Wow have the DP prices gone up 2010, 2011 2012!!! Prices inside...

[DisneyFive]

Here is how much the regular and quick service dining prices have gone up the last couple of years. At this point, the cost of the dining is getting VERY unreasonable in my opinion. For 7 days, one adult is going to cost $364 for the regular DP?

Daily cost (DP = regular dining plan, QS = quick service plan)
Adult = 10 yrs old and older during visit

                DP	QS
2010 Adult	$36	$27
2011 Adult	$46	$35
2012 Adult	$52	$35

The adult DP increased in cost 45% in just two years!!!!

                DP	QS
2010 Child	$10	$8
2011 Child	$12	$12
2012 Child	$15	$12

The child DP increased 50% in two years!!!!

For my family of five, with one of my girls bumping into the "adult" category next year, this comes out to around $1302 for a week of food!!

The only time the dining plan seems reasonable to me now is when Disney offers free dining. If they don’t offer free dining in 2012, I’m fairly certain that we will be making all of our dining reservations without using the dining plan.

There are things about the dining plan that I don’t like, such as no option to switch desert for an appetizer or soup (I’m not a desert kind of guy). You are offered one drink with the DP, but in many cases I would rather just have water so I’m paying for some things that I don’t need/want with the DP. I think we will be better off going ala carte next year, unless free dining id offered.

Dan

 

[havoc315]

Here is how much the regular and quick service dining prices have gone up the last couple of years. At this point, the cost of the dining is getting VERY unreasonable in my opinion. For 7 days, one adult is going to cost $364 for the regular DP?

Daily cost (DP = regular dining plan, QS = quick service plan)
Adult = 10 yrs old and older during visit

                DP	QS
2010 Adult	$36	$27
2011 Adult	$46	$35
2012 Adult	$52	$35

The adult DP increased in cost 45% in just two years!!!!

                DP	QS
2010 Child	$10	$8
2011 Child	$12	$12
2012 Child	$15	$12

The child DP increased 50% in two years!!!!

For my family of five, with all kids under 10, this comes out to around $1050 for a week of food!!

The only time the dining plan seems reasonable to me now is when Disney offers free dining. If they don’t offer free dining in 2012, I’m fairly certain that we will be making all of our dining reservations without using the dining plan.

There are things about the dining plan that I don’t like, such as no option to switch desert for an appetizer or soup (I’m not a desert kind of guy). You are offered one drink with the DP, but in many cases I would rather just have water so I’m paying for some things that I don’t need/want with the DP. I think we will be better off going ala carte next year, unless free dining id offered.

Dan

I believe the adult 2010 DDP price was $42....

But yes, the prices of the DDP have gone up at super speed. But the actual food prices at most Disney restaurants has not increased dramatically. (I believe buffets and character meals have seen significant increases, but not the restaurants).

 

[HeatherFeather]

The worst part was when they took away appetizer and inclusion of tip from the regular dining plan. That alone pretty much killed it for me. I wonder if Disney is trying to either discourage use of it or make "free dining" seem like an even better deal when it is offered.

Either way, it's pretty much OOP for us from now on. We probably also eat less TS meals too. I suspect we also gain less weight this way.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

what about the prices for the deluxe plan? are they out for 2012?

 

[disney*mom*82]

This is the exact reason we decided this will be our first trip in many years without the DDP. Our older two children are now considered adults and youngest a child now. So we would be 4ad and 1ch for 10 nights, we would be $1960 for our upcomming visit. Our kids are disappointed we wont get DDP, but we are still doing several TS, we will do QS when necessary and we are allowing everyone $50 gift card for snacks for the trip. We will still come out money ahead what we would with buying the DDP. We wont be getting it anymore unless its "free".

 

[Cafeen]

what about the prices for the deluxe plan? are they out for 2012?

DxDDP Adult for 2010 is $85.54 per night, $89.54 during holiday
DxDDP Children is... um I forgot. But it also applies a $2 surcharge during holiday season. The price is listed on one of the other 2012 price threads out there.

I'm guessing (with a lot of discussion on the DDP lately), that the reduction in value on the plans is part of the overall reduction of discounts. Even the released tag lines for these plans shows an overall reduction in how much you can save.

Are they still worth it? The answer depends on many many factors. It certainly will take much more time and planning to make them work out, but if they're fitting to your trip (that is, if your trip meshes well with how the plans are structured), they should still offer some value overall.

 

[havoc315]

The worst part was when they took away appetizer and inclusion of tip from the regular dining plan. That alone pretty much killed it for me. I wonder if Disney is trying to either discourage use of it or make "free dining" seem like an even better deal when it is offered.

Either way, it's pretty much OOP for us from now on. We probably also eat less TS meals too. I suspect we also gain less weight this way.

All of the above.

When the DDP was first introduced... there was no "Free dining." Instead, being allowed to purchase the DDP, was a discount offered to on-site guests. The DDP was a reward -- it was the discount -- for staying on-site.

With increased use of "free dining" -- The discount is giving it away for free. But for periods where they don't offer free dining, I guess they have decided they really don't want to be giving a true discount on dining.
So instead of using the DDP as a discount to entice people to stay onsite -- Instead they are using it, during non-free periods, as an upsell--
They are simply using it to get you to lock in your money with Disney upfront.
And for an adult who would have spent $45 on a TS meal and CS meal, but would have skipped the desserts and mugs.... They are basically trying to get you to spend more -- They are saying... For "just another $7" -- we'll give you 2 desserts, a snack, and a refillable mug! Wow... what a deal.... (sarcasm intended).

By adding the mug, they can artificially increase the value of the plan. (Heck, they can "price the mugs at $100 apiece"... so when they "include the mug"-- they are giving you a $100 value!)
By increasing the price of the plans in general, they can make it sound like "free dining" is an even better deal (A family of 4 adults, can save over $200 per day!!)
At the same time, they are maximizing what they can get from people willing to pay for the plan.

But it comes down to this -- The DDP used to be a discounted meal plan. It is no longer a genuine discount. It's more like discounted extra desserts.
(Like a department store sale of buy 1 at full price, and get the second at half price. If you really only needed 1 item, you're not getting any real discount. The department store has simply "tricked you" into buying more than you needed, by discounting the extra item).

 

[havoc315]

DxDDP Adult for 2010 is $85.54 per night, $89.54 during holiday
DxDDP Children is... um I forgot. But it also applies a $2 surcharge during holiday season. The price is listed on one of the other 2012 price threads out there.

I'm guessing (with a lot of discussion on the DDP lately), that the reduction in value on the plans is part of the overall reduction of discounts. Even the released tag lines for these plans shows an overall reduction in how much you can save.

Are they still worth it? The answer depends on many many factors. It certainly will take much more time and planning to make them work out, but if they're fitting to your trip (that is, if your trip meshes well with how the plans are structured), they should still offer some value overall.

To me, the Deluxe plan is the only one with enough savings built in, to make me consider.

But, I need to run some math.... A reasonable TS lunch and reasonable signature dinner... with judicious use of snacks/desserts and beverages)

 

[no capes darling]

Of course they have... and they have at the supermarket & local restaurants here at home too. It's a sign of the times IMO.

 

[Dorisk3]

We're going out of pocket this year too.

I agree with previous posters that said the only way to go with the dining plan is if you get it free.

Thankfully we are mostly done with the overpriced character dining (kids pick one character breakfast), and I'm actually looking forward to not picking the most expensive thing on the menu and skipping those awful CS desserts I always got on the dining plan. When we saved money, that was all fine, but now at best you are really only going to break even unless you go out of your way to spend the most at the most expensive places.

Delux definetly seems the better deal now, but that is another plan that doesn't really fit our family (plus once you factor in tips it gets even more expensive). My kids would kill me if we had to sit down to long meals 2 or 3 times a day!

 

[Ginger Renae]

The last time DH and I went to WDW was back in December of 2005. I think the dining plan was either $30 or $35 a person. It was a great deal for us. We are now planning a trip with DD (4) in January. For us it was a no brainer to do the dining plan...til I found out how much more it was AND that it no longer covers tips! I didn't realize they took away the appetizers until I read it in this thread.

I just did an estimate of what would spend in food out of pocket versus the DDP and paying out of pocket is going to be quite a bit less. It's really disappointing me that what we loved so much back in 2005 has changed so much over the years.

 

[mirage0306]

Yup. We'll be going OOP on our next trip.

 

[C&G'sMama]

It's like everything else, they'll charge what the market will bear. If Disney notices a decline in profits then they'll revamp, if not, they'll keep going up 'til it does.

We have paid for the dining plan (with a hotel discount) and done free dining. I priced it out for the 4 of us 3 adults (which includes my DD(11) and one child. It would be about $1,200 for 7 nights in 2012. So if we go in 2012, we probably won't do the DP. It'll be interesting to see if Disney continues to offer "free" dining.

We are going back to WDW in October with a bounceback but actually are planning on going to Universal this time around and skipping the Disney parks. So all our food will be OOP. We'll make sure to keep track of spending.

 

[DisneyFive]

I believe the adult 2010 DDP price was $42....

But yes, the prices of the DDP have gone up at super speed. But the actual food prices at most Disney restaurants has not increased dramatically. (I believe buffets and character meals have seen significant increases, but not the restaurants).

Hmm I still get $36 with my calculations, but I have been wrong before. Like you say, it is going up dramatically, and far outpacing the rising food costs the last couple of years.

The worst part was when they took away appetizer and inclusion of tip from the regular dining plan. That alone pretty much killed it for me. I wonder if Disney is trying to either discourage use of it or make "free dining" seem like an even better deal when it is offered.

Either way, it's pretty much OOP for us from now on. We probably also eat less TS meals too. I suspect we also gain less weight this way.

100% agree about the appetizer. … and the forced tip can be huge! I can’t believe how much some of our waiters/waitresses make on my family alone, especially when the lunch or dinner is a buffet! For instance, at 1900 Park Fare this fall, a 15% tip wil be $21 for our family of 5 (three still on the kids plan), for a buffet!!! We will be there about an hour, and we will not be this waitor/waitresses only table during that perid.

These dramatically increased prices mean that either Disney is discouraging the plan, or simply a supply/demand issue. If the demand for the dining plan is very high, they know they can up the price to control demand and still reap the extra $$$ income.
I agree about less TS meals if we go OOP next year. We are health conscious also. The regular DP is overkill for us too, but we sure DO enjoy the nice/fun meals. It is one week to splurge… It is a good thing that we end up walking a bazzilion miles on these Disney trips, or we would come home with extra weight.

This is the exact reason we decided this will be our first trip in many years without the DDP. Our older two children are now considered adults and youngest a child now. So we would be 4ad and 1ch for 10 nights, we would be $1960 for our upcomming visit. Our kids are disappointed we wont get DDP, but we are still doing several TS, we will do QS when necessary and we are allowing everyone $50 gift card for snacks for the trip. We will still come out money ahead what we would with buying the DDP. We wont be getting it anymore unless its "free".

It is amazing how it adds up in cost! Your plan sounds good, and probably similar to what we will end up with if free dining isn’t offered. Next year our oldest will be considered an adult under the plan and there is NO WAY she eats enough to justify the cost of the plan.

DxDDP
I'm guessing (with a lot of discussion on the DDP lately), that the reduction in value on the plans is part of the overall reduction of discounts. Even the released tag lines for these plans shows an overall reduction in how much you can save.

Are they still worth it? The answer depends on many many factors. It certainly will take much more time and planning to make them work out, but if they're fitting to your trip (that is, if your trip meshes well with how the plans are structured), they should still offer some value overall.

It does depend on a lot of factors, but from my calculations and normal eating habits, it is not looking like a desirable option anymore.

All of the above.

When the DDP was first introduced... there was no "Free dining." Instead, being allowed to purchase the DDP, was a discount offered to on-site guests. The DDP was a reward -- it was the discount -- for staying on-site.

With increased use of "free dining" -- The discount is giving it away for free. But for periods where they don't offer free dining, I guess they have decided they really don't want to be giving a true discount on dining.
So instead of using the DDP as a discount to entice people to stay onsite -- Instead they are using it, during non-free periods, as an upsell--
They are simply using it to get you to lock in your money with Disney upfront.
And for an adult who would have spent $45 on a TS meal and CS meal, but would have skipped the desserts and mugs.... They are basically trying to get you to spend more -- They are saying... For "just another $7" -- we'll give you 2 desserts, a snack, and a refillable mug! Wow... what a deal.... (sarcasm intended).

By adding the mug, they can artificially increase the value of the plan. (Heck, they can "price the mugs at $100 apiece"... so when they "include the mug"-- they are giving you a $100 value!)
By increasing the price of the plans in general, they can make it sound like "free dining" is an even better deal (A family of 4 adults, can save over $200 per day!!)
At the same time, they are maximizing what they can get from people willing to pay for the plan.

But it comes down to this -- The DDP used to be a discounted meal plan. It is no longer a genuine discount. It's more like discounted extra desserts.
(Like a department store sale of buy 1 at full price, and get the second at half price. If you really only needed 1 item, you're not getting any real discount. The department store has simply "tricked you" into buying more than you needed, by discounting the extra item).

Yes, very good points. It really is of little to no benefit at this point to do the plan.

Of course they have... and they have at the supermarket & local restaurants here at home too. It's a sign of the times IMO.

Food prices have gone up, I agree, but not even close to the rate that Disney has increased the dining plans.

Dan

 

[Mamasmurf227]

When DH and I went to WDW in 2006, we were on the regular dining plan and it was great and saved us a ton. However, not it just doesn't make sense for us.

We'll have 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 under 3. So, our youngest will be sharing with us, so we'd rather have the appetizers so we have more actual food to share between us, than a dessert.

I'm pretty sure we're going OOP this next trip, unless it's free.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We would never pay for any of the dining plans. We like to stay for at least 10 days and our kids are both over age 10 so the cost would be way more than we would actually spend on food. We find the portions large and often split meals. We have, however, taken advantage of free dining 4 times and will get it again this year. I use reward miles to get my park tickets so all we have ever done was add in the minimum required ticket to get the DDP. In that case it is a bargain and coupled with the fact that we are happy to travel at the end of August we are paying the lowest room rates as well. I will say that this year I was a little miffed that I had to buy a 2 day park ticket to get FD but I'll just average the extra cost over the 5 trips and make myself feel better about it. Really though, it's still cheap....approx $180 per person to eat for 13 days. I quite sure that if I also had to pay for my park tickets I would not think it was a good deal at all. The best was when it was appy, dessert and tip incl.



I have a feeling that this will be our last time with the DDP. I just don't see FD going on too many more years, if at all.

 

[Colleen27]

When the DDP was first introduced... there was no "Free dining." Instead, being allowed to purchase the DDP, was a discount offered to on-site guests. The DDP was a reward -- it was the discount -- for staying on-site.

Actually free dining debuted the same year as the DDP in its current name/incarnation. We took our first free dining trip in Sept 2005, though back then it was only offered as the "hurricane season special". The rest of the year you had to pay for it.

I agree with all the rest, though. Diminishing the value of the dining plans is a more subtle way to scale back on discounts. People heard the comments from corporate about ending discounts and thought it meant an end to free dining and room-rate offers, but they aren't thinking about the less obvious ways to cut back on discounting. The WDW dining plans are becoming more and more like DLR's dining option - which doesn't offer ANY savings, just pre-paid "convenience" - every year.

 

[DisneyFive]

When DH and I went to WDW in 2006, we were on the regular dining plan and it was great and saved us a ton. However, not it just doesn't make sense for us.

We'll have 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 under 3. So, our youngest will be sharing with us, so we'd rather have the appetizers so we have more actual food to share between us, than a dessert.

I'm pretty sure we're going OOP this next trip, unless it's free.

Makes total sense in your situation, and I agree about appetizers cs dessert.

I have a feeling that this will be our last time with the DDP. I just don't see FD going on too many more years, if at all.

Probably same here, unless it is "free"

Actually free dining debuted the same year as the DDP in its current name/incarnation. We took our first free dining trip in Sept 2005, though back then it was only offered as the "hurricane season special". The rest of the year you had to pay for it.

I agree with all the rest, though. Diminishing the value of the dining plans is a more subtle way to scale back on discounts. People heard the comments from corporate about ending discounts and thought it meant an end to free dining and room-rate offers, but they aren't thinking about the less obvious ways to cut back on discounting. The WDW dining plans are becoming more and more like DLR's dining option - which doesn't offer ANY savings, just pre-paid "convenience" - every year.

Yep, seems like a subtle way to reduce discounts ...or, not so subtle depending on how you look at it. These are pretty drastic price increases for the DDP.

Dan