DDE to Dining Plan comparison

[poohj80]

You are always free to pay out of pocket for items not on the DP.

True, but when doing a price comparison this is definitely a negative for us against the DDP vs DDE.

I have read this limitation is only at DTD locations like Wolfgang Puck.

It was at Brown Derby that we saw this.

 

[gabbysmom04]

Does anyone know what the cost of the dining plan will be? Also, is there a way to find out what menu items will not be on the DDP?

 

[yitbos96bb]

Does anyone know what the cost of the dining plan will be? Also, is there a way to find out what menu items will not be on the DDP?

Actually, it is posted a few times in this thread but since the thread is getting longer...

37.99 per day for adults
11.99 (I think or it could be 10.99) for Kids 3-9 or 10.

All the disney restaurants that take the DP do not have restrictions to my knowledge... at least none I ran into when I used it in June. Others may have encountered some. The non-disney restaurants on Disney property that accept it, do have some restrictions but I believe you can pay a little more oop to get these if you want. Of Disney restaurants, Victoria and Alberts and the most expensive French Restaurant do not take the plan. Some restaurants require you to pay 2 credits per person, although the list is smaller for 2006 (they moved Coral Reef to 1 TS range... maybe we can see SCUBA MICKEY - saw him once... coolest character experience ever for me). Ones that come to mine that are signature... CRT, California Grill, Luau, Wilderness Lodge shows, Citrico's, FLying Fish, Jiko, Brown Derby... I know there are more but I can't think right now. If you look on the Disney website, they have a great PDF that they give out as paper at the resorts telling you which restaurants take DP, which asre signature experiences (costing 2) etc. Now if they just posted signs saying they take DP for snacks at certain places, I would be much happier. Had a bit of a thing with a cast member who wouldn't take it for a bottle of water... in July in blistering heat after several hours at the park... Those of you not from the South (and used to that weather) know how easy it is to get cranky in these conditions. I was a little steamed (no pun intended) about the whole thing, especially given my ample frame in the heat... great for winter... bad for summer.


Here is the link to Disney's official site:

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...ific/eng/nontheme/tickets/DiningLocations.pdf

 

[yitbos96bb]

Sorry, this is not true. ONLY FL residents can purchase the card for $75 if they are not AP holders. Otherwise you MUST be an AP holders to be eligible for the card.

Just for an academic discussion Chuck... DO they actually ID you to assure you are a Florida Resident? I guess you have to give them you address, but I am curious if anyone has tried to get one who doesn't have an AP or is a FL resident. I would be interested to hear the results if someone tries. Knowing Disney's stated philosophy of guest service, I wonder if one was squeaky enough, if they could secure the DDE without being a resident. Given the fact the DDE isn't really an advertised thing and you can't just order online or through reservations but have to call a special number, I wonder about the feasibility.

Any non AP holders and Non FL residents want to call and try to get one... All you waste is your time.

 

[Chuck S]

AP holders must give the number code from the back of their pass when they order. I don't know what proof FL residents must provide, perhaps a DL number? On our first trip with DDE we had to show our DL, even though we are AP holders, at several locations to use the card.

Prior to having the DDE available to AP holders, FL residents had to show a DL whenever they used it.

 

[yitbos96bb]

The rules say purchase for every person for every day. The only way to legally share would be to do so with people not staying in your room. But given the right circumstances, it could general a real value for some.

Actually Dean you are both right and wrong.

You are right in saying that you must purchase the DP for everyone in your party staying in the room.

You are wrong that you may share meals. So in this case 2 people would eat off 1 credit. What a lot of people do is share a Signature meal instead of have 2 regular TS meals.

If you are a Florida resident or AP holder, obviously your dining habits are going to dictate if the DP is a good deal for you. For us, we would save money with the DP, since we are not big drinkers and can't afford TS all the time. I think a lot of people in these threads (and this isn't meant as saying you said this Dean) assume that everyone is DDE eligible. We are buying an AP this time around, because we are planning two trips in 2007. But most of the time, we go once a year... meaning the DP becomes cheaper than eating with the DDE. All I am saying is remember, although many of the people who post on this board can afford to go multiple times per year, most people can't. I still remember when I took traditions and they talked about families who save for years to do one big trip to Disney... their vacation of a lifetime. It seems that many here forget that at times... not everyone mind you, but I have seen some postings on this and other sites saying that the DP is a ripoff, and while I do feel it isn't a great deal for everyone, calling it a rip off just spouts ignorance.

I give credit to Disney for working to make things more affordable so that the once in a lifetimers might be able to come more than once in a lifetime and experience the joy myself and many others get from the entertainment mecca. Yes I know they increase the money spent at the parks by doing this (I call it the Walmart/BestBuy approach to vacationing), but that is the point of business. Being able to create something of value for the group while creating something of value for the business is a sound economic principle. I hope they continue (but figure out a way to increase the CS a little more).


Ok, I now get off my soapbox. Just needed to get that off my chest.


I would be interested to see someone re post their comparison and add back in the 20% saved on the DDE and compare that to the DP. Chuck, yours would be great for this, since you are not as big of an eater at these meals. If they did away with DDE, would the DP become a better deal vs simple paying OOP.

 

[yitbos96bb]

Some restaurants have a logo on the menu next to the items that are allowed on the DDP. We don't want to be limited in our dining choices like this which is one reason we have stayed with the DDE.


No, your DDE has a seperate expiration date based on when it was purchased and is good until that date even if you don't renew your AP.

Are you sure you didn't misread or misunderstand the menu? What you are saying goes against what Cast Members and Guest Services has stated AND what is posted on the site. The only limitations were with Wolfgang and a few other non-disney restaurants.

When did you see this?


Edited:

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...ific/eng/nontheme/tickets/DiningLocations.pdf

Here is the link to Disney's website and the PDF I talked about earlier. The only ones listing surcharges are Wolfgang Pucks and Planet Hollywood (has anyone actually eaten at the Planet Hollywood in Disney? TO my knowledge, this is the only one left in the US, although they are defiling the Aladdin in Vegas and turning it into the Planet Hollywood Casino so I guess that will be number two)...

The only thing I can think of, other than a possible misunderstanding, would be that Brown Derby tried this either at the beginning or recently. I have a feeling that if that is true, Guest Relations got an earful. Anyone been to Brown Derby recently on the DP and know if they tried to limit you? I know in July at California Grill, the French Bistro and the Moroccan Restaurant, there were no restrictions (except alcohol). I even ordered a cheese plate OOP at CG and they threw it into the meal, even though we each got a califonia role appetizer (one of the best i have ever had for those who have not been to CG... Incredible food and fantastic view). I am curious when you went to the brown derby and saw this on the menu.

 

[yitbos96bb]

AP holders must give the number code from the back of their pass when they order. I don't know what proof FL residents must provide, perhaps a DL number? On our first trip with DDE we had to show our DL, even though we are AP holders, at several locations to use the card.

Prior to having the DDE available to AP holders, FL residents had to show a DL whenever they used it.

Interesting... I am still curious if the squeaky wheel can get greased... Or if maybe they have unofficially changed the policy and those who would know about DDE but don't buy an AP and aren't FL residents (a small number I am sure you'd agree) could purchase it at the $75 price. If anyone is going soon and wants to try, I encourage you to just see if you can get it and let us know.

 

[dtndfamily]

I thought I saw a price of $39 per adult per night stay for the plan for '06 on another thread. I could be mistaken, but it is in that general vicinity of $38-$40.

 

[rantnnravin]

Don't forget, beginning 1/3/06 (i think?) DDE price goes up to $60 for AP holders.

We love the dining plan, have used it twice. DH was rather disappointed when we were told by our guide that it wasn't likely that DVC would be able to get DDP. We were very excited to hear that it would be an option for us now that we are DVC owners.
As far as the amount of food, the desserts can be wrapped and saved for BF in the villa (or a midnight snack). We've shared on many occasions-- i often order appetizers and entrees for DD5 to enjoy with me.
We used leftover snacks for Mickey Rice-Krispy treats to take home and give to DD's friends as souvenirs!

 

[yitbos96bb]

I thought I saw a price of $39 per adult per night stay for the plan for '06 on another thread. I could be mistaken, but it is in that general vicinity of $38-$40.

37.99 is what Member Services was quoting when this first got announced at the meetings. However, since there hasn't been an official posting, I am not sure if anyone knows yet. Best to call them or call reservations if you do not own DVC.

 

[yitbos96bb]

Don't forget, beginning 1/3/06 (i think?) DDE price goes up to $60 for AP holders.

We love the dining plan, have used it twice. DH was rather disappointed when we were told by our guide that it wasn't likely that DVC would be able to get DDP. We were very excited to hear that it would be an option for us now that we are DVC owners.
As far as the amount of food, the desserts can be wrapped and saved for BF in the villa (or a midnight snack). We've shared on many occasions-- i often order appetizers and entrees for DD5 to enjoy with me.
We used leftover snacks for Mickey Rice-Krispy treats to take home and give to DD's friends as souvenirs!

I hate to admit, but i never thought about wrapping and bringing back to the DVC villa. I guess I still had Hotel/No fridge mentality. EXCELLLLLENT!!

 

[Chuck S]

I would be interested to see someone re post their comparison and add back in the 20% saved on the DDE and compare that to the DP. Chuck, yours would be great for this, since you are not as big of an eater at these meals. If they did away with DDE, would the DP become a better deal vs simple paying OOP.

Well, I can ive you a ballpark figure. Take my actual total of $592.37, subtract the Sunshine Food Court and CP meals, as they were not eligible for DDE, for a total of $478.23...add 20% (95.65), for a new total of $688.02. DDP $683.82 About a $5 savings over 9 days with the DDP.

Now, if there is tax charged on that $683.82 of 6.5% (and we don't know if there will be of not), that total will be $728.26, or still a $40 savings on cash without DDE.

So, in our case, a $5 difference would be a wash. But there is still the risk that if someone gets ill or can not eat all the meal credits, there are no refunds on unused credits...for me personally, I'd rather not risk possibly loosing $$ to save $5.

 

[gabbysmom04]

Thanks for the prices. This is a great deal for me, I had been hoping for a meal plan for DVC.

 

[yitbos96bb]

Well, I can ive you a ballpark figure. Take my actual total of $592.37, subtract the Sunshine Food Court and CP meals, as they were not eligible for DDE, for a total of $478.23...add 20% (95.65), for a new total of $688.02. DDP $683.82 About a $5 savings over 9 days with the DDP.

Now, if there is tax charged on that $683.82 of 6.5% (and we don't know if there will be of not), that total will be $728.26, or still a $40 savings on cash without DDE.

So, in our case, a $5 difference would be a wash. But there is still the risk that if someone gets ill or can not eat all the meal credits, there are no refunds on unused credits...for me personally, I'd rather not risk possibly loosing $$ to save $5.

That is a fair point about the sickness thing. On the flip side, with the wash you have the chance to eat more food if you wanted too, so at that point the value would be higher, as we have figured out the more you eat the better the value. It definately makes it more intriguing for people if DDE goes away. I have also been thinking of the Disney does things a lot of time and that leads me to wonder something else. Given the set pricing of the DP and its popularity with people who don't know about or have a DDE, I wonder if Disney will increase their profitability by raising TS costs accross the board. It actually makes a lot of sense for them to raise each entree 3-5 bucks, each appetizer a 1 or 2 dollars and each dessert the same. It doesn't cost them anymore with the DP, as their "loss" is based on cost of the item, and would subsidize the profitability of the plan, as well as make the DP a "better value" and will help Disney sell more of the DPs. It will be interesting to see if they do this; it wouldn't surprise me at all. Raise the prices, keep the DDE as a perk, but make a little more money off those people. Make the DP a better looking value and get people to buy giving a better guarenteed level of spending at Disney vs the places outside of WDW.

Would anyone be surprised if this happened?

 

[Chuck S]

Would anyone be surprised if this happened?

I may be surprised if there is that type of increase. Remember, there are still a lot of "day visitors" to the parks...those that stay offsite for financial reasons, those that have family in the area, or those that simply want to spend a few days at Disney as part of an Orlando vacation. If they raise the prices too high, those folks will spend less and less in the parks, and be even more prone to eat off-site than they are now. If you figure 25% of the cars in the parking lot are onsite guests that chose to drive, and another 15% are locals/annual pass holders, that still leaves 60% of them as day visitors...that's a good sized group to "encourage" to eat onsite, who may be more willing to eat onsite if the price were not raised $5 per entree.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I may be surprised if there is that type of increase. Remember, there are still a lot of "day visitors" to the parks...those that stay offsite for financial reasons, those that have family in the area, or those that simply want to spend a few days at Disney as part of an Orlando vacation. If they raise the prices too high, those folks will spend less and less in the parks, and be even more prone to eat off-site than they are now. If you figure 25% of the cars in the parking lot are onsite guests that chose to drive, and another 15% are locals/annual pass holders, that still leaves 60% of them as day visitors...that's a good sized group to "encourage" to eat onsite, who may be more willing to eat onsite if the price were not raised $5 per entree.

Well that is the gamble there isn't it. But look at this from another view point. What if one of the main reasons people stay and eat offsite is because of the cost (an accurate statement I am sure you would agree)? These people might spend the majority of their time at Disney, and not at Universal, Sea World, etc. So what if Disney figures out a way to give these people a better perceived value for their money? Sure it costs a little bit more they say, but you get so much more for your money... Hotel on property with all its advantages, the opportunity to experience fine Disney dining with appetizers and desserts and tickets to the parks for (lets just say) a little extra over what your spend. Sure people don't NEED this to enjoy themselves, but it is a great value for them... think the supersize option at McDonald's. If you can get 10-20% of these people to come on property, then your profitability skyrockets... You are getting the guarenteed cash, vs the chance these people will eat on property. It really is smart business. Yes, while I am sure the prices at all TS won't go up as high as I was saying, would it surprise you at some of the more expensive places? Cali Grill, Jiko, Citrico's, etc?

Again, this is all speculation, but from a business standpoint I can see a strong potential of making these DP Packages into quite a profitable stream.

 

[Chuck S]

Again, this is all speculation, but from a business standpoint I can see a strong potential of making these DP Packages into quite a profitable stream.

But the question you posed was would Disney raise prices to those that don't have the dining plan to make the plan look even more attractive. And no, I don't see that as being the reason for any price increases that may occur. Food cost are going up, energy costs are going up, insurance and other operating expenses are going up. That would be a reason to raise prices. Snubbing guests that stay off site and or your local customer base (who may not have the DDE) is not a smart business plan, is it?

 

[hemispheredancer]

oops...duplicate post

 

[yitbos96bb]

But the question you posed was would Disney raise prices to those that don't have the dining plan to make the plan look even more attractive. And no, I don't see that as being the reason for any price increases that may occur. Food cost are going up, energy costs are going up, insurance and other operating expenses are going up. That would be a reason to raise prices. Snubbing guests that stay off site and or your local customer base (who may not have the DDE) is not a smart business plan, is it?

The question I posed was raising prices for profitability sake, not for cost and inflation sakes. The establishment costs are not part of this scenario, as they will happen regardless, unless disney takes a profitability hit.

From my experiences with Disney, as a stockholder, consumer and working there, people from Orlando and the surrounding area are a small part of their business. Many of the people from the area who frequent the parks are employees or family of employees; those who aren't make up a small part of the overall business and aren't the most profitable customers. Those staying off site aren't being snubbed, they are being targeted. While Disney treats all guests equally, as in Animal Farm, some are more equal than others. The ones who stay onsite are the most important ones to please. Why? Because the goal is to get them to return and stay at Disney. By getting these guests onsite, Disney assures more money is being spent AT DISNEY... Internal Studies prove this statement, although logic should prove it as well. This is a big reason for the keys to the Kingdom card that lets you charge everything to your room. It is billed as convenience (and it is) but it also works liek a credit card, where many people spend without thinking, thus spending more money on average than those paying with cash.
Disney's most coveted Guests? Those staying on longer term vacations off property. Disney knows they will spend money, so how can disney get them onsite? Lower their profitability slightly and create the appearance of a huge value, thus attracting more customers, THUS increasing profitability. How do you think Walmart made so much money. Deep discount items with lower markup. Bring in more customers who then buy things they weren't intending too. While the department store might have made a $15 profit off of a toaster, walmart makes $5, then makes and additional $25 off of the extra stuff at low prices people compulsively buy.


Look at it this way: Raising the prices of food, causes them to lose 10% of people who are staying off property from dining in their restaurants. Tragic, but most of these will still come to the parks and buy merchandise, so not a huge deal if you can make up for it in other areas. NOW, if they can convince 10% or even 5% of the off site people to stay on property with the Dining plan because it is a better value, they have just dramatically increased their profitability, because those numbers are spending more with Disney (food and Hotel where they were spending none before), making up not only the lost dining business from the 10% but the extra from the new peopel staying on property.

Business history will show you that raising prices does not tend to alienate your bases if done properly. Maybe you misunderstood what I was inferring... I am not talking about a drastic raise of $3-5 per entree all at one time. I am talking a gradualy increase over the course of the year. Unannounced, etc. People will pay raised prices if done ina graduated sense. There is way to many exampled in Food and Beverage, retail sales,e tc that bear this out. The trick is to not make it look like you are trying to be greedy. Disney isn't going to come out and say "We are raising prices to make the dining plan a better value." But if you compare prices from one date to a year or year and a half later, you may notice a significant increase.

Will this happen? I don't know, I can only speculate. But it wouldn't surprise me if it did. I don't even agree with them doing it... I just think it would be a brilliant ploy to try and knowing the way they have done business, it wouldn't surprise me to see them do this... I will bet money they have at least contemplated it. Is it right of them to do? Probably not... your reply above is very consumer advocate in statement and makes a lot of great points from that POV. Unfortunately though, most consumers are willing to take a lot without complaining. My guess is if they do raise, they lose a little dining business, but even if they do and don't increase on site DP business, the majority who stay and dine will make up a good percentage of the increase... if not all of it and more, and that some who don't dine TS because of that, will dine CS, still putting some money in the coffers.