RUMORED New Disney Dining Plan Plus!! (DDP+)

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The DxDP was probably not selling as much as Disney hoped, forcing them to meet guests halfway and create a middle tier, DDP+. They have to be careful with pricing or they create same situation and folks won't upgrade from standard DDP.
 
Yes, all DDP versions are available for purchase as a DVC member. Not sure why anyone would think this one wouldn't be.

I think it has to do with the way some of the blogs have described it. A few made it sound like it was available only as part of a package with room & tickets. The more reputable ones describe it as a fourth tier in between DDP and DxDP (which if this is true, I feel pretty confident DVC will be able to book it).
 


DDP looks and sounds great on the surface. Prepay for a meal plan and be done with it. Broken down item by item, yes, you can save a couple hundred $$ compared to buying each allotted item without DDP. The alcohol was a big plus and helps somewhat justify it.

I tried DDP for the first time last year and will never do it again. I am a physically fit person who can eat with the best of them and while on vacation don’t care how or what I eat. With that said, I felt with DDP I spent more time worrying about eating (forcefully) and using my credits. I’ve actually save a couple hundred $$ by never buying the DDP and paying out of pocket and being completely satisfied. And that’s bringing some snacks in myself and not skimping on anything that is bought at the park. I’ve done character meals and all. Nobody in my party leaves hungry. It’s quite the opposite.

Disney is all about the money. They would not offer DDP if they were not making a killing off it. And is the “FREE” Dining really “FREE” You are forfeiting resort discounts, forced to upgrade to park hoppers and left with limited dates and resort options.
 
I think it has to do with the way some of the blogs have described it. A few made it sound like it was available only as part of a package with room & tickets. The more reputable ones describe it as a fourth tier in between DDP and DxDP (which if this is true, I feel pretty confident DVC will be able to book it).

I don't see Disney turning down any opportunity to make a buck. We find no value in dining plans and do not care for their restrictive nature, but many other DVC members seem to like them...and I don't see Disney discouraging people from giving them their money.
 


I don't see Disney turning down any opportunity to make a buck. We find no value in dining plans and do not care for their restrictive nature, but many other DVC members seem to like them...and I don't see Disney discouraging people from giving them their money.
While I do not believe that Disney would turn down money from DVC owners, there are still problems that the Disney system and the DVC system have communicating with each other. We have to call Member Services and pay thru MS for any dining plan at the time of booking. The dining credits don’t appear in MDE. Our prices are locked in for the entire calendar year, regardless of any price hikes that could occur during the year. DVC negotiates with the resorts & restaurants side of Disney annually to allow members to add dining plans to the DVC stays.

I imagine that eventually this plan could be added for DVC members. I’m just skeptical as to whether it will be added this year.
 
DDP looks and sounds great on the surface. Prepay for a meal plan and be done with it. Broken down item by item, yes, you can save a couple hundred $$ compared to buying each allotted item without DDP. The alcohol was a big plus and helps somewhat justify it.

I tried DDP for the first time last year and will never do it again. I am a physically fit person who can eat with the best of them and while on vacation don’t care how or what I eat. With that said, I felt with DDP I spent more time worrying about eating (forcefully) and using my credits. I’ve actually save a couple hundred $$ by never buying the DDP and paying out of pocket and being completely satisfied. And that’s bringing some snacks in myself and not skimping on anything that is bought at the park. I’ve done character meals and all. Nobody in my party leaves hungry. It’s quite the opposite.

Disney is all about the money. They would not offer DDP if they were not making a killing off it. And is the “FREE” Dining really “FREE” You are forfeiting resort discounts, forced to upgrade to park hoppers and left with limited dates and resort options.
Canadian resident here. We went in November 2019 the week before Thanksgiving and we legit saved over $800 USD to take the FREE QS dining pkg over the hotel and CDN ticket discount. I priced out everything separate. Was pleasantly surprised at the savings. We made good use of the plan and tried things we normally wouldn't have. DDP doesn't make sense for us outside this type of offer.

One thing I notice when using this plan is that you are usually gun shy of using credits early in the trip and then have to ramp up use in the last few days :)
 
While I do not believe that Disney would turn down money from DVC owners, there are still problems that the Disney system and the DVC system have communicating with each other. We have to call Member Services and pay thru MS for any dining plan at the time of booking. The dining credits don’t appear in MDE. Our prices are locked in for the entire calendar year, regardless of any price hikes that could occur during the year. DVC negotiates with the resorts & restaurants side of Disney annually to allow members to add dining plans to the DVC stays.

I imagine that eventually this plan could be added for DVC members. I’m just skeptical as to whether it will be added this year.

You no longer have to call to add the dining plan...can be done straight through the DVC website at anytime now.

Since there's no initial price difference in DVC and general booking when adding the DDP, I don't see why adding on a new plan would be any different.
 
Appetizers. That is the question! 🍗🥘🍤

In discussions on DDP boards many people say they don't often use QS but also that DxDDP's 3 meals/day are too much. This gives them an option and attracts a new segment of buyers.

Plus Disney loves swaying guests into upgrades. The jump between DDP and Deluxe was significant, this bump is more palatable. If released, I expect to see it along with the annual DDP price increases.
 
Disney is all about the money.
Um, yes? Disney is a publicly-traded company in business to make [more] money for its owners/shareholders. This is not answer revelation.
And is the “FREE” Dining really “FREE” You are forfeiting resort discounts, forced to upgrade to park hoppers
Correct. It's not, and never has been, Free Dining, no matter how Disney promotes it. The offer is '___ Dining Plan Free'. Yes, there really is a difference.
and left with limited dates and resort options.
This is true of any promotion, special offer, sale, etc.
 
Corporate greed really shows making 11 year olds buy the adult plan, and I am surprised in this age of obesity there has not been more push back
Disney isn’t putting guns to people’s heads to buy the dining plan. If you don’t want it, pay out of pocket. And if you buy it, you don’t have to eat steak twice a day to get your money’s worth. Get seafood and skip the alcohol. We are all adults here so please let’s not try to be anyone’s mommy. Let’s all just worry about ourselves and our own families and not try to dictate what anyone else can eat or drink!
As for me, I’d love this new plan and would pay up to $100 for it so my guess it will be $99!
 
Maybe ddp is being retired for DDP+ in the. Future

This makes a lot of sense honestly. Keep the QS dining plan (can still be offered for free with value and moderates) and replace old DDP with DDP+ which ostensibly sounds better and more flexible - if you want to eat QS you can! If you want to eat TS you can! -leaving aside the complete lack of value for money spent if you were to actually eat QS...
 
Not everyone plans 1-2 week Disney Vacations.

This plan is perfect for my family of 4 over 21 adults. We go for 2-3 park days a year in combination with a beach vacation. We can book 1 night with the DPP+ and get a TS and a snack for each day.
 
Appetizers. That is the question! 🍗🥘🍤

In discussions on DDP boards many people say they don't often use QS but also that DxDDP's 3 meals/day are too much. This gives them an option and attracts a new segment of buyers.

Plus Disney loves swaying guests into upgrades. The jump between DDP and Deluxe was significant, this bump is more palatable. If released, I expect to see it along with the annual DDP price increases.

Yes that is the question I have too - what about the apps? Are they doing this more like DDP or DxDP?
 
Not everyone plans 1-2 week Disney Vacations.

This plan is perfect for my family of 4 over 21 adults. We go for 2-3 park days a year in combination with a beach vacation. We can book 1 night with the DPP+ and get a TS and a snack for each day.
This would work as long as you use 1 TS + 1 Snack on check in day, and the same on check out day. It just wouldn't work for a 3 day stay. Credits still won't carry over to another reservation (you may be aware of this but just clarifying for folks who don't know).
 
Disney is all about the money. They would not offer DDP if they were not making a killing off it. And is the “FREE” Dining really “FREE” You are forfeiting resort discounts, forced to upgrade to park hoppers and left with limited dates and resort options.

The "make a killing" part is not necessarily true - there would be real "value" in pre-selling meals and now knowing that you have a minimum number of meals sold across the property for a certain date in the future. Imagine what a smart company could do with that data, from just-in-time food ordering to staffing at just the right levels.

That being said, we have used the DDP since it's early days of paper meal tickets and have tracked our spending pretty closely each time. We have seen the savings slowly dwindle to where it's now close to a break even proposition for us. The reason we continue to consider it is because we put value on the stress it takes out of a vacation - no worrying about ordering the most expensive item on the menu or debating whether we should split a meal or not. And Disney deserts and snacks have become a great part of our vacation and I know, if not for the DP, we would never order that stuff paying out of pocket. Other's may put no value on that stress relief and that's fine, Disney gives plenty of options to fit everyone's travel preferences.
 
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