Very confused over DP can you help?

[hollyb]

We are a family of 4, DS is 9 and DD will be almost 7 when we go, DH, plus me. All along we have said no to the DP simply because we thought it was alot of money and did not meet our needs. Fastforward I just spoke to my SIL over Christmas she said they used it and it saved them a ton of money.

I have a few questions. We are staying at POP Century can we use the plan there? Would it be considered CS or TS or snack? How do we use it in the parks? The only sit down we have planned so far is Rain Forrest Cafe in AK can we use it there?

Sorry for so many question I am just really confused. I should also add we will be there from Saturday-Friday in May.

Thanks so much!


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[Allison]

I recommend reading the sticky threads on this board to tell you the basics. That should give you a lot of the info you are looking for.

 

[DisneyKidds]

If you normally wouldn't do a lot of sit down meals then the plan may not be right for you....and the only table service meal you currently have planned (Rainforest Cafe) is NOT someplace that accepts the dining plan.

For us the dining plan worked very well. We always eat at least one table service meal a day, be it a character breakfast or sit down dinner. For us, on average, that one daily table service meal would cost as much (or more) than we pay for the dining plan. So that really makes all the counter service meals and snacks essentially free gravy.

Do some homework to determine if the plan is right for you. Figure out where you are likely to eat each day. You can access Disney dining menus via this site and figure out how much those meals will cost you. Compare that to what the plan would cost and you have your answer. When I did that I figured we save about $200 with the plan over paying out of pocket for what we most likely would have eaten. We probably ended up saving a little more than that since the plan allowed us to eat at a couple more expensive restaurants that we probably wouldn't have paid cash for.

The plan can be a very good value, or no value at all. It all depends on what your eating habits are. If you end up paying more for food you wouldn't have eaten in the first place you really haven't saved anything.......even if the plan ends up being cheaper than out of pocket for those meals.

 

[laceemouse]

People who say they saved a lot of money on the plan are just adding up what they got and what they would have costs them versus what they paid for the plan. You really need to decide what it is you really would buy and add that up to see if it is worth it for you. If you don't want to spend the time on a TS meal each day you probably won't want the meal plan. If you really do want to try lots of TS or character meals but just didn't want to spend the $$ it may be worth it.

 

[bicker]

People who say they saved a lot of money on the plan are just adding up what they got and what they would have costs them versus what they paid for the plan. You really need to decide what it is you really would buy and add that up to see if it is worth it for you.

That's a good point. Generally, the Dining Plan will either save you a little money, be about the same as if you didn't have the Dining Plan, or will actually cost you a little extra. Big wins or big losses aren't going to be the general case with the Dining Plan.

 

[onelugnut]

all above is true,
but if i can point out that its not all about the $
as said wisely above you are not going to save a lot of $
but it definitely is not going to cost you a lot more either.
we found (and i am the cheapest s.o.b. out there)
it was well worth it and am looking forward to my next time.
takes the eating on vacation out of the hassle department and
into the fun side as disney should be.
i would venture to say, i enjoyed the whole vacation a lot more because
of the ddp. experienced more (that i would not normally because i am cheap)
no argueing over where/when to eat.
i could go on and on. (if you want or to ask questions, feel free to message me)
but like i said if it could save you money, and it couldnt cost you that much more and i get that much more enjoyment out of it, i would definitely suggest going with the DDP, its real nice.

 

[hollyb]

I guess this is where I am confused. The hotel is $99 a night (give or take a few). But when SIL showed me how much it would be per person with the plan it came out to be $680 per adult (give or take) and the kids $238. So our hotel went from $700 to almost $1,800. My math is really bad but that is just a round about figure. Does that sound right?

 

[LizinSTL]

I guess this is where I am confused. The hotel is $99 a night (give or take a few). But when SIL showed me how much it would be per person with the plan it came out to be $680 per adult (give or take) and the kids $238. So our hotel went from $700 to almost $1,800. My math is really bad but that is just a round about figure. Does that sound right?

But that includes your hotel, your meals and your park admissions (I'd imagine).

So yes, that sounds right. We used the DDP in June. We stayed at Pop. You want to make sure that you aren't getting unwanted options on your park admissions....do you really want hoppers? Do you need waterparks and more admissions?

As far as will the DDP work at Pop? Yes, absolutely. We ate at least one meal a day at the pop food court. Without exception, those meals were our most expensive CS meals of the trip- that's because we could get a big bottle of powerade w/ each meal (childs or adults) and a dessert (lunch/dinner time...some approached $4 each) We just dropped the powerade and the dessert off in the room and then went about our plans for the day (or evening).

Read the sticky at the top of the thread. Go to the disney website and plug in your dates and hotel and see what prices come up. The dining plan costs $37.99/adult/night and $10.99/child/night.

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

this link will tell you what you want to know re: participating restaurants - TS vs. CS.

There are no TS's at POP resorts.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/MagicYourWaydining.htm

Too, on the math -- it's about $38 per adult per night of your stay. I think kids are about $32 a day. TOO - once a child is 10, they are considered adult.

We enjoy the DDP for the character meals. Reduces precious park time to enjoy attractions. We don't stand in near as many lines to get pics w/ characters in the parks because we get the pics in the meals.

TOO -- air conditioning! There are not as many CS's in the a/c.

 

[hollyb]

But that includes your hotel, your meals and your park admissions (I'd imagine).

So yes, that sounds right. We used the DDP in June. We stayed at Pop. You want to make sure that you aren't getting unwanted options on your park admissions....do you really want hoppers? Do you need waterparks and more admissions?

As far as will the DDP work at Pop? Yes, absolutely. We ate at least one meal a day at the pop food court. Without exception, those meals were our most expensive CS meals of the trip- that's because we could get a big bottle of powerade w/ each meal (childs or adults) and a dessert (lunch/dinner time...some approached $4 each) We just dropped the powerade and the dessert off in the room and then went about our plans for the day (or evening).

Read the sticky at the top of the thread. Go to the disney website and plug in your dates and hotel and see what prices come up. The dining plan costs $37.99/adult/night and $10.99/child/night.

Great information!!! I am so clueless can't you tell? I will have to tell DH all of this tonight when he gets home.

If we don't use a TS can we use that for TS instead?

 

[Muhlenberg]

I can only tell you about the adult side of it since my kids are grown.
I will also break this down into a PER DAY, not includig tax.

IF you eat at a buffet TS once per day and one CS per day, if you paid out of pocket it would be:

$27.99 (more or less) + tip (15%) = about $32.20 per adult TS
$10 - $12 for a counter service meal per person
$2.00 per person for a snack/drink

Total $44.20 per person per night if out of pocket. That is rock bottom. A non-buffet restaurant (TS) would be MUCH more. And hence, much more per day out of pocket.

The DDP is $38.99 per person per night. You save a MINIMUM of $5.20 per person per night if you eat 1 Table Service and 1 Counter Service per day. (Taxes are NOT included in any of these amounts.)

Like everyone else said, it depends on your eating habits. If you normally eat ALL counter service and NO table service, then you wouldn't save anything.

NOTE that the DDP counter service meals are HUGE. They can easily be shared by 2 adults who don't normally eat a large amount.

 

[bicker]

it's about $38 per adult per night of your stay. I think kids are about $32 a day.

The price of the Dining Plan for young children, 3 - 9 years old, is $10.99 per day.

 

[MEK]

I agree with Onelugnut. The dining plan is priceless. I am also very thrifty. I am constantly thinking of ways to save $ on food. How many people actually add up their receipts to see what they spend on food? It is a large amount of a vacation expenditure. I hate to scan every menu and look at the prices. I would much rather prepay for something and eat whatever I want when I want.

I think the dining plan provides the vacationer with the ability to have consistently fun and tasty dining experiences at the TS restaurants.

Is the dining plan more food than I would normally eat? - yes! No doubt about it. But I certainly don't need to eat every bite of everything I order. I can sample.

Could I save $ if I didn't do the dining plan? - yes! But in order to do it I would have to bring in my own drinks, my own snacks, my own breakfast fopod, not eat dessert, avoid all park snacks, and split more meals. I personally feel I would have to penny pinch to spend less than the dining plan. Why bother when, for a few more dollars, ordering food is painless?

 

[hollyb]

I am this close to gettting the DDP. My last issue is I heard on the board that the kids menu is awful for most places. What have you all found?

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

....but the kids menu is the same regardless if you have DDP or not...

don't let that be your deciding factor.

I know they've been going back and forth with the kids menus. They've been trying to include more healthy side dishes (applesauce and carrot sticks instead of french fries).

You'll find that the ones who mainly complain about the kids menus are the ones who WANT the hot dogs and mac and cheese because that's all their kids will eat.

How many buffets do you think you'll hit? Always a wide selection of foods in buffets.

 

[bicker]

There is a consolidated thread devoted to discussing the new menus:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1256259

There are also a number of threads discussing the child menus that have not yet been consolidated into the new menus thread.