AP Dining Plan

[DisneyMusician2]

Just curious what the cost was of the AP dining plan, and if anyone had used it before? It seems like it might provide a discount over the normal package, and someone asked me about it, but I wasn't really sure what to tell them.

Any help is always appreciated!

 

[Master Yoda]

I do not think that there is any discount at all on the AP dining plan. It is simply the standard DDP, you can just get it without purchasing tickets. The cost for the standard DDP is $37.99 for adults and $9.99 for a child 9 and under.

 

[ypcat]

Master Yoda is correct. There is no discount on price. You just don't need to buy extra park tickets. Be aware though that even though you will have room-only, the booking is a package and you will be subject to the different deposit/cancellation rules.

 

[cabihler]

just curious so please give your thoughts

i have been a LONG time APer. i recall a time when just having the AP got you dining discounts for both lunch and dinner ALAS that or part of it disappeared some time ago.

SO I would love your thoughts on which is a better deal, understanding before hand that it could differ...., so which do you recommend the DDP, even under its new name, or getting the basic Dining Plan.

please read on before replying. typically we do not use sit down dinners every night of our stays, sometimes only half & sometimes even less and yes sometimes even more. however this past June i was down there for 12 days and each night we had made sit down plans and i did have the Basic Dining Plan with the AP and i thought it was an excellent deal. keeping track of what i had during the day i figured that i more than got my 37.99 per day for it..... BUT i wonder if i would be better off getting the DDP, or its new name, for 2009.

a little about what/when i will be at the world to help you with your advice. i will be there for 7 days/nights january 28 thru feb 4th; my daughter, who is getting married the end of july, and i are trying to have one more dad/daughter trip there in mid-june probably for 5 nights; i have reservations to take my rents, they are in their mid-80's, down to the world from sept 27 thru oct 5th at the CBR and it is likely that two or more family members may also come down for a couple of days as well for part of that time; if all works out well i would like to be there for christmas day or the day after 2009 thru new years day; and finally the possibility of a return for the marathon weekend.

so given i do not think we will do a sit down dinner each of the nights there but not being really sure would i be better off with the Basic Dining Plan or with the AP discounted DDP, or its new name.

thank you in advance for your thoughts

 

[Master Yoda]

i have been a LONG time APer. i recall a time when just having the AP got you dining discounts for both lunch and dinner ALAS that or part of it disappeared some time ago.

SO I would love your thoughts on which is a better deal, understanding before hand that it could differ...., so which do you recommend the DDP, even under its new name, or getting the basic Dining Plan.

please read on before replying. typically we do not use sit down dinners every night of our stays, sometimes only half & sometimes even less and yes sometimes even more. however this past June i was down there for 12 days and each night we had made sit down plans and i did have the Basic Dining Plan with the AP and i thought it was an excellent deal. keeping track of what i had during the day i figured that i more than got my 37.99 per day for it..... BUT i wonder if i would be better off getting the DDP, or its new name, for 2009.

a little about what/when i will be at the world to help you with your advice. i will be there for 7 days/nights january 28 thru feb 4th; my daughter, who is getting married the end of july, and i are trying to have one more dad/daughter trip there in mid-june probably for 5 nights; i have reservations to take my rents, they are in their mid-80's, down to the world from sept 27 thru oct 5th at the CBR and it is likely that two or more family members may also come down for a couple of days as well for part of that time; if all works out well i would like to be there for christmas day or the day after 2009 thru new years day; and finally the possibility of a return for the marathon weekend.

so given i do not think we will do a sit down dinner each of the nights there but not being really sure would i be better off with the Basic Dining Plan or with the AP discounted DDP, or its new name.

thank you in advance for your thoughts

If all you do is compare food to dollars the dining plan will almost always come out ahead. However, when you look at what you would actually order for a meal the Tables in Wonderland (formerly Disney Dining experience) will either break even or come out ahead of the DDP. Also with TIW you get a freedom and flexibility that you do not have with DDP. You are not locked in to that 1 TS 1 CS 1 snack use it or loose it plan. Alcohol consumption should also be considered. If you family is the type that typically orders a cocktail or bottle of wine with dinner TIW can save you a small fortune. As you can see there is no simple answer, you simply have to make a tentative dining plan and run the numbers.

 

[cabihler]

great points

i would still love the input of others....

first thank you for your reply and correcting me on the naming of the plans .... and you do raise an excellent point about the alcohol etc. i had dinner in italy one night in june and while the meal was covered and the plan more than paid for itself i did have an additional cost of $60 for wine, after dinner drink and tip....

thank you for your thoughts and again to others please convey your experiences and thoughts

 

[Rob562]

I ran the numbers a year or two ago according to how my friends and I would eat while on the Plan, and compared it to the same meals using the DDE/TIW discount. The only time that the Dining Plan came out ahead of TIW was when the Dining Plan was free.

Of course right now Free Dining may not be the best offer available. For my trip this coming June, I'd gotten a PIN code special offer for Free Dining. But after I calculated the numbers out for a 7-night stay, except for a Value resort, it was cheaper to book the "Buy 4, Get 3" special and pay full-price for the meal plan than it was to use the Free Dining special offer.
Of course, we're staying at Pop Century in June, so Free Dining it is! (Factoring the discount we would have gotten on B4G3, it's more of a "discounted Dining Plan". We're paying less than $28 per person per night for the regular DDP, compared to its normal price of $40. But we'd probably spend more than $28 for out-of-pocket meals anyway,)

-Rob