Will I regret NOT having the DDP?

[chrystalc77]

We have a November 2014 trip booked, and I'm analyzing our costs. We originally booked for a Cars suite, 6 days park hopper & water parks, and basic Disney dining plan. We have since decided to do a 3 night Dream cruise over Spring Break, so I'm trying to trim the costs of our WDW vacation. I've already almost talked myself into downgrading to a LM room from the suite. This would knock off $1400. And if we opt out of the dining plan, that would knock off ANOTHER $1400. That's $2800!!! But here come the doubts.....we've always done the dining plan, and we love it. My DH especially loves knowing that our food is covered in advance, and that we don't have to look at prices. We do love our daily TS meals. I'm afraid if we don't get the plan, we will be ordering the cheapest things just because we'll cringe at the costs. And paying $100 for breakfast.....not a chance!!! So for us the dining plan was never about saving money, but more of a peace of mind thing. So I'm really struggling with the idea of dropping it!!! Anyone else have this struggle? And yes I know that LM is always excluded from discounts, and we could probably stay mod with a good discount, but we are pretty stuck on staying at AOA!!!

 

[ChernabogHades]

I wouldn't cut the DDP. The downgrade to the Little Mermaid room is a no-brainer in my eyes if you are a family of 4 or less. I just don't spend enough time in the room to justify the cost. I know that you probably could save a couple of hundred dollars by not getting the DDP, but the piece of mind that comes with having those meals prepaid more than outweigh the savings IMO. Not sure if I could ever do Disney without the DDP. In fact, I think I'd be willing to shorten the trip by a day over cutting the dining. But we're huge foodies, and that's our favorite thing to do at the World.

 

[FiggieFan]

I'm afraid if we don't get the plan, we will be ordering the cheapest things just because we'll cringe at the costs.

This is exactly why we get the dining plan. My fiance lets me plan the trips and I like the fact that everything is paid for up front. I also know very well, that if we had to pay when there, he would always get the cheapest thing on the menu to save money.

 

[mickeynut1]

We have a November 2014 trip booked, and I'm analyzing our costs. We originally booked for a Cars suite, 6 days park hopper & water parks, and basic Disney dining plan. We have since decided to do a 3 night Dream cruise over Spring Break, so I'm trying to trim the costs of our WDW vacation. I've already almost talked myself into downgrading to a LM room from the suite. This would knock off $1400. And if we opt out of the dining plan, that would knock off ANOTHER $1400. That's $2800!!! But here come the doubts.....we've always done the dining plan, and we love it. My DH especially loves knowing that our food is covered in advance, and that we don't have to look at prices. We do love our daily TS meals. I'm afraid if we don't get the plan, we will be ordering the cheapest things just because we'll cringe at the costs. And paying $100 for breakfast.....not a chance!!! So for us the dining plan was never about saving money, but more of a peace of mind thing. So I'm really struggling with the idea of dropping it!!! Anyone else have this struggle? And yes I know that LM is always excluded from discounts, and we could probably stay mod with a good discount, but we are pretty stuck on staying at AOA!!!

We love the DDP/DlxDDP, but we have also paid OOP and both work for us depending on the kind of trip we're taking. It sounds like paying OOP wouldn't actually be a savings for you since you would compromise what you would actually order if you didn't get the DDP. Paying OOP is sometimes cheaper than the DDP, but that's not always the case as everyone's situation is different and everyone vacations differently. With that said, if paying OOP was the cheaper option but you would order less expensive entrees (i.e., something you didn't really want) just because you couldn't bring yourself to order something more expensive, that wouldn't be worth it to me and I would opt to keep the DDP (but that's just me). Good luck with your decision.

 

[sharonabe]

May I make a suggestion?

Decide on the restaurants where you want to eat. Then just YOU go over to the menus at allearsnet and "order." Go ahead and order the most expensive thing on the menus if that entrée appeals to you. Order the desserts you really WANT. Add in the drinks. Then add it all up and add 6.5% tax. Then divide that number by the number of TS you have. If your average meal is LESS than $37.50, you'll save money by paying OOP. IF you're saving a significant amount, take your research to your DH and show him. He may surprise you. IF it's not significantly less, than go with the DDP and don't worry about it.

I'm assuming you're all Disney adults. If you have Disney kids in the mix, the above won't work, and you'll probably do okay with the DDP anyway.

 

[Iowajes]

I think that if you like how the DDP works it doesn't make sense to cut it- but do you really need all those drinks and desserts? For me, I never order either at a restaurant, so if I calculated ordering all those, the DDP is probably a better value; but if I was ordering separately, I wouldn't be ordering them. So it is extra money and extra calories. But keep in mind, this isn't really knocking off $1400, it just knocks off the difference, which might be a few hundred or less.

Downgrading your room is probably a great way to save. I agree with the notion that I don't spend much time in my hotel room when I travel- $1400 is great savings!

 

[danceintherain]

May I make a suggestion?

Decide on the restaurants where you want to eat. Then just YOU go over to the menus at allearsnet and "order." Go ahead and order the most expensive thing on the menus if that entrée appeals to you. Order the desserts you really WANT. Add in the drinks. Then add it all up and add 6.5% tax. Then divide that number by the number of TS you have. If your average meal is LESS than $37.50, you'll save money by paying OOP. IF you're saving a significant amount, take your research to your DH and show him. He may surprise you. IF it's not significantly less, than go with the DDP and don't worry about it.

I'm assuming you're all Disney adults. If you have Disney kids in the mix, the above won't work, and you'll probably do okay with the DDP anyway.

I agree with this.
You won't know unless you actually sit down and find out if the Dining Plan is saving you any money. You could actually be paying more for your peace of mind, even while ordering exactly what you want every time.

I actually found myself paying attention to pricing more, when we were on the dining plan, because I was trying to get a "good value."
We still budget in food costs, and don't put limits on what we can order, but we simply don't eat exactly like the dining plan specifies, so it makes more sense to skip it.
We still order the most expensive thing on the menu and dessert sometimes, but we don't feel as if we "have to" because we already paid for it, and we can pick up our dessert somewhere else later, if we want to.

 

[biminibigblue]

I wouldn't drop the ddp. What about getting rid of the hopper and/or the water park options?

 

[snorkelyn]

Maybe free dining will help! Last year, Disney offered Free Dining in November. Then you could keep the suite (LM is usually excluded, I think).

Per mousesavers, the release date for November dates last year was 8/1.

 

[MrInfinity]

If you are doing mostly Table Service (TS) where you order off a Menu (I call this Menu Service)... then ditch the DDP.

DDP breaks even approximately when 4 of your 6 TS meals are Buffets or Special Dining Events. If 5 of your meals are Buffet or Special, you will profit approx. $12 per person. If 6 of your meals are Buffet or Special, you will profit about $24 per person. So for 2 ppl, you're talking about a best case of about a $50 savings if you optimize your food choices perfectly. On the other hand by choosing anything less optimal, you end up overspending by hundreds on the DDP. (this is what Disney wants).

Now this is assuming you order the most expensive thing at every sit-down meal... you AND your husband always have to be ordering the most expensive thing.

So since you said you like to order... I am presuming most of your TS meals are Menu-Service. Don't do DDP, you will spend less overall.

As others have said, do the math. Run thru the menus at allears. See that it's really hard to accumulate a $37.50 meal at every Menu-Service restaurant even if you try.

You have to remember... DDP is not "paying a fixed amount and then getting to choose even the most expensive thing." Rather, it's "buying the most expensive thing automatically, every time, even if you just want the pork".

Add it up. Without kids and lots of character buffets, it's really hard to make the DDP into any savings.

 

[JACKNAG]

Don't do it! It sounds like your like us family of 4 and like table service . My wife and I have struggled with this a lot in the last 5 trips and guess what , not worrying about the bill is worth it even if you break even. Hey who doesn't like dessert Average bill disney table service for a family of 4 is $180.00 average counter service is $60.00 , $40.00 a day savings times 10 days is 240 dollars and no stress.

 

[abdgeek]

We have a November 2014 trip booked, and I'm analyzing our costs. We originally booked for a Cars suite, 6 days park hopper & water parks, and basic Disney dining plan. We have since decided to do a 3 night Dream cruise over Spring Break, so I'm trying to trim the costs of our WDW vacation. I've already almost talked myself into downgrading to a LM room from the suite. This would knock off $1400. And if we opt out of the dining plan, that would knock off ANOTHER $1400. That's $2800!!! But here come the doubts.....we've always done the dining plan, and we love it. My DH especially loves knowing that our food is covered in advance, and that we don't have to look at prices. We do love our daily TS meals. I'm afraid if we don't get the plan, we will be ordering the cheapest things just because we'll cringe at the costs. And paying $100 for breakfast.....not a chance!!! So for us the dining plan was never about saving money, but more of a peace of mind thing. So I'm really struggling with the idea of dropping it!!! Anyone else have this struggle? And yes I know that LM is always excluded from discounts, and we could probably stay mod with a good discount, but we are pretty stuck on staying at AOA!!!

Don't do it, get the dining plan!! I now always get the DxDP when I go to WDW. I originally started out getting the DP but found that I didn't like eating QS because it's not what I do at home.

That being said, I have been to WDW twice for weekend trips when I didn't get the dining plan in order to save money. I was miserable and regretted it both times!! I didn't eat as well, was always hungry, and was constantly worrying about how much I was spending on food. I also didn't get the dining plan when I went to WDW last summer for 2 weeks because I didn't want to spend the money. However, unlike the previous times, I decided to use the time to eat at the restaurants that weren't included in the dining plan(Shula's, etc.). I bought groceries for breakfast, always had to eat lunch(which I never have to do when I'm on the plan--I got tired of eating pizza and burgers) and ate at a TS restaurant for dinner. Even with that, I was still conscientious about the prices. I never am when I'm on the plan.

What I like about the dining plan is that everything is already paid for and all I have to do is enjoy myself. I agree with the OP's. If you're used to having the dining plan, you will probably regret it if you opt not to get it this time.

 

[Deb123]

Drop the DP, but put all the money on Disney GC's! We were a die hard DP family. I liked the convienence of all my meals being paid for and not having to think about spending money for food on my trips. But sometimes, I don't want a drink but water and sometimes I am to full for dessert.
So Our family came up with a middle ground, and it has worked out GREAT for us! Take all of the money you would normally spend on the DP and put it on a Disney Gift Card(s) It is already paid for then (just like the DP is ) and order as you normally would and also what you truly want to eat at that moment and how much you want to eat. Trust me, you will NOT spend over what the DP cost you. In fact, I can just about bet you, there be some $$ left over at the end of your trip. ( Sometimes, we have a lot left, sometime a little)
Then go treat yourself to something good!

 

[kP72]

May I make a suggestion?

Decide on the restaurants where you want to eat. Then just YOU go over to the menus at allearsnet and "order." Go ahead and order the most expensive thing on the menus if that entrée appeals to you. Order the desserts you really WANT. Add in the drinks. Then add it all up and add 6.5% tax. Then divide that number by the number of TS you have. If your average meal is LESS than $37.50, you'll save money by paying OOP. IF you're saving a significant amount, take your research to your DH and show him. He may surprise you. IF it's not significantly less, than go with the DDP and don't worry about it.

I'm assuming you're all Disney adults. If you have Disney kids in the mix, the above won't work, and you'll probably do okay with the DDP anyway.

I do this too and since my family has expensive taste, DDP always works to our advantage.

I too hate having to look at the menu price, and DDP alleviates that.

 

[gocolts]

Drop the DP, but put all the money on Disney GC's! We were a die hard DP family. I liked the convienence of all my meals being paid for and not having to think about spending money for food on my trips. But sometimes, I don't want a drink but water and sometimes I am to full for dessert.
So Our family came up with a middle ground, and it has worked out GREAT for us! Take all of the money you would normally spend on the DP and put it on a Disney Gift Card(s) It is already paid for then (just like the DP is ) and order as you normally would and also what you truly want to eat at that moment and how much you want to eat. Trust me, you will NOT spend over what the DP cost you. In fact, I can just about bet you, there be some $$ left over at the end of your trip. ( Sometimes, we have a lot left, sometime a little)
Then go treat yourself to something good!

Great suggestion!! I was leaning towards doing that this year and I think you have convinced me!!

 

[skatalite]

May I make a suggestion?

Decide on the restaurants where you want to eat. Then just YOU go over to the menus at allearsnet and "order." Go ahead and order the most expensive thing on the menus if that entrée appeals to you. Order the desserts you really WANT. Add in the drinks. Then add it all up and add 6.5% tax. Then divide that number by the number of TS you have. If your average meal is LESS than $37.50, you'll save money by paying OOP. IF you're saving a significant amount, take your research to your DH and show him. He may surprise you. IF it's not significantly less, than go with the DDP and don't worry about it.

I'm assuming you're all Disney adults. If you have Disney kids in the mix, the above won't work, and you'll probably do okay with the DDP anyway.

This is exactly what my wife and I do, and have already done for our September 2014 trip. We plotted out breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and alcohol. Added in tax, and 18 percent gratuity for table service meals.

Then, we compared that price to how much dining plans cost (standard and deluxe), and paying OOP is a no-brainer.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you want to save money, drop the dining plan. Order only what you want. This is what I would say unless you want to do at least one TS restaurant a day and most of them will be buffets. Or if you have children under 10.

If you would rather feel like you are splurging, even if it costs you more than it would have to order your own choices, keep the dining plan.

 

[wdwfan1]

We also use Disney gift certificates as our dining plan. I buy them at Target with the 5% discount Not a large saving but why not use it if you can. We also have Tables in Wonderland to save 20% off our bill.

I like the idea of not worrying about left over meal credits and we eat where we want--whether the restaurant we choose accepts the dining plan or not. We can choose to eat a table service meal or quick service depending on what we feel like having. We are fortunate to visit several times a year so we always get several trips out of our TIW card.

Enjoy your vacation.

 

[Aristocath]

I second the people that say figure out where you plan to eat. I have used one of the Dining cost calculators that people have posted here on the DIS. We are a family of five- three boys, all Disney adults and my husband is wheat free- and I am sure we are coming out ahead not doing the dining plan this time. We will still eat at TS and my boys will still order steak. To me the great thing about the DDP is the convenience of prepaying- I can still do that with gift cards. But you won't find out if you have savings unless you sit down and do the math.

 

[chinarider]

Also remember that if you are paying OOP certain restaurants are less expensive for lunch and there are also some restaurants that offer a 10% discount if you use your Disney Visa
We are not going to do the dining plan. I dont know that we will save much money but, it will give us flexibility to share meals, get appetizers etc without worrying about too much food. I also dont want to be stressing because my DD19 feels like a burger or salad and in reality I was paying almost $40 bucks for it. Our situation is a little different as well because we arrive at 5 pm ( just doing foodcourt) and leave at 7 am on our departure date. We also have relatives that come and take us out for a meal. We dont eat signatures so, we were winding up with 2 extra TS.