DDP: Not worth it for 2010?

[durangojim]

Due to the increase in the DDP prices for next year, especially the increases during peak season (specifically Less then $47 per adult (ages 10+) $13 per child (age 3-9) per night above the cost of the Magic Your Way Package for travel dates: 2/12/10 – 4/10/10 ; 6/04/10 – 8/14/10 ; 12/17/10 – 12/31/10), has the DDP not become worth the price?

Also does anyone think this means food prices are going up next year too?

 

[Monty]

Hi MontyMon, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you find this 40% off the room deal? We tend to be very cost aware and I often spend months of pre-planning, looking for deals, before we actually book a trip. I have to be honest with you (call in not looking in the right place or not knowing the proper procedure) I have never found a discount like that at a Deluxe resort. Any pointers you might have would be VERY much appreciated. :wave:

I got a PIN by email for 40% off most resorts for certain dates. Then there was a separate discount code for AP holders that took $44.43 of the one night of my stay that didn't qualify for the PIN discount [bringing that night down to $347.63].

I'm not sure what got me the email PIN, I've heard its random, but which time they got my email is the one that fed into that system I have no idea.

Booking through Kingdom Konsultants made all of the bookings process seamless. Marie has been great! [Richard {Master Yoda} is pretty good too!]

It is 20% at the restaurants that take it which is pretty much every TS place on property and a few QS ones. It also comes with the down side of a mandatory 18% gratuity.

And worth every penny, since I tip that much or more anyway.

[no charge for the advertising ]

 

[harveyt0206]

I got a PIN by email for 40% off most resorts for certain dates. Then there was a separate discount code for AP holders that took $44.43 of the one night of my stay that didn't qualify for the PIN discount [bringing that night down to $347.63].

I'm not sure what got me the email PIN, I've heard its random, but which time they got my email is the one that fed into that system I have no idea.

Booking through Kingdom Konsultants made all of the bookings process seamless. Marie has been great! [Richard {Master Yoda} is pretty good too!]

And worth every penny, since I tip that much or more anyway.

[no charge for the advertising ]

Gotta love those ranmdom advertising perks. Well, I am not an annual passholder (YET!! lol) so I'm not eligible for those discounts either. anyway, thanks so much for the 411. Have a great time on your upcoming trip.

 

[Monty]

Gotta love those ranmdom advertising perks. Well, I am not an annual passholder (YET!! lol) so I'm not eligible for those discounts either. anyway, thanks so much for the 411. Have a great time on your upcoming trip.

An aside: AP discounts are often announced here in the forums. Keep an eye out, a lot of times the discount saves the cost of one AP over the course of a visit and then you get all the AP benefits basically for free. You don't have to already have an AP to book using AP rates.

 

[Master Yoda]

Gotta love those ranmdom advertising perks. Well, I am not an annual passholder (YET!! lol) so I'm not eligible for those discounts either. anyway, thanks so much for the 411. Have a great time on your upcoming trip.

PIN's and AP discounts are not the only way to get some pretty steep room discounts. PIN's tend to be the most lucrative but there are very few reasons to ever pay full price at WDW. Disney Visa card members commonly get some pretty good rates and very frequently they are released to the general public as well.

 

[durangojim]

Not to mention that there are some times when AAA members will get discounts during dates where there are no other discounts available.

 

[Monty]

Not to mention that there are some times when AAA members will get discounts during dates where there are no other discounts available.

:lol:

I have roadside assistance from the manufacturers on both my vehicles, but I still have CAA [Our version of AAA] just for the discounts it gets me on eyeglasses and Disney resorts! The discounts have always paid for the membership and I don't even use any of their services. :shrug:

 

[Victoria]

An aside: AP discounts are often announced here in the forums. Keep an eye out, a lot of times the discount saves the cost of one AP over the course of a visit and then you get all the AP benefits basically for free. You don't have to already have an AP to book using AP rates.

I completely agree! On my trip 2 weekends ago I stayed 3 nights in a studio at Beach Club Villas for $700 using an AP discount. The normal going rate for that is $1100+ so I dare say the approximate $500 I initially spent on my AP was well worth it. Add in the fact that I have booked three other trips using this AP saving another $400 or so. Let's not forget that so far I have used it for 18 days (with another 6 planned before it expires) of park admission. You will never hear me complaining I can't get a free dining promo.

I have used the DDP a few times in the past (twice paid for, the other time free) and I agree it is convenient in the fact you never have to worry about cash or credit cards. There is definitely savings by using it too. However, it requires a lot of work and scheduling to use it 'the right way.' It also removes some of the spontaneity from the trip. I would much prefer to pay for my meals as I go and enjoy a nicer discount on my accommodations. :shrug:

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

We just did the math for a trip next year. It's not looking good for us with all of the price increases unless a stellar promo comes along.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

When I 1st saw the DDP rates for 2010 I was a little surprised to see the different rates for different travel dates. My in-laws had intended to use the DDP when we all head down for our big AKL adventure in January. In looking at the dates/rates the highest rate (I think that's the $47) makes sense. When my brother and I took his girls down in late May we had to pay the "holiday surcharge" at a lot of the restaurants. The dates for the higher DDP rate seems to coincide with when Disney would be charging the holiday surcharge anyway. In many cases, using he DDP during this time could still be a wash.

Also, when the free dining was extended into December the hubby and I looked at switching the trip from January to December. When playing with the numbers to see if it was a worthwhile thing to do I figured out that for my in-laws it would be less of a "discount" than it would be for us. My sons will be 12 & 13 in December. "Free Dining" would save us $160/day. My in-laws just have the two of them so it would only save them $80/day. Not so worth it for them vs. us.

We've also considered doing the dining plan again in January and paying the $168/day additional. We look at it more as a way to pre-pay the dining. For the 8-nights we have booked it would add another $1344 to the trip. We generally "budget" an even $2K. Even with the DDP I'd expect to be out money on drinks and snacks. Plus, you have to pay the gratuity now. We did the DDP once before and it felt like we were running from ADR to ADR trying to get our quarter's worth. It wasn't much fun at all. It's not the value it was back when we did it before, when each person got an appetizer, entre, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage. I'm not so sure the DDP is the way to go for us. We have so many options for discounts, tho: FL Resident, Passholder, Disney Visa Cardholder, etc. It's not hard for us to find a good rate wherever we may be staying.

Aaand, I bought my TiW card back in May so it will still be good for January. With the 18% forced gratuity I see the discount I get with my card as just covering the tip. I will say this: I will not tell my servers up-front that I'm TiW even though I know I'm supposed to. I know a server at LTT and we talked about this at great length. He says he doesn't blame me one bit. So many of the servers see the TiW guests as a gimme and don't really try to give them good service since they know they're already getting at least the 18%. This was how we have felt in the past and it was confirmed by my friend because he's heard other servers talk about it. I want the option of leaving the tip that's earned. At one of our visits to Chef Mickey's last January we had horrible service. Instead of using our TiW card we paid the full rate for the meal and left the server like $1+change (so we didn't have to wait another hour for him to come back with our change). It didn't cost us that much more to just pay the non-discounted amount and leave what little we did. It certainly felt better to do it this way. On the flip-side, if we get good service we use the card then leave another 10%-15%. It's the least we can do when the server has made our trip that much more enjoyable.

I think with discounts and the DDP it's up to each person to spend the time to figure out what's available, what works for them, and what's worthwhile for their own trip.

 

[Monty]

When I 1st saw the DDP rates for 2010 I was a little surprised to see the different rates for different travel dates. My in-laws had intended to use the DDP when we all head down for our big AKL adventure in January. In looking at the dates/rates the highest rate (I think that's the $47) makes sense. When my brother and I took his girls down in late May we had to pay the "holiday surcharge" at a lot of the restaurants. The dates for the higher DDP rate seems to coincide with when Disney would be charging the holiday surcharge anyway. In many cases, using he DDP during this time could still be a wash.

Also, when the free dining was extended into December the hubby and I looked at switching the trip from January to December. When playing with the numbers to see if it was a worthwhile thing to do I figured out that for my in-laws it would be less of a "discount" than it would be for us. My sons will be 12 & 13 in December. "Free Dining" would save us $160/day. My in-laws just have the two of them so it would only save them $80/day. Not so worth it for them vs. us.

We've also considered doing the dining plan again in January and paying the $168/day additional. We look at it more as a way to pre-pay the dining. For the 8-nights we have booked it would add another $1344 to the trip. We generally "budget" an even $2K. Even with the DDP I'd expect to be out money on drinks and snacks. Plus, you have to pay the gratuity now. We did the DDP once before and it felt like we were running from ADR to ADR trying to get our quarter's worth. It wasn't much fun at all. It's not the value it was back when we did it before, when each person got an appetizer, entre, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage. I'm not so sure the DDP is the way to go for us. We have so many options for discounts, tho: FL Resident, Passholder, Disney Visa Cardholder, etc. It's not hard for us to find a good rate wherever we may be staying.

Aaand, I bought my TiW card back in May so it will still be good for January. With the 18% forced gratuity I see the discount I get with my card as just covering the tip. I will say this: I will not tell my servers up-front that I'm TiW even though I know I'm supposed to. I know a server at LTT and we talked about this at great length. He says he doesn't blame me one bit. So many of the servers see the TiW guests as a gimme and don't really try to give them good service since they know they're already getting at least the 18%. This was how we have felt in the past and it was confirmed by my friend because he's heard other servers talk about it. I want the option of leaving the tip that's earned. At one of our visits to Chef Mickey's last January we had horrible service. Instead of using our TiW card we paid the full rate for the meal and left the server like $1+change (so we didn't have to wait another hour for him to come back with our change). It didn't cost us that much more to just pay the non-discounted amount and leave what little we did. It certainly felt better to do it this way. On the flip-side, if we get good service we use the card then leave another 10%-15%. It's the least we can do when the server has made our trip that much more enjoyable.

I think with discounts and the DDP it's up to each person to spend the time to figure out what's available, what works for them, and what's worthwhile for their own trip.

If you're using TiW and the service is bad, ask to see a Manager, explain what the service was like and demand they remove the gratuity from your bill. Not only will the server not get the gratuity they thought was a "gimme", they'll also have a black mark on their record. Any server who deliberately treats a customer poorly because they think they're getting an automatic tip deserves nothing less.

That said, I've never experienced any drop in service when using the TiW card, in fact I've often felt servers became more friendly and outgoing when I used it. Perhaps they recognize it as an indication of a seasoned park-goer...

 

[Rob562]

I haven't looke dinto the packages for next year, but do those dates of the more-expensive DDP coincide with the dates of the "seasonal" price bump at the buffets?

-Rob

 

[DisneyJoe]

I haven't looke dinto the packages for next year, but do those dates of the more-expensive DDP coincide with the dates of the "seasonal" price bump at the buffets?

Pretty much...

 

[VT GAL]

This whole DDP conversation is very interesting, as this seems like one of the few that has stayed pretty civil!

We have used the DDP on our past 2 trips and we really liked the convenience. I like the fact that other than tip, our meals are totally taken care of.

We have APs, and I have looked at the TiW card...but it seems like at the end of the day, because of the mandatory gratuity you only save 2%. Am I looking at this totally wrong?

We always seem to "save" money on the DDP...

 

[Master Yoda]

This whole DDP conversation is very interesting, as this seems like one of the few that has stayed pretty civil!

We have used the DDP on our past 2 trips and we really liked the convenience. I like the fact that other than tip, our meals are totally taken care of.

We have APs, and I have looked at the TiW card...but it seems like at the end of the day, because of the mandatory gratuity you only save 2%. Am I looking at this totally wrong?

We always seem to "save" money on the DDP...

Yep, you are looking at it wrong. The only way that you would only save 2% is if you never tipped before. Also when all you do is compare food to dollars the DDP will always win out. When you start comparing the price of what you would actually order using TiWL vs. the price of the DDP the savings really start to shrink. It is kind of like buying that 5 gallon jar of mayo at Sam's. If you use every bit you will save money. If you throw any of it away your true savings evaporate.

 

[Monty]

Yep, you are looking at it wrong. The only way that you would only save 2% is if you never tipped before. Also when all you do is compare food to dollars the DDP will always win out. When you start comparing the price of what you would actually order using TiWL vs. the price of the DDP the savings really start to shrink. It is kind of like buying that 5 gallon jar of mayo at Sam's. If you use every bit you will save money. If you throw any of it away your true savings evaporate.

Great analogy! :lol:

And yes, your savings are "only" 2% if you don't tip at all on a regular basis. :shrug:

 

[durangojim]

This whole DDP conversation is very interesting, as this seems like one of the few that has stayed pretty civil!

We have used the DDP on our past 2 trips and we really liked the convenience. I like the fact that other than tip, our meals are totally taken care of.

We have APs, and I have looked at the TiW card...but it seems like at the end of the day, because of the mandatory gratuity you only save 2%. Am I looking at this totally wrong?

We always seem to "save" money on the DDP...

I think where TiW shines is the fact that it covers all food and beverages at the TS restaurants, which means alcohol and appetizers, and I don't feel like I have to order a desert. Even though tip is included, it's usually less than the 20% I'd give anyway (except at the buffets). For me that's far more convenient than having to figure out the tip and still paying for an appetizer or alcholic beverage. If you don't eat or drink any of those things, than I can see how DDP would work, but I have a feeling that many guests are actually loosing money on DDP for "convenience's" sake, and that's probably why Disney offers it, free or otherwise.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

^^^

True. I had to think about that for a moment (I'm horrible with numbers). You'd have to consider what you would normally tip. We're usually 20% so we end up saving 22% with TiW (the usual 20% we would tip + the 20% discount - the 18% automatic gratuity = 22% still sitting out there).

Monty, I don't know what it is. Maybe I've just had really bad luck this year. In January we had both trips to Chef Mickeys be pretty pitiful service (which is not the norm here...we always have good service). We had probably 1/3 of our dining experiences with slow service in January. That's unusual. Normally we get one maybe two in our 10 day stays but not that many. In late May while there with my brother & his girls I'd say the majority of our dining experiences had either slow or non-existent service. We got in the habit of asking for our check as soon as the food was put in front of us. It wasn't that the wait staff seemed to be loafing or just not wanting to do the job, they were really hustling. It did seem that there were fewer servers overall so it was as if they were stretched thin. Poor things. We still tipped good because it was obvious they were doing all they could. Some of those places, tho, I'd hate to ask for a manager and have to wait that much longer for them to show up and correct the check.

I'm hopeful for the coming January trip. Maybe I'll have lived down my bad luck with the dining... :hammer:

 

[durangojim]

^^^

True. I had to think about that for a moment (I'm horrible with numbers). You'd have to consider what you would normally tip. We're usually 20% so we end up saving 22% with TiW (the usual 20% we would tip + the 20% discount - the 18% automatic gratuity = 22% still sitting out there).

Monty, I don't know what it is. Maybe I've just had really bad luck this year. In January we had both trips to Chef Mickeys be pretty pitiful service (which is not the norm here...we always have good service). We had probably 1/3 of our dining experiences with slow service in January. That's unusual. Normally we get one maybe two in our 10 day stays but not that many. In late May while there with my brother & his girls I'd say the majority of our dining experiences had either slow or non-existent service. We got in the habit of asking for our check as soon as the food was put in front of us. It wasn't that the wait staff seemed to be loafing or just not wanting to do the job, they were really hustling. It did seem that there were fewer servers overall so it was as if they were stretched thin. Poor things. We still tipped good because it was obvious they were doing all they could. Some of those places, tho, I'd hate to ask for a manager and have to wait that much longer for them to show up and correct the check.

I'm hopeful for the coming January trip. Maybe I'll have lived down my bad luck with the dining... :hammer:

I was disappointed with Chef Mickey's too this year, but don't think it was due to TiW. I think it's due to the amount of celebrations occuring, but that's been discussed in another thread.

Quickly running some numbers from allears, shows me that if I went to Le Cellier, had the filet, cheese soup and a glass of wine for dinner, and had lunch at ABC commisary with a sandwich and pop (which is exactly how I would eat during the day), I'm actually saving about $15 for the day when compared to getting a sandwich, desert, pop for lunch, and filet, wine, and appetizer, and desert at Le Cellier, because I don't need or want a desert at lunch and usually want an appetizer and an adult beverage at dinner, not to mention you have to add a tip to the DDP. I refuse to change my eating habits so that I can conform to DDPs rules.

 

[Mikester71]

Even after hearing from a friend who has taken advantage of the DDP many times himself and LOVES it, I am still not the least bit interested in trying it. We like to eat back at the Pop Century cafeteria most nights during our trips (none of us are really big eaters mind you) and eat our breakfast in the room before we leave for the parks in the mornings. I couldn't see us eating enough to make it worth our while; not to mention we like to "wing it" most days and having to schedule when and where we were going to be eating on any given night seems like a pain to us too.

That is just mine and my wife's opinion though! :shrug:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Yep, you are looking at it wrong. The only way that you would only save 2% is if you never tipped before. Also when all you do is compare food to dollars the DDP will always win out. When you start comparing the price of what you would actually order using TiWL vs. the price of the DDP the savings really start to shrink. It is kind of like buying that 5 gallon jar of mayo at Sam's. If you use every bit you will save money. If you throw any of it away your true savings evaporate.

This is a very true statement. Here's an example that's more apples to apples: The trip we tried the DDP (Dec. 07) we ate at LeCellier. This was when the DDP included an appetizer, entre, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage for each of us plus gratuity. My sons were 10 & 11 at the time so we didn't fudge any ages and paid the full DDP rate for everyone. The total for our check was nearly $300 (I had a beer so we had to pay for that part). Seems like we made out like bandits that day, huh? In actuality, we didn't. Here's why: Normally when we go to a restaurant anywhere we do not each order appetizers. If we get an appetizer it's just 1 for the family to share. Frequently my younger son still eats off the kids menus because the portions are much more realistic for him. Yes, even at WDW even tho he is past the age of 9 if we are at a menu'd restaurant and not trying to fudge an age they have no problem allowing him to order from the kids menus. Rarely do we ever eat desserts at the restaurants when we finish our dinner because we're full. Take all that into consideration and our check at LeCellier would normally be more like $150 - $160 with tip. LeCellier is probably one of the pricier meals we will eat. A lot of ours are the buffets and such which don't total near what this meal does.

Also, when eating at CS restaurants if we are not on the DDP we frequently buy 2 or 3 entres and split them between our family of 4. When stopping for a soda break instead of everyone getting one we'll buy 2 and get extra straws.

Part of what you have to figure into the savings when using a TiW card vs. the DDP is the difference in how you would spend. :wave: