Will I save money with DDP?

[chriswilliam]

I've gone over the math again and again, mocking up meal prices and I just don't see where we (family of 5) would save any money. I think it would cost $150 more.

We have a light eating 4 year old. And I don't see us wanting to sit down each night for a drawn out meal.

My projections include two meals in park and snacks with 2 sit down meals over the course of 5 days.

I'm using the prices for allearsnet.com?

Am I crazy?

Thanks for the guidance.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Did you do the prices for 1TS and 1CS and 1 snack per paying person per night that you are staying? If you eat all your credits...I don't see how you CAN'T save $$$. We saved $120 over the course of 4 days last year. Don't forget that the plan is $38 for adults but only $11 for children. Even really picky kids can eat more than $11 worth of food at Disney prices. And if you look at the cost of some of the sitdown meals (character dinners can run $28/adults $13/kids W/O tax and tip)...it really is worth it. BUT if you don't like sit down meals and want to eat all CS it's definately NOT worth it.

 

[chriswilliam]

No, I didn't figure prices for 1TS/1CS/1 Snack, I just figured cost for what I thought we'd actually eat.

It's not that we don't like counter service, It's just that I can't see us doing this for 5 nights. I've figured in 2 CS meals in my projected costs. Certainly if I did go with the dining plan I would do a sit down meal each night.

The "savings" I hear about don't seem much like savings to me. I'm guessing most people would not sit down to a $100 meal five nights in a row, if it came out of pocket. So... the plan really propels people into a higher class of dining and helps everyone feel good because of the "savings."

That being said, certainly there are those people who would do dine this way in any case regardless of cost.

Am I missing something here?

 

[mom2my3kids]

The dining plan is not for everyone. If you don't think you would eat all the TS and deserts and apps then maybe its not right for you. We decided against it this year because we don't eat that much food and it would be a waste for us. Plus we don't want to be tied down to a ts every night. So we are doing cs most of the time and a big ts at O'hanas at the end of our stay. The way I figure it we save money but that is just our family. I think if you are big eaters then the meal plan would be the way to go, and you don't mind a ts every day.

 

[debvil]

My family and I are usually the frugal type but after we did the DDP this time for free we decided we would get it next time we go even if we have to pay for it. $38/day is not much per day for adult. $11/day for kids is very cheap. I don'tnow about your kids but even if I bring the pop tarts/granola bars etc everyone wants real food once we're in the park. And the character meals would eat about $24/each for adults in themselves.

For us not the CHEAPEST way to go but a pleasurable way to go w/o spending much.

 

[chriswilliam]

I can understand that convenience and relaxation or worth something. But I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something with regards to the finances of the whole thing.

 

[DisneyFans4]

I have a question of those of you on the "free" dining plan. I just returned after being there for 2 weeks and had a great time. I wasn't on a dining plan since I stayed at the Swan. I wanted to learn more about it so I inquired with some cast members and they told me there was no such thing as free dining and actually stated to me "when does Disney give anything for free." They told me that you are paying for it and the price is in the package and is hidden.

Is there any truth to this?

 

[HaleyB]

To the OP: I think what you are missing are the Character meals. TS meals do not have to be 'long drawn out dinners'

As for the 'free dining' the CM is right about some people and wrong about others.

We are staying at a value resort. Sure we paid rack rates for our room, but we have 3 adults and a child- so the value of the dining plan we are getting for free is HIGHER than what we are paying for the room!

For us it works out to be about a $1200 discount on a $2900 package (at rack rates- we are paying $1700 with the free dining code) which is more than 40% off. When was the last time you saw a WDW code for 40% off a room AND tickets?

However if we were staying at a Deluxe resort we might have done better with a room only discount. It is a closer call there and I have not done the math.

 

[Maggimus]

Last year in August we paid $80 for 2 DDP....

We calculated our receipts and we WOULD have spent nearly $650. Instead, we spent only $80. It is definately worth every penny.. even if you pay $200 a piece for DD.

Good luck all!

 

[naz022292]

I have a question of those of you on the "free" dining plan. I just returned after being there for 2 weeks and had a great time. I wasn't on a dining plan since I stayed at the Swan. I wanted to learn more about it so I inquired with some cast members and they told me there was no such thing as free dining and actually stated to me "when does Disney give anything for free." They told me that you are paying for it and the price is in the package and is hidden.

Is there any truth to this?

We went 8/13-8/19. We stayed at the Pop Century 6 nights, whe had 7 day park hopper tix, and the FREE Dining Plan. The entire package for me, my husband, and our 14 year old son was $1278 - tax and all. So it was really free. We had originally booked a trip 7/29-8/5 - and the package price for same options - but NO dining - and the package for have been $1360. When we saw Free dining - we changed dates, kept all other things the same and added free dining and still saved $80!

You can not get a discount on a room to get the package, but our room was $99 per night - even if the discount was 100% off (Free Room) it would not have equalled the savings of $120 for dining plan.

We enjoyed the flexibility of going to nice restaurants and taking time for nice meals. When we went several years ago we ate at just counter service restaurants. It was so nice to try places like coral reef, Lecellier, etc...

 

[DisneyFans4]

Naz-Did this price include your airfare?

Could you upgrade to a moderate or deluxe resort with this plan even though I'm sure it costs more?

Why was I told there was no such thing as "free dining." The price sounds very good to me. So with the dining plan that includes one sit down meal at any restaurant, a counter service and what else? I'd like to know more about this plan for next year. Does Disney have a site where i can learn more about dining plans?

 

[la79al]

OP-- I feel that you are 100% correct in that most people would not necessarily eat a TS meal every night. However, we threw in one trip to Chef Mickeys last year without the DDP and it cost us very close to $100 for 2 adults and 2 kids. The kids had such a good time that DH said if he would have known, he would have gladly added another character meal. With this thought in mind, we are adding the DDP to our next trip. Another positive is the convenience. We stayed off property last year with a full kitchen. Ended up scurrying around at midnight looking for someplace to eat because everyone was too tired to cook and family restaurants did not allow us to stay in the parks as long as we would have liked. Next trip we are going to use our TS dinners as a rest between parks. Look at it as a convenience and a good way for your family to have nice dinners together.

 

[DumboDash2006]

Hmm, well if you were to compare what the DDP gives you and how much it would cost to eat that same exact amount without the DDP, yes, you save money.

But you definitely CAN eat cheaper paying OOP, especially if you eat only one or two TS meals during your trip. If that's what you WANT to eat then save money and don't do the DDP.

I think for many of us, no we wouldn't eat that way either if not for the plan. But many want to eat TS meals every day and the plan allows them to do that at a reasonable price. Also having it pre-paid allows for some relaxation. No sitting at the table adding numbers in your head to see if you should order the grilled chicken and water instead of the appetizer, steak, dessert and maybe some wine while you're at it that you really desire. Now you may be thinking "I can't possibly eat all that". Probably not, but you can try a bit of it all, and that's what's wonderful about the DDP. The possibilities.

On our trip earlier this month we ate at all sorts of places and ate all sorts of things that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to do without the DDP. We loved it. But it's not for everyone.

 

[kcashner]

My logic is that if you would eat one TS meal per night, you will save money on the DDP. The cheapest TS at WDW is a character meal, which costs $28 per adult. Add tax and tip, and you are at about $34-35. Since the DDP includes tax and tip in the $38, you are basically breaking even on that meal alone. You will have to eat something else during the day, which will easily account for $3-4.

We had many dinners where the ticket was over $100 for 2 of us. Granted, we got way more food than we would have eaten OOP, but we definitely got our $38 worth ($78 for 2). We had enough food on the plan that we bought essentially nothing OOP. We used snack credits for a light breakfast, and did bring one box of cereal with us (WDW doesn't carry DD's favorite). We could get a quart of milk as a snack credit...or a full box of donuts.

If you will eat one TS per day, DDP is a good deal. If you eat only CS or cook in your resort, it may not be. If you like to eat more than one TS per day or like a lot of signature dining, it may not be for you. (like character breakfast then sit-down dinner).

 

[mmmears]

Hmm, well if you were to compare what the DDP gives you and how much it would cost to eat that same exact amount without the DDP, yes, you save money.

But you definitely CAN eat cheaper paying OOP, especially if you eat only one or two TS meals during your trip. If that's what you WANT to eat then save money and don't do the DDP.
QUOTE]

You can also save $$$ if you eat at a TS every day but only order what you can eat (for us, that almost never includes both an appetizer and a dessert for each person in the family). We dined wherever we wanted (mostly TS), ordered what we felt like eating, and spent less that what the DDP would have cost us.

If you have to have 3 courses at each meal for each person, then, yes, you should save money on the DDP. There is a lot of waste and/or over-eating on the DDP.

PS- We're not tiny and think we like to eat a reasonable to generous amount of food each day -- the DDP is still too much food for us.

To sum up, it depends where and what you plan to eat.

 

[Markstudy]

assuming that you can afford the Disney Dinning Plan, and you're really asking-
"Should we do it, or not?" The simple answer is...

If you want a 1st class trip...
....without any worry about money while on your vacation
.....and feel like you're being treated like the rich & famous
......try some new TS restaurants that you'd normally avoid because of prices
.....and try more TS restaurants or Character meals then on most trips
.....then go for the DDP, they do spoil you

If you've been a penny pincher for so long, that it goes-against-every-fiber in your body to live lavishly(maybe waste some food or credits).... you're better off not getting the DDP

This post, is not a jab at anyone's income or earnings, I know millionaires that pinch pennies, and I know people that don't have an extra dime to spear, yet still "live big" every day

PS
if its a stretch for your trip's finances, to buy the DDP, you can save more money if you bring snacks and don't eat at TS resturants everynight.



.

 

[naz022292]

Naz-Did this price include your airfare?

Could you upgrade to a moderate or deluxe resort with this plan even though I'm sure it costs more?

Why was I told there was no such thing as "free dining." The price sounds very good to me. So with the dining plan that includes one sit down meal at any restaurant, a counter service and what else? I'd like to know more about this plan for next year. Does Disney have a site where i can learn more about dining plans?

No it didn't include air. I paid $187 Round trip for each of us (then had to pay $50 add'l to change dates). But the $1276 included everything but air, and when you add the air it was just about $2000. My brother and his friend also went with us, but stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter - They paid about $1650 (w/out air) for their package. There is information on the disney site about the plan. When it is not free it is $38/per day per adult, and $11 per day per child (under 10). It was a great deal. Not just because you save money but you don't have to bring lots of money with you. After your meal, or when you order at a counter serv. restaurant you just give your KTTW card and sign your name - that's it! Your counter service meal includes meal, drink, and dessert and your table service included appetizer, meal, drink, and dessert! We got to try things that we would never have tried. I assure you that IF I ever would have justified eating at Coral Reef for the great atmosphere, I never would have treated myself to shrimp cocktail - then order the $32 strip steak, and even though I could only maybe eat a small bite, justify ordering the wave dessert so I just could try it once. The meal for the 3 of us came to $180 after tax & tip (both included in plan). So no, if we had to pay for the meal the bill would not be that much, but we did really enjoy everything that we ordered, and it made our vacation that much more enjoyable! We decided that if we went back when there was not free dining, we would spend the money to buy it. Yes, we could eat for less than the cost of the plan, but then between the convenience and the magic it adds to your vacation it is worth it to us.

 

[ntsammy5]

I've gone over the math again and again, mocking up meal prices and I just don't see where we (family of 5) would save any money. I think it would cost $150 more.

We have a light eating 4 year old. And I don't see us wanting to sit down each night for a drawn out meal.

My projections include two meals in park and snacks with 2 sit down meals over the course of 5 days.

I'm using the prices for allearsnet.com?

Am I crazy?

Thanks for the guidance.

There are so many opinions on this it boggles the imagination. The only way you save is if you think you do. I think you do but it's all perception. Since mine is free, I save money, I think but I'm not sure. It's fun to consider all the possibilities though. You can convince yourself of anything. I hope my response is clear, but I've had a few beers so I'm not sure. Whatever decision you make will be right for you. Enjoy & have fun. That's always the right choice.

​

 

[DisneyFans4]

Naz-Thanks so much for all the info, it's something I would definitely consider for next year. I like to treat myself every year since I only go away once a year so we stay in deluxe hotels. As long as you pay the price can you stay at any hotel? I know the Swan/Dolphin do not participate in this. You mentioned you had to show your KTTW card, what does that stand for? The only problem is we don't have dinner at a TS every night and sometimes just pick at counters, especially in Epcot because I just love trying all the different foods. What if you don't want to have a TS dinner on a particular night? This particular trip we also did Sea World and Universal and also visited friends. Can you choose how many days you would want the DDP as I wouldn't need it everyday? These are all the things that need to be considered if I were to do it for next year.


Thanks again for all the info. Where can I go to get all the detailed info?

 

[rebecca314]

I've gone over the math again and again, mocking up meal prices and I just don't see where we (family of 5) would save any money. I think it would cost $150 more.

We have a light eating 4 year old. And I don't see us wanting to sit down each night for a drawn out meal.

My projections include two meals in park and snacks with 2 sit down meals over the course of 5 days.

I'm using the prices for allearsnet.com?

Am I crazy?

Thanks for the guidance.

We just got back last week with DD4 and DS2. The DDP was a mistake for us. My DD was afraid of animal characters, so we had to drop character meals and adjust our plans. We had a decent meal at Maya Grill at the Coronado Springs Resort, but we never would have gone their on our own.

We packed fruit snacks, sippy cups, and Cheez-its for the kids, and , honestly, they would have preferred it to having to sit still at a fancy restaurant. Our family will not try the DDP again until the kids are much older. We simply went to the TS restaurants because we paid for it, but I would have changed it if I could have.

Rebecca