2018 Disney Dining Plan Prices & General Discussion

[sharonabe]

Do I have it right- Adults 21+ can have 2 alcoholic beverages a day with their meals one with CS and one with TS (or two CS... two TS... etc depending on Plan you get how you use your credits). Covered by Dining Plans? Anyone done the math and figured out the most expensive (single alcohol, correct?) drinks? Would it be beer? Like "special" Epcot beers? Wine? Mixed drink? Single Alcohol drinks like the frozen drinks from the machines in Epcot WS. Are the expensive beers included? Is there a price limit on the drinks? Like there mostly seems to be a price limit on Snack Credits which are usually around $5 or less- with a few exceptions.

Unfortunately, we have no answers to your questions. Disney has not fleshed this out, so it may be we won't know until people start using it in January. That doesn't help with doing the math, but that's probably Disney's plan anyway...sell the plans with no thought to the cost.

I did look at just the QSDP, since there aren't as many variables in the drink there. Most of the alcoholic drinks at QS places are $7-10. So with $8.50 as an average and $5 per snack...each entrée will need to be $12.50 just to break even. If you throw in a Disney adult kid (10-20) who can only get the non-alcoholic drinks, they will almost NEVER break even. The most expensive shake/smoothie I saw was $6, and most places don't have any kind of specialty non-alcoholic.

 

[pershing]

I am still planning on doing the QSDP next April and I have been looking to maximize it. My son is macaroni and cheese kinda guy so he won't be maximizing his unfortunately. I may use the snack credit to buy his mac and cheese and save some Quick Service credits that way. I'm hoping that Limoncello drink thing at Pizzarisso (sp?) is on the plan cause that would make it a decent value. Then there's the Coke with whiskey drink at Liberty Inn in the showcase with the burger that would be a decent value. Smoothie with the Asian Combo in Sunshine Seasons. The most expensive meal at French Quarter Quick Service-can't remember the name with a drink would be a value, I think.

I'm working on it. I'm an obsessive planner. I hope the details come out soon.

 

[Denise K W]

hey Disney fans!
We just came back from our trip a couple of weeks ago. Besides being hot we really enjoyed our selves
Now I am trying to plan our next trip next year probably shoot for November. Just me and my husband no kids this time.
question we usually do the dining plan because we usually do character dining (except one or 2) This time we really dont want to do character dining since just be us 2 even though we do enjoy it. Will the dining plan be worth it i am looking at different resturants and the prices and seeing how much it is and also we do get 2 snacks per day. Just wondring if it is worth it if we are not doing any character dining. We were looking at doing more dinners than breakfast because my son was such a picky eater had to make sure he ate
Let me know your thoughts

 

[MommyinHonduras]

Not if by worth it mean you save money or even break even. If pre paying is worth it then maybe. You could also pre pay by gift cards. Now if you go with DxDDP it might be worth it depending on what you eat. It comes with apps so it is a ton of food but that might be part of the fun of a no kids trip.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

hey Disney fans!
We just came back from our trip a couple of weeks ago. Besides being hot we really enjoyed our selves
Now I am trying to plan our next trip next year probably shoot for November. Just me and my husband no kids this time.
question we usually do the dining plan because we usually do character dining (except one or 2) This time we really dont want to do character dining since just be us 2 even though we do enjoy it. Will the dining plan be worth it i am looking at different restaurants and the prices and seeing how much it is and also we do get 2 snacks per day. Just wondring if it is worth it if we are not doing any character dining. We were looking at doing more dinners than breakfast because my son was such a picky eater had to make sure he ate
Let me know your thoughts

Worth it totally depends on where you eat and what you might order.

For us, it is much easier to save money and make it worth it, with the DxDP. It is much more difficult with the regular DDP. And almost impossible with the QSDP.

To figure it out, I actually make a spread sheet. I nail down the cost of the meals we will most likely have and the cost of those meals vs. the cost of the dining plan. Something I do that might be a little different is that I don't include the cost of snacks. That way it doesn't matter what I use them for, if we get the plan. You might hear people tell you not to use the snacks for bottled drinks because they aren't a good buy for a snack credit. For me, it just doesn't matter what the cost might be.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Thing is, until people start using it to purchase alcohol, we won't have any idea if there are exclusions or what they are. That said, at quick service you probably won't find anything fancy that's priced above whatever they are allocating for the alcoholic beverage. the other thing is that you won't be able to pick up your meal from one location and your beverage from another. You'll have to choose from the beverages available at the restaurant where you purchase your food. This is especially relevant at Epcot because most of the specialty (read: more expensive) beverages are sold at kiosks, TS or lounges and not at QS restaurants.

It's my understanding that the alcoholic beverage must be the one accompanying your meal. Snack credits won't be redeemable for alcoholic beverages.

Mixed drinks, in general, are priced higher than beers.

 

[sharonabe]

hey Disney fans!
We just came back from our trip a couple of weeks ago. Besides being hot we really enjoyed our selves
Now I am trying to plan our next trip next year probably shoot for November. Just me and my husband no kids this time.
question we usually do the dining plan because we usually do character dining (except one or 2) This time we really dont want to do character dining since just be us 2 even though we do enjoy it. Will the dining plan be worth it i am looking at different resturants and the prices and seeing how much it is and also we do get 2 snacks per day. Just wondring if it is worth it if we are not doing any character dining. We were looking at doing more dinners than breakfast because my son was such a picky eater had to make sure he ate
Let me know your thoughts

You're definitely going to have to do some math. Will both of you get two alcoholic drinks per day? Where are you thinking of eating? You can look at menus now to see what you might eat and drink and then add them up. If you figure an avg of $5 per snack, you still need to avg $45 per TS meal and $20 per QS meal for 2018 prices. When doing the math, remember the 6.5% tax on all food and drink.

 

[MrsIncredible725]

We like to do a lot of signature restaurants, so we do the DDP. We eat TS breakfast and then snacks for lunch and a signature restaurant for dinner. It sometimes saves us money, but not always. My DH prefers it as a way to pre-pay for our food, so he doesn't care if we spend a little more that way (we usually come close one way or the other). I think the best thing to do is go online, look at menus, and see what you think you might order in a typical day. Maybe it will make sense for you, maybe not. Also, next year the DP includes alcohol, so that might make a difference in terms of savings for some people.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[YYC-Rob]

5 of us (3 adults and 2 kids) are staying next year at the BC during the typical times for free dining and I think I will be upgrading us to the DxDp from the DDP. Im assuming that is possibly by paying the difference? If so, it works out to around 120 bucks a day to upgrade, which is a no brainer. Even if you factor in the opportunity cost of not taking a potential 25% room discount, combined with the upgrade, the dining effectively costs us ~$3525 for the 14 nights ($252 per day / $50 per person per day). We would have to likely make and eat all our food in our resort room in order to not spend $50 a day. It could be done, cereal in room for breakfast, packed sandwiches for lunch, and do quick service for dinner but, spending the extra, is worth it to me. The reasons the DxDp money will be "worth it" to me are:

-Flexibility - We can choose to do 3 separate sit down meals a day such as Cape Mae character buffet breakfast, Coral Reef for lunch, and Akershus for Dinner, OR we can do a table service for breakfast/lunch and a signature dining for dinner (ie Crystal Palace in the AM with a nice dinner at Flying Fish)
-Appetizers - I love appetizers with my meal, who doesn't?
-Value(as an upgrade from free dining) - We will blow the $50 dollars a person out of the water easily at a single meal. With the first example above, CM breakfast buffet (35) + Coral Reef lunch (12 appetizer + 28 entree + 8 desert + 12 drink = 60) + Akershus (60) = $155 per adult for the day!
-Parental Anxiety Relief (maybe the wrong term) - Kids are unpredictable and it is very frustrating to me to pay for a meal while out dining and have my children not come close to finishing it. I want to encourage my children to try new things, especially regarding food. Its tough to do that when you are paying a significant amount for one of their meals at a restaurant when there is all likelihood they will not enjoy something new or will only finish 1/3 of their plate. With the DxDp paid for up front, and the cost being easily recovered by the adults, It wont bother me if they only finish part of their meal.

I had created a separate thread in the Resort section a while back asking people why paying extra for a deluxe resort was "worth it" to them. It helped us choose the Beach club for our resort (will take a bit longer to save up but I think it will be worth it now). So I wanted to make this post here to explain why, with mathematically backing, upgrading to a DxDp from the free DDp is "worth it" to us! I hope someone finds it helpful.

To buy the plan itself outright with no deals on our trip would be $6000 ($428 a day / $85 per person per day). We could easily make this worth while again but I would feel more "pressure" to make sure we were getting good value.

2 Quick questions:

Big Island Abalone and Skull Island Prawns @ flying fish are listed as an option on the kids menu at something crazy like $70 dollars. Is this a mistake or can my kids order this on the dining plan?

Has there been any indication of which "alcoholic" drinks will be included? I have to imagine some wines and such would not be included. I know in the past some milkshakes and other drinks would be a "snack" credit and not counted as a meal credits drink. In the past have you been able to get the drinks (non-alcoholic) that come in the souvenir mugs?

I guess that is three questions! Any help is very much appreciated. Sorry for the long post!

Take care!

 

[sharonabe]

2 Quick questions:

Big Island Abalone and Skull Island Prawns @ flying fish are listed as an option on the kids menu at something crazy like $70 dollars. Is this a mistake or can my kids order this on the dining plan?

Has there been any indication of which "alcoholic" drinks will be included? I have to imagine some wines and such would not be included. I know in the past some milkshakes and other drinks would be a "snack" credit and not counted as a meal credits drink. In the past have you been able to get the drinks (non-alcoholic) that come in the souvenir mugs?

I guess that is three questions! Any help is very much appreciated. Sorry for the long post!

Take care!

Before I answer your questions, your math is off just a bit. It may not make that much difference, but your cost to upgrade will be $40.76 per adult and $23 per child, so that's closer to $168 per night.

My guess is that item on the kid's menu is either in the wrong place or they have kid's size version of it for something more like $19, not $79.

Unless Disney decides to give more details, consensus is we won't know what kind of alcoholic drinks will be the norm. Keep watching this thread come January to see what is reported.

We've gotten milkshakes in the past as our drink entitlement at both TS and QS, but the souvenir mugs have always been a "no." No idea if they will allow those in 2018 with this change. Keep tuned.

 

[GoofyGraham]

I'm looking forward to next years trip. WDW for me and mine is as much about the food as the rides and shows. My partner and me will be going for Flower and Garden Festival time for the kiosks; for the first time we're doing mod resort, meaning (free) quick service dining plan as opposed to regular DDP. It gives us more flexibility not having to book tables and saves a lot on gratuities. We will certainly make use of the alcoholic beverages available, but can assure the worriers it won't suddenly turn us into archetypal UK football hooligans. I'm also quite sure it's not going to disadvantage those that choose not to drink the alcohol, the cost difference to Disney between a single alcoholic beverage and an unlimited refill soda will be negligible.

 

[YYC-Rob]

Before I answer your questions, your math is off just a bit. It may not make that much difference, but your cost to upgrade will be $40.76 per adult and $23 per child, so that's closer to $168 per night.

My guess is that item on the kid's menu is either in the wrong place or they have kid's size version of it for something more like $19, not $79.

Unless Disney decides to give more details, consensus is we won't know what kind of alcoholic drinks will be the norm. Keep watching this thread come January to see what is reported.

We've gotten milkshakes in the past as our drink entitlement at both TS and QS, but the souvenir mugs have always been a "no." No idea if they will allow those in 2018 with this change. Keep tuned.

Regarding my math - I went on the MDE and looked at the cost for paying full price for the DDP and the DxDP and used the difference. I did your way as well but wanted to go with the more expensive option as my example.

Thank you for the answers to my questions. I would have guessed the souvenir mugs would be a "no", but we can cross our fingers now with the alcoholic drinks being allowed that they may relax that rule!

 

[Colleen27]

I'm jumping in too stay up on the latest about the 2018 changes. We're planning on the DxDDP for our March-or-May trip, mostly for convenience because we'll have two rooms, two college-aged kids, and one high schooler all going their own way at times. I'm covering the basics (hotel, food, tickets), they're covering spending cash, so the DxDDP is an easy way to make sure their meals are all covered.

I know the inclusion of alcohol is a losing proposition for us, since we'll have 3 under-21 adults and 1 child on the plan, but it still seems like the plan will make sense. DS's boyfriend is a total foodie - his dad is a chef - so we're doing family dinners at signature restaurants just about every night. But as always I'm waiting with baited breath for just-back reports on how the change is working out, and for the updated restaurant list and recent experiences with for-two apps and snacks and all the other grey areas that aren't spelled out in advance.

 

[bwbuddy5]

I'm jumping in too stay up on the latest about the 2018 changes. We're planning on the DxDDP for our March-or-May trip, mostly for convenience because we'll have two rooms, two college-aged kids, and one high schooler all going their own way at times. I'm covering the basics (hotel, food, tickets), they're covering spending cash, so the DxDDP is an easy way to make sure their meals are all covered.

I know the inclusion of alcohol is a losing proposition for us, since we'll have 3 under-21 adults and 1 child on the plan, but it still seems like the plan will make sense. DS's boyfriend is a total foodie - his dad is a chef - so we're doing family dinners at signature restaurants just about every night. But as always I'm waiting with baited breath for just-back reports on how the change is working out, and for the updated restaurant list and recent experiences with for-two apps and snacks and all the other grey areas that aren't spelled out in advance.

And don't forget, since you are in two rooms, you could buyi deluxe for only one room, and share across both rooms, as long as a magic band from room 1 is present. Maybe not for your family, but definitely a good idea for those who don't plan to eat three meals per day, mainly table service.

 

[PDXmouse]

So I'm booked RO right now, but am hoping to convert to the SPD deal if it's offered for our dates. (Late Jan-early Feb)

We have two adults, DD 11 and DS 9. DD is on medications that suppress her appetite and so she eats minimally during the day (consuming more when her melds wear off in the evening - please no comments on this. It's not ideal but better than the alternatives for our specific situation. And she's maintaining a healthy weight. ). Anyways...

If we have the standard DDP will Disney let us all four sit at a table but only order three meals? She may pick off our plates but she eats very little at breakfast and lunch.

Or could the four of us order three meals (using 3 dining credits) and pay separately ala cart for something she might eat? (Like a bowl of soup or glass of milk). This wouldn't work at buffets, obviously.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

If we have the standard DDP will Disney let us all four sit at a table but only order three meals? She may pick off our plates but she eats very little at breakfast and lunch.

Or could the four of us order three meals (using 3 dining credits) and pay separately ala cart for something she might eat? (Like a bowl of soup or glass of milk). This wouldn't work at buffets, obviously.

Yes other than buffets like you mentioned and the AYCE options like at Whispering Canyon you can use as few or as many credits as you want and pay OOP for anything that is not covered by credits. Sharing is fine

 

[Faldred]

So I'm booked RO right now, but am hoping to convert to the SPD deal if it's offered for our dates. (Late Jan-early Feb)

We have two adults, DD 11 and DS 9. DD is on medications that suppress her appetite and so she eats minimally during the day (consuming more when her melds wear off in the evening - please no comments on this. It's not ideal but better than the alternatives for our specific situation. And she's maintaining a healthy weight. ). Anyways...

If we have the standard DDP will Disney let us all four sit at a table but only order three meals? She may pick off our plates but she eats very little at breakfast and lunch.

Or could the four of us order three meals (using 3 dining credits) and pay separately ala cart for something she might eat? (Like a bowl of soup or glass of milk). This wouldn't work at buffets, obviously.

The only problem you'd have with this (assuming the standard DDP with 1 TS + 1 CS / night) is that you'd accumulate a large number of child TS credits unused. A couple of options there:

1. Order 2 adult and 1 child meal at some places, sharing the three meals four ways
2. "Age up" you daughter by calling her 10, and then all your TS credits would be adult credits, and you can use 3 at a time

The only issue with #2 is you'd pay the extra cost of turning her tickets from child to adult, which isn't a whole lot.

 

[bwbuddy5]

I could have sworn I'd read this somewhere, but couldn't find it. Will pooling of Deluxe DP meal credits between adult and children no longer be done in 2018 because of the inclusion of alcoholic drinks; or, are we just speculating that they will no longer be pooled because of drinks (with Disney really giving us no indication either way)?

 

[Faldred]

As far as I know, it's just speculation.

 

[GillianP1301]

I agree, speculation only at this point. I don't see the alcoholic beverage inclusion as a driver for this change though since the adult dining credit starts at age 10, which is obviously well below the drinking age. If they do stop the pooling, it will be to address the "loophole" of children being able to order off of an adult menu.