Club Level/Concierge and Dining Plan

[kim_d]

We have typically used the dining plan (last 2 visits with deluxe) however our stay in September will be Animal Kingdom Villa Concierge and I am wondering if we "need" any dining plan. If you stay club level/Concierge do you purchase any of the dining plans? I am fairly certain we won't need deluxe- but maybe the standard? We do like to eat at sit down restuarants but I also want to take advantage of the offereings at Concierge.

We also have TIW discount card, should we just plan on using that instead of trying to fit the dining plan in?

 

[RachaelA]

Most people say its too much food.

We are staying Club level at AKL in a week and a half and we have the basic dining plan booked. We don't plan on being back at the hotel much during the day so we'll just use the lounge for breakfast and occasionally a drink at night.

If you have the TIW card, I think you'd be fine without the plan. And IPO can make all your reservations.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Like you, we have really enjoyed the DDP on our previous trips. We like to use our snack credits for breakfast, CS credits for lunch and TS for dinner, and we really enjoy all those meals! DH and I have been discussing this same issue, and I think we pretty much agree that if we can afford to do CL next trip, we'll skip the DDP. We will eat breakfast and appetizers in the lounge, maybe have a few special meals out, but for the most part, spend more time hanging out at the resort to relax. I think if we had both CL and DDP, we wouldn't fully appreciate the benefit of either. But that's just us.

I'd love to hear more opinions on this.

 

[SharonLowe]

Given that you have TIW, I would definitely forgo the DDP. The TIW is 20 percent discount on everything at a TS restaurant so it is a better deal than DDP, in my opinion. The CL will have ample food for breakfast, you can get a large bottle of water from the lounge and use it to fill reusable water bottles for the parks, and if you are back in the evenings, they have nice food plus beer and wine and then desserts and cordials later in the evening. Whatever you spend out of pocket will be less than what you pay for DDP.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed AKL CL in Oct 08 and didnt use a dining plan, there is so much stuff in the lounge for snacks and mini meals that it would have been food overload with the dining plan!

 

[housetomouse]

What is TIW?

We skipped the dining plan for YC's concierge. We planned to eat at least 1 and probably 2 meals a day at the lounge, though. We are not big on sit-down meals, so it suited our style not to have a dining plan. And we didn't mind making a meal out of what they had there - it was enough food for us. But if someone really likes entrees, you probably won't get that in the lounge. Great appetizers (hot and cold), fruits, veggies, drinks, kid food, though. We thought it was plenty of food.

It will also depend on whether you'll be at your hotel often enough to make good use of the lounge offerings.

 

[housetomouse]

We stayed AKL CL in Oct 08 and didnt use a dining plan, there is so much stuff in the lounge for snacks and mini meals that it would have been food overload with the dining plan!

One thing I liked about eating at the lounge so much is that I never felt stuffed (although I maaaaaaay have overeaten with regard to the desserts ).

 

[Disneyadore]

We did DDLP and concierge level last week and we loved.

To much food? Well we never had a waiter standing behind us with a gun forcing us to eat everything on the plates.

 

[kmvand1]

Are they constantly replenishing food throughout the day and changing up what they offer from breakfast, lunch and dinner?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Personally my family and I think having the Dining Plan and staying Club Level is not worth it because it's to much food. We also like to enjoy the foods that is offered in the Club Level lounge, so with the Dining Plan I don't think we could because we would always be rushing off to our next ADR.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

If you are staying club level because you want the food, then yes it is too much to do the DP as well. However, I am looking forward to the room locations, bathrobes, turndown service, and just having breakfast in the morning and a snack later.

I think if you use the DP for lunch and dinner, snacks to explore the different foods offered in world showcase, etc. then you will be fine.

 

[WDWKOOK]

What is TIW?

"Tables in Wonderland."

It's a discount dining card available for purchase by FL residents and annual passholders. It used to be called "The Disney Dining Experience."

 

[WDWKOOK]

Are they constantly replenishing food throughout the day and changing up what they offer from breakfast, lunch and dinner?

No CL lounges offer lunch - only breakfast: cold items like cereals, fruit and pastries and some very light snacks in the afternoon: gold fish crackers, cookies, gummi bears, fruit, and in the evening: light hors d'oeuvres, Uncrustables, desserts, a vegetable and/or cheese platter, and some have a hot dish and/or soup. They are replenished, but each lounge has distinct offerings which can be found on the DIS in the resort's FAQ page under "concierge" or "club level."

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

No CL lounges offer lunch - only breakfast: cold items like cereals, fruit and pastries and some very light snacks in the afternoon: gold fish crackers, cookies, gummi bears, fruit, and in the evening: light hors d'oeuvres, Uncrustables, desserts, a vegetable and/or cheese platter, and some have a hot dish and/or soup. They are replenished, but each lounge has distinct offerings which can be found on the DIS in the resort's FAQ page under "concierge" or "club level."

Just adding to your comment during breakfast, afternoon snacks, hot hors d'ouvres and desserts, all food items they put out are constantly being replaced if they run out of something until it's time to take them away.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I've been struggling with this. We have BC CL booked for two weeks, two separate 7/4 reservations. Right now I have the first week booked with the dining plan and the second without. I keep going back and forth whether I should add the dining plan the second week.

DH thinks we should try it without -we do have the TIW card. Me, I'm not so sure, so I keep going back and forth. I think I have until a week before we leave to add it if we decide we need DDP.

 

[WDWKOOK]

I've been struggling with this. We have BC CL booked for two weeks, two separate 7/4 reservations. Right now I have the first week booked with the dining plan and the second without. I keep going back and forth whether I should add the dining plan the second week.

DH thinks we should try it without -we do have the TIW card. Me, I'm not so sure, so I keep going back and forth. I think I have until a week before we leave to add it if we decide we need DDP.

I believe you have up to 72 hrs. before arrival to add it. So if your first week 4/3 is with the DP, you'd have up to day 4 to add it to your second 4/3 week.

I have to side with DH on this. Personally, with the TIW AND CL I wouldn't do any DP, but since you've already booked one week with it, I think that will give you a great idea about doing CL and the DP concurrently in the future.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Since you have the TIW card, I'd say skip the dining plan.

We stayed concierge and had the basic dining plan. For us, that combination was not too much food because while the Poly CL offerings were nice, we prefer hot breakfasts and eat dinner late. We used the lounge mostly for snacks and drinks as the parks were mobbed.

 

[Sunshine22]

We did not have the DP on our March trip when we stayed club level at GF. We ate breakfast, snacks, wine, evening appetizers, desserts, etc. in the club and usually had 1 sit down dinner or lunch per day. It worked out great for us. We did the same thing two years ago when we stayed club level at Poly. Our kids are both over 9, so the dining plan isn't really as cost effective for us as it was when they were younger.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

On the flip side, we are doing the dining plan because there are too many restaurants I can't give up. I also do not want to huslte a group of 7 back to the hotel to eat if we are out enjoying ourselves and do not have ressies. We will do a mix of all together. We may be left with snacks and a couple of CS, but when I did the math I was still saving 200.00. Luckily we got a 40% off code, so we can do it.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I've been struggling with this. We have BC CL booked for two weeks, two separate 7/4 reservations. Right now I have the first week booked with the dining plan and the second without. I keep going back and forth whether I should add the dining plan the second week.

DH thinks we should try it without -we do have the TIW card. Me, I'm not so sure, so I keep going back and forth. I think I have until a week before we leave to add it if we decide we need DDP.

How old are your children? Are they adults or children on the DDP?

I just got back from a week at AKL CL with my DS(8) and we did use the DDP. He enjoys table service meals and at the kid price DDP is a good deal. We did end up with 4 extra CS credits that I used for Mickey Rice Krispie treats to bring home.

I enjoyed AKL CL and will likely stay there again but the evening food offerings were different. My DS is my adventurous eater and he didn't want to try too much (maybe he was too full from DDP). He would have gotten tired of the PBJ's if we had tried to eat there too many nights. I think the evening offerings at CR or Poly where I have also stay CL had a broader appeal.