Will the DDP really save me money?

[ashrenee]

I have been reading a lot of threads about the DDP and I'm wondering if it will save myself and my family money. The reason being, generally speaking, when we go to Disney we eat at these places:
Crystal Palace- yum!
Le Cellier (cheese soup only)
Sci-Fi (sometimes sundaes only)
Pizzafari
Liberty Inn
Casey's Corner
50's Prime Time
and we have occassional snacks throughout the day. We usually drive so we are able to bring groceries with us, however this time we are driving and will not have the luxury of bringing our own food. However, we are staying at BWV, so we would be able to go get groceries there.

The other main thing is that my mom is not a big eater at all. She, unlike the rest of us , doesn't care about eating...she'll eat when she feels like it. (and no there is nothing wrong with her....just a busy, working woman ) Anyway, I'm afraid that the DDP would be a waste of money? $38.99 a night seems like a lot of money.

Oh, and I do have another question. We are staying 2 nights at All-Star and then 5 nights at BWV. So could we just get a 2 day DDP or a 5 day since we have are having 2 separate ressies?

Thanks!

 

[bicker]

Your mother is still going to want to/need to eat, and therefore incur some cost each meal. If you would do at least one sit-down meal per day, then yes, you'll probably save (a little) money with the Dining Plan. If you wouldn't do at least one sit-down meal per day, then you probably won't.

 

[Amber74]

My family of 6 used the DDP in January and we definately saved money going to similar restaurants. We did Le Cellier, Ohana, CP, 50's PT, Captain Jacks, Whispering Canyon, ESPN, and Chef Mickeys. We saved about $700.
Basicly we paid what we would have if we just got counter service the whole time but we got nice sit down restaurants instead. That's a good deal in my book. Hope I helped.

 

[disney_fan1972]

I think it really depends upon the type of food that you prefer to eat. If cheese burgers and fries are your thing, then I don't think the DDP will save you money. If you enjoy a sit down meal with appy's and desert then most likely you will save $$.

We tend to eat well for dinner and light for other meals, for us we save BIG $$$ using the DDP. In Aug we have reservations for dinner at Le Originale Alfredo di Roma Restorante, Les Chefs du France, Rose and Crown Pub, Concourse Steakhouse, Biergarten, and Captain Jack's Restaurant in DTD.

Think about where and what you usually eat... you should be able to figure out if you spend more or less than the $39pp/day.

Enjoy your trip... and if you want Le Cellier Steakhouse they are booked 180 days in advance (for real) so book early!!!

 

[septbaby]

We are staying 2 nights at All-Star and then 5 nights at BWV. So could we just get a 2 day DDP or a 5 day since we have are having 2 separate ressies? Thanks!

You could get a partial DDP, but keep in mind those start and end when the ressie does. So if book DDP for 2 days at All Star, you'll be OOP for your entire BWV stay. If you plan to utilize the kitchen and groceries at BWV, it might be a great treat and experiment to try DDP for two days. Maybe use the 2TS to treat the group to a Signature dining experience that you wouldn't normally consider(Narcoossee's, Jiko, Flying Fish, Yachtmen, etc.).

Good luck with your decision!

 

[i3utterfli82]

Anyway, I'm afraid that the DDP would be a waste of money? $38.99 a night seems like a lot of money.

In the real world it is a lot of money, but NOT at Disney!!

It is worth it BTW.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Is this question for an upcoming (soon) trip or your parent's anniversary trip next August? Just curious

If it is for the parent's anniversary, you may want to try the DDP and schedule a special dinner for them (with or without the kids ) and splurge!

Based on the list of places you normally visit, your dining habits appear to be in the moderate range. DDP may not be the best value for your family.

If you do it on the first 2 nights of your trip, you can get a good taste of it and splurge on a few really nice places then back to your normal dining habits.

 

[Snow_White]

I would say it's not worth it for you. It's really worth it for my family, because we always eat one sit-down meal per day, DDP or not.

 

[loveswdw]

I was really debating about whether or not to get the DDP for this trip. DH says GET IT! I'm not so sure but am definitely leaning that way. We are doing a mostly non-park trip this Oct. and thought we'd eat offsite some. My DH says yeah right, you know we hardly ever eat off property even on non-park trips. We did use DDP last trip and loved it.

Well, this trip I've planned 3 ADRs already (CP dinner, 'Ohana bfast, and HoB dinner). Figuring our meals with tax and tip those 3 meals for our family of 3 will cost around $200. The DDP for us all week is only $533+. That's 12 meals and snacks for 3! Think we'll probably go with the DDP.

Heck, the one dinner at CP for my DS costs more than one day on the DDP. $12.99 for kids dinner vs. $10.99 per day on DDP!

 

[DebbieB]

I think it depends on your eating plans. When my mom and I used to go, we would never eat a counter service plus a full dinner everyday. We never spent $39 each per day. On the other hand, when I took my 12 year old niece and we did alot of character dinners, it paid off.

I kind of disagree on how some people calculate their savings. They base it on what all the food they ordered would have cost. I think you did to look at what you would have ordered if not on the plan. If not on the plan, you may not have ordered both an appetizer and dessert per person. Unless you are big eaters, alot of food gets wasted, so I question if you really "saved" as much.

 

[vickalamode]

We used all of our credits and got everything we were allowed with each meal (drink, meal and dessert at CS, drink, app, dessert, meal at TS, and a snack) and we ended up saving $270 total between the two of us, but we wouldn't have eaten that much if we weren't on the plan, however, we probably would have broke even.