Any truth to dining plan rumor?

[_Scar]

I'm going on DVC points and using the DP to FINALLY be able to eat at places and order the most expensive thing on the menu, rather than eat cheap/split/etc.

TiW didn't save us much of anything when calculated, and it's much more convenient to only pay tip when dining rather than dropping hundreds left and right (at least, IMO it is).

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I'm going on DVC points and using the DP to FINALLY be able to eat at places and order the most expensive thing on the menu, rather than eat cheap/split/etc.

TiW didn't save us much of anything when calculated, and it's much more convenient to only pay tip when dining rather than dropping hundreds left and right (at least, IMO it is).

TiW saves you 20%. How did it not save you "much of anything when calculated"? Seems it should have come out to a 20% savings... :lookaroun Which is more than the DP saves you, even if you work the system and get the most expensive thing on the menu.

Sounds more to me like you're in the "less effort" camp, that likes the DP so they don't have to actually pay for the meal at the meal... Even though now you still have to pay the tip (which means you're shelling out money at the meal now ANYWAY), and if you've paid for the DP, you've already paid for the meal ahead of time. Personally, I think the changes have even removed the "less effort" benefit that you suggest matters to you. :shrug:

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Since I'm a DVC member, I'll take a stab at it.

I don't know. :ROFLOL:

We tried it twice because we were curious to see if it really could save us money. It did quite a bit, but the trade off was a ton of flexibility and pressure to make sure we got the most.

If we ate on DDP like we do when don't have DDP we would lose money.

We are going for 10 days starting next week (squee!) and aren't using DDP.

Was that before the changes they've made to the DDP?

I think that's what many find... The only way to make the DP save you money is to do things you wouldn't normally do... Like ordering dessert at every meal, ordering the most expensive thing on the menu even if it's not really what you want, etc...

Sounds like we'll be down there at the same time! I'm guessing we'll stumble past each other at some point at Food & Wine... :lookaroun:lol:

 

[googilycub]

TiW saves you 20%. How did it not save you "much of anything when calculated"? Seems it should have come out to a 20% savings... :lookaroun Which is more than the DP saves you, even if you work the system and get the most expensive thing on the menu.

Speaking in absolutes again. My caculations from our trip last year was that we saved 31% over paying cash out of pocket for our meals. We do not order the most expensive thing unless that is what we want to eat, I'd say it was less than half of the time. Anyway it is nice that, as usual a DP question thread gets overrun with people bashing the DP

 

[_Scar]

TiW saves you 20%. How did it not save you "much of anything when calculated"? Seems it should have come out to a 20% savings... :lookaroun Which is more than the DP saves you, even if you work the system and get the most expensive thing on the menu.

Sounds more to me like you're in the "less effort" camp, that likes the DP so they don't have to actually pay for the meal at the meal... Even though now you still have to pay the tip (which means you're shelling out money at the meal now ANYWAY), and if you've paid for the DP, you've already paid for the meal ahead of time. Personally, I think the changes have even removed the "less effort" benefit that you suggest matters to you. :shrug:

"less effort"? How does effort even apply to dining? It's more of a psychological strain. :shrug:

And If I'm paying 800 dollars for 3 people, that means I'd be paying only 640. Plus the 100 = 740. 60 dollars. Okay but...

DP would save because we love steak/seafood and we loooove dessert. Averaged out, we would be spending more for our meals on the 'pocket plan' rather than the dining plan because we're ordering the most expensive item (usually steak/seafood +dessert). So, DP is more of value for us this time.

 

[djpoore94]

DH and I are DVC members who use the DP (we've used all three levels at various times) and love it. We pretty much know how to work the system so that we do save money, but I also like knowing exactly what I'm going to spend with the exception of paying out of pocket for sodas or popcorn (it makes no sense to use a snack on something like that) and having everything paid for when we arrive so that we can have a little more freedom for souviners without having a huge credit card bill when we get home.

We tend to be very conservative diners when we are paying cash as we go, but with the dining plan if we see something we want we get it insted of saying that it looks good, but is too expensive.

TIW does not work for us as we do not currently visit enough days in one year to justify the purchase of an AP.

 

[bgraham34]

When I hear people say that they know how to work the system what does that mean exactly. Yeah granted you can order the most expensive thing on the menu but what else.
I usually get the TIW card which i get 2 trips out of in the year. It seems to work for me. I weighed the options and I just did not see any saving using the DDP. We never eat desert in the restaurants and why would we when you can get a Dole Whip or whatever else we want later in the evening.

 

[jumblue]

Being a bit of a neophyte... TiW?

 

[brifraz]

First of all, if that rumor is true, it could be very nice for us.

Second, to the constant arguing of DDP for DVC members and the value. Here are the numbers from our trip this past summer (tips are not included because regardless of any discounts we tip around 20%):

The cost of our standard DDP for 8 nights, 2 adults and 1 child was $770.

The actual reciepts from those meals totalled $1040

20% off of the table service meals from that trip (TiW card) would be $145. The cost of the TiW card is $75 (AP holder). Net savings is on $70.

For this trip, DDP at full price was a very good deal for us. Your results will vary.

 

[bgraham34]

First of all, if that rumor is true, it could be very nice for us.

Second, to the constant arguing of DDP for DVC members and the value. Here are the numbers from our trip this past summer (tips are not included because regardless of any discounts we tip around 20%):

The cost of our standard DDP for 8 nights, 2 adults and 1 child was $770.

The actual reciepts from those meals totalled $1040

20% off of the table service meals from that trip (TiW card) would be $145. The cost of the TiW card is $75 (AP holder). Net savings is on $70.

For this trip, DDP at full price was a very good deal for us. Your results will vary.

Its great that you saved money but it does not work for all people. I just could not see it working for me and surprised that so many people it does work for. Out of curiosity what restaurants did you eat at.

 

[_Scar]

Its great that you saved money but it does not work for all people. I just could not see it working for me and surprised that so many people it does work for. Out of curiosity what restaurants did you eat at.

It really has a high success rate for DVC renters who do NOT have to pay for a full-price package deal.

I think this is where people are the most turned off by the idea of DDP.

 

[brifraz]

Its great that you saved money but it does not work for all people. I just could not see it working for me and surprised that so many people it does work for. Out of curiosity what restaurants did you eat at.

Day 1 - Chef Mickey's $73, Main St. Bakery $10, Snack $3, Sunshine Seasons $24, Snack $4
Day 2 - Snack $5, Cape May Cafe $68, Snack $3, Electric Umbrella $26
Day 3 - Main St. Bakery $10, Boardwalk bakery $15, Mama Melrose $83, 2 snacks $7
Day 4 - Fairfax Fare $13, Mara $13
Day 5 - Restaurantosaurus $30
Day 6 - Akershus $96, Snacks $10, 1900 Park Faire $100
Day 7 - Mara $25, Lottawatta $30, snack $3, Tusker House $85
Day 8 - Main St. Bakery $20, Snacks $13, Mara $30, Garden Grill $90
Day 9 - Mara $25, 50s Prime Time $65, Studio Catering $50, snacks $15

I know that everyone gets different results. I am just speaking for our results and to make sure people know that sometimes it is worth it.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Speaking in absolutes again. My caculations from our trip last year was that we saved 31% over paying cash out of pocket for our meals. We do not order the most expensive thing unless that is what we want to eat, I'd say it was less than half of the time. Anyway it is nice that, as usual a DP question thread gets overrun with people bashing the DP

31% last year? That's a HUGE savings... A bigger savings than they even advertise, I do believe. I'd be interested to see where and how you ate.

You must REALLY know how to utilize the DP to the fullest.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

"less effort"? How does effort even apply to dining? It's more of a psychological strain. :shrug:

And If I'm paying 800 dollars for 3 people, that means I'd be paying only 640. Plus the 100 = 740. 60 dollars. Okay but...

DP would save because we love steak/seafood and we loooove dessert. Averaged out, we would be spending more for our meals on the 'pocket plan' rather than the dining plan because we're ordering the most expensive item (usually steak/seafood +dessert). So, DP is more of value for us this time.

I didn't mean the "less effort" thing in a bad way. There's a group of people that enjoy using the DP because they don't want to have to actually "pay" for the meal at the time of the meal. I was just guessing that was a big benefit to you judging by what you said.

I think the DP is kinda like DVC... You can make the math look however you want it to. I'm not directing that at you... I'm just saying there's so many ways to skin this cat.

But I'm still not sure how TiW wouldn't be better for you... As you'd get a 20% savings irregardless of how you decided to eat.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

DH and I are DVC members who use the DP (we've used all three levels at various times) and love it. We pretty much know how to work the system so that we do save money, but I also like knowing exactly what I'm going to spend with the exception of paying out of pocket for sodas or popcorn (it makes no sense to use a snack on something like that) and having everything paid for when we arrive so that we can have a little more freedom for souviners without having a huge credit card bill when we get home.

We tend to be very conservative diners when we are paying cash as we go, but with the dining plan if we see something we want we get it insted of saying that it looks good, but is too expensive.

TIW does not work for us as we do not currently visit enough days in one year to justify the purchase of an AP.

But don't you still have that credit card bill? You just get it sooner when you buy the DP.

And I'm not arguing, just discussing. :wave:

 

[Buried20KLeague]

When I hear people say that they know how to work the system what does that mean exactly. Yeah granted you can order the most expensive thing on the menu but what else.
I usually get the TIW card which i get 2 trips out of in the year. It seems to work for me. I weighed the options and I just did not see any saving using the DDP. We never eat desert in the restaurants and why would we when you can get a Dole Whip or whatever else we want later in the evening.

For example: Sig dining is the WORST thing you can do on the DDP, as it uses two TS credits, and will equal less than what two single credit restaurants would run. Same sort of thing with the dinner shows. Many people don't think of it that way... They just think "WOW, I can afford to eat at a Sig restaurant we normally couldn't eat at!!"... Well... Sure, but somehow, somewhere, it's going to still cost you more than a regular TS restaurant would.

After that, if you REALLY try to maximize, you base your restaurants on cost, rather than desire. I haven't done this, but I know people who have, using the "we can't normally afford the more pricey places" reasoning.

The other one is on CS credits... Using one CS credit to get a double cheeseburger, for example, and then buying an extra bun for like $.80 or something, which then changes that single CS meal into basically two meals for one...

That sort of thing.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Being a bit of a neophyte... TiW?

Sorry. Tables in Wonderland.

Costs something like $75 per year, but gives you a 20% discount on all food an non-alcoholic beverage purchases at Table Serivce restaurants.

But you have to have an AP to buy one.

I drew the corrolation that most DVC members probably have AP's, which might have been an overstep on my part...

 

[googilycub]

But I'm still not sure how TiW wouldn't be better for you... As you'd get a 20% savings irregardless of how you decided to eat.

Well for one thing, you don't start getting any savings until you "save" the price you paid for the TiW. As BRIFRAZ posted with his breakdown, he saved over $250 dollars on the DP vs a net saving of $70 with the TiW. Of course everyone is different. If you drink, the TiW helps, the more often you go, the TiW helps more, but those don't really apply to us.
On our trip last year we spent about $875 dollars on the dinning plsn, and the reciepts totaled over $1450, including the snacks. That was a savings of over $500 dollars, much more than 20%.....

PS Don't forget the automatic 18% tipping if you use the TiW. While if the service is good, I will tip more than that, you are locked into that tip even if the service is bad. You also have to pay that 18% gratuity even at a buffet. I like to think that I am a good tipper, but you will be hard pressed to get that big of a tip for bringing me drinks......

 

[Tom]

Well for one thing, you don't start getting any savings until you "save" the price you paid for the TiW. As BRIFRAZ posted with his breakdown, he saved over $250 dollars on the DP vs a net saving of $70 with the TiW. Of course everyone is different. If you drink, the TiW helps, the more often you go, the TiW helps more, but those don't really apply to us.
On our trip last year we spent about $875 dollars on the dinning plsn, and the reciepts totaled over $1450, including the snacks. That was a savings of over $500 dollars, much more than 20%.....

PS Don't forget the automatic 18% tipping if you use the TiW. While if the service is good, I will tip more than that, you are locked into that tip even if the service is bad. You also have to pay that 18% gratuity even at a buffet. I like to think that I am a good tipper, but you will be hard pressed to get that big of a tip for bringing me drinks......

I'm glad you brought up the 18% tip. In theory, TiW is really only a net 2% savings, and that's not taking into account the $75 membership fee.

I'm with you 100%. We've used the DDP on the last 6 trips. Each time we've kept the receipt from every TS, CS and Snack Vendor and tallied them up at the end. Savings varied, but there was always a significant savings. And it didn't make life any more inconvenient for us - we didn't adjust our plans at all to accommodate the DDP, because we would have been eating at most of those places regardless. I also don't adjust what I order based on the DDP - except that I WILL get something more expensive on the plan than I would if I were faced with that choice outside of the plan...but it's still something I like.

People will argue that while you do indeed spend less money on the plan than you would purchasing those same meals with cash, it can be a false savings if you wouldn't normally order that much food if you were spending cash.

For example, we always drink water with dinner at home (when we go out) and never order desserts. No desserts because we're usually full. No water because I'm a tight wad. So, if I were to dine in the same fashion at WDW, I'd definitely spend less in cash than the DDP would cost me. However, I'm not interested in pinching pennies when I go to WDW - because I've spent all year pinching pennies just to get there.

So, if that means my wife and I can actually have tea or soda with dinner, then order a couple of desserts, try a few bites of each, then toss them - so be it. I'll "save" money by getting the DDP, because if I were faced with those options on an out-of-pocket basis, I'd never allow drinks or dessert because my thriftiness would kick in. With it being pre-paid, I can have whatever I want and eat as much or as little of it as I want, and pay a flat rate.

It's a gimmick, and I've fallen for it. But at least I know what I'm getting and what I'm paying for - I'm not naive about it like many people who get the plan and then eat like birds. They're losing big time.

 

[disneyragazzo]

Acutally the Tables in Wonderland discount DOES cover alcoholic beverages as well... which can be a huge savings, especially if you enjoy a cocktail and then ordering wine by the bottle.

We are DVC members and were down a few weeks ago (Labor Day week), and as a party of 5 adults ate dinner at: Yachtsman Steak House, Il Mulino (in the Swan), Citricos, the California Grill, and Via Napoli. In addition, we cooked in at our resort (Saratoga Springs) 2 nights. I can say that Tables in Wonderland paid for itself on the first night alone. The rest of the week was all savings... at the California Grill alone the savings was $70.

So if DVC offered a "flexible" dining plan, such as the option of fewer days than the entire stay, it would certainly work for us.