DDP vs DDE comparison

[FLYNZ4]

We recently completed another vacation... this time it was a total of 14 nights. DD2 was there for the first 11 nights... and the rest of us were there for the last 13 nights. We were a party of 4... myself, DW, DD1 (age 25), and DD2 (age 23).

I have been doing a DDP vs DDE comparison after each trip. Usually the cost to us comes out fairly close... but usually DDE is a bit cheaper. Furthermore... we like going to mostly sit down restaurants, which lends itself to favor DDE. This time the results strongly favored DDE.

Here are the results:

Lunches: Coral Reef, Trails End Buffeteria, Tuskar House, Prime Time Cafe, Germany Beirgarten, China Nine Dragons, MGM Sci Fi, Beaches and Cream, Marrakesh, Rose and Crown

Dinners: Spoodles/Big River, Bistro D' Paris, ESPN, Jiko, Brown Derby, Whispering Canyon, Cape May Cafe, Boma, Raglan Road, Spoodles Pizza Window, Bongos, Le Chefs De France

According to my calculations:

Total TS meals (including doubles) = 77
Total CS meals = 6
Total Meals = 83

Cost of DDP would have been $2183.44
Number of TS allowed under dining plan would only have been = 56

Total cost under DDE = $1436.98
Cost savings of DDE vs DDP = $746.46
Number of extra TS meals under DDE = 21

When we went out, we almost never had a lot to eat, usually only ordering a entrée. Sometimes we would order less... for example, at the Brown Derby, 3 people had entrées, but I only had the Cobb salad (an appetizer for 2).

Not surprisingly... when we went to the five buffets (Trails End, Whispering Canyon, Germany, Boma, Cape May) we ate more... and afterwards we felt worse. I think there is a natural tendency to over at buffets, and sadly we are not immune. The rest of the time... we really enjoyed the standard menu items and we did not overeat. We only ordered dessert a couple of times... and even then we usually shared.

All 14 days we ate breakfast in our condo. Each person was on their own. I made bacon and eggs every morning for myself, and sometimes for DW. The kids ate various items... sometimes yogurt, fruit, cereal, and frozen breakfast sandwiches.

For us, we plan to continue to use the DDE. We spend more time at TS restaurants which is what we enjoy, we avoid CS restaurants which we do not care for, we feel better, and we spend less money.

/Jim

 

[mello]

Thank you for the analysis. I've been wondering how the two compared if you stacked them up meal for meal. Sounds like we eat similarly to you, so DDE could work nicely for us.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm glad to see someone using a real comparison, instead of a bogus comparison of the price of DDP to the inflated menu prices of the meals at Disney restaurants. In your case, you compared real numbers and used your real typical dining pattern...which I think is the only valid comparison.

When I do a similar comparison, we come out slightly better with DDP because of our family composition (2A, 1 C) and our typical dining habits. It's not the crazy 40% Disney and some posters claim; it's usually about $100 for each 4-5 day trip.

We enjoy the convenience of DDP, but if it changes as predicted, I suspect we have eaten our last meal on DDP. In fact, I think our typical trip will now only include 1-2 onsite meals compared to the 10 we now eat. That would mean the DDE wouldn't have much benefit for us either in the future.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Very good! I have always suspected it to be true, and now you have proven it. You seem to eat much the same way we do, with mostly table service and few counter service.

 

[jimmytammy]

We ran the numbers very similar to yours and found DDE to be less, for us. If I were 20 yrs old and could eat all I wanted, DDP would probably work in my favor But our eating habits in the World are very much like yours. And yes, the buffets do tend to make me eat more than I should

 

[Olaf]

We found the same thing. However, the main reason we're going with the DDE this time is because we ate way too much last time. I normally lose weight while at WDW. I gained last time, despite all that walking. That ain't gonna happen again.

 

[goofy4tink]

I go to WDW twice a year, so like to have the DDE card. So....each trip I sit and figure it out both ways. In Oct, I traveled with another mom and her dd, celebrating our dd's 13th birthdays together. The DDP was about $50 more than if we had done the DDE, but for the $25 pp difference, it made up for the addtl cost in convenience. But, we go again in Aug....I have an order with GardenGrocer of about $50 (fee and tip included) because we'll be eating breakfast in our villa, but we are still doing the DDP, augmented by the DDE card if need be. The cost of the DDP, with GG added in, is $620. If we had eaten exactly as we normally would (rather than how we eat on the DDP), using the DDE card would cost us about $658. We usually eat dinner at a TS restaurant, with cs for lunch. So...the DDP works out cheaper this time around. But, if we ate at a TS place for lunch, rather than CS, we would be better off using DDE.

 

[DVC Grammy]

For us, the DDE winds up to be much less.................possibly in cost, but mostly in pounds (not the English kind, either ).

 

[FLYNZ4]

I uploaded a link to my spreadsheet in case anyone wants more detail. I am not claiming that this is the only methodology to do a comparison... but it seemed to be reasonably objective to me.

I also have a slight correction to make. In my original post, I said that at Brown Derby... 3 people had entrees and that I only had the Cobb salad. Looking at my data... I noticed that there were only 3 of us that evening... DD2 wasn't feeling great.

The spreadsheet below has our actual costs and number of people eating on a meal-by-meal basis.

www.pappasfam.com/stuff/wdwmeals.xls

Enjoy

/Jim

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks for posting this.

We don't normally eat dessert AND appetizers, so we do tend to go with the DDE exclusively. It's only because DDE doesn't work for Fantasmic dinner package and the Candlelight Processional diiner package that we probably will always do DDP in December when we go for the Christmas celebrations.

Bobbi

PS. Also, one of our very favorite dishes at WDW is Mac and Cheese at Chefs de France...and we just couldn't bring ourselves to order it if we were on the DDP...Oh my that tastes heavenly to us, and heating up the leftovers the next day is even better!

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks for posting this.

We don't normally eat dessert AND appetizers, so we do tend to go with the DDE exclusively. It's only because DDE doesn't work for Fantasmic dinner package and the Candlelight Processional diiner package that we probably will always do DDP in December when we go for the Christmas celebrations.

Bobbi

PS. Also, one of our very favorite dishes at WDW is Mac and Cheese at Chefs de France...and we just couldn't bring ourselves to order it if we were on the DDP...Oh my that tastes heavenly to us, and heating up the leftovers the next day is even better!

Oohhh, my dd, 13, loves mac and cheese....this will have to be a must eat in August. Thanks for mentioning it!!

 

[CarolA]

Thanks for posting. I find that the comparisons tend to be "if we ordered what we ate and paid for it" The truth is that most of us wouldn't eat that much if it wasn't "included" For example, I find practically none of the Disney resturant deserts to be "must eats" so I wouldn't order them.

I always READ the "you don't have to eat it", but when I am sitting at a resturant at Disney what I cannot recall ever hearing someone turn down desert or appetizer after the server mentions "its included". (I am often solo so I actually do "people watch" while I eat... LOL!)


I am considering it for December, but it's mainly for the CP package and I will only be there two nights so...two sit down meals won't be too bad....

 

[odaddy!]

Thanks for the fantastic work and time spent on this!! I agree with everyone, if we did not get dining free, I think DDE would also work much better for my family also!!

 

[Tamar]

We don't do a formal analysis, but because we like the signature restaurants, and because at most we share an app and desert, and because I like a glass of wine with dinner, it stands to reason that DDE works best for us.

Also, we don't have to plan our meals months in advance, because we won't "lose" meals if all the sit down restaurants are full and we have to do a CS or otherwise wing it.

 

[CarolMN]

We tried the DDP last December (mostly because of the CP pkg and wanting to try CG). We're back to the DDE for all future trips.

It's just too hard (for me) to order what I normally would when "it's already paid for", LOL. So I ate too much and it took several weeks for me to get things back under control. (Have no idea how people CAN eat so much in the summer and early fall when it's so hot outside).

Also, I found that at some restaurants, the waiters were "pushers". I didn't order an appetizer at Tony's (just not hungry), but the waiter insisted that my DH could eat it. (He really didn't want it either). Finally said yes just to get rid of him! By the end of the trip, I didn't even enjoy the meals - no fun to eat when you're not hungry!

Anyway, I'm glad that annual passholders have the opportunity to purchase the DDE - it's much better suited for us than the DDP. I do wish it wasn't necessary to make ADRs so far in advance, though. The DDP has done a very good job of keeping Disney's restaurants full!

 

[ADP]

Thanks for the comparison FLYNZ4.

This has been a topic I've been very interested in. We use the DDE card, and have been using it for the past 2 years. It works better for our family as well. We tend to do more sit down meals, drink alcohol, and like the flexibility as the DDP is just too much for us.

One question: Did your analysis include the tip. The DDP currently includes the gratuity (rumor: may not in 2008)? 15% is the norm.

 

[Muushka]

I was wondering if your groceries were included? I didn't see them on the spread sheet. Any snacks?

We are also of the belief that the DDP is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. As of a few years ago (the last time we calculated how much $ we spent on food at WDW) we figured we spent $50 a day for 2 adults. But about $15 of that was groceries and beverages. And I felt so much better.
But when we go in Dec, our reservation is split 2+2 at VWL. We will do the DDP for the first leg because of the CP and Christmas dinner. That is a no-brainer.

 

[tubtruck]

I will be on the DDP for 18 days in july/aug, I have been pracricing eating more ready for the experience, I have manages to put 20 pounds on in the last four weeks not bad given I only weighed 160 pounds before, but I am now able to eat much larger portions, wont be fun losing it all after the experience though.

 

[FLYNZ4]

One question: Did your analysis include the tip. The DDP currently includes the gratuity (rumor: may not in 2008)? 15% is the norm.

Yes... the dollar figures in my spreadsheet were for the total cost of each meal including tip. I charged everything to our room... so I just filled out the spreadsheet on the flight home. We generally tip between 15% - 20% of what the total would have been without discount. Often we would just leave the exact cost of the DDE discount as the tip. We will tip more or less if the service is not up to par or is exceptional.

/Jim

 

[FLYNZ4]

I was wondering if your groceries were included? I didn't see them on the spread sheet. Any snacks?

I did not include the cost of groceries in the analysis because we would have spent the same regardless if we used DDP or DDE. We like having snacks available in the room.

We had 14 days worth of groceries for breakfast, ice cream, jello cups, yougurt, wine, soft drinks, pop corn, etc... all for consumption in the room. We also bought 4 cases of water with 24 bottles in each. We uded WeGoShop for the groceries.

/Jim