Dining Plan with DVC?

[pepples22]

Hi All,

I have a question - probably asked before.

I am looking at booking my vacation for 2008 and since we are DVC members now I am not sure how the dining plan fits in.

I am looking at booking the Premium Magic Your Way Package and I can't find any prices, I might be looking at the wrong part of the Disney website. Do these need to booked with Tickets and Rooms? Or do we need to buy one part? Or should I just call Disney?

Any guidance would be great!

Thanks

 

[Chuck S]

At the moment, the 2008 plans have just been released for cash reservations. There are no details as to prices or availability for DVC at this time.

For the past two years only the basic Disney Dining Plan has been available to DVC reservations, and it was an "add-on." DVC did not require the park ticket purchase, allowing members to use annual passes or purchase their tickets from any reputable ticket vendor.

None of the upper tier plans (gold/platinum/premium, etc) have been available to DVC reservations.

 

[poohbear7]

When I was making my reservation for 2008 MS told me they had changed the dining plan. They will have two dining plans for DVC members. DDP will be adult $37.99 child $9.99 no appertizer and the tip is no longer included.
Deluxe dining is $69.99 adult and $19.99 for a child it includes 3 meals a day table or counter service your choice and 2 snacks a resort refiilable mug.

 

[lmb]

That's horrible! So if you have dinner at Le Cellier or someplace comparable you'd be paying about another $15 per adult couple, so approx. $53 a day with no appetizer. I'm going to rethink the dining plan next year.

 

[Chuck S]

When I was making my reservation for 2008 MS told me they had changed the dining plan. They will have two dining plans for DVC members. DDP will be adult $37.99 child $9.99 no appertizer and the tip is no longer included.
Deluxe dining is $69.99 adult and $19.99 for a child it includes 3 meals a day table or counter service your choice and 2 snacks a resort refiilable mug.

That makes sense, as the basic DP and the Deluxe are variations of the original DDP.

The Premium & Platinum plans remain part of Cash travel packages only.

 

[hansel1]

I booked my DDP add-on for our january 2008 trip. I was given the choice of regular ddp or the deluxe ddp.

The ms rep didn't know much about the restaurants. I asked her if Nine Dragons and San Angel Inn would be included in the 2008 ddp as they were not on the brochure yet. She told me that they wouldn't be because they have never been on the plan.

Of course, that is just plain wrong. So I am assuming that the few restaurants left off of the 2008 brochure just have not signed the contract with disney. Like they did last year.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

When I was making my reservation for 2008 MS told me they had changed the dining plan. They will have two dining plans for DVC members. DDP will be adult $37.99 child $9.99 no appertizer and the tip is no longer included.
Deluxe dining is $69.99 adult and $19.99 for a child it includes 3 meals a day table or counter service your choice and 2 snacks a resort refiilable mug.

I read elsewhere that all the 2008 DDP options no longer include tip.

I don't have an issue with the tip not being included as I always left an additional tip anyway, especially when we ate at 2 TS-credit restaurants. I don't even mind the appetizer going away, but I wish you could have a choice between the dessert and the appetizer. Ah well... even so, the lower-priced plan should still be plenty of food for us.

I can't ever see spending almost $140/day on food, no matter how convenient. I will certainly be tracking the true cost of the meals this trip to see if our dining habits add up to $140 for two adults, but I highly doubt it.

 

[ransom]

I can't ever see spending almost $140/day on food, no matter how convenient. I will certainly be tracking the true cost of the meals this trip to see if our dining habits add up to $140 for two adults, but I highly doubt it.

I think you'd have to eat at TS restaurants three meals a day to make that really worth while.

Still, I may end up getting it for my parents next year if they're able to go. If I just have their room key charged to my credit card, they'll avoid spending any money. But if they have "credits" and have to use them or they're wasted, they'll feel free to eat whatever and whenever they want!

(The regular DDP would be OK, but I really don't want to have to tell them that having a salad before their entree is going to cost extra. As their host, I'd be embarrassed by that.)

Anyway, I can see the Deluxe DDP working well when people are treating their guests to a great time at WDW, but I really don't see it being a benefit for most folks. Most of us aren't willing to dedicate the time to all that dining, even if we were willing to spend the $70 per person, per day!

 

[angiepangie8]

When I was making my reservation for 2008 MS told me they had changed the dining plan. They will have two dining plans for DVC members. DDP will be adult $37.99 child $9.99 no appertizer and the tip is no longer included.
Deluxe dining is $69.99 adult and $19.99 for a child it includes 3 meals a day table or counter service your choice and 2 snacks a resort refiilable mug.

Thanks Poohbear! I am booking my trip tomorrow for June 2008 and have been searching everywhere for that info. We will go with the DDP even without the tip. Defitely can't see eating enough to make Deluxe Dining worth while. Plus we have a kitchen in our room so I will have some easy prep stuff for us there. Gotta have my Cheerios and microwave popcorn! .

 

[lilstint]

I read elsewhere that all the 2008 DDP options no longer include tip.

I don't have an issue with the tip not being included as I always left an additional tip anyway, especially when we ate at 2 TS-credit restaurants. I don't even mind the appetizer going away, but I wish you could have a choice between the dessert and the appetizer. Ah well... even so, the lower-priced plan should still be plenty of food for us.

I can't ever see spending almost $140/day on food, no matter how convenient. I will certainly be tracking the true cost of the meals this trip to see if our dining habits add up to $140 for two adults, but I highly doubt it.

I really agree that a choice should be given for appetizer or dessert.

I would gladly give up lunch and dinner dessert for an appetizer at dinner. You can certainly use your snack credit for sweets if you want.

We stopped ordering lunch desserts after 2 days on the DDP last year. The DDP, as it now stands, really encourages bad eating habits.

I wonder if we let our voices be heard on this subject they could tweak the plan in the interest of health. As a nutritionist, I'd be willing do this. I wonder where we could write?

 

[dclfun]

I would also much prefer the appetizer vs. salad- my teens enjoy a salad with their meals and hardly ever want a dessert. I had heard that there was no choice as they were trying to make the dining experience a little less time consuming ( mostly for the servers to turn around the tables) so if someone in the party ordered appy's and some ordered desserts, it would negate the quicker turnaround. Also I'm sure they thought some would share within the party and didn't want to have to bring extra plates or deal with "sharing". ---Kathy

 

[angiepangie8]

I really agree that a choice should be given for appetizer or dessert.

I would gladly give up lunch and dinner dessert for an appetizer at dinner. You can certainly use your snack credit for sweets if you want.

We stopped ordering lunch desserts after 2 days on the DDP last year. The DDP, as it now stands, really encourages bad eating habits.

I wonder if we let our voices be heard on this subject they could tweak the plan in the interest of health. As a nutritionist, I'd be willing do this. I wonder where we could write?

I'd be willing to write too!!!!!!

 

[MarieA]

I just spoke to MS regarding the dining plan changes. I voiced my displeasure with the new plan not including appetizers and that I felt we should be given a choice of either an appetizer or dessert. I asked MS what the feedback was from members about the new DDP and was told that they were hearing many complaints. I asked MS where I could write to send my complaints and was given an email address: members@disneyvacationclub.com

I read elsewhere that all the 2008 DDP options no longer include tip.

I don't have an issue with the tip not being included as I always left an additional tip anyway, especially when we ate at 2 TS-credit restaurants. I don't even mind the appetizer going away, but I wish you could have a choice between the dessert and the appetizer. Ah well... even so, the lower-priced plan should still be plenty of food for us.

I can't ever see spending almost $140/day on food, no matter how convenient. I will certainly be tracking the true cost of the meals this trip to see if our dining habits add up to $140 for two adults, but I highly doubt it.

I too would rather give up the dessert at both CS and TS meals for an appetizer at the TS meal. My family just returned from WDW. We rarely ordered dessert with CS meals and only some of us ordered dessert with our TS meal.

The $69.99 plan does not appeal to my family at all. We barely were able to eat all the food on the current DDP. I can't imagine eating 3 sit down meals per day and besides I don't want to spend my whole vacation in restaurants. If we use the DDE, my DH and I can have a sit down breakfast and 2TS dinner for less than $140 + tips ($35 - $40 per day). I don't see any value in the deluxe dining plan.

There is one positive I see as a result of the new dining plans. Many people will opt not to use the new DDP and as a result TS locations will not be as crowded. I won't have to make ADRs 6 months in advance.

 

[JimMIA]

I just spoke to MS regarding the dining plan changes. I voiced my displeasure with the new plan not including appetizers and that I felt we should be given a choice of either an appetizer or dessert. I asked MS what the feedback was from members about the new DDP and was told that they were hearing many complaints. I asked MS where I could write to send my complaints and was given an email address: members@disneyvacationclub.com

You're welcome to write, of course, but DVC has nothing to do with the Disney Dining Plan. It's only been recently that we've even been allowed to buy it, so I don't think anyone at Disney Dining is going to get all worked up if they get some emails from DVC owners.

I think most people who follow the DDP regularly realize Disney made these changes because it puts a whole lot of extra money in their pockets. They have transferred the entire responsibility for the tip from themselves to the guest, and they've eliminated an entire course from the meal, which will greatly speed up their turnover and make them even more money.

So, for $1 less in 2008, you will lose one course of a formerly three-course meal, AND you'll become responsible for ALL of the tips. Such a deal!

When I see things like, "I don't have an issue with the tip not being included as I always left an additional tip anyway, especially when we ate at 2 TS-credit restaurants," I don't know whether to laugh or cry. What that person is really saying (and probably doesn't realize it) is that they think it's just fine for them to pay the entire $27 tip at California Grill on their $150 meal!

We're not talking about throwing in a few bucks to make the tip 20% any more, folks -- you're paying the whole thing!

I think a lot of people will eventually wake up and re-do the math and see that DDP is no longer a benefit. Many families, especially those with multiple kids <10 will still find it beneficial, but many others will not.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

When I see things like, "I don't have an issue with the tip not being included as I always left an additional tip anyway, especially when we ate at 2 TS-credit restaurants," I don't know whether to laugh or cry. What that person is really saying (and probably doesn't realize it) is that they think it's just fine for them to pay the entire $27 tip at California Grill on their $150 meal!

JimMIA: I want to clarify my earlier comment from this thread that you used as an example in your response to MarieA.

You are entitled to express your opinion. However, you should not assume my partner and I don't realize how our decision impacts how much we're "actually" spending on DPP by leaving additional tip.

We choose to do so because when we dine at a 2-TS credit restaurant, we have also ordered wine with dinner. The waitperson provides a service by advising our wine selection based on our entree choices. We could tip on the alcohol purchase alone, but we choose to consider the entire dining service experience in deciding how much tip we'll leave for our waitperson.

That being said, we're likely going to stop using DDP after our upcoming trip because the new plans don't truly meet our dining habits. We will go back to planning the one or two signature dining experiences we used to do before DVC members could use the plan.

 

[MarieA]

You're welcome to write, of course, but DVC has nothing to do with the Disney Dining Plan. It's only been recently that we've even been allowed to buy it, so I don't think anyone at Disney Dining is going to get all worked up if they get some emails from DVC owners.

I think most people who follow the DDP regularly realize Disney made these changes because it puts a whole lot of extra money in their pockets. They have transferred the entire responsibility for the tip from themselves to the guest, and they've eliminated an entire course from the meal, which will greatly speed up their turnover and make them even more money.

So, for $1 less in 2008, you will lose one course of a formerly three-course meal, AND you'll become responsible for ALL of the tips. Such a deal!

When I see things like, "I don't have an issue with the tip not being included as I always left an additional tip anyway, especially when we ate at 2 TS-credit restaurants," I don't know whether to laugh or cry. What that person is really saying (and probably doesn't realize it) is that they think it's just fine for them to pay the entire $27 tip at California Grill on their $150 meal!

We're not talking about throwing in a few bucks to make the tip 20% any more, folks -- you're paying the whole thing!

I think a lot of people will eventually wake up and re-do the math and see that DDP is no longer a benefit. Many families, especially those with multiple kids <10 will still find it beneficial, but many others will not.

I agree with you. Not only have they taken the tip out of the dining plan which equates to anywhere from $8 - 10, they have also taken the appetizer away as well ($8 - 12 value). They decreased the price one whole dollar. In effect they have raised the price of the dining plan by 50%. We'll skip the DDP, use the DDE on our future trips and we will probably dine outside WDW (something we haven't done in 15 years).