Time to Stir the Pot

[ttintagel]

It's one of those things where every group truly has to do the math for themselves.

 

[4xmom]

We just went with 9 of us (5 Disney adults, 4 kids). I planned meals at places that I would have never eaten at if we were paying out of pocket, plus tons of character meals. Why wouldn't I go if I had to pay out of pocket? Because I think that my father, dh and ds pick their meals based on price.....the most expensive then on the menu. Our TS averaged $450 with no tip. Our CS meals were an average of $150. For us it was worth it. Dh swears he will never go again without DDP.

 

[WDW in Pearls]

Last trip, we did a hybrid. I'm an analyst and I guess I bring some of that home from work with me, because I broke every meal down and determined which to pay out of pocket for and which to use a plan for (if you know what you want to get that day it isn't that hard, I'm a picky eater so I'm usually pretty certain early on). The amount of reservations we had would have taken a deluxe plan to cover but we saved tons by not upgrading.

That being said, not 100% sure I'm sold on the value of DDP aside from the convenience. The last few times I've gone during free dining so it was a no brainer, but other than that not sure.

 

[spksrp0727]

We just recently used the DDP and you need to watch what is rung up. They charged my husband for breakfast, 2 table services instead of 1 quick service. They did fix it and for us and for our troubles they gave us $45 in credit. Even with all this I'd still do it again and it was worth the money especially if you go to a signature restaurant like we did. Only use your snack credit on things that are over $4. Good luck and have fun!

 

[wdwrich]

Last trip, we did a hybrid. I'm an analyst and I guess I bring some of that home from work with me, because I broke every meal down and determined which to pay out of pocket for and which to use a plan for (if you know what you want to get that day it isn't that hard, I'm a picky eater so I'm usually pretty certain early on). The amount of reservations we had would have taken a deluxe plan to cover but we saved tons by not upgrading.

That being said, not 100% sure I'm sold on the value of DDP aside from the convenience. The last few times I've gone during free dining so it was a no brainer, but other than that not sure.

Even when they offer free dining, you have to run the numbers to see if you are saving anything. That's because you typically have to pay full rack rate for your room in order to get the "free" dining plan. For many of us, getting a decent discount on the room and paying OOP for meals works out better financially.

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

I used to love the dining plan until I started doing the numbers. This past trip two weeks ago was my first trip without the DDP. We came out ahead We also dined at Boma, Citricos, La Hacienda and BoG. For my December trip, it will be myself, my DH and DS(4). I've crunched numbers a few times and I'm thinking paying OP will be the best option for us. That trip we are doing CRT, BoG, CM, Tusker House, 'OHANA, Mama Melrose, etc. etc.

Also, Free Dining isn't always the best deal. Depending on the resort category you choose, opting for the Room Only Discount cane be a bigger saving than doing FD.

 

[basketlacey]

We love the dining plan and have done it 3 times all under the "free dining plan" discount. Because I am a family with 5 (4 disney adults and one child), the FD discount has been better than RO so far (I've run the numbers each time to check). But, we recently just purchased APs and my guess is now, that with TiW, we will likely save more than the difference between RO and FD discount. I will say that it is a LOT harder to book character breakfasts when you are not on the DDP. I know it's mental but it is still harder!

 

[jmrothermel]

For me with 5 children under the age of 10 going, and a character meal booked daily - the dining plan was a no brainer. Plus I got 10% commission from it for being a TA

 

[LB1122]

We love the DDP but we have talked about the fact that some trips would be better without it. I so see why people do not get it.

For us...
not having to worry about paying while there...the money is already spent (tips are easy to have on hand)

We love the snacks and often use them as a meal

We eat at TS often so when we love the Deluxe DDP (especially when basic is free and we upgrade)

Do the math for yourself and see.

 

[Catcleves]

For extended families, families with a lot of little ones, or a combination of both I DO think that the DDP is worth it, even more so when it's free as part of a promotion. I learned long ago that for us (myself and DD) TiW makes the most economic sense. I save 20% on every meal. It adds up, and when that discount is coupled with the AP RO discount I always snag I find that I save a heck of a lot more than if I had opted for free dining. We also aren't big eaters despite the fact that we do at least one TS meal per day.

What is AP RO?

 

[scard192]

we had the free DDP for our trip 2 weeks ago. 2 rooms, my sister and I had 3 kids 2-9 and did all character meals. No may we could have feed all of us on small RO discount we would have gotten at POFQ.

Have decided this is the last trip we will be doing the DDP. The kids will be older in 4 years when we return and we figure no more interest in characters. It became kind of a hassle hurrying to not only FP+ times but ADRS.

might consider the QS plan especially if we can get it for free; no way to feed my family of the savings from the RO discount at a value.

Looking forward to being free of being tied to ADRS in the future; but did love the free DDP, would never have been able to take the kids to all the character meals the last 2 trips without it.

 

[wdwrich]

What is AP RO?

Annual Passholder discount on a Room Only reservation

 

[luvmy2babies]

There’s no absolute on this. I’m always careful to post nothing as an absolute. Some people say without disclaimer that the DDP is definitely a waste of money and that isn’t true either, even the same family going on 2 different trips.

You have to run the numbers. I have done 2 trips with the DDP and 1 without it. The first one with the DDP was over Thanksgiving and I came out over $150 ahead after tips. The other with the DDP was in 2012, a 9 night summer trip where we had 7 character meals including CRT, plus Ohana for dinner. My 2 year-old son ate free at every one of those TS meals, which I imagine he would have either way. We shared at most of the QS meals. Final calculations, nearly $180 ahead after tips. We flew on those trips and ordered a few things from Garden Grocer, mainly drinks so we could use our snack credits for snacks instead of drinks.

I did 3 character meals on our last trip OOP because on that particular trip the dining plan wasn’t going to work for us, mainly because of the timing of the trip. We were also driving which allowed me to bring more from home. I had some breakfasts and some lunches in our room from food I brought from home and I brought all of our snacks from home. We had some QS along with these 3 TS meals on an 8 night trip. The 3 were Crystal Palace breakfast, Tusker House lunch and Hollywood and Vine lunch. I came out ahead not using it that trip, but because we did not have it, I knew we could not eat TS each day. If we don’t eat in the room we can easily spend $80 to $100 a day eating just QS now that my daughter is 10 and my son can eat a meal on his own.

We have a trip coming up in 2014. It’s already booked with the DDP. We are flying this time. It’s for my daughter’s birthday and I have some of her favorites booked (Ohana, CRT, Chef Mickey’s and Tusker House). Ohana is for dinner so it isn’t a character meal. Now my daughter is 10 (turns 11 the day after we get back home) and my son will be 4. I learned from this year’s trip, QS for the 3 of us runs from $28-$35 per meal.

My daughter was an adult on that trip. And she eats like one. Since we were not on the DDP, I could have purchased kid’s meals for her, but it would not have been enough. I ate a couple. She specifically stated “No kids’ meals mom. I’m hungry.” If she ate kid’s meals, we would come out ahead OOP, but the difference in her from 2012 to 2013 is significant. Now, the child is a bottomless pit with a flat tummy. We can generally make either breakfast or lunch out of Disney snack. OOP that usually ran $10 -$12 for the 3 of us. On our last trip, Tusker House was $90 without tip. So was Hollywood and Vine. I’m sure breakfast is cheaper because Crystal Palace was $60 without tip.

The Dining plan is running me about $600 for the upcoming trip. My TS meals will run almost $500. CRT alone is $189. I know because when I booked it, it showed me when it asked if I was paying now or using the dining plan attached to my trip.

But others have said it and it is definitely true for me. Doing this alone, it definitely helps me to have that in the budget from the beginning and being able to pay it off as part of the package.

 

[MooskaMinnie]

We've never found the DDP to be worth it. It's just DH and I, though.

 

[bdklein]

I keep seeing people claim "if you're doing character meals, you need the DDP."

What do you think?

I have never seen this claim once, let alone multiple times. Perhaps you mean "if you have kids, and are doing a lot of character meals and/or buffets, than maybe the Dining Plan can work for you financially??

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I love the DDP. I have used it and the deluxe plan forever. For my family of 6, it turns out to be a big money saver, especially when all 4 of my kids seem to want the most expensive things on the menu. We have priced it out dozens of times, and it has always been a winner for us. Just my opinion...
29 trips to Disney World and counting...next stop POFQ March 2014

 

[Cafeen]

There’s no absolute on this. I’m always careful to post nothing as an absolute. Some people say without disclaimer that the DDP is definitely a waste of money and that isn’t true either, even the same family going on 2 different trips.

You have to run the numbers.

[snipped]

But others have said it and it is definitely true for me. Doing this alone, it definitely helps me to have that in the budget from the beginning and being able to pay it off as part of the package.

This, this, this, and so much this. And that's an absolute this!

The only absolute of the dining plans is that there is no absolute.

The dining plan can work well if you're doing character meals. As pointed out, it is not necessarily always the case. The dining plan can "waste" money, as pointed out above, not always the case.

So, get your calculators (or Excel spreadsheets ) out and do the math!

(I think I've been saying this since I initially looked deeply into the plans and worked the math out, which puts it right around 4- 4 1/2 years now. Hence the excitement to read it from someone else's fingers.)

I have never seen this claim once, let alone multiple times. Perhaps you mean "if you have kids, and are doing a lot of character meals and/or buffets, than maybe the Dining Plan can work for you financially??

I have, in a sense. Not quite as deliberate as the OP did last month , but still very much along the same lines and definitely less caveat-ing.

Then again, I've seen that the plans are a total and horrible waste of money as well as the plans always save you money, and everything in between. Absurd, hyperbolic claims are par for the course with the dining plans (with some exceptions, of course.)

 

[tarak]

Another factor to consider is whether you'd eat an entree and a dessert at each meal. We wouldn't. We have an ADR for BOG in late January. My oldest wants to order the mussels, which are a good bit cheaper than any of the adult entree. I'll likely order the charcuterie, which is cheaper than the ratatouille, which I've never been a fan of. We also have an ADR for Tokyo dining. We'll likely split a few sushi rolls and skip the entrees. To make a fair comparison, you have to determine what you're likely to order if paying OOP and what you'd order if limited by the dining plan.

Our first trip using the dining plan, it included the appetizer and tips. That was a deal. I admit, I like the pre -paid aspect of the DDP. So this trip, I've been purchasing discounted gift cards and I'll use those to pay for our meals.

 

[Tramp68]

I have been having the debate about this. We got SPD discount so I am assuming it is worth it to us. We like having food prepaid for ahead of time. We are a family of 2 adults, 1 disney adult and 1 child.

I noticed in the OP sample they are eating breakfast and lunch TS not dinner. As dinner is more ex*****ve isn't it a better deal to eat TS dinners?

I do have a question- if the online menus so the buffet is $36-55 depending on time of year, how do I know the price for February?

Here is a link to the meal prices by date:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3108466

 

[shadeauxe]

I calculated it once for us (2 adults and one child) and the only way for us to come close to breaking even was to eat at the most expensive buffet (at the time, Hollywood & Vine) for every meal. I don't remember if I counted tax.

Anyway, if I'd had two kids and we ate a lot of buffets, it could have been a good deal. Now I have two kids, but we're in DVC hotels with full kitchens, so it doesn't make sense for us for new reasons.

The wdwinfo.com site has all of the menus for the different restaurants. It's easy to calculate whether the plan will save you money or not. If you like to have it all paid for, but you calculate that it's not cheaper, just pay it into a savings account or buy disney gift cards that are harder to spend (you can get them for 5% off at Target with their card).