Your favorite way to use DDP??

[SpecEdismyLife]

Hi all! We will be making our first trip back to WDW in 3 years and this will also be our first trip in 6 without the kiddos. It will just be my DH and myself, and we will be on the basic DDP. I have done so much research on the DDP at this point my brain in on overload!! I have seen so many tips and different ways to use the plan and so I was wondering:

What is your favorite way to use the DDP to get your money's worth?

Do you get breakfast as your QS meal and get one of the drinks as a bottle of water to use the rest of the day, or do you pay OOP for your breakfast or use your snack credits? We will obviously be using our TS credits for table service places, but I am wondering the best way to use the QS and snack credits to maximize what we paid for the plan.

Thanks for any tips and tricks you might have!

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

Nobody? Come on please tell me how you think the best way to use the DDP is?

 

[mytwinklestar]

We try to get our favorite restaurants for our TS Dinners. Those would be Coral Reef, Whispering Canyon, and Le Cellier. We have used the TSs to eat at CRT. We have done this twice so the desire has been quenched. The food is similar to other TS that only require one TS credit vs. the two for CRT. If you haven't experience CRT, you should... at least once. The CS credits we use for breakfast or lunch. We will split meals sometimes, too, because the portions are usually enough for two. So we might get breakfast and lunch in a day by sharing. The snacks we use for things that are more indulgent than bottled water. For an example, we might get the roasted almonds, an icecream, a Dole Whip, etc. It makes it seem as if we are getting more bang for our buck. KWIM? We have used them for bottled water but we usually share one. We will get a water and a snack and share them. It works for us. We have had extra snack credits at the end of our vacation. You can buy things to take home. It USED to be great because you could get anything below a certain price point. This meant you could get a large bag of pretzels or chips. Now you can only get a "single serving" size of anything. This means for your snack credit up to $4.00 ( I think ) you can get a dozen mini pretzels in a bag for $1.78 Disney cost. We chose to get the Mickey head rice crispie treats to bring home last visit. Again, because we felt we were getting more bang for the buck. We are all about the bargain... or believing we got a deal anyway. Interesting topic... I am curious what others do.

 

[bangzoom6877]

For our trip in July we decided to get the basic DDP because the credits fit into our normal eating routines while on vacation. We always like to go to a TS restaurant for dinner on vacation each day, and have something quick for lunch while we are out doing things. For purposes of touring the parks at WDW the DDP fit right into our normal style. That's why we decided to get it in the first place. We originally were looking into the deluxe plan because we also love to indulge in eating on vacation since we are people who watch what we eat the rest of the year, and we like to indulge on our one vacation per year. Food is very important to us on vacation. We did not do deluxe because we decided that with being so busy at the parks and running around, we do not need 2 snacks daily for each of us, and we would do quick breakfasts in the room each morning because getting to the parks before rope drop was more important to us than a big breakfast (especially right before rides!). So, even though we wanted to do 2 character breakfasts in addition to the daily TS dinner, we decided to pay OOP for those 2 breakfasts. It worked out well, and the basic DDP ended up saving us a lot of money in the longrun since we did mainly character meals, and the other 2 dinners were all-you-can-eat too, so everything was included from the buffet.

So, we did a CS lunch everyday. We started out on the first day with lunch at the resort (Pop Century) because it was 11:30 by the time we checked in and put the luggage into the room. My kids usually eat lunch anywhere between 11 and 12, so I wanted to keep to their regular routine (they are only 1 and 3). Then we went to MK where I used a snack credit later that afternoon for a dole whip which I shared with DH and the kids (but the kids did not care for it). The other 4 days, we ate a CS lunch at whichever park we were in at the time. Epcot: Tangierine Cafe in Morocco; DHS: Toy Story Pizza Planet; AK: Flame Tree BBQ; MK: Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland. All our lunches were delicious and we had different kinds of food at each one, so we were not bored. My only burger in the entire 5 days was at Cosmic Ray's, for example, and there were other choices besides the basic burgers and fries over there as well.

For TS credits, we did a TS dinner every night. Sometimes at a park, sometimes at a resort. On the first day we were already at MK and ate at Liberty Tree Tavern with the characters. Biergarten in Germany at Epcot (highly recommended!); 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian with Cinderella and friends the day we went to DHS; Boma at AK Lodge the day we were at AK; Crystal Palace on our second MK day. The days we dined in the parks (except for day one when we got to MK later in the day), we went back to the room first for naps and then returned for dinner and attractions, very well-rested!

For snacks we enjoyed many treats WDW offers. Fresh fruit, Mickey ice cream bars, dole whips, Mickey rice krispie treats, huge cinnamon roll at Main Street bakery, yogurt/fruit parfaits, etc. We brought water into the parks and did not spend a single snack credit or a single dollar on a drink. We wanted to enjoy more of the food so we chose to do it this way.

We loved the DDP, as it worked well into our plans. I also do not mind making ADRs well in advance and I was on the phone 180 days out very early in the morning! Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

YAY! Thank you so much for your responses. I have made ADRs for the following and we have 6 TS:

Sci Fi for lunch (thinking about just going for shakes and appys and paying OOP for this one)
Chef's De France (Dinner)
Hollywood and Vine Fantasmic Package
Nine Dragons (Dinner)
Tusker House Breakfast
Liberty Tree for lunch
Coral Reef for lunch (thinking about canceling this based on bad reviews)
Mama Melrose (dinner)
Boatwrights (Breakfast probably OOP for check out day)
Teppan Edo (Dinner)

Any thoughts?

I am planning on using the DDP for the most expensive TS places and paying OOP for the less expensive ones or canceling them. I was thinking this would get us the most bang for our buck. I like the idea of not allowing ourselves to use our snack credits for drinks, as I plan to carry around a refillable bottle of water for walking around (won't be hot out since it is Dec) and using the credits for actual snacks from parks or food court. I was planning to use our CS credits for whatever meal we do not have table service ressies for but I guess I am wondering what the best plan for breakfast is. We are not huge breakfast eaters so I was thinking just paying OOP for it? I do not want to pack stuff but I just might if it saves us money when we get there as I would be fine just having a granola bar or something and DH normally does not even eat breakfast. Oh it is just so confusing! I see why people say they feel tied down to the dining plan! Thanks for all of your help!

 

[bangzoom6877]

YAY! Thank you so much for your responses. I have made ADRs for the following and we have 6 TS:

Sci Fi for lunch (thinking about just going for shakes and appys and paying OOP for this one)
Chef's De France (Dinner)
Hollywood and Vine Fantasmic Package
Nine Dragons (Dinner)
Tusker House Breakfast
Liberty Tree for lunch
Coral Reef for lunch (thinking about canceling this based on bad reviews)
Mama Melrose (dinner)
Boatwrights (Breakfast probably OOP for check out day)
Teppan Edo (Dinner)

Any thoughts?

I am planning on using the DDP for the most expensive TS places and paying OOP for the less expensive ones or canceling them. I was thinking this would get us the most bang for our buck. I like the idea of not allowing ourselves to use our snack credits for drinks, as I plan to carry around a refillable bottle of water for walking around (won't be hot out since it is Dec) and using the credits for actual snacks from parks or food court. I was planning to use our CS credits for whatever meal we do not have table service ressies for but I guess I am wondering what the best plan for breakfast is. We are not huge breakfast eaters so I was thinking just paying OOP for it? I do not want to pack stuff but I just might if it saves us money when we get there as I would be fine just having a granola bar or something and DH normally does not even eat breakfast. Oh it is just so confusing! I see why people say they feel tied down to the dining plan! Thanks for all of your help!

We paid OOP for the 2 breakfasts that were the 2 extra TS meals since they cost less. But it was easy for us to do the math since all our TS meals were all you can eat and a flat cover charge. So by looking at menus in advance I knew what the prices were going in. But yes, in general breakfast would cost less than dinner, and lunch less than dinner as well.

We did breakfast in the room the other 3 mornings. We had gotten some cereal for the kids, and kept it in the room, and requested a fridge (extra charge at POP, but no more for us since we are DVC members now and there will be a fridge in our room every trip) so we kept milk in there. That is what the kids normally have for breakfast anyway so it worked out for us. We also kept cereal bars for DH and myself since that was very quick, and a hotpot to heat up water for Folgers coffee singles (no coffee makers at POP...again not a problem for future trips as DVC members). So that was what we did, mainly because it was the quickest way to get out the door early, but also because it saved us money.

One little piece of advice though for the a la carte restaurants...don't just order something because it is the most expensive thing on the menu. Order what you really want to have. The quality of what you are eating and your enjoyment of that meal is more important than saving a few more dollars because you have the dining plan and are ordering something for $5 or $10 more than the most expensive thing on the menu. For me, I prefer steak or seafood so my entree choice may be more expensive than someone who prefers to usually order chicken or pasta as their entree, or an entree size salad. But the money saved should not determine what you order. What you really want to eat should determine what you order. Many people here feel that way and so they do not get the dining plan because they feel they are not getting any bang for their buck. For our plans we did get a whole lot of bang for our buck so we went with the DDP, and DH and I decided that as long as they still have it in 2010, we will get it for that trip too. Don't know how I will feel when my boys are over 9 and have to pay adult prices for the DDP. Then again DH pointed out to me that teenage boys are "eating machines" and we will probably have to get the deluxe plan then, if available!!

 

[TifffanyD]

When we book longer vacations we buy the DDP. We never use CS for breakfast. We rarely use TS for breakfast. We usually just eat something in the room (granola bars, muffins, fruit) and fill our mugs for a drink.

For lunch we do either CS or TS. Then for dinner we either do CS or TS as well. Some days we do 2 TS and some days we do 2 CS. Just depends on where we will be and where we want to eat. Oh and I use almost all of my snacks on ice cream sundaes.

We usually do 1 OOP TS breakfast per trip as well. Usually a buffet.

On shorter (1-2 night trips) we do DxDDP and then we do multiple TS per day and some 2 credit places.

 

[aubriee]

We have used both the DDP and the DxDDP down there. For the basic DDP we usually just carry a box of pop tarts and a box of granola bars and use them for breakfast, along with our resort mug for hot chocolate or coffee. We use a CS for lunch and then a TS for dinner. If we see something we want, we may use a snack credit (hot nuts waiting for Illuminations or a dole whip float), but for the most part are not big snackers. We usually make a run to Goofy's our last day and use our snacks for fudge, coated pretzel sticks, and chocolate mint slab smoothies to bring home. Something else you can do is run by the Norwegian bakery, French bakery, or Main Street bakery the night before, use a snack credit, grab something for breakfast, and put it in the room fridge for the next morning.

To enjoy the DDP, eat where ever you really want and order what you really want, not necessarily the most expensive thing on the menu. We learned that lesson rather slowly and now order what we are really in the mood for, even if it is the cheapest thing on the menu. However, if you are wanting the more expensive restaurants in order to get the biggest bang for your buck, try these: Le Cellier, Tutto Italia, Coral Reef, The Wave, Wolfgang Pucks for TS and Sunshine Seasons, Tangeriene Cafe, Norwegian bakery, Cookes of Dublin, Wolfgang Pucks Express, Cosmic Rays, and Pepper Market for CS.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You all helped so much!
I think the plan is to take some sort of breakfast stuff from home to eat in the morning, have an early CS lunch or our scheduled ADR TS lunch and then the opposite of that for dinner. I also like the idea of using the snack credits to get stuff from the bakery and then eating it for breakfast the next day along with using the refillable much for coffee and hot chocolate. I think I will get a refillable bottle for water in the parks, and then maximize the snack credits. I do plan on visiting ll of the CS places mentioned and some of the TS mentioned, and I will be sure to order what I really want to eat since I do want to enjoy my meal. Thanks all for the great advice!

 

[tortoni]

One thing you might consider is to use 1 TS at somewhere like SciFi and do out of pocket for whatever extra you order. DH and I share a lot of lunch meals because it is usually so much food. SO for example, at SciFi we would get a sandwich, chocolate shake and sundae for dessert--more than enough for 2 unless you are big eaters. We found we had a lot of food on the plan so sharing helped us extend our TS credits. We are going in December and have 40 credits over 8 days for the 5 of us--I'm sure we will get in at least one extra TS with a little sharing!

 

[catne]

we never used our Table service for lunch because the lunch cost is usually considerably less than the same restaurant for dinner, so not your best value when using credits, if you're trying to get your money's worth.

...we used the Snack credit to by a breakfast pastry, used the counter service for lunch, and the table service for dinner every day (did it in May 2008 & September 2008.)

After the first full day on the DDP, we rarely were hungry between meals. The servings are nicely proportioned to fill you up!

 

[SydneyFalco]

Boy, a lotta folks like to skip a hearty breakfast. My family said they did the same thing when they went two years ago without me.

I'm the opposite. I don't try for rope drops or anything, but I usually rise pretty early to have a good helping of something. A chunk of protein, at least. It's the midday meal I'd skimp on.

(Actually, if it weren't for the wife/other's insistence that the big meal be supper, I'd probably do a CS breakfast, a huge TS lunch, and a snack-type dinner. But that's how my metabolism, or whatever, is geared. I'd also add that's how the health experts suggest you eat. Wallets, I will admit, do say otherwise, however.)

 

[tinkerbellmichelle]

Great topic! We've signed on for the DDP and I'm trying to work out getting 3 meals per day,and having us share certain C/S meals.... And I think it is do-able. We usually like big breakfasts, light lunches/snack, and then a better dinner. And we might pack some granola bars along as well.

We have a couple Character Breakfasts and those days we'll just do C/S for an early dinner.

We have some Dinner's booked (nothing later than 6 p.m.) and those days we'll grab a bigger breakfast.

Even if we don't end up sharing C/S, I'm predicting that lunch will be our snack credit most days. This seems backwards from some, and maybe not bang for our buck considering no dessert, BUT it's what will keep US going and that extra drink from a C/S breakfast will come in handy at some point!

 

[RllngRckBrw]

We love to buy the mug and get coffee (even though it is bad) for breakfast and use the snack for a small breakfast. I find that a small b-fast is not a big deal because even the CS meals for lunch are large portions.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

More great tips! I really like the idea of eating the light meal at night, but I booked a lot of our TS meals for dinner and it is too late to change them and get something decent. Next time I will do that I think! I was thinking also we could split a snack credit on a pastry and then split another later in the day as well, sort of spreading out our food a bit. I think sharing here and there are great ideas! Thanks everyone!

 

[PrincessNewsie]

Josh and I used the snack credits for breakfast (Main Street Bakery or Epcot's Norway). We'd normally split a giant chocolate croissant or sweet pretzel for breakfast. Than after we'd ride some of the rides we'd get a Dole Whip or a fruit cup to split. We used the quick service to split a lunch at 1 and then we'd normally split another QS around 4. Our dinner TS ressies were between 7:45-9:45