How to Manage Without the DDP for the First Time Ever

[TigerlilyAJ]

ETA: This thread is intended for people who enjoy the DDP, miss it, and wish it were back.
It is not intended as a place for DDP haters to come and say how much they don't like it, don't miss it, don't understand people who like it, or to tell those people that are foolish and/or dumb for liking it. You are not being helpful. Please feel free to start your own thread where you dump on the plan and people who use it.
Thank you

Anyone got any tips and tricks for people who always use the DDP having to do their first trip without it? I'm doing a small trip in May with a friend who has never been, a trip that has been delayed for two years. Originally, we were going to do the QS plan, mainly because we both like to have all the paying out of the way ahead of the time and to get alcoholic drinks with our meals included. We're both price sensitive, and I fear that even making a budget won't help us get over the sticker shock of looking at the menus, and beverages (of any kind) seem like the easiest way to save money--and lose fun.
As much as I already valued the dining plan, I feel it even more now that I feel like I have to decide where and what to eat AND add up the costs so I can have enough on hand instead of knowing any drink, any entree, and any dessert are already included, any snack we feel like is fine. Will we drink? Will we want dessert? Will we split an entree so we can afford dessert/drinks? What snacks will we get?
When money is an object, how do you budget, make decisions ahead of time or on the fly, and help get that fun vacation feel and *enjoy* the dining times while paying the sticker price?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Unless you both drink alcohol at every single meal, the odds that you're going to come out worse off are very slim.

Take however much the DDP would have cost, stick that on a gift card, and order whatever you want like you normally would. I think you'll be surprised at how much you end up with.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I try to put what I realistically think we will spend on food, drinks, tips, and souvenirs on Disney gift cards. We charge everything to the room and pay with the gift cards on our last night. I look at prices at home, not while on the trip. It helps when my husband forgets his reading glasses and can't read the menus!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I try to put what I realistically think we will spend on food, drinks, tips, and souvenirs on Disney gift cards. We charge everything to the room and pay with the gift cards on our last night. I look at prices at home, not while on the trip. It helps when my husband forgets his reading glasses and can't read the menus!

You can't do that anymore, unless it's a short trip. Disney charges your credit card every 5 days.

 

[pookybean]

We still like to loosely plan our dining, even without the ddp. I miss it too!

What I found helpful when budgeting is look at each menu where we will definitely go (if we made adr's) and also where we would likely go for qs (we have our favorites). I think about what we are likely to eat, if there are several possibilities I go with the most expensive... and add them all up. Same with epcot if we are planning to eat around the world. I take that amount and put it on a gift card that I buy from target for the red card discount. It helps with the sticker shock knowing that I pretty much planned for all scenarios. Last trip I actually came home with $300!

 

[Her Dotness]

Take however much the DDP would have cost, stick that on a gift card, and order whatever you want like you normally would.

Sounds like a reasonable plan since you were counting on the QS plan so likely don't do much tipping.

What may be distressing for you (and I know this sounds really peculiar for those who don't like the DDP) is the uneasy feeling of trying to choose what you want to eat. We always had had the Deluxe DDP--appetizer, entree, dessert and beverage--and felt really uncertain having to choose because we were so used to one of each category, paying no attention to prices.

It actually was a little unnerving. I felt like I was doing something forbidden the first time I ordered two appetizers and no entree. Sometimes, I truly felt rather anxious choosing even though we weren't on a budget to any extent. It was that unfamiliar a sensation at Disney even though I had no problem deciding what I wanted on the drive there and home.

Evidence of how much the Disney bubble coddles us, I concluded!

So, you may feel uneasy now and then, just a caution.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Sounds like a reasonable plan since you were counting on the QS plan so likely don't do much tipping.

What may be distressing for you (and I know this sounds really peculiar for those who don't like the DDP) is the uneasy feeling of trying to choose what you want to eat. We always had had the Deluxe DDP--appetizer, entree, dessert and beverage--and felt really uncertain having to choose because we were so used to one of each category, paying no attention to prices.

It actually was a little unnerving. I felt like I was doing something forbidden the first time I ordered two appetizers and no entree. Sometimes, I truly felt rather anxious choosing even though we weren't on a budget to any extent. It was that unfamiliar a sensation at Disney even though I had no problem deciding what I wanted on the drive there and home.

Evidence of how much the Disney bubble coddles us, I concluded!

So, you may feel uneasy now and then, just a caution.

Too funny, because that's exactly the feeling I get when I DO have the dining plan. I feel constant pressure to order the ribeye every meal to make sure I'm maximizing my value, even if what I'd really like that evening is a flatbread and a salad.

 

[_19disnA]

The Disney dining plans were more a way to pre-pay for your meals vs. saving money on food. We had the regular dining plan when we last went in 2019. We did a few character dinners and had alcohol with most dinners, but those are examples of things you can skip and save some money when paying on your own. (No one has any idea if/when dining plans will return and in what format). I think you can look at the menu prices for places where you typically would eat to get a general sense of what things costs. If you have a car, then eating off-site from Disney is also a way to save money. Food at the parks tends to be pricey and there are many other restaurants in the area because it is such a tourist destination. Even Disney Springs has a wide choice of restaurants.

I really don't see that planning for dining is any more complicated without the dining plan.

 

[nyy]

I feel your pain, OP.
We have always loved the DDP because we could pay ahead for the majority of our food. Just like you, we don't want to look at prices and feel stressed on vacation. I guess I would describe it as part of our mindset within the "bubble." We stay on property and, even though we have a car, we would not choose to leave property to eat.
We are still hoping that the DDP will come back for our trip this August.
We have already decided where we want to eat. Even though I don't like doing it, we went ahead and budgeted for what we were most likely to order. We rounded up every time. I would rather get the sticker shock now and put it on a GC then worry about it at the parks.
I don't think it would be accurate to use the old cost of the plan and put that amount on a gift card because food prices have gone up and because there is such a wide range of entrée and snack prices. And cocktails can be very expensive, as well.
As we watch current YouTube videos, we see the DDP icon on updated menu boards and that gives us hope that it will return soon!

 

[Dug720]

Take however much the DDP would have cost, stick that on a gift card, and order whatever you want like you normally would. I think you'll be surprised at how much you end up with.

Absolutely this.

I'd done the DDP in the past because I liked the more all-inclusive feel to it. But one time I tried putting the amount of the dining plan on a gift card to get the same feel of things being paid for.

And I was able to get a nice souvenir with the amount left on my gift card - while eating what I wanted without stressing about "I HAVE to get the most expensive thing even if I hate it to make the plan worth it".

Honestly that's the best way to prove that most of the time, especially if the expensive stuff is not what you'd normally order, you're not really saving all that much if any.

 

[roctavia]

I've been thinking through this same thing since we won't have the dining plan, but I'm actually looking forward to being able to choose anything and not be stuck by the requirements of the dining plan.

We've done the table service plan in the past, but will likely not do as many character/fixed price meals this time, so we have the freedom to just get an appetizer if that's what sounds good... or try more things from the flower/garden festival without worrying if they are included or not. But also like others have said, we won't feel like we have to order the most expensive thing.... but also knowing that we are probably spending less money, so it's okay to order what we want and not the cheapest thing because it's cheap.

We will probably do a lot of sharing or kids meals, since our kids aren't big eaters and 2-3 meals will feed the 4 of us. In looking through menus and snack carts etc. I've also found a lot of things that we haven't tried before that I'm interested in trying- snacky things or fun drinks that we wouldn't have done before since they weren't on the plan.

I will miss the alcohol- that was a nice perk with dinner each night, but I also can't see paying $17 for a cocktail that I don't really need... at least not with every meal.

I plan to put money on a gift card and use that for most of our food expenses.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Unless you both drink alcohol at every single meal, the odds that you're going to come out worse off are very slim.

Take however much the DDP would have cost, stick that on a gift card, and order whatever you want like you normally would. I think you'll be surprised at how much you end up with.

But that is exactly what the DDP allowed me to relax and do: Drink an alcoholic drink at every meal. And It. Was. Awesome. I had three trips to DLR/WDW of 10-16 days when alcohol was not included and had ZERO alcohol on those trips except one mini bottle of prosecco we bought elsewhere in Anaheim because DLR is just different and easier in some ways. I loved being free and relaxed and getting a drink at each and every meal. Now, it will be painful. I don't do bars or order alcohol at restaurants at home, either, for the same sticker shock. So my Jan 2020 trip with DDP was such a *vacation* because of that freedom.
The DDP is a bargain for people who have alcohol at every meal-esp if the drink is not beer.
Yes, I've been through menus, added stuff up, and have to decide to give up some drinks or face the fact that my food budget would be 40% alcohol. (50% of meals, but thanks to some snacks, more like 40% overall.)

 

[CaptainAmerica]

But that is exactly what the DDP allowed me to relax and do: Drink an alcoholic drink at every meal. And It. Was. Awesome. I had three trips to DLR/WDW of 10-16 days when alcohol was not included and had ZERO alcohol on those trips except one mini bottle of prosecco we bought elsewhere in Anaheim because DLR is just different and easier in some ways. I loved being free and relaxed and getting a drink at each and every meal. Now, it will be painful. I don't do bars or order alcohol at restaurants at home, either, for the same sticker shock. So my Jan 2020 trip with DDP was such a *vacation* because of that freedom.
The DDP is a bargain for people who have alcohol at every meal-esp if the drink is not beer.
Yes, I've been through menus, added stuff up, and have to decide to give up some drinks or face the fact that my food budget would be 40% alcohol. (50% of meals, but thanks to some snacks, more like 40% overall.)

No that's not my point.

My point was that "you'd have to have an alcoholic beverage at every single meal to even have a chance at breaking even," not that the dining plan is automatically better if you do have a drink.

If you want a drink, get a drink. If you want two drinks, get two drinks. If you want desert for your entrée, go nuts. Trust me, you're still going to come out ahead paying cash/gift card.

"I want to be able to order whatever I feel like" is an argument against the dining plan, not in favor of it. Because when you're on the dining plan, you must order the most expensive items at every meal to get your money's worth. No skipping desert if you don't feel like desert. No drinking ice water if you're just thirsty and don't want a heavy beverage. No sharing an appetizer. No skipping dinner because you had a huge lunch.

Your position seems to be that lack of DDP will force you to eat cheap. What's more likely is that HAVING the DDP forces you to eat expensive.

 

[Paflyers]

We liked the "all inclusive feel" of the DDP. We booked with it for that reason. We didn't look at it like it was savings us money or worry about getting the most out of it. We just liked the idea of being able to go out to eat and scan our bands and know that it has already been paid for. If we got a pizza at the hotel or if we went to Ohana it didn't matter. We are going in August and still holding onto that glimmer of hope that it will come back! In the mean time, I have done just what others have mentioned. I have been getting gift cards and and will use them for food/snacks and then whatever is left if anything is left at the end we save it for next time. I budgeted at about $50 a person per meal. I figure that is a reasonable amount that could at the same time also give us a cushion for other snacks and treats. We do plan to eat at all the places we had planned in 2020 with the dining plan, we aren't changing our trip one bit, just changing how we will pay for the food. (aside from things not being available.. like Hoop-DEE_Doo_Review, which I still hope returns by August!!)

 

[Beer Me]

Eat anything you want, anywhere and anytime without thinking about it. Odds are it will be cheaper than the old dining plan.

That is my experience at least after doing the math on several trips.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

The Disney dining plans were more a way to pre-pay for your meals vs. saving money on food. We had the regular dining plan when we last went in 2019. We did a few character dinners and had alcohol with most dinners, but those are examples of things you can skip and save some money when paying on your own. (No one has any idea if/when dining plans will return and in what format). I think you can look at the menu prices for places where you typically would eat to get a general sense of what things costs. If you have a car, then eating off-site from Disney is also a way to save money. Food at the parks tends to be pricey and there are many other restaurants in the area because it is such a tourist destination. Even Disney Springs has a wide choice of restaurants.

I really don't see that planning for dining is any more complicated without the dining plan.

It's emotionally complicated because spending that much on things you don't strictly "need," like snacks, desserts, and alcohol, is painful when you're trying to balance price sensitivity with the desire to have a fun vacation. DDP made a lot of the decisions (2 snacks per day, and yes, you can have alcohol and dessert at every meal), all bundled with a general vacation package that you select way ahead of time and gradually pay off before you take your trip.
I know people who long ago decided against DDP don't want to hear it, but it was a real savings for adults over age 21 who ordered an alcoholic drink at every meal. Like I did. Adding alcohol to the DDP changed the math a LOT, truly a game changer for that subset. (While making it seem ridiculous that young people ages 10-20yo have to pay the same price when they can't possibly have alcohol.)
My friend and I are both people who, when at home, will often not get dessert at a restaurant and not drink while out either, knowing how much less we can spend having a dessert and a drink (or two) at home later. Not everyone eats out regularly, even in the Before Times, because of cost. For such people, it can be hard even ahead of time to admit that we might need US$60 for one adult to enjoy the food items (this is a SW trip, so think Batuu drinks and snacks as well as the meals) we want to try.
Now add currency exchange for the Canadian dollar. It feels extravagant. I knew this. We have the money. I have a cross-border trip planned to get the Target Disney gift cards 5% off. But there is still acceptance work to be done.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

No that's not my point.

My point was that "you'd have to have an alcoholic beverage at every single meal to even have a chance at breaking even," not that the dining plan is automatically better if you do have a drink.

If you want a drink, get a drink. If you want two drinks, get two drinks. If you want desert for your entrée, go nuts. Trust me, you're still going to come out ahead paying cash/gift card.

"I want to be able to order whatever I feel like" is an argument against the dining plan, not in favor of it. Because when you're on the dining plan, you must order the most expensive items at every meal to get your money's worth. No skipping desert if you don't feel like desert. No drinking ice water if you're just thirsty and don't want a heavy beverage. No sharing an appetizer. No skipping dinner because you had a huge lunch.

Your position seems to be that lack of DDP will force you to eat cheap. What's more likely is that HAVING the DDP forces you to eat expensive.

Unless you're the subset that *adores* character dining, so that every TS meal we did was a character meal because that is exactly what we wanted to do. I totally get that lots of people will spend less ordering what they want OOP and that they enjoy not being locked into the rules of the plan. But I never get why people can not accept the converse, that there are people who have a dining style and preferences that make the DDP a deal. Not a giant one by any means, but I have done all the same math others do and know that my family's style made it a deal, including kids getting specialty drinks, which delighted them as much as alcohol delighted me.
Now, I have never done the QS meal plan, and if it suddenly came back next week, it almost certainly would not be the $55 per day for adults that it was before. So it is harder to know the math there. But having a $12 drink with each of two QS meals eats up a lot. And if you've had a positive DDP experience where it saved a pinch of money with voracious kids who wanted to try ten million snacks and enjoy every character meal, you miss it not being a choice and wonder if you can choose as freely without breaking the bank.

 

[sponica]

It's emotionally complicated because spending that much on things you don't strictly "need," like snacks, desserts, and alcohol, is painful when you're trying to balance price sensitivity with the desire to have a fun vacation. DDP made a lot of the decisions (2 snacks per day, and yes, you can have alcohol and dessert at every meal), all bundled with a general vacation package that you select way ahead of time and gradually pay off before you take your trip.
I know people who long ago decided against DDP don't want to hear it, but it was a real savings for adults over age 21 who ordered an alcoholic drink at every meal. Like I did. Adding alcohol to the DDP changed the math a LOT, truly a game changer for that subset. (While making it seem ridiculous that young people ages 10-20yo have to pay the same price when they can't possibly have alcohol.)
My friend and I are both people who, when at home, will often not get dessert at a restaurant and not drink while out either, knowing how much less we can spend having a dessert and a drink (or two) at home later. Not everyone eats out regularly, even in the Before Times, because of cost. For such people, it can be hard even ahead of time to admit that we might need US$60 for one adult to enjoy the food items (this is a SW trip, so think Batuu drinks and snacks as well as the meals) we want to try.
Now add currency exchange for the Canadian dollar. It feels extravagant. I knew this. We have the money. I have a cross-border trip planned to get the Target Disney gift cards 5% off. But there is still acceptance work to be done.

I get what you're saying, but my husband's view is "I live like a pauper at home so I can live like a prince on vacation".

We didn't do the DDP, we just budgeted what the DDP would cost and spent that instead (our last trip we were 2 adults and an under 3). If you already know what you would have theoretically spent ON the DDP, get a gift card in that amount and use that.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Unless you're the subset that *adores* character dining, so that every TS meal we did was a character meal because that is exactly what we wanted to do.

Yes, character dining and other prix fixe options are a way to get value out of it. I didn't address that because your OP said QS in particular.

I totally get that lots of people will spend less ordering what they want OOP and that they enjoy not being locked into the rules of the plan. But I never get why people can not accept the converse, that there are people who have a dining style and preferences that make the DDP a deal. Not a giant one by any means, but I have done all the same math others do and know that my family's style made it a deal

There are 3 buckets of pro-DDP people.

1. People who lose money on the dining plan but don't care... they like it anyways for the psychology of the thing.

2. People who "come out ahead" on the dining plan because they contort their behavior to beat the dining plan, with our without realizing it (i.e. ordering ribeye when they want a salad, struggling to eat every bit of desert even when they're already stuffed, leaving half of desert uneaten but still taking credit for the full price of it when they do their math).

3. People who "come out ahead" because their behavior naturally conforms to what the DDP offers.

I think a lot of people think they're #3 when they're really #2.

...including kids getting specialty drinks... which delighted them as much as alcohol delighted me.

...until they're 10 years old, at which point they're a "Disney Adult" and paying for alcohol for every single meal, which is a heck of a lot more expensive than buying a Buzz Lightyear Fruit Punch with cash.

Now, I have never done the QS meal plan, and if it suddenly came back next week, it almost certainly would not be the $55 per day for adults that it was before. So it is harder to know the math there. But having a $12 drink with each of two QS meals eats up a lot. And if you've had a positive DDP experience where it saved a pinch of money with voracious kids who wanted to try ten million snacks and enjoy every character meal, you miss it not being a choice and wonder if you can choose as freely without breaking the bank.

The dining plan isn't going to be available to you. That's just a fact. Given that fact, my goal was to put your mind at ease and say "it's not that bad, you might even come out ahead." Defending the DDP to the death in your thread soliciting advice on how to tour without the DDP isn't going to do anything to give yourself peace of mind.

 

[Beer Me]

Unless you're the subset that *adores* character dining, so that every TS meal we did was a character meal because that is exactly what we wanted to do. I totally get that lots of people will spend less ordering what they want OOP and that they enjoy not being locked into the rules of the plan. But I never get why people can not accept the converse, that there are people who have a dining style and preferences that make the DDP a deal. Not a giant one by any means, but I have done all the same math others do and know that my family's style made it a deal, including kids getting specialty drinks, which delighted them as much as alcohol delighted me.
Now, I have never done the QS meal plan, and if it suddenly came back next week, it almost certainly would not be the $55 per day for adults that it was before. So it is harder to know the math there. But having a $12 drink with each of two QS meals eats up a lot. And if you've had a positive DDP experience where it saved a pinch of money with voracious kids who wanted to try ten million snacks and enjoy every character meal, you miss it not being a choice and wonder if you can choose as freely without breaking the bank.

I said above, having done the math with real world data, you can eat and drink whatever you want and likely pay less than you would with the dining plan (even with an alcoholic drink every day).
But you are absolutely right that character meals are a game changer for ddp value. For a 7 day trip if you do more than about 3 character meals you start to come out ahead.