Just for fun: what would be your "dream" dining plan?

[bangzoom6877]

Just wanted to start this thread for fun, to see what other people would want as far as the dining plan in the future. So let's pretend it's 2009 already and Disney is requesting some input from its potential guests. They want to know what you would like to see as a new added dining plan to the current ones available for 2009, so that they can enhance the dining plans for 2010. Here are a few of my "dreams":

1. My true dream dining plan: 2 meals daily (could be TS or CS, choice is yours); appetizer included at TS a la carte restaurants; 1 snack daily

2. 2 TS meals daily plus 1 CS meal daily, plus 1 snack daily; appetizer included at TS

3. 3 meals daily, anywhere, app. included at TS (no snacks)

What would you like to see in the future, for 2010?

[honeymo78]

I would love to see the platinum/premium meal segment available separately - basically 3 meals per night with all locations requiring 1 credit. Or just let DVC buy plat/prem and you don't have to change anything.

[stepdisney]

I would love to have 3 meal credits per day, 1 TS and 2 CS and the option of exchanging 2 CS for 1 TS. Some days we eat a quick breakfast sandwich at the CS at the resort, get an early start and have a good lunch and TS dinner. Other days, we like a leisurely TS breakfast either at our resort (Boma!!) or at the park, we eat a snack mid-day, and we have a TS dinner. I like flexibility but I don't like using 2 TS when I only have 2 meal credits per day. I think the basic plan should be 1 TS and 2 CS and the Deluxe should be 3 meals to be used any way you'd like just as it is now. :thumbsup2

[TDC Nala]

No prepaid plan at all.

[disneyin2008]

Ok...just for fun because I know it'll never happen....but I'd love to be able to choose how many nights worth of dining plan I purchase. If I'm staying 14 nights I'd love to be able to say I'll take dining 8 nights please. Then be able to pay OOP for the other 6.

Of course the reason it will never happen is that those 8 nights we'd all be eating filet mignon....and those other 6 days we'd be eating burgers and Trail's End. LOL

But, a girl can dream!

[choirfarm]

Yes, choose the amount of time. For example, I was staying 8 nights and if I could have purchased 6 nights worth of meals but EATEN them over the 8 days, then it would have been perfect. We were scrambling to use up the 11 CS and 6 snacks we had left the morning we left Disney.

Christine

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I guess I am weird, I like the numbers of the basic plan now. I like 1 sit down meal a day. But I did like when it included tip, and I would also like to be able to have an appitizer instead of dessert sometimes. DH would probably say add an extra snack, so he could use it at breakfast and still have one for later.

[stepdisney]

Oh yeah, I forgot, I'd also like appetizers and gratuity included or at least the choice of dessert or appetizer. We'd much rather have appetizers than dessert most of the time. (The children would say otherwise I am sure.)

[ShellyLynn3630]

No prepaid plan at all.

Why? I know it does'nt work for some people, but I think for many others it does.

[disneyin2008]

Why? I know it does'nt work for some people, but I think for many others it does.

Many have voiced opinions that the quality of food and service have gone down because of the dining plan. And, the need for ADRs 180 days out, whereas before DP you could walk up to most places and be seated.

I wouldn't mind the walk up and be seated part, but I am not sure I agree with the quality of food/service being only because of the dining plan.....there are lots of other indications that Disney has simply gone the way of "follow the money" in every area, not just dining.

[ShellyLynn3630]

Has Disney not always had some sort of dining plan. I really am new to this to be honest, ever since '05, my first visit, (I got bit by the bug bad!), :rotfl: but has there not always been something?

[Tricia1972]

I would like for there to be only the Premium and Platinum plans, and to see the removal of the DDP and the DxDDP as well as the QSDP. (Quick Service Dining Plan)

I see a very valid question above that I missed before I posted, so I will answer the question "Why no plan"

For me, no plan works the way I eat. By the time Disney designs enough plans so that my touring style is encompassed there will be dozens and dozens of DDP's and it'll be hard for everyone to keep straight, including servers at the restaurants.

I also feel that I am being penalized because there is no plan that fits my style. Why? Because Disney doesn't have the freedom to increase prices for more expensive dishes because of the fixed cost of the DDP. It seems that to address the loss of money they continue to remove dishes and shrink the menus as they homogenize them across the board.

For right now, with the decreased menus, we eat on site sometimes and eat off site when we tire of Disney's food. It sure would be nice to see the old menus and be able to eat on site for our whole trip.

I would never go so far as to suggest this to Disney, but when asked for my dream - this is it.

[hill6]

Choice of appetizer or dessert. Also the option to purchase two snacks a day.

[rrkman]

I too would like the option for Appetizer or Dessert (or both :rolleyes1 ) and the gratuity to be included again. My only other wish would be to have some sort of continental breakfast included at the resorts. It would be nice to go to the lobby. pick up a quick breakfast, and jump on the bus. Why not include this in the plan? Then you would still have a CS and TS for the other 2 meals of the day....plus a snack popcorn:: !

[bangzoom6877]

I too would like the option for Appetizer or Dessert (or both :rolleyes1 ) and the gratuity to be included again. My only other wish would be to have some sort of continental breakfast included at the resorts. It would be nice to go to the lobby. pick up a quick breakfast, and jump on the bus. Why not include this in the plan? Then you would still have a CS and TS for the other 2 meals of the day....plus a snack popcorn:: !

The continental breakfast at resorts sounds like a great idea! How I wish they would have this...then I would not have to buy groceries for breakfast in the room, and it would also be quick! That's one reason we like having breakfast in the room...it is so quick. We prefer getting to the parks before they open and then take an afternoon break by 2PM. In July we got to see tons of attractions during that time. Actually we got to do everything on our must-do list!

The gratuity not included actually does not bother me one bit. As a matter of fact I prefer it the way it is now. Granted, I never experienced the old DDP myself before they stopped including the tip, but I did read several threads on here where people stated that back in 2007, the server asked them if they were on the DDP and then the service was not up to par. In other words, the server found out at the beginning of the meal that their tip was already guaranteed, and therefore did not make the effort to provide good service. We are very generous when we tip (between 18% and 25%...actually we only give 15% if the service is not so good). I don't have to heart not to leave a tip or to leave a really low one. Perhaps this is because both DH and I have waited tables before so we know how it feels to depend on your customers for your rent money. But I do like the fact that we decide the amount. We got some pretty bad service at Crystal Palace back in July, so we tipped only 15%. At all the others, we usually tipped the 18% that was suggested by Disney at the bottom of the check. Once or twice we tipped 20% for exceptional service (Boma had the best!!).

A choice of app or dessert would be so nice!! I am sure the reason Disney does not give the choice right now is because they know that people like DH and myself would share an app and also share a dessert! Something we do frequently when we go out to eat normally! The way the plan is now if 2 people want to share an app, pay OOP.

[sandym718]

Hmm...probably just the regular plan the way it was in 2007!! 1 snack, 1 CS and 1 TS each day, but appy and tip still included. That worked out very well for us. I love the continental breakfast idea, though, too!! We did use snack credits for breakfast a few times - the pastries at Captain Cook's are quite good - other times we ate what we had in the room.

Another "dream" idea would be to separate the dessert portion out from the CS meals (yes, really a dream, LOL) so you could get that later/at a different location. I guess it would probably work "easier" if they ever really considered this to just drop the CS dessert and add an extra snack credit.

[Colleen27]

I already got my dream dining plan... For years, I was wishing the 3 meals/day, your choice TS/CS element of the premium and platinum plans was available without the entertainment and activity parts of the plan, and that's basically what the deluxe dining is. We loved it on our trip in Jan and we'll most likely use it again when we go back.

[honeymo78]

I already got my dream dining plan... For years, I was wishing the 3 meals/day, your choice TS/CS element of the premium and platinum plans was available without the entertainment and activity parts of the plan, and that's basically what the deluxe dining is. We loved it on our trip in Jan and we'll most likely use it again when we go back.

I agree - deluxe is almost perfect. Now if only they got rid of the extra credit required for signatures/dinner shows I'd be in heaven.

[caroline1851]

1 TS (app or dessert choice)
2 cs
1 snack

tax and tip included

$45/day adults, $15/day kids

[Bell30012]

I would love just to see the tip included again. I like the fact that I have all the meals paid for, the rooms paid for and the tickets paid for months in advance. Then all I have to worry about is spending money.

Normally we are on the regular dining plan but since this trip was already paid for when I discovered and applied a code we used the savings to upgrade to the DxDP. Next year we will probably do the counter service dining plan unless we get a bounce back offer while we are there.

[tzeitel]

I would love to have 3 meal credits per day, 1 TS and 2 CS and the option of exchanging 2 CS for 1 TS. :thumbsup2

That sounds like a plan I would love!

Or, I would not mind them selling points and then you can use 2 points for TS and 1 for CS. The more points you buy the cheaper it gets per day (like the park tickets).

[bangzoom6877]

That sounds like a plan I would love!

Or, I would not mind them selling points and then you can use 2 points for TS and 1 for CS. The more points you buy the cheaper it gets per day (like the park tickets).


This sounds good too. More of a custom plan, according to people's habits.

The deluxe plan seems good, but since there are 4 of us and all our future trips (as DVC members) will be 10 nights, I have no idea what we would even do with 80 snack credits!! I know we could easily spend the meal credits, since we will have 5 "down" days (not going to a park), so we have time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Spoodles, or go to a resort character breakfast and enjoy those on non-park days. Plus, still a character experience for the kids without the hectic schedule of a park. But those snack credits...that's the only thing holding me back from deluxe!

I definitely think that the signature restaurants are only worth the 2 credits if you are on the deluxe plan, since it includes an appetizer. In fact, I think the regular plan is a better value in all-you-can-eat restaurants. Still though I truly don't think it matters if you break even. As long as the DDP doesn't cost me more than it would have paying OOP, I am happy. Breaking even is fine, because DH and I like to know how much we are spending when we book.

[Bete]

No strings! No restrictions! If you want a meal of all appetizers; so, be it.
If you want two entrees; so, be it. If you want 4 meals a day, do it.

I would like to see a plan that went cruise style for dining. I don't think they're afraid that you'll eat everything every minute of the day.

I did like gratuity being included. It was nice not to deal with it; except, when you wanted to give a little more for exceptional service.

[bangzoom6877]

No strings! No restrictions! If you want a meal of all appetizers; so, be it.
If you want two entrees; so, be it. If you want 4 meals a day, do it.

I would like to see a plan that went cruise style for dining. I don't think they're afraid that you'll eat everything every minute of the day.

I did like gratuity being included. It was nice not to deal with it; except, when you wanted to give a little more for exceptional service.

Even on a cruise, you now have to pay for certain restaurants. They are known as "specialty restaurants". I suppose this would be comparable to Disney World's Signature dining venues.

What a dream this is though! 4 meals a day at Disney? I think I would explode!! It would be nice though to be able to order whatever you want and have as much as you want, although I would still eat pretty normally. Still though, to be able to try more than one entree is nice!

[secretpantssam]

I'm fine with 1 TS, 1 CS, and 1 snack but I would rather have a salad or app instead of dessert.

[TDC Nala]

Why? I know it does'nt work for some people, but I think for many others it does.

Because it doesn't work for me and it causes a downturn in the restaurant quality.

I'm not particularly interested in what works for others. The question is what MY preference would be.

WDW has had such plans before - they've usually been either high-end plans with lots of choices besides dining and thus been prohibitively expensive for most, or they've been strict prepayment plans. This one is a bargain-basement offering (now it's probably more like the bargain mezzanine) meant to entice massive amounts of people to do all their eating in WDW restaurants. Great for the masses, but not so good for those who went because they were interested in the quality of the food. It also means that they've got to make up for the bargain offering somewhere - and that somewhere is with the prices charged to those for whom the plan doesn't work.

What keeps me eating at WDW for now is the signature restaurants, and the fact that there are still a few restaurants on property that don't take the dining plan.

[Bell30012]

You know when the DDP included tips, I still gave out of pocket tips when I felt the service warranted it. But I didn't feel that I HAD to do it but rather could if I wanted to.

[kaytieeldr]

Food & Wine Festival Special: Six snacks plus one F&W-size glass of wine/beer, per night. $19.99 per person per night.

[SunnieRN]

If I had a choice I would like: 1 TS with appetizer or desert;
2 CS, 2 snacks and a refillable mug that could be used at your resort or at the parks. Tip would be included with the TS meal at a base rate that a guest could add on to for exceptional service.

[Pirate Me]

2 CS
1 TS with choice of appetizer or dessert
1 SC
and including tax/tip.

[RACHELSMOM1]

The current deluxe dp!!

[Singinglizzie]

Dream Dinning:

I like the DDE that includes 1 TS, 1 CS + 1 snack. What would really make this great would be to give a discount of 20% or more for any additional OOP purchases like appetizers, extra snacks, breakfast, etc. This would incent us to add to the ticket and Disney would benefit by increasing the sale. A win-win. Afterall - we should all want Disney to win too! :lovestruc

[vllygrrl]

I like the current plan, but I would like to see an extra TS credit added for every 4 days purchased - this would give us a chance to try some of the signature restaurants, without paying OOP for some meals. The way I look at it is this - a standard vacation is 7 nights, so Disney would only be giving most groups 1 extra TS credit pp. HOWEVER, they also could end up making money on the deal by providing an incentive for people to stay an extra night on property!

[burberryplaid]

I like having 1 TS and 1 CS per day..it works for us, but I'd love for the chance to choose an appetizer or a dessert. That would work out great for me and DH because we could share an appetizer (except the cheddar soup at Le Cellier..that's all mine!) and share a dessert. I'd also like to see them add the gratuity back..makes everything so much simpler!

[wdwluver]

My dream dining plan would be similar to the deluxe plan except that there would be no such thing as 2 TS restaurants. All restaurants would be counted as 1 dining credit - like on the premium and platinum plans. Also, tips would be included.

So, in conclusion America, if elected, I would ensure that every American gets their choice of three table service or 3 counter service or a mix of the two per day, where table service meals included both an appetizer and dessert if that's what you want and tip and every table service meal only costs one dining credit.:lmao:

[sandym718]

I like the current plan, but I would like to see an extra TS credit added for every 4 days purchased - this would give us a chance to try some of the signature restaurants, without paying OOP for some meals. The way I look at it is this - a standard vacation is 7 nights, so Disney would only be giving most groups 1 extra TS credit pp. HOWEVER, they also could end up making money on the deal by providing an incentive for people to stay an extra night on property!


Interesting idea!! I'd like this as well!!


Something else I thought of - instead of adding the appy back in for each TS meal, how about 1 per table? Or 1 per group of 4 or less, etc? This wouldn't really work for soups or salads, but for things like dips, wings, etc.

ETA: In thinking further - guess this wouldn't really work. Solo travelers/2 person groups would be getting a better value than would others. So much for that - I was just thinking of how we order appies at home. Forget - back to appies for everyone at Disney, LOL. Or they could just add soup or salad onto the entree selections, I'd be cool with that too!

[Ctsplaysinrain]

It will never happen BUT I wish that they would just add another category, call it "Jr. or Tween" plan. This could cost something in-between the children and adult price.. It would allow those "children" who eat like adults to have more variety and it would be so "stinging" for those who have tweens or teens who eat like children.. It could include a smaller adult portion or appetizer as entree or the choice of a child meal along with allowing for an adult dessert with either choice..
Since I have a 11 and 13 yr old who eat less than most toddlers, this is what is keeping me from buying any plan this time.. We would love to do deluxe for the adults BUT it was bad enough last summer when I paid 29.99 ( or whatever dinner cost is at Chef Mickey's) for my 11 yr old to eat 1 chicken nugget and 1/2 a drink for dinner.

[TruBlu]

If I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming BIG....

One price for unlimited food, drink and snacks at all parks and resorts. :thumbsup2

With 3 price categories: adult, Jr. and child. :goodvibes

[emmababy]

I loved the ddp of 2 years ago. Appy and tip included. That was perfect for us. I wish they would return to that. I know they wont, but wish they would.