Where to save$ - ddp or resort level

[FairydustyPrincesses]

We usually stay moderate and ways go the week after labor day when free dp is offered.

Dh would love to stay at a deluxe but the price makes me gag and I really am not sure we could afford with the free dp deal due to rack rate of the room being charged.

I was thinking to make it work booking when 40% off rooms is offered (of it's offered this year) and either just getting the qs dp or paying oop for meals.

For dis veterans who are used to ts I was wondering would you miss having ts meals tha much? We do character meals but quite frankly I found this past visit character meals disappointing as far as interaction and got tired of running to ADRs.

Just curious if any of you have had to make the same decision and which you preferred- nicer lodgings or ts meals...

 

[Andrea from PA]

I've come to appreciate off-site. I wanted larger accommodations, but could not justify cost of the higher end WDW resorts.

My family has only been at WDW during "short" December hours. With the parks closing early (5 pm AK, 6 some days at MK for the Christmas party, etc) eating in the park was a must because we could not stand the idea of leaving the park before closing. We would opt for TS meals. TS recharges us. CS is often a race to find seating for all of us.

Assess the amount of time you want to spend in the parks and the park hours. More time in the park would mean I'd care less about the lodging.

 

[deakam]

We stayed at the Wilderness and did the QS dining plan. We loved the resort and actually had more time to do the things we wanted because we were not waiting on ADR's. It was actually kind of nice. We did do 2 TS and paid OOP. It wasn't too bad because it was just the 2 of us.

The rooms are really a lot bigger and the real closet was a bonus. I am comparing the room to a value in size. We have also stayed at POFQ that room did not seem to be much smaller than the Wilderness. As far as missing TS meals--we have always done the TS dining plan and on the QS plan we did not really miss anything because we did most of our QS at off times and there really was not a big crowd so we did get to sit and relax.

There are a lot of nice QS spots that offer a lot of things other than the burger, fries or Pizza.

 

[MommyBell08]

For us, the TS dining is a must. I think for DH and I, it makes the trip. We like the time to sit down as a family and not always be looking to the next attraction.

As far as paying out of pocket, if you are sure you don't want to do any TS meals Id just go with the QS plan. We like the dining plans, not because we think they are such a money saver. We like to have food paid for so we aren't worried about how much we are spending every time we eat.

We love good food! Although we love our TS ADR's, I think its different with everyone. If you think your family would rather be doing park attractions than sit down meals, than try that this year!

It seems like you are a Disney family and will probably go back sometime, so try it with the QS meal plan this time and see how it goes! Have a great vacation!

 

[QVCshopper]

I love the AKL with the QSDP. Good food court, tons of food, never even have to buy any extra. You just have to know the good places to eat, like Yak and Yetis counter service, Mexico counter service, Wolfgang puck express, Mara, etc. if you go this route, I highly suggest picking a deluxe with a good food court, like WL, Poly, AKL. That's one of my biggest pet peeves about the Beach and Yacht Clubs. You're really limited on the QS options there. I think the AKL just got the diamond award, it's a real gem.

 

[Marionnette]

We usually stay moderate and ways go the week after labor day when free dp is offered.

Dh would love to stay at a deluxe but the price makes me gag and I really am not sure we could afford with the free dp deal due to rack rate of the room being charged.

I was thinking to make it work booking when 40% off rooms is offered (of it's offered this year) and either just getting the qs dp or paying oop for meals.

For dis veterans who are used to ts I was wondering would you miss having ts meals tha much? We do character meals but quite frankly I found this past visit character meals disappointing as far as interaction and got tired of running to ADRs.

Just curious if any of you have had to make the same decision and which you preferred- nicer lodgings or ts meals...

The two do not need to be mutually exclusive.

It isn't cost effective for most people to stay in the deluxes if they want free dining. Even with 2 adults and 3 juniors, the savings didn't always match what we could get by using a pin code or other room discount. That goes double for us now that

1. the kids are no longer juniors and we have to pay the extra adult price per night and
2. Disney requires you to buy a minimum 2-day pass for each person during free dining

My husband and I did a "no dining plan" trip in August. We had a great room only rate that was tied to a convention, so we couldn't make it into a package. We ate wherever we wanted without regard to whether we were maximizing our credits. We ordered appetizers (which we love) and skipped desserts (which neither of us eat regularly). I think that it actually worked out better for us than if we had been able to get the dining plan.

 

[KristinU]

We stayed at the Wilderness and did the QS dining plan. We loved the resort and actually had more time to do the things we wanted because we were not waiting on ADR's. It was actually kind of nice. We did do 2 TS and paid OOP. It wasn't too bad because it was just the 2 of us.

The rooms are really a lot bigger and the real closet was a bonus. I am comparing the room to a value in size. We have also stayed at POFQ that room did not seem to be much smaller than the Wilderness. As far as missing TS meals--we have always done the TS dining plan and on the QS plan we did not really miss anything because we did most of our QS at off times and there really was not a big crowd so we did get to sit and relax.

There are a lot of nice QS spots that offer a lot of things other than the burger, fries or Pizza.

My vote would be for resort level over dining for pretty much this reason.

We've stopped getting the DP altogether for health reasons (low sodium restrictions) and make one or two TS reservations per trip and cook/pack the rest of our meals (doable if you're in a villa or at Fort Wilderness.) Because we're not sitting down every single day it makes those TS meals much more special and memorable. And I agree with Deakam, we did QS twice and really enjoyed some of the offerings. And if you seek out the spots at the CS restaurants that are a little off the beaten path, it can be a pleasant and relaxing experience. (i.e. upstairs at Columbia Harbor House, around the back outside at Tusker House, etc.)

 

[Donaldswife]

We usually stay moderate and ways go the week after labor day when free dp is offered.

Dh would love to stay at a deluxe but the price makes me gag and I really am not sure we could afford with the free dp deal due to rack rate of the room being charged.

I was thinking to make it work booking when 40% off rooms is offered (of it's offered this year) and either just getting the qs dp or paying oop for meals.

For dis veterans who are used to ts I was wondering would you miss having ts meals tha much? We do character meals but quite frankly I found this past visit character meals disappointing as far as interaction and got tired of running to ADRs.

Just curious if any of you have had to make the same decision and which you preferred- nicer lodgings or ts meals...

You may not have to give up either, if you look into renting points you can stay deluxe for the price of a value or mod, and still eat where you would like. I have not done this personally, but I know many here on the boards have had great success renting points from DVC owners and staying at VWL, BCV, OKW, SSR, etc. and enjoyed staying at a deluxe for a fraction of the cost.

 

[LSchrow]

just from your post, it sounds like you simply don't care for the DDP anymore. we also loved it initially, but tired of it after a few times - same thing, too much rushing to ADRs, food not great, etc.
we decided we prefer relaxing at our resort, enjoying all the amenities deluxe/DVC has to offer (we stay at the BWVs almost exclusively now - the short walk to 2 parks is amazing, and worth waaaay more than the DDP, imho )
if you have an AP, the TIW is a great option (plus, you can receive nice discounts on rooms). personally, we eat mostly off-site now (LOVE flippers ), with about 2 meals onsite using a DVC or AP discount. we don't get that overstuffed feeling, aren't concerned about getting our money's worth, or feel restricted to the restaurants on the plan - we've pretty much exhausted all WDW dining has to offer.
i vote for trying a deluxe without DDP this time, and seeing which you prefer

 

[FairydustyPrincesses]

I think I'm definitely leaning away from ddp. Dh howeveris one who thinks a ts daily is needed just to rest and get a good meal although I think the qs are fine. The kids barely ate at the ts meals. I'm. Not sure if the last visit changed his mind or not - I have to limit my Disney talk so as not to burn him out!

Still waffling. Just the cost of a deluxe makes me gulp- a least I know what I'm getting with a dp... But the baby will be 2 by the next trip and I can see having a lite more room as a plus with 3 kids as well as proximity. We may actually do the afternoon rest that we always say is our reason to stay on site yet we have yet to do!

 

[Judique]

My vote would be for resort level over dining for pretty much this reason.

We've stopped getting the DP altogether for health reasons (low sodium restrictions) and make one or two TS reservations per trip and cook/pack the rest of our meals (doable if you're in a villa or at Fort Wilderness.) Because we're not sitting down every single day it makes those TS meals much more special and memorable. And I agree with Deakam, we did QS twice and really enjoyed some of the offerings. And if you seek out the spots at the CS restaurants that are a little off the beaten path, it can be a pleasant and relaxing experience. (i.e. upstairs at Columbia Harbor House, around the back outside at Tusker House, etc.)

Can't do that at Tusker House anymore.....they are a sit down bufffet.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We have often had the DDP and this year for a change decided to go with the QSDP. We were not at all disappointed. We loved the freedom that it allowed and we still found it to be a lot of food. We ended up using less than half our snack credits and on our last night we used them all up on items to bring home....I think it was something like 38 items.

If you really want to stay at a deluxe resort then do it and don't worry about the food. Maybe book a couple of your fav ADR's and then just go with the flow for the rest of your meals. I think it's a lot more relaxed that way.

 

[powellrj]

Have you looked into Bonnet Creek? Here is a thread that they have going on the Orlando Board. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2739937

I personally love off-site, I will give up the "magic" for our own bedroom/bathroom and TV anyday! There are lots of great dining options off-site for much cheaper than on-site too!

 

[marko]

If I had to choose between the two I would prefer to have the dining plan, but I say this also because it is what my 3 children would prefer. If it was just myself and my husband, I would rather stay in deluxe accomodations.

 

[dsneygirl]

You can eat at TS places and not pay DDP prices. Lunches tend to be cheaper (or breakfast buffets) a lot of entrees are huge and can easily be split. You can always order and extra soup or a salad. With the DDP you are getting a drink and dessert but you can get water and go without dessert. We haven't done the dining plan in years and find we spend far less OOP than we would with it.

 

[travelforfun]

The "free" dining is a great deal at a moderate--especially during value season. The 40% off is the what we choose for for Deluxe (family of 5). We still eat at TS. We just don't eat the DDP schedule--dessert at every meal, etc. Obviously, with or without a dining plan and 40% off, Deluxe still costs more in the long run. It is what it is.