2010 Dining Plan

[tgropp]

I see that the 2010 dining plan has been released and there seems to be a significant increase in the holiday season pricing. I understand that the buffets have a dining surcharge for that period but the normal sit down restaurants have the same prices for all periods. So now if you do not go to the buffets and eat there during the high seasons, Disney is still going to charge you an extra $7.00 per day per person. Seems a bit extreme but I guess that I could always use the kitchen for most meals and pay cash for the restaurants that I want to eat at.

[Chuck S]

Why do people assume any pre-paid dining plan is designed to save them money or be a bargain? Most pre-paid or all inclusive travel packages don't save money, no matter the vendor...but people continue to buy them because they find it convenient to budget for it, or they want to feel they can "order what they want" without considering menu prices.

Personally, I've always found the DDPs to be too restrictive. I like to order what I want to eat, including appetizers or an adult beverage, rather than what Disney wants to feed me. And I've always paid less (including gratuity) than the DDP would have cost over the course of a vacation. Some days we paid more, some days less, but overall we saved money by paying out-of-pocket.

[brp]

Personally, I've always found the DDPs to be too restrictive. I like to order what I want to eat, including appetizers or an adult beverage, rather than what Disney wants to feed me. And I've always paid less (including gratuity) than the DDP would have cost over the course of a vacation. Some days we paid more, some days less, but overall we saved money by paying out-of-pocket.

I assume that one may purchase additional items while on a DDP and simply pay for the extra items?

I think that one can make the DDP a better value than OOP, but you have to work at it. Some people don't want to work at something like this. OTOH,given the level of OCD and anal-retentive behavior on DIS, it probably comes naturally to many :)

Cheers.

[Crystal_27]

I don't believe (unless it's changing in 2010) that you will be charged the surcharge if you're on the DDP (at least, that's not the way it's been in the past). You are only charged the surcharge if you are paying out of pocket (again, unless that policy is changing for 2010). :thumbsup2

[Tiger926]

With the addition of a new seasonal peak pricing for the regular DP, Disney has added the surcharge to all DP plans regardless of what restaurant one is eating at. They seemed to have figured out that people were getting the DP in order to avoid the holiday upcharge - I can't imagine they would actually charge another upcharge on top of the $46.99 price, as that would cause chaos in regards to payment, etc.

I'm someone who has done all forms of dining at Disney, as we don't really use our villa for meals, and if you fall into certain categories, particularly kids between 3-9, it's pretty impossible not to save some money on the DP. We just returned from 13 nights, with 2 adults, 1 child and 1 toddler (free) and we saved over $600.00 based on actual receipts. Once you take out beverages and desserts that we don't normally order, we were still at a savings of over $400.00. This number would actually be higher though, as we would have purchased our very hungry toddler kids' meals, which we didn't have to do, as we used desserts (fruit, ice cream, milkshakes) as a way to fill up DH, and then we shared our meals with the baby. So we would have saved at least close to $500.00 using the DP. I went through every receipt - we only order what we can eat, drink water with meals (an occasional milk or juice for kids), and don't order dessert at every meal at all. Sometimes we shared 1 dessert for all of us...

Based on the new seasonal pricing, I can only assume that Disney will raise menu prices again, in order to add value to the DP. It's a vicious cycle that Disney is at the helm of...

Tiger :)

[msd1962]

I agree with Tiger, for 2 of us on our last trip we saved $500 by doing the dining plan. Yes at certain resturants we had appitizers, we bought, and one desert. It also means you have to plan the TS well in advance, which I like so we are not doing the where should we eat tonight dance, only to find they are booked solid, or the first available is at 9:00.

We have done the plan 3 out of the last 4 times and decided to not do it once in the middle of it and hated not doing it. It ended costing us $300 more by not doing it. Also found us looking for the cheapest way to eat alot more and did not enjoy ourselves near as much.

So this all depends on how you like to plan your trips and how you eat. Is eating a way to satisfy hunger or is it part of the adventure.

[Chuck S]

So this all depends on how you like to plan your trips and how you eat. Is eating a way to satisfy hunger or is it part of the adventure.

Both..our meals included table service meals, including Brown Derby and Chefs de France...and still we saved $150 over the cost of the standard DDP over the course of our trip by paying OOP, again, including the gratuity. We didn't limit what we ordered. We had appetizers, entree, adult beverage AND dessert at some meals. We simply ordered what we felt like eating, sometimes it was a big meal, sometimes not.

[DebbieB]

I don't believe (unless it's changing in 2010) that you will be charged the surcharge if you're on the DDP (at least, that's not the way it's been in the past). You are only charged the surcharge if you are paying out of pocket (again, unless that policy is changing for 2010). :thumbsup2

It is changing for 2010.

The seasonal pricing dates are:

February 12 to April 10, 2010 (Easter is April 4)
June 4 to August 14, 2010
December 17 to December 31, 2010

Pricing is:
Adults 10+
$41.99 Non Peak
$46.99 Peak

Children 3-9
$11.99 Non Peak
$12.99 Peak

[TLPL]

I have decided my next trip in Feb I won't do the dining plan. The dining plan is getting more and more expensive and I think it is too much stress try to max the value, or try to get ADR for the popular restaurants or eat too many dessert/ snack when we normally don't do at home. Next time, i will try my own plan, order whatever we would normal eat (not just to order the most expensive dish) and go to place that offers DVC discounts... and see how it will go.

[Tiger926]

It is changing for 2010.

The seasonal pricing dates are:

February 12 to April 10, 2010 (Easter is April 4)
June 4 to August 14, 2010
December 17 to December 31, 2010

Pricing is:
Adults 10+
$41.99 Non Peak
$46.99 Peak

Children 3-9
$11.99 Non Peak
$12.99 Peak


I did already mention this in my post above - Disney has now added the surcharge to the regular DP price, and made it $5.00 higher per adult/per night, as you posted. This way, they get the upcharge on all meals, and not just buffets as has been done previously. Before, one could eliminate the upcharge by not dining at buffets, or, by purchasing the DP. Now, it is being imposed on everyone who dines during their seasonal periods, regardless of the meal type. Surprised it took them this long to think of this...

Tiger

[BLTtinkerbell]

I used to think the DP was worth it back when it included app., meal, dessert, drink & tip. That was also when my children were actually considered children by WDW standards. I believe we used to pay $35.99 for adults & $9.99 for children. We used our TS at charater meals because the kids loved them & it made the DP more than worth it. We now pay oop & save money on food. We can get an app., share some meals & share dessert, if we want to. We usually do one TS a day & one or two CS a day & then snacks. IMO this is much cheaper than $41.99 or $46.99 a day per person. Before buying DP, check all the menues of where you want to eat & price it out.

[TLPL]

You got that right BLTtinkerbell!

[BLTtinkerbell]

I have decided my next trip in Feb I won't do the dining plan. The dining plan is getting more and more expensive and I think it is too much stress try to max the value, or try to get ADR for the popular restaurants or eat too many dessert/ snack when we normally don't do at home. Next time, i will try my own plan, order whatever we would normal eat (not just to order the most expensive dish) and go to place that offers DVC discounts... and see how it will go.

I'm right with you on this, your plan will work out great. Enjoy your vacation in Feb!

On a side note, my family loves Niagara Falls!

[DisneyStarWisher]

It is changing for 2010.

The seasonal pricing dates are:

February 12 to April 10, 2010 (Easter is April 4)
June 4 to August 14, 2010
December 17 to December 31, 2010

Pricing is:
Adults 10+
$41.99 Non Peak
$46.99 Peak

Children 3-9
$11.99 Non Peak
$12.99 Peak

I thought I saw another chart on another thread that included September and the 1st week of October in the Peak season. Did anyone else see this?

[TLPL]

Might as well charge everyday as Peak season.

[dianeschlicht]

With the addition of a new seasonal peak pricing for the regular DP, Disney has added the surcharge to all DP plans regardless of what restaurant one is eating at. They seemed to have figured out that people were getting the DP in order to avoid the holiday upcharge - I can't imagine they would actually charge another upcharge on top of the $46.99 price, as that would cause chaos in regards to payment, etc.

I'm someone who has done all forms of dining at Disney, as we don't really use our villa for meals, and if you fall into certain categories, particularly kids between 3-9, it's pretty impossible not to save some money on the DP. We just returned from 13 nights, with 2 adults, 1 child and 1 toddler (free) and we saved over $600.00 based on actual receipts. Once you take out beverages and desserts that we don't normally order, we were still at a savings of over $400.00. This number would actually be higher though, as we would have purchased our very hungry toddler kids' meals, which we didn't have to do, as we used desserts (fruit, ice cream, milkshakes) as a way to fill up DH, and then we shared our meals with the baby. So we would have saved at least close to $500.00 using the DP. I went through every receipt - we only order what we can eat, drink water with meals (an occasional milk or juice for kids), and don't order dessert at every meal at all. Sometimes we shared 1 dessert for all of us...

Based on the new seasonal pricing, I can only assume that Disney will raise menu prices again, in order to add value to the DP. It's a vicious cycle that Disney is at the helm of...

Tiger :)

I have no doubt you saved by tallying the actual recipts, but did you eat exactly what you would have eaten if you didn't have the plan? We found we wasted a lot of food on the DDP, so for 3 trips we kept very detailed accounting. One trip with the DDP, one with DDP for half the trip (split stay) and one trip with only using OOP and TIW card for discounts.

We saved over $200 (spent that much less) when we did OOP and TIW over the DDP trips. On top of that, we were able to choose appetizers instead of desserts when we paid OOP, and our signature restaurant ressies didn't cost us two days worth of meals. I dare say I would be hard pressed to say DDP saves anybody any real money. Of course with little ones who don't get charged....maybe.

[TLPL]

I don't understand why they have to ruin a perfectly good plan. When they first offered the DDP, it was so great, then they start changing it, increasing the price every year... removing the appetizer.... excluding the tips.... reducing the menu selection... use cheaper cut of meat.. upcharge for "peak seasons".... I just don't see the value on the DDP anymore. We DVC members should be smarter then this since we go so often, we are not those once-in-a-lifttime tourists who will pay whatever they charge. We know better and I think it is time to say no to DDP.

[Chuck S]

I don't understand why they have to ruin a perfectly good plan. When they first offered the DDP, it was so great, then they start changing it, increasing the price every year... removing the appetizer.... excluding the tips.... reducing the menu selection... use cheaper cut of meat.. upcharge for "peak seasons".... I just don't see the value on the DDP anymore. We DVC members should be smarter then this since we go so often, we are not those once-in-a-lifttime tourists who will pay whatever they charge. We know better and I think it is time to say no to DDP.

It is the normal cycle for Disney package plans...start out good, let them gain popularity, then slowly gut them until they are no longer popular, then introduce a "new" plan.

[DebbieB]

I don't understand why they have to ruin a perfectly good plan. When they first offered the DDP, it was so great, then they start changing it, increasing the price every year... removing the appetizer.... excluding the tips.... reducing the menu selection... use cheaper cut of meat.. upcharge for "peak seasons".... I just don't see the value on the DDP anymore. We DVC members should be smarter then this since we go so often, we are not those once-in-a-lifttime tourists who will pay whatever they charge. We know better and I think it is time to say no to DDP.

Because they weren't making money (or enough money)? Plus factor in all the times they are giving it away free. By not including the appetizer and tip, it's really no longer "free".

[Tara]

It is changing for 2010.

The seasonal pricing dates are:

February 12 to April 10, 2010 (Easter is April 4)
June 4 to August 14, 2010
December 17 to December 31, 2010


For those looking to avoid the traditional Aug/Sept free dining period, I would bet this cut-off date for peak period in August is a very good indication of when free dining will be offered.

[JasonDVC]

I am tempted to try the DDP for the first time in April. We will not cook much (if at all) in the Villa. We also have not eaten at most Disney restaurants.

I think I will take the time to go over the menu's, list what would likely order at each restaurant we decide we want to try, and see what the price would be (approx.). If it's close, we may dive in and compare receipts after the trip.

I'm tired of eating at CiCi's pizza or Chick-fil-a (not that there's anything wrong with those places) every trip! I know they are cheaper but if I am going to Disney, I want the Disney experience (at least for now). I'll just have to see which way costs less.

[GoofItUp]

DH used the dining plan on his last trip and we figured he about broke even on it. But, it did feed him as well as our 2 yr old son. I like the dining plan because I don't worry about price of menu items when I have it. (I'm a big-time price watcher and won't order what I truly want to eat if it's on the high end of the menu.) However, with the DDP continuing to go up, we may scrap it for our next trip. I'll just have to remember that I'm on vacation and will eat what I want!

[helloconnie]

I have done the DDDP once. I did find it very convienent. However, it seemed to me that the menu for the DP contained less items than the regular menu. I asked one of the servers at CRT and he said it was the same menu. Does anyone know for certain that the DDDP menu contains all the items on the cash menu?

[Tiger926]

I have no doubt you saved by tallying the actual recipts, but did you eat exactly what you would have eaten if you didn't have the plan? We found we wasted a lot of food on the DDP, so for 3 trips we kept very detailed accounting. One trip with the DDP, one with DDP for half the trip (split stay) and one trip with only using OOP and TIW card for discounts.

We saved over $200 (spent that much less) when we did OOP and TIW over the DDP trips. On top of that, we were able to choose appetizers instead of desserts when we paid OOP, and our signature restaurant ressies didn't cost us two days worth of meals. I dare say I would be hard pressed to say DDP saves anybody any real money. Of course with little ones who don't get charged....maybe.

I guess you missed where I said we took out approx. $200.00 for beverages and desserts we wouldn't normally have eaten. But, we then would have had to buy our very hungry toddler his own meals - with ordering desserts for hubby or a fruit cup dessert for the baby, we were able to not purchase him 1TS kid meal the entire trip; therefore, the $600.00 savings is hard to actually quantify as we ate everything we ordered - but as I said, we sometimes only shared 1 dessert and we always drink water with our meals, so the beverages were a wash as well. DH splurged on a few lemonades or milkshakes on the DP where they let him, but we don't normally order these, nor do we normally order desserts.

You can't make a sweeping generalization that the DP doesn't save anybody money - have you tallied up the millions of receipts that the DP generates? Like I said, we are WDW veterans and have done every kind of meal possible - mentioned that above as well. We thoroughly spreadsheet ourselves to death before each trip - we've also eaten pretty much everywhere, including most Signatures, so we know the menus, portion sizes, etc. We don't go into anything blindly - we wouldn't just purchase the DP for convenience, as that is silly to us as well. We have done DDE/TIW, OOP, DVC and AP discounts, plus DxDP several times, as well as in combination with DP. We've done it all!

Therefore, for this trip, we saved with the DP, and that is only ordering what we normally eat - we don't try and maximize at all, as we think that is silly. We only got a few steaks, didn't order the most expensive, don't eat seafood, etc., but we do eat at a lot of character meals with the kids, so this is a big savings for sure. If you read my post thoroughly enough, you would have seen that we have a child and an infant; therefore, with kids, you usually will always save on the DP for sure. One character meal is 2x the price of the DP, plus there is still a CS and a snack to utilize.

I don't want to debate with anyone as to whether we saved money - as I thoroughly mentioned in my post, we adjusted our savings, and we still came out way ahead. It is, what it is...and for the savings, we are grateful!

Thanks, Tiger :)

[jodifla]

Death to the DDP! Death to the DDP! Death to the DDP!!!!

It has wrecked Disney Dining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The sooner it's priced so high that nobody gets it, the better. That way, maybe they'll stop overpricing the restaurant food so the DDPers feel like they are getting such a deal, and QUALITY DINING will return to WDW.

[Cruelladeville]

We just returned from a week at AKV, and used the premium dining plan at $71 per person. We were staying in studios, since we couldn't get a two bedroom unit, and MS suggested this plan for us. She mentioned that two of us should get it, and then we could treat the rest of the group, which really worked out well. So 6 of us ate meals that would overwhelm a person who had to try to eat 3 table service meals a day by himself. We ate either breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner, each day, and used up all our food, and enjoyed appetizers and desserts. We used the snacks for water and ice cream. And two of us liked pop, so they took the mugs. We often took the appetizers back to the room for eating later. Doing the dining plan this way, we even ate at Jikos during the trip(even tried the ostrich!) This was so much better than staying in a 2 bedroom, and having all 6 of us getting the dining plan. I came home without gaining weight:lovestruc

[Chuck S]

We were staying in studios, since we couldn't get a two bedroom unit, and MS suggested this plan for us. She mentioned that two of us should get it, and then we could treat the rest of the group, which really worked out well. So 6 of us ate meals that would overwhelm a person who had to try to eat 3 table service meals a day by himself. :lovestruc

Amazing that MS would recommend breaking an established and publically published Disney rule.

From the 2009 DxDDP guide brochure Pg 2:

You may NOT use your Key to the World card to redeem meals or snacks for guests that are not on your Disney Deluxe Dining Plan.

Makes you wonder if they follow any of the booking rules for resort availability and DVC point usage, doesn't it?

[ACDSNY]

We use the DDP to make it easier to split up the costs as we usually have a group of 6 or more. We don't go often enough to get an AP so no TIW so we usually come out better with the DDP.

I was surprised when MS told me to not put one of our family members on the reservation since we didn't know exactly when he would arrive therefore we wouldn't have to pay for he DDP for the whole week.

[minnie6895]

We have used DDP every year since it began. It usually worked out well and didn't save us a whole lot, but was a little bit of a savings. I am very disappointed with the 2010 plan. We will not use the 2010 plan and will eat less of our table service meals at Disney. :sad2:

[RichieGraciemom]

We have used DDP every year since it began. It usually worked out well and didn't save us a whole lot, but was a little bit of a savings. I am very disappointed with the 2010 plan. We will not use the 2010 plan and will eat less of our table service meals at Disney. :sad2:

does the quck service plan have a seasonal period also? that might be the way i will go in february, since we are staying on the concierge floor in disney akvillas

[DebbieB]

does the quck service plan have a seasonal period also? that might be the way i will go in february, since we are staying on the concierge floor in disney akvillas

No, just the regular dining plan.

I was at WDW in June (no dining plan) and it killed us to pay "holiday surcharges". Never knew June was a holiday!