DDP+ It’s official!

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A lot of people talk about how they like the dining plan because it makes them feel like it's all inclusive.

An all inclusive resort/cruise line/buffet restaurant has done the math. They know what the average person will eat, and their "all inclusive package" is priced to be above that amount. Which means, the average person will lose. The house will win. However, any individual can beat the house by a substantial margin if they are so inclined, because their is no upper limit on what they can order.

The DDP is different. There is an upper limit. The expensive restaurants cost two credits. The absolutely most expensive items are not available on the dining plan. You only get a finite number of credits. It is not unlimited. Disney has priced the DDP similar to a cruise line prices the all inclusive package. It is above the price that the average person would spend. The only problem is, there is no way to beat the house consistently by any substantial margin. Which means, it's like paying for insurance that only provides a small amount of protection. The risk of spending substantially more out of pocket is very low. Why pay a premium for less flexibility, and very minimal protection?

Note: I know there are some specific loopholes where what I said above is not true. Disney has shut one of the major ones down though (child prices for adult credits.)
 
This plan sounds like the sweet spot for people who just don't like CS for a variety of reasons -- for us it's the stress of finding our own table at busy locations (hovering over people who are finishing up, wiping down our own tables, etc.). I'd rather wait for a table that a CM organizes and cleans for me while on vacation :-)

DDP+ also seems perfectly geared for lovers of character meals and buffets, who won't be bothered by the lack of appetizer on the plan.
 
It is so awesome that there are so many choices! Seems like just about everyone can find something that works. Me? I’m a grazer. TiW and bar fare works perfectly for me! A gin martini & an appetizer size Cobb salad at brown derby lounge is my idea of a perfect meal.

And three hours later I’m eating a plate of olives & a glass of Italian red at tutto gusto 🍷
 


I'm of the opinion the dining plan has never been about saving money, it's a convenience thing. Some (seems like many?) people just prefer to enter the WDW bubble knowing everything is already paid for (sorta :/). While there are quite a few people here on the boards that borderline obsess about maximizing the value of the dining plans, those folks are the definite minority.
But you can do that by buying Disney gift cards. I save 5% through Target using my red card and will use them for my meals.
 
Never been to disney. The planning aspect has stressed me out intensely. Mainly becuase of the lack of hours etc. We have the DXDP upgrade from uk free dining but have it for 10 days post cruise and universal. Id rather pay the upgrade and have the choice for a sit down meal etc than not pay it and be stuck with QS. I have an egg allergy, OH says he is only in it for the food and im terrified of birds so I think having a mid morning/ midday break in air con will be good for us. If we eat at a buffet then we dont have to over eat its a choice. Also i will likely give my OH most of my snack credits as egg free cakes are not that common. So the plant based dessert will also be nice midday.
 


Never been to disney. The planning aspect has stressed me out intensely. Mainly becuase of the lack of hours etc. We have the DXDP upgrade from uk free dining but have it for 10 days post cruise and universal. Id rather pay the upgrade and have the choice for a sit down meal etc than not pay it and be stuck with QS. I have an egg allergy, OH says he is only in it for the food and im terrified of birds so I think having a mid morning/ midday break in air con will be good for us. If we eat at a buffet then we dont have to over eat its a choice. Also i will likely give my OH most of my snack credits as egg free cakes are not that common. So the plant based dessert will also be nice midday.
I'm not here to debate whether you r choice is right for you, it's your choice. I DID just want to say that Disney is one of the best places I have been for food allergies / issues. They will work wth you as much as you need. Also, I hear good things about Erin McKenna in Disney Spring, where I believe they DO have egg free cake.
 
Count another vote as someone who would have considered this if you could get an appetizer OR a dessert with the TS meals, but the dessert only is a deal breaker.
I doubt Disney would ever do this. It would add way too much time to a table. Imagine a family of four getting two appetizers and sharing those. Then getting two deserts and sharing those. I believe the appetizer was removed more to move out tables faster. Desert is an easy one. Most are prepared ahead of time & the check can be brought out during desert.
 
I'm not here to debate whether you r choice is right for you, it's your choice. I DID just want to say that Disney is one of the best places I have been for food allergies / issues. They will work wth you as much as you need. Also, I hear good things about Erin McKenna in Disney Spring, where I believe they DO have egg free cake.
Yes they do!! Erin McKenna is the only place I can get desert!! Sometimes a girl wants a fluffy cupcake and not fruit or sorbet.
 
I doubt Disney would ever do this. It would add way too much time to a table. Imagine a family of four getting two appetizers and sharing those. Then getting two deserts and sharing those. I believe the appetizer was removed more to move out tables faster. Desert is an easy one. Most are prepared ahead of time & the check can be brought out during desert.

The reason they won't allow app OR dessert is both labor and food cost related. Almost across the board, it takes much more time and labor to prepare apps than it does desserts. Desserts are mostly prepared in bulk (cheaper), hours ahead of time. Apps have to actually be prepared as the order is placed. So, you're looking at a bigger difference in actual cost....plus an additional burden on the kitchen.
 
Also i will likely give my OH most of my snack credits as egg free cakes are not that common.

You may want to go peruse the old 2017 Confirmed Snack list in the sticky section of this forum. There are 100s of snacks that are not cakes or cookies and would certainly be egg free. Coffee and drinks at Starbucks alone are a good place to start.

So basically this new dining plan is only worth the $ if your planning 2 TS meals per day.

That is correct. This is something guests have been asking Disney to do for quite some time. They prefer the TS to QS, but the three meals of DxDDP is just too much.
 
5 years ago this plan would have been a no brainer for me to escape counter service chicken nuggets and cardboard burgers. But over the past few years, WDW has really stepped up its counter service game and I look forward to a number of spots including Satuli, Polite Pig and new Regal Eagle Smokehouse, etc. I enjoy a good mix of counter service with the most $ table service so another upgrade makes no sense for me. And when you throw in even more tips for table service, it tips the scales.
 
I doubt Disney would ever do this. It would add way too much time to a table. Imagine a family of four getting two appetizers and sharing those. Then getting two deserts and sharing those. I believe the appetizer was removed more to move out tables faster. Desert is an easy one. Most are prepared ahead of time & the check can be brought out during desert.
The reason they won't allow app OR dessert is both labor and food cost related. Almost across the board, it takes much more time and labor to prepare apps than it does desserts. Desserts are mostly prepared in bulk (cheaper), hours ahead of time. Apps have to actually be prepared as the order is placed. So, you're looking at a bigger difference in actual cost....plus an additional burden on the kitchen.

In my defense, I never said my request was reasonable. :)

If I'm going to do 2 TS meals in a day, there's no way I'm going to do two desserts (ours are almost always lunch and dinner, and we have some dietary restrictions that make desserts nearly impossible at mealtime), but the numbers I was crunching for us were about break-even if we could have done one appetizer (total, not each) for the pair of us.
 
In my defense, I never said my request was reasonable. :)

If I'm going to do 2 TS meals in a day, there's no way I'm going to do two desserts (ours are almost always lunch and dinner, and we have some dietary restrictions that make desserts nearly impossible at mealtime), but the numbers I was crunching for us were about break-even if we could have done one appetizer (total, not each) for the pair of us.
Oh I get the pain of deserts & dietary restrictions! I am allergic to dairy & soy. That rules out just about all cakes. I get so tired of fruit & sorbet so I almost never get desert. Maybe a nice glass of ice wine 😂
 
In my defense, I never said my request was reasonable. :)

If I'm going to do 2 TS meals in a day, there's no way I'm going to do two desserts (ours are almost always lunch and dinner, and we have some dietary restrictions that make desserts nearly impossible at mealtime), but the numbers I was crunching for us were about break-even if we could have done one appetizer (total, not each) for the pair of us.

Understand.

But, there are lots of folks that cannot understand why Disney won't allow the swap.

As someone who worked in restaurants throughout my college years....I completely understand it.
 
Understand.

But, there are lots of folks that cannot understand why Disney won't allow the swap.

As someone who worked in restaurants throughout my college years....I completely understand it.
I never thought about it so thanks for bringing it up. I am actually one of those people who rather eat an appetizer than a dessert and I have zero dietary restrictions :teeth: For my next trip I'll go with the DxDP and plan on taking the dessert back to the resort and eat it for breakfast :p
 
When visiting Disney in October 2019 we booked for 2020 on the free dining bounce back offer. We did upgrade to the regular Disney Dining Plan and we really wanted to upgrade to the DDP+ and we have been told that we can't. Our travel agent tried yesterday and again today. I find it odd that we are willing to pay extra for the upgrade and they don't want our money.
 
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