Is this bonkers, or am I just doing the math wrong?

[uncleozzy]

While folks are advising people to add in tips, I advise them to run the numbers with tax when they compare the cost of their potential meals and food to the cost of the dining plan.

Yeah, from my perspective, my tips aren't going to be particularly different on DDP vs OOP -- I'm not ordering the most expensive entree just because I have the dining plan, and I'm not ordering the cheapest just because I'm paying cash. I might skip dessert, but you're talking a few bucks difference across a trip, tip-wise.

(Just for kicks: the standard DDP is $75.49 per day for an adult, including the 6.5% meal tax, giving a "value" of $70.88, or $4.61 in tax. To make up for that $4.61 in excess tip, at 20%, you'd have to spend $23 more on your TS meal on-plan vs out-of-pocket.)

 

[Nancyg56]

Yeah, from my perspective, my tips aren't going to be particularly different on DDP vs OOP -- I'm not ordering the most expensive entree just because I have the dining plan, and I'm not ordering the cheapest just because I'm paying cash. I might skip dessert, but you're talking a few bucks difference across a trip, tip-wise.

(Just for kicks: the standard DDP is $75.49 per day for an adult, including the 6.5% meal tax, giving a "value" of $70.88, or $4.61 in tax. To make up for that $4.61 in excess tip, at 20%, you'd have to spend $23 more on your TS meal on-plan vs out-of-pocket.)

I generally look at a TS meal I would order, add what I will likely like at a CS meal, add my snacks, add It up, include tax. That is my total. In regards to tips I tip, and we run about 20%, and our orders should be about the same with or without the plan, so the totals are about the same, with the plan or without. The biggest thing that would impact our totals, is my own mindset. I have a terrible time getting past the cost, so while in theory I would order the same, plan or no plan, the practice is different. We would save money, but I don't really want to save that way, with me pouring over prices and then choosing the fish and chops or the chicken, or wanting that bun from Gastons, but taking myself out of it. My husband is happy to let me budget the plan into the trip because after having been married over 25 years he knows me.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

btu I do nto necessarily agree that the tips are problematic.

My comment is mostly related to people who post threads saying "I beat the Dining Plan" or "Here's my cost comparison" but don't tend to have the full numbers listed.

It often comes out in subsequent comments that the person was ordering to match the Dining Plan not choosing what they wanted in general. Comments like "well we wanted to go to X but it was a terrible place in terms of 2 credit usage" or "while we got the app and dessert we just picked at it because it was so much food". And because they don't have the full numbers listed when people are reading it they don't get the full story for their own benefit. People have different tipping habits so that part will differ but including how much you tipped overall would make an impact in terms of cost comparison.

If you choose a plan that matches your habits,

Well habits and costs are two different things. You can habitually order an app and/or dessert, habitually order an alcholic beverage, habitually order a pop, habitually order the steak or lobster over the chicken, etc but the Dining Plan isn't configured in a way that all those stuff are added up tit for tat and we know that food and drink options change pricing sometimes multiple times after the Dining Plan price for a time frame is announced. The comments related to too much food tend to be related to personal habits. If someone is looking at the Dining Plan and wouldn't order an app and a dessert or wouldn't go to X type of place but does those things anyways because they have the Dining Plan then they are not necessarily choosing the plan that works for them and may be adjusting their habits to fit their square into a round hole that is the Dining Plan.

Maybe you would order steak at home but would you order steak at home if it was $54 (such as the filet of beef at California Grill)? Maybe you would have ordered that mimosa at home but would you order it at home if it was $11 (such as at BOG)? And so on down the line. I just picked random places and things--didn't want to spend too much time trying to find menu prices and items lol but you get the picture.

Guests can decide for themselves their personal dining habits but they don't get to decide the costs the Disney charges.

then choose to order even $10 because you can....the gratuity difference is actually a bit of a wash.

Yeah that's why I said

If my meal comes to $50 because of what I ordered on the Dining Plan and I would have spent $40 OOP if I was not on the Dining Plan that may not seem like much difference in the grand scheme (could even make someone just go ahead and get the Dining Plan when it's close enough) with exception to if you did this over every meal vs a couple of meals over the trip but it does in terms of tips, and it does in terms of every meal when you start to add it up.

Really my main point is to include it in cost analysis.

No matter what you order in WDW, it is taxed. Snacks, etc all taxed. You food on the DDP have teh tax included so those two snacks are now clear, as are yoru CS meals, etc. While folks are advising people to add in tips, I advise them to run the numbers with tax when they compare the cost of their potential meals and food to the cost of the dining plan.

Well sure..I think it may have been omitted in thought because I was bouncing off another poster but I frequently advise to include the full cost meaning tax and tips. The part that many people leave out in numbers comparisons is tip that's why it was specifically mentioned. So I'm not saying forget the tax and only add in tips I'm saying look at all of it together.

And multiple blog websites advise people to include tips. It just really makes the numbers more accurate and gives a more encompassing picture into the costs. People who aren't so much into exactly how much the plan costs and are instead much more interested in other facets of the Dining Plan may not see a point..but then again those people aren't so much into exactly how much the plan costs. If they would get the plan no matter the costs because of XYZ then maybe it doesn't make sense for them in their minds to include tips. But for other people's benefits it can make a difference-which was my main point.

We would save money, but I don't really want to save that way, with me pouring over prices and then choosing the fish and chops or the chicken, or wanting that bun from Gastons, but taking myself out of it.

You're not the type of person I'm talking about though . You don't want to consider the finite details of the costs in terms of ordering something or not. But I've seen plenty of comments from people who do make it out like they've beat the Dining Plan on costs.....and most people agree...that's usually not the case usually because of those subsequent comments I mentioned earlier on in my comment and not including the whole bit (tax, tip and all).

Like I said I don't care why someone gets the Dining Plan so long as they understand why they get it. For you in particular cost seems to take a backseat to not having to worry about adding up the costs if paying OOP and/or wondering if you really want that bun from Gastons.

 

[Lisa F]

I'm running this analysis myself right now and I'm also getting pretty close to the DDP cost with 4 TS and 2 QS meals... making 2QS meals (per person) and the snacks free. that is a decent enough savings. I want to do it for first 4 nights of my split stay so I will have nearly 5 full days to use the credits, which helps (we are landing at 10am on arrival day)... and then of course I can continue to use the refillable mug for the entire trip since they are active for 14 days.

What made me start thinking about it was adding in the storybook dinner at AP for $55. I already had Tusker House with RoL package and 'Ohana dinner. I decided to add in Cape May cafe because while I want to do it, it's not a good value for me having had bariatric surgery. None of the buffets are but I will do the character meals as an "overall experience" thing and the kid was BEGGING for 'Ohana and I relented. Cape May was one that I wished I'd done before the surgery but I can actually sit and enjoy a decent amount of crab legs (not $52 worth though) so I'll take the opportunity to do that since it is a good value on the DDP and I dropped Coral Reef at the end of my trip to balance it.

I also snagged a BoG breakfast that fits perfectly into our plans (that I would not have paid OOP for but I'm going to enjoy the heck out of that bellini with it!) and managed to convince my child to swap a planned homecomin' TS for d-luxe burger QS on the plan. I also moved via napoli to the end (oop) of my trip and that also frees up a whole epcot day to use QS and snack credits at the Festival of the Arts food booths which will also help with maximizing plan value.

Basically I ran the numbers and am spending ABOUT the same as I had already budgeted... only I'm getting more for the money (4 additional QS and 8 additional snacks). I hadn't really budgeted for snacks yet but since I eat about 6x a day at Disney since I eat small portions I know I'll eat them. The budgeting numbers are easiest in AYCTE situations because they are not variable.

I try to not get fussed over seeing volume of food as value at Disney since I eat so little but I also try to balance that with saving some money by going to some less expensive TS where I can share with the kiddo. Also I have my two signatures planned for second half (OOP) because I am much more likely to eat an app or two there honestly and would feel "pressure" to eat the value under DDP. With the buffets it's like, I was gonna pay for this anyway so might as well maximize value.

I thought I'd never do the DDP again after bariatric surgery but after rearranging some things and coming to terms with doing AYCTE under certain circumstances, it once again makes sense. If you're bonkers, I am bonkers too! Maybe even more so!

 

[kenshinelite]

For me the food price increases caused me to go ahead and supplement my trip with the standard plan. Last trip I payed out of pocked and saved money however after doing the cost benefits of what we would be eating it seems the plan is the more affordable choice. I wonder how long it will take them to increase the DDP price considering I am sure many people are doing the same thing we all are.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I break even or come out ahead on the DDP, if I'd order the same without it. BUT, if I do not have the plan, I won't order the way I want. When I don't have it, I keep my eye on every penny and will often choose an option just because it's cheaper. Not saying I order everything by price, but if I am thinking steak or chicken, off the plan, I go with the cheapest. With the plan, I'll get what I want most. I would always order iced tea off the plan because cocktails are too pricey...see where I'm going.

 

[ilanakan]

We're in the final stages of planning our trip for early December, and with the recent price increases, I decided to take another look at adding DDP to our package. As a quick test, I made a spreadsheet of places we'll likely eat (a combination of ADRs and probable QS locations) and the items I'd probably order.

Including the 6.5% meal tax (menu prices don't include tax, do they??), I'm spending $354.39 on meals that would be paid for by my entitlements, and the total cost of the plan for 5 nights (for just me) is $377.45. Before I even add a single snack (or include dessert at TS meals!) I'm very close to parity.

I'm including beer or a cocktail at all the TS meals (La Hacienda, CRT, Tusker House, and Sci-Fi), all of which run $10-15 ... is that where the value is? Or am I just missing something here?

Did the same calculation myself for our split stay January trip, and ended up adding the dining plan for our first 7 night stay. Without the alcohol and before snacks we came approx.$150 ahead.

 

[roselark]

I just ordered the dining plan for the first time in 10 years and also added it to my June trip. I did a very detailed analysis and determined that eating how I normally would, the quick service dining plan was only $7 more than paying out of pocket, but I would ALSO get 2 counter service meals more than I had planned for in my analysis, the refillable mug, and alcohol at meals. I won't pay the prices for alcohol most of the time at Disney, but I would like to have the occasional cocktail, so this is a real bonus. This interim period where the food prices have gone up considerably but the dining plan has not yet, is making a big difference.

The counter service dining plan was only $100 more than my OOP analysis and I would have gotten 3 extra TS and a couple of CS, but I determined that would be too far from my normal eating patterns. I have 3 TS planned and that is all I really want.

 

[DVCjj]

I know I"m in the great minority but the year DH & I we were on the dining plan as part of a Yacht Club stay, I found it one big pain in the neck. I found it added more stress to the already stressful planning Disney has created over the many years we've been going (from the very beginning of MK). I didn't want to 'waste' credits and I was always very conscious of that to the point of eating meals I didn't necessarily want. Our tote coming home on the plane was bulging with a ridiculous of bagged snacks.

We are not big eaters, very occasional drinkers and definitely wouldn't come out ahead... but in all honesty, even if we broke out even or came out a little ahead, I wouldn't do it. I LOVE getting combining Disney Gift cards via Target (and now BJ's) and simply use them the entire stay. It works for us.

More power to those that love DDP and make it work for their style of vacationing. I'm happy for them.

 

[Nancyg56]

My comment is mostly related to people who post threads saying "I beat the Dining Plan" or "Here's my cost comparison" but don't tend to have the full numbers listed.

It often comes out in subsequent comments that the person was ordering to match the Dining Plan not choosing what they wanted in general. Comments like "well we wanted to go to X but it was a terrible place in terms of 2 credit usage" or "while we got the app and dessert we just picked at it because it was so much food". And because they don't have the full numbers listed when people are reading it they don't get the full story for their own benefit. People have different tipping habits so that part will differ but including how much you tipped overall would make an impact in terms of cost comparison.

Well habits and costs are two different things. You can habitually order an app and/or dessert, habitually order an alcholic beverage, habitually order a pop, habitually order the steak or lobster over the chicken, etc but the Dining Plan isn't configured in a way that all those stuff are added up tit for tat and we know that food and drink options change pricing sometimes multiple times after the Dining Plan price for a time frame is announced. The comments related to too much food tend to be related to personal habits. If someone is looking at the Dining Plan and wouldn't order an app and a dessert or wouldn't go to X type of place but does those things anyways because they have the Dining Plan then they are not necessarily choosing the plan that works for them and may be adjusting their habits to fit their square into a round hole that is the Dining Plan.

Maybe you would order steak at home but would you order steak at home if it was $54 (such as the filet of beef at California Grill)? Maybe you would have ordered that mimosa at home but would you order it at home if it was $11 (such as at BOG)? And so on down the line. I just picked random places and things--didn't want to spend too much time trying to find menu prices and items lol but you get the picture.

Guests can decide for themselves their personal dining habits but they don't get to decide the costs the Disney charges.

Yeah that's why I said


Really my main point is to include it in cost analysis.

Well sure..I think it may have been omitted in thought because I was bouncing off another poster but I frequently advise to include the full cost meaning tax and tips. The part that many people leave out in numbers comparisons is tip that's why it was specifically mentioned. So I'm not saying forget the tax and only add in tips I'm saying look at all of it together.

And multiple blog websites advise people to include tips. It just really makes the numbers more accurate and gives a more encompassing picture into the costs. People who aren't so much into exactly how much the plan costs and are instead much more interested in other facets of the Dining Plan may not see a point..but then again those people aren't so much into exactly how much the plan costs. If they would get the plan no matter the costs because of XYZ then maybe it doesn't make sense for them in their minds to include tips. But for other people's benefits it can make a difference-which was my main point.

You're not the type of person I'm talking about though . You don't want to consider the finite details of the costs in terms of ordering something or not. But I've seen plenty of comments from people who do make it out like they've beat the Dining Plan on costs.....and most people agree...that's usually not the case usually because of those subsequent comments I mentioned earlier on in my comment and not including the whole bit (tax, tip and all).

Like I said I don't care why someone gets the Dining Plan so long as they understand why they get it. For you in particular cost seems to take a backseat to not having to worry about adding up the costs if paying OOP and/or wondering if you really want that bun from Gastons.

I know I"m in the great minority but the year DH & I we were on the dining plan as part of a Yacht Club stay, I found it one big pain in the neck. I found it added more stress to the already stressful planning Disney has created over the many years we've been going (from the very beginning of MK). I didn't want to 'waste' credits and I was always very conscious of that to the point of eating meals I didn't necessarily want. Our tote coming home on the plane was bulging with a ridiculous of bagged snacks.

We are not big eaters, very occasional drinkers and definitely wouldn't come out ahead... but in all honesty, even if we broke out even or came out a little ahead, I wouldn't do it. I LOVE getting combining Disney Gift cards via Target (and now BJ's) and simply use them the entire stay. It works for us.

More power to those that love DDP and make it work for their style of vacationing. I'm happy for them.

I know people who would rather chew glass and dine then dine the way the plan directs people to dine.
I think these are individual decisions and shoudl be made based on family dining preferences.
@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson - LOL The Bun!!! And the Venti Starbucks with extra shots, and Chocolate desserts, lots of them! At home we dine out occasionally, and I will order the steak but it usually is about $35 or $38, not $54.Thats why I cringe. WE split appetizers before the meal, and we order desserts a lot. I order a martini and wine. But the difference is that we are not eating three meals a day for 9 days. By day three I am looking at prices and not in the way I would look at them with a dining plan. I will never throw money away, so if we were buying a loser, I would make a different decision.

I think that people shoudl be careful how they make this choice though, it is not for every family, and for many woudl add more stress than it is worth.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I know people who would rather chew glass and dine then dine the way the plan directs people to dine.
I think these are individual decisions and shoudl be made based on family dining preferences.
@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson - LOL The Bun!!! And the Venti Starbucks with extra shots, and Chocolate desserts, lots of them! At home we dine out occasionally, and I will order the steak but it usually is about $35 or $38, not $54.Thats why I cringe. WE split appetizers before the meal, and we order desserts a lot. I order a martini and wine. But the difference is that we are not eating three meals a day for 9 days. By day three I am looking at prices and not in the way I would look at them with a dining plan. I will never throw money away, so if we were buying a loser, I would make a different decision.

I think that people shoudl be careful how they make this choice though, it is not for every family, and for many woudl add more stress than it is worth.

I would cringe too at a $54 steak lol. But I totally get it. My in-laws I think would really like the Dining Plan while my husband and I wouldn't and they would like it for a variety of reasons and my husband and I wouldn't like it for a variety of reasons.

 

[OHIOVACATIONER]

So the dining plans start when you check into a resort and end when you check out? Is that right? We are staying at BWV the first night without a DDP since we will be getting there late. Nights 2 and 3 at the GF and I am considering buying a plan for that. So our plan would start at check in at the GF is that right?

 

[OHIOVACATIONER]

Does anyone know the link that shows all of the places that accept the DDP?

 

[Nancyg56]

So the dining plans start when you check into a resort and end when you check out? Is that right? We are staying at BWV the first night without a DDP since we will be getting there late. Nights 2 and 3 at the GF and I am considering buying a plan for that. So our plan would start at check in at the GF is that right?

Then will be valid for the check in at teh GF, adn will be active until midnight on the day you check out

 

[sharonabe]

So the dining plans start when you check into a resort and end when you check out? Is that right? We are staying at BWV the first night without a DDP since we will be getting there late. Nights 2 and 3 at the GF and I am considering buying a plan for that. So our plan would start at check in at the GF is that right?

The credits are good from the day you check in until midnight of the day you check out. If you do online check-in for your GF stay and have the dining plan, you should have credits available to you that morning.

Does anyone know the link that shows all of the places that accept the DDP?

Just google "Disney Dining PDF" and it should pop up.