-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
DDP when staying at DVC villas?
- Thread starter goodanu
- Start date
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
The is it worth it question comes up a lot, but only you can make that decision. Take a look at the menus of the restaurants you plan to eat at and see what you would normally order. I say normally because many people, myself included, don't usually have an individual dessert at every meal. If you do the math and the cost of the meals exceeds the daily cost of the plan, then you should get it. If not, then just pay out of pocket and save the extra money.
A number of DVC owners are also AP holders. If you have an AP or you are a Florida resident you can get the Tables in Wonderland card that offers you 20% off food and drink (alcohol as well) at almost all the table serve restaurants on property (and a few counter serves). The card costs $75, but it doesn't take too long to make that back and start saving. This is I get every year since we don't usually find the dining plan to be a value.
A number of DVC owners are also AP holders. If you have an AP or you are a Florida resident you can get the Tables in Wonderland card that offers you 20% off food and drink (alcohol as well) at almost all the table serve restaurants on property (and a few counter serves). The card costs $75, but it doesn't take too long to make that back and start saving. This is I get every year since we don't usually find the dining plan to be a value.
roadtripper
Member
We are fairly new DVCers (coming up on 1 year of ownership). I learned that you can book a stay in segments which will allow you to add DDP to just parts of your trip. So, for example...we are leaving this Saturday. We have Saturday night booked at AKL with Quick serve dining. We re-check in on Sunday for 2 more nights at AKL (no dining). We are then hopping to BLT for three nights (no dining), and then a final hop to Beach Club with the DDP. Basically, we did this because we want to experience some of the exclusive pools. For the dining part, we figured out where we wanted to dine to arrange the dining plan (which will be a savings for our meals at Le Cellier and La Hacienda) and then the rest of the time we will prepare quick meals in our villa. We plan out which park we plan to visit on each day and the resort we are in will be convenient to our meal plans.
Rob562
Well-Known Member
Not to veer too far off-topic, but the money savings of Free Dining really depends on the makeup of your party and what resort you're staying at. At higher resort levels like Deluxe and Villas, a percentage-off discount offer and then paying full-price for the DDP is often the better deal. That's because the percentage savings is off of a much-higher room rate, and those savings are more than the full price of the DDP.
At Values, it's pretty much always Free Dining is better.
At Moderates it can be close to even.
-Rob
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
We do use the kitchen a little when we stay at villa. Its mostly breakfast because we like to get out to the parks early and making things like pancakes or eggs... is fast, cheap and easy.
As far as the dining plan goes its like what DisneyInsider said, its all what the worth is for you. We have never used the plan while using the DVC because all people have to get it. Since we do stay in the villas with my mother and father in-law, they need to get it too but they dont need or really want it. I did the math for our trip in a week to see the cost difference between the DDP V.S. out of pocket. The out of pocket was a significant savings for us. I figured it like this. The DDP will cost us $1000, I then subtracted the cost of our ADRs, divided that by the number of days we will be there. That leaves us with $88 a day, and in no trip have we ever spent that much a day after our sit down meals.
Almost Every Time
We purchase the DDP almost every visit. Every time, I crunch all the numbers for Cash vs. DDP vs. TiW card. Obviously, with DVC you are always paying full (but not seasonally increased) price for the DDP.
For us, it always works out to buy the DDP. We only do 1 table service a day at most and generally spend 13 days at the World per year. We don't tend to get appetizers any time we eat and we don't get alcohol unless we are at Germany or UK - so TiW doesn't work out for us. Also (for us) at Counters, we use 2 credits per meal so we very easily have enough extra credits to eat well every day of our trip.
Just last week, I got really number crazy and plotted out every single meal we are hoping/planning to do next spring (6 night) using menus found online and added in the snacks we usually do, etc. Obviously, our menu selections may be a bit different on the plan or TiW because we can now afford more expensive entrees, but I stuck with the cheaper items in the figuring so getting a nicer meal is just a bonus with the DDP. The analysis came out to: DDP cost is $624, cash cost would be $822 (without buying desserts), and TiW card expense plus meals with discount would cost $788. So, for us the DDP will be the best value, plus the bonus of desserts (many of which end up in the cooler on the drive home).
As I always say, your results will vary.
We purchase the DDP almost every visit. Every time, I crunch all the numbers for Cash vs. DDP vs. TiW card. Obviously, with DVC you are always paying full (but not seasonally increased) price for the DDP.
For us, it always works out to buy the DDP. We only do 1 table service a day at most and generally spend 13 days at the World per year. We don't tend to get appetizers any time we eat and we don't get alcohol unless we are at Germany or UK - so TiW doesn't work out for us. Also (for us) at Counters, we use 2 credits per meal so we very easily have enough extra credits to eat well every day of our trip.
Just last week, I got really number crazy and plotted out every single meal we are hoping/planning to do next spring (6 night) using menus found online and added in the snacks we usually do, etc. Obviously, our menu selections may be a bit different on the plan or TiW because we can now afford more expensive entrees, but I stuck with the cheaper items in the figuring so getting a nicer meal is just a bonus with the DDP. The analysis came out to: DDP cost is $624, cash cost would be $822 (without buying desserts), and TiW card expense plus meals with discount would cost $788. So, for us the DDP will be the best value, plus the bonus of desserts (many of which end up in the cooler on the drive home).
As I always say, your results will vary.
CaptainShortty
Well-Known Member
Yup, you can do this and unlike booking as a non-DVC guest your reservations will be linked together when you check-in so you will be allowed to stay in the same room no matter what (unless you choose to switch or hop resorts). If booking non-DVC it's up to the hotel if you can stay in your room or not depending on availability. Something to keep in mind with this though is that you can only using the DDP during the days in which you've booked it. So you'll be paying out of pocket during the rest of your trip. Still not a big deal just something to keep in mind.
As far as the DDP, I had never used it before I became a CM and now I won't go there without it. For my family it is a great deal and saves us some money. That being said, it is only a deal for some families so try and figure out on paper if it would be worth it. My advice if you do use it, USE ALL YOUR CREDITS!! I can't tell you how many people would come to the desk to check-out and had some unused credits. I told them they should go into the giftshop/QSR and get some snacks for the trip home. If you don't it's just money you're throwing away.
That's my take on it. Good Luck!
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
We have done basic cooking in the kitchens, eggs, frozen pizzas and the like. I imagine if we drove down we might bring food stuffs to do actual cooking.
But we have never done the DDP and I don't think we ever will even if its free. Cost wise we cannot justify it. We have never bought a dessert at a TS location and usually only buy 1 drink (if any). TiW works out to be a much better deal for us.
611williamsj
New Member
Just to mention it might save you money but you get half the food we stayed with friends that had DDP and the food came with a different colour stick in the burgers and the DDP was a smaller portion than the normal ones we had
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Sorry, but I have a very hard time believing that. I've been in dining situations with DDP and non DDP people and have never noticed a difference in meal quality or quantity. The chefs preparing your food have no idea whether you are on the plan or not, that all gets handled by the waitstaff when you are done eating.
So you would not take the DDP if it were given to you for free?? Are you crazy? A major part of the Disney experience is eating at all the different "theme" restaurants. I must say dreamfinder you are way off base here. To each his own but I would much rather go to a character breakfast with my wife and two daughters for FREE on the DDP then pay $100+++ not including tip. BTW that would also be the reason to pay for the DDP. so you can explore all the different dining options they have to offer.
I agree Evan, I have been on the DDP twice. And if the portions are reduced (which they are not) then that is fine by me...there was always enough on the plate, many times too much. We had the free DDP the first year they offered it and each person got 1 AP, 1 Entree and a desert. Plus all taxes and gratuities. We wasted so much food on that trip. :lol:
DisneyHeather
Member
We purchase the DDP every time that we travel to WDW. I've made spreadsheets and crunched numbers, and it always comes out as a value for our family and the way we like to dine. I never, ever cook in our Villa - the most I'll do is milk and cereal for a quick breakfast. At this point in life, I'm not interested in cooking while on vacation! We have many, many years ahead of us to take advantage of the kitchens in the Villas 
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Well since DVC stays will never get a free dining plan, you can't really judge based on that. If you are talking about the regular free dining offer that comes out every year, that isn't always the best deal depending on the resort you are staying at. When you book one of the free meal plan packages you pay full rack price for your room and tickets. If you're staying at a deluxe resort, then it is usually a better deal to book a discounted room and then buy the DDP if you still want it...and then to some it isn't worth it then to have.
LivFreeorDisney
Well-Known Member
In our last 6 stays we've only done DDP once and I personally like it but my wife isn't sold on it.
We normally buy our food from Garden Grocer...
http://www.gardengrocer.com/?gclid=CJyW5-3InaoCFULc4AodYB945w
We eat breakfast and half our lunches at the resort.
We normally buy our food from Garden Grocer...
http://www.gardengrocer.com/?gclid=CJyW5-3InaoCFULc4AodYB945w
We eat breakfast and half our lunches at the resort.
Bernadette1977
New Member
I absolutely love the DDP! Since they started offering it, I've had it for every visit. For us, it's great to have meals prepaid for and not have to think about it after that... it adds to the magic! I must say, I did enjoy it more in the beginning when gratuity and appetizer were included... but I still enjoy buying it and not feeling any anxiety looking at some of those entree prices at dinner! I do wish, however, that age 9 was not the cutoff for the kids plan... my 12 year old still prefers the kids menu. Lucky for us, the younger one has a more mature love of food and they just switch. :lol: