When did the DDP get so popular?

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I was wondering when did the Disney Dinning Plan get so popular that a lot of guests are now purchasing it? If it were not for Disboards and the restaurant board I never would have know that ADR's are now harder to get and etc. Anyway I always knew WDW had these package deals however since my family and I always book room only reservations I never paid that much attention to them. So was it the free dinning that sent the DDP way over the top, or was it how great the DDP can be for guests who purchase it?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Anyone?

 

[indigoxtreme]

I think it was with the 1st free dining, when people were able to realize what they could get for the little sum of 30 dollars a day.

We love the plan and always pay for it, we have received it free 2 times and paid now 3 times. It is so nice to have the trip basically pre-paid and everyone can basically eat what they want.

 

[bicker]

Yes, by the end of 2005 it was pretty popular already.

 

[auntie]

We also only made room only reservations. Been going to Disney since the early 90's with the family..and before that ourselves. Never used the dining plan and only made a couple of then "Priority Reservations". When last year we decided to go, we stumbled on to the "free dining promo"...not for us. Cancelled. Too difficult to secure reservations and didn't want to deal with possible crowds. In any case, we are going to the WL on Saturday! We are using the Dining Plan for the first time. I first made a room only because we had a pin code mailer for a discount on room. Then, I made ADR's..and saw I had no problem securing what we wanted. That's when I checked the menu prices..and compared it to the price per person on the plan..and it made sense to convert it to a package using the Dining Plan. We are all adults..(youngest is going to be 16 soon). So $40.00 a day with the tax and gratuity seemed like a pretty good deal for feeding a 6'2" growing teenager! Being that they are older now..and eating adult meals..it's a good deal. I would imagine though that there are time periods where if your kids are around that 10, 11, or 12...it's probably not as good as deal. Unless they are really going to eat the appetizer, entree, and desert of adult. In our case it makes sense to do it now.
I've heard the rumor that next year the plan will not include the gratuity..so I would probably think twice about it then. Guess I'll know for sure how it goes by this time next week! Looking forward to it.

 

[beccasmom]

We started going to WDW in 1981 and they had a dining plan of sorts back then - one breakfast, lunch and dinner, I think - which we used. Of course, there were not nearly the dining opportunities that there are now and we ate at basically the CR restaurants (Top of the World and Gulf Coast Room) and over at the Poly (Tangaroa Terrace - banana French toast! ). And lobster was included; I remember my brother eating it at the Golf Resort. We also had a great (and long) meal on one trip w/the dining plan at the Empress Lily where the ladies all got roses and the men cigars. The only items not included were the drinks. And I took a trip in the early 90's with a friend due to a great American Express package that gave us free dining and other perks. Both times we stayed at the CR. Both times we were there in the summer. I vividly remember being really full after dining at the Coral Reef.....thinking, 'I will never eat again!', but that thought always passes. We learned to eat a little lighter, while still taking full advantage of the plan. We were never hungry, that is for sure.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I think it's because this dining plan is affordable to the average income people. The other dining plans in the past were very expensive.

 

[gatour]

I think it was about 3-4 years ago. First they lowered the cost, and expanded ease of use. Then a couple of years ago they started to offer it as a "free-be"

 

[Amy&Dan]

I think its just Disney vacations in general that are more popular. The DDP, especially when its free has increased in numbers. I mean when you make your ADR's, they ask if you are on a dining plan. I can then imagine if you say "No, what is it and how do I get it" they can tell you how and that many people do then adjust their package. The Disney travel specialist TA like Dreams tout it. So does AAA. But again, I really think that with the mass marketing Disney is doing, their parks, resorts and restaurants are all more crowded. More diners means more DDP. Don't forget the restaurants are also crowded with AP holders whipping out their DDE cards to save money too. Everybody that is on vacation at WDW has to eat one way or the other and since more people are spending their time and money at WDW it goes to reason the DDP will increase as well.

And don't forget, if the DDP is more popular, the resorts you have to stay at to get in the first place are more popular too. Notice all the threads on the resorts board where people bemoan they can't get last minute reservations at the resorts. Its just the flip side of the "I can't get a last minute ADR like I used to" coin. Gone are the days you can make last minute plans to do anything at WDW whether its sleeping or dining.

 

[disgram]

We first used the DDP in 2002. My daughter suggested it. There was two adults, (her and I) and three kiddos. I kept track of where, what we ate, and the biggie, how much we would have spent each meal. When we got home, I discovered that the meals came to 1700 dollars! So for a little over 350 dollars, we ate well!!! That is when I was sold! Have used the plan ever since. Then, last August was the first time we got free dining. I am now addicted to the DDP, free or not!

The idea of not having to worry about where we are going to eat or if we have enough money to eat there is GREAT! Plus, I like the idea of having it all paid for before we arrive.