DDP is soo much worse!

[EatMoreVeg]

I have to disagree with this. As a DVC owner I will book my first night using a different contract and then add dining for that one day. I get a cup every visit, so it makes sense for me. I arrive the 15th and will be there until the 21st. QS plan for the one night was $57. The cup is about $23, so $34 between 2 QS meals and a snack is a no brainer. A burger and Coke in the parks is at least $18.

I booked the regular DDP for my first night in May for $94 - $23 for mug, $57 for Hollywood and Vine dinner (because I would have AP discount if paying cash) and $14 left to cover QS meal and snack. And that is not including a possible cocktail with any of the meals.

I realize I am lucky I can do this because the average person can't.

You literally gave me an aha moment with this comment.

We are going in March and had to break up our reservation over multiple contracts. I was looking to see if there was any way the dining plan would make sense for us, and I think this is the only way we could actually save money.

 

[jillt2ph]

You literally gave me an aha moment with this comment.

We are going in March and had to break up our reservation over multiple contracts. I was looking to see if there was any way the dining plan would make sense for us, and I think this is the only way we could actually save money.

Yep, worked for me! I arrived Monday evening and headed to the studios for dinner at Woody's Lunchbox ($28.93). Got my mug when I returned to the resort ($23.42). Then on Tuesday I had dinner at the Oasis Pool Bar and Grill at the Poly ($29.81) and stopped off at the MK Confectionary to use my snack credit ($7.44) on my way back to Wilderness Lodge. My purchases came to $89.60, but I would subtract $5 from that for the tip at the Poly. So I would have not have lost any money even if I had gotten non-alcoholic drinks.

 

[petunia]

Is frontera cocina not on it anymore?

 

[robinb]

Adding money to a gift card, having to add the gift card to MDE every food order(we mobile order a lot)...no thanks! I would much rather pay for it all upfront and be done with it. It costs me more money to hire someone to mow my lawn but since I don't want to do it it's well worth the money.

There are work arounds to make it easier to use a Disney Gift Card with Mobile Order or Mobile Payment at gift shops. I always put the gift card number into my phone's notes app and simply copy and paste it into the Disney app. Easy-peasy.

Now, back to talking about the DDP ...

 

[EatMoreVeg]

Yep, worked for me! I arrived Monday evening and headed to the studios for dinner at Woody's Lunchbox ($28.93). Got my mug when I returned to the resort ($23.42). Then on Tuesday I had dinner at the Oasis Pool Bar and Grill at the Poly ($29.81) and stopped off at the MK Confectionary to use my snack credit ($7.44) on my way back to Wilderness Lodge. My purchases came to $89.60, but I would subtract $5 from that for the tip at the Poly. So I would have not have lost any money even if I had gotten non-alcoholic drinks.

I had actually totally forgotten we had an odd night booked separately with our upcoming reservation until I saw your comment! I think we could actually come out $100+ ahead doing the standard dining plan.

There's eight of us, 6 adults 2 kids which is $625.14 for 1 night.

Boma dinner buffet $371.90
Docking Bay 7 quick service $162.90 (estimated based off what I think my party would order)
Refillable mugs x8 $187.35
8 snack credits $40 (conservative estimate at $5)
Total $762.15

I didn't include any alcoholic drinks since our party doesn't have any big drinkers. But with it being included, one or two might end up having a drink with these meals. We will be at Blizzard Beach and Hollywood Studios on these days and will more than likely use the snack credits for items over $5 (I'm looking at you $9 blue milk). So that will put us even further ahead.

I'll also probably call to add the dining plan for this one night and see if I can pay with one of the discounted gift cards I got from the Costco sale. So that would technically be 10% off the cost of the dining plan which would actually make it $562.63 out of pocket. Plus we will have the refillable mugs for the remaining 10 days of our trip!

 

[Lsdolphin]

Yep, worked for me! I arrived Monday evening and headed to the studios for dinner at Woody's Lunchbox ($28.93). Got my mug when I returned to the resort ($23.42). Then on Tuesday I had dinner at the Oasis Pool Bar and Grill at the Poly ($29.81) and stopped off at the MK Confectionary to use my snack credit ($7.44) on my way back to Wilderness Lodge. My purchases came to $89.60, but I would subtract $5 from that for the tip at the Poly. So I would have not have lost any money even if I had gotten non-alcoholic drinks.

Is the Oasis Pool Bar area now open to those not staying at Poly?

 

[persimmondeb]

We're not planning on going any time soon (I think), so it'll be a little while before I see how the new iteration works for us, but we have NEVER not made out well on the dining plan, no matter what they've done to it (although we are not discussing how wonderful it was back in '07 on our first trip). Just depends on how you eat.

It's not too much food for us, we usually like the top of the menu, and we drink alcohol and eat dessert. EVERY time I take the gift card approach we run out well before the trip is over, and there's a lot more fussing about ordering and cost, and cranky family members who would like a snack but don't like paying for it.

 

[crazymomof4]

As to whether or not the DP will save you money-- You HAVE to run the numbers for the dates of your trip, your eating preferences and your unique traveling party.
For our Sept trip, I was CONVINCED that we (4 adults in one room) would do better with the RO discount (30% off at CBR). Actually scoffed to my son that I could do better than the "FREE" Dining! Well, I ran the numbers like 3x, each way, to be sure but........
the RO discount (with 6 day hopper tix purchased at Undercover Tourist) was only $260 less, per person, overall, than the same CBR ressies, same tix, with the DP package.
So the RO would give us resort stay and tix but we'd each have to stay under $260 on food for the whole 7 days. That's just $37/day. Two QS meals + 2 adult beverages + 1 snack is pretty much impossible for less than $37.
You have to run the numbers for your party.

 

[jillt2ph]

Is the Oasis Pool Bar area now open to those not staying at Poly?

I was able to get in with no problem. It was 7 PM on a chilly (about to be rainy) night, and there were only 2 people in the bar area. The bartender was happy to have someone new to talk to.

 

[JenniferParker]

I just did the math for the dining plan for our upcoming trip and it might be worth it for us this go around even if we don't plan every credit obsessively. We have never purchased it in the past, but our 3 kids are at peak princess/ character age right now, and the price increases on character dining make it worth it for that purpose.

On another note, has any one seen reports on how Disney handles child QS credits at counter service locations with no kids menu?

1) what quick service doesn't have a kids menu?
2) aren't ALL the character dining's now 2 Table Service credits?

I'm having a hard time finding good info on what we can get with the daily 'snack'. I'd really like to know if the dole whip is covered.

 

[Disneylover99]

1) what quick service doesn't have a kids menu?
2) aren't ALL the character dining's now 2 Table Service credits?

I'm having a hard time finding good info on what we can get with the daily 'snack'. I'd really like to know if the dole whip is covered.

1. There are several that come to mind at DS…..Blaze, Earl, BB Wolfe, Pizza Ponte, The Daily Poutine. Also Les Halles in Epcot and .Casey’s and Sleepy Hollow in MK. There are probably more in the smaller kiosks.

2. Most are still 1. If you click on the restaurant and then click on dining plan it will tell you.

Yes. Dole Whip is a snack. I saw that one confirmed by The Disney Food Blog.

 

[Genie+]

We’ve used DDP (free and paid) over many trips. In the past the dollar value was something we’d naturally hit with our own spending, so it felt like getting a bonus for the money spent. I can only speak from my own experience but the current form looks to have far fewer ways to push up the value.

2 things I learned using it -

Tip budget increases (we tip 20%). Not life changing but 4 people doing more character meals, buffets and specialty drinks was a couple hundred extra in tips beyond our ‘natural’ average. I started adding that to cost comparisons.

There is a compromise. Getting good value often means going out of our way and/or skipping things we’d prefer. Which was fine with a set itinerary we’d likely to stick to. It’s harder to do things on the fly though. This is the part that has me questioning the value for us. I’d want more than break-even to give up the freedom.

DDP can be alot of fun to use. Personally I’m over it though. Maybe that’s relative? I can’t forget how generous previous versions were. Maybe newness helps keep it exciting too.

 

[Danicat77]

I don’t understand this mentality. “I’ll pay way more for food because I get to pay for it ahead of time!” If you really want to prepay then put what the ddp is costing you on a gift card. You’ll have more than enough money to cover your food and most likely quite a bit left over for souvenirs. And you can avoid all the DDP restrictions. Eat where and when you want, order what you want, not be wasting 2 credits on restaurants like the Boathouse that aren’t that expensive.

And if you get discounted gift cards you are actually saving more!

 

[JenniferParker]

1. There are several that come to mind at DS…..Blaze, Earl, BB Wolfe, Pizza Ponte, The Daily Poutine. Also Les Halles in Epcot and .Casey’s and Sleepy Hollow in MK. There are probably more in the smaller kiosks.

2. Most are still 1. If you click on the restaurant and then click on dining plan it will tell you.

Yes. Dole Whip is a snack. I saw that one confirmed by The Disney Food Blog.

Thanks!!!

 

[jillt2ph]

1) what quick service doesn't have a kids menu?
2) aren't ALL the character dining's now 2 Table Service credits?

I'm having a hard time finding good info on what we can get with the daily 'snack'. I'd really like to know if the dole whip is covered.

I can highly recommend the Twix blondie cookie/pie from Main Street Confectionery. I used my snack credit Tuesday to get one and it was still delicious today. Thirty seconds in the microwave!

 

[Beachmom0317]

We’ve used DDP (free and paid) over many trips. In the past the dollar value was something we’d naturally hit with our own spending, so it felt like getting a bonus for the money spent. I can only speak from my own experience but the current form looks to have far fewer ways to push up the value.

2 things I learned using it -

Tip budget increases (we tip 20%). Not life changing but 4 people doing more character meals, buffets and specialty drinks was a couple hundred extra in tips beyond our ‘natural’ average. I started adding that to cost comparisons.

There is a compromise. Getting good value often means going out of our way and/or skipping things we’d prefer. Which was fine with a set itinerary we’d likely to stick to. It’s harder to do things on the fly though. This is the part that has me questioning the value for us. I’d want more than break-even to give up the freedom.

DDP can be alot of fun to use. Personally I’m over it though. Maybe that’s relative? I can’t forget how generous previous versions were. Maybe newness helps keep it exciting too.

The tip increases have been a huge con for us with the DDP when I run calculations. If I am on the DDP I'm more likely to order a more expensive glass of wine..or an expensive entree (I like to normally eat 1-2 appetizers instead of an entree). And the buffets are so expensive so that makes tip higher too

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

As to whether or not the DP will save you money-- You HAVE to run the numbers for the dates of your trip, your eating preferences and your unique traveling party.[snip]

And I would add that the numbers you run have to be REALISTIC AND ACCURATE. Don't run fantasy numbers of you *never* wanting an alcoholic drink, of the kids *never* begging and whining for a smoothie or milkshake or float, of the four of you sharing two snacks total each day, that you or the kids won't eat more on a park day than you would in your more sedentary daily life.
Consider the possibility that your wants and needs might be different on the actual day than you trying to economize at home. Normal life doesn't have treats, drinks, restaurants, and vending carts every 50 feet. Park life does.
Running the numbers is probably much easier for people who have been already rather than first timers. Lots of people spend less going OOP. Lots of other people spend less with the DDP. And then there are people in between where it's about choices about the vacation and dining experiences they want to have.
I did three big park trips where I drank zero alcohol because I could not bear the cost they charge for anything that isn't beer, which I don't drink. Then I did a January 2020 trip where the DDP included alcohol and specialty drinks. My kids got root beer floats at Woody's, smoothies at CRT, and other special drinks at many place we went. For the first time in the parks, I had alcoholic drinks. At every meal, QS and TS. I had a cocktail at Story Book Dining, a raspberry mimosa at Garden Grill, a Takodana Quencher in a galaxy far, far, away, and prosecco at every other TS meal.
I'm never going back. That was *vacation* (to me, a person who also doesn't order alcohol at restaurants back home for the same cost reasons). It doesn't mean I have to do DDP. I spent the same as a QS plan in May 2022 doing all QS and getting alcoholic milks in Batuu, 3-4 snacks/day with my first-time visitor companion who needed to try everything. So I know I have the choice. But it's based on experience and knowing what I really will want to do to fully enjoy the time in the parks I spent thousands of hours and dollars to experience.
So just be honest, and cushion for some unexpected wants.
Having said all that, I'm really on the fence for future trips because going down to one snack not only reduces the $ value for my family, it reduces the *fun* we had as a group of six trying half the menus at some snack locations with each of us getting something different and sharing. Now it seems that I can't feed a picky kid three snacks instead of one QS meal? Yeah, it will take some concerted number crunching to like @crazymomof4 (hey! I'm a crazy mom of 4, too!) did.

 

[Minniemoo15]

I was the biggest dining plan fan. We got it every trip and I generally thought we came out ahead or mostly even, especially because we were doing so many character meals as my girls were young.

What I loved most though was the prepaid feeling. Coming back from a ten day trip and the only thing we had to pay for was a few souvenirs felt so nice. But now that there are so many extra expenses and add ons - Genie+, ILLs, Ubers (RIP Magical Express), that prepaid vacation feeling is gone. I’m coming home to a large bill regardless, there is no longer that major benefit to me in pre paying the dining plan. We just pay OOP now.

 

[Dulcee]

And I would add that the numbers you run have to be REALISTIC AND ACCURATE. Don't run fantasy numbers of you *never* wanting an alcoholic drink, of the kids *never* begging and whining for a smoothie or milkshake or float, of the four of you sharing two snacks total each day, that you or the kids won't eat more on a park day than you would in your more sedentary daily life.

I always have to hand over my calculations to my husband and ask him to judge my thoughts. I'm the penny pincher so when I run the numbers I say "oh we'll share this..." or "we'll pack goldfish for the kids" and he's the voice of "I'm stopping at starbucks at least once a day and if you don't increase the ice cream budget to $300 the kids will throw a mutiny"

Anyway, after two trips off property the last two years, we'll be on property this year. Ran the numbers all sorts of ways (including tickets as a package, tickets through outside vendors, ordering groceries, tip calculations, room discounts etc). Doing the 50% off kids meals (QS)/tickets works well for us. We break even where I estimated we'd be paying out of pocket on food but end up with golf, alcohol included without me yelling at my husband for a beer at lunch and refillable mugs. So all in all the discounted dining works for us this go around.

As others have said, you have to run the numbers for your party, how you do the parks, and how you eat.