Mom and Daughter at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort Room
  • On May 31, 2013
    Jeff Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    Hello moms! I'm still weighing pros and cons with the DDP. My question is, if I chose to get the DDP would you quite literally have to eat at the fanciest places and/or order the most expensive meals to make it worthwhile?

    Jeff,

    No, I don't think that is the way you really want to look at it. What I always suggest to friends is to do the following;

    • Figure out what you would eat normally. 
    • You can look up the pricing, by restaurant, and calculate what you would spend, eating what you would eat.
    • Total it all up. Don't forget snacks and drinks throughout the day.
    • Compare that to the cost of the different dining plans.

    If one of the plans will save you money, then go for it. If they don't save you money, or if to save money you have to eat at places you would not otherwise go, or eat food you would not otherwise eat, then don't go with the plan. I do a spreadsheet for every trip, and love knowing that I have done the homework to save the most money.

    One of the most common mistakes people make in looking at these plans is calculating in the dessert costs. If they typically don't go for dessert, but dessert is in the plan, they should not think of that as money saved. If the do, they are doing something just to make the plan make fiscal sense, instead of going with a plan that suits THEIR needs.

    If a plan does not work for you, but you like the convenience of it all, then either go with what we do: bill meals to your room, or save money up over the months leading to your trip and put them on a gift card to use in paying for meals. Both those plans let you eat where you want to eat!

     Write me back if you have any follow-up questions!

    Have a magical (and delicious) vacation!
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Meet the Panelist: Doug, Indiana

I am one of the Dads on the planDisney Panel, and I love to help parents plan their vacation, with a focus on showing them how it can be fun for them too. I am also here to help Dads plan some nice surprises for the Moms in their life (they deserve it!). Learn More About Doug

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