Have you always had DP then went with out? [Archive]

Bethis26fan

07-07-2011, 10:55 AM

My question is for those of you that have gone year after year with the DP and then didn't one year how did you do?

I'm thinking about not doing it this trip and just cutting out some of the TS places to save money.

It's my aunts first trip & I know her money is tight and 1100 for 3 people to eat is a lot of money or it is for us. :)

As big as disney food portions are I think we could split meals. Like I know for a fact at 50's prime time we could get 2 meals and the 3 of us eat off of that and be full. I can drink water with my meals I do at home and I don't have to have dessert.

I just don't want to not do it then be like oh we should have done the DP. So have any of you regretted not doing it?

A Big Kid

07-07-2011, 11:26 AM

Bethis26fan

07-07-2011, 11:39 AM

Yes, we have.

As we found the value creeping down while the price creeped up, on our last trip we did without the DP.

When the DP first came out, it was a really good value so we didnt mind "leaving credits on the table." As the value dropped, we were more concious of using all our credits.

With the DP, we always found oursevles eating just to eat. We were literally miserably full. Even if we shared TS meals.

Not only did we spend less money by paying OOP, we enjoyed our trip more because we didnt feel the pressure to eat (to maximize our value) and we werent miserably full.

That's kind of how I feel like if I pay for this I'm going to have to drink soda (which I only do a few times a month) eat a big meal & eat dessert to say ok I got my moneys worth then with no discount on top of it it just seems like a waste of money. I would rather spend it on fun stuff like more coffee cups lol

Scar

07-07-2011, 11:51 AM

If you do the things you described, I guarantee that you will save money and not regret it.

brivers222

07-07-2011, 11:59 AM

I have done it every other trip actually...

in 04 we went without and basically settled for chicken strips and other basic CS meals...

in 06 we went with and it was awesome... ate at a ton of TS places and enjoyed ourselves. Then again, back then gratuity WAS included in DP and that made it worth it.

in '10 we went without and spent a great deal of money on food because we still went to many TS restuarants

in '11 we are on the DlxDP and eating at even more TS restaurants and many more 2TS restaurants (have 24 ADRs actually... record amount for me so far ;) ). According to my calculations regarding cost of DlxDP addition and current food choice prices... we are looking to come out $500 on top if we were to pay OOP...

Obviously many factors play into that but i just look at it as the DP gives me the flexibility to "pre-pay" my meals and not worry about a price increase on the menu or even what the prices are to begin with.

WishingStar2006

07-07-2011, 01:17 PM

We always stay on property and always get the DDP...either the regular or the deluxe.

In June I was taking my whole little family and renting an All Star Vacation home (which was WONDERFUL, by the way) and although I didn't miss staying on disney property as much as I thought I would....WE MISSED THE DINING PLAN!!!!!

FIrst, DDP is prepaid.

Second, because it's the dining plan you order what you want and don't worry about the prices...with paying OOP for every meal it was a SHOCKER!!! I mean, three adults for breakfast t CHef Mickey's was $100........YIKES!!! Wouldn't have booked it if I had realized that...just thought it would be fun.

The good part was not being locked into ADR's, which you feel compelled to make to "get your money's worth!!!

MississippiDisneyFreak

07-07-2011, 01:58 PM

I think it just depends on the person....if you are happy sticking to counter service and only one or two TS and if you have a condo and don't mind cooking on vacation you can certainly keep from going hungry....

But for us, we like the convenience of being prepaid and ordering whatever entree we want regardless of price and choosing our TS restaurants and making ADRs is part of the fun for us....whatever you do I would never recommend putting yourself in a financial bind...if going on the cheap is what you can afford then go with it

Bethis26fan

07-07-2011, 02:04 PM

I don't know what to do it's driving me nuts the other 2 people won't help. I just feel like I'm having to make a choice for everyone and i don't want to make the wrong one. I mean we have the DP right now and my part is paid for and the others only owe 100 each so it's not like we can't do it. It's just is the vaule you worth I guess. I just don't know. If it wasn't my aunts 1st trip I don't think I would be stressing this is much, but I want it to be as good as possible for her.

buzznwoodysmom

07-07-2011, 02:08 PM

We had been getting the dining plan for several trips in a row, then last summer we couldn't add the dining plan with the military discount, it was "blacked out" for most of the summer. So we went without it and saved tons of money. We found that we could be completely satisfied, and more importantly not stuffed, when we shared meals. By sharing we saved money and never felt like we were over eating. It was great.

Just one example...Typically our bill was coming out to around $120 for our family of four to eat at one TS location. Then another $30-40 for a CS meal. At Epcot one day we had lunch at Chef's de France. DH and I shared one of the three course meals, and our two boys shared a meal and dessert. Even with the "fancy" drinks we ordered our bill, including tax and tip was right around $60. Later that night we had dinner at the TS in Mexico. DH and I shared a bowl of soup and two appitizers, while the boys shared a meal, and we ordered dessert. Again our bill was right around $60. So for the same price of one TS meal we managed to have two TS meals in one day. We did not go hungry and were able to try many new places, and save money at the same time, on that trip.

dizneydeb22

07-07-2011, 02:19 PM

I think you just have to evaluate how your party eats and go from there. When we go, we travel with 3 teenage boys, so the DP is definitely worth it for us! Good luck with your decision! Don't worry about making the wrong decision, you'll be in Disney World!

Jillirose

07-07-2011, 02:46 PM

We did the DP when it first came out and then for three years running. We decided that it was too restrictive. Sometimes we like to just order apps and salad... Well this past February, we did not do the dining plan and spent about $200 less on food overall (comparing dining plan with one TS daily in FEB '10 and other food costs to all out of pocket food expenses in FEB '11) . We still had table service everynight, but more freedom in what we ordered: Pizza and salads at Via Naploli, and dinner one night by pool at Dolphin. It was a savings and offered us more variety. We also stopped at Publix and bought breakfast food and snacks.

mdricks

07-07-2011, 03:33 PM

Put me down as another "when the ddp lost its value" type.

Really enjoyed it the first year or two. Even though I found it to be a little restrictive I still enjoyed not having to fret about costs. Now, I find it cheaper to just oop.

I'm a grazer and I one big meal + treats throughout the day is a better deal. Plus I really like the signature venues and 2 ts credits is crazy.

:number1:

Checkers

07-07-2011, 06:32 PM

We have done both and pretty much do the DP when we go with our DD, SIL, 3DGC because it is much more cost saving. However, when it is just me and my DH we don't do the DP as we much prefer an appetizer to dessert and like the freedom of ordering just what we want. We do have APs so have purchased the TIW card and that does save us too.

It sounds like you have most of the DP paid for if I read you correctly. In that case since it is your aunt's first visit I think you might like the convenience, however, don't forget it doesn't reflect gratuity and if you have any alcoholic beverages they are extra as well.

If you are concerned that it may be too much food you could always do a couple 2TS meals. Either way, I am sure you will have a great time and it all comes down to if you want to spend the $$ or not.

akaDisneyDreamer

07-07-2011, 11:06 PM

I can't imagine not using the DDP. In fact, we like to do the DlxDP! There is a lot of wonderful food at WDW and we like to have reservations, (a guaranteed table!) and the opportunity to sit down, cool off and relax for an hour while dining. But that is just us and the way we like to do Disney. Honestly we wouldn't eat as well if we were paying OOP. :mickey:

joonyer

07-08-2011, 01:28 PM

We are budget conscious on our WDW trips, and we have paid for the DP in the past. But we have found that we spend far less $$$ on meals OOP than the cost of the dining plan. But we don;t eat 2-3 TS measl per day, either. On our last trip, our family of 4's food costs were about $300 less than the cost of the Basic DP for us (for a 5 night stay). We still ate three nice TS meals on that trip ('Ohana, Teppan Edo & a character breakfast) All the rest were CS or breakfast snacks in our room.

It is hard to spend more out-of-pocket on food at WDW than the cost of the DP, unless you just like to really stuff yourself. That is why Disney markets it. They are not losing money on these deals. Families will almost always spend more for food buying the DP than they would spending OOP. That's why Disney wants you to purchase it. Yes, there are some advantages to using the DP, but saving money is not one of them. As for having the meals prepaid, you can do the same thing (and still save money, but putting your meal money into a little envelope before your trip and taking it with you. It's not really that difficult to plan meals costs. Paying out of pocket does tend to cut down on the impulsive ordering though.

ransam

07-09-2011, 12:15 PM

i've always had the DP. I'm thinking of doing the counter service dining plan.
but not sure what 'm gonna do.

PirateLover

07-09-2011, 01:24 PM

We stopped using it about 3 trips ago for pretty much the same reasons as people have already listed. We pick a handful of restaurants we really want to eat at, and will go quick service for most of the trip. We can often split meals at quick service, and pack our own snacks and waters. I can't really see us going back to the dining plan.

princessgirls

07-13-2011, 04:03 PM

We went for one day last summer, and it cost us a small fortune to eat. Seriously...burgers for lunch for a family of 4 was $50.

Although the value isn't what it once was...I am a fan of the plan. I use it to it's full potential, and it's good!!!!

Julie:mickey:

Lizzie

07-13-2011, 08:21 PM

We did it years ago when it was worth a lot more. And we really enjoyed eating at all the different restaurants which we never did before. I can't imagine not doing it. On our next trip we hope to go when its free but even if its not having food prepaid is great for the hubby. And my kids love all the charachter meals and we loved eating and seeing the charachters and not waiting in lines all day for them. And we tried some other really fun restaurants. So now part of the vacation for me is enjoying the food.

IloveDisney71

07-15-2011, 08:39 PM

We went without the dining plan last summer and enjoyed not being tied down to reservation times. We did make one reservation ahead of time for a special occassion and just paid out of pocket and then we decided to do a walk-up at LeCellier and actually got to eat there so that was a neat last minute treat but we wouldn't have been upset if we hadn't been able to eat there because we've eaten there before. During the rest of the trip we just ate counter service meals and were fine with that. There are a lot of alternatives you don't just have to eat pizza and chicken tenders! :D We had a great breakfast at our resort every morning but on past trips I've brought granola bars to eat in the room to save time and money instead of eating a big breakfast. I think it really depends on you and your party and what type of meals you want to eat.