Prices have increased for all dining plans!
You lose money by getting the Disney dining plan. It's very hard to make it work where you come out ahead. Wonder if all the restaurants had a increase in prices
You lose money by getting the Disney dining plan. It's very hard to make it work where you come out ahead. Wonder if all the restaurants had a increase in prices
People buy it for the convenience.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???"
You lose money by getting the Disney dining plan. It's very hard to make it work where you come out ahead. Wonder if all the restaurants had a increase in prices
We have never lost money on ddp, in fact my family always saves a decent amount ($200+ every trip). I haven't seen an increase yet, but I'm watching the AYCTE thread, I'm sure there will be an increase across the board before we know it.
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???"
We have never lost money on ddp, in fact my family always saves a decent amount ($200+ every trip). I haven't seen an increase yet, but I'm watching the AYCTE thread, I'm sure there will be an increase across the board before we know it.
People buy it for the convenience.
In order to "make out" on the dining plan...you basically have to book/order right to left and assume that the menu prices are in any way indicative of "value"...which it's not even close. And swallow a lot of character buffets that are pretty mediocre.
All the decent restaurants are 2 points...where you actually lose.
People buy it for the convenience.
That's not really true, you and I agree on a lot of things here, but the DDP we don't. I run the numbers 6 ways from sunday every single time we go on a trip, not one time would we have spent more money on the DDP than what we would have without getting it.
Even with 2 little ones it still makes sense to us. I've gone as far as planning out meals 6 months in advance to see how much we'll spend on dining, and every single time I compare it to the DDP, we come out ahead with the DDP.
The one caveat to that is the Quick Service, I've found you're basically breaking even and just paying in advance with it.
I think were it alsways comes out a loser when I crunch it is that it involves a minimum high level of commitment to consuming large amounts of salts and sugars and also time eat your way to the "value".
I have tried to figure out if i want to get it about 15 times over the last 8 years...it has NEVER worked out as more than break even.
Now if it had the apps, and only 1 points per place? Of course...as with the grat. But when they increased the price and reduced the benefits, it became a scheme.
It's very "motorized cart friendly"
We had the dining plan on our trip (got it at a discount). The only way we came out ahead was because we did 3 character meals.
Turns out my kids didn't even like the character meals.
The only way I'd do the dining plan again is if it were free or deeply discounted. I'd never pay full price for it.