If you back out taxes and tip on DDP

[LarryKeith]

If you back out taxes and tip on DDP, then wouldn’t that give you real cost per person? If they give 18% to staff and I don't know the tax rate on food but guess just 7% (probably closer to 10%). and rounding to $38 $$ per adult per day. That’s $9.50 in tax and tip per day, so a real cost off menu would be $28.50 per day per adult.
Now the ?? is does the menu price or buffet price that’s printed here or at Debs menu web page include the taxes? I don’t think so but I could be wrong. I'm know this has been dissected 6 ways from Sunday, but this simply little thought came and wanted to share it. Please don't flame me for under analyzing this.

 

[bicker]

Tax on food is 6% (except perhaps at the All Star Music food court).

Deb's menus generally don't include taxes.

So the actual amount is closer to $30 per adult per day.

 

[Lewisc]

If you assume your CS meal is "worth" $8 and your snack is worth $2 then even the lower piced entrees at the the lower priced TS will still cost enough to justify the plan.

 

[bicker]

I think your $8 and $2 numbers are right on-target, which means that only $20 goes towards dinner. That's a bargain just about anywhere on-property.

 

[formernyer]

If they give 18% to staff and I don't know the tax rate on food but guess just 7% (probably closer to 10%). and rounding to $38 $$ per adult per day. That’s $9.50 in tax and tip per day, so a real cost off menu would be $28.50 per day per adult.

Your tax and tip figures are static, but in reality they are dynamic numbers based on the food you order.

I thought tax was 6.5% when I was there last month, but I'm going to use Bicker's 6% figure because it's more conservative and he's probably correct anyway since I'm just working off memory.

Let's assume you eat at Donald's breakfast. Your meal, including drinks, is $18.99. Tax and tip come to $4.56.

Now let's assume you eat a $55 meal at Le Cellier or Coral Reef. Your tax and tip at this restaurant come to $13.20.

As you can see, applying a flat $9.50 doesn't work. Every restaurant is priced differently, so the value of the tax and tip will also change accordingly.

 

[bicker]

It is 6.5% -- 6% is the Florida state sales tax, but Orange County adds on their own 0.5% sales tax.

So that makes the number $30.25.

30.25*1.065*1.18=38.01

 

[Lewisc]

I think the purpose of the post was to help in deciding if the plan is a good deal. Some people may not realize the value of the tax and tip.

Assume your snack is worth $2 (with tax) and your CS meal is worth $8 (with tax). I think you'll agree it's next to impossible to buy a snack or CS meal for less than those numbers even if you select the cheapest meals in the cheapest restaurants.

That leaves $28 for your TS meal, back out tax and tip and you're left with around $22. Again that's a great deal even if you order the cheapest item in the menu and even if you skip appetizers or dessert.

I guess guests who drink water and only order the cheapest entree on the menu might not break even.

Your tax and tip figures are static, but in reality they are dynamic numbers based on the food you order.

 

[drogerstn]

Lewisc's numbers look pretty good to me. 18% tip may be high and do you tip the after tax amount or before-tax amount of the bill....

There are cheaper TS meals for lunch or breakfast than $22, but then again, as Lewisc mentioned, $8 for a CS is very conservative, so his numbers still make sense. If you compare one snack, one CS meal, and one TS meal per day paying OOP to using the DDP, it would be difficult not to at least break-even by purchasing the DDP. If you eat supper at most TS WDW restaurants and order an appetizer and dessert, the DDP savings can really add up.

We follow a different game plan and spend much less than $38 per day on food while at WDW. I have been tempted by the DDP which is what WDW marketers are planning on. The more they can convert to the dark-side, the more revenue it will generate that would have otherwise been lost. But then again, the money we save on food probably ends up going to WDW some other way, like souvenirs, longer stays or more frequent trips....

 

[bicker]

The 18% tip is proscribed... it's not discretionary. The difference between tax before tip and tip for tax is about $0.60.

 

[formernyer]

18% tip may be high

Like others have said, 18% isn't something that you choose...it's automatically included in your DDP. What I'm not sure about his how you can say that it's high. It's high for a buffet, but standard tip for any sit-down meal is 15% to 20% depending on level of service.

If anyone is using this thread to determine whether the DDP is a good value, please keep in mind that these $$ amounts are VERY conservative. Most snacks are NOT $2.00...most are $2.50 and several are $3.00.

Most CS meals are NOT $8.00. The combo is around that price, but the CS credit also includes dessert and drink. I was in WDW at the end of March and I did not purchase a single CS meal that was $8.00 or less. The meals ranged from $7.00 to $13.99 (I'd guess about $8 on average...the $13.99 combo was the most expensive I saw anywhere), plus $2 for a drink, $3 for dessert, and tax. The total for an average CS meal came to around $13.

If I'm trying to make an assessment of the DDP value based on averages I'd consider the CS plus the snack to be $15 out of the $38, leaving just $23 for the TS meal (including tax and tip).

My recommendation is to not assess the DDP based on some static formula. If you do it that way, it's always going to come out looking like a winner. Instead, figure out exactly what your family would eat without the plan (whether it be in the parks or off-site). Once you know how much it would cost you without the plan, then compare it to the cost of the plan and see if it's worth it. For some people it will cost less for the DDP, so it's a no-brainer. For other people it will cost more, but it's worth it to splurge because there is soooooo much more food on the DDP. For some people the plan is not worth the additional cost because of budget constraints or because the extra food would just go to waste.

 

[Lewisc]

Like others have said, 18% isn't something that you choose...it's automatically included in your DDP. What I'm not sure about his how you can say that it's high. It's high for a buffet, but standard tip for any sit-down meal is 15% to 20% depending on level of service.

If anyone is using this thread to determine whether the DDP is a good value, please keep in mind that these $$ amounts are VERY conservative. Most snacks are NOT $2.00...most are $2.50 and several are $3.00.

Most CS meals are NOT $8.00. The combo is around that price, but the CS credit also includes dessert and drink. I was in WDW at the end of March and I did not purchase a single CS meal that was $8.00 or less. The meals ranged from $7.00 to $13.99 (I'd guess about $8 on average...the $13.99 combo was the most expensive I saw anywhere), plus $2 for a drink, $3 for dessert, and tax. The total for an average CS meal came to around $13.

If I'm trying to make an assessment of the DDP value based on averages I'd consider the CS plus the snack to be $15 out of the $38, leaving just $23 for the TS meal (including tax and tip).

Using your logic I'd say the $23, including tax and tip to be VERY CONSERVATIVE for a TS meal. Back out tax and tip and you're down to around $18 which doesn't even cover the cheaper entrees at most restaurants. Increase my conservative allowance for CS and snacks and then the TS credit becomes a steal.

My point is any guest who's going to actually use the componenets, CS, Snack and TS meal will get "their monies worth" even if they make no attempt to "max out the plan", maybe not if they use their TS credits for breakfast.

Disney pays the CS restaurants around $8.50. No matter how you allocate the $38 the plan works.

 

[drogerstn]

The 18% tip is proscribed... it's not discretionary.....

When backing the estimated value of CS and snack out of the $38, then comparing the remainder to the amount of money one would spend on a TS out-of-pocket, the tip is descretionary. For example, if one estimates that the amount they would spend on one CS meal and one snack to be $15, then all the person has to do to break even on the plan is to spend $23. This $23 includes tax and tip; so, if you back out the 6% for tax and whatever you expect to tip, it leaves the menu price to break even.

 

[FogliaFamily]

We decided to go for it and saved our receipts and totaled them up at the end. We paid $654 (2 adults, 3 kids) and after adding the receipts it totaled $1,025. Well worth it, and lots of food. You really have to like TS meals since it's a big time committment, especially with the travel. The only food we paid out of pocket were a few extra snacks.

 

[LAWalz23]

Thanks for the figures. I have been going round and round because we have lunch at CRT and that takes two credits. I knew it was a steal for the kids but questionable for the grownups and looking at evrybody's figures, I think we are going to go ahead and use the 2 credits each at CRT.

 

[aubriee]

As far as evaluating if it's worth it, you'd need to evaluate how your family eats. If I was going solo or taking my 9 y/o GD we skip breakfast, hate to stop to eat TS, and don't always eat snacks. CS twice a day with a granola bar (from home) thrown in while waiting in line would work fine for us and be much cheaper than the dining plan. However if I'm taking my 73 y/o mom, who is a very brittle diabetic the dining plan is a steal. She must eat regularly and frequently. She doesn't eat much, but must eat frequently and regularly (three meals and two snacks/day). Making ADRs forces me to slow my usual commando style and gives her the time she needs to get out of the heat and rest. I can give her my snack every day which will give her the two snacks she MUST have. We can carry food for her to eat in the room for breakfast (which again she MUST have) or we can split our TS meals and then be able to eat two TS meals/day and use the CS for breakfast. The dining plan has alot of food, but when you are traveling with someone who must eat five-six times/day it is a real money saver. There is no way we could buy the food she must have for $38.00/day.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that it is important to determine how your family will use the plan. For my family, it was a steal, and we did not try to maximize our value. I went to Debs all ears, checked out the places where we wanted to eat, and booked the plan. Now we are a family that likes to sit and visit at the end of the day, and enjoy a good meal, so this worked for us. If your family does not want to commit to TS every day, it may be more of an annoyance.

 

[drogerstn]

...it was a steal, and we did not try to maximize our value. I went to Debs all ears, checked out the places where we wanted to eat, and booked the plan. Now we are a family that likes to sit and visit at the end of the day, and enjoy a good meal, so this worked for us.

Good point and I think this goes along with some of the analysis inidcated by some other posters. If it fits your eating habits/plans, you'd have to really "work at it" to make it not be good value.