Using DDP knowing you won't get value?

[Lesverts]

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.

I like this logic. The soda vs. water thing was one thing that did bother me. But I remembered that most TS have coffee/tea and since you are getting dessert with the plan and I see that I am not the only one that had this thought.

I had always been on the side of the plan isn't worth it; but after a few trips without the plan I want to give it a go. Firstly because of the pre-paid all-inclusive aspect of it and secondly because it will push me to eat and try places I would otherwise not have tried. Also the 2 snack credits in place of the QS dessert was a big improvement for me. But I was/am still a little hesitant because I know that I will likely not even bother to maximize the plan.

 

[Nancyg56]

I like this logic. The soda vs. water thing was one thing that did bother me. But I remembered that most TS have coffee/tea and since you are getting dessert with the plan and I see that I am not the only one that had this thought.

I had always been on the side of the plan isn't worth it; but after a few trips without the plan I want to give it a go. Firstly because of the pre-paid all-inclusive aspect of it and secondly because it will push me to eat and try places I would otherwise not have tried. Also the 2 snack credits in place of the QS dessert was a big improvement for me. But I was/am still a little hesitant because I know that I will likely not even bother to maximize the plan.

Cost out your TS meal, and add your snacks in. We use them and if you think you will, give an average of $4 per snack. Some are more (think Starbucks venti beverages) and some less. I never bother considering the tip becuase we tip at TS meals, and once you take off the tax from that meal and from the snacks an CS meals, I figure I'm close enought not to worry about an inflated dinner tip.

Then look at the CS restaurants and options available. We do not like to leave on meal so full I'll that naps are required, so we will often split a breakfast platter and then a lunch. We have been known to split dinner as well, depending on who is there and what the meal is.

The plan is a value for some people, and not just convenient. For me, it allows me to order meals I woudl have a problem choosing if I had to pay OOP for. The gift card won't work...I still know the price. It also allows people to feel more comfortable adding pricier restaurants in that they want but don't give themselves permission to choose. I dont believe in throwing money away, so if we were discussing teh merits of an all inclusive plan that allowed alcohol, no way. I think I am the only wine loving lush in the family. But dessert? WE are all in! LOL!

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you are already behind before you go...I wouldn't do it. If anyone in your party gets sick, you go from a little behind to an enormous amount behind...and then you'll be kicking yourself for possibly hundreds of dollars wasted (rather than tens of dollars). Wasting $20 before you go is one thing, wasting $300 while you're there is another...that's another whole theme park ticket for another trip...

 

[Ratzo]

You will not save much money even if you do "everything right." Period. Google "Disney Dining Plan Calculator" and see for yourself. People who claim to be saving hundreds of dollars are either miscalculating or counting the full price of the refillable mugs towards the "savings." I would NEVER knowingly get the dining plan if I knew I was going to lose money. I really don't get the people who do this because they don't want to see big bills at the end of each meal.

Me: If the price of the dining plan rose to $1,000,000, would you still buy it?
Them: Of course not! That would be silly.
Me: Okay, let's cut it in half. $500,000
Them: No.
Me: Alright, half of that. $250,000.
Them: No!
Me: Well, what's the most you'd be willing to spend?

This is usually when the cognitive dissonance kicks in because they realize paying even $1 more than what you'd pay OOP is unfair and they'd be a fool to do it.

The only dining plan I would do is at Universal. If your entree is $12-$13, get the plan. If not, don't. Even better, you can buy it at the register. No planning required.

 

[Nancyg56]

You will not save much money even if you do "everything right." Period. Google "Disney Dining Plan Calculator" and see for yourself. People who claim to be saving hundreds of dollars are either miscalculating or counting the full price of the refillable mugs towards the "savings." I would NEVER knowingly get the dining plan if I knew I was going to lose money. I really don't get the people who do this because they don't want to see big bills at the end of each meal.



This is usually when the cognitive dissonance kicks in because they realize paying even $1 more than what you'd pay OOP is unfair and they'd be a fool to do it.

The only dining plan I would do is at Universal. If your entree is $12-$13, get the plan. If not, don't. Even better, you can buy it at the register. No planning required.

The calculators are not accurate. They use averages, which is why if someone is on the fence I suggest they cost it out, meal by meal.

My family does not try to "do everything right" but we do tend to save money on the plan. If we paid OOP you may be right....we would spend less, but not due to your reasoning. I would order chicken instead of steak. Not because I prefer chicken, I cook it all the time at home, but because I cannot get past the cost of a steak dinner. I would reconsider my pressed pot of coffee but if i can have it on the plan, i prefer it. I am not the only one who would make most choices based on price rather than preference.

At home, I do the shopping and the cooking, so I balance a budget with purchasing healthy choices for my family, and while I am darn good at it, it is tiring. When we dine out it is a once in a while event, so I order the items i want, and I do not think about cost. It is one night. Vacation is three meals a day for at least a week. I cannot avoid looking at the prices that long. The DDP frees me from that problem that may only make sense to me.

When folks declare that the DDP will not work, what they mean is that it will not work for them. If we break even and we always do, then I am ahead because I wait all year for vacation. At home I am the person who makes those shopping and cooking decisions and follows up with all that goes along with those decisions. Vacation is my time to choose without guilt. I do what I need to do ahead of time including a quick spreadsheet to be sure that the meals I booked make sense to buy the plan. Many times convenience really mean Peace of financial mind, as it does on my case.

 

[Farro]

You know what? We just paid off our trip for October, 9 nights at the Polynesian with dining plan. Airfare done too. Major costs are paid for. Got my Disney Visa reward dollars ready to go for extras and extra cash for cocktails! (plus will bring my regular credit card for shopping!!!)

All I have to do now is plan the trip. I can't even begin to tell you how good that feels! Worth it for us? You betcha!

 

[Nancyg56]

You know what? We just paid off our trip for October, 9 nights at the Polynesian with dining plan. Airfare done too. Major costs are paid for. Got my Disney Visa reward dollars ready to go for extras and extra cash for cocktails! (plus will bring my regular credit card for shopping!!!)

All I have to do now is plan the trip. I can't even begin to tell you how good that feels! Worth it for us? You betcha!

It is to us as well. My DH hates to try to budget for OOP for every meal. We know how to do it, but he really prefers to have the plan in place, know that the majority of our food is paid for, and all we need to manage is tips and beverages. When he joins us I will plan DxDDP. I learned the hard way that we spend more without it than we do with, and it is wicked confusing for him not to have it in place. he cannot stop remembering that OLD plan....and even though he is our money manager so he has already factored extras into our spending, he will ask what he can have," Anything you want.", insist a continental breakfast in the CL lounge is not food, and so we are all out to breakfast anyway, and blanches at the cost. We have much more fun telling him when he looks at the bill that it is paid for....get it!!!!!!!!!!!! and then showing him the tally sheet later on. We win! LOL!

 

[HopperFan]

I would never book DDP if I couldn't break even or come out ahead
because then I am likely losing even more money than that.
Why?
Because I would probably not buy a refillable mug.
I would never buy desserts with QS, but Disney has fixed that now.
I would rather have appetizers with dinner than dessert or neither.
We are not usually big snack eaters.
So those "values" are not values for me.
But if you find it works for you and close enough,
might be worth the gap for convenience.

 

[Ratzo]

The calculators are not accurate. They use averages, which is why if someone is on the fence I suggest they cost it out, meal by meal.

They don't average the lowest price meal with the highest one and claim that's what you will spend. There are options in the calculators to assume the average of the top priced menu options.

My family does not try to "do everything right" but we do tend to save money on the plan. If we paid OOP you may be right....we would spend less, but not due to your reasoning. I would order chicken instead of steak. Not because I prefer chicken, I cook it all the time at home, but because I cannot get past the cost of a steak dinner. I would reconsider my pressed pot of coffee but if i can have it on the plan, i prefer it. I am not the only one who would make most choices based on price rather than preference.

Let's put aside whether or not the dining plan is truly cheaper even if you order the steak, which I claim more often than not still isn't. What you're saying is that you'll knowingly risk paying more because the dining plan "tricks" you into paying for what you want without the self-imposed guilt-trip. You're suggesting it's a psychological problem, not a mathematical one. Therefore, no evidence based on comparing hard numbers between OOP and DDP will matter to you.

At home, I do the shopping and the cooking, so I balance a budget with purchasing healthy choices for my family, and while I am darn good at it, it is tiring. When we dine out it is a once in a while event, so I order the items i want, and I do not think about cost. It is one night. Vacation is three meals a day for at least a week. I cannot avoid looking at the prices that long. The DDP frees me from that problem that may only make sense to me.

Then why would you EVER think about getting the dining plan? "Uh oh! We can't eat at the Brown Derby. It's a 2 point restaurant." "Sorry honey. I know you'd really prefer an appetizer than a dessert, but that's not on the dining plan and I don't want to see an expensive appetizer on the bill." You're not freeing yourself. You're shackling yourself to the limitations of the plan. As soon as you deviate, you KNOW you spent more than OOP. Why doesn't that bother you as much as a bill with a dollar amount?

When folks declare that the DDP will not work, what they mean is that it will not work for them. If we break even and we always do, then I am ahead because I wait all year for vacation. At home I am the person who makes those shopping and cooking decisions and follows up with all that goes along with those decisions. Vacation is my time to choose without guilt. I do what I need to do ahead of time including a quick spreadsheet to be sure that the meals I booked make sense to buy the plan. Many times convenience really mean Peace of financial mind, as it does on my case.

I truly believe your numbers are off or you're calculating what you intended to do vs. what actually happened. But, I admit I could be wrong. Since you say you already calculated all this precisely for you last trip without using averages, you should create a thread and post your numbers as an example how you did it for other people to follow.

 

[Nancyg56]

They don't average the lowest price meal with the highest one and claim that's what you will spend. There are options in the calculators to assume the average of the top priced menu options.



Let's put aside whether or not the dining plan is truly cheaper even if you order the steak, which I claim more often than not still isn't. What you're saying is that you'll knowingly risk paying more because the dining plan "tricks" you into paying for what you want without the self-imposed guilt-trip. You're suggesting it's a psychological problem, not a mathematical one. Therefore, no evidence based on comparing hard numbers between OOP and DDP will matter to you.



Then why would you EVER think about getting the dining plan? "Uh oh! We can't eat at the Brown Derby. It's a 2 point restaurant." "Sorry honey. I know you'd really prefer an appetizer than a dessert, but that's not on the dining plan and I don't want to see an expensive appetizer on the bill." You're not freeing yourself. You're shackling yourself to the limitations of the plan. As soon as you deviate, you KNOW you spent more than OOP. Why doesn't that bother you as much as a bill with a dollar amount?



I truly believe your numbers are off or you're calculating what you intended to do vs. what actually happened. But, I admit I could be wrong. Since you say you already calculated all this precisely for you last trip without using averages, you should create a thread and post your numbers as an example how you did it for other people to follow.

They are not off.

The last trip was tiw. I am not at all sure that one paid off, but since I was paying oop with my friend I let the entire numbers thing go.

I have no intention if justifying my calculations with you or anyone else. You accept what I said worked for my family or you don't. I used calculators once, found my own estimates were better suited for my family and never looked back.

And since you choose to create a conversation that I may have had, add thatcwe all choose dessert every meal, and always order appetizers.
The conversations with my husband occurred because he cannot seem to separate a new plan with the one that included appetizers as well as dessert and tip. For some reason he continues to ask what's included. And so you understand: the day I tried to deter my husband from ordering what he wanted, or chose to disregard his choices in dining would be the day I would revisit my own priorities. I know someone who does that and I think it's disgraceful.

To conclude, we usually travel with my daughter. She like me, runs a quick spreadsheet ahead of time to be sure we choose the right plan, if any. We don't choose the restaurants to fit the plan. We choose the plan to fit our choices. This last trip we had no counter service included. The plan would not pay off. As I said, my friend and I used her tiw and while I think we saved the cost of the card I decided not to worry about it. I had calculated quickly the adrs I booked but had no idea what kind of food she liked, or how much she would eat. thevsheet was rough and after we checked in we never added a thing up.

 

[DISNEY1975]

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.

This is exactly why we do it. Ive never done the math, but will be forced to this trip since my daughters math teach is giving her that assignment for missing school! (Luckily her math teacher is a big Disney fan too!)

We pay adult for my daughter, but she most often eats from the kids menu. Im fairly sure we are not paying too much over the value, and I also have to consider the snack credits, which we use every one of taking home treats as souvenirs to friends, classsmates and co-workers. But for me, coming home and not owing a penny is worth the little extra we may, or may not (probably may) be paying. It also makes the trip more relaxing when we can go to any restaurant and order anything we want on the menus without looking at prices, which are very steep at Disney.

 

[Ratzo]

They are not off.

But then...

I have no intention if justifying my calculations with you or anyone else. You accept what I said worked for my family or you don't. I used calculators once, found my own estimates were better suited for my family and never looked back.

So you painstakingly calculated the DDP vs. OOP and found it was financially beneficial to use the DDP, but you don't want to share how you did it or back up your assertions in any way? Hmmm... I just asked the "ghost who never lies" for his opinion on this and he's very skeptical. Remember, he never lies.

To conclude, we usually travel with my daughter. She like me, runs a quick spreadsheet ahead of time to be sure we choose the right plan, if any.

Oh cool! Please share it. I'm sure other folks here considering the DDP will love to give it a whirl and compare it to the other calculators out there. Since your calculations are more accurate, you'd be doing a great service for everyone relying on those misleading websites that thousands of people use each year.

 

[Farro]

I feel it's the right moment to quote my own post!

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".

 

[Nancyg56]

I feel it's the right moment to quote my own post!

Thank you! I was debating what I planned to say and decided to give up. Your post convinced me I was right to just ignore the sarcastic comment.

 

[LM412]

We bought it. As Canadians the fluctuating dollar plays a factor into that. We book our trip based on the current conversion no need to worry about what the exchange rate is at the time of the trip. Sure we could buy US cash now but not ideal to be carrying it around to pay for meals. And yes at the time of the trip the cnd dollar could be higher but our last trip the cnd dollar slowly fell between booking and trip time. We may not come out ahead but to us it gives the freedom of ordering without looking at the prices as others have described but also ordering and doing the conversion back to Canadian each time we order or eat since that was done when we booked the trip.

 

[Ratzo]

Thank you! I was debating what I planned to say and decided to give up. Your post convinced me I was right to just ignore the sarcastic comment.

Does that mean you're not going to share the spreadsheet?

 

[Nancyg56]

Does that mean you're not going to share the spreadsheet?

Are you always so nasty? In all the time I have posted on the DIS, I do not recall ever trying to bait someone into an argument, and I refuse to be drawn into one with you. I have been clear: you accept waht I have said, or you do not. It makes no difference to me, but for some reason this makes a difference to you. I wonder why.

 

[Ratzo]

Are you always so nasty? In all the time I have posted on the DIS, I do not recall ever trying to bait someone into an argument, and I refuse to be drawn into one with you. I have been clear: you accept waht I have said, or you do not. It makes no difference to me, but for some reason this makes a difference to you. I wonder why.

I beg your pardon, but I've been nothing but nice. I can't believe you won't share your spreadsheet with me. You could save me money on my next trip, but won't share your secret formulas. That's not very nice.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I've been to Disney more times than I can count. We have never chosen the DDP.
For us, any menu limitations are a deal breaker while on vaca... Or anytime even if not on vaca for that matter.

MG

 

[DisBuckMan]

I've been to Disney more times than I can count. We have never chosen the DDP.
For us, any menu limitations are a deal breaker while on vaca... Or anytime even if not on vaca for that matter.

MG

Agree. I can't stand the thought of being dictated how I can order at a restaurant.

I cannot guarantee weeks/months ahead of time that I'll be hungry enough on any particular day to order anything more than an appetizer when I get to a restaurant, much less a full entree and dessert. Also one of the reasons we rarely make ADR's for buffets/aycte places at Disney.