Hi Friends.
Keep in mind what I am posting here is based from rumor with my own personal speculation. However, you know I’m not going to take any of this as the end-all-be-all when it comes to this info. I tend to stay away from speculation, but this is just something that is just too interesting to pass.
To me, that Disney Dining Plan is a tool to help guests keep things easy when it comes to controlling their vacation dollar. I’ve used the plan before to our financial favor in the past and liked it quite a bit. (Especially when it came to character meals!) Nowadays, it does not fit our needs as we tend to eat a bit less. It does not make it any less valuable but for us, the math does not work.
Earlier today, there was a lot of posting in different Facebook groups about how some popular Disney eateries were now going to take different numbers of DDP credits based on the meal. It looked like Tusker House, Chef Mickey’s and Akershus were going to take 2 credits for certain meal times. To many, where they like to use DDP credits on character meals, this would really be a game changer and many thought that if these changes were true, they would not get their value from the DDP.
To an extent, they are right. After all, if you break down what you get into a theoretical dollar value per credit type, you are now saying that some of these character meals are going to cost you as much as a meal at California Grill.
Thankfully… what was posted was supposedly a glitch in the system. This was mentioned by several who called to complain. So, if you have ADR’s now, supposedly, you are good.
But like anything else… they may mean the beginning of changes for the plan, possibly starting in 2017. I mean, we have seen this sort of thing happen where something changes by accident only to have it really happen down the road.
Will the DDP still hold the same value come next year? I don’t know. For the past few years, the plan costs have gone up while cash prices for meals has also gone up. This pretty much made the value comparison a wash. I would think that Disney is going to want to keep things on an even keel mainly because they don’t want the sales of the very successful DDP to go down.
As for how it will impact you? Like anything else, now or in the future, you will need to do the math to see how it works for your family.
Common Sense Disney! 
Make no doubt about it. Disney does not want to offer a Dining Plan anymore. The plan came out when there was real need to incentivize people to come to the parks during the off season. That is an issue that really doesn’t exist anymore. But there would be severe backlash if Disney just got rid of the plan all together. So instead they will make it less exciting. They will do that by limiting dates and reducing the true value. They have already reduced the dates. And the value will continue to drop as they readjust (possibly in the future). Even in the past you had to be pretty selective to make the DDP equal the same value as what might be the value in the other deals. ie 30% off room rates.
Just my personal opinion but I think we should just let Disney have it’s wish. Make it clear what the better value proposition is and let Disney off the DDP hook 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for your comments, Bob.
I think you are on to something, to be honest. I know that there are people that love the dining plan because it saves them money. It can, and does do just that if you use it to its fullest extent. But to do so is getting more difficult. Guests also dont think about the implicit costs of being at a table eating rather than enjoying the attractions. Dining takes a LOT of time – at least an hour for most TS eateries.
There are some that are starting to do the math and seeing that it may be just a break even offer, except when its free. But even then, if it is free and you dont use it well, you are still potentially leaving money on the table compared to out of pocket costs.
Time will tell. Word of this glitch spread like wildfire, as most rumors do. I hope Disney pays attention to that unexpected feedback. If they do, there might be some positive changes in store as well.
LikeLike