Disney Mania Question #11

[KAT1811]

Okay with the new changes to the Disney Dining Plan (the addition of the CS DDP option) and the old changes (the removal of the appetizer and the tip) do you use the DDP or do you just pay out of pocket for your meals? I know that there is much controversy surrounding the DDP so I am anticipating some great feedback and opinions.


Disney Mania Question #12 will appear tomorrow in the Vacation Planning (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/forumdisplay.php?f=22) forum of Intercot.

[crmark1]

I just learned about the new changes to the DDP. It seems to me that the cost is the same but you get $8-$15 per person on TS meals less. No tip no app!!!:mad: I will have to think about it but am leaning toward CS only DP then paying out of pocket for any TS we decide on

[vicster]

I would probably stick to the current dining plan just for the convenience. I don't think we're saving any money but it is very convenient.

[Mackflava99]

What were the changes made to this year's plan? ( i knew about the tip and appetizer)

[Polynesian Dweller]

At this point OOP, but we may think about the QSP but not sure its a real value.

[Aggie97]

I voted out-of-pocket, but that's not a change for us, as we've never purchased a dining plan. :mickey:

[badkitty]

OOP for me. The plans provide too much food for me since I travel solo most of the time. When my sister and my dad went with me, I opted for the DDE (offered to AP holders - now called Wonderland dining I think). We looked into the dining plans but again, too much food. We like to have small meals and when we selected a TS, we ordered two meals and shared.

I might look into the QS plan to see if this could be an option for teh future.

[TinkerbellT421]

Me and DBF love the DDP....we have figured it is about or if not less if we were to pay OOP..the first trip we went together we paid OOP and only did QS restaurants and nothing fancy, and we had to bring money everyday prepared for that. We did the second trip with the DDP and we loved it...the regular DP the one CS, one TS and one snack was perfect for us. We ate at restaurants we NEVER would have ate at other wise. And we loved not having to worry about paying for food. It was one less thing to think about. We enjoy that option. :thumbsup:

[laward32]

I picked the DDP, but I think on our next trip I am going to go with the QS DP and paying OOP for any TS we want to visit.:mickey:

[bertasso59]

Whether it's a savings or not,I will always use the DDP now that Ive tried it.I love having all my meals paid for in advance and not having to look at a price list while Im on vacation.And there are too many blah QS places still so I doubt my system could take a week of just fast food.I loved the new TS places I tried last week while in WDW.We used up our meals by the time we left but still had 8 unredeemed snacks.Most of the time we were full from dinner so we took our desserts back to our room for a quick breakfast the next morning.For us it was a perfect plan.

[DisneyDoug2]

Over the last few years we have used the DDP and for the most part I believe that it is still a very good deal. This year we are going out of pocket instead of the DDP, not sure if it truly is going to save us money, but we have been accumulating a fair amount of Disney dollars on our Visa card to pay for food. Hopefully enough to put a good dent in the final bill!

The big disadvantage of the DDP is the need to be at the restaurants at least 15-20 minutes a head of time and depending on were you are that could mean lost of at least an hour in the parks before, so I am always worried about time which then distracts from having fun at the parks and our kids get very upset when we need to pull them from the parks when they are having fun to ensure we make our pre-arrange dining time.

So this year we have only made a few ADRs for the restaurants that we all really enjoy and plan quick services for the rest of the week to keep the spontaneity and fun going!

[c&d]

We've used it the last 2 times down and for us it saves money. The main reason is there is more than enough food for us on the plan.

Yes I wish they would go back to the old plan.

[yjgirl32]

I used the DDP the last time we went down and boy did that save us money- (at the time the tip and an appetizer was included). We will still use it next Sept because my husband is a big eater and so is my DS5. There was no wasted food on our last trip. Plus the convience of it all is great. Then all the money I take will be for souveniers and tips money. One less thing to worry about.

[Wickster1970]

Ooooh, its a close one. We picked the plan for our April trip - have never done it before.

[TinkerbellT421]

Me and DBF usually never use all the snack points so the day we leave we stop in the gift shop at the resort and buy candy and stuff. I came home w/ 3 containers of cotton candy! :-)