Your thoughts on the DDP

[Thomas123]

So our family (me, my wife, daughter 8, son 5) have been going to Disney almost annually over the past 6-7 years. However, we have never done the Disney dining plan, and I was curious as to people's thoughts and observations on it.

Factors that should be considered:
1. We are staying for 7 days
2. We are going to do the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Chef Mickey's, and Ohana Buffet


So all things considered, I would really appreciate your thoughts on it, because if we do the "regular" dining plan, it is almost 1000$ for the length of our stay.

Thank you so much!
-Tom

 

[ShookieJones]

There are going to be a lot more informed views from both sides of the aisle than mine, but I will tell you this.
It works for us.
I'm definitley in favor of it, but I can see how it could not be worth it to some couples and families.
A few quick points for you:

• We've been doing it since our kids were 5 and 9 they're now 12 and 16. (It was a lot more 'worth it' and care free then as you got appetizers and tip was included).
• We enjoy sit down meals and look forward to them at the end of the night - it's a big part of our vacation.
• If you eat a lot of quick service meals and your kids don't each much it might now be right for you.

For us even with all the changes in value and convenience over the years it's still worth it.
Let's see what the others have to say!

 

[Thomas123]

Thank you so much Shookie! With the tip not being included it does make it a lot more expensive, however, I see what you mean about the sit down at the end of the day aspect of it!

Thanks!

 

[flynnibus]

Since you have a long history of knowing how you eat.. simply compare how you have eaten in the past, compared to what new options are available when you eat on the dining plan.

Do you eat at a table service every day? Do you want to? Do you think you'd invest the time to do so?

It really boils down to your eating habits.. it sounds like you've been comfortable with how you vacation previously... unless there is feeling that you are 'missing out', I would skip it. When paying regular price for DDP, you really do have to use those credits to make it pay off.

 

[Phonedave]

DDP locks you into one snack, one QSF&B, and one table service (with entree and dessert) per day.

You have gone enough times to know how your family eats. The more you deviate from what the DDP gives you, the less you save.

If you are a appitizer person, and don't normally order dessert, do you want to change your habits to fit the plan?

Do you normally only eat a signature restaruants? Those are two credits, and usualy a "waste" of credits.

Do you not normally eat a TS every day? If not, then why choose a plan that makes you.

Do you normally order the most expensive item off of every menu, or do you sometimes enjoy chicken, fish, *gasp* pasta, or *doube gasp* vegaterian offerings? If you are ordering "cheaper" entrees at TS locations, you are not "maximizing" your plan.

For some people, they love the plan, it allows them to pay up front for their meals, and then not have to worry about spending. I will admit there is something to be said for that. Cruising where food is included, and all inclusive resorts where even alcohol is included are VERY relaxing. But if the rigidity of the DDP does not fit your normal pattern, do you really want to pay extra just you don't have to pay in the parks?

-dave

 

[luv]

I did one dining plan, one time, when they first did it. Back then, they were a much better deal, financially, than they are now.

But I didn't like it. we had to eat X number of quickie food and X number of TS. It made the planning and the trip harder. I actually said these word, "No, we can't. We have to go to the Animal Kingdom and eat at Tusker House." Before I was done with the sentence, I realized how ridiculous this Dining Plan business was. I vowed never to do that again.

Keeping track of credits used is a pain, too.

We didn't use up our snack credits. I don't know if water wasn't included the first time around or if I didn't know it was, but we had all these extra snack credits left that we didn't use.

Then the dining plan offered less bang for the buck. And they came out with different ones. And they pulled a bunch of stuff off the menus that I liked.

I am not a fan of dining plans. It's easier, more fun and cheaper (for me, anyway) to not use them.

 

[psukardi]

If you want to do the DDP you really need to crunch the numbers and see if it works for you and your party. Also the whole ADR thing is a big one.

If you're a person that's thinking about ADRs 180 days out and really want to eat at certain places, it might be right for you. If you want to just walk around - grab a burger - have a light dinner - etc then it might not.

Like said above - it's going to really depend on each person. If you're going to order the most expensive items on the menu, then it will work.

 

[Weather_Lady]

If you want to do the DDP you really need to crunch the numbers and see if it works for you and your party. Also the whole ADR thing is a big one.

If you're a person that's thinking about ADRs 180 days out and really want to eat at certain places, it might be right for you. If you want to just walk around - grab a burger - have a light dinner - etc then it might not.

Like said above - it's going to really depend on each person. If you're going to order the most expensive items on the menu, then it will work.

I second this! I crunched the numbers for our upcoming trip (the restaurant menus and pricing are all available on the dining section of this site) and discovered that even if DH, me and our 2 children eat at restaurants that are supposed to be good dining plan values (e.g., expensive buffets, etc.) and order the most expensive possible things for every meal, we're just about breaking even, with out-of-pocket costs for the same food just about the same as what we're paying for the dining plan -- and we are spending far more money on the dining plan than we would if we were eating as we normally would, since the dining plan includes more food than we'd otherwise order.

I suspect that in your case, with Hoop-de-doo, which will cost you two table service credits (meaning you're going to end up paying for an additional meal out of pocket), you'd be better off paying out of pocket than doing the dining plan.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

We are using the DDP for the first time on our trip in a couple weeks. We have a TIW card so normally we would use that, but we booked free dining just to give the DDP a try to see how we like it. We don't normally eat desserts but here and there we might all split one. I actually went through and wrote down EVERYTHING I would order with the TIW card and calculated out the total, with the savings, tax and tip then calculated out EVERYTHING I was going to get with the DDP, tax and tip and the total cost for the trip including dining and hotel was about $50 more with the DDP. However, we also had to purchase a 2 day base ticket. So for $50 more a person we were also getting that ticket (which has $187 value) so we end up coming out ahead. If we had to pay for the dining plan, I don't think we would do it but since it's free, we're going to give it a try and see how we like it.

 

[Thomas123]

Hey everyone,
This response has been amazing. Thank you all for everything and I appreciate the time you took to let me know your thoughts!

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

There are going to be a lot more informed views from both sides of the aisle than mine, but I will tell you this.
It works for us.
I'm definitley in favor of it, but I can see how it could not be worth it to some couples and families.
A few quick points for you:

• We've been doing it since our kids were 5 and 9 they're now 12 and 16. (It was a lot more 'worth it' and care free then as you got appetizers and tip was included).
• We enjoy sit down meals and look forward to them at the end of the night - it's a big part of our vacation.
• If you eat a lot of quick service meals and your kids don't each much it might now be right for you.

For us even with all the changes in value and convenience over the years it's still worth it.
Let's see what the others have to say!

I have to agree Shookie, plus, we love knowing that everything we need is already taken care of prior to our arrival. No second guessing if we brought enough money for food AND extras. (If an appetizer is enjoyed during any one of our sit down meals, that's easily paid out of pocket) and of course any alcoholic beverages.

 

[Minthorne]

Last January I did a 6 night trip with deluxe dining and did a good job of keeping track how much the dining plan covered vs what it cost me. We did 1 table service and 1 signature dining each day, leaving snacks to make up breakfast. In the end it was about break even with the following caveats:

1. We ate more at the meals than we would have. We never would have ordered two appetizers and two desserts at every meal.

2. Since we were at table service twice a day and ordering appetizers and desserts the tips were a large added expense.

In the end we decided to not do any dining plan again in the future unless we happened to go during a free dining offer (and even then I'd rather get the reduced room rate offer if available.) We felt too much of the trip was driven by our ADRs and having to get to where were needed to be to eat. Also I missed visiting some of my favorite QS spots (Columbia Harbor House, Tangierine Cafe) because we felt that wasn't the most cost-effective use of the dining plan credit.

In the end Disney is doing the dining plan because they make money from it. They have high margins on food. Basically they get you to agree ahead of time to buy a certain amount of food if you want to eat that much or not. They are making money by increasing the volume of food sales by getting us to pre-buy the food. If you just pay as you go you are less likely to overeat and consequently overspend.

 

[ShookieJones]

I have to agree Shookie, plus, we love knowing that everything we need is already taken care of prior to our arrival. No second guessing if we brought enough money for food AND extras. (If an appetizer is enjoyed during any one of our sit down meals, that's easily paid out of pocket) and of course any alcoholic beverages.

EXXXXXXXXXXXXXXAAAAACCTLY!!

 

[Phonedave]

In the end Disney is doing the dining plan because they make money from it. They have high margins on food. Basically they get you to agree ahead of time to buy a certain amount of food if you want to eat that much or not. They are making money by increasing the volume of food sales by getting us to pre-buy the food. If you just pay as you go you are less likely to overeat and consequently overspend.

That hits the nail on the head. Some days I am hungry, and want a lot of food. Other days, something light is what I am looking for. I may even skip a meal.

Being obliged to eat is not only bad for the pocket, but for the waistline as well.

-dave

 

[Bob]

My wife and I have used the DDP on our three trips to the World. We like to treat ourselves and we try and eat at as many signature restaurants as possible. That being said, when we totaled up our receipts afterwards (after each trip), we definitely came out way ahead. I also like the fact that the only thing that I have to worry about paying at the end of the meal is the tip and for any adult beverages that we may have enjoyed.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

As posted in this thread...remember the tip is not included in the DDP. TS for our family of 4 comes out over $100 (usually north of $120) per meal, so plan on minimum $15+ tip per TS.

This is the only drawback of the DDP (at least for my family); the deluxe plan includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert; the plus plan includes entree and dessert. The bill (prepaid when ddp was purchased) adds up fast and so does the oop tip.

We love the plan and would not go without it!

 

[Monty]

The "value" of the DDP is very subjective in a number of ways and even when treated objectively there are a lot of factors that come into play.

Objective stuff that should be considered:

• How many in your party?
• What level resort will you be staying at?
• What General Public discounts room-only are available or become available? Are AP discounts available and better?
• What meals will you likely order at restaurants?

All of these factors can impact the dollar value of DDP. An example: I go to WDW with my son, we normally stay at Deluxe resorts for 8 or 9 nights. For us, an AP room-only discount gives us savings that fully cover an AP for me, a Hopper ticket for him, the cost of a TiW card and everything we eat and drink for the duration of our stay. But a party of 4 staying at a Value resort would probably save much more using DDP.
Then there are the subjective factors:

• Do you prefer to prepay everything so there aren't bills to pay later?
• Do you like the convenience of not having to worry about the price of what you're ordering?
• Do you like convenience over costs?
• Do you hate having to make ADRs 180 days before you go?
• Does your eating style mesh with the credits structure of the DDP? [If you eat mainly at Signature restaurants and rarely at QS, the DDP will leave you paying OOP for a lot and having tons of leftover credits]
• If you get an AP for savings on one trip, will you be tempted to take many more trips just because you now have an AP? [I'm guilty of this, all the savings from the AP room only trip were great, but I then did two more trips that year that I wouldn't have except for the AP burning a hole in my pocket... ]

When it comes to DDP the opinions range widely because there are so many different mindsets as to what "value" means. It really is up to each person to determine for themselves what works for them, but the more detail you go into in making that determination, the happier you'll be with the result.

 

[firecatgirl]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but can u only make ADRs if u have a dining plan?

 

[Monty]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but can u only make ADRs if u have a dining plan?

Anyone can make ADRs. You don't need to be a resort guest or have anything special. All you need is a plan to eat and a ticket if it's going to be a restaurant inside a park.

You can phone [407-WDW-DINE] or book on-line http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

And there's no such thing as a dumb question... If you don't know, ask!

 

[luv]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but can u only make ADRs if u have a dining plan?

No way. Anyone can made ADRs.

Some of the restaurants will charge no-shows and require that that you supply them with a credit card for that. That's just some of the restaurants, not all. Otherwise, you don't need anything. Not a dining plan. Not a hotel reservation. Nothing.