A new kind of "Should we get the DDP?" thread

mmackeymouse

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
We currently have a vacation scheduled for September (knock on wood).

After much waffling, we decided against the dining plan. BUT, with the closures and the uncertainty of the financial forecast, the DDP feels more stable at this point.

Pete mentioned on their livestream that he expected massive cuts and massive price increases, which I think all of us are probably worried about right now. I am not sure how quickly those prices will increase after the closures, but they are going to have a ton of money to re-coup, so it wouldn't surprise me if they hit the ground running. So, knowing that our meals could go up $5, $10, or more has me thinking DDP might be the safer way to go.

BUT, another way to look at it is that the economy will be pretty roughed up, people will have less expendable income, prices may need to be stable for a while or even drop while the economy gets back to a good place, then maybe the massive price increases will come down the road.

So, keeping all this in mind, what sounds like the best course of action? Jump on DDP now, so that I know the prices will be locked in? Wait it out and see if there are deals?

Here are our current meals on the books: Via Napoli (this is the most tentative one, will probably be cancelled), Beaches and Cream, Tusker House breakfast, Whispering Canyon Cafe lunch, 1900 Park Fare breakfast, and Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. Everything else will either be Food and Wine Kiosks or quick service or snack credits.
 
Check a dining plan calculator site. You can put those exact meals in.
From what I am seeing, even with a $5 increase in meal prices (which I find unlikely - they have to entice people to get back to crowds, not scare them away), you would still be better off paying with cash.
 
Here are our current meals on the books: Via Napoli (this is the most tentative one, will probably be cancelled), Beaches and Cream, Tusker House breakfast, Whispering Canyon Cafe lunch, 1900 Park Fare breakfast, and Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. Everything else will either be Food and Wine Kiosks or quick service or snack credits.

Without knowing how many nights you have, even with Via Napoli in the mix, you only have THREE credit worthy meals in your plan. You can't use the DDP for the Tea. Via and B&C are both easy OOP options. So if you have more than 3 nights, you'll be pushing to get full value out of any plan.

With that said, if you have the money to do so right now (remember, you may need that money short term), you could go ahead and add the DDP to your package now which would lock in the rate. You can then monitor how things play out and keep, cancel, or change as you get closer to your dates.
 
Another what if.....they don’t reopen every restaurant

once the reality of this hits, I think many more people will be canceling vs rescheduling. Unemployment is going to be high, house prices tank, small business not recovering at all. Many retirement funds will be in poor shape. A vacation may not be in the cards for many.
 


Check a dining plan calculator site. You can put those exact meals in.
From what I am seeing, even with a $5 increase in meal prices (which I find unlikely - they have to entice people to get back to crowds, not scare them away), you would still be better off paying with cash.

Yeah, the dining calculator is what steered us against the dining plan. I should add that we are a party of 6-7 (some meals the little one will have her own meal, others she'll eat off parents' plate) Because it is F&W time, we are anticipating needing more snack credits than normal, so having those credits, plus the ability to convert to snack credits, it makes it tempting. When I did the calculator, cash did seem like the better option BUT that was without knowing exactly how many snacks we would be paying for, and it was still relatively close. Under $500 difference is sort of the line for us. At that point, the convenience starts to sounds more and more worth it, the lower it goes.

If each meal goes up $50, overall...even only on the 3 big meals, that's $150 and really starts to close the gap.






Without knowing how many nights you have, even with Via Napoli in the mix, you only have THREE credit worthy meals in your plan. You can't use the DDP for the Tea. Via and B&C are both easy OOP options. So if you have more than 3 nights, you'll be pushing to get full value out of any plan.

I'm sorry, I should have shared the specifics. 5 adults, 1.5 kids. Staying at the Grand. 5 nights, but getting in early-ish the first day and leaving latish the last day, so there will definitely be some OOP meals.

Here are some of the Quick Serve places on the radar: Satuli, Pecos Bills, Geyser Point. It will probably be every person for themselves at Disney Springs, but I would tend to say more the price point of D-Luxe or Polite Pig than say Earl of Sandwich.

We also have an EMM booked, so that will take care of one breakfast.
 
I wouldn't add to any vacation right now that you might have to cancel. Let the world play out a little, and see what you may want later. You may not want to be in Disney in September for a whole host of reasons, both personal and not...
 
Another what if.....they don’t reopen every restaurant

once the reality of this hits, I think many more people will be canceling vs rescheduling. Unemployment is going to be high, house prices tank, small business not recovering at all. Many retirement funds will be in poor shape. A vacation may not be in the cards for many.

Oh trust me, I know. I have made myself sick thinking about the future of the country and the economy, both Disney related and not. I am well aware it will not be "back to normal."

But, I need some semblance of hope to get me through this time, something to look forward to. So, for right now, I am sort of planning full steam ahead, as if nothing is going to change.



I wouldn't add to any vacation right now that you might have to cancel. Let the world play out a little, and see what you may want later. You may not want to be in Disney in September for a whole host of reasons, both personal and not...

That sounded a bit ominous. Do you care to elaborate? Or was that just a general thought about any month, not specific to September?
 


Oh trust me, I know. I have made myself sick thinking about the future of the country and the economy, both Disney related and not. I am well aware it will not be "back to normal."

But, I need some semblance of hope to get me through this time, something to look forward to. So, for right now, I am sort of planning full steam ahead, as if nothing is going to change.





That sounded a bit ominous. Do you care to elaborate? Or was that just a general thought about any month, not specific to September?

Everything is so up in the air...and if timelines are to be believed for peaks and treatments/vaccines...and China's way of reopening slowly is adopted, who really knows when the Disney parks might re-open (if they go the way of China, it's almost certain either the hotels or Springs will open 1st...and the rest might wait...and wait...)...and who knows what travel might look like and how long that takes to get back open...and where jobs might be...and what Florida's openness to visitors might be (as one of the oldest states and one of the most traveled pre-virus, it could be looking at the possibility of being a "worst impacted" state)...

So, b/c so much is unknown...better to not sink more money in til you know...
 

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