News Disney Dining Plan Returns in 2024

[harryk]

It always has been 2 credits for a signature restaurant dinner.

Maybe it has, I just didn't notice, since I always purchased the deluxe dining plan and ate at only signature restaurants in evening and when I utilized the quick service it was for a lunch such as Columbia House. Never ran out of points and usually had some left over at end of stay. Left lots of snacks on the table or stopped at the hotel mercantile and paid with snack credits other guest 'snack' purchases to use some up before catching the shuttle to MCO.

 

[GhostHost1000]

and kids is only 9 and under ... paying $95/day for my 11 year old? yeah, not happening

but they get alcohol included! Oh wait. Just in the price

 

[Tha Realest]

If you've been to the parks dozens of times, the DDP can be fun in a "let's focus on food this trip" kind of way. There's a gamification element that tickled something in my lizard brain. But it's not something I would want to manage for a once-in-a-few-years trip because I'd want to be focused on other things.

It absolutely incentives gluttony, but I always lose weight at WDW because my physical activity is always enough to overcome my caloric intake.

I would never even consider the DDP at these prices.

Yeah I was intrigued about this, but two of our kids are now on my side of the 10-year-old demarcation line. No way does this make sense. Heck, right now we only send my wife and daughter for the “nice” dining experiences and my boys and I go scarf down a corn dog somewhere.

 

[GhostHost1000]

The Disney Dining Plan. Just another thing people have to manage, stress and make decisions about while on their trip to really make it worth it.

 

[mysto]

Why not release bookings at a rolling # days instead of trying to book an entire year at the same instant? These people are a bunch of hacks.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

They include alcohol because to people who can't go one day without a drink, it's a great deal.

It's still not a great deal.

Unfortunate that these plans only make sense if you drink.

And not only drink, but you have to drink according to a specific pattern. You have to want one drink at lunch and one drink at dinner every single day. You can't have a beer by itself in the afternoon. You can't have a margarita poolside at your resort. You must only have a drink with lunch and a drink with dinner.

 

[dfisher9]

That adult price is insane. Take a way a snack and add 20% to the cost. I could see in the past how it was worthwhile; it might not have been the most cost effective plan, but being able to add it to your package and spread out the cost of your meals over time while you make the payments could be seen as a nice perk.

 

[dreday3]

Why not release bookings at a rolling # days instead of trying to book an entire year at the same instant? These people are a bunch of hacks.

I'm having trouble believing, especially in light of recent threads, that sooo many people were trying to book it crashed the site?

 

[GhostHost1000]

Why not release bookings at a rolling # days instead of trying to book an entire year at the same instant? These people are a bunch of hacks.

Because they can no longer make smart decisions and make things way more difficult than it needs to be for all

 

[GhostHost1000]

I'm having trouble believing, especially in light of recent threads, that sooo many people were trying to book it crashed the site?

Well with Disneys systems that would probably only take 3 at one time lol

 

[Dan Deesnee]

It's still not a great deal.


And not only drink, but you have to drink according to a specific pattern. You have to want one drink at lunch and one drink at dinner every single day. You can't have a beer by itself in the afternoon. You can't have a margarita poolside at your resort. You must only have a drink with lunch and a drink with dinner.

Aren't alcoholic drinks at Disney restaurants usually $15+? I was estimating $25-$30 in "savings" by someone having the plan. That would bring the rest of the plan down to $65-$70.

But it still seems that you have to stack your trip with the most expensive meals on property to make it really worth it.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I’m still in the virtual queue and it’s still says bookings are paused I’ve been in since 6:30.

 

[Weather_Lady]

kids prices actually down a little - so if you have kids and plan to do character meals can help a bit .... but that adult price makes it really tough - really need to get an expensive alcoholic drink each meal and pick prefixe or expensive options just to get there

Some analysis I had done to try and guess pricing (though, we now know Akershus is 2 TS credits) ... the "high end" AK day I laid out would still provide some value, but really harder now. Vs the 2 "mid-tier" scenarios you are losing ~$20/adult

Plan never worked for us anyway, but really only works for people that like the prepaying element not to save $ (even if really trying to)

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Well said! FWIW, Akershus is 2 credits now on the DDP, so you'd want to use a different TS as an example, which could make the EPCOT equation even more difficult to weigh in favor of the DDP.

Still, thank you for doing this, and providing a concrete demonstration of how difficult it is to "win" with the DDP -- and of the fact that if you want to save anything at all, however modest, you have to sacrifice most of your dining flexibility. Eat only at high-value, 1-credit TS, order only the most expensive things every time, get desserts and snacks and beverages you may not want, etc.... Once you choose a couple of mid-range-priced restaurants or let a couple of snack credits slip through the cracks, you lose!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I’m still in the virtual queue and it’s still says bookings are paused I’ve been in since 6:30.

Wouldn't it be way easier to call back like a week from now?

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Wouldn't it be way easier to call back like a week from now?

If it was for me, yes Trying to get a couple quotes for clients.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Aren't alcoholic drinks at Disney restaurants usually $15+?

That would be high for a QS. At Satu'li Canteen, for example, the most expensive drink is $13.50 but most are $9.75 - $11.00.

 

[planters49]

We used to get the dining plan years and years ago, but the last time we paid for it, we all got sick on the second day and didn't eat much, so we lost a ton of money on the dining plan. We normally eat 1 table service meal a day at Disney World and by just paying cash for each meal, it ends up being cheaper than the dining plan for us.

 

[Jon81uk]

I’ve never experienced the DDP but it feels like an inordinate hassle, not a deal, and one that incentivizes gluttony.

It’s not a deal but doesn’t quite incentivise gluttony. I quite liked quick service lunch, table service dinner. The issue is you need to order the more expensive dishes to make the plan work out. So it incentivises have steak not chicken etc. the portion might not be much larger, just the type of food being consumed.

 

[dfisher9]

Aren't alcoholic drinks at Disney restaurants usually $15+? I was estimating $25-$30 in "savings" by someone having the plan. That would bring the rest of the plan down to $65-$70.

But it still seems that you have to stack your trip with the most expensive meals on property to make it really worth it.

I only went once with the DDP when drinks were included; most restaurants capped the value on the drink you can get. For instance, at San Angel Inn, the limit was below the cost of a margarita.

 

[Big T 1963]

Please try your call again later.... Have a Magical Day!!!!