anyone know about the DVC Dining Plan?

[dana0801]

Hi,

Anyone have any idea about the DVC Dining Plan being free starting 4/1/06? If so can it be included to those guest renting DVC points for a stay?

 

[Chuck S]

The plan is not free. It is the same plan as the basic Dining Plan offered to guests staying with cash resort packages. The DVC version does not require a park ticket purchase, so it is also open to AP holders.

It is $37.99 per adult and $10.99 per child 3 to 9 per night of your stay. It is available to renters. It must be added to your DVC reservation and encoded into the computer prior to your arrival at the resort. You pay for the plan at check-in.

 

[CarolMN]

The DVC Dining Plan is not free, LOL!

For DVC reservations beginning on or after 4/1/2006, DVC members may add the Dining Plan to their DVC reservations. It's the same plan and the same price as that available to anyone who books a room and ticket package.

DVC members must add the DP to their reservations at least 48 hours prior to arrival and pay for it at check in.

DVC members do not have to buy a ticket to add the DP and there is no minimum stay requirement for DVC members.

Those are the only differences from the package "add on".

Those who rent DVC reservations from members may add the dining plan if they wish. A renter should tell the owner that he/she wants the DP (if they do).

DVC members are not eligible for the "Free Dining Plan" promotion offered in late August thru September to those who book a qualifying package through CRO/WDWTC (unless they want to bbok for cash trhough CRO/WDTC and pay rack rate for the room).

Best wishes -

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Hi,

...DVC Dining Plan being free starting 4/1/06? ...

Don't we all wish!

 

[dana0801]

Thanks for all the replys. Seems I was mis-informed or maybe it was the Free DP in Aug-Sep vs. the DP for DVC members. Thanks for setting me straight. Glad I was able to give you all a good chuckle

 

[KKCannon]

To confuse matters more, I ordered the Disney Dining Experience with a discount for Annual Passholders and I was told there were 20% discounts on all food and beverages at most full-service restaurants and lounges in WDW theme parks and hotels. I haven't received my package yet so I'm not sure exactly what is included. Anyway, what plan would be more beneficial?

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I think it depends on how & where you eat as well as if you have kids, how many & what their ages are.

For us, the DDE works better than the dining plan. We tend to eat 1 or 2 meals outside the world as well as really enjoying buffet breakfasts.

You kind of have to play with the math.

 

[bicker]

Which is what I did. I first priced it out straight, selecting the second-most expensive thing on every menu for every restaurants I guessed we'd be visiting, and doing the multiplication and summation:

http://brianandrobbie.com/DiningPlanEstimatedCosts.htm

So for the four of us, we'd save $515. However, that was assuming we'd actually have ordered all that stuff we'd get with the Dining Plan... which was absolutely not likely to have been the case. We'd definitely have had a CS and TS meal each day, and at least one bottle of water each day for the snack credit. So I redid the math figuring no appetizers and no desserts, as a most-conservative scenario:

http://brianandrobbie.com/DiningPlanEstimatedCostsNoAppyNoDessert.htm

We'd still save $143 (and of course have all the appetizers and desserts as gravy on top).

 

[kimberh]

The Math is good to know because my family LOVES to sit down mid day at the theme parks or one of the hotels and we do go around, and have a big table service meal. We have never been fortunate enought to have the dining plan because I was booking our rooms and yes it was rooms with an AP discount so I would be on pins and needles while they ordered. The CM would tell me that with the discount on the Deluxe rooms that I was saving that we could eat a lot of food, well there some trips where I would wonder. I am so glad that now I am a DVC owner and we have this option. This is going to save us a small fortune! I will feel like I am on a cruise and not have to worry about it anymore. This is one of the smartest things Disney has done for the family and I hope they don't stop it.

 

[byoung]

We are doing the dining plan next week for the first time, we have the DDE card will used it on the drinks etc.

 

[jennymouse]

I'm taking my father and aunt & uncle in February '07 and can't decide if the dining plan will be good for us. When I go with the seniors dining is a big part of the vacation and we do several of the signature restaurants that use 2 TS credits. If we got the dining plan, I'm not sure if it would be best to pay oop for signature meals or the ones that would normally cost one credit. I guess I need to price it out like Bicker has to see if we'd benefit from it.

 

[bicker]

We did the same thing with my father and his wife, about six years ago, and as you suggested, a lot of the focus was on the fine dining.

I plugged the numbers from the signature restaurants into my spreadsheet (again figuring that, on average, we'd order the second-most expensive choice in each case), and it shows a savings of $72 per person, versus paying OOP for the same meals including appetizers and dessert for each diner, for a six night stay (three TS meals).

However! Unlike most of the previous times I did the numbers, this time, eliminating appetizers and desserts results in a net-loss -- we'd pay about $10 more for the dining plan versus paying OOP. So unless you typically would order a lot of appetizers and desserts, the dining plan isn't such a great deal with signature restaurants, and unequivocally isn't as good of a deal as spending those credits at 1TS restaurants.

 

[jennymouse]

Thanks, Bicker. Since the signature restaurants usually don't come with a salad or starter, I can see us each ordering an appetizer. We could probably handle a dessert each instead of sharing too. It'd be nice if we could use the counter service credit for a sit down breakfast at like Spoodles or Yacht Club Galley since breakfast since the prices are comparable. When I go with the seniors we usually do a late sit down breakfast and nice dinner and skip lunch or get a snack. Wish they had a Magic Your Way dining plan!

 

[bicker]

Since the signature restaurants usually don't come with a salad or starter, I can see us each ordering an appetizer.

Your saying this just struck me as strange -- I don't believe any table-service restaurants come with appetizer or salad, except of course for the fixed-price meals.

It sure would be nice to use CS credits for TS breakfasts. However, I suspect that everyone would do so, and that would kind of defeats the purpose of having the plan structured as it is.

 

[Alexander]

True in WDW a table service meal does not come with soup or salad. However, in the "real world" (if you will), many restaurants do offer soup or salad with your meal. They do bring some type of bread however. I also found that the portions are not huge at many of the table service restaurants in WDW. It was easy to have an appetizer and a meal. Dessert pushed on the waistline a bit, but hey it's dessert! These too were not huge. Just right.

Our meal plan was $434, we ate $714 worth of food. We were very pleased with "getting our monies worth" out of the plan. Even removing appetizers and dessert, we would have come out ahead.

 

[jennymouse]

The restaurants we usually go to around here (local owned or chain like Olive Garden, Logan's Steakhouse, etc) don't come with appetizers (stuffed mushrooms, wings, potato skins, that kind of thing), but they do come with either soup or salad. But, at WDW soup and salads are listed under appetizers and cost an extra $6 - $8 or more. I guess it all depends on what part of the country you're from maybe?

 

[bicker]

Sounds like it. I cannot remember the last time we ate at a restaurant that included soup or salad with the entrees. It's seems to always be an add-on, here on the East Coast. The salad is often offered at a lower price than ordering the salad stand-alone, though.

 

[Alexander]

The restaurants we usually go to around here (local owned or chain like Olive Garden, Logan's Steakhouse, etc) don't come with appetizers (stuffed mushrooms, wings, potato skins, that kind of thing), but they do come with either soup or salad. But, at WDW soup and salads are listed under appetizers and cost an extra $6 - $8 or more. I guess it all depends on what part of the country you're from maybe?

Us too. We're in Upstate New York and the salad or soup is almost always included. In fact I can't think of a restaurant that it's not.

 

[jennymouse]

Us too. We're in Upstate New York and the salad or soup is almost always included. In fact I can't think of a restaurant that it's not.

I always thought that was the norm, but apparently not. Which leaves me to believe that's part of the reason why some people here on the boards think that WDW restaurant prices are comparable to prices at home and some do not. It's just what you're used to. If you compare entree alone it's a little higher at WDW, but not much. However that $35 steak dinner includes a nice garden salad which would cost you an extra $9 at WDW. I just looked at the menus on Deb's site and I found my $6 - $8 was a bit low. For just a salad or soup that would be included with your meal here, it would cost at these WDW restaurants:

Narcoossee's:

Mixed Greens with grape tomatoes, Laura Chenel goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and honey balsamic vinaigrette $9.00

Romaine Hearts with Caesar dressing and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese $9.00
Seafood Chowder with fish and shellfish, potatoes, and cream $9.00
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - with Gulf Coast crab and minced chives $8.00

Artist Point:

Living Lettuces with cucumber, radish and lemon vinaigrette $8.00
Smoky Portobello Soup with Roasted Shiitakes and Chive Oil $7.00

Yachtsman Steakhouse:

Farmers Salad -- iceberg lettuce, gorgonzola cheese, warm smoked bacon vinaigrette, and a soft cooked egg $8

Caesar Salad -- crisp romaine lettuce, grated parmesan cheese and garlic sourdough croutons $8

California Grill:

Hearts of Romaine Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, aged parmesan, and sourdough croutons $9.00
Roasted Pumpkin Soup - with pumpkin seed pesto and spiced creme fraiche $9

 

[bicker]

Which leaves me to believe that's part of the reason why some people here on the boards think that WDW restaurant prices are comparable to prices at home and some do not. It's just what you're used to.

Yes, definitely. Our favorite local restuarant is Brenden Crocker's. It is most comparable to Spoodles at the BoardWalk.

Spoodles:
Oak-fired Salmon $20.29

Brenden Crocker's:
Wood-Grilled Filet of Atlantic Salmon $19.00

Spoodles:
Rigatoni with mild Italian sausage $16.79

Brenden Crocker's:
Tender Duck and Pasta Rags $19.00

Spoodles:
Lemon Chicken $19.49

Brenden Crocker's:
Pan-Roasted Pistachio Crusted Turkey Cutlets $20.00

Of course, salad and appetizers are extra, at both restaurants. The Greek Salad at Spoodles is $6.49 while the salads at Brenden Crocker's is about $7-$9. And Brenden Crocker charges $4 to split entrees, while Spoodles doesn't!