Check my math on Dining plan?

[gopherit]

Well, looking to make a ptich to DH for getting dining plan this summer on our trip. Doesn't look like too hard of a sell, though!

On our last trip, looking at just 8 days of the trip, we dined at Chef Mickeys, ESPN Club, Cape May Café, Prime Time Café, Crystal Palace, Ohana, Beaches and Cream, Whispering Canyon and HDDR. We bought about $160 worth of groceries and maybe spent $50 in snacks. THis was for 2 adults and 3 kids (aged 4 to 9). THe total bill for all that came to $1000. That's probably a decent estimate. We only did TS, no counter - we schlepped a small cooler into the parks with us, toting sandwiches and such for the gang.

This trip, we will have 3 "adults" (thanks to our 11 yr old) and 2 kids. One could well surmise that if we elect to go to buffet meals (as are many of the character meals our kids enjoy), our price will rise since Mr. 11 yr old will have to pay adult fare, so in the interest of making things fair, let's just round that to $1100.

For the dining plan - $37.99 per adult, and $10.99 per kid. That's $136 per day for our family. Over a 7 nights / 8 days stay, that comes to $952. It includes a snack per day, and also a CS meal. Even if we bought $100 worth of groceries (which I doubt we would... mainly just get some cereal, milk and water/juice!) we still come out ahead. Best of all - this poor Mom doesn't have to do the big grocery run (which sucks an good half-hour or three out of my day), nor do we have all the groceries to then pack up if we don't use them, nor does Mom have to cook. Ooooo, I'm liking this better already. I'm not opposed to cooking... when our kids were little it was great being able to come to our villa and let them play while we fixed a simple fare we knew they would eat (and that did NOT include the ubiquitous chicken nugget, LOL!) BUt now our kids are old enough to know what they will and won't eat, and their tastes have expanded (as has their ability to enjoy dining out). ANd I will NOT miss the grocery run one iota.

I did the math on us for the DDE and couldn't get it to make sense (namely because we aren't AP holders, and have oodles of PHP passes to use and no need to buy an AP. By the time I got the AP, then the DDE - I'd have to do some serious eatin' to make it pay us back. DH doesn't drink, so no advantage there either, LOL!

Anybody else do a comparison between the DDE versus dining plan? I guess it depends on your eating habits, and whether you already have an AP.

One thing that sold me: For 10.99, a kid gets 1 TS and 1 CS and a snack. For 21.98, double all of that. The HDDR is $25 for a kid. SO even if the kid uses both TS to attend HDDR, he still gets 2 CS and 2 snacks, and pocket change to spare! THat's better than 20% off right there.

[withdisneyspirit]

I think you have very good reasons to do the dining plan! The best one is not having to cook and then saving money to boot:beaniepro It is especially nice to cover a big expense like HDDR. You could just head to DD and have something yummy there the first night and you would never miss that second TS you are spending on the HDDR:sunny:

Now what I will want a report on is how much extra walking you will have to do to prevent weight gain from all the great food and desserts:bugeyed: :rolleyes:

[gopherit]

Now what I will want a report on is how much extra walking you will have to do to prevent weight gain from all the great food and desserts:bugeyed: :rolleyes:

Ain't THAT the truth!

We haven't done CS in WDW since 1998, LOL, so it's new turf to us. I feel certain I can make my dining choices based on what I want, not what I feel I should get simply because it's "paid for"... but I predict DH is gonna waddle like a duck by Day 3, mark my words! :yes:

Hey, come to think of it, he DOES do a great Donald impression... maybe this will mark the dawn of a new career for him.... :donald:

[withdisneyspirit]

I hate to admit this but DH seems to handle extreme largesse better than me on vacation. I do pretty well at home but send me to Le Cellier as in Dec for CP when it is prepaid and I just sit there and try to eat it all:hammer: :rolleyes: I am paying the price now...it was FUN though and I can't wait to get back there again:beaniepro

[gopherit]

I just wish there was some way to trade in CS for more TS! I'd gladly trade 3 CS for a TS. We're such TS snobs, LOL! It's always a struggle to decide which places to leave out on a trip, simply due to lack of time! Putting the CS in there may actually mean having to rule out a few more TS than usual, simply in the interest of NOT becoming blimps, LOL!

I figure we will definitely use two TS for HDDR. That leaves us with 5 more TS to make. Tough choices ahead on what to "leave out". We always hit ESPN (my sport-nut guys love it, of course!) but I think we will go there for lunch our first day, and just pay cash (and get the DVC discount). Doesn't make sense to use that as a TS. Beaches and Cream may pay off as a TS, however... if we can fit all that ice cream in us! :goodvibes My SIL had a great plan last trip, though... we had those Q&C vouchers and when she saw the size of the sundaes, she decided to order cake as her dessert. She helped her DH eat the No Way Jose and then took the cake back to the room for a snack at night! Smart thinkin'. :yes:

[withdisneyspirit]

We got a Kitchen Sink in December and I hate to say it, but none of us liked it that well once all the flavors started running together and they even put sponge cake in it:yuck: Our two teens were mad and I really missed my chance to get another No Way Jose, my fave:beaniepro

[gopherit]

We got a Kitchen Sink in December and I hate to say it, but none of us liked it that well once all the flavors started running together and they even put sponge cake in it:yuck: Our two teens were mad and I really missed my chance to get another No Way Jose, my fave:beaniepro

WHile my kids oooo and ahhh over the theatrics that accompany a Kitchen Sink, when they got a closer look at all that's in it - it was pretty much a concensus...

Get the kitchen sink?

No way, Jose!

I have heard you can ask for certain stuff to be "left out" or change ice cream flavors... but then I guess it's not technically a kitchen sink anymore, LOL. SOme of the toppings would ick them out, too. (And no thanks to the cake in our cream, too!) I tried the fudge mudslide... it was good, but I still don't think you can beat that No Way Jose.... mmmmmmmm.

Would they even LET you get a SInk on the dining plan? I know they would NOT let us combine vouchers for one sink last time, but maybe that's just the server we had. I've seen where others were allowed to do that.

[Colorado Belle]

I am thinking about the dining plan too. I will be solo tho meeting up with IdratherB and jiggerj and mattypants.

I don't ever eat TS every night and certainly wouldn't eat both appeti;zer, entree and dessert all in one meal BUT since the others all have DDE...I'm sure that the extra food won't go to waste. Plus, we've ended up booking TS everynight anyway!

I read all the menus and the food that made my mouth water (and the accompanying high prices) which required only 1 TS were: Le Cellier, Chefs, Boma's, Kona and Wolfgang Puck Cafe.

As for counter service....I saw a couple that REALLY looked good...the little place in Morocco, Yakatori, Columbia House, Tusker House, Earl of Sandwich, Lberty Tree Inn.

So I think I'm going to try it. Do you know if I can 'give' away my extra food or share dessert with my dining buds (as long as it isn't buffet)?

What the selling point for me was is that it includes tax and tip....and that is a big saving right there.

[lllovell]

I think you are right that the only restriction would be for buffet meals for sharing CB.

Man - I am suddenly VERY hungry! but noooooooo its skinny time *doing the MC Hammer dance* Can't eat junk! Must resist! Do you all like my new pants?

[athenna]

I think you are right that the only restriction would be for buffet meals for sharing CB.

Man - I am suddenly VERY hungry! but noooooooo its skinny time *doing the MC Hammer dance* Can't eat junk! Must resist! Do you all like my new pants?


:ROTFL: :ROTFL: :ROTFL: :ROTFL:

[tjkraz]

Would they even LET you get a SInk on the dining plan? I know they would NOT let us combine vouchers for one sink last time, but maybe that's just the server we had. I've seen where others were allowed to do that.

Back in '02 or '03 when I first joined the DIS and was looking for some money-saving ideas, they used to let you get the Kitchen Sink with those meal vouchers. People on the budget board viewed it as some sort of coup--as if ANY of them really ate the darn thing!!!

But it's been a couple of years since they eliminated the KS from the vouchers, so I can't imagine they'd let you get it on the meal plan. The cash price is like $25, right?

[withdisneyspirit]

$21.99 is the current cost, but we didn't do it on the dining plan. They did give us 20% off on the DDE though! It still wasn't worth giving up the No Way Jose!!!:hammer: :thumbsway :yuck:

[zurgswife]

While I did the dining plan on a Girls only trip last Sept. For my family during our Spring break trip it just is too expensive for picky/light eaters...$1607.52 for 8 nights.. We just don't spend anywhere close to that. More like $600 for the entire trip of 9days...We will do a TS about once and CS twice....But if could get an adult trip in I definatley would do it....

[SwampFox]

I agree. We have the DDE and it's a better deal for us. We just don't eat enough to justify the DP and will end up saving more with the DDE.

We'd end up eating a lot more than we're accustomed to using the DP - overeating and overpaying at the same time.

Do the math before deciding what works best for you.

[gopherit]

Well, I reviewed my numbers once more, and dicussed with dH - any way I slice it, the DDP comes out better (for us, that is) than the DDE. I think the thing I am liking about it is it's like front-end capital food planning - we know what we'll spend on food in advance, including tax and tip! That was appealing to DH!

I don't really think we will waddle TOO badly afterwards. Technically, it's 2 meals per day, one of which is CS, and a "snack" (which could be a bottle of water, even - which in August can be quite refreshing, LOL!) We normally average one TS per day anyway. I can envision splitting CS meals over the course of a day - maybe using a few aty lunch, and then using a few more later for a evening snack, or the next day for a breakfast. As for the snack coupons, since we drive down, even if we have lots left over, we could easily use them up by getting snacks for the long 2 day car ride home, LOL!

I believe we'll be trying this out! :goodvibes

[tjkraz]

I gave a thought to trying the DDP for the 2-3 night stay I'm tentatively planning for May. But my DDE card will still be good then and I'm certain I will do better financially going that route. I don't make a habit of eating an appetizer, entree and dessert in one sitting. I also tend to favor restaurants like the ESPN Club and Mama Melrose's rather than the more expensive table service locations and character meals.

Still, I'm glad they have given us more options. If the plan sticks around for a few years, I'm sure we'll get to it eventually.

[Leftcoaster]

I think you are right that the only restriction would be for buffet meals for sharing CB.

Man - I am suddenly VERY hungry! but noooooooo its skinny time *doing the MC Hammer dance* Can't eat junk! Must resist! Do you all like my new pants?

::slips a Tasty Kake in front of Laura's keyboard::
::walks away whistling innocently::

[Leftcoaster]

For me and my travel habits, I think DDE still works out better for me. I tend to have a glass of wine with dinner, etc. and will have an appetizer or dessert. RARELY both... it also depends on what company I am with.
However, it's GREAT that Disney continues to add these options for us.

[ripleysmom]

We probably won't be using the dining plan. My DD will be 10 so we'll be paying the adult price for her. She in no way shape or form will eat an adult's portion of food. I'm probably gonna take a close look at buying an AP and getting the DDE card.