DDP or DDE?

[Deesdisney]

Has anyone done the math or have used both? I would like to know which one is better and would save you more money? Does the DDE have the same rest. as the DDP?
Thank you for help.:confused:

[JPL]

The DDE saves you 20% on dining and includes alcoholic beverages within the discount. You must also be an AP holder or Florida resident to obtain the DDE card at a cost of $65 for an entire year. I think everyone needs to do their own math to figure out what option works for them since there are multiple factors that can come into play when making your choice.

Here are a few examples:

1. Amount of Alcoholic beverage purchased
2. AP & room only discounts
3. Dining Habits
4. Choice of restaurants.

Basically for some the DDE is better and for other DDP.

[wendy*darling]

We have used both DDP & DDE on our last 2 trips. But, since we are DVC members, I think we have a different equation.

The DDP is a good deal for us, since the room rate (AP discount vs rack rate) does not enter the picture.

The DDE is great since it adds alcohol to the discount, and covers the extra TS meals. We eat at least 2 TS each day. We are not park commandos and enjoy our dining.

I have actually put all of this on a spreadsheet. A column for actual prices, one for the DDP scenario (what's covered, what's OOP), a column for DDE only and a last column for having both! That last column is the one that makes the most sense for us! :thumbsup:

[sillyolbear]

I think JPL is correct--it is something you have to run the numbers for yourself.

We enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner and try to hit at least a couple of the Signature restaurants each trip. Running the numbers, DDE is a way we can save money while enjoying ourselves.

If our dining habits were different, DDE might not save us that much and DDP could be a better deal.

[WDWFan2005]

I too was trying to decide between DDP and DDE, but then I found out that for many people the choice is already made for you (as others have mentioned):

If you have an AP, you can't get the DDP without buying a "rack rate" Magic your way pass, so mathematically that may not in your best interest, since you already have a park pass. However, you have the option of getting the DDE.

So math-wise, if DDE costs $65 (for non Florida residents), and it offers you %20 off meals for up to 10 in your party, then in general you'll break even if you spend $325. (easy to do for some people). Consider that an average family of 4 needs to spend about 81.25 bucks each over the course of the year in order to break even. The caveat, however, is that you have to eat at designated sit-down / full service restaurants to take advantage of this.

If I were a Florida resident with a Florida pass, it would be a no-brainer to get the DDE, as it costs much less, and hey ... I'd be there everyday! :)

WDWFan2005

[CanadianWDWFan]

For us we found the DDE to be a better choice. We prefer sit down meals and the discount that the card on these meals offered far out weighed any benefit the DDP might have given us. We also got discounts at some CS places. We went and asked if they accepted the DDE card and the answer was usually yes. Also you get the discount at the resort Food Court.

We got great room rates with the AP and saved money that a package with the DDP would not have given us.

If I was to get another AP today, I would definately get the DDE card.

[mudpuppysmom]

It was recently announced that AP holders booking a room CAN add on DDP without having to buy a MYW ticket -- something I'm considering heavily for our trip in December sicne DH likes to eat at Signature places and will only be down for the weekend, but again, you have to run the numbers for the places YOU will be eating at to figure out which would be a better deal.

[DDuck66]

For us the DDE is a better deal. We like a lot of TS meals and Character Dining. With the DDP we ended up having a lot of CS credits left over or had to pay out of pocket for several TS. It really depends on the individual and how many times you plan on going to WDW.