When Will Disney World’s Dining Plan Return?
“When will the Disney Dining Plan return in 2023?” and “will Walt Disney World bring back Free Dining?” are common reader questions. We’ll try to answer based on what we know about the prepaid meal plan and this popular discount, plus an earnings call update, restaurant capacity, crowds, staffing shortages, and more. (Updated May 3, 2023.)
When the parks & resorts reopened, Walt Disney World temporarily suspended the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) and cancelled Free Dining, along with several other things. In the time since, Walt Disney World has restored or announced the return of most offerings…except the DDP. At this point, the Disney Dining Plan is one of the few things that’s still temporarily unavailable. Virtually everything else has been officially ended/cancelled or brought back as of early 2023.
For its part, Walt Disney World has not been totally silent about the Disney Dining Plan’s future–they released a statement saying that it would be back soon…but that was over a year ago. If you want to be notified when the Disney Dining Plan’s return is announced, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter for instant alerts. For now, here’s everything you need to know about when the Disney Dining Plan might return. If you’ve already read this post in the past, scroll down to the “May 2023 Update” section for the latest predictions.
We should start by addressing the misconception that Disney eliminated the Dining Plan as a cost-cutting measure. This is patently false. The Dining Plan is actually incredibly lucrative and advantageous for Walt Disney World in normal times. The Disney Dining Plan is a primarily a revenue engine, but one that’s also perceived as a perk by guests. It was truly a win-win for company and consumer. As such, it’s a matter of when the Disney Dining Plan will return, not if it will.
The big caveat here is the “in normal times” part of that. Right now, Walt Disney World is seeing record-breaking per guest spending, which has been up significantly as compared to 2019. This means that guests paying out of pocket have been spending more on average for their food than they would with the Disney Dining Plan. However, that level of pent-up demand won’t last forever.
One of the biggest reasons Walt Disney World offers the DDP is because it keeps guests on-site. If guests are already locked-into all of their meals at Walt Disney World, they’re less likely to venture to Universal, SeaWorld, and so on. Even if they do, Disney already has their money for those meals.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch–Disney benefits from the Dining Plan by capturing guests’ vacation dollars and boxing visitors into making all of their purchases at Walt Disney World, where every price has an on-site premium. Moreover, guests using the Disney Dining Plan order more than those who pay out of pocket.
This is quantifiable. Historically, per guest food & beverage spending is lower among guests who do not use the Disney Dining Plan than those who do. Consider how many guests on the DDP end up stockpiling Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treats at the end of their trips because they have so many unused snack credits. Now think of how many guests do not do that, and instead just let snack–or even table service–credits go to waste.
In normal times, the portion of guests who save money on the Disney Dining Plan is relatively small. Sure, you can consult online tips and hacks to leverage it to your advantage, but most people don’t have the time or desire for that level of work.
The vast majority of the park-going public is not reading blogs like this one to meticulously research and plan their Walt Disney World vacation. They want the simplicity of an “all-inclusive” meal plan and costs known up front. They don’t care (or realize) they’re potentially wasting money or credits. Suffice to say, when it comes to the DDP, the House of Mouse (almost) always wins.
That’s not the only way that the House of Mouse almost always wins. In our Disney Dining Plan Info & Review post, we reverse-engineer a dollar value for each type of DDP credit, with $45 being the amount ascribed to a table service credit. Walt Disney World does the same and sets a reimbursement rate for the many third party restaurants operating in the parks and at Disney Springs.
If a third-party table restaurant accepts the Dining Plan, they’re repaid at a set rate–often below the cost of the meal. For example, the third party might be paid $25 by Walt Disney World for each credit that’s redeemed, even though the guest is ordering $40 worth of food. Without the Dining Plan, Disney is missing out on this cut of business at most restaurants in World Showcase and Disney Springs.
This is the traditional analysis of why the Dining Plan benefits Walt Disney World, but it fails to account for on-the-ground circumstances. To that point, it’s worth addressing inflation and the wave of price increases on hundreds of food items at Walt Disney World.
This occurred twice last year, and if precedent is any indication, another round of increases will occur in the first half of 2023. (That has not happened through May 2023!) The last wave of price increases were more comprehensive and sweeping, with everything from snacks (again) to character dining experiences going up in price. This latter one is particularly significant, because character meals are particularly popular with guests who typically purchase the Disney Dining Plan.
In the past, higher menu prices made the Disney Dining Plan more attractive and pushed guests towards it. People comparing menu prices to package prices would see that, even though the DDP is pricey, so too are individual entrees, snacks, desserts, drinks, etc. It’s thus always notable when Walt Disney World increases menu prices, as that could be a sign that they’re preparing for the return of the DDP.
Then there’s inflation, which has dominated the real world news and has been a major problem for Americans everywhere. It’s no secret that inflation has hit the cost of food especially hard. The USDA tracks a breakdown in its Food Price Outlook page, which shows that the cost of meat, poultry, fish, and eggs in particular has all skyrocketed.
It should go without saying, but businesses attempt to pass higher costs on to consumers. This is clearly what’s happening at grocery stores, but the USDA’s “food away from home” index shows that restaurants have not increased in lockstep with grocery stores on the CPI. This is despite higher ingredients costs and higher labor costs.
We’ve noticed this at Walt Disney World restaurants in the time since reopening. Don’t get us wrong–table service entrees are very pricey at Disney, but they have been for years. That’s nothing new. Walt Disney World’s aforementioned price increases disproportionately impact snacks and other impulse purchases and not items that have seen the highest inflation.
One potential industry-wide explanation is trepidation among restaurants about their ability to pass on higher prices to consumers without seeing a corresponding drop in demand. Those same concerns likely exist with the Disney Dining Plan. Even in the last few years pre-closure, the rate of its price increases had slowed significantly. Menu item increases had outpaced Disney Dining Plan price increases pre-closure, making the DDP a better value in early 2020 than it was in ~2017.
The theory for that was Walt Disney World had reached its price ceiling (or close to it) with the Disney Dining Plan, but not with individual component prices. Now, food costs are even higher. Consumers might be more willing to pay this impulsively and in smaller increments, but balk at a ~$90 regular Disney Dining Plan. The company thus might modify (a positive spin on “reduce”) what each tier of the DDP includes to keep margins high.
Also important to Walt Disney World is having sufficient restaurant capacity for the demand induced by the Disney Dining Plan. This was a significant problem for much of the last 2 years and a big reason why the Disney Dining Plan was temporarily suspended in the first place.
This is still a consideration, but not nearly to the degree that it once was. Most restaurants have reopened, to the point that the number of locations that are unavailable is fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of Walt Disney World’s dining capacity (See Open & Closed Restaurants at Walt Disney World).
Additionally, restaurants that have been open for months have continued to scale up operations, bringing back breakfast, buffets, or other missing meal services. Breakfast and lunch return to Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and breakfast comes back to Garden Grill in May and June 2023. Everything helps when it comes to dining capacity, but it’s already “close enough” to pre-closure levels even with some missing meal services and shorter operating hours at a handful of locations.
As intimated above, staffing remains an issue at many Walt Disney World restaurants, but this is nowhere near as bad in 2023 as it was in the last two years. The company has had difficulty filling certain key roles, and turnover was high–but both of those issues have improved.
In an attempt to remedy that, Walt Disney World had been holding culinary job fairs and offering hiring bonuses for almost 2 years. You’ll notice that’s past tense. At present, the only job fair is for lifeguards, and the only hiring bonus is for specialized roles (e.g. pastry chef assistant). To be sure, there are still open positions–especially in kitchens–but absolutely nothing like the last couple of years.
Since the return of CEO Bob Iger, Cast Member morale has improved significantly. Walt Disney World also reaching an agreement with the Cast Member unions resulting in significant pay increases also helps. (And for those wondering, no frontline Cast Members at Walt Disney World are among the company’s thousands of planned layoffs–the parks are actively hiring, not firing!)
Of course, all of this is not directly relevant to the imminent return of the Disney Dining Plan and it does not “confirm” anything. When it comes to official statements, the last update Walt Disney World provided was back in 2021 when announcing theme park early entry and extended evening hours on-site guest perks.
That stated the Disney Dining Plan will return, but that the company is “not quite ready to share an update on timing.” Disney indicated that the guest-favorite option would be back soon, with more updates on restaurants to come. Obviously, that was quite a while ago. So…where does that leave things?
May 2023 Update
We’re back with an update, despite no major news or official announcements about the return of the Disney Dining Plan. Readers continue to ask about it on a regular basis and there has been more incremental progress, so we have a look at that. However, we’ll warn you up front that you won’t find any official announcements or ‘seismic shifts’ here. If anything, it’s the lack of changes that’s conspicuous here.
It has now been almost 2 years (!!!) since Walt Disney World confirmed that the Disney Dining Plan would be back soon, but that they were “not quite ready” to make an announcement. Apparently Disney has a different definition of “soon” than do we.
Officially, nothing has changed with specific regard to the DDP since then. There have been appearances of the Disney Dining Plan in marketing materials and is still present on Walt Disney World’s official site. There continue to be a few “fakeouts” in Disneyworld.com booking process where it appears you can add the Disney Dining Plan, but nothing real.
Every new menu that goes up for the EPCOT Festivals also still features the DDP symbol next to eligible snacks, as if food & beverage teams are preparing for it to possibly return at any time. That has been the case over and over, and is meaningless.
A much more meaningful development we’ve noticed as of May 2023 is that Advance Dining Reservation availability has significantly improved. We’ve been able to book restaurants that have eluded us since reopening and in spot-checking ADRs for June and July 2023, even the peak summer months don’t look as competitive as either of the last 2 years.
This isn’t a totally new development, as ADR availability has been easing for a while. However, the extent of options we’re seeing is pretty remarkable. Restaurants like Chef Mickey’s, Story Book Dining at Artist Point, Akershus, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Topolino’s Terrace, California Grill, and others all have availability throughout the month. The only restaurant I had difficulty finding was Toy Story Roundup Rodeo, which is understandable given that it’s brand new.
With that said, we’ve seen exactly this happen in the past during shoulder and off-season. And to be fair, our analysis of post-spring break attendance trends in Sharp Shoulder Season Slowdown at Walt Disney World and Low Pre-Summer Crowds at Walt Disney World shows precisely this type of drop.
However, the improved ADR availability isn’t just for this month–it’s also for June and July 2023. Those are summer vacation months that should be a time of peak travel. As we’ve mentioned elsewhere, there are already early signs of slowing bookings at Walt Disney World. Perhaps this is what the exhaustion of pent-up demand really looks like; maybe consumers are finally changing their spending habits; it’s possible rising prices on everything have finally done their damage.
For its part, Walt Disney World already has released 14 different discounts for 2023, which is more than were available for the entirety of last year. Most of these discounts have been released earlier than normal by historical standards, and offer better savings than their counterparts from the last two years. Some are superior to 2018 or 2019, but baseline prices and perks have also changed since then.
As we’ve pointed out repeatedly, Disney doesn’t offer discounts out of generosity. Rather, the company releases special offers when attendance or hotel occupancy projections are soft. If weak discounting and late releases were a sign that pent-up demand had still been running strong, the increased discounting is almost certainly a sign that the opposite is no longer be true as of 2023.
This is relevant to the Disney Dining Plan conversation because it’s both a way to incentivize bookings and prop up per-guest revenue numbers. In the past few years, consumers had been freely spending–voluntarily dropping more on meals and travel & leisure to make up for lost time. If that’s no longer true, the Disney Dining Plan returning could function as an offset to all of that, giving a boost or second-wind to spending, so to speak, when it otherwise might slow down.
Nevertheless, it’s unclear what all of this means for the return of the Disney Dining Plan. As we’ve pointed out repeatedly, it’s the totality of things–more restaurants reopening, additional tables being filled, staffing reaching sufficient levels, and less of a supply v. demand imbalance–that would pave the way for the Disney Dining Plan’s return. From our perspective, all of that has now been achieved. There should be nothing holding back Walt Disney World from reviving the Disney Dining Plan.
Still, it’s important to acknowledge the reality that nothing with Walt Disney World is as easy as flipping a switch. The Disney Dining Plan has its own complicating factors, ranging from dining capacity to contracts with the aforementioned third party operating participant restaurants at Disney Springs, Epcot, and elsewhere.
In other words, even if the stars have finally aligned and it makes sense for Walt Disney World to bring back the DDP ASAP, it still might take months for that to happen, unless leadership has been preparing for this moment and is ready to execute on its return. Honestly, I’m skeptical of that. Everything we’ve seen from Walt Disney World in the last few years suggests the change will take a minimum of a few months from decision to execution or implementation.
So, when will the Disney Dining Plan return?
With all of the above in mind, there are three possible scenarios. The first is any day now. In this situation, Walt Disney World leadership has been aware of and concerned about soft summer bookings for a matter of months, and now wants to pull available “levers” to bump up revenue and resort occupancy. One lever we’ve already seen pulled is new Annual Pass sales resuming. Another is the aforementioned increase in resort discounts. It wouldn’t surprise me if more summer ticket deals are released for Floridians, and perhaps more targeted room deals.
Honestly, it would surprise me if the Disney Dining Plan’s return is one of these levers. It’s just such a significant change that it seems unlikely that it’s something Walt Disney World would do while scrambling to buoy bookings for this summer, unless they are really bad–or unless the company has been concerned about this slowdown for months. (And this year’s earlier release of the free dining card discount suggests that might be the case.) So in short, we think a Summer 2023 return of the Disney Dining Plan is plausible, but highly unlikely.
The next scenario is that an announcement of the Disney Dining Plan’s return is made in Summer 2023, but for travel dates further into the future. While this doesn’t address the immediate issue of occupancy and attendance in the coming months, it’s a good compromise. It gives Walt Disney World the ability to open the DDP for booking soon, securing a commitment of future revenue. This would be a savvy move amidst a travel slowdown, as it’d be a way to capture bookings before consumers start reducing their budgets and scaling back plans.
As for the timing of the return, the most obvious possibility is January 2024. That gives the company the ability to make a clean break and manage bookings accordingly. It also allows Walt Disney World to get past the Christmas season, which is always a popular time for dining demand. However, we wouldn’t rule out an announcement this summer that the Disney Dining Plan is returning in August 2023. That’s more aggressive, but it also could make sense and give both travelers and the company time to adjust.
This announcement could be made anytime in the next three months, but would likely come alongside the release of 2024 Walt Disney World vacation packages (assuming the January return is more likely, which we think is the case). Last year, vacation packages were announced on May 18 and booking began June 8. Normally, the announcement comes between mid-June and July, but an earlier announcement is once again likely for 2024 packages–everything else has happened earlier than normal this year.
The final scenario is that the Disney Dining Plan will return around September 15, 2023. That’s when the previously-released free dining card promo ends.
The reasoning here would be that the dining card places an added burden on Cast Members or stresses the system and reduces overall capacity, and thus Walt Disney World would not want to juggle those cards and the Disney Dining Plan simultaneously. However, the strain that the dining card places on the system could be a good ‘stress test’ and pave the way for the Disney Dining Plan to return once school goes back into session and after that promo ends.
The Disney Dining Plan returning in early Fall 2023 is more plausible than pre-summer, but both are questionable at best to unlikely at worst. Again, it’s been over 3 years since the Disney Dining Plan was available. There has been a tremendous amount of turnover since then, both among frontline Cast Members and management.
If this were still 2021 or even last year, we’d be inclined to predict that the Disney Dining Plan would return ASAP. It would be a good lever to pull to maintain elevated per guest revenue numbers, maintain dining demand, resort occupancy, and everything else. But with so much time having passed since the DDP was last available, it now seems more likely that Walt Disney World isn’t going to rush into the return and rollout. (Frankly, we hope they don’t at this point. After seeing the struggles with Genie+ when it launched, it makes more sense to take time and get this right.)
Ultimately, we hate to be so pessimistic, but that’s increasingly how we feel about the eventual return of the Disney Dining Plan. Optimism has gotten us nowhere, and it’s not worth continuing to hold out hope as Walt Disney World tests other ways to sustain high per guest spending while inducing less crushing demand on restaurants that are already mostly filling up.
There is a scenario where guests have already started to spend less, and that’s being felt by Walt Disney World even amidst higher overall spending driven by Genie+ and Lightning Lane price increases. In such a situation, it’s possible work is already occurring behind the scenes to bring the paid Disney Dining Plan back for Summer 2023. But we really, really doubt that this is what’s going to happen. It would truly take the stars aligning.
More likely is a return of the Disney Dining Plan in September 2023. However, “more likely” is a relative term, and we’d still put the chances at under 50%. Again, if it were 2 years ago, our tune would be different–it would’ve made complete sense to bring the DDP back in September 2021 if the underlying circumstances allowed. Now, those do allow, but there are other reasons for a more cautious and drawn out approach.
Which brings us to the most likely scenario. There’s obviously a lot could change in the next several months, but if we were forced to bet on a specific return date for the Disney Dining Plan right now, our pick would be January 1, 2024. To address whatever summer slowdown may happen, the company can pull other “levers” while using the DDP as a way to boost 2024 bookings. This also offers a “clean break” with the new vacation packages. The good news is that we should know one way or another by June 2023, if not within the next few weeks, as that’s when an announcement is likely for 2024 Walt Disney World vacation packages.
That’s a huge range of predictions, but as is pretty clear by now, we do not have a crystal ball, and circumstances continue to change. Given how lucrative the Dining Plan is for Walt Disney World in “normal times,” I never would’ve predicted it would be gone for this long. But clearly these are not normal times. In any case, you can sign up to our free email newsletter and we’ll keep you posted as soon as Walt Disney World makes an announcement or there’s more news regarding the DDP’s return in 2023…or 2024.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
When do you expect the Disney Dining Plan to return? Do you agree or disagree that it could still be a while with ADRs filling up and per guest spending skyrocketing? Think Walt Disney World will bring back the DDP in Summer or September 2023? Do you think Disney will be more slow and conservative, waiting until January 2024? Or, do you think all of this is wrong, and the DDP is dead and gone?! Would the Disney Dining Plan’s reinstatement make you more likely to book a trip? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
On our first Disney World trips way back when the DDP included appetizer, entree, dessert, snacks, drinks and tips. Yes way too much food but it was a money saver back then. Now it’s a convenience. Sometime you’ll even see Disney advertise it that way. When it’s free you pay more for your room so it’s an advertising gimmick and you really need to do your math to decide if a room discount is your bigger money saver It took a Disney authorized travel agent to point that out to us because we’d always jump on free dining every time when we could have saved more money with a room discount. Everyone has different situations and will pay more for the convenience or for pre-budgeting.
We were a group of 7 booked for June, then rescheduled to July 15. We originally had deluxe in one room, and regular in the other. Of course the plan was cancelled and we ended up in a 2 bedroom at SS. So, the $ I was reimbursed for the dining plans went on to Disney gift cards and I budgeted all our meals to stay within what we had paid for the dining plans. In short, we stayed within that budget, even had a few hundred left on the cards BUT it did take away that free feeling and some of the fun of the experience of ordering the alcohol, specialty beverages, trying new desserts, etc. Still a good trip and good dining experiences but we do still prefer the dining plan for the way that WE like to eat on trips. We had to change several table service down to counter service and we prefer table service both for the food quality and for the time to rest. Not for everyone but it works well for us. Maybe upon return the dining plan might be less expensive for a bit…not holding my breath on that one though lol
We are planning a trip in September and am curious about Park restaurants/food courts. Are we going to have to hunt long and hard to find something to eat and drink in the parks? Are there still cart vendors for us to buy from? Can you provide some more information? I realize that I have to be standing still/sitting to eat/drink per the new rules but it’s go to be VERY HOT! Thank you!
Does anyone know if we can go into a resort bar if we are staying at another resort and don’t have a dining reservation there? For example, if we are staying at Copper Creek, can we have a drink at the Wave? Thank you! I have been given conflicting information from CMs!
Beth, you’d need to take Disney transportation to go to another resort if you don’t have an ADR at that resort.
I’m really hoping free dining makes a comeback for December this year! I know it’s not really “free” but we usually only qualify for a day of the room only discounts because we show up right before Christmas. But the way free dining is set up, we would get free dining for the duration of our stay if we manage to arrive the last day it’s offered. Fingers crossed!
I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much for that. It’s really short notice that not only requires the Disney Dining Plan to return, but also for that rather large-scale discount to be rolled out. Hopefully it happens, though!
DDP does not matter if there are no princess character meals. I guess the 100th time was the charm, but my 6yo DD finally stopped asking me to take her back to WDW when she truly absorbed that we would not meet or eat with princesses. Knowing she could still eat with a chipmunk at Garden Grill, a meal she loved, did not help. No princesses is a deal breaker in our house.
We are a family of six that gets a tone of mileage out of the DDP, coming out ahead because all our TS meals are character meals AND because I use the drink enhancements (alcohol for adults, specialty drinks for kids) to have a first-class vacation that I would never buy OOP (and it would cost more if I did). Adult beverages twice a day sure help that running-around trip stress, and the kids think “Best vacation ever!” with the smoothies, shakes, and floats I almost never buy them at home.
Yeah, there’s no denying people like you come out ahead with the DDP. Same goes for families of steak eaters and numerous others.
I suspect the DDP will return before “real” character dining, especially with face characters.
Great article…we love the Dining Plan especially when they do the “free dining” promo.
We will be there in Dec for Christmas and I am actually curious to see what the bounceback offers will be.
Oh and I LOVE palm trees so I love the picture you have in this article with the palm trees in it…beautiful and great shot!
Right now, there are no bounceback offers. The next one would historically be Free Dining, and I doubt that’ll be offered. We may not see another bounceback this year, sadly.
We are a family of 4 and go to Disney every year and we just started with the free DP a few years ago when we qualified for it. I find that when we did the dining plan when the kids were younger it controlled “how many” snacks they got as I would give them their total allotted for the trip and that’s all they had and they used them wisely but if we the parents were buying the snacks off plan it was every turn they wanted something and harder to say no. One year we had the two sit down meal plan and we felt it was too much food, Tips not included added an extra expense that adds up in Disney food prices, too much wasted time at sit downs. Our favorite is the two quick service basic plan as we are a last minute dining family- I’ve never had a hard time making reservations when we wanted to anyway but we are not picky with times. I have saved all receipts from prior trips where we pay out of pocket and the free dining always saved us money vs out of pocket, but I have to say this year going without the dining plan and packing our own breakfast foods and snacks – we ate less than on the food plan so that was interesting for us. To each their own I guess
Cecilia, our kids are the same. The older ones loved planning online before the trip how to get the biggest treats (funnel cake a la mode, Dole Whip with upside-down cake, loaded waffle) with their snack credits, and the younger ones love being able to get any two snacks they want every day, knowing I’ll say Yes. And when the two snacks are done, they’re done.
Great article, Tom.
Our family always used the DDP, when it first started. I think it was a better bargain then? BUT, as time went on, we found ourselves ordering the most expensive meal and eating the desserts (which we would not order not using the DP)) We felt too full, and also didn’t have room for the snacks throughout the park – just too full for that Mickey Bar or Dole Whip. We also got tired of going to the restaurants each day. We found that we weren’t hungry or didn’t want whatever the restaurant we picked 60 days earlier offered. Sometimes we were just tired and didn’t want to trek to Epcot (which has the best dining on property IMO).
So we decided to not do the DP about 5 years ago. We found that we actually ate when and where we wanted, were not so full and could try the snacks, and sometimes just grabbed a snack and drink and went to the room and chilled for a while. AFterall it is vacation.
We felt it was the best decision we ever made about disney! It was scarey to try it with out the DP at first, but with the money saved, not stuffing ourselves to try to make the plan “worth it”, being able to eat those yummy snacks in the park, and being able to be flexible on our vacation, it was well worth it for us Not to do the DDP. I know others love it, and that’s fine if it works for them, no matter what the reason. But we are very happy NOT having DDP>
It was almost better to not have to worry about credits vs. $$. As a family of 5, we came ahead but not by much. At the same time, We enjoyed being able to eat when and how much. Cheaper to split some meals vs. everyone getting their own, especially counter service.
The mileage will vary for the dynamics of the groups using it. But at the same time, a little homework will lessen the financial and mental headaches the DDP can cause.
I’m a fan of the Dining Plan and use it on my trips– but I’ m under no illusion that I’m saving money with it. Whenever friends ask if I recommend it, I always start with “First off, you will NOT save money. On the contrary, it will cost you more.” Only after making that clear do I go on to explain why I use it:
I see it as a luxury that I pay for in order to shove menu prices outside of the Disney Bubble. I don’t do anything to maximize my value on the plan, because for me the entire point is to NOT to think about maximizing value or reducing costs, but just to order whatever I feel like, expensive or cheap, without worrying about it. Tipping undermines that a bit– I always tip at least 20%, and I’ll go higher if a cast member did a specially good job– but still, 20% of reality seeping into the bubble is better than 100% of it.
The most common suggested alternative, using a prepaid Disney Gift Card for meals, wouldn’t accomplish that for me. Those dollars are still dollars, which could also be used on merchandise, behind-the-scenes tours, and other experiences, so I’d still be thinking about menu prices compared to other uses.
This is a form of self-manipulation, and depends entirely on the quirks of my own personality. Nothing financially rational about it, I’m just tricking my emotions into enjoying my trip more. But then, that’s pretty much the same reason as going to Disney at all, in preference to some cheaper local amusement park.
I suspect what you described is exactly why the Disney Dining Plan appeals to so many people–you just have way more self-awareness about your own decision-making. Nothing wrong with a little self-manipulation (I’d probably use peace of mind as the more friendly term) from time to time–we all do it!
Personally, I will not return until free dining is back. We are a party of 8 and we split up into two, value resort rooms for our stay. This is always a cost saver for us. If Disney’s free dining is gone then we will do other vacations instead. I need this incentive to justify this trip. Also, if Disney cuts back the available times too much for free dining then that may persuade me not to go, as well.
I’m basically over Disney. I’ve been truly disappointed in their business plan right now. They have to win me back.
Tom, any thoughts on Tables in Wonderland? We have as yet unused Annual Passes with our first trip in December. I’d like to have the membership, but can’t purchase as of right now.
I’d imagine Tables in Wonderland sales would resume sooner rather than later, but I truly don’t know. It’s probably just a low-priority thing that’s not easy to resume when resources are already stretched thin.
We have done DDP in the last and I’ve made some moderate attempts to leverage getting best value, but ultimately, we loose some money. That being said, there is something to be said for having meals prepaid (especially for overall budgeting purposes) and avoiding sticker shock at cash prices. We were booked for May and have rescheduled for February. Even if DDP is reinstated, I think I’m going to try a new approach. Doing some quick calculations on what I think is what we will spend each day and then purchasing preloaded gift cards that I’ll use to pay off charges to the room via Magic Bands.
Not interested in the dining plan because when I go to a restaurant I order what seems to me to be the most interesting dish on the menu. Often this isn’t the most expensive one. If I take the dining plan and try to max it out I’ll wind up eating items that aren’t my first preference. Maybe if you are someone who only wants to order steak, which is usually the most expensive item on the menu, this would be OK. (FYI, I’ve seen reports that a restaurant’s mark up is higher on steaks because of demand than for other menu items.)
We purchased the full Dining Plan for April and of course, was canceled. We went in July. Adding up what we spent we would have saved having the Dining Plan. I hope they bring it back by November.
I’m not surprised that you would’ve saved with the dining plan. Disney‘a prices for food are too high and 9 times out of 10 you’ll save with the dining plan than out of pocket.
Deborah, I hope so as well! I am going in December and, save money with the Dining Plan. Eating at Disney is expensive. Paying up front for me is easier and economical.
When do you think we will be able to book Disney Christmas 2021 packages?
I want to know the same!!! Im sitting here like “take my money” haha!
We’re one of those families that does not purchase the Dining Plan. We never have and probably never will. It just doesn’t make financial sense for us. I give Disney plenty of money when we go, I have no desire to give them free money. While I understand why Disney would want to bring it back (because they make a ton of money off of it), it wouldn’t bother me one bit if it didn’t ever come back. It’s definitely not a guest satisfier for us. I relish the days before it was created. Sit down dining was so much easier. And judging from the looks of the faces of wait staff when we tell them we’re not on the Dining Plan, I’m guessing that they aren’t fans of it either. I’m not sure why this is the case, but they genuinely seem happier knowing we’re not on the plan.
i’m know it’s a pipe dream that it’s not coming back. You’re right Tom. It’s not a matter of if it’s coming back, but when. Yes, it probably will before September 2021. My guess would be Spring 2021.
I imagine people on the DDP aren’t always the best tippers (especially those from outside the US, not used to tipping in the first place, who think of the DDP as fully all-inclusive) so that might influence things from a wait staff perspective.
I always get the dining plan and I am not one of those people who doesn’t tip well because I have the plan. I ALWAYS tip at least 20% regardless of whether it’s the dining plan or not.
I agree with pretty much all of this. Coming from the UK, we were planning on a May 2021 honeymoon (as well as our May 2020 trip, which was obviously cancelled). For several years now they’ve offered free dining for all of May (and other months) for us UK’ers, but I think it’ll be too soon next year, even if we get a vaccine before the end of 2020. Think we’ll have to wait for 2022 for our honeymoon, free dining is too big an offer to give up given that the hotel prices are almost identical with or without it. We’d happily book in March 2021 for May 2021, but I don’t see them doing the offers with such short leeway given that it’s usually done over a year out for most dates.
Would appreciate any insight if you have any, but no worries if not.
Hey, Tom. Is there anyway to get the comments without commenting? Every once in a while I don’t have a comment when I read the article, but later one I might have one and it’s harder to find. Kind of like following the article. Thanks.
There probably is a way to add that feature to WordPress, but like so many other things, I don’t know how. Simply commenting “following” and checking the box should be the easiest way to do the trick. (Sorry!)
We are scheduled for our trio this November and that trip hinges greatly in the dining plan that was cancelled. If there’s no dining plan when we are to come, there is a great possibility (and that is a high possibility) that our party of 11 will not be coming to Disney any time soon. It’s ridiculous that Disney knows that everyone needs to eat anyway and won’t reinstate the dining plan immediately to people who have a trip planned this year. Not happy with Disney right now and we are every year Disney visitors and they will more than likely lose ALL of our business to Universal or elsewhere for the foreseeable future. I don’t see how paying out of pocket compares to the dining plan except to gauge us.
Our trip is scheduled for November not trio. We are a party of 11.
As Tom mentioned in his article, for the vast majority of WDW visitors, the DDP typically gouges visitors more than paying out of pocket does. Most people don’t or wouldn’t eat the way the DDP requires you to eat in order to break even or save money by purchasing the DDP. Also many people make the mistake of considering the DDP to be a “value” if they manage to purchase food/drinks costing more than the DDP per day even though the real question is whether they would have spent that much on food/drinks per day in the first place. Free Dining is another story, but even then unless you are staying with a big party at a value/moderate, you are probably better off taking the room-only discounts always offered in connection with any Free Dining promotions.
Basically, the DDP is a huge money maker for Disney. Not only does it help keep guests and their money in the Disney ecosystem, but most people end up paying more for the DDP than they would have paid to Disney for food without it (not to mention that many people end up wasting credits so Disney gets their money anyways without having to provide all the food/drinks someone paying the same amount out of pocket would receive). While the paid DDP might work for your party and you might save a little money by using it, Disney isn’t gouging customers by not bringing it back. It’s a huge profit center for them and if they believed they could bring it back safely and without creating a guest satisfaction nightmare with their reduced dining capacity they almost certainly would.
I agree! I have a trip planned for December. I wish Disney would reinstate the Dining Plan to guests that did not cancel their trips when they decided to cancel the dining plan! Hope someone at the top gets it. Thanks Tom for all your great articles.
Great article as always. But what I really need to know is what is that bowl with the pepperoni, fries and cheese?! Is that on property somewhere?
Those are Universal’s Pizza Fries served at Halloween Horror Nights. They may not look like anything special, but they are glorious.
I’m glad you asked as I was curious about the cup. I couldn’t think of anywhere at Disney that would offer that. Tom, hopefully you got to keep that as a souvenir!