Please tell me, how exactly does the DDP work..

[LdyApxr]

I have searched and can't find what I am looking for and I am wondering exactly how the plan works. I know it does not include tip or alcohol but are there any other limitations such as Entree only, or does it cover the entire meal(minus aforementioned exclusions)? We have the basic dining plan in place for our trip in May and even though I have a teenage boy(17 next week), he is not a big eater and not a big person either. LOL Granted he may grow before the trip but he may top out at 5'2", 90lbs too. LOL

 

[englanddg]

Oh, Also, since we are flying in from CA, we will not be arriving until late on the first day and flying out the morning of our last day so while we are there for 6 days and 7 nights. we are not going to be doing anything on that last day other than getting to the airport(early flight) and the only thing we will be doing on the arrival day would be dinner(not sure what time the park closes in early May on a weekday) and we will probably be tired from a day of flying/airports, jetlag etc. Plus, my husband wants to see Kennedy Space Center and that will beat least half a day away from the park for either he and I or all four of us(He's a NASA nut, having grown up during the Friendship 7 era whereas I was born just months before we walked on the moon. LOL)

You can double up credits then for signature dining and shows. Credits act as a single "pool" alotted to the room. They may be used in any order and combination as you wish starting with check in through midnight of your check out date.

You can still get your monies worth, and no, you are not stuck to the "most expensive items on the menu", because to be frank, anymore, most of the TS items are speensive!

I find it best, when trying to analyse if the DDP is a value, to start by plotting out your larger trip. What days do you plan to do what?

Then from there, start shopping restaurants that interest you. This site has some great reviews, and forum members wont hesitate to give you thier favorite picks (and least liked options) and why.

Once you have that nailed down, then start looking at the menus and prices, and use the daily cost (noted earlier by @Tuvalu) to come up with a simple tally, based on your general eating preferences, to figure out if it is a deal for you.

 

[englanddg]

Oh, one note about jet lag...in my experience, flying west coast to east coast, youll likely be surprised how much energy you have. Remember, you are flying three hours into the future! (Grin)

Have a great trip!

 

[LdyApxr]

Oh, one note about jet lag...in my experience, flying west coast to east coast, youll likely be surprised how much energy you have. Remember, you are flying three hours into the future! (Grin)

Have a great trip!

Not my experience! LOL Of course, I tend to stay CA/AZ/NM so when we had to fly to MI for my FIL's memorial(2002, the year we got married), we took the redeye out of San Jose and flew into Detroit, got there at 6am Detroit time and I hated it! By the time I adjusted, we were flying home(Midnight, hubby is asleep, me and the boys, 13 and 4, were wide awake). Of course, my husband had been in the AF since the late 60's and had just retired the year before so for him hopping time zones was not an issue. For this permanent West Coaster, nope! LOL Thankfully we only had to make that trip 3x in the past 13yrs and will not have to make it again. Maybe it was the red-eye that did me in? LOL

 

[DarthVader]

Oh, one note about jet lag...in my experience, flying west coast to east coast, youll likely be surprised how much energy you have. Remember, you are flying three hours into the future! (Grin)

Have a great trip!

That's the exact opposite of my experience. I flew to SF for a work (from Boston) and aside from wanting to go to bed absurdly early there, I really didn't feel the effects. Once I got home, I felt the time the time change more dramatically, it didn't take long for my body to adjust but the effects were more pronounced.

 

[jaklgreen]

We are a family of 4 and not very big eaters. We do not find the dining plan to be a good value for us. Usually the 4 of us can share 3 meals since most places give way too much food. I have an herbivore and a carnivore for kids, so 1 will eat the meat and some veg while the other is happy eating the veg and a salad they can easily split an adult meal with an added salad. I find the only way it might be a good deal is if you do character buffets or really expensive meals. Other wise I would just keep the money that you would have paid for the dining plan in your account and pay for the food out of pocket. I would research your dining options and look to see what your family is most likely to eat. That will give you a good idea on what you will spend. If you are paying OOP and are looking for values, places like Cosmic Rays have a 1/2 chicken and rib combo plate that is easily shared. Have a great trip!

 

[LdyApxr]

We are a family of 4 and not very big eaters. We do not find the dining plan to be a good value for us. Usually the 4 of us can share 3 meals since most places give way too much food. I have an herbivore and a carnivore for kids, so 1 will eat the meat and some veg while the other is happy eating the veg and a salad they can easily split an adult meal with an added salad. I find the only way it might be a good deal is if you do character buffets or really expensive meals. Other wise I would just keep the money that you would have paid for the dining plan in your account and pay for the food out of pocket. I would research your dining options and look to see what your family is most likely to eat. That will give you a good idea on what you will spend. If you are paying OOP and are looking for values, places like Cosmic Rays have a 1/2 chicken and rib combo plate that is easily shared. Have a great trip!

That has been our experience with the portions a lot of the time. We usually share a desert(no one ever wants a sugar coma LOL) and there have been many times that we had leftovers in the room(Grand Californian) that never got eaten because our teenager does not have the typical teenage boy appetite. I am betting many times will be a shared meal.

We do plan on doing a couple buffets and character meals and a meal or two at a signature dining but those may be just my husband and I as the kids are not as adventurous in their choices. LOL

 

[Dean1953]

I'll be at OKW from November 21-27 and am going back and forth about getting the regular DP. With just my 7 year old son and myself, it will cost $80 per day. As of now, I have 5 character buffets for dinner reserved and a breakfast at Ohanas, plus a lunch at BOG. I've used the calculator website to compare the costs and I would save around $20 over the week. The reason why I'll probably buy the dining plan is because if I paid out of pocket, I'd want to change the buffets from dinner to breakfast and I was able to get times at dinner that works for me. I don't think that I would have that same luck with getting breakfast times.

 

[MickeyMomV]

IMO there are 2 types of eaters at WDW. The first, Just want enough food to keep them going and "would never eat all the food they get with the dining plan". The second type feel that the restaurants are every bit of an experience as the rides are and don't want to be limited in what they do.

We fall into the second group. We always get the plan because, although a burger would fill our stomach and keep us going, it is not near as good as the dinner at O'hana or Be Our Guest. Do we always order the most expensive thing? No, not always. Do we always eat everything on our plate? Nope, hardly ever. Do we all try different things and share? You bet!! It's all an experience. Try new things, Get a bunch of deserts and try a bite or two of each, order things you normally wouldn't. Are you going to save hundreds by using the dining plan? No, but there is value to it. As another poster said, you may only save $20! But chances are with the dining plan you got all of your reservations (because you knew you needed to make them early) and you tried new things. To us this is how we get our money's worth, not by eating everything on our plate.

 

[jaklgreen]

IMO there are 2 types of eaters at WDW. The first, Just want enough food to keep them going and "would never eat all the food they get with the dining plan". The second type feel that the restaurants are every bit of an experience as the rides are and don't want to be limited in what they do.

We fall into the second group. We always get the plan because, although a burger would fill our stomach and keep us going, it is not near as good as the dinner at O'hana or Be Our Guest. Do we always order the most expensive thing? No, not always. Do we always eat everything on our plate? Nope, hardly ever. Do we all try different things and share? You bet!! It's all an experience. Try new things, Get a bunch of deserts and try a bite or two of each, order things you normally wouldn't. Are you going to save hundreds by using the dining plan? No, but there is value to it. As another poster said, you may only save $20! But chances are with the dining plan you got all of your reservations (because you knew you needed to make them early) and you tried new things. To us this is how we get our money's worth, not by eating everything on our plate.

Then there is me.. I love different foods and would eat more if I physically could. But there is no way I could fit enough food in my body that would make the dining plan a good value.

 

[MickeyMomV]

there is no way I could fit enough food in my body that would make the dining plan a good value.

"would never eat all the food they get with the dining plan".

Sounds pretty close to the same thing but I get what you mean.

 

[ColoradoEquestrian]

I have searched and can't find what I am looking for and I am wondering exactly how the plan works. I know it does not include tip or alcohol but are there any other limitations such as Entree only, or does it cover the entire meal(minus aforementioned exclusions)? We have the basic dining plan in place for our trip in May and even though I have a teenage boy(17 next week), he is not a big eater and not a big person either. LOL Granted he may grow before the trip but he may top out at 5'2", 90lbs too. LOL

We were on the dining plan as part of the free dining promotion last September. I loved the removal of the "sticker shock" when the bill arrived, but it also always felt like we were trying to beat the cost** by ordering the most expensive things on the menu. Even snack credits! I feel like a couple times I wrote off what I really wanted in order to win the price war. I think the best use of the dining plan, in terms of cost, are character meals/buffets...and if you guys aren't big eaters, you may really feel the sting of missing out on the all-you-can-eat value. Don't throw good money away just for the convenience of pre-paying. Just my two cents! Best wishes as you plan your trip!!!

**I paid rack rates for the room, so wasn't disillusioned by the term "free dining"

 

[USERBOYD66]

When hubby and I go to DW, we try and pick one dessert that can be brought back to the room and eaten later or even brought home for when we return to work. Or, since we drive back to NJ, eat on the road when we stop to stretch.