Disney Dining Plan Price Increases

[china mom]

We did the dining plan once. In order to take full advantage of the plan, we need to eat 7 TS meals that week. In order to make it to our dinner reservations, we needed to "allow 1.5 hours travel time". We were never seated immediately and spent probably an hour at our meal. We invested about 3 hours on dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of not looking at prices and eating whatever I wanted but we felt so married to our schedule and felt that we were pulling our kids away from activities in favor of meals. The dining plan is not a good match for me.

I have a good friend/client who goes to Disney for the dining and if they get in some rides, that is a bonus. They get every penny out of the meal plan. They enjoy the best restaurants and the most expensive steaks on the menu. Although I have never done the math, I am sure that they either come out ahead or at least break even. They enjoy having everything pre-paid. The meal plan is a perfect match for them.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I would rather get a smaller commission and repeat business (and referrals) than a big commission and an unhappy client.

I definitely appreciate businesses that think this way!

 

[Madonna3]

I have a good friend/client who goes to Disney for the dining and if they get in some rides, that is a bonus. They get every penny out of the meal plan. They enjoy the best restaurants and the most expensive steaks on the menu. Although I have never done the math, I am sure that they either come out ahead or at least break even. They enjoy having everything pre-paid. The meal plan is a perfect match for them.

That used to be me and the hubs. Unfortunately, we were also both over 400lbs. We had to change our eating habits and the DDP and this type of eating had to go

 

[Nancyg56]

Ya know and I guess that's just what it needs to be for some folks. I personally don't understand the neurosis. I've never cut a vacation budget that short where I am stressing over a $4 popcorn or an extra $10 at dinner.

No one in my family gets the stress I give myself! I do not cut my budget short, I truly do not. We go with plenty of money, and my husband is that guy who loves all of us at the dinner table at least once a day, more if he can drag them all. He never quibbles our vacation cost, and tends to save more so he can upgrade our family experience even more.

I just know that for one or two days, I can order what I want and I'm okay, but after that? I feel like I'm bleeding money. No I wont buy the plan if we are not going to use it well, but I do know that at home I am a healthy lean meat, very little beef girl, so I like to toss my dietary habit to the wind n vacation.

I have a good friend/client who goes to Disney for the dining and if they get in some rides, that is a bonus. They get every penny out of the meal plan. They enjoy the best restaurants and the most expensive steaks on the menu. Although I have never done the math, I am sure that they either come out ahead or at least break even. They enjoy having everything pre-paid. The meal plan is a perfect match for them.

Is your friend me? LOL!!!

 

[Moliphino]

I think that's what some people just don't and probably won't understand. I stress about money. Even though I am in a situation where I can afford to take my family to Disney every other year. I still stress, constantly. I cannot help it. It is burned in my blood and a part of who I am (we grew up crazy poor).

It is hugely stressful for me to sit and watch money disappear during vacation. Having it all paid for in advance allowed me to relax. That alone (not even counting in that we save money on DDP) makes the plan valuable to my family. Some people don't understand that and won't, and that's okay too.

I get it. If we're not on the dining plan I eat less, order less expensive meals, only get desserts if I split a meal, rarely buy snacks, etc. It's also why I only get the dining plan when it's free, because I know I can eat much less expensively. It is nice to not think about cost when you're on the plan, though. So much steak.
Somehow dropping hundreds of dollars at Trader Sam's or drinking around the world doesn't bother me the same way.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

To your point, they've made the character buffets in essence DDP only.

I mean, $40 per person for the Cape May breakfast buffet, with at least a $4 per person tip on that? That should be the new official definition of insanity.

From members of my misguided family, I hear it all the time. If they are planning on any character buffets, they get the DDP. Because for some unwarranted reason, they feel as if its better to pay the bill 6 months in advance, and then pretend that the meal only cost them 1 credit. They need time to mentally convert that cash into a credit. They need time to bury that cost in the package and in their minds.

I wonder what the percentage of OOP and DDP are at places like CRT and Askerhaus? It would also be interesting to know satisfaction level after the meal using both payment methods.

The definition of insanity...in my book.

"I got screwed on my visa at 24.99% apr months ago...bring on pooh bear!!!"

 

[beer dave]

That's why the math never works out for me.

I already have to fast weeks before and after a week trip just to handle the food and we eat no more than 2/3 what the credits would be.

See that's where you are making a mistake. you need to gorge the week before so you can prepare to hold everything you are about to consume.... like an eating contest.....

 

[lockedoutlogic]

See that's where you are making a mistake. you need to gorge the week before so you can prepare to hold everything you are about to consume.... like an eating contest.....

Pass

 

[Tigerlily81]

So let me ask this. Instead of buying the DDP because as your kids get older they may not wants Princesses at breakfast, why not purchase gift cards from resalers like Target or Sam's where you get a discount on the price of a gift card, put your budget on the gift cards and then save money that way? You in no way have to answer me. You can tell me it's just the way you like to do things and that's that.

When I go for Christmas, my husband and I buy 5 $300 gift cards. Each day we take a gift card (well really there are multiple since we find the $50 cards offer the best value) and go down an apply them toward our account or he'll take half with us and put half on the resort account. Point is, we've spent our money already - wisely. We've gotten a discount on the money we've spent. We're "saving" 20% on anything we buy (mostly) and then whatever is left is just gravy. We never spend our budget. So, if money is such an issue, why not purchase the gift cards at a discount and then buy your dining plan with the gift cards if you still feel it fits your needs?

So kind of off topic, but I realized before our last trip that I could combine gift cards at https://www.disneygiftcard.com/ so that I didn't have to carry around so many. I tend to buy a ton of the $50 ones as well because I can get the best deals and then could combine down to just a few cards at that site so I didn't have to keep track of so many cards/balances.

 

[Madonna3]

So kind of off topic, but I realized before our last trip that I could combine gift cards at https://www.disneygiftcard.com/ so that I didn't have to carry around so many. I tend to buy a ton of the $50 ones as well because I can get the best deals and then could combine down to just a few cards at that site so I didn't have to keep track of so many cards/balances.

Yes, I did that and my husband got mad at me for it. He likes to have at least one gift card in his hand a day. To him, it signifies a reset in the spending.

 

[beer dave]

Pass

I forgot to use the sarcasm icon......

 

[peabody58]

.... I stress about money. ..... Having it all paid for in advance allowed me to relax. That ... makes the plan valuable to my family.

'Value' for your money - that's the key!! I applaud your inherent understanding of what is 'value' for you and your family. We have had stressful vacations, and less-stressful vacations. We definitely enjoyed the less-stressful ones more, and tend to reflect positively on those. The DDP is an option that many will find a 'value' regardless of the monetary cost. There are so many other factors to consider. Obviously the avoidance of undo stress is a priority for you. A few extra dollars one way or the other is insignificant compared to the 'value' you receive from the elimination of stress. I can relate and approach the vacation planning process in a similar manner; making decisions based on the 'value' obtained.

On the other hand, a lot of these discussion points can be applied to travel choices. Do you drive or fly? Flying is often more expensive, so why do people do it? Obviously 'value' for your money - time savings, convenience, etc. The DDP is no different in that respect.

For the record, I do not and will never use the DDP as it does not provide me any 'value' when compared to my other options. And DW and I also drive every time.

 

[circus4u]

The wife and I have used the dining plan twice, both times when it was "free," most recently this past year. We agreed after this last time that we weren't going to get it anymore, not because of value, character meals, etc. Our reason is that it cramps our touring style; we are more of spontaneity visitors. Whenever we were on the dining plan, it seemed our whole vacation revolved around food, ie, we had to be in a certain place at a specific time when we really felt like being somewhere else. Fast passes, when we used them, had to be scheduled around dining reservations. We might want a snack or sandwich, but would it ruin our appetite for our dining reservation, etc. This last trip, we had five table service meals, all walk ups with no waiting. It was very relaxing and contributed to the enjoyment of our vacation.

 

[Madonna3]

Whenever we were on the dining plan, it seemed our whole vacation revolved around food, ie, we had to be in a certain place at a specific time when we really felt like being somewhere else. Fast passes, when we used them, had to be scheduled around dining reservations. We might want a snack or sandwich, but would it ruin our appetite for our dining reservation, etc. This last trip, we had five table service meals, all walk ups with no waiting. It was very relaxing and contributed to the enjoyment of our vacation.

Yes, my husband and I learned this as well. We're hungry. It's 4pm. We're in Epcot. What's open? We head to the app and away we go with our TiW. I hated scheduling my day around eating. It became a huge part of our vacation. When my husband and I started dropping pounds, eating was no longer a priority. We wanted to have a nice experience, but on our terms. So, if you're willing to be surprised and take what's open when you want it, things are so much more relaxing.

 

[jknc]

DDP + daily searches for reservations + scheduling your days around those sacred reservations = no fun for me.

Let me know if you have questions.

 

[OThopeful35]

What i find stunning is the amount of people who get the DDP and are clueless how to use. We checked in to POR on 12/27, yes Christmas week. The family ahead of use had the dining plan, made NO reservations and had not a clue how to use. I broke out in a cold sweat just listenig to the conversation with the CM. 3x's that week I ended up giving a"crash" course in the DDP to guests who were sitting next to us at the pool who would usually start the conversation " Are you using the dining plan???"

When we went in 2015, the family in front of us in line at The Mara had 24 credits left and they were checking out that day . They had a mix of TS, QS and snacks.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

When we went in 2015, the family in front of us in line at The Mara had 24 credits left and they were checking out that day . They had a mix of TS, QS and snacks.

I have a visceral, near Pavlovian Nausea feeling when I read this type of thing...

Nothing I hate more than Disney being paid for nothing...they do not deserve it.

 

[LaidBackDad]

When we went in 2015, the family in front of us in line at The Mara had 24 credits left and they were checking out that day . They had a mix of TS, QS and snacks.

What's sad is this happens more often than not and 24 is probably on the low end. What's crazy is people will still try to say they saved money after getting stuck with 30-40 snack credits, and they claim they are happy to try stuffing all the extra snacks into their suitcases. But, then again, I'm sure they carefully crunched the numbers and planned to have 30+snack credits leftover (...ya right).

 

[bbak30]

Just got back from a week long trip, our first without the DDP. My oldest is 11 and does not eat like an adult, so I refused to pay $1600 for food that I knew wouldn't be eaten.
I let my girls pick one character meal--they chose CRT.
We also had a BOG and 50s PT dinners and the rest was quick service.
We ate offsite 3 times, Benihana, Lonestar and Bahama Breeze. Those were our 3 best meals of the week, in that order.
We ordered what we wanted, snacked when we wanted and didn't really watch what we were spending. Ended up less than $1,200 for the week.
The DDP was a good value for us on the last few trips when we did character meals. It's just not for us any longer.

We also were treated to Ohana delivery in the club lounge at The Poly. Some friends of ours were staying there and purchased the deluxe plan. They had 10 credits left the night before they left. They treated us 4 to dinner with them and ordered enough for 5 people--which was ridiculous and fed all 7 of us plus the rest of the lounge.
However, the gratuity that was added was almost $100, 18% on a close to $500 bill. I thought that was a bit insane, but gladly paid 1/2 of the gratuity.
We easily would have dropped another $200-$300 on tips as well, bringing us to close to $2,000 on mediocre food. I miss the days when Disney food was awesome. I hate that we all suck it up and just say, "you are paying for the experience". We should expect and get more for the amount we pay. I blame the DDP for ruining the food quality as well.

 

[bbak30]

Agree 100% - and they make it "in and out" casual dining needing no real service (either in the kitchen or from the wait staff), so they can turn those tables fast.

I gave up Disney buffets 5 years ago when prices got stupid. When I can head to Ruth's Chris down the street and eat a full 3 course meal for LESS than the same adult price buffet dinner meal at, say, Chef Mickey's...how could you ever settle for Disney unless you had put price 100% out of your mind? Disney has achieved what I think is almost impossible with their buffets...and I guess, good for them?

http://ruthschris.net/promotions/seasonal-prix-fixe-classics-menu/ (Edit to try the link again b/c it's being dumb...

We went to Lonestar last week: 2 apps, ny strip and filet, 2 kids meals and beverages and it was less than $100 with tax and tip. And absolutely delicious.
$140 the night before at BOG and the steak was just ok. Once child even shared with me and didn't get a meal. DH did have a beer though!