Dining Plan Options - AP & MYW

[ScrappyTam]

I know that there are several different Dining Options available, but I keep getting them confused.

My family and I are planning a trip in Sept. and I am contemplating using the dining options. We we go will have 1 AP and 3 MYW passes. (2A, 1J, 1C).

I have read that there was some way for AP holders to be eligible for the new MYW Dining plan. Is that true? How would that work? With the AP do you automatically get some discounts on food, but can purchase an AP dining card that does more?

Also, if we have to buy only 3 of the dining plans b/c of the AP, could I possibly buy 2 adults &1 Child, but then use it in the restaurants as 3 adults & pay for the child?

Thanks for any info you can give me.

 

[Thrawn]

There is a "Disney Dining Experience" card for AP holders. It gives a 20% discount at over 70 sit down restaurants. Here's a link for info:
http://www.allearsnet.com/din/dde.htm

It runs $50, and is well, well worth it. The phone number you call to order is 407-WDW-DINE

You will want to order it about 2 months before your trip so you get the card in time.

 

[Moustronaut]

I have read that there was some way for AP holders to be eligible for the new MYW Dining plan. Is that true? How would that work? With the AP do you automatically get some discounts on food, but can purchase an AP dining card that does more?

Your AP will come with some discounts on restaurants for lunches. You get 10% off many of the in-park, sit down, non-character dining restaurants for lunch only just by being an AP holder. This applies to the passholder and up to 3 guests.

As an AP holder, you can join the Disney Dining Experience which gets you 20% off your entire meal for up to a party size of 8 people in almost every disney run sit down restaurant on property for any meal. But this does not get you any discount on counter service meals. A one year membership in DDE costs $50.

There is no direct way to by a Magic Your Way PLUS dining plan if you are an annual pass holder. But I have heard on the boards you can still participate but doing this proceedure. When you book your trip, you book your room, then purchase MYW for the rest of your family for however many days you need, then buy a MYW ticket for you for only 1 day, then add the pre-paid dining plan to all four people in your party for each night of your stay. You must buy the MYW ticket for yourself for at least one day, even though you have an AP, to add the dining option. The dining option length is based on the number of nights in your resort stay, not the number of days on your ticket. As stated in other threads, this allows a snack, a counter service lunch, and a sit down dinner for each person for each night of your stay with certain restrictions on where you can eat and what you can order for a fixed price per day.

Hope it helps!

 

[Moustronaut]

Also, if we have to buy only 3 of the dining plans b/c of the AP, could I possibly buy 2 adults &1 Child, but then use it in the restaurants as 3 adults & pay for the child?

No, since the child dining plan costs much less than the adult plan, children must order off a child's menu if available. I mean maybe that would work if one of the adults wanted to order of the children's menu, but there's not going to be a huge discount that way.

But of course you can buy 2 adult and 1 child plans and pay for the 3rd adult out of pocket when you dine.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Your AP will come with some discounts on restaurants for lunches. You get 10% off many of the in-park, sit down, non-character dining restaurants for lunch only just by being an AP holder. This applies to the passholder and up to 3 guests.

As an AP holder, you can join the Disney Dining Experience which gets you 20% off your entire meal for up to a party size of 8 people in almost every disney run sit down restaurant on property for any meal. But this does not get you any discount on counter service meals. A one year membership in DDE costs $50.

There is no direct way to by a Magic Your Way PLUS dining plan if you are an annual pass holder. But I have heard on the boards you can still participate but doing this proceedure. When you book your trip, you book your room, then purchase MYW for the rest of your family for however many days you need, then buy a MYW ticket for you for only 1 day, then add the pre-paid dining plan to all four people in your party for each night of your stay. You must buy the MYW ticket for yourself for at least one day, even though you have an AP, to add the dining option. The dining option length is based on the number of nights in your resort stay, not the number of days on your ticket. As stated in other threads, this allows a snack, a counter service lunch, and a sit down dinner for each person for each night of your stay with certain restrictions on where you can eat and what you can order for a fixed price per day.

Hope it helps!

This isnt entirely correct as this was an option I was looking into. You need to purchase the same package INLCUDING then number of days of park tickets for everyone in the room. So in this case everyone would have to book the MYW tix for one day for the AP holder and the other people and then simply upgrade to the number of days and options for the tickets on all of the other people but the AP holder. I found the whole thing to be a pain in the tailfeathers!!! Belle

 

[WendyTinkerbell]

Another correction is that the DDE does include 20% off at some counter service meals, such as some at the resorts and Animal Kingdom.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Absolutely correct and a very pleasant surprise for this DDE cardholder!!! WOOHOO!!!! Belle

 

[JPVonDrake]

The Magic Your Way Package Plus Dinning includes...

Per Person
Accommodations at a Disney owned and operated resort
A Magic Your Way Ticket of your choice
Official Walt Disney Travel Company luggage Tag
Disney's Dinning Plan for the full length of your stay

Everyone in room must be on the same package and Magic Your Way ticket options and entitlements.

With the Disney Dinning Plan, each guest (age 3+) receives per night:

1 Table Service Meal
Appetizer, Entrée, Desert, Non-alcoholic beverage, tax and gratuity
OR
Full buffet, non-alcoholic beverage, tax and gratuity

1 Counter-Service Meal
Entrée, dessert, non-alcoholic beverage, tax

1 Snack - Choice of 1 item:
Frozen Ice-Cream Novelty, Box of Popcorn, 20oz Coke Product, Medium Fountain Soft Drink, ½ Pint of Milk, Medium Apple Juice, Single Piece of Fruit, bag of Frito-Lay Brand Chips

Upon check-in, all meals from the package are combined into one central account for maximum flexibility. Any Guest in the party may use the meals in any order from this central account at any time during their package stay until all the meals are depleted. Guest ages 3-9 must order from the child's menu where available. The guest may choose to use the meal entitlements for select guest at the table and pay for other guests by requesting separate checks. All separate check request must be made before your order is taken.

The price of the package is:

$ 35 / adult (18+) $ 35 / junior (10-17) $ 10 / child (3-9) PER NIGHT + Cost of Room & Ticket

Annual Passholders are welcome to book this package, but the same MYW ticket must be purchased for everyone in the party including the passholder. There is no passholder marketing offers on this or any vacation package. Passholder offers are for room-only reservations only, based on availiablity.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

 

[Lauriebar]

You will want to order it about 2 months before your trip so you get the card in time.

I just wanted to mention that even if you are below the 6-8 week mark before your vacation you can still purchase the Disney Dining Experience and they will send you a voucher that can be used if you don't receive your card before your vacation. I have heard that they will even fax this voucher to you if there isn't time to mail it.

 

[ScrappyTam]

Everyone in room must be on the same package and Magic Your Way ticket options and entitlements.


Annual Passholders are welcome to book this package, but the same MYW ticket must be purchased for everyone in the party including the passholder. There is no passholder marketing offers on this or any vacation package. Passholder offers are for room-only reservations only, based on availiablity.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

So basically I have 2 options:

1) Get an AP and hopefully discounted room, then either do meals on our own w/o discounts or get the DDE card for $50.

or

2) Pay rack rate for the room, get everyone MYW tickets, and then the dining plan for everyone.


Is that correct????

 

[wannabeBelle]

pretty much. Belle

 

[Laura]

So basically I have 2 options:

1) Get an AP and hopefully discounted room, then either do meals on our own w/o discounts or get the DDE card for $50.

or

2) Pay rack rate for the room, get everyone MYW tickets, and then the dining plan for everyone.


Is that correct????

Yes, except you do get SOME meal discounts with the AP without buying the dining experience card.

Here's the problem I have with the dining plan - it only includes 2 meals and a snack, but I would be starving if I didn't have 3 meals a day. So you pay about $37 for the dining plan (after tax) and then pay another $10 for an additional counter service meal out of pocket per day, you're looking at $47 per person per day with the dining plan (for 3 meals plus snack). With the AP discounts you could get a snack ($3) and then get 2 counter service meals ($20) and 1 sit down meal (about $22 including tax/tip) per day for a total of $45. So the total cost is about the same for either plan. This is why I think it is more beneficial to get the AP because then you are also getting a big savings on your room and other activities (and you can go back within a year without buying admission).

 

[wannabeBelle]

I am kinda with you on this one Laura, I prefer a big breakfast ( Sit down meal and applicable for the 20% off) usually a snack or a counter service meal split with a friend (Counter service and snacks mostly do not have the discounts within the parks, Animal Kingdom and the All Stars & Pop are the notable exceptions to this) and a sit down dinner( 20% yet again) Plus with as often as I go, it would be just stupid to not have the AP for me. Room discounts arent as great as they have been but they are OK And at a savings of $40-50 bucks a night lately on the Moderates which is generally where I stay, Ill take it!!!!! Belle

 

[ScrappyTam]

Thanks for your input! I am leaning towards the AP option. Especially if I can get a rate for Sept that is as good as or better than whats up for now. Oops, maybe that's another thread. :lookaroun


Thanks again! You guys have been a tremendous help!

 

[KumbaRider]

Good luck, there are so many options!

 

[JPVonDrake]

Just to add a little side note...

The added cost of the dinning plan on your vacation package is

$35 per adult (age 10+) per night including tax.
$10 per child (age 3-9) per night including tax.

Unless you are ordering very light, you most likely will spend more then $25 on a table service meal per adult, even before tax and tip.

But whether one saves more or less on the dinning plan is up to how one eats. If you prefer to each 3 small meals or 2 big meals is one of the greatest factors in your decision.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

 

[maryg]

What about teenagers?

I have a fourteen and a fifteen-year-old. I have them down on my reservation as children. If I upgrade to have the meals included, do they have to eat from the children's menu? I can do the plan, or I am budgeting about 200 dollars a day for 2 adults and 2 teenagers (both girls-one is vegetarian) and a seven-year-old son (yes, he's an oops baby). We are staying at the Contemporary for seven days. By the way, does the plan include room service? Thanks for your help.

 

[JPVonDrake]

I have a fourteen and a fifteen-year-old. I have them down on my reservation as children. If I upgrade to have the meals included, do they have to eat from the children's menu? I can do the plan, or I am budgeting about 200 dollars a day for 2 adults and 2 teenagers (both girls-one is vegetarian) and a seven-year-old son (yes, he's an oops baby). We are staying at the Contemporary for seven days. By the way, does the plan include room service? Thanks for your help.

If you gave the correct ages when you booked your reservation, then your 14 and 15 year olds should be listed as Juniors (ages 11-17), and would order from the adult menu. They will also pay for adult tickets but will not affect the room cost. Your 7 year old should be listed as a Child (ages 3-9), and would need to order from a child menu if one is available.

The dinning plan does not included room service or pizza delivery.

Hope this answers your questions! :sohappy:

 

[maryg]

Thanks for your input

Well, I paid the extra for the meal plan. It's 149 per day/night for all of us. I figure it will be one less thing to worry about (maybe).

 

[TeeCeeFitz]

I haven't been able to determine if the AP needs to be an active pass, or can you purchase the DDE with a Voucher? :brick: