Will the DDP be worth it for us?

[Lupeix]

I have always payed OOP for our meals at Disney, but I am considering the dinning plan for our next trip. We do mostly TS and the bills for restaurants on our last trip were huge.
Also, It is a celebration trip (Bdays for me and DD) and we want to splurge a little.
DD is turning 3 on the trip, so she doesn't pay. DS will be 7.
DH likes to sit down to eat (he will never do CS) and prefers the signature restaurants. So if we do it it will be the deluxe.
DH tends to order the most expensive thing on the menu always. We like the character meals as well. So for sure we will do at least one signature or character meal a day. DS is picky and eats mostly off the kids menu. DD is a big girl and a big eater (95% for height and weight), she actually eats more than her brother. If not in a buffet could I use our credits for meals for her? Can you book the dining packages (fantasmic, rivers of light) with the deluxe dining plan?

 

[sharonabe]

If not in a buffet could I use our credits for meals for her? Can you book the dining packages (fantasmic, rivers of light) with the deluxe dining plan?

Yes, your credits are pooled to the room, not to each individual, so you can use credits to get her a meal. Just be sure to plan this out. You don't want to end up with no credits for anyone and pay OOP for the adults at your last signature or buffet.

Yes, dining credits are good for the dining packages.

 

[BinaryRun]

Just want to give a heads-up that gratuity is not included in the meal plan (except for a select few experiences) and will need to be paid OOP.

 

[rwdavis2]

Worth? Depends on what you order. It's a ton of food and none of the plans are designed to save you money except in very specific circumstances.

 

[Dayzy]

We get the deluxe and while doing the math it saves us some, not much, money. We usually do character breakfasts and TS dinners. When I added up the cost of what I guessed my family would eat and compared it to the cost of the plan, it made sense. We also loved using out snack credits on bags of candy to bring home with us.

 

[Lupeix]

We get the deluxe and while doing the math it saves us some, not much, money. We usually do character breakfasts and TS dinners. When I added up the cost of what I guessed my family would eat and compared it to the cost of the plan, it made sense. We also loved using out snack credits on bags of candy to bring home with us.

Didn't know you could do this, where do you do it?

 

[Dayzy]

Didn't know you could do this, where do you do it?

I go to allears.net and choose "dining" and then "menus" from the wdw drop down menu. For buffet meals it will give a price range and I just bet on it being the higher end of that range. For all other TS meals I choose what I know the kids and will pick and just guess on Hubby's because he won't really choose until we get there.

 

[persimmondeb]

For big eaters who like the expensive end of the menu, it's usually worth it. We usually do regular or CS (and NOT because we think DxDP is going to be too much food), and are always glad we've had it. There are a few CS options that have a fairly relaxed "sit down" feel, particularly WPE, or eating Cooke's in the pub garden between it and Raglan Road, too.

 

[joannamet]

I go to allears.net and choose "dining" and then "menus" from the wdw drop down menu. For buffet meals it will give a price range and I just bet on it being the higher end of that range. For all other TS meals I choose what I know the kids and will pick and just guess on Hubby's because he won't really choose until we get there.

This is really the only way to determine if the DP will save you money. Its kind of fun and doesn't take long. Just look up the menus for the restaurants where you plan to eat and choose typical meals for each person to get a rough idea of how much you're likely to spend for each meal. Prices for buffets are posted here on the boards. Don't include the tip. You have to pay the tip OOP on the DP so that will be the same regardless. Add it up and compare to the cost of DDP for the number of days you're staying Remember that some restaurants require double DP credit. Also, the DP is based on the number of nights you stay at the resort so you may not have enough dining credits for arrival/departure day. Those meals should be added to your DP cost.

 

[sharonabe]

For buffet meals it will give a price range and I just bet on it being the higher end of that range.

If you go over to the main restaurant board, there is a sticky with all the buffet/all-you-care-to-eat/F!, ROL, CP dining package prices listed exactly. No need to guess or use the higher end of the range.

 

[Lupeix]

Thanks, I will run the numbers
My question is how/where do you order bags of candy to take back with snack credits?

 

[sharonabe]

Thanks, I will run the numbers
My question is how/where do you order bags of candy to take back with snack credits?

Your resort gift shop will have them. Many of the parks' gift/candy shops will also have them. Goofy's over at Disney Springs is a good place. Just be sure to ask a cast member what you can purchase with a snack credit.

 

[Branflakes]

Thanks, I will run the numbers
My question is how/where do you order bags of candy to take back with snack credits?

The Confectionary in MK, Goofys and your resort hotel. You can use snack credits for rice crispy treats, candy, trail mix, cookies, all kinds of things. Also, your unused qs/ts credits can be converted to 3 snacks per credit, but this specifically is never ever a good value for what you pay for actual meal credits. Only a last ditch effort to recoup a little bit of what you already spent.

 

[persimmondeb]

The Confectionary in MK, Goofys and your resort hotel. You can use snack credits for rice crispy treats, candy, trail mix, cookies, all kinds of things. Also, your unused qs/ts credits can be converted to 3 snacks per credit, but this specifically is never ever a good value for what you pay for actual meal credits. Only a last ditch effort to recoup a little bit of what you already spent.

I'm going to differ on the three snacks never being a good value. You do want to be careful, but if those "snacks" are three Venti Starbucks with all the bells and whistles, for example...

 

[Branflakes]

I'm going to differ on the three snacks never being a good value. You do want to be careful, but if those "snacks" are three Venti Starbucks with all the bells and whistles, for example...

True. That would be a good use of a qs to snack conversion.

 

[GillianP1301]

From what you're describing, you sound like perfect candidates for DxDP. Wanting only TS meals, 2 kids under 10 with lots of character meals, wanting to take advantage of some signature and/or dining shows and knowing that one of you will most likely always prefer the higher priced menu items all are great reasons to do the deluxe plan. Add in the fact that you can order off the adult menu for your children when on the deluxe (there will be some exceptions to this, but I haven't come across any yet and we do 20+ TS meals a trip) and you add even more value.

If you want to be certain you are getting your money's worth, then crunching your numbers in a dining plan calculator would be a good thing to do, but I'm willing to bet you'll find yourself coming out ahead.