An in-between dining plan

[dparksfan]

Just curious why there isn't an in-between dining plan between the regular dining plan and the premium dining plan. My current planning and last trip consisted of a few TS oop, and the Premium is so much food, I tried to plan an itinerary with it, it's next to impossible, way too much food! Our problem is the time of year and needing 2 TS's for a few meals, and I would happily book more TS's if we had more. 7 TS vs 21 TS is a huge difference.

So, I think a plan with a few more TS's would really help! Ranting and annoyed, and wishing for a better plan!

 

[maxiesmom]

The Dining Plans are not not one size fits all. They either work for your family, or they don't. It would be impossible for Disney to have a plan that works for every single family.

Would it makes sense for you to be on the dining plan and then pay out of pocket for your extra meals?

 

[dparksfan]

yes, we already do that. The discrepancy between the 2, 7 vs 21 is what I'm referring to.

 

[ericstac]

im confused isnt it either quick service only, then the upgrade to the one where you get 1TS per day.. then the upgrade to 2TS each day.. plus a load of snacks.. lol..?

I agree the delux is a lot of food but I don't think there is a 'best' meal plan out there.. you either go with the dining plan if it is a free one, or just pay OOP and not worry about dining plans at all.

We used to do nothing but Free dining stays but then switched to AP, resort discount, and OOP meal with TIW and its been awesome. only downer is we are a family of 5 and get automatic gratuity at 18%. Not saying I wouldn't pay the 18% but forcing me to pretty much eliminates the chances of a 20% or more tip for the waitress.

 

[ericstac]

im confused isnt it either quick service only, then the upgrade to the one where you get 1TS per day.. then the upgrade to 2TS each day.. plus a load of snacks.. lol..?

I agree the delux is a lot of food but I don't think there is a 'best' meal plan out there.. you either go with the dining plan if it is a free one, or just pay OOP and not worry about dining plans at all.

We used to do nothing but Free dining stays but then switched to AP, resort discount, and OOP meal with TIW and its been awesome. only downer is we are a family of 5 and get automatic gratuity at 18%. Not saying I wouldn't pay the 18% but forcing me to pretty much eliminates the chances of a 20% or more tip for the waitress.

 

[dparksfan]

I meant the deluxe, isn't it 3TS meals a day?

 

[disney meema]

Yeah I get what your saying such a difference between 7 TS in a week and 21 TS in a week ... But then I guess the 7 quick service meals along with the the 7 TS is filling. Your wanting an option of 14 TS or quick service in a week? I know I would pay a little more to have the flexibility of having 14 TS or QS in a week. Most of the meals I want at TS ... But certainly not 3 a day

 

[dparksfan]

yes, exactly!

 

[ericstac]

I meant the deluxe, isn't it 3TS meals a day?

oh man, you're right!! I forgot it was 3.. and we just had the deluxe this past christmas.. lol.

 

[Allison]

I meant the deluxe, isn't it 3TS meals a day?

Just to clarify for others, you can use the credits as you would like between counter and table service.

 

[sharonabe]

And you don't have to do 3 TS meals a day. Most people who get the DxDDP do a TS breakfast or lunch then a signature for dinner. It's still a lot of food, but you don't have to do three.

 

[6disneykids]

The 2 times we did the DxDp was so we could do quite a few signatures that were 2 credits. We have also have done a combination of TS and QS on the DxDP.

But as others have said, sometimes the plans don't fit every family

 

[supersnoop]

The "regular" dining plan is 14 meals, seven table-service and seven counter-service. The "Deluxe" plan is 21 meals, allocated however you want them. There isn't really room for anything in between, but I understand how the large price difference could make you think that.

 

[disney meema]

I looked over my plans and paying out of pocket for a few breakfasts and TS dinners. The deluxe dining is too expensive and too much food, so paying out of pocket for the lesser priced meals was a happy medium for us rather than going deluxe : )
Example we love Grand Floridian cafe for breakfast and it's not expensive so rather than use a TS credit paying OOP makes sense for us

 

[dparksfan]

That's what we are doing. But instead of OOP, if an in-between plan had 2T and 1Q a day, then we would be able to do more of the meals we want to do. I think ppl using the Deluxe this way are losing $. I actually like the Dining plan so that we don't have to have sticker shock at every meal, that's not a vacation. My husband freaked out at LTT one trip when we were paying cash, and that's when our kids were the kid's price. Last time we did the dining plan and it was zero stress!

 

[bigbabyblues]

I think ppl using the Deluxe this way are losing $. Last time we did the dining plan and it was zero stress!

Bingo. The dining plans are not designed to save money for most guests. They are attractive for the convenience/less stress factor, and Disney makes money off them a lot of the time.

 

[supersnoop]

That's what we are doing. But instead of OOP, if an in-between plan had 2T and 1Q a day, then we would be able to do more of the meals we want to do. I think ppl using the Deluxe this way are losing $. I actually like the Dining plan so that we don't have to have sticker shock at every meal, that's not a vacation. My husband freaked out at LTT one trip when we were paying cash, and that's when our kids were the kid's price. Last time we did the dining plan and it was zero stress!

I'm confused why the hypothetical dining plan you describe would allow you "to do more of the meals" you want. You're losing money on the regular plan, the same as you would on the deluxe. Paying for meals as you go is they ultimate way to do exactly what you want without spending extra money. Even if Disney offered the plan you describe, I'm sure the price would not be favorable. I guess everyone experiences stress differently, but, for me, knowingly spending more up front would stress me out way more than paying as I go.

 

[GillianP1301]

I would love to see the dining plan with more ability to tailor to an individuals needs. They would just need to set a flat dollar value each to a QS, TS and snack credit. Then when you book your vacation you'd be able to pre-purchase x number of credits in each category that you want for the duration of your stay.

 

[sharonabe]

I would love to see the dining plan with more ability to tailor to an individuals needs. They would just need to set a flat dollar value each to a QS, TS and snack credit. Then when you book your vacation you'd be able to pre-purchase x number of credits in each category that you want for the duration of your stay.

Disneyland has something like this with their voucher system. You buy x$ of vouchers and use them as you want. The catch is, you don't get any change back if your meal is less than your voucher, so it is easy to lose money. AND there is no savings.

SO people don't use it. Even though many proponents of DDP on here say it is the convenience factor, the not-having-to-look-at-the-price factor, the having-it-all-paid-in-advance factor.....if there is no perceived savings, people don't (and probably wouldn't at WDW) use it.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I agree with you. I would like something in between the two plans. I really just want 3 meals a day, with one or two being counter service. Three table service is too much, and it feels like you are wasting the credits if you use them for counter service.