Using DDP knowing you won't get value?

[Lesverts]

Who has used the DDP knowing that you were unlikely to come out ahead?

I have added the plan to a coming reservation knowing that I doubt I will get full-value. Primary driver was the cost certainty of paying for the largest expense before you land in Orlando and not having to worry about costs once on the ground.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Why????

Why not keep the money in the bank and pay less afterwards.

Baffling.

MG

 

[Lisa F]

Who has used the DDP knowing that you were unlikely to come out ahead?

I have added the plan to a coming reservation knowing that I doubt I will get full-value. Primary driver was the cost certainty of paying for the largest expense before you land in Orlando and not having to worry about costs once on the ground.

I did a mix of DxDDP and OOP (I came out way ahead on the DxDDP). If you put the amount of the DDP + 18% for gratuities (I say 18% because some of your DxDDP cost will be for snacks and QS, 18% should cover you for 20%+ tips on all of your TS) on the card, I almost guarantee you will come back with money left, unless you have a 1:1 disney kid to adult ratio and do mostly buffets/AYCTE.

 

[KCBelle]

We made the decision to go ahead and use the dining plan even knowing we would either break even or come out a little behind. We traveled with family that would have difficulty setting money aside for food in advance and not spend it. I didn't want to worry that I would get stuck with the bills towards the end of the trip or they would just not eat (happened before) when they ran out of money. This allowed us to eat freely and avoid an uncomfortable situation which was worth the little extra it cost us. That being said, we are going this year and won't get it for just the 2 of us. I like things prepaid as well, but I will just set aside the amount I would have spent on the plan.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I'd say it's a lot like overwithholding and then being excited about a "big tax refund!" when really all the big tax refund means is you overwithheld.

 

[Faldred]

I have to say, I'm in the "put in on a gift card" camp if you don't think you'll break even. You take enough risks with buying a dining plan (what if someone gets sick and you've bought more credits than you wind up using?) that if you aren't going to save enough in both piece of mind and actual cash, it's not worth it.

 

[Lesverts]

Gift cards are not an option.

I used the dining calculator and it comes out just a little behind. So that doesn't bother me so much.

I guess what I am saying is, who has used the dining plan without obsessively trying to optimize it? Going to the most expensive places, getting the most expensive item. Doing character lunch/dinner instead of breakfast. Etc.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Why????

Why not keep the money in the bank and pay less afterwards.

Baffling.

MG

It's not baffling to me. We use DDP every time we travel. We tend to save a small amount, but even if it cost us a small amount more I would use it. Yes, I COULD keep the money in the bank, but it simply isn't worth the constant stress for me. It's not like I don't go with plenty of extra money, but I can't just leave it alone and not worry about what we are spending, and it detracts from the enjoyment of my vacation. It is well worth it for me to have all my meals prepaid. I don't have to worry about who ordered what and how much is left in the food budget. I don't mind spending afew extra dollars for that piece of mind.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Gift cards are not an option.

I used the dining calculator and it comes out just a little behind. So that doesn't bother me so much.

I guess what I am saying is, who has used the dining plan without obsessively trying to optimize it? Going to the most expensive places, getting the most expensive item. Doing character lunch/dinner instead of breakfast. Etc.

ME. I don't worry about it. Frankly, I don't want to have to think about it on my vacation! The few dollars difference is worth NOT having to worry about who ordered what and how much it cost.

 

[sharonabe]

Who has used the DDP knowing that you were unlikely to come out ahead?

I have added the plan to a coming reservation knowing that I doubt I will get full-value. Primary driver was the cost certainty of paying for the largest expense before you land in Orlando and not having to worry about costs once on the ground.

I admit, I'm in the camp of "why would you?" It had been awhile since I perused menus and "ordered" what my family would eat, so I decided to do a little math tonight.

Now, the biggest factor in us NOT getting DDP of any kind is we prefer to drink water, so that's already a huge loss for us. There are also only two of us who like desserts, and we can easily share at a TS. That's two things against the DDP. However, because of the way we prefer to eat, we can do more TS meals for much LESS than the DDP would cost us. For a 5-night stay, we can eat 7 TS meals, (3 of those are buffet, a breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and 3 QS meals. I also added in $5 snack, per person, per night. Oh, and we are a party of 4 Disney adults. DDP for 5 nights would cost us $1346. My 10 meals and snacks would cost us $1091, including the tax.

$250 less plus the fact I'm actually getting MORE value out of my OOP dining is peace of mind to me.

 

[senadler]

For a few dollars either way, I would probably get the plan. We are doing a split stay in March, and I was going to get the regular plan for the first half, and the deluxe for second when we can share credits with family that is joining us. Ultimately, I decided not to add it on the front end, but if I thought we would come close to even, I would have. My numbers showed we could break even, but only if we used every credit including snacks. In that case, I am thinking OOP is probably going to end up saving us around $100. The convenience is definitely not worth $100, $20 maybe, but $100 no way.

With OOP and the DxDDP on the second half, we should save around $400. We will have two Disney adults, and two kids for that half on the plan, and be sharing credits with all Disney adults. We did this last trip and saved a significant amount on the plan.

 

[lizzilou]

We are doing DDP. We aren't all into maximizing our plan, and I've calculated that we will probably break even or we could spend less if we do fewer TS meals. My biggest motivator for it was so I didn't fight with DH over where to eat or what we were ordering. I'm such a frugal frannie, I find myself distraught over theme park food prices and try to eat the cheapest meal at the cheapest place. DH has no care about food prices on vacation, so meals get sometimes tense. I'm ok with paying a bit more to have the peace of mind that we can order whatever we want on the menu and have the character meal experiences I would probably be aghast paying for OOP. I'm really glad we have one less thing to worry about.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

There is a difference between maximizing the plan and knowing you will lose money on the plan.

We never maximize the plan. We have only purchased the plan once without calculating the savings. (Every other trip, we calculate the cost of the plan vs. OOP) That trip was paid for by someone else. We only paid for tips. The resort, tickets and plan were prepaid.

We never thought about maximizing the credits.

After the trip we calculated what we would have spent on the plan and what we would have spent out of pocket. We would have saved a bunch.

 

[loves to dive]

Gift cards are not an option.

I used the dining calculator and it comes out just a little behind. So that doesn't bother me so much.

I guess what I am saying is, who has used the dining plan without obsessively trying to optimize it? Going to the most expensive places, getting the most expensive item. Doing character lunch/dinner instead of breakfast. Etc.

Just as an aside, not saying the plan is better or worse, the dining calculator can be way off. It averages out prices and doesn't take a lot of human factors in. If you truly want to know if you are going to save a little or a lot, the best way to do it is to look at menus, honestly pick what you would want (not the most expensive thing on the menu because it's "free"), if you would honestly eat an entire QS meal every day or just an entre without a side, if you would always get a drink every meal instead of sometimes wanting a water and an refreshing adult beverage, if you would honestly eat two snacks a day (it's a lot of food) and then adding up the cost. Again, not saying one way or the other is right or wrong. To answer you question, way back when we used to get the dining plan (I'm talking 30 years ago when a whole lot more was included) we didn't look at prices at all nor did we try to maximize it. If I wanted chicken and my son wanted french fries, that is what we got. If we didn't want a snack, we didn't get a snack. We don't use it any more because it doesn't suit the way we eat and I find it more stressful just thinking about whether a TS is single credit or 2 credit and is it on the plan at all.

 

[piglet1979]

We have gotten the plan every time we go. We never price anything out and the only thing we pay attention to while at Disney is the credits. Did they deduct the right amount and how many snack credits are left. On the last day before we leave if we have snack credits left we buy stuff that we can eat on our way home. it is about a 20 hour car ride. We do keep track of QS credits as well since sometimes we don't eat lunch and then we use them for breakfast. For us it is just the convenience of not having to worry about it.

 

[cassie58]

We have been able to take advantage of free dining, so not quite the same equation (yes I know we are paying rack rate, so not free, but still a better savings for us than room discount would be with kids that count as 2 Disney adults ), but feel the same as some PP mentioned that it is nice to have for not worrying about costs during vacation. We noticed this on our first free dining trip, when we were going to have one OOP meal, which should have been CP brft as the cheapest, but we forgot till after we had paid, and that meant our dinner that night would now be the OOP. DH would have ordered seafood pasta, but was now thinking about price and chose a cheaper option. It is nice to order what you want and not worry about how much it costs, just keep count of credits. We have payed OOP for some 2credit fixed price meals like CRT brft, since in the past it was not a great value for 2 of our TS credits.

 

[Farro]

Who has used the DDP knowing that you were unlikely to come out ahead?

I have added the plan to a coming reservation knowing that I doubt I will get full-value. Primary driver was the cost certainty of paying for the largest expense before you land in Orlando and not having to worry about costs once on the ground.

We are! I have no idea if we will come out ahead, break even or lose money. Didn't even bother to try to figure it out.

Also, as I quickly learned on this board last time I discussed something like this:
Don't bother to try to explain why you chose the dining plan, people who don't like it won't understand and you may even be lucky enough to get a few (very thinly) veiled insults thrown your way! And they will really go to town if you use the word "convenience".

 

[DisneyFan5404]

We purchased the dining plan once knowing that we would either lose money or break even but we did if for convenience. We had teenage sons who each brought a friend. With the dining plan they could eat without us and I didn't have to worry about what they were spending. It worked out great. When it is just my husband and I that visit Disney we do OOP.

 

[Faldred]

Heh.

Convenience is a value. We often debate the financial merits of the dining plan, but there is more to it than straight dollars and cents - it's how it enhances (or detracts from) your overall vacation experience. Some people find it liberating, others find it restrictive, and so the subjective valuation of the dining plans vary wildly.

It is best to remember that what works for you might not work for others, and vice-versa. Some people claim the DDP is "too much food" while someone else is trying to figure out how to pad it out to cover a third meal a day. It's why I stick to the numbers, they're objective.

 

[Nancyg56]

Gift cards are not an option.

I used the dining calculator and it comes out just a little behind. So that doesn't bother me so much.

I guess what I am saying is, who has used the dining plan without obsessively trying to optimize it? Going to the most expensive places, getting the most expensive item. Doing character lunch/dinner instead of breakfast. Etc.

Okay, this is a different question that what you originally asked, so muy answer is different.

We generally us a dining plan, and we tend to come out a little ahead. We do not try to maximize the plan, have one person who will not eat red meat and a few who will often choose chicken or pasta over anything else, so the most expensive items are not the most enticing to at least 1/2 of our group.

We book a few AYCTE meals or character experiences, and generally prefer our TS meal in the evening. WE all like coffee with dessert after dinner. I know this so the whole water vs. soda thing is not part of our discussion.

I do not use the calculators, they are not accurate. I look at the menus, choose out restaurants and do some quick math that is based on my family preferences, and not based on averages.

If I did the math and did not break even, but was not atrociously behind, I would go with the plan. I would because I know my crew, if there is ice cream in the area, one son would make a beeline even if it was 1/2 hour before dinner. My DD cannot pass a Starbucks stand without considering if she wants another , My DGD and I love popcorn, sticky buns and pastry, and if my husband is along, well all bets are off.....I go DxDDP.

I know that we will use it. Only you can decide if you want to "take a chance" that you will at least be comfortable with the choice.