How Many DVCers Get the DDP?

[mjaclyn]

DH and I are headed to WDW for our first stay in BLT in two weeks. We had initially signed up for the DDP but now I'm rethinking it because of all the negative reviews I've been reading about dining. How many of you get the DDP when you go? We'd be paying for it, and using the Intercot Worksheet we end up saving about 30% off the regular bill, but I'm not sure now... DH says 'we have to eat' so I guess the quality of the food won't change that...but I'm wondering if I should spend less time in the restaurants, cancel the DDP, and just hit the better CS locations? Right now we have ADRs for the following:

Rose & Crown (Dinner)
Tony's Town Square (Lunch)
Crystal Palace (Breakfast)
Akershus (Breakfast)
Brown Derby (Dinner)
Les Chefs De France (Dinner)
Kona Cafe (Breakfast)

Any suggestions?

[SBETigg]

With little ones, it helps to have some table service meals, I think. I like a lot of the places you have planned for meals, and I would keep my plans. Reviews usually don't affect my planning. I'm stubbornly determined to find out for myself. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great trip with some good meals.

[Dsnygirl]

I'm not a DVC'er, but after running the numbers for our upcoming trip (DDP vs. paying OOP) we figured we'd pay less for our food if we just managed where/how we eat. We're carrying snacks in our backpack for some of our lunches, having a light bkfst in our room some days, and have at least a TS meal every day (sometimes two), quite a few CS meals planned, and we're estimating we'll pay about $400 less than the DDP would have cost us. Also, we have the freedom to order appetizers as a meal, whereas w/ the DDP, they'd cost extra, you'd still have a main course and often, too much food.

We're considering a DVC purchase in the future, and one of the things we look forward to is the kitchen. Mind you, I don't plan on cooking all that much, but you can be sure that once we buy in, we probably won't ever do the DDP b/c if we can save $$ w/o a kitchen, I'm guessing we'd save even more if we cooked even one or two meals!!

So -- my advice is to run the numbers and base it on where you want to eat, the approximate cost of those meals, whether or not you want to provide a few of your own snacks/meals and how that adds up to what they'd be charging you.

Good luck!

[Hammer]

I voted "sometimes depending on the situation". I've done both and actually like getting the DDP (we get deluxe as we eat almost exclusively at Signature Dining restaurants for dinner). We come out slightly ahead, but for me it is the comfort of not having to look at the price for anything.

Now, I have done trips without the DDP and they were fine as well. Service was good either way. You know your kids, though. Can your kids sit and behave during a sit down meal? That should be factored in. If you and your husband can't enjoy a meal, then maybe the DDP is not for you.

[GreenBeetle]

So far, the numbers have always been in our favor to do the DDP since we enjoy a sit-down meal and a quick service meal each day. Plus, my kids and husband are very good eaters (I'm the fussy one in the family ).

Another consideration for me is that although we stay in a 2-bedroom villa with a full kitchen, I'm not cooking on vacation. Pop-tarts or cereal for breakfast is about as far as I'm willing to go!

[Pirate Granny]

When we went I used the TIW, but watched what our average prices were. We at at one CS and one TC everyday...we did not have the DDP and the average lunch was around $10 and the average dinner was $35. not everyone got dessert; and some got an appetizer...so...the TIW adds 20% tip regardless...so TIW only pays for the tip...we would've been better off getting the DDP. The one good feature of the TIW we stayed at Pop and FQ so that the TIW discount was applied as these resorts only had CS...and that made a difference. Next time I take the family...8 adults and 4 children and various in laws...I will be purchasing the DDP and everyone can do breakfast on their own...(a couple mornings I spent 2 hours shuffling meals at the FQ--so that we could use my discount)...and CS & TS will be with the family and I won't have to worry except for the tip (which is automatic with a group this size).

[dlpmikki]

I have never done it because we usually stay too long and couldn't eat that much. I did price it up for a few nights in January as we are doing a split stay but it didn't look like it would work out for us.

[DVC Mike]

We always use the Tables in Wonderland (TIW) card instead and save 20% on food and alcohol.

[VWL Mom]

We use TIW. We usually have a grocery delivery for water, snacks, cereal and such so breakfast is normally in the room. There are 4 of us and we don't all have lunch each day unless the mood hits us. We do TS each night with 3 nights being signature dining but prefer appetizers instead of desserts. When I ran the numbers it was about the same dollar wise but the TIW works because of our eating habits.

[Ian]

Here's the bottom line ... there's a lot of debate on this out there, but the real deal is this ...

If you want to eat at a sit-down meal once a day ... be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner ... and you plan on eating your counter service meal ... the DDP will save you money.

I calculated our exact savings last trip by adding all our food costs together during the entire trip and we ended up saving over $300 by the time all was said and done. Tables in Wonderland would have saved us about $240.

But look ... if you're not a big eater, don't find the fine dining options in Disney all that interesting, and you're more of a theme park commando who's just going to grab a quick burger to keep from passing out while you beat feet around Magic Kingdom then no ... don't get the DDP.

[d_m_n_n]

We are staying for the first time in a villa. I'm with greenbeetle...pop tarts are about as much as I'm going to do on vacation!! Plus, to our family, dining is half the fun!

[Mickey'sGirl]

If you want to eat at a sit-down meal once a day ... be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner ... and you plan on eating your counter service meal ... the DDP will save you money.

I disagree.

The DDP could save you money in this case.

We typically have one sit down meal per day. We do not eat dessert (it's in our world), and my children have adult palettes (seafood and vegetables are their thing). We often pool our CS offerings and share them between us (cuz that's a heck of a lot of french fries). So it's not much of a savings if we wouldn't usually pay for a dessert, and we wouldn't order from the kid's menu to begin with, or if we were only ordering two complete CS meals and a couple of sandwiches at a take away location. You really have to think about how you usually eat.

I think the other thing that happens with the DDP is that people forget to factor in the cost of tipping when they are saying how much it cost them (present company excluded of course... ). There is a whole other thread that goes on about how much does one tip on the DDP .... seems to me like many are going low, and finding excuses to cut it lower.

.... oh yeah... and I cook. I love to cook, and my kids prefer the food.

[Ian]

See that's what I mean, though. Yes of course ... if you wouldn't normally eat the food or you don't want the food then you shouldn't be buying the DDP.

I'm saying if you would normally eat when paying cash the way you eat on the DDP then the DDP is the better option.

You can twist it six ways from Sunday if you want and yeah you could just eat soft pretzels all trip and save a bunch of money, but if you're a family who enjoys the fine dining in Disney as much as everything else and you love to eat ... get the DDP.

[mjaclyn]

Our family has always loved dining in Disney almost as much as going to the parks itself. We like to take our time, not rush through, and stop for TS meals. We have only seriously tried to budget our food during one trip and it was very difficult. We only went to TS locations during lunch, split entree's, lots of CS, etc...but even so it was still hard for (just the two of us then) to stick to a budget of $100 per day. The DDP works out to be less than that for two of us plus our DD. What I like about the dining plan (whether it saves me money or not) is being able to pay for it in advance. I personally like to plan far in advance and pay for as much as I possibly can before I go. I think we will stick with the dining plan because even if we just break even I would rather have it paid for and not have to worry about prices while I'm eating.

I'd also like to add that we always tip 20% unless something went terribly wrong and even then we don't leave lower than 18% usually. DH is a very generous tipper while I would have no problem leaving 15% or lower for subpar service. I'm sure the staff is very grateful that he gets the check in the end. :-)

[Mickey'sGirl]

We had that "It would be great to have it all paid for in advace" discussion too. I absolutely understand that angle.

[Ian]

We only went to TS locations during lunch, split entree's, lots of CS, etc...but even so it was still hard for (just the two of us then) to stick to a budget of $100 per day. The DDP works out to be less than that for two of us plus our DD.

That's what I'm saying ... the DDP is $39.99 per day, per adult, and $10.99 per day for kids. That's a total of $90.97 per day for a family of three to eat.

If you figure the average TS meal costs around $150 then you have to add in $30 to cover the tip. That brings your total food cost per day to $120.97 for three people.

I'm hard pressed to see a way that anyone could feed three people two meals a day in Disney World for less than $120.97. Even at just $10 per meal, per person you've spent half that much and where can you eat in WDW for $10 per person?!?

[VWL Mom]

If you figure the average TS meal costs around $150 then you have to add in $30 to cover the tip. That brings your total food cost per day to $120.97 for three people.

IMHO, the TS quote seems a bit high. These are 4 from our August trip for 4 adults (no desserts) using TIW:

CP breakfast $78.40
ESPN dinner w/appetizers $72.52
50's PTC dinner w/appetizers $109.36
Tokyo Dining $83.55

Now the signature restaurants would be higher but the also take 2TS credits.

[lockedoutlogic]

I will never again use the dining plan for several reasons:

1. It locks you into desserts....which is fine (i like dessert...everybody likes dessert)...except that there are many instances where you just may want to go out into a park and do something else....especially at EPCOT. I also hate this because they have limited dessert options at table service restaruants anymore..becasue the cheesecake and chocolate cake are produced EN MASSE!!!

2. The two credit thing is a killer Sure, eat where you want...except knock out two meal credits at the 10 best restaurants on the property. This also leads to the "le cellier" effect -as people pack the "most expensive" single credit locations to attempt to squeeze more water from the rocks.

3. This dining plan has simply ruined a fundamental characteristic of why WDW was great...options. Many of us live in/near big cities where you face enourmous crowds and reservations the other 51 weeks out of the year. the priority seating concept was delightful...casual...VACATION-LIKE!!!
Sure you can reserve - but it's casual. you can walk up...might have to wait a few minutes to a half an hour - but it's casual.
and you know what? the restaurants were pretty much full all the time anyway. the ones that weren't were the locations that weren't good enough...which means they should be improved...

So what do we do? create a lemming like system where people scramble for chairs...and oh yeah, since it's prepaid, maybe they'll buy more junk (garbage, trade deficit padding) in the world of disney before their flight home

[Ian]

IMHO, the TS quote seems a bit high. These are 4 from our August trip for 4 adults (no desserts) using TIW:

CP breakfast $78.40
ESPN dinner w/appetizers $72.52
50's PTC dinner w/appetizers $109.36
Tokyo Dining $83.55

That's a pretty narrow selection of restaurants from which to draw a conclusion. I can tell you that I tracked our expenses at Teppan Edo, Tutto Italia, Coral Reef, Chef Mickey's, Liberty Tree Tavern, and for dinner we spent close to $150 for each meal. That's an "all in price", though. Includes tax, tip, entrees, dessert, etc.

3. This dining plan has simply ruined a fundamental characteristic of why WDW was great...options.

If there's any valid reason to avoid the DDP it's this one. I feel like I'm contributing to the demise of the relaxed vacation in WDW!

[mjaclyn]

I personally don't think the DDP is going anywhere in the near future. It seems like it's become pretty popular even though I agree it has ruined casual dining in WDW. I absolutely miss the times when we could just walk up and wait 10 to 15 minutes for a table anywhere in 'the world'. Unfortunately that's just not the way it is anymore, so yes, I will be among those who will be on the phone or online booking my dining reservations 6 months in advance to make sure I get to eat where and when I want...it's just the nature of the beast right now. And I'll do that whether or not I'm on the DDP...