Premium Plan for One Night Just for the Tours, LaNouba, etc.??

[KBazzel]

JLO, are you doing premium or platinum? And have you considered doing the Cirque show La Nouba? I hear it's absolutely amazing and for us is what's making the extra cost worth it (tickets for my family would have been $330).

Now, realize that I haven't done this yet myself :-) So I'm basing my information on what I've found online.

Both of the dinner shows you've listed are dinner only which means you'd have to do a lunch or breakfast for your 3rd credit. The signature options for lunch are limited - Cinderella's Royal Table (which is what I'd recommend - my girls loved it just for the experience) and Brown Derby.

What I did was start backwards from the time of the dinner/shows that we wanted to do each night and just looked at what else I could fit in. You'll need to check the list of tours and their restrictions (not just ages but also days and times that they're offered). I've found this site very helpful http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tours.htm Not all of them are offered with the premium plan but I think most all are offered with the platinum. My husband and daughter are planning the aqua seas tour which along with the free photopass and fireworks cruise made it worth uping to the platinum plan for us (I think the additional cost was about $200). The problem I had with most of the tours was that my kids (9&6) couldn't go on most of them (and the one they could go on got really mixed reviews). But we're doing other things instead. Maybe we'll do this again when they get older and hit more of the tours.

[JLO]

Kbazzel, Thanks for responding so quickly. Yes, I forgot to add La Nouba, my main reason for thinking of this! Can you do the best tickets front and center) when you have the package?

We are thinking of the premium (not platinum) plan - I was thinking of doing the Hoop Dee Doo Review early show at 5:00 p.m. and then the LaNouba show at 9:30. I don't know if that would be too much for us... after a long day full of boat rentals, etc. Then, save the Luau for the following night when we will already be at the Poly.

I love the idea of the boat rentals and parasailing and I know my kids would love a carriage ride (can you do that around Ft. Wilderness or Port Orleans?)

Can you (or someone) tell me what the difference is between the premium and platinum?

Thanks again, so much!

[JLO]

Forgot to ask... how do you know which tours are included with premium and which with platinum?

[Symans3honeybees]

I hope these would help with your planning.

Platinum http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/med...10Platinum.pdf
Premium
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/med...010Premium.pdf
If you like any extensive planning, I will be more than happy to...

[KBazzel]

When I called to ask Disney they said you'd get category 2 La Nouba tickets. However, I've heard that since some of the show is overhead that section is really great.

I think it depends on your family. I know that we're going to be busier in the evenings (shows, dinner, fireworks cruises, etc.) so I've scheduled some down time during the day. Not alot but maybe just sitting on a bench at DTD and resting. We're doing the early Cirque show but that's strictly because I have young kids and we'll be up very late the next night for the fireworks cruise. I'm going to try and fit in dinner at Fulton Crab House that night since we'll already be in DTD.

I believe that you can do either the carriage ride at WL or POR. My suggestion would be to do whichever one you're closer to. We're planning to do WL because we'll horseback ride, do HDD and then the carraige ride before leaving for the fireworks cruise.

The Platinum package costs more but it includes more perks. The links that Honeybees posted are exactly what you need and if you look to the right hand side of the page there should be a link to a brochure for each one that gives a little more information (including a list of exactly what tours are included with which package).

I started putting everything into an excel spreadsheet including dates, times and prices. This helped me so much to pinpoint my schedule (and where I hadn't left myself enough time for traveling and ended up rescheduling a couple things). Also, google serach and allears.net and wdwinfo sites have been my best friend while I was trying to find times, prices and details for things.

My suggestion is to put it all down on paper so you can see it. Until I did that I didn't realize I had a couple problems with my schedule. It also helped me to check the prices and know it was worth paying the extra money for the package.

[Symans3honeybees]

We chose to stay at the Contemporary because it is where the marina's located. It makes more sense to us because we will be able to go parasailing, learn to water skii, tubing and the personal water crafts(you know, all the wet stuff..) Not worrying about travelling "wet" is a big plus. The blue flag boat travels in a loop of CR, WL, and FW between 6:45am and 11:30pm. From CR to FW on the morning of our scheduled Segway tour at FW, it is just a short boat ride on the blue flag boat.
We have already reserved our Cirque du Soleil tickets. We(12pp) are in section 203, rows FF and GG, 6 seats each row from the isle. The CM/407-WDW-SHOW will search for the best available seats for you. BTW, you should have the seating chart in front of you when you call.

[Bete]

This is fab! I will definitely keep this in mind on our next trip.

Something tells me you better do this now if you can. Disney will figure this out sooner or later and will make sure there are other requirements like a 3 day minimum or whatever to use the plan.

What a great way to squeeze that penny out of Disney and totally legal. Thanks OP.

[Symans3honeybees]

Originally Posted by Bete

This is fab! I will definitely keep this in mind on our next trip.

Something tells me you better do this now if you can. Disney will figure this out sooner or later and will make sure there are other requirements like a 3 day minimum or whatever to use the plan.

What a great way to squeeze that penny out of Disney and totally legal. Thanks OP.

According to my calculation, we are likely to rack in about $650/pp for just one night's plan.

[Bete]

I know there's a price difference.

What do you get in the more expensive plan that's not available in the cheaper plan? Pleas help and TIA. I did look at the pamphlet and I'm not seeing the differences very well.

[Symans3honeybees]

Originally Posted by Bete

I know there's a price difference.

What do you get in the more expensive plan that's not available in the cheaper plan? Pleas help and TIA. I did look at the pamphlet and I'm not seeing the differences very well.

Let's see. Some of the extra with the Platinum plan are:
A massage($100+)
Richard Petty riding-along experience
Children activities center
Firework Cruise($300+)
Dinner @ Victoria & Albert(this is a $125 value)
Photopass CD?
Sea Quest/Dive @Epcot
ETC....

[KBazzel]

Disney doesn't publish the cost of the packages on their website (at least that I've found) so I had to get my information from one of the disney sites. Can't remember which one but it was either allears.net or the dis site (wdwinfo). They can give you the exact cost for each adult and child. It'll be different based on your party. I have 2 adults and 2 kids and the difference for us between the premium and the platinum came in at just under $200. We're getting that back in the aqua seas tour, photopass cd and fireworks cruise.

[Bete]

Originally Posted by Symans3honeybees

Let's see. Some of the extra with the Platinum plan are:
A massage($100+)
Richard Petty riding-along experience
Children activities center
Firework Cruise($300+)
Dinner @ Victoria & Albert(this is a $125 value)
Photopass CD?
Sea Quest/Dive @Epcot
ETC....

I'm getting the bigger picture, now. I must be brain dead today.

[Bete]

Under vacation packages for the Disney website I'm not seeing how you would put in your request for the premium or platinum plan? Do you need to call and book by phone for your vacation package for these upgrades?

[Symans3honeybees]

Originally Posted by Bete

Under vacation packages for the Disney website I'm not seeing how you would put in your request for the premium or platinum plan? Do you need to call and book by phone for your vacation package for these upgrades?

One minor thing about these plans I forgot to mention...the only discount you could use is an AAA rate via your TA. I try to use a room discount code for the premium online. Not happening!!! So prepare to pay a bit more, unless you belong to AAA. I even inquired about a possible "Free dining" code then upgrading that to the premium plan...Not happening again!!
O'well, we can't have it ALL, right?!

[beautifultomorrow]

Originally Posted by Bete

Under vacation packages for the Disney website I'm not seeing how you would put in your request for the premium or platinum plan? Do you need to call and book by phone for your vacation package for these upgrades?

If you are going through a non-discount link the options should show up on there under dining plans (may not be called exactly that). I do know, like PP said that you can't get it with most discounts so that may be why its not showing up for you. Also something to note, while it appears you can add premium plan to any resort, the platinum plan is only available at deluxe and DVC resorts.

I am so pleased to hear that the plans might be available with a AAA discount. That is great news for us! Thanks for sharing that!

One more thing, did anyone who is considering the platinum plan notice on the PDf (or somewhere?) that it said you might placed on a fireworks cruise with other parties? Not a big deal I guess but I don't really consider it worth the full value if you are sharing a boat with random strangers. Also, does anyone know if the Wishes cruise is the one with the music?

P.S. Bete, I see you are from Crawfordsville! That is my fiance's hometown! We currently live down in southern indiana!