What is a Disney Dining plan?

bsiev1977

bsiev1977

Well-Known Member
Like others said, I like the idea of not having to take out cash or my credit card every time I get a little hungry. I'm paying for convenience as much as anything else. I chose the Premium Plan also for the extras that are part of the package. Many of the tours are included, and I et a ticket to La Nouba with the package.

Will I necessarily be getting my every penny's worth as far as meals go? Maybe not.
Do the minor restrictions bother me? No. I don't drink alcohol, and I'm sure there will be enough valid snack choices to suit me.

As much as anything else, when 10/23/2013 comes around and my final payments are in, I know that once I arrive at WDW I don't really have to pay for much, beside gifts and tips.
 
Semantje

Semantje

Active Member
I just calculated my savings and i am pleased what i see. Keep in mind that we only pay $40 a day per person for the Deluxe dining plan, i think it's a steal but i'm sure i would not have taken the Deluxe for $100 a day a person.

Here is what i got:

From my 42 Meal points for two weeks i planned in 25 points wich i want to make ADR's for. I checked every menu and calculated every average course price and that of a non alcoholic drink. If we weren't on the DDP we would pay $871 for 23 Meals including 2 Quick Service, 3 Signatures and 18 Table Service. I paid $560 for the DDP so i am already saving big money.

This is even without the snacks and refillable mug. And i still have 13 eating spots on my planning i can fill up wich means another 2-3 Signatures wich will definiatly pile up the savings. We do not do breakfast every morning so we can add some signatures. We would settle for a muffin or something on days that we have an early lunch.

I think with all food at the end we will be saving $1000+ with just the two of us. Wich is great obviously! But i do think if we had to pay the full price we didn't took it. Than we will be paying $1400 a person for our vacation wich do not let us save much to almost nothing.

Besides that i still have 13 spots to fill it doesnt means that we will do that. Again we will skip breakfast or lunch sometimes. On the 'free' days i also have some shopping to do so i am not sure if we will lunch on property.

Pfff that where alot of numbers but fun to do and now i also know how much we will have to save for tips. Whe are not used to USA tip habbits since it's different here. I believe a part of the waitress wage is from tips right? It's not the same here. Waitresses just get paid a full salary for just doing their job. We do tip here and it is normal to do so but not 18%. I think around 10% is quite generous over here and that is what i usually do if i am pleased with the service. I think if i paid something like $40 for a tip on a expensive meal they would bring me back the money thinking i have made an mistake.
 
NewfieFan

NewfieFan

Well-Known Member
Weather_Lady said:
Still, I know many people love the dining plan because they can rest assured that everything is "already paid-for." For me, that's a non-issue, since we just save up ahead of time so we know that once the credit card bill for our Disney food comes in, we can pay it off immediately. If you are someone who'd rather have it all taken care of in advance, then the DDP might be worth a few extra dollars to you, solely for that reassurance.
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I get a lot of people say that to me, that they like the convience and the pre-pay method. It's kind of like an all inclusive (but not). I just don't understand why people would waste money for the convience of it!?! It's blows my mind. A lot of folks that I help plan trips for the DDP is just not worth it for them and they would be much better off paying as they go. I usually suggest to these people to take the amount they would spend on the DDP and put it aside or put it on Disney gift card. Use the card only for food and see what's left over. Most folks tell me they had a lot of money left on the card at the end of their trip, that's the amount that they would have wasted if they had payed for the DDP. I still encourage them to eat what they want, when they want, etc. And they always come out ahead. It is very hard to break even on the dining plan let alone save money. Unless you're really big eaters, like the most expensive menu items at every restaurant, someone who typically orders dessert at every meal, etc. the DDP is not for you. I'm not saying the DDP is not worth it for everyone, I'm sure there are folks who put it to good use. But the families from my neck of the woods just can't consume that much food on a vacation.
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Semantje said:
I just calculated my savings and i am pleased what i see. Keep in mind that we only pay $40 a day per person for the Deluxe dining plan, i think it's a steal but i'm sure i would not have taken the Deluxe for $100 a day a person.
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Just out of curiosity -- how are you getting such a discount on the dining plan? $40 per person for deluxe does sound like a steal.
 
Semantje

Semantje

Active Member
Weather_Lady said:
Just out of curiosity -- how are you getting such a discount on the dining plan? $40 per person for deluxe does sound like a steal.
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I live in Europe and so i had to book my package trough waltdisneyworld.co.uk wich gave me the normal plan for free and i could upgrade to the deluxe for only $40. We love all kind of foods so we had to do it! Got an great deal on a Deluxe Resort as well wich we had to take for the Deluxe Dining plan offer. I just can't believe why you get so much more on the uk website than on the american original version.

Well i do want to give you the numbers, i do not care if everybody knows what we have to pay.

We are paying $5600 for a 14 night trip for 2 adults. This is what we have:

- Standard room at Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Deluxe Dining Plan
- 14 day tickets (Hopper and Waterparks included)
- $200 giftcard
- Preffered viewings for wishes and illuminations
- Loads and loads of discount coupons but most for restaurants wich we are not going to use.

Also i booked my vacation 17 Months in advance wich i think was great. When i saw this deal i couldnt believe it could get any cheaper so i booked right away. But i am curious on how this can happen? Why do we get better deals at the uk website?
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
That's great, @Semantje -- I imagine you get better deals, at least in part, because Disney is trying to account for the fact that international travelers are paying far more in transportation expenses, and they want to make it worthwhile for you. Not to mention, we like to pack the parks with as many UK residents as possible, because we are utterly enchanted by their accents. As my husband remarked last time we were in Disney World, standing behind a family from London, "why is it that if you have a British accent, everything you say sounds wittier and more intelligent than if you didn't have one?" :)
 
Semantje

Semantje

Active Member
Lol i have to agree on the accent. It sound delightfull hihi. Too bad i do not have it actually since i am not from England but from Holland. The hardest thing to put away is a Dutch accent, well i do think Dutchies do great in English but you can always tell that their from Holland. Same as you can always tell when a french or german citizen is speaking English.

Been to London tho and loved how the people talk over there but we also went to Scotland and some of the elderly people over there are sometimes too hard to understand.
 
real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Semantje said:
Lol i have to agree on the accent. It sound delightfull hihi. Too bad i do not have it actually since i am not from England but from Holland. The hardest thing to put away is a Dutch accent, well i do think Dutchies do great in English but you can always tell that their from Holland. Same as you can always tell when a french or german citizen is speaking English.

Been to London tho and loved how the people talk over there but we also went to Scotland and some of the elderly people over there are sometimes too hard to understand.
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. Whit are ye talking aboot.It's aw the drink we take that alters the lingo.;)
 
Semantje

Semantje

Active Member
figmentfan423 said:
I'll drink to that!!!!!
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Well Scottish people sure do. Thise beers are huge!!! and they keep them coming all day long. Iv'e seen men taking beers at breakfast over there and they always take the car. What is going on over there? Well i haven't seen much police actually.....
 

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