What's the dining dif?

[goofymax]

Which is the better plan? The AP dining for $60 bucks or the new DVC DDE plan? Has anyone done both? Maybe you can help us decide which is best for us. Thanks for any help.

 

[CarolMN]

goofymax - AP/PAP passholders can purchase the Disney Dining Experience discount card for $60 per year. The card gives you a 20% discount at most sit- down restarurants at WDW. DVC members can now purchase the Dining Plan when they stay at a DVC resort on points. The Dining Plan works the same whether you purchase it via DVC or via CRO/WDWTC.

You will get more and better answers to your question on the Restaurants Forum, since you really want to know if the DDE or the Dining Plan is better. I am going to move your post over there.

Best wishes -

 

[goofy4tink]

Which is the better plan? The AP dining for $60 bucks or the new DVC DDE plan? Has anyone done both? Maybe you can help us decide which is best for us. Thanks for any help.

I'm planning a trip for Oct and I'm trying to decide which way to go. So, this is what I did...
Play with the menus (and costs). Make a 'sort of' schedule of where you would most likely eat, and what you would eat. Add up the costs. Then, figure how much the DDP would cost you...$37.99 pp per night and whatever it is per child. Then, compare it to the costs you would have if you ate with no dining plan.
Do the same thing with DDE...but remember to add in the cost of the card..$60. I figure that the DDE pays for my tips pretty much. When I did the figures this way it was really close for me. I believe there was about a $40 difference between the DDP and using the DDE card. It's all about how your particular group eats. So, I've decided to go with both. I have to renew my DDE card anyway...so I'll be using that for any drinks we have, or for those lesser priced meals. And then use the DDP for my big table service meals and the counter service lunches.

 

[eliza61]

Hey Goofy,
It also depends on how you family eats. My family includes 3 ravenous (they inhale food) teenager boys. So the DDE card was the better way to go for me. Especially since on the DDP those snacks were a joke (come on, no way is a bag of chips going to help me). Some times we will do 2 table service meals on one day, which meant that we would have to skip one on some other day. So between the DDE card and the discount I got with my DVC membership, I had a % off at every restaurant we ate at and had alot more options.