Trip Planning/Trying to see if the DDP is worth it/Math Questions

[projectGemini]

Hey Everybody,

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, Mods, please move if need be.

So I'm in the midst of planning our august trip, and I'm trying to see if it will be cost effective to add the DDP to our reservation (We are outside the dates for free dining, so unfortunately, I have to do this extra step). I added up all of our potential TS costs, and now am looking to figure in CS and Snack credit costs.

Does anyone have a figure/price they use to sub in for CS and snack costs? I'm stuck at where to get this number from, as it really depends on where we are in a particular park on that particular day. Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Allears.net has the menus for all of the restaurants so I'd look up the places you normally eat in each park, figure out what you usually order, tally it up (don't forget 6.5% sales tax) to determine if paying for the DDP is right for your family. We have always gotten it free, so of course we use it, but don't think that we'd ever pay for it. Of course, you may feel differently when you add the numbers up.

 

[Desnik]

I go to allearsnet.com & look at all the menus & prices there. I also save my reciepts from previous trips & that helps me determine how much we really spend on food. We are a family of 4 & we often do not get dessert and at dinner we like to order an appetizer. Also our DD(14) doesn't eat enough to justify the adult price we have to pay for her. We found that when the DDP changed from no appetizer and no tip included it was no longer a good deal for our family.

If you go over to the DDP board you will see a lot of threads devoted to this topic.

 

[Desnik]

I just wanted to add that if you plan a lot of character meals/buffets then you'll see how that really adds up & then the DDP would be worth it in most cases.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

If you want to pre pay for your meals consider a Disney Gift Card you can add money to a Disney GC by calling DelivEARS ~ 800-362-4533 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info and they mail you the receipt. Last time I did this *a couple months ago* the $$ was on the GC the next day. I email my card # and pin so if the card is lost/stolen I can get it replaced. I'd rather have 1 card then several.


You could purchase a DGC and every 2 weeks add money, $25, $50....

 

[2disneyboys]

I think the best bet is to look at all ears menus and see where you would "prob" eat and what you would "prob" buy look at that cost, and then compare it to the cost of the DDP.

example for dh & me & 2 boys it would not be uncommon for us to get 2 meals, 4 cups of ice water (none of us really like soda, and lemonaid gets old after a week) and maybe an extra side for the 4 of us. and in the past 65 trips, we have gone to 1 (one) character buffet/sitdown restaurant. my sister told me to price out ordering each of us a meal, drink & desert (per DP guidelines) and compare that cost to the cost of the DP.. but that's not really relevant for us. as we would not always eat that extra desert. We have gone a few times with free dining and it was nice to order what you want without having to think about it... but I don't know that we would find value in buying the DP. That's just us though.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I would use an average of $3 per snack. Generally, if an item is up to $4, you can use a snack credit for it (as long as it's a single-serving item), but of course many items (like drinks) are under $3, so as an average, I'd go with $3.

If you're interested, I have a Dining Plan spreadsheet that another DIS-er passed along to me several years ago. It's in Excel format, and you plug in the cost of each meal you think you might order and it calculates tip and whether or not the DDP is worth it for you. It will take some tweaking to put in the new figures for 2012, and to include the refillable mug with the regular DDP, but should be pretty easy. Send me a PM with your email address and I will forward it to you.

 

[letsgoreds]

Also don't forget to add the cost of tips to the price of the DDP for the TS meals. That can also really add up.

...and the fact that it is really easy to pack a couple of bags (throw away the boxes) of granola/snack bars + fruit snacks, etc. to save $$$ on snacks. Also a big fan of bringing our own water bottles.

I wouldn't sweat the 'free dining' offers. We have never taken advantage of those. We always choose the room-only discount that is typically offered at the same time. With 'free dining' you are paying the rack rates for the rooms, so it truly isn't free.

Good luck! For us, with LO we don't do too many TS meals and neither of my boys are into the characters, we prefer water to drink, and only dessert it up on occasion...so it isn't for us. Many people swear by it, and it is fun, so worth spending a bit of time adding numbers up.

For us, it is less about the meals, and more about rides/park.

 

[bumbershoot]

Also don't forget to add the cost of tips to the price of the DDP for the TS meals. That can also really add up.

But if they would be dining at those places even without the dining plan, those would be happening anyway. So they wouldn't come into play as a decision-factor.


It's when people CHANGE their habits when on the dining plan (eating more than usual and at "better" restaurants than normal) that the extra tips make a difference.

 

[LSchrow]

as you can see, for every person that loves the DDP, there is another that dislikes it
we found it can be a savings for shorter (5/6 or less days) stays (note that we have never actually stayed for only 5-6 days, but have used it on split stays or when it was allowed on partial DVC stays). a good example is when we used it for 1 night/2 days: dinner was at coral reef the first day, where our bill exceeded our cost of the DDP by about $10. our late lunch at tangerine cafe the next day, and a $4-ish snack were essentially free. the problem many have (including us) is eating a large meal, a CS, and snack for more than a few days straight - it is a lot of food, which means the potential for wasted credits/money.


if you have a car, it is much more cost effective to eat off-site - you could easily recoup the cost of renting a vehicle just by eating outside. if you are a Fl resient, DVC owner, or have an AP, the TIW card might be worthwhile. it gives a 20% discount at most TS places, including alcohol. the caveat there: we found it a good deal only for the years we had larger groups going, and planned on eating onsite more often than usual.

enjoy your decision

 

[Marionnette]

Hey Everybody,

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, Mods, please move if need be.

So I'm in the midst of planning our august trip, and I'm trying to see if it will be cost effective to add the DDP to our reservation (We are outside the dates for free dining, so unfortunately, I have to do this extra step). I added up all of our potential TS costs, and now am looking to figure in CS and Snack credit costs.

Does anyone have a figure/price they use to sub in for CS and snack costs? I'm stuck at where to get this number from, as it really depends on where we are in a particular park on that particular day. Thanks for any help you can give!

I think it's possible to break even or even come out ahead on the DDP but you really have to work at it. Sure, there are certain counterservice meals that are big enough to share in order to stretch your credits, but you can share meals without buying the DDP.

The only way to really come out ahead is if you buy the more expensive snacks and if you would have purchased dessert with every meal anyway.

You come out behind if you've got a 10-year old who eats very little but has to pay the adult price. Or if you don't eat desserts and get the fresh fruit instead. Or if you don't utilize your snack credits to buy the more expensive snacks.

I can appreciate the convenience in having your meals prepaid but it really isn't a way to save money on meals at Disney, IMO.