Dining plan vs. DDE for me?

[gopherit]

Ok, if ruomr holds and we're getting the DIning Plan starting in April, this means doing a whole new set of calculations for me....

5 people: 2 adults, 2 kids, and 1 kid that Disney has decided is an adult (will be 11 on trip). Our next trip to WDW is in about 7 mos, staying at US/IOA hotel for the first few days, then moving over to OKW for 8 nights. NORMALLY our dining habits are one "big" table service meal per day at most, and perhaps a snack... all other meals in our villa.

We have dined that way because (a) it was cheaper and (b) our kids were little tots and picky eaters, so it insured they would have a low-key meal at least once a day so we could get food down 'em!

We have TONS of parks hopper days on old tix - really didn't have a reason to buy an AP this year, other than if I was going to get a DDE. With this dining plan, for about 37.99 per adult and 10.99 per kid, we can have (if I understand correctly) 1 TS and 1 CS and 1 snack per day. It's a lot of food - but we could possibly make this work for us! (I love the thought of, just once, not doing a big grocery shopping trip!)

I'm theorizing that this might be quite nice, except paying $38 for the 11 yr old will be a bit painful. Nonetheless - just ball-park rounding from some menus: If we did a snack, CS and TS, it would normally run a tab of about 2 or 3 bucks for a snack, 10 for CS, then anywhere from 25 plus tip (buffet) to 50 bucks or so plus tip at Le Cellier...that comes to 60-70 bucks, give or take 10. For my kid, snack for $3, CS for 6, dinner for 11 plus tip (character buffet) and up to $14 or $15 at a nice place. That is a total of roughly $20. So for the price, the dining plan looks pretty good.

Even the "HDDR" option doesn't look so bad (i.e., using 2 TS for HDDR). THe price for HDDR for a kid is 25.43. THe price of 2 days of DIning plan for a kid is 21.98. It's like getting 2 CS and 2 snacks for free with a few bucks to spare, if I'm reading it right. For adults, the 37.99 X 2 comes to 75.98, which is you subtract the HDDR cost for an adult (50.22), you have 12.88 remaining that you have paid extra... which covers 2 snacks and 2 CS. Certainly break-even, if not even better, depending upon what you order at the counter service meal!

What do you folks think? Is it just too much food? Is it a decent deal? NEver done dining plan before.... it would be a first!

[dizhoni]

Well, gopherit, the only problem I see with the dining plan is that can I muster enough will power not to eat myself into a stuper. We usually eat cs and sit-down every day but never order that much food---if it's already paid for, I just might turn into a glutten! If only you could share!!! Honi :)

[jnrrt]

We thought of it another way - for us, it's $38x2 plus $11x2 (they don't count the baby yet). So that's $98 a day. We just thought, would we spend $98 a day? And for us, that's nope. Because we always split meals and eat in and stuff. We can't eat everything just ordering an entree. We wouldn't live through trying to also eat an appetizer PER PERSON and a dessert PER PERSON as well. That's just insane for us. So I think a lot of it has to do with your regular habits.

But, with that said, if you're thinking that it could be fairly close, and you looked at this as an opportunity to try some of the fancier-shmancier (that's the technical term) places you wouldn't normally go, then it might be worth it for the experience. Or, as you said, worth it for your convenience. For instance, if we ever did this plan, I could see us still doing a lot of meal sharing (because with an appetizer, entree, and dessert, we'd have plenty, even if we only ordered for half of us) and using the extra table service credits to try some of the places we normally wouldn't pay for.

I think that if you spend a decent amount of money on food regularly, want to try new places, or are really looking to not have to cook, this is for you. If you don't eat out much, or don't order much when you do, maybe not so much.

[bavaria]

I think that you should be realistic about your current habits and how much you are willing to change. If you eat one TS per day, would you really want the plan? Are you prepared to 'waste' food that you don't consume, and to dedicate extra time to the extra meals?

It sounds like you are being honest with yourself, and you may need to crunch some numbers to see what would work best. I see so many posts about people trying to squeeze every penny out of the dining plan, but does it make their vacation more enjoyable? For some yes, for others I suppose not....

I find that the DDE gives excellent flexibility and still offers a significant discount, without feeling locked into committments like with the dining plan.

[gopherit]

For instance, if we ever did this plan, I could see us still doing a lot of meal sharing (because with an appetizer, entree, and dessert, we'd have plenty, even if we only ordered for half of us) and using the extra table service credits to try some of the places we normally wouldn't pay for.

I think that if you spend a decent amount of money on food regularly, want to try new places, or are really looking to not have to cook, this is for you. If you don't eat out much, or don't order much when you do, maybe not so much.

You know the irony of this is that I could handle the TS...I could handle the snack (we invariably get one each day anyway, either one we brought with us or a box of popcorn or ice cream or such mid-day). It's actually the CS that have me stumped, because we've never used 'em at WDW! So I guess it's a matter of whether I want my own "CS" type fare or WDW...

For example - For 8 days - I was thinking about using 2 TS for HDDR (everybody) and maybe 2 TS for Spirit of Aloha. That would leave me with 8 CS, 8 snacks, and 6 TS meals. That makes a little more room to play with (i.e., use up some counter service on one of the 2 days with no TS). As I already noted, for the kids, using 2 TS for HDDR is a "bargain" of sorts, since it costs 10.99 per day for a child on the dining plan, but HDDR is $25 per kid, so when I use 2 TS for my kid to attend HDDR, I technically get HDDR for a few bucks cheaper, AND I get 2 CS meals and 2 snacks as a bonus. WIth 2 kids taking advantage of that, it's a good deal. WHere it gets dicier is with the 11 yr old and 2 adults (38 X 2 leaves you paying $12 more than adult fare for HDDR, but even so, you get the 2 CS meals and 2 snacks, which if you figure the average CS fare at about $6, you're getting the 2 snacks free*. (* Note: author uses word choice lightly, as she understands nothing is TRULY "free", LOL!) Really, the kids deal on this is very fair. I looked over my expenses on my past 2 trips - every time we did TS, my kids each had a 10-12 bill each (and that was just the one meal). So the kids' plan has definite merit (unless of course Disney reads this, figures it out and hikes up the price...)

As for food quantity - no, we don't want that cruise-ship feeling that every time we turn around, there's the food and we gotta eat it. But I think that depends on how you attack it. I could see my DH thinking he had to suck every dime of opportunity out of this and making himself sick, haha! But if you're prudent you could make it work, I think (i.e., you're stuffed and have no room for cheesecake, but that big ol cookie - which is a bit cheaper and more for-the-road hardy - would be great at 10 pm when you're back in the villa) We were at B&C last year and I had those Q&C vouchers. When it came time for dessert, my SIL wisely elected to get her dessert as a slice of chocolate cake and got it "to go". She then helped BIL and their son eat their sundae. Later, they had cake as a night snack. I read where one family had left over snacks at the end of their stay, so they bought a bunch of Mickey Rice Crispy treats with them and took them home with them. Because there's no rule on what day you use each part of the "deal" I would think you could make it work.

My one question is this - do they make you take both the day you arrive and the day you leave? And when precisely do you get the tix and when are they active? (In other words - say I check in on a SUnday, would they let me drop my check-in day from the plan, but give me my vouchers for the week and would they be usable? Or are they only good on the precise days of activation? Likewise, on the day I check out, do I have to buy that day? And if not - would meal plan vouchers bought for during my stay expire on the last day for which I bought them, or still be good on the day I'm checking out?

Lots of questions, still... but I'm definitely seeing some merit to it.

I will say this - I did the math on the DDE. BAsed on our last trip's $$$ spent for dining, and assuming 20% off across the boards on it (all the places we dined in were applicable to the DDE plan), we would save roughly $150 (assuming 8 TS with 3 "adults" and 2 kids). Well, I'd have to pay $50 for the DDE, and that's after I first buy an AP ($315). I doubt we'll make another trip down to WDW again in that calendar year. We already have plenty of days on old PHP passes... and the AP discounts are spotty as to what would benefit us (maybe mini golf? We wouldn't use it for the parking perks or the room discounts, and we'd already have the DDE, so no real sense from a dining perspective...)


I looked back over my plans and to be honest, the only thing I reallllly wish you could do in the DIning PLan was "trade up" some CS for TS. Now THAT would be nice! BUt failing that ability.... the only other limitation I forsee is feeling like we "have" to eat in a particular place or can't get a particular snack we want because it's not on the "plan". I will say it sounds like DDE is more flexible in that regard. And I suppose if you have guests with you - DDE would be nicer, if you felt inclined to "share the wealth" and make them part of your possible 8 people allowable for the 20% discount.

UGH! Too much to think about! (And it does NOT help that I am currently battling a mild but persistent case of stomach flu as I type this... food--- YUCK. :blech: NO THANKS!)

[jnrrt]

Sorry you're feeling yucky, Gopherit!

Just thought I could help with a few of the questions. Assuming they are running this like the regular mealplan, you actually buy it for the number of nights. It has to match, so to drop a night you'd have to have a separate reservation, check out, and check in, and possibly change rooms. Not such a good scenario. But I think it already does what you were hoping for since it's tied to nights, not days.

An example since I'm not being very clear. If you're staying 6 days and 5 nights, and buy the meal plan, you get 5 TS, 5 CS, and 5 snacks per person, but you can use them any time from check-in through the last day you're there. So 5 days worth of stuff, but 6 days to use it. And you get it when you check in.

Hope that helps with those questions at least.

[UsedtobeSmith]

I dont think we will do it... We have the DDE and are happy with that... We do eat like to eat 1 TS a day and maybe 1 CS, but not always... I would hate to not use part of it.... lol

But this thread go tme thinking and I will keep our dining reciepts this trip to see what we do spend on food.

[vascubaguy]

We actually made out ok with the dining plan (of course there's only 2 of us). We would split a CS for breakfast, then split another CS for lunch, then have our own TS for dinner. It was a bit of food, but after walking all day and by splitting our other meals, we were ok. You can always take the dessert home for dinner to have as a snack later. Oh, as for the snacks, we didn't use those as much. We ended up bringing a bunch of rice krispie treats home with us!

Of course we won't be able to utilize the dining plan on our next trip (since we are going in March). And for the time we will be there in April, I'll be at a conference, which provides most meals, so there's no need for it then either. So, unless I hear something about the dining plan starting a little sooner, I'll have to consider DDE.

[cobbler]

It's going to be a tough one for me to decide too. Our oldest turns 10 the next time we go so he will be an adult by their standards.

We usually eat one sit down a day and snack the rest of the day so in that respect it doesn't seem like it would work for us. However we are just taking away the counter service from what we do now.

We usually do eat a meal in our villa but it might be nice to not have to grocery shop after we get settled in. I hate getting settled in then have to go out and get our food.

Ugh, luckily I have a while before I have to decide.