Disney Dining Plan Price Increases

[MamaBelle4]

Seriously? I must have misread something.

So.... since the regular plan only includes 2 meals, and we can subtract $4 for a snack, that means you need to spend $65 per person/per day to make it break even??? OMG.

Just here to say it's 2 snacks per person per day now.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

*snicker*

Purely an iPhone glitch...

...I have no idea how much presidential French toast cost...

...but I bet the price is double in palm beach county (you gotta give me that joke, mr. Cheeseman)

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Just here to say it's 2 snacks per person per day now.

Which are typically burned at goofy candy shop on the last day...if I remember correctly. Minor difference, no?

 

[MamaBelle4]

Well that's probably it right there.

Yes, I'm sure that's where we maximized our savings. But we didn't sit down and decide to do character meals to maximize our savings, we did it because Disney is a once every 2 years trip for us and we wanted to make it as magical as we could for the girls, so we let them choose where we ate as my DH and I are good for anything. They chose character meals.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Which are typically burned at goofy candy shop on the last day...if I remember correctly. Minor difference, no?

It's funny, in the beginning of the week, I was actually stingy with snack credits. Hadn't been on the plan before and wasn't sure how it would work out.

For next time, I know we can be much more liberal with them. That was a mistake I made. I mentioned before (in this thread or another) when I pay out of pocket, I am constantly stressed just watching the money dwindle away. In the beginning, I applied that anxiety to snack credits. I know now how many snack credits it really is (not number wise but in terms of how it applies to my family) and can better plan.

I am not saying the DDP is perfect for every family and every dining style. I AM saying not to be too quick to discount it because it could fit your family like it did mine. That is all.

 

[dlavender]

Yes, I'm sure that's where we maximized our savings. But we didn't sit down and decide to do character meals to maximize our savings, we did it because Disney is a once every 2 years trip for us and we wanted to make it as magical as we could for the girls, so we let them choose where we ate as my DH and I are good for anything. They chose character meals.

That's the only way, IMO, that the DDP is "worth it".

If you eat two buffets per day, that's ~$80 per person in "value".

Then you get a starbucks and a candied apple for breakfast on top of it.

Your cardiologist hates it, but your accountant can book it as a gain.

On the plus side, you don't have to wait in line for meet and greets, so I can see why people do it.

 

[TwoMisfits]

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

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...

 

[Madonna3]

Yes, I'm sure that's where we maximized our savings. But we didn't sit down and decide to do character meals to maximize our savings, we did it because Disney is a once every 2 years trip for us and we wanted to make it as magical as we could for the girls, so we let them choose where we ate as my DH and I are good for anything. They chose character meals.

No need to defend your decision. Us DDP naysayers pretty much all agree that the character meals are where the credits can be most maximized.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am not a DDP'er. I am against it.

LOL! I used "you" in general. not personal "you". I know the DDP does not work for you.

I can answer how we would eat if we did not use the plan. I look at where I want to dine, and then add it up. I would still book meals like Akershus if we had family who wanted to dine there, as we would 'Ohana (under protest from me) but I would cringe when the bill came. For me, once I know what we are going to do, we do it, but I am much happier using the plan if I book those pricier meals. One thing that changes for me is that if on the plan, there are more expensive entrees that I would like, I order them. I cannot get past the cost if I pay OOP. My neurosis makes sense to no one else in my family, but it is mine. One meal I can order steak. Two? I start to look at less expensive items, and three? I'm a mess. I know I can have anything I want and I know I can afford it, but I just cannot do it. I do not make my dining choices to match the plan, but I have no problem working that plan to make me happy once we are there.

 

[Madonna3]

Just here to say it's 2 snacks per person per day now.

It doesn't really negate what I said. You still have to spend $61 per person. If you want to go that route. Just for funsies:

Here was my last Disney meal:

Peco's Bills

Fajita Platter (split between myself and my son) $14.99
Extra order of tortillas $1.99
Large drink (split between myself and my husband) $3.29
Churros (split between all) $4.99

So, if we pretend for a minute that I ate all of that and excluded the extra fajitas it was $23.27
Then, for dinner, we decided on a last minute sit down at Tony's. I wasn't ready to go yet and it was the only way I could keep the family in MK.

I had the fish of the day. I remember it being $22.99
I had an iced tea $3.29
I had a cannoli (which I shared, but I'm taking credit here) $8.00

Total $34.28

At some point, I bought myself a popcorn. To be honest, we bought the $10 bucket because my family has a serious popcorn addiction. But, to stay within the DDP guidelines, I bought a single serve popcorn. $4.00. Since there's 2 snacks, I need to add another popcorn, so $8 total.

Running daily total: $65.55. I'm still $4 behind the cost of the DDP, but if we give consideration to the mug and I get 1.5 drinks then I am ahead.

However, I have AP and TiW.

So...

Meal #1 All prices with tax)

$24.34 - 20% (AP discount) = $19.47

Meal #2 $36.51 - 20% (TiW discount, which includes tip) = $29.21

Snacks = $8 (no discounts, tax included)

Total = $56.68

Now I realize that not everyone has access to my discounts. I also DO NOT eat like that every day. If you noticed, I shared my lunch with my son. I shared my drink with my husband, I shared my desserts with both. My husband didn't order a drink, my son did not order a dessert. So, while it was easy for ONE person of our family to reach the DDP spendatures, it would not have been easy for the rest of us.

I'm not saying the DDP doesn't have its uses, but your selections really do matter as to whether it works for you. I could not have decided a week in advance that we were going to eat at Pecos and that we would order the more expensive item on the menu. I also couldn't have told you that my son and I would share. To be honest, I usually mooch off of someone, so someone was sharing with me, but to make this work, I ordered a rather expensive QS. Had I just gone the burger and fries route, I wouldn't have come as close. So, the DDP maximization really, really depends on what you order and when you eat and that's just too much stress.

Oh and BTW, that fajita platter cost goes up as the DDP price goes up. So, it kinda keeps the aspect ratio.

 

[china mom]

Not all travel agents upsell. I tend to talk clients out of the dining plan when they are on the fence or don't have all the information they need to make the decision. If a client is well informed and wants the dining plan, of course, I ill sell it to them. But once I explain all of the ins and outs of the plan, more than half of my "on the fence" clients end up not going with it. I would rather get a smaller commission and repeat business (and referrals) than a big commission and an unhappy client.

 

[Madonna3]

LOL! I used "you" in general. not personal "you". I know the DDP does not work for you.

I can answer how we would eat if we did not use the plan. I look at where I want to dine, and then add it up. I would still book meals like Akershus if we had family who wanted to dine there, as we would 'Ohana (under protest from me) but I would cringe when the bill came. For me, once I know what we are going to do, we do it, but I am much happier using the plan if I book those pricier meals. One thing that changes for me is that if on the plan, there are more expensive entrees that I would like, I order them. I cannot get past the cost if I pay OOP. My neurosis makes sense to no one else in my family, but it is mine. One meal I can order steak. Two? I start to look at less expensive items, and three? I'm a mess. I know I can have anything I want and I know I can afford it, but I just cannot do it. I do not make my dining choices to match the plan, but I have no problem working that plan to make me happy once we are there.

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.

 

[LaidBackDad]

We did all character TS dinners. We didn't decide it TO save money, but rather because we knew the kids would love it.

QS, we ate at Wolfgang Puck Express (2x), Backlot Express, Flametree Barbeque, food stands in Epcot, Columbia Harbour House and Cookes of Dublin. We did not seek put the most expensive QS, and ordered what we wanted there.

I sat down with my girls on the computer and had them pick our TS. Then we went with the flow for lunches. Whatever everyone was in the mood for. We ate whatever we wanted whenever we wanted without stressing about maximizing the value.

Do you mean to say your kids only picked character dinners and they didn't want any character breakfast? How long was your vacation? Are there even enough character dinners to eat at one for every night of your vacation or are you trying to say you ate at the same character dinner every night of your vacation? Am I understanding you correctly when you say if you didn't use the DDP, you would still choose to eat at a dinner buffet every single day of your vacation? Are you reading this out loud and considering how implausible this scenario really sounds? I'm not saying your lying, I suppose anything is possible; but, there are people on this site who are so infatuated with the DDP and they are so focused on winning an internet argument they ignore mathematical certainties and frankly common sense. I am happy that you are pleased with the DDP and you think it works for you; but, it is worth noting your example is a statistically insignificant anomaly and not reflective of nearly any other guest dining experience. A more common experience is when guest spend 20 - 30% more on the DDP than if they pay OOP.

 

[MamaBelle4]

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.

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.

 

[Madonna3]

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.

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?

 

[MamaBelle4]

I am happy that you are pleased with the DDP and you think it works for you; but, it is worth noting your example is a statistically insignificant anomaly and not reflective of nearly any other guest dining experience. A more common experience is when guest spend 20 - 30% more on the DDP than if they pay OOP.

There it is. Right there in bold. Someone asked earlier in this thread why people who like the DDP feel like they're getting called out by people who question the value of it. That condescension right there.

I am not an idiot. I do not THINK it works for me, that was my experience. As my DH doesn't eat breakfast, I didn't waste my money on any meals for breakfast and we had granola bars and fruit to eat in the morning.

Of course we would have eaten differently. I mentioned that a half a dozen times. I wouldn't have eaten. I would have skipped meals or picked the cheapest thing every time because I would have been so preoccupied with how much of our dining budget was left because that is a real source of anxiety for me. DDP alleviated that for me.

I allowed my children to pick our restaurants at about 7 months prior to check in. We hadn't decided one way or the other on the dining plan before we made our reservations because I kept plugging the estimates in trying to find the best route. I wouldn't tell my children they could pick the restaurants if that was contingent on us having the dining plan.

So, please, continue to question how much I understand about the plan and my decisions. I don't care. I simply am trying to say it does work for some people and shouldn't be discounted because you feel like it is worthless. Worth is determined on an individual basis.

 

[Madonna3]

There it is. Right there in bold. Someone asked earlier in this thread why people who like the DDP feel like they're getting called out by people who question the value of it. That condescension right there.

I am not an idiot. I do not THINK it works for me, that was my experience. As my DH doesn't eat breakfast, I didn't waste my money on any meals for breakfast and we had granola bars and fruit to eat in the morning.

Of course we would have eaten differently. I mentioned that a half a dozen times. I wouldn't have eaten. I would have skipped meals or picked the cheapest thing every time because I would have been so preoccupied with how much of our dining budget was left because that is a real source of anxiety for me. DDP alleviated that for me.

I allowed my children to pick our restaurants at about 7 months prior to check in. We hadn't decided one way or the other on the dining plan before we made our reservations because I kept plugging the estimates in trying to find the best route. I wouldn't tell my children they could pick the restaurants if that was contingent on us having the dining plan.

So, please, continue to question how much I understand about the plan and my decisions. I don't care. I simply am trying to say it does work for some people and shouldn't be discounted because you feel like it is worthless. Worth is determined on an individual basis.

Please don't think me condescending - I know you weren't talking to me, but I keep asking you questions. I am genuinely trying to learn from you.

You say you picked all your restaurants before deciding on the plan, crunched numbers, and then decided the plan was the way to go. So, had your dining choices been different, would you still have gotten the plan? You state that if you hadn't you would have had too much anxiety over the money. So, really, is the plan a go for you no matter what the cost?

 

[TwoMisfits]

Of course we would have eaten differently. I mentioned that a half a dozen times. I wouldn't have eaten. I would have skipped meals or picked the cheapest thing every time because I would have been so preoccupied with how much of our dining budget was left because that is a real source of anxiety for me. DDP alleviated that for me.

Okay, I get this - my sister-in-law is like this...but for her, DDP (or other theme park plans) was even worse b/c she saw the whole price and about fainted. Her main solution has been to never look at the prices/check even if that means my brother orders for her or I pick up both families' tab (and my brother buys a later takeout meal for everyone offsite). She also now ALWAYS brings foods/snacks along. It improved our chosen meal times IMMENSELY when we didn't watch her visibly suffer and be aggravated by her ordered side salads every meal...only had to live that vacation once before we made changes...

 

[MamaBelle4]

Please don't think me condescending - I know you weren't talking to me, but I keep asking you questions. I am genuinely trying to learn from you.

You say you picked all your restaurants before deciding on the plan, crunched numbers, and then decided the plan was the way to go. So, had your dining choices been different, would you still have gotten the plan? You state that if you hadn't you would have had too much anxiety over the money. So, really, is the plan a go for you no matter what the cost?

I'm going to answer your questions from this post and the previous one.

We did buy discounted GC to pay for the plan, so we saved off of the cost of the plan.

It was our first time on the plan and I had debated between the plan or discounted gift cards, thinking either would alleviate my anxiety. The plan appeared to cost us less so we went that route. If it had been more we would've gone GC. I took a discounted card for tips and souvenirs. Then every time we had to pay tip, I felt a pang, there was that money dwindling. It still caused me anxiety.

So for future trips, if the DDP remains the cheaper option, break even, or even just a little bit more, it will be the way we go. The peace it gave me is worth it to me. I hope I answered your questions.

 

[Madonna3]

I'm going to answer your questions from this post and the previous one.

We did buy discounted GC to pay for the plan, so we saved off of the cost of the plan.

It was our first time on the plan and I had debated between the plan or discounted gift cards, thinking either would alleviate my anxiety. The plan appeared to cost us less so we went that route. If it had been more we would've gone GC. I took a discounted card for tips and souvenirs. Then every time we had to pay tip, I felt a pang, there was that money dwindling. It still caused me anxiety.

So for future trips, if the DDP remains the cheaper option, break even, or even just a little bit more, it will be the way we go. The peace it gave me is worth it to me. I hope I answered your questions.

Yep. Thanks. Glad you knew about the discounted gift card thing.