Dining plan cost OUTRAGEOUS for 2012

[MarkF0wle]

The current Disney surcharge is $4 per adult and $2 per child on all fixed price restaurants. It does not apply to all TS meals, just Disney-operated fixed price restaurants.

If they follow the same dates as the dining plan peak periods (they did that this year) the surcharge will be in effect March 9 - April 14, 2012.

Do the surcharges mirror the increase in cost for the Dining Plan during peak periods? Or only for this ONE period each year? In which case the costs would cancel each other out?

Also, by fixed price I assume you mean buffets?

 

[brea]

We're doing the Dining plan at the end of Jan for myself, my wife and daughter (16mo) who's free and will be able to eat off ours. My wife will be pregnant and I'm looking for relaxation. Maybe it'll be too much food or too much cost. Ultimately I decided it was a luxury I was willing to pay for. If I was counting every nickel I might be concerned about it.... might.

 

[disneymom06]

For our family, the DDP is no longer a deal, (unless free dining occurs). Dessert is nice but after a few days even my big eaters aren't looking for dessert after lunch and dinner. Last trip fruit was a big request. We did eat at a few TS locations where some opted for apps, some steak, and some dessert. There was flexibility and that I liked. I also liked that the tip was on what we wanted to eat and not what we ordered to get what we paid for. (that alone saved me about 10 a meal just on the tip!).

The occasional missed meal because no one was hungry, or we just got a pizza, or we ate at EOS, that would have seriously put a dent into my savings on the DDP. As repeat visitors, my children are not looking for character meals, (Boma's is a big request because they have no characters), the desserts are a big cost that if not a usual order at every meal really inflates the savings of the DDP, and the amount of times that we have maxed out our remaining snacks is another item that inflates the savings of the DDP.

Each family has to look at their own unique situation. If it works for you and you like it, go for it. I think a prepaid visa is the same convenience of the DDP with no restrictions and you can use it to pay tips as well. As for the DDP of 2012, cost is too high for my family.

 

[TDC Nala]

Do the surcharges mirror the increase in cost for the Dining Plan during peak periods? Or only for this ONE period each year? In which case the costs would cancel each other out?

Also, by fixed price I assume you mean buffets?

Most likely. Used to be they'd have the surcharge, but no increased price for the dining plan. Used to be they'd also announce the surcharge dates, which they don't do anymore, but in 2011 they followed the DDP peak pricing dates.

And yes - buffets, family style all you can eat, fixed price/menu like CRT and Akershus, dinner shows. Any Disney-operated restaurant where you pay one price per person rather than per item you order. And the whole restaurant is fixed price - for example, Whispering Canyon, which has an a la carte menu with one fixed price option, isn't a surcharge restaurant.

 

[angierae]

Would you consider it to be "worth it" going on a free dining plan and then just paying for the deluxe upgrade??

Because now you can pretty much eat anything your heart desires, at any restaurant you want, and only pay for the upgrade price...

This is what we're doing. I believe it worked out to $33/per day per person for our trip (two adults, a 15 year old and a 17 year old). We will EASILY save money and now we can pretty much do and eat whatever we want.

I would not have paid $89 for DxDP, however, and before we got FD we were just going to go with DDP because I didn't want to have to worry about what the teenagers ordered when they were eating without us. But at $33/day, I can't beat that even with a hotel discount - that would be like getting our room at POFQ for like $20 a night - not going to see a discount like that!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It's true yes I am analysing figures based on the menus that are available now & the costs of DDP for 2012. Like you I am expecting there to be menu prices increases in 2012 but it's likely that they will be phased in gradually. I think for Disney to just overnight raise prices by 10% would be irresponsible from a business perspective. As such I can only work with the data that is available & whenever there are changes then revisions are made. The DDP may be better value for those booking for December than those travelling in January.

As for the $5/week surcharge. It's one of those things that may or may not happen.

First - I'll clarify - the real purpose of DDP was to keep guests onsite - esp with Magic Express. Guests no longer need to rent a car. A 'savings' for guests was the bait. (WDW offered dining packages before that, but they weren't any 'savings' at all.)

I think TDC Nala covered when the surcharges are likely.

As I said before, DDP and TiW typically come out about the same for me, if we roughly follow the one QS/one TS/one snack per day per person guideline. Those who prefer alcohol , appetizers, more flexibility, have kids 10-14 are likley to find TiW a better discount (provided they can make use of a room discount).

Another factor is how many desserts/snacks you end up eating. That's kind of where any diference is saving comes.

I agree convenience is the biggest advantage of DDP - if it ends up being convenient.

It's a toss up sometimes for us. DDP rules require some thought. (large drinks included, desserts included) On the other hand, DDP means no disagreement over food. On TiW, every meal is a negotiation of sorts. One person wants to skip the time consuming meal, share entrees, always order the least epensive meal. In that sense, DDP has been more relaxing.

But all of this, imo - is also tempered by the new cancelation policy. It's all a gamble in my mind. If you buy DDP - you were always gambiling that you'd use all your credits. Under the new rules, you are FURTHER gambling that you'll make it to all ADR's. Miss a TS reservation due to unforseen day-of event- i.e someone gets sick - and you not only lose DDP - you also get stuck for $10 per person. Ouch!

In that case, TiW and no ADR's might be the way to go.....(or just a few at placces that don't charge).

 

[lugnut33]

We're doing the Dining plan at the end of Jan for myself, my wife and daughter (16mo) who's free and will be able to eat off ours. My wife will be pregnant and I'm looking for relaxation. Maybe it'll be too much food or too much cost. Ultimately I decided it was a luxury I was willing to pay for. If I was counting every nickel I might be concerned about it.... might.

Once your children become "adults" at the age of 10 your tune will change.

I remember the carefree DDP days when our kids were 9 and under.

 

[lugnut33]

This is what we're doing. I believe it worked out to $33/per day per person for our trip (two adults, a 15 year old and a 17 year old). We will EASILY save money and now we can pretty much do and eat whatever we want.

I would not have paid $89 for DxDP, however, and before we got FD we were just going to go with DDP because I didn't want to have to worry about what the teenagers ordered when they were eating without us. But at $33/day, I can't beat that even with a hotel discount - that would be like getting our room at POFQ for like $20 a night - not going to see a discount like that!

I just did a quick check of rack rates at POR and if you use your line of thinking the room is $52 per night. Nice.

For feb. 1-7 the room rate is $184 per night. 33x4=$132. Therefore 184-132=52. However, that doesn't include the $60-70 per day in tips you're going to spend.

 

[angierae]

I just did a quick check of rack rates at POR and if you use your line of thinking the room is $52 per night. Nice.

For feb. 1-7 the room rate is $184 per night. 33x4=$132. Therefore 184-132=52. However, that doesn't include the $60-70 per day in tips you're going to spend.

I did double our tip budget from $200 to $400 when we upgraded from DDP to DxDP but we were also already looking at paying for breakfast for 4 OOP which we then didn't need to do, so some of that money just shifted from one line on the budget to the other.

Granted, we could have saved a LOT more money and just taken the free DDP, but like I said, I really liked that we could do three signatures and a show for LESS than what we were paying originally.

$55x4= $220, which would have almost made POFQ free for us. We decided to give the Mouse some of that money back by upgrading.

(I still wouldn't pay for DxDP outright, though. It's ridiculously expensive, even if you could break even. I just don't want to spend that much on food.)

 

[lugnut33]

Believe me, it's true, we have gone twice and paid OOP and we did pay more than the DP cost. As for your example of Sweet Tomatoes - if that's how your family likes to dine that's great but I can tell you that there is no way in heck my family would want to eat soup and salad buffets while we are away on vacation, in fact, they won't even go for soup and salad at our local Olive Garden back at home - well they would eat the soup and salad as their appetizer but would then want their own entree after that . All I'm trying to say, is what I've said all along, the DP is not for everyone. Can a person dine for less, absolutely, but in our case, I do not want to make, prepare or eat any meals in my room. I do not want to have to go offsite to look for someplace cheaper to eat just to save a buck and I don't want to have to tell one of my teens that they can't order a higher priced steak if that's what they so choose to eat. And honestly, I did not take offense by your suggestions, I'm merely stating what works for us.

I'd put the Sweet Tomatoes buffet up against Chef Mickey's. Huge salad bar with all kinds of specialty salads, 6 different soups (and they are really good, not like Campbells soup or anything), potato bar, 3 different foccacia breads, pasta bar, drinks and desert bar. My kids love it. Matter of fact:

"Let's just say within 24 hours of being in the ground, it's on a refrigerated truck on its way to us. Our food is made from scratch every day. Our salad bar buffet features over 50 fresh ingredients, including specialty tossed and prepared salads. In addition to salads, we serve original recipe hot pastas, hand-crafted soups, scratch-made muffins, and Focaccia breads in our hot buffet. Create. Indulge. Enjoy."

 

[MarkF0wle]

First - I'll clarify - the real purpose of DDP was to keep guests onsite - esp with Magic Express. Guests no longer need to rent a car. A 'savings' for guests was the bait. (WDW offered dining packages before that, but they weren't any 'savings' at all.)

Absolutely, couldn't agree more. When it was introduced the advantage was with the guest as Disney just wanted to prevent money going to their rivals. Now Disney have won the hearts/minds of most guests they no long have to give the "savings" they were before. It's now a "perk" & Disney are very happy to allow you to pay them to feed you & lock you onto their property. It's still possible to save just as easy as it is to not save, however.

As I said before, DDP and TiW typically come out about the same for me, if we roughly follow the one QS/one TS/one snack per day per person guideline. Those who prefer alcohol , appetizers, more flexibility, have kids 10-14 are likley to find TiW a better discount (provided they can make use of a room discount).

If I were able to have a TiW card I'd likely be all over that. A little bit more flexibility in meal (appetizers/desserts) - the downside is still having to lock the ADRs down so the system is still inflexible in that regard equally. Then the discount on top is a winner.

Another factor is how many desserts/snacks you end up eating. That's kind of where any diference is saving comes.

Also, spot on. Skipping dessert can be a huge loss. The average dessert price is about $7/$8, for 4 individuals = $28 a meal. If we don't eat dessert in half of our meals we're throwing away $280. You feel obliged to order & eat it.

But all of this, imo - is also tempered by the new cancelation policy. It's all a gamble in my mind. If you buy DDP - you were always gambiling that you'd use all your credits. Under the new rules, you are FURTHER gambling that you'll make it to all ADR's. Miss a TS reservation due to unforseen day-of event- i.e someone gets sick - and you not only lose DDP - you also get stuck for $10 per person. Ouch!.

Again, couldn't agree more. The Achilles heel of the DDP, especially for families with younger kids. If you check out with unused credits you're ruining the value, before you've even paid the fee for a missed ADR. The other problem I saw with children's menus is that they are becoming all the same, which is great for Disney. But I can't expect a kid is going to want to eat 1 of 2 meals each night, order a adult meal for them & not only do you pay for the unused credits but also for the meal.

I also feel that the DDP works OK for Disney folks because of all the holiday-makers we're definitely the most in-depth planners. There not many other holidays where people are up at 6am on their vacation to beat the queues, certainly no others where people book a meal 6 months in advance.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I'd put the Sweet Tomatoes buffet up against Chef Mickey's. Huge salad bar with all kinds of specialty salads, 6 different soups (and they are really good, not like Campbells soup or anything), potato bar, 3 different foccacia breads, pasta bar, drinks and desert bar. My kids love it. Matter of fact:

"Let's just say within 24 hours of being in the ground, it's on a refrigerated truck on its way to us. Our food is made from scratch every day. Our salad bar buffet features over 50 fresh ingredients, including specialty tossed and prepared salads. In addition to salads, we serve original recipe hot pastas, hand-crafted soups, scratch-made muffins, and Focaccia breads in our hot buffet. Create. Indulge. Enjoy."

Chef Mickey's has to be one of the WORST buffets on Disney property so definitely no argument from me there (although I'm sure there would be some who would completely disagree with me on that one...lol). As for Sweet Tomatoes, from what you describe, sounds very tasty and I'd be willing to try it, now as for the rest of my clan....that's another story. A buffet of any kind is going to lose if there's a restaurant where a nice steak is being served...it's crazy. You don't know what I have to go thru just to book Cape May's dinner (which I happen to like) but when we vacation, we all take a turn choosing where we'd like to eat so I can't complain, I guess. With all the great restaurants we have here in the Providence and Boston area, I've created a house full of "foodies"...lol

 

[Kakikomori]

Can there be no consensus that this is a choice based on preferences and the configuration of each family or group?

If saving as much as possible by eating off-site or in your room, etc. is the goal, good for you.
If staying on-site and not having to deal with parking or a rental car is for you, good for you as well.

There are so many possible permutations of things like family size, age of children, resort preference, Free Dining, TiW, room discounts, AAA rates, military discounts, etc. that one single analysis is nearly worthless if any of the discounts or specials apply.

As an example, I got free dining so the DxDP upgrade was a good deal for me. Because of my personal preference to stay on-site and eat only table service meals. Am I some sort of pathetic fool for falling for the heinous marketing ploy of a major, multi-national corporation? I don't think so, and that's the single and only opinion that matters.

 

[Jake06]

THis was the decider for me (I canceled the dining plan and took the $50 reservation change hit). I would MUCH rather have an appetizer and then get dessert a couple of hours later at the Main St. bakery.

Also, my family isn't big on buffets and my son positively DETESTS character meals. He was proposed to by one of the Tremaines at 1900 Park Fare when he was 8 years old. She dumped him off his chair (LOL!) and kissed him on the cheek in front of everyone. Traumatized the poor kid for life I think.

Anyway, he categorically refuses to eat with characters again, so there is little way for us to save $$.

Can you explain the $50 reservation change - Please. TIA

 

[cmurray234]

Can you explain the $50 reservation change - Please. TIA

Sure thing. We've passed the "45 day before our trip" window. Disney reserves the right to charge a $50 change fee when you adjust your reservation from 44 days out until you take your trip.

Of course, this information WAS imparted to me by a phone customer service representative...and with their track record of bad information, I'll need to check my credit card bill to be sure that it's not actually 53.42.

 

[DDM101]

I haven't read all of the posts, so I'm not sure in what direction the discussion is going, but here is my input: TIW rules. I love being able to eat and drink at most TS establishments (and some CS places) with the TIW discount. We have enjoyed the dining plan (free and not) on previous occassions, but ultimately I enjoy the freedom of the TIW discount and all it has to offer.

 

[angelmav]

Free Dining, the plan will save most family configurations money

Free Dining upgrading to DXDP, a pretty good deal.

Paying full price for the dining plans? Not likely to save any family configuration much of anything based on todays prices. Its now a convenience plan. So many posts relate the DDP to past trips and what was saved as the reason to carry it forward. Giving Disney your $$ in advance to LOSE flexibility...not the best idea in my book, but YMMV.

 

[momof2cutegirls]

Once your children become "adults" at the age of 10 your tune will change.

I remember the carefree DDP days when our kids were 9 and under.

In 2010, our DDs were 9 & 7 so the dining plan was a no-brainier. We loved the dining plan! When we return in 2012, we will have an 11 year old & I'm not certain she will eat $50+/day to make it worth it.

Here is my understanding, & please correct me if I'm wrong...If we are not on the dining plan, my DD11 could order off the children's menu if she wants at any counter service or table service with a menu. The only time she would not be able to do so would be at a buffett & she would obviously be an 'adult' at those meals.

So I'm thinking I need to decide where we want to eat, and if we are buffett-heavy in our ADRs, the dining plan may be advantageous. Convenience is also a huge factor for us.

 

[havoc315]

In 2010, our DDs were 9 & 7 so the dining plan was a no-brainier. We loved the dining plan! When we return in 2012, we will have an 11 year old & I'm not certain she will eat $50+/day to make it worth it.

Here is my understanding, & please correct me if I'm wrong...If we are not on the dining plan, my DD11 could order off the children's menu if she wants at any counter service or table service with a menu. The only time she would not be able to do so would be at a buffett & she would obviously be an 'adult' at those meals.

So I'm thinking I need to decide where we want to eat, and if we are buffett-heavy in our ADRs, the dining plan may be advantageous. Convenience is also a huge factor for us.

Correct. She could eat the "children's station" at the buffet, but will pay adult prices.
The ddp does make sense for families who do dinner (not breakfast or lunch) buffets almost every night.
But, if I had an 11 year old, I'd skip the dinner buffets -- whether on the ddp or oop, you are basically paying $35-45 for the child to eat $3 worth of chicken nuggets and meet characters. (if you use the ddp, then you are effectively paying about $36 for every TS) Characters available for 'free' in the parks.
Yes, there is a certain convenience to meeting characters at a meal instead of getting in line at a park -- but you can also accomplish that at breakfast and lunch buffets, for less than the cost of the ddp.

 

[momof2cutegirls]

If we did character buffets, I would completely agree with you. But most of the buffets we do, do not have characters. Appreciate your thoughts! This is definitely an interesting topic.