Debt Dumpers 2026

[Tygerlilly]

Yes, I don't know if it was cast members who wanted the change, or if Disney thought it would be a way to maximize even more revenue out of the dining plan.

my understanding is the dining plan has moved over the years from an terrific deal to an okay deal, to a not great deal, and now has gotten a little better because of the kids eat free dining offer.

I'm definitely not banking on it being a good deal. Who knows what promo (if any) will be available for 2027.

Sometimes I will gladly pay more for the convenience even if it "doesn't make sense" to do it from a financial standpoint.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm definitely not banking on it being a good deal. Who knows what promo (if any) will be available for 2027.

Sometimes I will gladly pay more for the convenience even if it "doesn't make sense" to do it from a financial standpoint.

What is often cited is to put the value of what the DDP costs onto Disney gift cards. True no one knows what the DDP value will be but it's hard IMO to think it will be like it was when there was actual monetary value in it, those days seem to be long gone in the rearview mirror but the offers Disney puts out depending on what they are can tweak things on how someone sees the value.

Back to the gift card thing, it does have advantages to allow freedom to eat where you want, not worry about maximizing the plan you'd get as well as if there is left over monies it can be used for souvenirs most especially if you're doing it with a large helping of being convenient the plan is designed to eat how Disney wants to you eat (think like a the House always wins for a casino) not necessarily how many do eat. It's controversial for a reason, while not a right nor wrong per se it's skewed quite a lot to being mostly advantageous towards Disney not the guest.

Also to note is Disney gift cards carry money forward while the Dining Plan is use it or lose it. If you happened to have leftover monies and didn't want to use it on souvenirs you can still keep the Disney gift card with the monies attached for a subsequent trip. In 2022 we used some left over monies on some Disney gift cards from our 2017 trip (we didn't use our gift cards for the two 2019 DL trips) and then in 2025 in September used some leftover monies from that 2022 trip as we had gotten gift cards as gifts back in 2022 to use for that 2022 trip (I believe it was almost $47 left over for that) for a meal at Beak and Barrel.

 

[Tygerlilly]

What is often cited is to put the value of what the DDP costs onto Disney gift cards. True no one knows what the DDP value will be but it's hard IMO to think it will be like it was when there was actual monetary value in it, those days seem to be long gone in the rearview mirror but the offers Disney puts out depending on what they are can tweak things on how someone sees the value.

Back to the gift card thing, it does have advantages to allow freedom to eat where you want, not worry about maximizing the plan you'd get as well as if there is left over monies it can be used for souvenirs most especially if you're doing it with a large helping of being convenient the plan is designed to eat how Disney wants to you eat (think like a the House always wins for a casino) not necessarily how many do eat. It's controversial for a reason, while not a right nor wrong per se it's skewed quite a lot to being mostly advantageous towards Disney not the guest.

Also to note is Disney gift cards carry money forward while the Dining Plan is use it or lose it. If you happened to have leftover monies and didn't want to use it on souvenirs you can still keep the Disney gift card with the monies attached for a subsequent trip. In 2022 we used some left over monies on some Disney gift cards from our 2017 trip (we didn't use our gift cards for the two 2019 DL trips) and then in 2025 in September used some leftover monies from that 2022 trip as we had gotten gift cards as gifts back in 2022 to use for that 2022 trip (I believe it was almost $47 left over for that) for a meal at Beak and Barrel.

Eh, gift cards and cash work the exact same way when it comes to budgeting your food money.

Personally, I'd still see it as "we only have $XX.00 to spend on food" and my brain would panic that we would run out and immediately go to ordering the cheaper option even if I wanted the most expensive one I saw on someone's vlog that I waited a year to finally get to try. The whole point I made on doing it was for the convenience, even if it didn't necessarily make sense in a budget viewpoint. Disney is stressful enough as it is, I really don't want to add to it when I can just pay it up front and not think about it again.

 

[afan]

What is often cited is to put the value of what the DDP costs onto Disney gift cards. True no one knows what the DDP value will be but it's hard IMO to think it will be like it was when there was actual monetary value in it, those days seem to be long gone in the rearview mirror but the offers Disney puts out depending on what they are can tweak things on how someone sees the value.

Back to the gift card thing, it does have advantages to allow freedom to eat where you want, not worry about maximizing the plan you'd get as well as if there is left over monies it can be used for souvenirs most especially if you're doing it with a large helping of being convenient the plan is designed to eat how Disney wants to you eat (think like a the House always wins for a casino) not necessarily how many do eat. It's controversial for a reason, while not a right nor wrong per se it's skewed quite a lot to being mostly advantageous towards Disney not the guest.

Also to note is Disney gift cards carry money forward while the Dining Plan is use it or lose it. If you happened to have leftover monies and didn't want to use it on souvenirs you can still keep the Disney gift card with the monies attached for a subsequent trip. In 2022 we used some left over monies on some Disney gift cards from our 2017 trip (we didn't use our gift cards for the two 2019 DL trips) and then in 2025 in September used some leftover monies from that 2022 trip as we had gotten gift cards as gifts back in 2022 to use for that 2022 trip (I believe it was almost $47 left over for that) for a meal at Beak and Barrel.

If they do enough character meals, which i think would be helpful with the kids, they'll be better with the ddp and still won't have to worry about what they order which is part of why they want to do it.

They could use discounted dis gc to pay for the ddp.

 

[Tygerlilly]

If they do enough character meals, which i think would be helpful with the kids, they'll be better with the ddp and still won't have to worry about what they order which is part of why they want to do it.

They could use discounted dis gc to pay for the ddp.

She has 3 different character meals on her list as of now. I can only imagine that number going up over the next year lol

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Eh, gift cards and cash work the exact same way when it comes to budgeting your food money.

Personally, I'd still see it as "we only have $XX.00 to spend on food" and my brain would panic that we would run out and immediately go to ordering the cheaper option even if I wanted the most expensive one I saw on someone's vlog that I waited a year to finally get to try. The whole point I made on doing it was for the convenience, even if it didn't necessarily make sense in a budget viewpoint. Disney is stressful enough as it is, I really don't want to add to it when I can just pay it up front and not think about it again.

You missed the point, it's not about cash vs gift card. It's because of what you're using your cash for. My advice would be to use cash but that's not what your plan was so why would I mention it. It's about taking your money you would pay and using it towards a restrictive and almost never financially works thing vs taking your money and putting it towards something that nets you more flexibility plus a way to use it towards a variety of things should you have money left over. Cash is best because you can just take it home with you, Disney gift card means you still have to use it on Disney (be it cruise, hotel, food or merch), DDP means you can only use it for the DDP

I understand people who use it for convenience but when those people mention that and talk about it on the Budget board (which used to be a much more often talked about thing) it opens up to different ways to talk about it, especially when you're talking about an $8K trip...

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I'm taking my time and really thinking about what is possible and not just throwing random things out like I did last year. I really want to succeed this year. I've been working with a financial guru for about a month now, and they've really helped me figure some things out. Also trying to figure out personal goals I want to make as well as other goals. Not just throwing random stuff like I did last year. And I'm hoping by doing that, I will be able to stay on track and succeed.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If they do enough character meals, which i think would be helpful with the kids, they'll be better with the ddp and still won't have to worry about what they order which is part of why they want to do it.

They could use discounted dis gc to pay for the ddp.

To the bolded. That is why I said you have to eat like Disney wants to you eat. Really trust me it's a topic often talked to death, and if you've been to enough of the the DDP threads you get to learn all what people do to maximize it, there used to be a thread that talked about the credits and value of what those credits were which was fantastic but I think that has been gone (I can't remember if the OP of that thread passed away or not was it Robo?? that did those threads?).

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

To the bolded. That is why I said you have to eat like Disney wants to you eat. Really trust me it's a topic often talked to death, and if you've been to enough of the the DDP threads you get to learn all what people do to maximize it, there used to be a thread that talked about the credits and value of what those credits were which was fantastic but I think that has been gone (I can't remember if the OP of that thread passed away or not was it Robo?? that did those threads?).

But still millions of people use and enjoy it. It's nice that we all have choices. Have you ever taken 3 children to Disney World? I can see the appeal of having one less thing to think about. If my kid asks for a Mickey bar or popcorn, it's nice to be able to just say yes without calculating the math involved.

 

[pblack]

You missed the point, it's not about cash vs gift card. It's because of what you're using your cash for. My advice would be to use cash but that's not what your plan was so why would I mention it. It's about taking your money you would pay and using it towards a restrictive and almost never financially works thing vs taking your money and putting it towards something that nets you more flexibility plus a way to use it towards a variety of things should you have money left over. Cash is best because you can just take it home with you, Disney gift card means you still have to use it on Disney (be it cruise, hotel, food or merch), DDP means you can only use it for the DDP

I understand people who use it for convenience but when those people mention that and talk about it on the Budget board (which used to be a much more often talked about thing) it opens up to different ways to talk about it, especially when you're talking about an $8K trip...

While I understand wanting to give other options to someone who may or may not know what their other options are, OP has pretty clearly stated she wants to do the dining plan. It'd be great if we could please refrain from trying to make someone choose something they do not want to do.

Information = valuable
Shoving something down someone's throat = not valuable

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

While I understand wanting to give other options to someone who may or may not know what their other options are, OP has pretty clearly stated she wants to do the dining plan. It'd be great if we could please refrain from trying to make someone choose something they do not want to do.

Information = valuable
Shoving something down someone's throat = not valuable

Of course! Truly that wasn't my intent, my comments were in response to their points they mentioned in response to mine as it were

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But still millions of people use and enjoy it. It's nice that we all have choices. Have you ever taken 3 children to Disney World? I can see the appeal of having one less thing to think about. If my kid asks for a Mickey bar or popcorn, it's nice to be able to just say yes without calculating the math involved.

The main reason people mention the gift card thing is because you can still spend the same amount that you would have spent to have the DDP on the package but potentially come out ahead and/or have greater flexibility. With the DDP you do have to think about the credits and what places count for what (that's in response to the math comment). In the past I've always defended the people buying the DDP for the convenience factor. That doesn't mean there aren't points or mentions that can be made if someone mentions this or that because there have been plenty of posters who ended up thinking about doing it differently because of what someone else mentions, maybe not the PP which is totally fair, but others have. Fair point a poster made about how my comments were coming off though and none of my response to you is meant to rehash a conversation already over with.

You're speaking to the choir here. There's a reason we've sailed the cruise line we have now twice because for me if I have to worry about what my steak costs I'm not going to order it because the chicken is less expensive. It's a real problem for me that I think about money in the way of not what I will enjoy but rather what costs less so I relate a lot to that thought. The cruise line we sail there's no costs (outside of excursions), no tipping, no charge for specialty dining, no drink costs. It allows us to just be there. So yes I do understand and can relate. For me it's been a lifelong struggle to be okay with spending money on myself because I'm always thinking about what else I could use that money for. So yes I know it can be nice to be able to say yes without calculating the math, it's rare that I can let myself be like that.

 

[gocatch24]

Wanted to make sure and point out that starting the trip while she is still a Disney "child" is way cheaper than waiting until after,

 

[Tygerlilly]

Wanted to make sure and point out that starting the trip while she is still a Disney "child" is way cheaper than waiting until after,

Yes! We are definitely planning to check in at least the day before her birthday. I just have to be mindful of when Easter is because we're trying to avoid those crowds.

 

[barkley]

Yes! We are definitely planning to check in at least the day before her birthday. I just have to be mindful of when Easter is because we're trying to avoid those crowds.

we took advantage of that and still have an existing benefit from it with my youngest who turns 29 in a couple months we did a trip way back in the days when wdw sold non expiring passes when he was still considered a 'child' (timed the trip to take advantage). he still has 1 day left on that old pass and it worked just fine when he used a couple of days in his late teens and again in his 20's

 

[princesscinderella]

Yes! We are definitely planning to check in at least the day before her birthday. I just have to be mindful of when Easter is because we're trying to avoid those crowds.

Easter isn’t as crowded as the weeks leading up to it as most of the Florida schools have spring breaks not related to Easter in March. Parochial schools typically have it the week before or after Easter so there are some crowds but not the same as the spring break weeks. We have been there the last few years at Easter to meet half way our son who is at UF for the weekend. Disney it seems is always crowded so you just need to zig when everyone is zagging and it can make it go a bit smoother crowd wise. It will be nice birthday memories made as a family . Happy planning!

 

[Tygerlilly]

Easter isn’t as crowded as the weeks leading up to it as most of the Florida schools have spring breaks not related to Easter in March. Parochial schools typically have it the week before or after Easter so there are some crowds but not the same as the spring break weeks. We have been there the last few years at Easter to meet half way our son who is at UF for the weekend. Disney it seems is always crowded so you just need to zig when everyone is zagging and it can make it go a bit smoother crowd wise. It will be nice birthday memories made as a family . Happy planning!

We're lucky that we homeschool and can plan around everyone else's breaks. Her birthday is at the beginning of April, and I believe Easter in 2027 is at the end of March, so I think we will get lucky and hit that sweet spot right after that little rush. I'm also crossing my fingers that the dates the homeschool group we travel with will line up because that would save us a pretty good chunk.