Disney Dining Plan Price Increases

[bbak30]

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.

This part was hard for me as well. First time without the DDP and I was worried. I found that giving ourselves a rough budget of $200 a day helped keep things in perspective. I would sit down and add things up frequently. Then I saw we were nowhere near our max budget and I relaxed.

But I totally get it....it helps make for a better vacation when you don't have to think about it.

 

[jkh36619]

Dear Everyone,

1. Rent condo with full kitchen off site.
2. Cook easy meals or eat off site.
3. Stay rigid schedule free.
4. Save thousands of dollars.
5. Use thousands in saving to go to Disney more often.
6. Return to this thread to thank me.

 

[Madonna3]

Dear Everyone,

1. Rent condo with full kitchen off site.
2. Cook easy meals or eat off site.
3. Stay rigid schedule free.
4. Save thousands of dollars.
5. Use thousands in saving to go to Disney more often.
6. Return to this thread to thank me.

No to all of the above.

Not staying off site
Not cooking on vacation
Schedules will be more rigid from all the traveling off property
No fun if I have to do work on vacation
No thanks

 

[jkh36619]

No to all of the above.

Not staying off site
Not cooking on vacation
Schedules will be more rigid from all the traveling off property
No fun if I have to do work on vacation
No thanks

I used to think that way too

 

[mom2rtk]

Dear Everyone,

1. Rent condo with full kitchen off site.
2. Cook easy meals or eat off site.
3. Stay rigid schedule free.
4. Save thousands of dollars.
5. Use thousands in saving to go to Disney more often.
6. Return to this thread to thank me.

Are you coming to cook for us? Because cooking every day is one of the things I want a vacation from.

 

[jkh36619]

Easy stuff. Throw a pizza in the oven. Pasta steamer bags. Or eat off site. Or keep over paying thousands. I know I go to Disney 4 weeks a year cheaper than a week vacation on-site at a deluxe resort with a dining plan. Probably cheaper than a moderate if I crunched the numbers.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Dear Everyone,

1. Rent condo with full kitchen off site.
2. Cook easy meals or eat off site.
3. Stay rigid schedule free.
4. Save thousands of dollars.
5. Use thousands in saving to go to Disney more often.
6. Return to this thread to thank me.

Yeah, no. If I wanted a cheaper vacation, there are a million options.

First time I went down as an adult, we stayed off site and loved it. Last time we went down, we stayed at SSR, and there will be no going back to off site for us.

 

[mom2rtk]

Easy stuff. Throw a pizza in the oven. Pasta steamer bags. Or eat off site. Or keep over paying thousands. I know I go to Disney 4 weeks a year cheaper than a week vacation on-site at a deluxe resort with a dining plan. Probably cheaper than a moderate if I crunched the numbers.

If I can't afford to vacation without cooking, I can't afford to vacation. But I get that everyone feels differently about that.

 

[jkh36619]

En

Yeah, no. If I wanted a cheaper vacation, there are a million options.

First time I went down as an adult, we stayed off site and loved it. Last time we went down, we stayed at SSR, and there will be no going back to off site for us.

Enjoy

 

[Madonna3]

Easy stuff. Throw a pizza in the oven. Pasta steamer bags. Or eat off site. Or keep over paying thousands. I know I go to Disney 4 weeks a year cheaper than a week vacation on-site at a deluxe resort with a dining plan. Probably cheaper than a moderate if I crunched the numbers.

What about renting points from a DVC member and then staying in a 1 or 2 bedroom villa with full kitchen?

 

[Mac30188]

When we went last year, it worked out well for us. Here are my 2 biggest selling points on the plan.

We had a 4 year old who very much enjoyed character meetings. We did character meals about every day. In my opinion, lines for some characters are of the most boring, slow moving lines at Disney. Combining that with a meal where I can get better food, rest our feet, and have them come to us is a fantastic investment for young children with small legs. Therefore it was not just an investment in food, but also overall experience that includes shortening time in line and additional time off your feet. If you are going to do a bunch of character meals, for us it was slightly less money then out of pocket.

Finally, the psychological factor of the dining plan cannot be underestimated. I was able to get all my frustration of paying for overpriced food out of the way 6 months before I set foot in the park. By the time I am there, the money is already spent. I really don't care anymore that she is eating a $14 freeze dried cheese burger. She needs to use her food credits or lose them. If I was paying cash, it would be a constant, irritating factor that drove down my enjoyment down every time I opened my wallet for overpriced food. As much money as I am spending for the vacation, the last thing I need to be is anxious.

 

[Madonna3]

When we went last year, it worked out well for us. Here are my 2 biggest selling points on the plan.

We had a 4 year old who very much enjoyed character meetings. We did character meals about every day. In my opinion, lines for some characters are of the most boring, slow moving lines at Disney. Combining that with a meal where I can get better food, rest our feet, and have them come to us is a fantastic investment for young children with small legs. Therefore it was not just an investment in food, but also overall experience that includes shortening time in line and additional time off your feet. If you are going to do a bunch of character meals, for us it was slightly less money then out of pocket.

Finally, the psychological factor of the dining plan cannot be underestimated. I was able to get all my frustration of paying for overpriced food out of the way 6 months before I set foot in the park. By the time I am there, the money is already spent. I really don't care anymore that she is eating a $14 freeze dried cheese burger. She needs to use her food credits or lose them. If I was paying cash, it would be a constant, irritating factor that drove down my enjoyment down every time I opened my wallet for overpriced food. As much money as I am spending for the vacation, the last thing I need to be is anxious.

It is very much agreed that if your trip consists of mostly character meals that the dining plan will usually always yield a lower cost. However, they're yielding a lower cost only because they're so inflated to begin with.

I understand what you mean about opening your wallet just to overpay when it comes to meals. I go all the time to Disney and it's a point of frustration for me as well. My husband and I usually stay away from places that we can't get a 20% discount.

 

[Roxyfire]

Finally, the psychological factor of the dining plan cannot be underestimated. I was able to get all my frustration of paying for overpriced food out of the way 6 months before I set foot in the park. By the time I am there, the money is already spent. I really don't care anymore that she is eating a $14 freeze dried cheese burger. She needs to use her food credits or lose them. If I was paying cash, it would be a constant, irritating factor that drove down my enjoyment down every time I opened my wallet for overpriced food. As much money as I am spending for the vacation, the last thing I need to be is anxious.

I understand where you're coming from and for 9 years old and under, it's a deal. Everyone here agrees. For a 10+ year olds that have a small appetite, you're in currency swap game territory. You're trading real US (or wherever you travel from) currency for a system that you can't trade out of. Sure you can take a dozen bags of chocolate pretzels home, but it's not a great feeling even when that dining plan was free. Can't imagine that feeling when it costs over $60 per adult per day! Now I'm not saying I'm going to save a ton more on food paying as I go, but I'm also not shoving stuff down my child's throat and yelling "eat your food!" all the time. We can order what we want, share if we want, or not. What we spend is what we spend. I get to keep whatever money left over from what I would've handed over.

 

[Moliphino]

Dear Everyone,

1. Rent condo with full kitchen off site.
2. Cook easy meals or eat off site.
3. Stay rigid schedule free.
4. Save thousands of dollars.
5. Use thousands in saving to go to Disney more often.
6. Return to this thread to thank me.

1. Onsite is the only way I'll go because it's so much more convenient (EMH, park transportation, Magical Express, etc.). I never want to leave the Disney Bubble. I also spend so little time in the hotel that the extra space is a waste. I need a bed and a bathroom and that's it.
2. I'm not cooking on vacation and some of the things I most look forward to are Disney restaurants.
3. I like the scheduling. It's fun for me.
4. I stay moderate/value, go during low times, and look for deals. It's not worth it to me to eat frozen pizza on vacation.
5. Saving money doesn't also get me more vacation time from work. That's the thing holding me back, not money.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

No to all of the above.

Not staying off site
Not cooking on vacation
Schedules will be more rigid from all the traveling off property
No fun if I have to do work on vacation
No thanks

I don't agree with ANY of Disneys pricing policies and I still fully agree with this.

That...and team Disney Orlando has all but declared war on the offsite customer...as much of a war as Vietnam was (figuratively speaking...of course)

 

[jkh36619]

What about renting points from a DVC member and then staying in a 1 or 2 bedroom villa with full kitchen?

That's what I do. I shop around. I've stayed at Vacation Village but my favorite is Wyndham Bonnet Creek. What is a Disney room? 400 sq ft? I stay 7 nights in a 1000 sq ft 1 bedroom for the cost of 2 nights at a Disney moderate resort. But this thread is about the DDP. As far as a debate is concerned, DDP vs OOP isn't my problem. Its cost of OOP or DDP vs QUALITY! Folks, that food is bad. I would never pay that much for a dry chicken breast or a tough steak. No one here would go to their local restaurant and be served that quality of food and return. Yet you do because it's Disney? ha. And I am speaking of TS restaurants only.

 

[ThistleMae]

I should of had if it's all adults it's hard to save money on the ddp. I'm guessing you have kids. If you have kids yes you can save money on ddp. If not you can still save money but it's really hard. Eating at Norway every night you will save money on ddp. I'm also talking about the middle dining plan. My mistake I should of been more clear plus I'm a annual pass holder and dvc member with them discounts it's real hard to save money on the ddp with just adults

How late do the counter services in Epcot stay open? I love the lunches there and would probably eat there for dinner if you can still get food in the evening.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

How late do the counter services in Epcot stay open? I love the lunches there and would probably eat there for dinner if you can still get food in the evening.

Everything closes at 9

 

[Madonna3]

That's what I do. I shop around. I've stayed at Vacation Village but my favorite is Wyndham Bonnet Creek. What is a Disney room? 400 sq ft? I stay 7 nights in a 1000 sq ft 1 bedroom for the cost of 2 nights at a Disney moderate resort. But this thread is about the DDP. As far as a debate is concerned, DDP vs OOP isn't my problem. Its cost of OOP or DDP vs QUALITY! Folks, that food is bad. I would never pay that much for a dry chicken breast or a tough steak. No one here would go to their local restaurant and be served that quality of food and return. Yet you do because it's Disney? ha. And I am speaking of TS restaurants only.

You have a point there.

However, there are some stellar restaurants on property and those are the ones we visit. We tend to say away from the "low brow" stuff.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

You have a point there.

However, there are some stellar restaurants on property and those are the ones we visit. We tend to say away from the "low brow" stuff.

I would say "stellar" is a bit of a reach...

And the gap between "stellar" and "low brow" has shrunk in recent years.