Very surprised about no Dining Plan announcement yet

[JIMINYCR]

The consensus by most on this forum ( and others Ive been on ) is that the DDP isnt a deal for those who buy into it. And even the FREE dining plan actually isnt a bargain for guests. Some guests who use the DDP properly may have a minimal amount of money saved over an extended trip, while most save nothing. It has been a win/win for Disney.Disney has over time used it to drive up dining reservations, resort bookings, increase off season trips and made money off of it. I believe they will bring it back when it can be implemented properly over the entire property. And if as we have heard they are going to downsize portions, then Disney will see even more profits per plate per guests table seatings. And No dont expect there to be a price reduction or added items from past plans.

 

[John park hopper]

With inflation sky rocketing and affecting food prices I would imagine Disney is not about to be locked into a DDP and loose money any time soon

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

The consensus by most on this forum ( and others Ive been on ) is that the DDP isnt a deal for those who buy into it. And even the FREE dining plan actually isnt a bargain for guests. Some guests who use the DDP properly may have a minimal amount of money saved over an extended trip, while most save nothing. It has been a win/win for Disney.Disney has over time used it to drive up dining reservations, resort bookings, increase off season trips and made money off of it. I believe they will bring it back when it can be implemented properly over the entire property. And if as we have heard they are going to downsize portions, then Disney will see even more profits per plate per guests table seatings. And No dont expect there to be a price reduction or added items from past plans.

Depends if free dining is the only offer available for the guest. Not everyone gets room deals.

 

[hosekiller]

The consensus by most on this forum ( and others Ive been on ) is that the DDP isnt a deal for those who buy into it. And even the FREE dining plan actually isnt a bargain for guests. Some guests who use the DDP properly may have a minimal amount of money saved over an extended trip, while most save nothing. It has been a win/win for Disney.Disney has over time used it to drive up dining reservations, resort bookings, increase off season trips and made money off of it. I believe they will bring it back when it can be implemented properly over the entire property. And if as we have heard they are going to downsize portions, then Disney will see even more profits per plate per guests table seatings. And No dont expect there to be a price reduction or added items from past plans.

We use the dining plan and typically break even or come out very slightly ahead, so we consider it pre paying for food. However if portions are reduced and/or prices go up, that will be rethought in the future, assuming we are willing to spend the money on the trip as a whole.

 

[mattpeto]

The consensus by most on this forum ( and others Ive been on ) is that the DDP isnt a deal for those who buy into it. And even the FREE dining plan actually isnt a bargain for guests. Some guests who use the DDP properly may have a minimal amount of money saved over an extended trip, while most save nothing. It has been a win/win for Disney.Disney has over time used it to drive up dining reservations, resort bookings, increase off season trips and made money off of it. I believe they will bring it back when it can be implemented properly over the entire property. And if as we have heard they are going to downsize portions, then Disney will see even more profits per plate per guests table seatings. And No dont expect there to be a price reduction or added items from past plans.

The lecture on the merits of the DDP is always shared by someone, but that’s not the topic here.

People like the Dining Plan because they do.

 

[JIMINYCR]

The lecture on the merits of the DDP is always shared by someone, but that’s not the topic here.

People like the Dining Plan because they do.

I’m not lecturing anyone on the merits of the DDP. I’m pointing out why Disney will bring it back …because of how guests use it or not use it in a beneficial way, Disney will\ can make off of the program.

 

[nickys]

I'm honestly surprised you would think they are going to bring back the Dining plan with how they are taking every opportunity to squeeze every nickel out of guests here lately. There's literally zero incentive to offer Dining packages when attendance is above 2019 (pre pandemic) levels. Short term they will boost income but long term I feel like they are sooting themselves in the foot.

May be true. But Disney did say they were coming back, so it’s reasonable to wonder when that will happen.

 

[G00fyDad]

I am sure it will be back as soon as enough restaurants are up and running to warrant bring the DDP back. As for freeDDP... I doubt that will be back for a couple of years at least.

 

[nickys]

And even the FREE dining plan actually isnt a bargain for guests.

It is for some, depending on the deal. The U.K. deals typically cost the same with or without the dining plan. You got it free if you booked by a certain date; if you didn’t book in time you paid the same amount but didn’t get the dining plan thrown in.

I realise that isn’t the majority, but since the U.K. deals were also available to anyone from Europe, that was a sizeable number of guests who genuinely did get it free.

 

[JIMINYCR]

It is for some, depending on the deal. The U.K. deals typically cost the same with or without the dining plan. You got it free if you booked by a certain date; if you didn’t book in time you paid the same amount but didn’t get the dining plan thrown in.

I realise that isn’t the majority, but since the U.K. deals were also available to anyone from Europe, that was a sizeable number of guests who genuinely did get it free.

Sorry, you are right....my post was referring only to the guests from the states and I neglected to think of the international travelers.

 

[Schweino]

I also think they should add a perk to Dining Plan members and allow them to make one reservation per day from 75 days out. This will give them the leg up to get the reservations they need to make the dining plan work for them.

I can see this going both ways. As a DDP fan, I love the idea. However, for guests who don't want table service every single day (which makes me wonder the percentage of guests that don't do TS every day, but only once or twice), this could cause a storm if the percentage of guests is pretty high.

 

[wdwfan22]

The dining plan won’t return until restaurant capacity is close to being back to normal.