DDP ?'s

[Dyanna]

Next trip will be in Oct 2012. There will be 4 adults & 3 kids (ages 5 & 4) & 1 under 2. We have been pondering the idea of the DDP since we usually pay OOP. Do you actually save money? We usually do not order desserts as not enough room after the main meal. Usually skip breakfast as we tend to do something quick in the room before the parks. This next trip we are also thinking of taking a day out from the World & heading to the coast so not sure how this would effect the DDP for us. I think it would benefit us more if they had a snack plan only. This would also help out when we purchase items during the F&W festival. I would love to hear all positive & negative feedback of the DDP in general.

[mom2morgan]

I love the DDP, and we save a lot of money, but our situation is very different from yours. We like the sit down meals and trying lots of new places, and we generally have the dessert. I tend to get the most expensive or fanciest thing on the menu so that I really feel like I'm saving ;-) For you, it sounds like you might not really maximize the value, although the one day a way could be made up for by doing a really nice 2-credit meal on one of your other days. BUT last time I went my kids were quite a bit older than yours - you may find you don't want the hassle of being tied to reservations with kids that might need some down time, or might be feeling restless and antsy just when you're ready to eat. Grabbing quick service is the ultiimate in flexibility, and the Quick service dining plan might work.

[disneyfan328]

my family loves the QS DDP. Even if you don't normally order desert you an always get a big cookies or a mickey rice crispy treat and keep it with you as a snack for later. There are some changes to the plan for 2012 in that they are removing one of the snacks so the value is less per person that what you were getting before but overall I still feel its a good value - I also look at it as this - Even if we only break even - I enjoy the convenience of having it all paid for up front and not having to worry about most meals. since its only 2 QS meals per day you would still benefit by eating in your room ( we fly SW so we pack up a suitcase with cereal and breakfast items and eat in our room a lot too, then we have the empty suitcase to take home our souvenirs!) My kids are older than yours and both are now considered adults according to DDP standards but I think it will work out even better for us in the long run.

Also if you are planning just one day away it really shouldn't impact you too much since you get the meal plans according to the amount of nights you are there, not the days and the credits don't expire until midnight the night of check out. snack credits can always be used on items to take home from the gift shop or Goofys at DTD. Good luck with whatever you decide :)

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We love the Dining Plan and find it does save us money. We normally just eat a light breakfast in the room and use our CS credit for lunch and TS credit for dinner. The snack credits are nice for special treats like candy and popcorn, but even if you don't need them during the day you can use it to stock up for snacks on the way home. We like having the dessert option with the TS but I do feel having the dessert with the CS is a bit much. ( I also wish you could chose from dessert or appetizer)

Still when I calculate what I would have ordered versus the cost of the meal plan we come out ahead. I suggest checking out the menus section and see if that helps.

[azcavalier]

We pretty much do what MississippiDisneyFreak does. We usually eat breakfast in the hotel room, have a QS lunch and a TS dinner. Sometimes we'll change it around and use the TS for breakfast at Chef Mickey's or something like that. Just depends.

However, we have found that it does a couple of things for us:

1. It helps us relax. Having an ADR means we don't have to worry about where to eat that night...the decision has been made. Also, having that sit-down meal every day allows us to experience new things and gives us much needed down-time after a busy day in the parks. I don't feel you get that with a QS meal.

2. It definitely saves us money. However, we could obviously spend less on simpler meals, but for us, the food is part of the DisneyWorld experience! We would never eat at some of these places, because of the prices, if we didn't have the DDP.

3. You don't *have* to get a dessert. Your choice. In most cases, you're still spending less than you would have otherwise had you paid OOP for a meal. Don't feel like you're obligated to get a dessert.

I DO wish that the DDP allowed you to choose an appetizer OR a dessert. However, we are excited that in 2012 they will be adding the refillable resort mug as part of the DDP! We've done this many times on our own, and now it'll just come standard!