2011 Dining Plan Changes?

[DisneyMusician2]

In order to make it work, you really need to stay away from the signature dining experiences. For those of us who can't afford AP's for the whole family and can't go often enough to make them worthwhile, it is possible to save using the DDP and still have a great time doing it. Not to mention AP room discounts don't really exist in the peak season when I have to travel with the kids.

It's never a lot, but when I'm spending and saving to go on vacation, even $5 or $10 a day goes a long way.

 

[PhilharMagician]

In the age of the ATM, does cash really control spending anymore?

If I have $10.00 cash in my pocket for today and that is my budget, then that is all I will and can spend.

If I have my ATM/credit card i can spend until I have no more to spend.

I find that the room charge card is a great idea specially for Disney. I am really controlled about our spending on vacation. I try to alot a set amount per day and when we recieve our statement the final morning I am always shocked about how much extra we spend.

Many people, many older people still believe in the cash system and have not adopted the plastic way.

 

[Master Yoda]

If I have $10.00 cash in my pocket for today and that is my budget, then that is all I will and can spend.

If I have my ATM/credit card i can spend until I have no more to spend.

I find that the room charge card is a great idea specially for Disney. I am really controlled about our spending on vacation. I try to alot a set amount per day and when we recieve our statement the final morning I am always shocked about how much extra we spend.

Many people, many older people still believe in the cash system and have not adopted the plastic way.

That would be my mom. She writes checks or uses cash everywhere. It took me years to get her to get a check card but I have to use it for her. I might also add that she has refused to use a computer that requires a mouse.

 

[emaginear]

We LOVE the DDP. With 3 girls that want to eat with characters / princesses at least once a day for our 8 day vacations, it really pays off from my point of view. We no longer have to carry "food cash" and usually end up with a ton of Disney snacks for the flight home and few days after getting back.

 

[PhilharMagician]

That would be my mom. She writes checks or uses cash everywhere. It took me years to get her to get a check card but I have to use it for her. I might also add that she has refused to use a computer that requires a mouse.

Sounds all too familier. :lol:

 

[googilycub]

I would love to see some details on how people save money with the DDP. Maybe I am doing something wrong.

Due to adding a day at the last minute to our trip in early October, which had us change rooms for one night, we had a single day with the dining plan. For the 3 of us, 2 adults and one child, the total came to $96. For dinner that night we went to the Wave, where myself and my wife ordered what we wanted, not the most expensive thing on the menu. Our bill came to $95, all covered by the dinning plan. We still had 3 counter service meals and 3 snacks to spend, and we had already covered the cost of the dinning plan. At this point those counter service meals and snacks cost us a total of $1. I have never understood how one does not save money with the plan.

 

[accord99cutie]

I'm not sure if paying for the dining plan would save my family money, but I do know that for our trip next sept/october the free dining plan was a way better savings than a possible room discount. I usually get pin codes that are for 35% off a moderate resort room only, so using that as my hypothetical discount amount, free dining saves my family (2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant who doesnt get the plan) $1150 for our 11 night stay, and a room only discount would only save us $770. I would never buy the plan because we just wouldnt normally be going to a sit down meal EVERY day, so it wouldn't make sense for us to pay for the plan, but if we are getting it for free then will definitely take it!! I really think it varies by the family/situation wether or not the plan is a savings, and like has been said a million times, some people just like it for the convenience of having everything prepaid!

 

[Magical Dreamer]

I'm not sure if paying for the dining plan would save my family money, but I do know that for our trip next sept/october the free dining plan was a way better savings than a possible room discount. I usually get pin codes that are for 35% off a moderate resort room only, so using that as my hypothetical discount amount, free dining saves my family (2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant who doesnt get the plan) $1150 for our 11 night stay, and a room only discount would only save us $770. I would never buy the plan because we just wouldnt normally be going to a sit down meal EVERY day, so it wouldn't make sense for us to pay for the plan, but if we are getting it for free then will definitely take it!! I really think it varies by the family/situation wether or not the plan is a savings, and like has been said a million times, some people just like it for the convenience of having everything prepaid!

but.....tips also need to be budgeted for table service meals.

We are a family of 5 staying for 10 days.....I figure the table service tips for the 10 ADR's will be $400. + ouch!!

 

[Tybee]

I'm not sure if paying for the dining plan would save my family money, but I do know that for our trip next sept/october the free dining plan was a way better savings than a possible room discount. I usually get pin codes that are for 35% off a moderate resort room only, so using that as my hypothetical discount amount, free dining saves my family (2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant who doesnt get the plan) $1150 for our 11 night stay, and a room only discount would only save us $770. I would never buy the plan because we just wouldnt normally be going to a sit down meal EVERY day, so it wouldn't make sense for us to pay for the plan, but if we are getting it for free then will definitely take it!! I really think it varies by the family/situation wether or not the plan is a savings, and like has been said a million times, some people just like it for the convenience of having everything prepaid!

but.....tips also need to be budgeted for table service meals.

We are a family of 5 staying for 10 days.....I figure the table service tips for the 10 ADR's will be $400. + ouch!!

Yeah, when we calculated it out, it was a better deal to take the 40% discount on our Wilderness Lodge room and pay OOP for the deluxe DDP. We did figure tips into it, so that did not affect things.

 

[accord99cutie]

Well with our family, if our table service meals total 100$ for 3 of us, and we tip 20% for 11 meals thats still only $220... so even if we take that into consideration we are still saving money. Our bills will not be $200 per meal, so tipping $400+ won't be an issue. This is why the plan "working" truely varies from family to family and trip to trip.

 

[bugsbunny]

I don't know how anybody thinks it saves money, either. There is NO appetizer with it and anything you get with your meal, it seems to cost "extra", like the appetizer, drinks, and tip....which (except for alcoholic drinks) use to be INCLUDED with the meal plan! Of course, you can still get the appetizer in teh Deluxe plan, but who actually has 3 sit down meals a day while at WDW? At that point, 50% of your vacation was spent sitting at meals! But then again, take a quick look at the average size of Americans these days and I can begin to understand how people think that amount of food is a "good deal". I remember being at Artist Point and they actually had to bring in a COUCH for this guy to sit on because he was so big and once he sat down, they had to PULL the table over to him. I moved to the other side of the table so I didn't have to witness feeding time. It was abysmal.

But moving on, unless you can get the meal plan for free, I can't see any "value" in it other than the fact you can pay it all in advance and not feel like you are spending money out of pocket once you get there. Even at that, you have to try REAL HARD to break even. Our your vacations to the point you need to actually figure out each meal's MENU before you go so you can plot your discounts? And unless you get the "deluxe" plan, you still end up paying for at least 1 meal out of pocket each day. But the deluxe plan is like $80/day now. I can eat 7 cheeseburgers or even a whole pizza in one sitting, but even for me to eat $80/day in food at WDW prices is pretty tough without some severe plotting to make sure I order all the expensive stuff on the menus. Yet, some people think this is a great deal.

And as an example of the "value" of the meal plan, it cost my son TWO TABLE SERVICES at the Brown Derby for a hot dog! Certainly worth it!! :ROFLOL:

 

[Monty]

If you calculate solely using the cost of DDP vs the cost of the bills you get, it's simple - you save most of the time. But if you factor in other savings that you forego when you have DDP, you almost always lose if you have two in your party.

DDP requires that you pay rack rate for your room. A room-only discount at any resort other than values will almost always save you more than that.

If discounts aren't available then yes, DDP can be worthwhile. But I still prefer to eat the way I want instead of trying to use up credits on meals I wouldn't normally eat. My TiW discounts and eating mainly TS meals is much better savings for me.

 

[zulemara]

Because it's easier to justify killing something to your boss if you can show it isn't performing well (see Pleasure Island).

nail on the head!!!!!!

 

[Tybee]

I don't know how anybody thinks it saves money, either. There is NO appetizer with it and anything you get with your meal, it seems to cost "extra", like the appetizer, drinks, and tip....which (except for alcoholic drinks) use to be INCLUDED with the meal plan! Of course, you can still get the appetizer in teh Deluxe plan, but who actually has 3 sit down meals a day while at WDW? At that point, 50% of your vacation was spent sitting at meals! But then again, take a quick look at the average size of Americans these days and I can begin to understand how people think that amount of food is a "good deal". I remember being at Artist Point and they actually had to bring in a COUCH for this guy to sit on because he was so big and once he sat down, they had to PULL the table over to him. I moved to the other side of the table so I didn't have to witness feeding time. It was abysmal.

But moving on, unless you can get the meal plan for free, I can't see any "value" in it other than the fact you can pay it all in advance and not feel like you are spending money out of pocket once you get there. Even at that, you have to try REAL HARD to break even. Our your vacations to the point you need to actually figure out each meal's MENU before you go so you can plot your discounts? And unless you get the "deluxe" plan, you still end up paying for at least 1 meal out of pocket each day. But the deluxe plan is like $80/day now. I can eat 7 cheeseburgers or even a whole pizza in one sitting, but even for me to eat $80/day in food at WDW prices is pretty tough without some severe plotting to make sure I order all the expensive stuff on the menus. Yet, some people think this is a great deal.

And as an example of the "value" of the meal plan, it cost my son TWO TABLE SERVICES at the Brown Derby for a hot dog! Certainly worth it!! :ROFLOL:

I'm sorry, but this is just plain ignorant.

If you measure meals by pizza, burgers, and hot dogs, then OF COURSE you'd be an idiot to do the DDP. It's not meant for you. But those who prefer more refined options like seafood, steaks, sushi, etc. and enjoy WDW's varied dining experiences are going to save money. It's been said time and again that the plan is right for some families, and definitely not right for others. It's almost certainly not for families with very young children or very picky eaters.

Moreover, you have to have some sense when using it. You scoff at the idea of planning meals in advance, but with a little forethought, you could have used a snack credit to feed your son, rather than two valuable table service credits. He still could have sat in the Brown Derby with you and everyone probably would have been happier. But only fatties plan ahead, right?

Don't belittle what you don't understand. It just makes you look foolish and frankly it's pretty offensive.

 

[Disney05]

We have done the math and have the receipts. The years we didn't use the dining plan, we spent more on food than in years we did use the dining plan. Do I prefer the 2005 version better, yes. Do I mind planning my dining months in advance no, it's all part of planning a WDW trip.

 

[bhg469]

I'm sorry, but this is just plain ignorant.

If you measure meals by pizza, burgers, and hot dogs, then OF COURSE you'd be an idiot to do the DDP. It's not meant for you. But those who prefer more refined options like seafood, steaks, sushi, etc. and enjoy WDW's varied dining experiences are going to save money. It's been said time and again that the plan is right for some families, and definitely not right for others. It's almost certainly not for families with very young children or very picky eaters.

Moreover, you have to have some sense when using it. You scoff at the idea of planning meals in advance, but with a little forethought, you could have used a snack credit to feed your son, rather than two valuable table service credits. He still could have sat in the Brown Derby with you and everyone probably would have been happier. But only fatties plan ahead, right?

Don't belittle what you don't understand. It just makes you look foolish and frankly it's pretty offensive.

Perfectly stated. We went with the idea that we would have fun lunches not just burgers. We got super lucky because food and wine accepted snack points. I can't say that we had any bad meals only questionable service on some nights. No regrets paying for the dining plan. I do think deluxe during would have been insanely too much food since we ended up splitting counter service a few nights because we had to take early dinners thanks to the flawed reservation system.

 

[Dwarful]

I think the biggest thing is with the increase in the dates for the Seasonal Pricing. The 'perceived' value increases because declining buffets are now $38.99 during these times and the quality of the service and food has definately shown through. We have done the plan and we have paid for food as we go. For us it was sort of a wash either way. We still had to have cash for tips...we quit charging them to the room after a few double charges (that were cleared up- but that took time).