Latest Disney Dining Show podcast

[TheMaxRebo]

Having three young kids (5/3/8mo) I haven't started to think about the 10+ year old range yet. But I can see where the cost because incredibly hard to swallow when you're paying full adult prices for a 10 year old. I suppose character meals are the only way to avoid that then?

well, with character meals at least I guess you are more getting your money's worth as the cost at the character meals is more for adults (10+) than kids ....

... though that brings up another point that it reduces my desire to do character meals with a 10 year old as she now costs a lot more. For example, dinner at Chef Mickeys when she is 9 costs $31.95 - a day later, when she is 10, she costs $53.25. Now, she is pretty adventurous for a kid (she loves oysters for example) but no way she will eat $22 more worth of food 6 months from now vs today

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The dining plan is harder to justify. With the style of eating that Disney is trying to promote now with food trucks at Disney Springs and booths during the Food & Wine Festival (and Flower & Garden) of high-priced, small-portioned, specialty foods that guests must try, they're branching out to appease palates of all kinds while making a huge profit on this trend.

although at least you can use snack credits at the Food & Wine booths - so I see people targeting the quick service meal plan during F&WF as you can covert a quick service meal to 3 snack credits, and thus 3 items at a festival kiosk

But in general I agree with you - and also is how we like to eat - trying things, sharing appetizers, etc. - vs how things are structured with the dining plan so another reason it really doesn't work for our family

 

[YesterDark]

well, with character meals at least I guess you are more getting your money's worth as the cost at the character meals is more for adults (10+) than kids ....

... though that brings up another point that it reduces my desire to do character meals with a 10 year old as she now costs a lot more. For example, dinner at Chef Mickeys when she is 9 costs $31.95 - a day later, when she is 10, she costs $53.25. Now, she is pretty adventurous for a kid (she loves oysters for example) but no way she will eat $22 more worth of food 6 months from now vs today

There is a lot of opportunity cost involved with these calculations and a lot of it has to do with sentiment along with the cash outlay. With free dining, you're more likely to have some different and/or more entertaining experiences. Character meals, different foods, different restaurants you may not have decided to try otherwise. I know there are plenty of times I would have skipped a meal that had a sticker value of $150 and instead opted to go for chicken nuggets for the kids after a long day. But the dining plan encourages you to have those experiences. Having those additional experience has a value to it, in my opinion.

Everyone is different and may not think this way, but personally it runs through my mind. I'm the perfect candidate for menu-guilt and cheapening out on meals in the moment.

 

[YesterDark]

although at least you can use snack credits at the Food & Wine booths - so I see people targeting the quick service meal plan during F&WF as you can covert a quick service meal to 3 snack credits, and thus 3 items at a festival kiosk

But in general I agree with you - and also is how we like to eat - trying things, sharing appetizers, etc. - vs how things are structured with the dining plan so another reason it really doesn't work for our family

Hmm I didn't know that about F&WF, but I've never been so I never had to think about it! My sister's family is the same way (appetizer sharing etc), so she doesn't take advantage of the dining plan, but she's also DVC.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Everyone is different and may not think this way, but personally it runs through my mind. I'm the perfect candidate for menu-guilt and cheapening out on meals in the moment.

first off, 10000% that everyone is different and there is definitely no one answer for the "yes or no on the Dining Plan?" question

But I am the exact opposite from you in that I have no issue spending a bit more $ if I am getting something unique or the food item I want, but I also like to get value for what I have paid - so the one time we did the dining plan I felt compelled to order the most expensive thing on the menu to get the most "Value" even if it wasn't what I wanted ... so I found being on the dining plan more limiting rather than liberating. But I know a lot of other people feel like you do - that being on the plan frees them up to order things they normally wouldn't

 

[Daniel MacQueen]

That just goes along with how things are in all of the United States - they are following that custom and what people who live here are used to. It would shock me to eat at a table service location in WDW and be informed that no tipping is expected.

I suppose they could just say an 18% tip is included in the cost of the dining plan - they do that when using the Tables in Wonderland card, they add 18% on to the bill for a tip automatically, so could do the same when using the Dining plan and then just increase the cost of the dining plan by 18% or whatever

As a foreigner the the expectation of tips just so the server can have a decent income is alien. It's not a tip, it's paying the servers wages on top of the meal cost.

Including a set "tip" amount in the cost of the DDP would be a step in the right direction. It's not a tip, it subsidising the employers wage costs.
If it's included in the cost of the package then it would truly mean that you won't need to think about a food budget.
Then if you do receive service that you think is worthy of extra appreciation then you can leave a tip that you'll know is a proper tip for great service and not a necessity for the server to be able to survive.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

As a foreigner the the expectation of tips just so the server can have a decent income is alien. It's not a tip, it's paying the servers wages on top of the meal cost.

Including a set "tip" amount in the cost of the DDP would be a step in the right direction. It's not a tip, it subsidising the employers wage costs.
If it's included in the cost of the package then it would truly mean that you won't need to think about a food budget.
Then if you do receive service that you think is worthy of extra appreciation then you can leave a tip that you'll know is a proper tip for great service and not a necessity for the server to be able to survive.

It's obviously a different way of looking at things - I think it is more the notion of having to go out there and earn something as an individual - so that if you provide less than appropriate service, you don't get tipped well therefore you don't get your full pay - that doing a good job to earn the tip is required to get your full pay. I don't necessarily see one way as good and one way as bad, just different ways of looking at it. I think it maybe has gotten a bit out of hand to the extent the tip makes up of a servers salary. But at the same time do get the idea that if I get poor service why should the person get paid the same as someone who provides great service?

Anyway, that is how the dining plan used to be, that tips were included

 

[sharadoc]

I wondered how they did not know this as well. Good discussion overall, but one thing I would also love discussed further is free dining. No matter how I wrap my head around it, I cannot understand how so many people, including the podcast crew, mention how a room discount might be a better deal, or how free dining isn't always "free".

I'll use Pete's example as an example. He mentioned on the Podcast about a room discount form say $200 down to $140 and how you may be doing better taking that and buying the dining plan. How? If you are a party of one maybe. If you are two, or more commonly 4, there is no way taking that discount and buying the dining plan is going to save you money. Flip that into free dining, and it's even worse. A family of 4, such as mine, even getting counter service free still trumps any room discount I've ever seen.

Lets say I'm staying moderate and getting a 30% discount. (which would be a lot for a mod). At $200 per night, I'll pay $140, so saving $60. The dining plan, even counter service, would cost me roughly $200 per night for a family of 4 with kids over 9. I'd say paying rack rate for the room at $200 per night and getting free food is saving me a lot more than that $60. Heck, on our last trip in August we had the free counter service plan at Coronado. On a 13 night stay, our receipts for counter service and snacks added up to over $2500!

I think my biggest gripe with the dining plan is the fact they removed the tip from the standard plan years ago. Getting even free dining and having to put out $40 or more per sit down meal in tips can be rough.

Anyway, didn't mean to ramble on that, or throw so many thoughts into one post, but I'd really like to hear more discussion around the dining plans.

I agree that free dining almost always is a better discount than the room, but then add another 20% gratuity onto that amount and you may be spending the same or more as you would with a room discount AND it's a ton of food so you have to be prepared to have a vacation full of eating. We don't eat that many meals so a room discount is better But free QS dining on a $150 value room with 2 meals and 2 snacks a day plus mugs is a great deal and one I wouldn't turn down! No gratuity there either.

 

[sharadoc]

Great episode I was just suprised that none of them knew that moderates don’t get the regular dining plan during free dining... they get the quick service one now.

Lol, even funner they said the credits go on your Key To The World Card". I guess the discussion was 2012 WDW lol.

 

[Tonyz]

Lol, even funner they said the credits go on your Key To The World Card". I guess the discussion was 2012 WDW lol.

Haha or maybe Dream Unlimited Travels has some info we don’t know about.

 

[rotlex]

I agree that free dining almost always is a better discount than the room, but then add another 20% gratuity onto that amount and you may be spending the same or more as you would with a room discount AND it's a ton of food so you have to be prepared to have a vacation full of eating. We don't eat that many meals so a room discount is better But free QS dining on a $150 value room with 2 meals and 2 snacks a day plus mugs is a great deal and one I wouldn't turn down! No gratuity there either.

Good point. With that said, I was pretty surprised this year having the QS plan from last years bounce back. (We stayed at CSR). I never realized just how well you could eat as we normally focused on the TS meals previous years, and used the QS for just burgers and stuff in the parks. We had a few meals at the Polite Pig in Disney Springs, and with 4 of us, and beer for two, the bill was over $100 each time. We had similar QS "bills" at Geyser Point, LOVE IT THERE, and others favorites like Satu'li, Sunshine seasons etc. To be honest, we kind of liked the having the QS plan and not having so many reservations, and tips to contend with. Really had some good meals!

 

[DLgal]

I wondered how they did not know this as well. Good discussion overall, but one thing I would also love discussed further is free dining. No matter how I wrap my head around it, I cannot understand how so many people, including the podcast crew, mention how a room discount might be a better deal, or how free dining isn't always "free".

I'll use Pete's example as an example. He mentioned on the Podcast about a room discount form say $200 down to $140 and how you may be doing better taking that and buying the dining plan. How? If you are a party of one maybe. If you are two, or more commonly 4, there is no way taking that discount and buying the dining plan is going to save you money. Flip that into free dining, and it's even worse. A family of 4, such as mine, even getting counter service free still trumps any room discount I've ever seen.

Lets say I'm staying moderate and getting a 30% discount. (which would be a lot for a mod). At $200 per night, I'll pay $140, so saving $60. The dining plan, even counter service, would cost me roughly $200 per night for a family of 4 with kids over 9. I'd say paying rack rate for the room at $200 per night and getting free food is saving me a lot more than that $60. Heck, on our last trip in August we had the free counter service plan at Coronado. On a 13 night stay, our receipts for counter service and snacks added up to over $2500!

I think my biggest gripe with the dining plan is the fact they removed the tip from the standard plan years ago. Getting even free dining and having to put out $40 or more per sit down meal in tips can be rough.

Anyway, didn't mean to ramble on that, or throw so many thoughts into one post, but I'd really like to hear more discussion around the dining plans.

Did Pete say "take the room only discount and buy the dining plan?" I thought the argument was always, "take the room discount and pay OOP for dining." I mean, free dining is a "deal" only if you would have bought the dining plan anyway, maybe. But, you can often save a LOT of money using a room discount and take that savings and apply it towards your food costs for the week. As an example, as a family of 4, we are fairly light eaters and we always stay Deluxe. We often split meals. We rarely order dessert. We don't drink soda. When a Deluxe room at rack rate is $600/night and we save 40%, that's $240/day. That is about twice what we would spend on food in a typical day. So, for us, the room discount beats the "free dining" by a long shot. We don't buy the DDP, we just pay as we go. I think this is the point they were trying to make in determining whether "Free Dining" is really a deal for YOUR family. Every family is different, and has different eating habits and prefers different accommodations. I think when you are talking about a Value or Moderate resort and a large family that likes to eat a lot, the calculation skews heavily towards "Free Dining" being a better deal than a room discount.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Did Pete say "take the room only discount and buy the dining plan?" I thought the argument was always, "take the room discount and pay OOP for dining." I mean, free dining is a "deal" only if you would have bought the dining plan anyway, maybe. But, you can often save a LOT of money using a room discount and take that savings and apply it towards your food costs for the week. As an example, as a family of 4, we are fairly light eaters and we always stay Deluxe. We often split meals. We rarely order dessert. We don't drink soda. When a Deluxe room at rack rate is $600/night and we save 40%, that's $240/day. That is about twice what we would spend on food in a typical day. So, for us, the room discount beats the "free dining" by a long shot. We don't buy the DDP, we just pay as we go. I think this is the point they were trying to make in determining whether "Free Dining" is really a deal for YOUR family. Every family is different, and has different eating habits and prefers different accommodations. I think when you are talking about a Value or Moderate resort and a large family that likes to eat a lot, the calculation skews heavily towards "Free Dining" being a better deal than a room discount.

I think his point was that in some cases (though I think it is few and far between) the discount on the room you can get is so much that even to add in the dining plan you'd still be saving money vs paying rack rate and getting *free* dining .... keep in mind this might take into account that free dining is sometimes only on certain room categories at a resort, so perhaps can save moeny by having a lower category) and you now need to add Hoppers, which if you weren't going to do is a savings, etc.

But yeah, if you then don't get the dining planned eat "cheaper" (or at least more efficiently) you can save even more - but thepoint is, even in some cases if you pay for the dining plan it is less than the savings on your accommodations vs getting free dining on what is available at rack rate

 

[YesterDark]

first off, 10000% that everyone is different and there is definitely no one answer for the "yes or no on the Dining Plan?" question

But I am the exact opposite from you in that I have no issue spending a bit more $ if I am getting something unique or the food item I want, but I also like to get value for what I have paid - so the one time we did the dining plan I felt compelled to order the most expensive thing on the menu to get the most "Value" even if it wasn't what I wanted ... so I found being on the dining plan more limiting rather than liberating. But I know a lot of other people feel like you do - that being on the plan frees them up to order things they normally wouldn't

I'm actually the same way for the majority of the time, I love eating out. But on vacation where you might be tempted to do it every night? That guilt sets in for me.

 

[DisneyKingpin]

Just say no to the Dining Plan. There is no reasonable cost-saving argument in its favor.

If you need to “trick” your brain into not worrying about the money by pre-paying your food budget (even though you know you’re paying more than you would by paying as you go), then you need to work out those issues with yourself. Stop throwing away money recklessly.

 

[YesterDark]

Did Pete say "take the room only discount and buy the dining plan?" I thought the argument was always, "take the room discount and pay OOP for dining." I mean, free dining is a "deal" only if you would have bought the dining plan anyway, maybe. But, you can often save a LOT of money using a room discount and take that savings and apply it towards your food costs for the week. As an example, as a family of 4, we are fairly light eaters and we always stay Deluxe. We often split meals. We rarely order dessert. We don't drink soda. When a Deluxe room at rack rate is $600/night and we save 40%, that's $240/day. That is about twice what we would spend on food in a typical day. So, for us, the room discount beats the "free dining" by a long shot. We don't buy the DDP, we just pay as we go. I think this is the point they were trying to make in determining whether "Free Dining" is really a deal for YOUR family. Every family is different, and has different eating habits and prefers different accommodations. I think when you are talking about a Value or Moderate resort and a large family that likes to eat a lot, the calculation skews heavily towards "Free Dining" being a better deal than a room discount.

That's the scenario I've always seen it. If you're doing deluxe, and always do deluxe then the discount probably easily outways the DDP. But if you're a moderate or value, that higher rack rate discount isn't going to be that $240 cost.

Like I and everyone else keeps saying, it's about how you vacation as a family and what you would normally do anyway.

 

[YesterDark]

Just say no to the Dining Plan. There is no reasonable cost-saving argument in its favor.

If you need to “trick” your brain into not worrying about the money by pre-paying your food budget (even though you know you’re paying more than you would by paying as you go), then you need to work out those issues with yourself. Stop throwing away money recklessly.

Monetarily it isn't true for every scenario, many but not all. Also the "trick" part is pretty offensive. There is a reason people like doing all-inclusive vacations, the stress of prepaying for your entertainment and food is a plus to many people.

 

[mcd2745]

That just goes along with how things are in all of the United States - they are following that custom and what people who live here are used to. It would shock me to eat at a table service location in WDW and be informed that no tipping is expected.

I suppose they could just say an 18% tip is included in the cost of the dining plan - they do that when using the Tables in Wonderland card, they add 18% on to the bill for a tip automatically, so could do the same when using the Dining plan and then just increase the cost of the dining plan by 18% or whatever

The problem with that is - if we're talking the standard plan - part of cost is for QS. So you'd be adding 18% gratuity for QS meals where you normally don't pay a gratuity.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The problem with that is - if we're talking the standard plan - part of cost is for QS. So you'd be adding 18% gratuity for QS meals where you normally don't pay a gratuity.

yeah, I was being quick with that - you also wouldn't need to pay 18% gratuity for your snacks or for the refillable mugs.

Guess i should say, "increase the cost of the plan to reflect an 18% gratuity on the included table service meals"

 

[dvcdream4fld]

In my opinion, the Disney Dining Plan is simply not a discount on food. It is a convenient prepaid meal plan that if you don't maximize your use of the meal plan, you lose money. Disney understands this and offers this plan because they benefit from the plan. Furthermore, Disney is smart to offer a "free" dining plan in the place of other discounts (i.e. tickets, rooms, etc), because Disney understands that many guests will not fully utilize the DDP, which means Disney cost for the "free" meals are reduced as compared to a definite discounts. Also, Disney understands that some less crowded restaurants will now be utilized more, because guests need to use their DDP credits but cannot get into the more popular restaurants.

In my opinion, several posters have indicated that the DDP provides flexibility and piece of mind when ordering food. In my opinion, DDP provides less flexibility, because you have to make reservations, eat more and eat expensive food to maximize your utilization of the plan. Also, DDP credits includes an entree, desert, and beverage. Often times, when I go to a restaurant, we will just order appetizers and drinks (more than one beer). I very rarely eat dessert. I often drink water with my meal. The meal plan then forces me to order based on what is included with the DDP credit, unless I am willing to pay extra for appetizers and drinks or skip a prepaid dessert.

In my opinion, the only benefit that make sense for DDP is prepaid convenience.

I've posted before and I will again. It makes more sense to get Tables of Wonderland, because it is a real food discount on any menu item, no matter how much or how little food you eat.