Disney Dining Plan Price Increases

[lockedoutlogic]

The tips really kill it imo. I'm not saying you shouldn't tip, but you're tipping on an inflated meal price BECUASE of the dining plan. Seems like circular reasoning. I want to save money so I buy the dining plan, but the cost of food is inflated because I bought the dining plan, and now I have to tip based on the inflated dining plan prices because I bought the dining plan to save money. $30 tip for a buffet? Why not?

That...

...and it pops up around here that people don't tip because they feel they "shouldn't"

That's like killing the paper boy after your ibm stock got a bad prospectus in the Wall Street journal...

Just appalling.

 

[LSLS]

I find that with the dining plan we actually change our habits. Instead of just picking a place I like or a meal I like, I always look for the place that gives me the best bang for my buck, even if it's not my favorite. So on top of not being a deal for us, even if it was, I'd be hesitant to use it.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I'm STILL bitter about our $180 sub par breakfast at Akershus.

I know people say it's for the experience, but for $180, the food should at least be decent. I've had better breakfast meals at McDonald's.

And $180 for about 2 collective minutes of princess time was not worth it the "experience".

It's the worst...

Cinderella's is just a big of a ripoff...but at LEAST you get a cool room and the Scenery/memory.

Akershus was the absolute worst/ugliest of the Epcot showcase restaurants...now it makes The most money by a mile (I'm sure second is le cellier...converted cafeteria extraordinaire)


Third on the list of overcharges? Chef mickeys...not even close.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'm missing something here, how are you not able to purchase a TiW card because you have DVC resale? How do they know? I think we only had to show our membership card.

I was under the impression if you purchased resale after April 4, 2016, you no longer got a membership card or, really, any DVC benefits except TOTW lounge.

 

[Madonna3]

I find that with the dining plan we actually change our habits. Instead of just picking a place I like or a meal I like, I always look for the place that gives me the best bang for my buck, even if it's not my favorite. So on top of not being a deal for us, even if it was, I'd be hesitant to use it.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I was discussing with my husband that we paid $83 for lunch at BOG on Monday. My husband likes to buy souvenir glasses (I keep trying to get him to stop. I have so much plastic crap in my cabinets!) Anyway, so take away his indulgence and 3 entrees, one of them a kids meal since my son wanted the kids meal offering, 3 desserts, 2 drinks, a water was like $70ish bucks. That is absolutely the BEST bang for your buck on ANY dining plan and this is why it's impossible to get a reservation. Take away being able to use the DDP credits at BOG for lunch and I bet you can walk into the place. However, I ate there because I WANTED to, but we were discussing how many people were eating here because it gave them the best value for their DDP credit and our answer was probably more than half. So, I think the mentality for everyone on the DDP changes and it should. It doesn't seem like a deal if you don't maximize the value.

 

[Madonna3]

I was under the impression if you purchased resale after April 4, 2016, you no longer got a membership card or, really, any DVC benefits except TOTW lounge.

I haven't seen anything about it being excluded. When you get your member ID card (you'll be able to print it off your phone or computer) call and give them your ID and see if it works.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I find that with the dining plan we actually change our habits. Instead of just picking a place I like or a meal I like, I always look for the place that gives me the best bang for my buck, even if it's not my favorite. So on top of not being a deal for us, even if it was, I'd be hesitant to use it.

That's my core argument against it.

I'll give a real example: we went to brown Derby for Cobb, martinis and dessert last week in the outside bar...it was like $45 total...and I got tiw on it. That was a spur of the moment after having gone there a couple days before (brown derby is one of the few places I'd consider doing that)

If I had the dining plan...what do I do? Go to primetime or mama melrose in the production line environment with a tired, frankly low quality menu to use "credits"?

It's self defeating, fattening, and not really than "convenient" when you look at it. Results vary - of course.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I haven't seen anything about it being excluded. When you get your member ID card (you'll be able to print it off your phone or computer) call and give them your ID and see if it works.

All discounts for resale were discontinued that day. And knowing some friends who just did resale they bring it up EVERY SINGLE TIME they have spoken to DVC about anything.

Almost offensively so.

We talked about that a little here but it didn't get enough play.

That is PROOF DVC is overpriced. The fact they tried to drive a wedge into it to force $171 a point sales. Data behind the scenes caused that...make no mistake.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I'm missing something here, how are you not able to purchase a TiW card because you have DVC resale? How do they know? I think we only had to show our membership card.

Tables is open to Florida residents and direct purchase DVC...

So now, if you buy a resale...you cannot buy the tables.

Sucks don't it?

They are gonna kill tables...the writings on the wall there. I think it's about getting the discounts out of the Florida residents hands....unfortunately.

The offered it to DVC to encourage more points/frequency...but now that "real" DVC gets 20% in a lot of places...I feel like tiw days are numbered.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I was under the impression if you purchased resale after April 4, 2016, you no longer got a membership card or, really, any DVC benefits except TOTW lounge.

That's the deal. You save massively from the DVC price by doing resale...but they did this to be jerks and try to make you wear the scarlet D...

Whiney, little bi....oh, nevernmind.

Nobody told them raising the points $5 every six months for 10 years was a good idea...now I laugh at the foolishness.

True story: I returned the voicemail I got in the room last week to talk to my DVC homie when he said "exciting details coming about boulder rusty nail conjunction junction what's your function"?...or whatever they are calling it...and played with it a little.

After showing "interest" (not entitely disingenuous - id like more points)...I asked "so what's the advantage to me buying form DVC when i can just get wilderness on a resale for half the price?"

Without the discount...he had no ammunition...some dribble about "these are gonna be nicer"...which is stupid because I'm not gonna book 11 months out anyway. (Life's too short for that nonsense).

They got nothing...not to go against an existing member. So they are bullying the new members who are still spending $10,000+ grand upfront...

Ok...back to dining and why akershus sucks

 

[Madonna3]

All discounts for resale were discontinued that day. And knowing some friends who just did resale they bring it up EVERY SINGLE TIME they have spoken to DVC about anything.

Almost offensively so.

We talked about that a little here but it didn't get enough play.

That is PROOF DVC is overpriced. The fact they tried to drive a wedge into it to force $171 a point sales. Data behind the scenes caused that...make no mistake.

I don't know, it kinda makes it harder to make a profit on resale. You can't.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't know, it kinda makes it harder to make a profit on resale. You can't.

Isn't that what they want?

But here's the thing: if you sell your contract that you've had for 10-20 years for $70 a point...you've profited massively.

Because you've gotten all that use and discount out of it.

It's vacations...not stocks. I've seen many type/talk about how they are "shrewd investors" with their DVC.

Nobody has lost on it (that wasn't foreclosed on)...but sometimes a cake is just a cake.

 

[Moliphino]

Free is good, but its at the expense of paying full for a room. Really need to crunch the numbers and take into account any room discounts.

We have. Not every time, but we have compared costs. I think it was about $200 more for the free dining package over discounted room and discounted tickets for a 5 night stay last time we checked. We definitely would've spent over $200 on food, so it worked out in favor of the package.

 

[OldsDr]

What is the spending limit for room charges? I guess we never hit it.

Last I knew it was tiered something Like $1000 value, 1250 Mod. $1500 deluxe. I have not been in a few years but every time I went I had to sign something that explained it.

Edited tired does not equal tiered

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Last I knew it was tiered something Like $1000 value, 1250 Mod. $1500 deluxe. I have not been in a few years but every time I went I had to sign something that explained it.

Edited tired does not equal tiered

Years ago it was $500, $1000, $1500 and they would just charge the cards if the limits were reached. It involved no contact with customers in 99.5% of the cases.

 

[Madonna3]

Years ago it was $500, $1000, $1500 and they would just charge the cards if the limits were reached. It involved no contact with customers in 99.5% of the cases.

I always thought that was kind of discriminatory. Just because I'm staying a POP that means I must not have the credit limit on my AMEX I have when I stay at Grand Floridian.

 

[jknezek]

We were there in early Dec. My family of five and my parents, so parties of 7. We wanted to do a sit down almost every day as a family, always dinner, and perhaps a few QS meals together at lunch if we were in the same area. We also went to Hoop Dee Doo. We figure the DDP ended up being a wash, saving about $150 for 4 adults and 3 kids over 5 days, when I ran the spreadsheet after we got back versus what we actually ate. Figure it saved each person maybe $4 a day, or about a snack a day. We used every meal and every snack (though we bought 8 snacks with leftovers at DS the day we left to bring home with us, so not counting those we didn't save as much). Was it a bargain? No. Single digits a day is essentially rounding error on Disney costs. But it sure made things easy as we didn't need to think about paying for things other than tips. We did book the first hour possible 6 months out and got almost every restaurant we wanted, which wasn't a function of "best value for DDP" but a function of what had really good reputations.

Do I recommend DDP? Not really. Do I discourage it? Not really. It's just another option that I feel simplifies things. It did force me to do the planning 6 months out as there were restaurants I wanted to eat in, especially because I was forking out money on DDP.

 

[Josh Hendy]

It's vacations...not stocks. I've seen many type/talk about how they are "shrewd investors" with their DVC.

But the essence of the vacation condo sales pitch as I understand it ... is precisely to blend, conflate, mix up and confuse these two ideas simultaneously: (1) "this is a great vacation" AND (2) "this is a great investment".

It may be either of those ... it may be both. But I think that most people are incapable of holding those two concepts in their mind simultaneously and arriving at a rational, prudent decision. One of the concepts is about SPENDING your money, one of them is about SAVING your money.

OK ... so which is it?

 

[Elle23]

I always thought that was kind of discriminatory. Just because I'm staying a POP that means I must not have the credit limit on my AMEX I have when I stay at Grand Floridian.

Actually, I'd have MORE to spend by staying at Pop with all the money I saved!

 

[Madonna3]

Actually, I'd have MORE to spend by staying at Pop with all the money I saved!

right? I think it's BS. They should make it a set amount across the board regardless of where you stay.