I’ve been thinking about cancelling the deluxe DDP that I booked for my trip next year. Turns out Disney will charge me £50 for doing so, which tips the financial argument towards keeping it.
Today the pound has fallen below $1.30 again. Before the referendum it was around $1.45.
Who knows where it will be by next summer. It may actually be that the DDP will be a much better value than it looks now compared with paying as I go next summer if the pound falls further.
I don’t know if Brexit is a good idea or bad idea long term. (Who does?) What I do know is that two of my major heads of expenditure — Apple products and Orlando holidays — are a lot more expensive than they used to be thanks to the adverse movement in the exchange rate.
I think it is a gamble either way, unless you can know the collective mind of the people! (How’s your telepathy these days?)
Out of curiosity, did you ever go through the effort of calculating actual food costs for what you EXPECT to actually eat this time around and compare it to the price of the DDP? I just have a hard time believing that the DDP is ultimately worth it based on your other comments in other threads about how you plan to eat this time around. But maybe you’ve figured out otherwise. (The fact that you keep waffling on this point, however, suggests you aren’t convinced it is worth it, regardless of Brexit.)
Waffling? Charming! Or are you referring to Mickey waffles? Yum!
It’s difficult to judge the value of the DDP. Who knows what you’re actually going to order on the day. My feeling is that I will probably at least break even and may end up on top. Though that’s partly because I’ll make choices and do things I wouldn’t do if I was paying as I go.
For example I really want to try Skipper’s Canteen. I’ve scheduled it for a late lunch I probably won’t be hungry enough to want. But as it will be “free” I can just eat a few tasty bites of each course.
I also haven’t taken into account the value of the snack credits. As I’m a big fan of Starbucks frappuccinos I may earn back the cost of the DDP on those alone.
You just gave me an idea. The day before we leave on our May 2020 trip, I’ll make Mickey Mouse pancakes for dinner! Thanks for suggesting it!
Now, I feel I’ve been lied to. (I know what you’re gonna say. You’re all very hypocritical about things. Yada yada yada.) I thought you were a PLANNER. I thought you didn’t REALLY like to take time to smell the roses. Yet, you are clearly suggesting otherwise when it comes to your dining plans!
I still think it is worthwhile to just go through the menus and PRETEND you’re eating. What are you LIKELY to pick, including snacks? It would at least give you something to make a comparison with. When my wife and I did this, we ended up determining we’d save hundreds of dollars by NOT getting the DDP. But obviously your eating style and ours are vastly different.
Still, perhaps it really ISN’T about the money? If the experience of just waving your arm to pay for your food is really the experience you are wanting, regardless of the difference in price, then that’s worth something that can’t necessarily be quantified. The idea of such freedom appeals to me, too. But I’m just too much of a cheapskate to allow such freedom in my life!
I refuse, as a matter of principle, to pre order food. …how can anyone possibly know what they will want to eat six months hence? I dont even know what I will feel like eating for supper tonight.
I booked the DDP in the first place because it was discounted in my package and it seemed like it might be a good deal. Plus it’s nice to turn up to WDW and know that everything (apart from those damned tips) is already paid for. And it removes the sticker shock of wanting the filet mignon when I arrive but then seeing the price on the menu and wondering if I should just have the green salad.
I started to question it because I endlessly worry about money and this upcoming trip is supposed to be on a tighter budget than my previous two.
Given that there’s a £50 cancellation fee I’ll almost certainly stick with it. But for my 2020 trip — ! — I may give it a miss. (And I’m already planning on saving money in that trip by trading ASMo for Pop.)
A coworker of mine introduced me to an interesting concept with regards to flipping a coin. We were discussing a decision we had to make, and we were waffling (no, not eating Mickey waffles) which way to go. He said, “Flip a coin!” But then he want on to explain that it isn’t about letting the coin make the decision. In fact, you don’t even have to LOOK at the final outcome of the coin. But instead, it is so that you get an emotional, gut reaction to what you HOPE the coin will be.
So, in your case, you say, “heads, stay with the DDP, and tails, ditch it”. (Hmm. It occurs to me that heads/tails might be an Americanism. So, whatever the British equivalent might be!)
Toss up the coin, and then catch it BUT DON’T LOOK at it. What does your gut HOPE it is? Heads? Or Tails?
Now, even if you don’t do that, perhaps my attempts to convince you to price things out is causing a gut reaction (no, no, not that gut reaction you get wishing I’d shut up!) to lean one way or the other.
(Mostly, I just like to make posts, though. Lengthy ones, at times.)
I just looked up coin flipping in Wikipedia. Turns out the whole gut reaction idea was originally (?) from Sigmund Freud! (At least attributed to him.)
I have heard of that concept. I read a book once where one girl did a pregnancy test and couldn’t look at the result, she couldn’t decide if she wanted a baby or not. Her friend looked, told her she wasn’t pregnant, and she was really upset, realises she did want a baby. And of course she was pregnant, her friend knew her gut reaction to being told no would help her realise how she felt.
