"Prices don't go up with Free DDP" They said!

[LoopyDisney7]

Originally Posted by loves2plan

They are though. They're saying, this is the room and ticket price and this is what the upgrade would cost, which gives them a total like for like price to compare against release. That's how I look at the figures too - I don't add the full cost of paying for a plan on as I'd never do that, so I look at the base costs with the upgrade.

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I read it differently. I still see it that with the increases you are saving money versus booking yesterday. You couldn't actually book with free dining yesterday so everyone was quoting on the price at that time and *hoping* free dining would come out.

If you booked yesterday you would have paid £1,539.72 for the DDP if you wanted it on your booking. Today you pay £476 booking a moderate with free QSDP and upgrading.

[DiszeeBelle]

We've already booked our trip, staying off-site but I thought I'd have a quick nosey and the trip we were looking at before choosing off-site is dearer now with free dining than before. It's put my mind at rest 😉

[Warkman58]

There is no such thing as “free” everything has a cost

[loves2plan]

Originally Posted by LoopyDisney7

I read it differently. I still see it that with the increases you are saving money versus booking yesterday. You couldn't actually book with free dining yesterday so everyone was quoting on the price at that time and *hoping* free dining would come out.

If you booked yesterday you would have paid £1,539.72 for the DDP if you wanted it on your booking. Today you pay £476 booking a moderate with free QSDP and upgrading.

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Yes, there are different ways of looking at it. However, based on previous years we'd all been saying that room prices don't suddenly jump up loads, so by using the pre-release price you get a good ball park figure. Then room prices were released and they seem to have gone up across the board for the first time.

So, like I said, if I was trying to budget for my holiday knowing that I was going to book with free dining and pay for an upgrade, then I'd never include the cost of paying for a full plan in those figures. I'd be saying, for example:

Pre free dinign release:
Room price: £2000
Tickets: £798
DDP upgrade price: £476
So, I'd be budgeting for around £3274

If at release the room price has jumped up:
Room price: £2400
Rickets: £798
DDP upgrade price: £476
Total = £3674, which is a £400 increase based soley on the increase in the price of the room.

That's how I plan and budget, so I can compare like with like as I would never ever dream of paying for the dining plan in full.

I'm not saying the plan isn't free, but the room prices have increased and in previous years that's not really been the case. The disappointment is the room price increase.

[Guest]

The yachtclub went up £200 for me, really disappointed in Disney. But apparently not disappointed enough to book elsewhere.

[ziggyzag]

I priced up Disney Beach club last week, (for 3 weeks in August 3 adults and a child. 2019) £10,220 priced up exact same holiday today £10,137, so cheaper plus Disney dining

[Rescuer]

I'm quite annoyed too. I was watching the prices of 3 resorts. I was only looking at the basic room prices yesterday, these are all the same category and for 15 nights.
AOA yesterday £2200 Today £2385 £185 increase
POFQ yesterday £3060 Today £3285 £225 increase
AKL yesterday £4710 Today £5070 £ 360 increase

Yes you are still getting a large discount at 2 out 3 of those resorts but it doesn't really feel like 'free' dining or 'free' gift card and for AOA you are not getting either of those things.

I've always booked direct but I think I'll contact Orlando Atrractions for a quote this time.

[pokerbanter]

It looks to me like Disney have used the change in promotion, along with offering DP as the same time to do the yearly price increase. I seem to remember everyone being surprised when 2019 prices came out & being delighted that they were the same as 2018? Or was it simply that Disney have changed the date in which they do the annual increase?

I dunno, I'm hypothesising here but it kinda makes perfect sense to me & means the Dining plan is actually FREE but the timings of increases has now made it appear as though its costing a small amount.

[Tigger71]

Reading the posts, I conclude there seems to be two ways at looking at this :

1. The budget view
As "loves2plan" says, you set a budget on the price on a certain day for the room and count on that when Free Dining is released the price will stay the same. If the price goes up, you will be over your budget (and maybe have to save more / forsake something).
The risk with budgets/forecasts is suppose like a weather forecast - you never actually know until the time/date/event even if you base it on historical events/trends.

2. The total cost view
This view is saying that if you had booked yesterday, you would have paid for room, ticket and dining (being it the DDP or you would have paid out of pocket when there). If you book today, although the room price gone up - because you are not paying for dining your total outgoings will in the end of the day be less than yesterday.

[pokerbanter]

I think for parity you would have to add in the $200 gift card to the "budget view"? That wasn't available yesterday but is now added in. That also seems to be forgotten. It certainly negates a large chunk of any rise, maybe even all of it in some cases