Has Anyone tried the NEW Dining Plan?

[New2WDW]

I am interested in this new Dining plan add on and I have read some other threads but I am looking for info on the MYW Dining Plan ($35/adult & $10/kid). Has anyone tried this yet and any other info about it would be appreciated?:lookaroun

 

[New2WDW]

Color OK!

I think I sent the color one. ooops

I also have the brochures for the premium plan if anyone is intersted.

Booking with me is a plus :lookaroun :lol:

Thanks! I have DSL at work and I will get that tomorrow! I will check with you next time I get ready to commit. Honestly, figuring out my vacation is the fun part for me. We just started going down in 2003. Just for the record - I would love to get an AP and come down more often but I am stretching every dollar.
Thanks again for the Info!!! I have some questions on Kingdom Konsultants but I will send you a personal note.

 

[JPVonDrake]

Absolutely correct there Moustronaut!!! I havent sat down and run the numbers as of yet. Then again numbers in this case could be kind of difficult. Last year I was in Disney for a gran total of 24 days over the course of 6 trips. The vast majority of my meals were of the sit down type, not counter service and I got the AP discount on my room at either a Moderate or Value level resort each time. I Am an AP holder because I go to the parks so frequently. I dont know if that would work for one or two trips. I think that Disney offered the DDE card to the Passholders because they couldnt include us in the meal plan!!! Any thoughts?? Belle

Well Passholders can take advantage of the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining package. Sorta.

The package does include a Magic Your Way Ticket of your choice. Magic Your Way Tickets expire 14 days from first use but here is the trick, the tickets never expires until 14 days after first use. Add the no expiration option, and the ticket never expires period. So if you are unable to get a Passholder discount on your room and want to try the plan, go for it. Simply save the ticket (your room key) for a future visit when your Annual Pass has expired. If you have a FL Resident Seasonal Pass, simply use the ticket during a black-out period. Do keep in mind that your ticket encoded room key does have your name printed on it, so it will be non-transferable.

I have verified this idea with guest services to see if it works, and have been told yes, guest will be able to hold onto this ticket, but it cannot be used by anyone other then the guest it was issued to.

Edit: Disney Vacation Packages need to be booked at least 3 days in advance of arrival. If you have booked a "room-only" reservation you will need to make the change over to the package at least 5 days in advance of arrival to avoid penalties.

 

[wannabeBelle]

hhhmmmmm very cool idea there but here is an interesting question, if I do that, will I be able to put those days towards an Annual Pass?? I do get the regular AP as I Am out of state. Also can a MYW ticket for say 5 days be upgraded to a MYW 7 day like the park hoppers used to be able to?? Thanks again for all your info!!! Belle

 

[JPVonDrake]

hhhmmmmm very cool idea there but here is an interesting question, if I do that, will I be able to put those days towards an Annual Pass?? I do get the regular AP as I Am out of state. Also can a MYW ticket for say 5 days be upgraded to a MYW 7 day like the park hoppers used to be able to?? Thanks again for all your info!!! Belle

Give me a few days, and I will find out...

 

[lentesta]

Here's an overview of the MYWwD plan from the Unofficial Guide.

Hope this helps.

Len

 

[New2WDW]

Thanks Lentesta for the link, great info. There is one thing the writer mentioned that I did not see on the list of restaurants...Rainforest Cafe. Is it on any list that anyone has seen?

 

[Moustronaut]

Thanks Lentesta for the link, great info. There is one thing the writer mentioned that I did not see on the list of restaurants...Rainforest Cafe. Is it on any list that anyone has seen?

I don't believe it is. It's not even shown on that site's list of participating restaurants.

And I don't understand the author's remark that having a car on property make disney dining easier. "3. Having a car allows you access to many good, participating restaurants, especially at Epcot, the Disney-MGM Studios, and the Animal Kingdom. Choices are much more limited if using Disney transportation." Huh???

 

[TAH]

On the MYW plus Dining Package children must oder off the kids menu.

 

[disneysailor]

Interesting to note that several of the World Showcase table restaurants are excluded from the Disney Dining Plan.

Many of the restaurants in World Showcase are actually owned and operated by Concessionaires rather than Disney. Many of the restaurant names are actually the name of the company operating the restaurant. CM's who work there are also not directly employed by Disney and don't recieve the same employment benefits.

Mexico- San Angel
China- China Exhibition Corp.
Italy- Alfredo's
Japan- Mitsukoshi
France- Chefs de France
Morocco- Restaurant Marrakech

I guess this is why they, and restuarants such as Rainforest Cafe are not included in the plan- the profit margins for Disney are too small for MYW.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Here's an overview of the MYWwD plan from the Unofficial Guide.

Hope this helps.

Len

Hi Len,

How about an official Unofficial travel agent for the Unofficial guide?

Pam :wave:

 

[JPVonDrake]

hhhmmmmm very cool idea there but here is an interesting question, if I do that, will I be able to put those days towards an Annual Pass?? I do get the regular AP as I Am out of state. Also can a MYW ticket for say 5 days be upgraded to a MYW 7 day like the park hoppers used to be able to?? Thanks again for all your info!!! Belle

I verified this today.

When you book a package everyone in the room must purchase the same ticket options. However, once you check-in to your resort, each person in the party is free to upgrade their MYW ticket individually. The only rules are the new the ticket is upgraded within 14 days of first used (or never used) the new ticket must be of equal or greater value, and the new ticket is issued to the same person.

So yes, Annual passholders can purchase a MYW ticket with a vacation package, not use it, and then upgrade that ticket to an Annual Pass Renewal Voucher and simply pay the difference.

 

[lentesta]

My bad on the Rainforest Cafe. I'll have that corrected shortly. Thanks for catching that one.

Also, dessert is now included in the plan for the counter-service meals. I'll add that as well.

Moustronaut, there are no participating sit-down restaurants at the Animal Kingdom, only a few at the Studios, and a few in World Showcase. Of the Epcot sit-down's, the Coral Reef should be avoided entirely, Le Cellier is probably cheaper if you pay out of pocket, and the Biergarten's break-even. If you're spending the evening at any of these parks, saving any kind of money using the plan will be a lot easier if you have a car, and can drive to where you want to dine. The alternative, using Disney transportation, can take a looooonnnggg time, especially from resort to resort. Using a cab, of course, diminishes the savings from the plan.

Also, note that with dessert, a counter-service lunch at Pecos Bills can run around 1,200 calories, about 80% of the daily caloric intake for an average adult woman. That's also roughly 80% of the fat intake a typical person should have in one day.....and that's just one meal. You've gotta be really, really hungry to eat all that food every day.

Pam, we're agnostic on travel agents, but drop me a line and I can hook you up with something special on our trip planner later this year.

Len
len@touringplans.com

 

[JPVonDrake]

Moustronaut, there are no participating sit-down restaurants at the Animal Kingdom, only a few at the Studios, and a few in World Showcase.
Len
len@touringplans.com

Just to clearify..

The one and only table service restaurant inside Animal Kingdom IS included, that would be Donald's Breakfastosaurous at Restaurantosaurous.

All Table Service restaurants at Disney-MGM Studios are included.

All Table Service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are included.

Only restaurants not operated by Disney are excluded. This would include many of the World Showcase Restaurants and most of the Downtown Disney Restaurants. This also includes the restaurants at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.

Also keep in mind you do not need to used your table service meals only for Dinner. You get one table meal per night of your stay, but they can be used at any time during your stay for Breakfast, Lunch OR Dinner. You can use one table service meal for any Character meal, and you can use two for any one meal at one of ten signature restuarants or three Dinner shows.

Disney Transportation is not as slow as some may lead you to believe. Busses arrive about every 15 to 20 minutes to any bus stop. Factor in the time it would take for you to walk through the parking lot to get to your car, drive from one resort or Park to another, find a new parking place, and then walk through that parking lot to your desination, and it will take about the same length of time as hopping on a bus.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I do respect that, but as the Dining Plan may work for everyone, it can also save many guest money.

 

[lentesta]

Sorry, JPVonDrake, I meant for dinner. As breakfast usually costs less than dinner, it makes more sense to use your table-service meals for your evening meal. As the purpose of the plan is to save money, I don't think that's a huge assumption.

While "all" table-service restaurants in MGM might be in the plan, "all" isn't that many when you look at it. The Sci-Fi Dine-In food quality is poor (according to more than 60% of our readers, too). It'd be a waste of money for most folks to dine there. That leaves four other places to choose from in the park, I believe.

At Hollywood and Vine, paying for the buffet out of pocket would cost around $25.62 with tax and tip. That's not a huge savings under the plan, especially if you have to take the risk of having to eat all that food every day to get your money's worth. Not a compelling argument for the plan.

The Brown Derby counts as two sit-down meals, or roughly $60 under the plan. But in checking the menu prices, most diners - I'd say the vast majority - would appear to be better off just paying out of pocket, as relatively few combinations of appetizer, entree, dessert, tax and 15% tip will come to $60. So for most folks, there's no reason to eat there under the plan.

That leaves Mama Melrose's and the Prime Time as decent choices. I'd say two restaurant choices is "a few." Even if we throw in Hollywood and Vine, three is still in the "few" ballpark.

Regarding the risk of not eating all the food, I mentioned that just the burger, fries, soda and dessert at a typical counter-service restaurant will be 80% of the recommended caloric intake for a typical female for an entire day - around 1,200 calories, using typical fast-food menus as a guide. That's sixty percent of a typical adult male's 2,000 calorie diet, and around of 75% of the recommended fat content for an entire day. And that's just lunch. You'd still have a snack, and at least an appetizer, entree, and dessert to eat at dinner, assuming you skip breakfast and eat nothing else. I have a difficult time believing most people can eat that much food for very many days in a row. I've tried really really hard (really!), and I can't do it. And remember, unless you're eating all that food, the economics of the plan break down quickly.

Regarding bus service, there's no way using Disney transportation is as efficient as a car, on average, when going from resort to resort. As resort-to-resort trips using a Disney bus would almost always necessitate a stop somewhere else (e.g., a park, another resort, Downtown Disney, or the TTC), your own numbers would seem to indicate a 45-60 minute trip. I'd bet the worst-case scenario is nearly double that. But I'm fairly certain I can get from resort to resort almost anywhere on property in 30 minutes or less by car, tops.

Len

 

[New2WDW]

Also, dessert is now included in the plan for the counter-service meals. I'll add that as well.

Hey Len! What's this about dessert being added to the counter service meal? Is that something disney added recently? And I do appreciate all comments on this thread - it is neat to see how different people perceive things and it helps me look at every angle. My personal take on driving is I just don't wanna! I like to park and not see my car till vacation is over!

 

[Moustronaut]

Of the Epcot sit-down's, the Coral Reef should be avoided entirely,

Agreed. I've been watching their quality slide down hill the last 5-6 years I've been visiting regularlly.... but that's another thread entirely

The alternative, using Disney transportation, can take a looooonnnggg time, especially from resort to resort.

True, but restaurants outside of the parks are by no means inaccessible without a car as the website's author makes it sound. From Epcot, the Boardwalk area restaurants are easily walkable and the MK resort restaurants are two brief monorail rides away.

 

[shari71]

Until this last year we never did the sit down meal thing. But with the children being ages where they eat fast or little to nothing, character meals became something we started doing this year to get them to sit longer so we could get a meal. In doing that our food budget was out of this world in comparison to previous trips. The meal plan works great for us in this way. Cinderella's Royal Table easily costs us $60 and one of our children is under 3 so we don't pay for her. Then we snack around lunch for $10-15. Then a late supper at counter service for easily $30. At $80 a day for the plan this saves us a lot of money for other things.

A note about Disney transportation: I think they rock!

BUT

This last year we had 8:00 reservations at Cindy's and we were not staying at a monorail resort. So we packed up the girls into the car to get there in time....AND you know. With two small children it worked great. No waiting for buses, cramming on too many people while trying to corral two small ones. Now I am not saying it is for everyone, but it worked out for us to drive that trip, which we had never done in all our 8 trips. I don't know what we will do the next trip, but I know as they get older and we don't have to carry a baby bag and stroller - we won't be driving, because I don't want to have to worry about that on vacation.

 

[lentesta]

A note about Disney transportation: I think they rock!

A good point. Let's not lose sight of the fact that Disney C/Ms and management as a whole do an outstanding job overall. During summer, they feed, clothe, house, transport, entertain and ensure the safety of upwards of a hundred thousand people per day. That's bigger than most cities. And the C/Ms do it so well that people (including me) are willing to spend thousands of dollars to visit year after year. It is a remarkable achievement, one that goes largely unreported and unrecognized.

Moustronaut, yeah, I thought about the monorail. You'll notice that I picked a couple of Epcot-area restaurants for dinner in the article, as they're relatively short walks from World Showcase. There are a couple of issues with that: One, transportation time takes away from being in the parks, for which folks are paying around $4-6 per hour (that's 10-12 hours/day at $40-60/day). Also it's not so much getting to the restaurant, it's getting back to your resort from another resort that I think may be problematic.

In general, a huge part of this issue would go away if more World Showcase restaurants participated in the plan, IMHO, as the Epcot and Mk resorts would have easy access to a wide variety of good restaurants. I anticipate this will happen eventually, simply because Disney wants more people in World Showcase at night anyway. I expect Everest and evening EMHs at the AK to do the same, over time.

Good discussion. Thanks for the tips, everyone.

Sincerely,

Len

 

[slappy magoo]

The potential for saving lots of money is definitely there. You can either plan it out like an archaelogical dig, and go to the most expensive restaurants around the World that apply and order the most expensive items and really stick it to the man! (Also make sure you always make dinner your sit-down meal, as lunches are cheaper).

Or, you can look at it as one less thing to worry about when you get there, knowing that some restaurants will become bargains, and others might be break-even deals. You'll get the most bang for your buck if you eat at some of the nicer (but not "signature") resturants in the deluxe hotels. I think Disney was hoping most people would just use them to eat in the park resturants, and that's where, for the most part, the value becomes more negligible. But even there, I think many people will still save 5 to 10 dollars a day. Multiply that by the length of your stay (and if you're paying for children or other people in your party), and it's definitely worth it. Even at the buffet-style restaurants which are usually around 23-25 dollars, once you factor in the tip, it's at least a nothing gained-nothing lost venture.

And now I understand why Disney offered the Disney Dining Experience to Annual Passholders. TO shell out that kind of cash for annual passes and not have a comparable option for discounted dining that MYW ticketholders get would've resulted in ANARCHY!

 

[lentesta]

Yeah, the DDE is an good deal, no doubt at all.

Len