Dining Plan Prices: Too Much???

[momtwoboys]

thanks!! The only change may be if we switch resorts and stay at BWV, then we will add Cape May and drop Sanaa leaning back towards money on a GC! Good thing its a long time until April!

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

On our last trip we saved all our food receipts and figured out what it actually would have cost to pay OOP...for us, it was cheaper to do the dining plan (we had free dining, but we figured it out as though we didn't).

We're working on our plan for 2013 and so far it seems to be the same for us...cheaper to get the plan.

 

[Karlzmom]

That is just crazy. Of course, the food prices will probably skyrocket too.

Yep, hit the OOP crew so the plan *looks* like a deal. I also sometimes wonder how much the continual upward spiral of room rates is driven by the "free dining" cycle...seeing how *free* diners pay rack rate, so how much of the price gets built into the room rate, and the Mouse just enjoys the extra from anyone who is willing to pay the rack rate....

 

[cmurray234]

We went in February. I originally added DDP to our trip and paid the fee ($50 I think) to take it back off again.

We paid OOP, ate well and figured that for 8 nights for 4 people, we saved upwards of $650.

This is what we discovered from experience. First, even when we ate 1 CS and 1 TS, we spent less than we would have with the DDP. This is largely due to the fact that we never EVER eat dessert with lunch. DH and I don't get dessert with dinner much either. Once you take out the desserts, the plan saves you nothing.

Other days, we did not eat at a TS restaurant. You wouldn't believe how quickly tip costs add up.

My conclusion was that even if the dining plan were to save me...say...8%, I probably wouldn't pay for it because it's restrictive. I don't want to pre-pay for desserts and sodas that I wouldn't have ordered in the first place. If I decide that I would prefer to have an appetizer instead of a dessert, I don't want to have an internal argument about how silly it is to pay for an appetizer when I've already purchased the dessert.

I will never ever pay for DDP again.

 

[MinnieGolf]

We went in February. I originally added DDP to our trip and paid the fee ($50 I think) to take it back off again.

We paid OOP, ate well and figured that for 8 nights for 4 people, we saved upwards of $650.

This is what we discovered from experience. First, even when we ate 1 CS and 1 TS, we spent less than we would have with the DDP. This is largely due to the fact that we never EVER eat dessert with lunch. DH and I don't get dessert with dinner much either. Once you take out the desserts, the plan saves you nothing.

Other days, we did not eat at a TS restaurant. You wouldn't believe how quickly tip costs add up.

My conclusion was that even if the dining plan were to save me...say...8%, I probably wouldn't pay for it because it's restrictive. I don't want to pre-pay for desserts and sodas that I wouldn't have ordered in the first place. If I decide that I would prefer to have an appetizer instead of a dessert, I don't want to have an internal argument about how silly it is to pay for an appetizer when I've already purchased the dessert.

I will never ever pay for DDP again.

Have you been reading my mind? This is exactly what I think about the DDP!

 

[DisneyKidds]

Yes, the Disney Dining Plan has gotten too expensive. I have always been an advocate of Disney Dining, until now. We were at WDW last week, and we did do the dining plan, purely as a matter of convenience as we were travelling with another family. However, dining plan prices are up some 25% since last year, and it has gotten to the point that most of the monetary value the plan offered is gone. Even if you save a couple of dollars, it isn't worth it if you end up eating food you may not like (we arne't big counter service fans), and putting up with the ever more limiting choices and options you are given under a plan that just keeps getting more expensive. Higher prices with less choice equals the end of Disney Dining for us. I truely felt nickeled and dimed last week, for the first time, after 20 plus years of WDW visits. Sad when Disney has pushed it so far that a long time loyal DVC owner has to feel that way.

 

[meggiebeth]

I really do not understand why it has risen so much in the past TWO YEARS! In 2011, we got the free regular DDP for staying at SSR, and upgraded to deluxe for around £400 (for one week).

Next year, we are again staying at SSR, but for 11 nights rather than 7. We have again gotten the free regular DDP, but to upgrade to the deluxe would be £1200! I'm not too good with maths, but that would be almost $2000 I think!!!

I worked out that to upgrade in 2011, when we last went, it would only cost £700. That is almost HALF what it is costing us for 2013! How can they justify almost DOUBLING the price over a two year period?!

 

[havoc315]

I really do not understand why it has risen so much in the past TWO YEARS! In 2011, we got the free regular DDP for staying at SSR, and upgraded to deluxe for around £400 (for one week).

Next year, we are again staying at SSR, but for 11 nights rather than 7. We have again gotten the free regular DDP, but to upgrade to the deluxe would be £1200! I'm not too good with maths, but that would be almost $2000 I think!!!

I worked out that to upgrade in 2011, when we last went, it would only cost £700. That is almost HALF what it is costing us for 2013! How can they justify almost DOUBLING the price over a two year period?!

Popularity of the plan, that's how they can justify it.
I'd have to look up the exact difference, but the upgrade price was about $30 in 2011, and it's about $45 for 2013. So not a doubling, but a very very very significant price increase (50% increase).

The plans were originally a dining discount, as an incentive for staying on property. But many guests proved they would continue to buy the plans, even where the plans did not represent a significant discount. (Many people claim they are happy to buy the plan even if it loses money.)

They already jacked up the price of the QSDP and DDP to where there was no savings. But the DXDP still represented a savings. In 2011, we used the DxDP and saved about 25% in real dollars. Around that time, there were people claiming savings of 30-40%.
So with such a significant savings, Disney decided it was time to jack up the price.

The DDP actually saw a relatively minor price increase this year -- only about 7%. In past years, it was about 10% per year. But they are at the point where they need to slow down price increased, to even be able to claim a potential savings with a straight face.
But there was enough room with the DxDP to put in a huge increases, and still claim a potential savings. (I think they now claim a potential 15% of 20% savings on the DxDP. If I repeated the DxDP and used it the same way I used it in 2011, I'd save 5% tops. Just as likely to lose 5-10%).

 

[fairy8i8]

I think the big 2013 increases are directly due to the fact that Fantasyland is opening up, and they are anticipating lots of people coming to see the new addition to the Magic Kingdom. Just look at the crowds DCA has been experiencing in Disneyland. Ticket prices have gone up twice in the last year, dining has gone up, yet people who haven't been to Disney in a while might want to come because of Fantasyland, and Disney lovers will come in 2013 to see it too. From a business standpoint, the costs of paying for a huge addition to the parks needs to be recouped, so the increases are probably there to help repay the millions spent on the new addition. They probably even did market research on the dining cost increases just to see how people would respond.

I thought their prices were getting a bit expensive, so I began pricing out other family resort vacations like Beaches (all inclusive resort in Turks and Caicos), and guess what? The cost of deluxe Disney and a Caribbean deluxe all inclusive were the same. I looked at several places, and it's like all of them know that $6000 is the price range for a deluxe all inclusive resort experience for a couple with one child for a week. Go figure. Now there are several other options both in Florida and the Caribbean that are much cheaper, but the ones that tout being family and child centric and deluxe all inclusive were all about the same, and even had similar discount pricing structures. Now I'm not one to spend $6000 on a vacation, but obviously there are plenty of people who are willing to spend it, otherwise it wouldn't be standard pricing across several resorts. Looking at tours in different parts of the world as well, I would say that $2000 per person was pretty standard. Disheartening for me, as I'm not going to spend that kind of money for a vacation any time soon, but that's where being vacation savvy comes in.


I think posters are right in that the "all inclusive" option is appealing to a lot of people. If you want to be savvy, then definitely price it out. The biggest thing is to look at other discount options. Free dining at a value resort for a family of 3 is an incredible value because those resorts maybe get up to a 20% room discount normally, and paying OOP for counter service food in the parks, I would probably spend at least $40/day total if I was conservative. Going during a value season, that's about a 40% saving on the room. If you take the counter service as its actual cost of $89.48/day for our family of 3 in 2013, we are getting 90% off our room. If you have 2 kids, you are basically getting your room for free. I haven't priced out FD for the moderate or deluxe resorts, but it may or may not be a good deal.

Paying an extra $18/adult each day to add a table service meal doesn't look really appealing to me, as that's probably the cost of the entree OOP (unless you are doing all character meals), $62.39/adult to add the deluxe plan? It might be worth it if you are doing all sit down meals and really want to experience Disney food.

Then there is the part of me that wonders if the dining plan price increases are also in response to their popularity among DVC owners... people who go to Disney a lot and are apt to really get the most bang for the buck off a dining plan because Disney is not a one time trip for them. They know how to get the most value from the Dining Plan, and it's eating into Disney's profit margins. Maybe I am just being cynical. It's more likely due to overall vacation market trends like I said above.

 

[CSchex]

We've been to Disney every year since 2007 on the dining plan. We have paid and got it free (once!). As I plan 2013's trip I don't think we'll be using it anymore. My sons are both not considered kids anymore, so we would be paying the adult price now. We are big eaters and love our table service meals. But after looking at the menus and knowing what we would order, I am not really seeing the savings this year. Take a look at the menus, decide what you think you would get and add it all up. I think if you've got young kids, this is the way to go, but for adults, the savings can become marginal.

 

[eliza61]

IThen there is the part of me that wonders if the dining plan price increases are also in response to their popularity among DVC owners... people who go to Disney a lot and are apt to really get the most bang for the buck off a dining plan because Disney is not a one time trip for them. They know how to get the most value from the Dining Plan, and it's eating into Disney's profit margins. Maybe I am just being cynical. It's more likely due to overall vacation market trends like I said above.

Not sure,
most dvc'ers, at least those here on the boards don't do the ddp.
1) we get the TIW card which gives us 20% discount on the entire meal. appertizers and alcohol.
2) many have cars and go offsite
3) many will eat in their villas
4) TIW card is good for the entire year so dvc'ers who are savvy wll tweak their annual trips a week or two and get the benefits for two trips where as the ddp has to be purchased each trip.

 

[meggiebeth]

Popularity of the plan, that's how they can justify it.
I'd have to look up the exact difference, but the upgrade price was about $30 in 2011, and it's about $45 for 2013. So not a doubling, but a very very very significant price increase (50% increase).

The plans were originally a dining discount, as an incentive for staying on property. But many guests proved they would continue to buy the plans, even where the plans did not represent a significant discount. (Many people claim they are happy to buy the plan even if it loses money.)

They already jacked up the price of the QSDP and DDP to where there was no savings. But the DXDP still represented a savings. In 2011, we used the DxDP and saved about 25% in real dollars. Around that time, there were people claiming savings of 30-40%.
So with such a significant savings, Disney decided it was time to jack up the price.

The DDP actually saw a relatively minor price increase this year -- only about 7%. In past years, it was about 10% per year. But they are at the point where they need to slow down price increased, to even be able to claim a potential savings with a straight face.
But there was enough room with the DxDP to put in a huge increases, and still claim a potential savings. (I think they now claim a potential 15% of 20% savings on the DxDP. If I repeated the DxDP and used it the same way I used it in 2011, I'd save 5% tops. Just as likely to lose 5-10%).

I just find the statistics shocking- that I would have paid £700 for the EXACT SAME THING in 2011, and now the retail price is £1200. I know Disney is a business but it really seems like they are trying to squeeze out as much money as they can from guests. Hotels nearer us, such as in the UK, France and Spain do not increase the rates of their board basis options nearly so much. Maybe 2% a year, or a very, very insignificant amount.

The problem with the deluxe DDP is that whilst the savings were huge, that is only factorizing in when you buy appetizers and desserts as well as main courses. How many people actually have an app and dessert as well as a main course when they eat out? So while it seems like you are saving lots, you are still spending money that you wouldn't have spent paying OOP. (IMHO of course.)

I actually think Disney is really good value for money when you get free dining. The thing that makes it expensive for us is the flights over which are a minumum of £3000 for all of us and can easily top £4000. It costs £2500 for a mobile home in France for two weeks, a world away from Disney. However you could actually stay in a moderate Disney resort in two rooms, for two weeks for about the same price! And if you go in August, you get a free QSDP thrown in! Pay a little more and you could upgrade to the regular DDP.

I disagree with people who say the free dining is always thrown in when you are paying high rack rates. August is value season and the DDP is offered free then. Heck, we actually got 45% off our 2 bedroom villa in SSR AND the free regular DDP! So upgrading to deluxe DDPs back then was actually a bargain. Not so much now, and the deals are getting smaller, however for October 2013 we still managed to get 35% off SSR and a free dining plan. We are just not planning to pay that ridiculous amount to upgrade to deluxe though. We plan to put a £2 coin in a money bank everytime we have one. By next October we should have around £600 to spend on ten or eleven TS meals in WDW. Half the price of the Deluxe DDP, and not as good value but at least we can afford something.

I would never pay the full amount of the DDP- we will only stay onsite when it is offered free. That is what is so satifying to stay onsite! Although we did upgrade to deluxe last year the whole credit thing when on holiday in WDW gave us the illusion that we weren't paying anything for what we ate! Clever Disney!