of the week and if budget is getting blown you could change the ADR or go CS.

And being OP gives you the option of sharing meals or DH and I have been doing this alot lately when we go out, we order an app and then a meal and split them both. If your DS3 is like our DS4 we could do this and feed him as well. Oh course at buffets you would still pay for everyone (but not 1 year old).

Oh and 1 final suggestion. Why dont you do a split stay. Book first 4 days with your park tix and dining plan. Book all you expensive ADRs for these days. You will get the mugs. Then book remaining days room only and go OP for those days...best of both worlds...

Love your advice!

Personally, i think we can do without Ohana's breakfast (we won't have a car & my family are slow movers when they're tired) & 50's Primetime so I could happily stick to just 5.

My DD (who'll be 8) is a very picky eater and will be in heaven eating cs meals with mac & cheese, PB&J and chicken nuggets while DS eats everything & anything so I could easily share with him, if I don't share with DH.

We are flying, but I plan on ordering juice boxes, Horizon milk & water and having it delivered and then I'll pack stuff like fruit snacks, granola bars and some stuff for the baby in our suitcase, so we might save there. And then buy things like milk to keep in the fridge...

I really love the idea of paying OOP in case we miss a meal, need to cancel or whatever and that way there is nothing lost..

I'm wondering now though if those are actual prices changes on Allears or are they peak season surcharges? Regardless, I guess I would expect them to go up next year. We'll be there starting April 15th, the day after the peak Easter season ends.

I just adjusted a spreadsheet I was working on earlier last month with the different prices (so it just depends on if those prices changes are permanent), just included the 5 most important TS meals and included the CS locations I think we'd eat at + what we'd more than likely order (no desserts and an occasional soda plus considered what we could share) & allowed for 3 refillable mugs & $12 in snacks a day. It came out $30 cheaper. So I guess now I need to decide if a $30 savings is worth it for me, right? LOL

 

[sharonabe]

If you add Akershus you will have 3 character breakfasts so maybe do Ohana for dinner instead?

Ohana is more difficult to get for dinner ADR, but you could make Crystal Palace a lunch or early dinner. You'll still get the characters, but have a different meal (and a more expensive one!).

 

[Caitriona]

Since you are looking at mostly buffets, the "do you want dessert" question doesn't really factor in.

The tax question does factor in since the prices on allearsnet now INCLUDES the tax, so those are the figures you need to use in your calculations.

With two children on the plan, you'll probably do better with DDP even though the adults may "lose" on a few of your days. Just make sure you maximize your CS and you'll feel better.

Oh, and I do expect Ohana to go up to the $28.75 price along with all the other character buffets. It doesn't make sense for it not to. My assumption is no one has been over there to check it out yet and no one has reported to allearsnet the change.

You could make your Biergarten an early dinner which would up the value a bit. There are a couple more things on the buffet for dinner.

's

Oh that makes it so much easier knowing that tax is already factored in!! Oh, and I might just think of doing Biergarten as an early dinner, since I was thinking of doing it as a late lunch anyway

 

[sukhakuli]

We went back and forth about OOP vs dining plan, and I decided to do the dining plan. It kind of hurts to see the money pouring out of your wallet when you eat out, and I know that for us, we would definitely go without meals, snacks, drinks, etc to save money. It's silly, but it's the way we are. I like having the meals pre-paid (and FD helps, too), and having the trip paid for before we go. I feels like we are spending less, and have more money for souvineirs. I'm sure that's not the case, but I'm not going to be sitting at a parade when the kids ask for popcorn thinking, OK, we spent 100 bucks at a character meal, 150 bucks on T-shirts, and we still have to eat dinner, and that's just today. NO YOU CAN'T HAVE THE POPCORN!!

LOL.

In reality, I set a budget for the trip, so yeah, we could still buy 3 meals and snacks and drinks and popcorn and souvineirs OOP. But it feels like I'm not going to be bleeding money while we're there. So we chose the dining plan. I know I won't be sitting there trying to figure out if we are maximizing our discount. that's just not me. But I know a lot of people do do that, so if you are the type to stress about making sure you only choose restuarants that are the best "value" on the plan and so forth, then it might be more work than you want to do on vacation.

I was reading that a lot of people will get their TS desserts to go, so they have a snack later. Might be worth looking in to.

 

[havoc315]

Thanks so much for the replies!

I should also have mentioned that we'll have 3 kids with us ages 8, 3 and 1 and we'll be there when the prices go back down to $51.54 for an adult and $15.02 for a kid

Last month I ran the numbers through figuring how much it would cost us, but according to Allears, the character buffets have gone up (and they're really important to us since we'll be celebrating Birthdays... and I'm wanting to avoid too many dinners with over-tired kids) And I think I want the mugs because we'll be spending time at the resort for down-time with the kids, even though if we decide to pay OOP, we wouldn't buy one for the 3yo

Here are some of the scary price changes (original price --> new price)

Tusker House breakfast $24.49 (Adult) $10.99 (child)--> $28.75 (A) $15.97 (c)

Crystal Palace breakfast $22.99 (A) $12.99 (c) --> $28.75 (A) $15.97 (c)

1900 Park Fare dinner $35.99 (A) $17.99 (c) --> $42.59 (A) $21.29 (c)

Akershus breakfast (didn't note original prices if there were any)--> $39.40 (A) $23.42 (c)

Ohana breakfast (no change reported) $ 20.99 (a) $11.99 (c)

Biergarten $25.99 (A) $13.99 (c) --> $27.68 (A) $14.99 (c)



Which would then lead us to trying to 'save' on CS meals and snacks :/

Edit to add: and I know that if we pay OOP we'd have to pay tax, but the DDP includes tax, correct? so those prices would actually be higher when paying OOP. Is it 6.5%?

With 2 kids on the plan -- yes, you will save more with the kids, than with the adults.

It really sounds like you are trying to talk yourself into the dining plan.

Based on the meals you have chosen, while I personally wouldn't pay for the DDP, it may make sense for you. You're looking at a scenario where you might save a few dollars with the plan, or you might be down a few dollars. But based on your selections, you're not going to save a ton of money, or lose a ton of money.

For me, personally, if it's not going to save me at least 10-20%, I'd rather have the flexibility of doing what I want, not having to fear missing an ADR. (What happens if someone gets sick and you want to skip 1 of the ADRs? That's a lot of waste if you're on the plan).

But if you like the psychology of the pre-payment, and realizing the plan may save you 5%, or you may lose 5%... It may be right for you.

It is impossible to calculate it down to the penny, as you don't know exactly what you will order at non-buffets, you don't know what snacks you will order, you don't know the exact prices of every item in advance, you don't know how many times you are going to refill your mugs. (We really never used them, because it was a long walk to refill them, and we left them in the room during the day. So no desire to walk all the way to the room, just to get mugs, to then walk back to the QS, just to get a few sips of soda. Plus, we did not find any of the beverages suitable for a growing child. But if you do refill it 3 or 4 times per day, it starts gaining value.).

So knowing that the plan would be approximately break even for you... You can decide whether the convenience of pre-payment is worthwhile.