To DDP or Not To DDP....need to bounce off ideas

[dbaker375]

Hello,
I am a planner....my DH is not. So, trying to determine if the DxDP or even DDP is worth it for us is left up to me and me alone.

So that is why I'm seeking some advice. We are adults, 50 and 57 traveling for 7 days the last week of July. These are my current reservations: Boathouse dinner, Cali Grill dinner; Kona Cafe breakfast; La Hacienda San Angel dinner; Sci-Fi Diner dinner; Be Our Guest breakfast

We plan to graze and drink around the world on our EPCOT day.

It is $75 per person per day for the DDP and $116 per person per day for the DxDP.

I'm thinking that dinner alone could run $75 per person. So although there is a part of me that feels like the dining plan (either of them) is a no brainer, there is a part of me that's having trouble committing to the $1050-1600 for 2 for a week's worth of food.

 

[chris benton]

A good starting point would be to check the menus of the places you know you'll be going to, and pricing out what you would order compared to what is allowed on the plan. If you'd like to see if a plan is worth it monetarily, that's an easy starting point. You could also modify your ordering style to match what the plan's meal includes. There are threads all over this aboard about trying to see if a DP is worth it for your group. Some check if it's worth it by checking the dollars, others might not care too much about the dollars because they like to have meals pre-paid. To me, money is money, whether I pay before, during or after. If a DP doesn't make financial sense for my group, then I don't bother with it. No sense in losing money, imo. The dp's just allow you average out your costs for meals. If you order a meal above the price you paid for the plan, then you've come out ahead, if you order a meal below the price you pre-paid, you've lost money. If you don't use your credits, you've lost money. If you use credits you didn't need, you've lost money. If you throw food away, you've lost money. For our groups so far, the DP's have not made sense at all. We save money by paying out of pocket, and we eat whatever we want. Even with all of the walking and the heat, and the excitement, we still wind up gaining a few lbs!

If you price out your meals, and find out that you save money if you pay out of pocket, don't be surprised. The dining plan just averages out meal costs, it's not some "bargain."

There's also a lot of food involved. Are you big eaters? You only have 6 restaurants listed in your post. You'll be buying credits for meals and snacks at other places. Some people say they get tired of all the food they have to tamp down. WDW has some big meals, I will give them credit for that.
Good luck to you!

 

[siren0119]

If convenience is your priority - yes it's more convenient because your meals are basically "prepaid" - just be aware that there are restrictions on what you can and can't order that will be covered under the dining plan (including substitutions of items that are part of a standard menu item).

If cost is your priority, the only way to be SURE of whether it's a value is to figure out what you would eat NORMALLY, price it all out with tax (but remember that you will still need to pay tips - those are not covered by the dining plan) and then compare to the cost of the plans. All of the restaurant's menu prices are online, so it's time consuming but fairly easy to research and calculate out. The thing you DON'T want to do is feel like you have to shoehorn in eating that is out of the norm for you into the dining plan - you will almost certainly do what the PP mentioned - either lose money by not using credits, or lose money by wasting food you couldn't finish.

 

[FindingTheMouse]

Do a Google search for Disney Dining Plan Calculator. It's a site that allows you to enter in the number of people, and the dates you are going. You can then select the actual restaurants you plan at eating at. It will give you an estimate based on the average cost at the restaurants you eat at. It's not 100% accurate, but I found it gave me a good idea if the dining plan was worth it for us. If the calculator shows it's around $100 or $200 difference than the dining plan may be beneficial. I have used it in the past and found that I came out a few hundred dollars better without and in real life was actually not too far off from what they suggested.

 

[KayaWildfire]

Well just some thoughts looking at your plan-Cali Grill and the Boathouse(I believe) are two credit restaurants. Typically two credit restaurants are not great uses of credits because while dinner at the Cali Grill will likely cost you $75, you have to use two credits to eat there. Be Our Guest is a quick service credit at breakfast and lunch. Eating around the world you can use snack credits for, but the drinking around the world part you have to pay out of pocket for. Without knowing the full scope of your plans, I would say no to the dining plan(at least the regular one). And you are going to have to eat way more table service to make the deluxe worth it.

 

[sharonabe]

Are you staying 6 nights or 7 nights? The dining plans are tied to the NIGHTS, not the days. You have 7 TS credits and 1 QS credit on your list so far. If there are no other ADRs you want, the DxDDP will definitely not be worth it to you.

Each TS credit on the regular plan is roughly worth $40-42. You won't spend that much at your Kona breakfast, so you'll lose money there. Will you spend $80-85 each at Cali and The Boathouse with just entree, dessert and drink? Those are both 2TS, so it's a little harder to get that value. If you're both going to get alcohol at these meals, it will be easier to get the full value, but you still need to do the math.

 

[skippytx]

Don't forget tipping on the plans when considering the cost.

I'm not a fan of the DDP for reasons that have been argued for years here. Load up a Disney Gift card with the price of the DDP plan you want and see if you have money left at the end, I would wager you will. I'm not a big drinker though so I don't really get much value from the recent changes including alcohol.

 

[NYCgrrl]

As PP have pointed out you need to do the math for all the time you will be there and take into account how you eat. We do a 2 credit dinner almost every night we are at WDW whether paying OOP or on a dining plan with the children or without them. We also enjoy appetizers at most every dinner.

When traveling w/o the kids we rarely have lunch and are light breakfast eaters so the math told me NOT to do a dining plan for our adult only trip. Bought the gift cards at a 5% discount and employed our AP discount as well.

However when the kiddos join us we stick with the dining plan as they prefer a few light breakfast stops, lunch, and dinner.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I usually get the plan for convenience. I put together a spreadsheet upon my return and usually come out a few dollars ahead. BUT...I like the prepaid aspect and knowing I and my party can walk in and order whatever we want. Without the ddp, I'd be looking at prices and NOT ordering whatever I felt like eating but what I like best of the cheaper options. I like that no one feels compelled to share meals when it means someone has to settle, and since I travel with someone who has a digestive disorder and can't settle...well, the settler always has to be me. And I like not getting sticker shock when the bill arrives. I'm going to tip 20% whether or not I'm on the plan. And sure, since I order more expensive food on it, the tips are larger. I don't know if that's a good reason not to get it.

I am not, however, completely unconcerned about money. I was thinking about the deluxe plan for my next trip. I want to eat at signatures. However, I don't know if I want two sit down meals a day. And if I don't, and I lose hundreds as a result...no. Can't do it. Will run those numbers very carefully before I book.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Free dining is available for summer this year. You could upgrade to the regular or deluxe plan because I believe the regular ddp only comes with deluxe hotels.

 

[GillianP1301]

Unless you are planning on adding more meals to your plan, then you can pretty much eliminate the need for the deluxe plan since you have only 7 TS credits identified. At first look, the regular dining plan may be a good choice for you, assuming you plan to add another half dozen QS meals.

My advice for figuring this out is determine your entire eating plan (which meals on which days) and then look at menus and do the math. That's the only way to figure it out if choosing the option with the lowest cost is your only consideration.

 

[LaidBackDad]

We are similar to you and have eaten at very comparable restaurants but with more signatures. We did the gift card method with the magic bands mostly because of all the ridiculous restrictions of the DDP. We ate like Kings and ordered whatever we wanted without regard for price. Turns out we saved over 25% what the DDP would have cost us. You cannot get your money out of the DDP unless you are eating at a buffet almost everyday day. Despite the bad value of the DDP you also have to consider how restrictive it is and many times you can’t even order what you want.

 

[dbaker375]

Thank you all for your input. I took all the advice, googled and used three different dining plan calculators.

One showed me that if out of pocket, I'd spend $1235 for 2 adults, then showed me which restaurants to pay out of pocket for and showed math that I'd be paying above the cost of the DDP which is $1051 for our stay.

Using the same restaurants and plan, a second calculator said that I'd save $330 and I should take the DDP. I found this interesting that there could be such a swing between the two calculators. Maybe I'm stuck on stupid

 

[KayaWildfire]

Thank you all for your input. I took all the advice, googled and used three different dining plan calculators.

One showed me that if out of pocket, I'd spend $1235 for 2 adults, then showed me which restaurants to pay out of pocket for and showed math that I'd be paying above the cost of the DDP which is $1051 for our stay.

Using the same restaurants and plan, a second calculator said that I'd save $330 and I should take the DDP. I found this interesting that there could be such a swing between the two calculators. Maybe I'm stuck on stupid

Well some of the calculators are out of date price wise. Another thing to consider is whether the menu price would discourage you from ordering something or not. If it might, the DDP might be worth it.

 

[chris benton]

Well some of the calculators are out of date price wise. Another thing to consider is whether the menu price would discourage you from ordering something or not. If it might, the DDP might be worth it.

Some might be discouraged from ordering a meal cheaper than what they've prepaid for by buying the dining plan.

OP, if you don't want to rely on a calculator that is using averages and might not necessarily be correct, just look at menus, and do the math to get a feel of what you are dealing with.

 

[Nancyg56]

Some might be discouraged from ordering a meal cheaper than what they've prepaid for by buying the dining plan.

OP, if you don't want to rely on a calculator that is using averages and might not necessarily be correct, just look at menus, and do the math to get a feel of what you are dealing with.

I am one of those folks who look at prices and shrink from the very expensive items. I cannot "unsee" the prices.

OP- I would skip the calculators and go directly to the menus. Look at where you are planning to dine and pick the meals you would like to have. If you want dessert add it in, if not don't. Add the beverage you would choose, alcoholic, soft or water. This is a math exercise but it is more accurate than calculators that may not have been updated in quite some time. You will end up with a good indication of what plan you fall into if any.

 

[DisArmyWife215]

Don't forget tipping on the plans when considering the cost.

I'm not a fan of the DDP for reasons that have been argued for years here. Load up a Disney Gift card with the price of the DDP plan you want and see if you have money left at the end, I would wager you will. I'm not a big drinker though so I don't really get much value from the recent changes including alcohol.

We did this exact thing our last trip. I loaded the gift cards with $1000 based off our previous trip DDP being around 1250. We had more left over than I expected for souvenirs instead of food. And that doesn't take into account the extra that you tip outside the dining plan. I'll never use it again. To me it's still a convenience to pre-pay by loading up the gift cards, and with a 5% discount at Sams it's even better.

 

[Nancyg56]

We did this exact thing our last trip. I loaded the gift cards with $1000 based off our previous trip DDP being around 1250. We had more left over than I expected for souvenirs instead of food. And that doesn't take into account the extra that you tip outside the dining plan. I'll never use it again. To me it's still a convenience to pre-pay by loading up the gift cards, and with a 5% discount at Sams it's even better.

DOn't you tip on your meals without the plan? I know there is extra one might order within the plan. however for my family, when you remove the tax from all included items on the plan, its at least a wash.

 

[Sara_H]

I created a chart of the places we wanted to eat and what we would realistically order and calculated the price and it came out to be cheaper to just pay cash. We only ate at 4 TS restaurants (which included on breakfast buffet) because we'd rather spend the time riding rides and seeing the parks but it was much cheaper for us to not do the dining plan. However, I know people who wouldn't do Disney without the dining plan so it really could go either way. I think most of it is your personal preference.

 

[skippytx]

I think most of it is your personal preference.

This about sums up every for/against DDP thread ever. The WDW "bubble" is great, especially when everything is prepaid and you don't have to worry about anything your entire trip.

There's no way WDW would be selling the DDP if they weren't making a killing off of it. Yes there are some people who put a lot of energy into maximizing their "value" out of the DDP so they feel like they came out ahead, but that's a minority of purchasers.