Disney Dining Experience -- worth it or not?

[Skylarr29]

I understood that they had opened this up to anyone, not just FL residents and AP holders. I do NOT have an AP at this time. After reading some of the other posts, it may not be worth it as this is the only trip I have planned for the next year. I'm talking about another trip next year, but nothing scheduled yet.

Thanks for the answers, though.

I am almost 100% sur ethat this is only for florida residents and ap holders (which I am both) I definatly dont think Disney would open this up to everyone.


Here is what it says on ALLEARSNET

NOTE: As of January 2005, membership in the Disney Dining Experience is open to Florida residents, as well as Annual Passholders no matter their state of residence.

DISNEY'S DINING EXPERIENCE is a dining discount program good for 20 percent off food and beverage at a number of Walt Disney World Resort hotel and theme park restaurants and lounges. Previously, the DDE, as it is commonly called, was only open to Florida residents.

-- General Membership: $75.00
-- Annual/Seasonal Passholders' Rate: $50.00
-- Renewals: $60.00 (for existing memberships received within 30 days of expiration date)
-- Members must be 21 years of age or older

Disney's Dining Experience Benefits:

1. Members receive a 20% discount on all food and beverage (including alcohol) for up to 10 people at participating table-service Disney restaurants.
-- Discount applies to member's check only.

-- One Disney Dining card per table. Two cards cannot be combined.

-- Member must be present to receive discount.

-- Card must be presented when ordering.

2. Half-price admission to Pleasure Island for cardholder (hard-ticket admission excluded) and ONE (1) guest. The ticket will only be valid on the date of issuance. You must present the Disney Dining Experience Card to receive the discount.

3. Club Newsletter

4. Complimentary parking at a theme park for a short period for the sole purpose of dining. You'll have to pay parking at the toll booth, then after dining, present receipt and parking ticket at Guest Relations for a refund.

5. Exclusive invitations to Disney's Dining Experience events.

WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) will book priority seatings for guests who are members of Disney's Dining Experience.

Theme park admission is required when dining in Theme Park restaurants.

Participating restaurants are subject to change. Guests will be notified of any changes in future newsletters. See BELOW for a list of restaurants.

Certain restrictions apply during holidays and special events, please check with the restaurant when you make your reservation. Blackout dates include major holidays: Mother's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years' Eve, New Years' Day.

Disney's Dining Experience discount cannot be used in combination with any other discount.

MEMBERSHIP AND CARD INFORMATION: Call Disney's Dining Experience office at (407) 566-5858, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Membership is not available on property. Membership is only available by mail or phone.

BY MAIL: Disney's Dining Experience, Post Office Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

BY PHONE: (407) 566-5858.

NOTE: Allow several weeks for processing. If you will visit Walt Disney World before you receive your membership card, you can arrange to pick up a letter of authorization from a Guest Relations office. You will need to show a photo I.D. to pick up this letter.

Participating Restaurants and Lounges in the DDE as of January 2005:

All-Star Movies Resort
World Premiere Food Court

All-Star Music Resort
Intermission Food Court

All-Star Sports Resort
End Zone Food Court

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Boma-Flavors of Africa
Jiko-The Cooking Place
Victoria Falls

Beach Club Resort
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
(excludes take-out shop)
Cape May Cafe
Martha’s Vineyard Lounge
Rip Tide Lounge

BoardWalk
Bellevue Lounge
ESPN Club
Flying Fish Cafe
Spoodles

Bonnet Creek Golf Club
Sand Trap Bar & Grill

Caribbean Beach Resort
Shutters at Old Port Royale

Contemporary Resort
California Grill
Chef Mickey’s Restaurant
Concourse Steakhouse
Outer Rim Lounge

Coronado Springs Resort
Maya Grill

Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (9:30 p.m. Show Only)
Trail's End Restaurant

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
1900 Park Fare
Cítricos
Garden View Lounge
Grand Floridian Cafe
Mizner's Lounge
Narcoossee's
Victoria & Albert's (excluding Chef's Table)

Old Key West Resort
Olivia's Cafe

Polynesian Resort
'Ohana
Kona Cafe
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (Late Show Only)
Tambu Lounge

Pop Century Resort
Everything Pop Shopping and Dining
Classic Concoctions

Port Orleans Resort
Riverside:
Boatwright's Dining Hall
River Roost
French Quarter:
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food
Factory
Scat Cat's Club

Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
The Artist's Palette
The Turf Club

Wilderness Lodge
Artist Point
Territory Lounge
Whispering Canyon Cafe

Yacht Club Resort
Ale and Compass Lounge
Crews Cup Lounge
Yacht Club Galley
Yachtsman Steakhouse

DOWNTOWN DISNEY Marketplace
Cap'n Jack's Restaurant

DOWNTOWN DISNEY West Side
Wolfgang Puck Café
Planet Hollywood

Epcot
Biergarten Restaurant
Bistro de Paris Restaurant
Chefs de France Restaurant
Coral Reef Restaurant
L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Nine Dragons Restaurant
Restaurant Akershus
Restaurant Marrakesh
Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room
San Angel Inn Restaurante
The Garden Grill Restaurant

Disney-MGM Studios
50's Prime Time Cafe
Hollywood & Vine
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Tune-In Lounge

Magic Kingdom
Cinderella's Royal Table
Liberty Tree Tavern
The Crystal Palace
The Plaza Restaurant
Tony's Town Square Restaurant

Animal Kingdom
Tusker House Restaurant
Pizzafari
Flame Tree Barbecue
Restaurantosaurus

Disney’s Wide World of Sports
Official All-Star Cafe


Entertainment & Dancing:

DOWNTOWN DISNEY Pleasure Island:
Half price admission to Pleasure Island Clubs for members and guest

Atlantic Dance Hall - Disney’s BoardWalk:
Admission is free for members and guest


This is what it says on disneys offcial site

Join** this culinary club which boasts a buffet of benefits. Enjoy invitations to private events, 20% discount at participating Resort and Theme Park restaurants, and party at Pleasure Island for half-price. It's the ultimate Florida Resident food lover's feast.

Join the Disney Dining Experience now! Download your membership application or Call (407) 566-5858† (Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. E.S.T.) for more information or to purchase or renew your membership. (Due to popular demand, we are experiencing high call volume. To avoid waiting on the phone, simply mail or fax your application to us!)

Please note that once information for application is received, it takes 2-3 weeks for your card to be processed, mailed, and delivered to your Florida address. Please plan in advance. Disney's Dining Experience is not sold or processed for its immediate use at the Walt Disney World® Resort.
Here's the most current list of restaurants participating in Disney's Dining Experience. You can even print this page for future reference.

Disney's All-Star Movies Resort - World Premiere Food Court
Disney's All-Star Music Resort - Intermission Food Court
Disney's All-Star Sports Resort - End Zone Food Court
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Boma - The Flavors of Africa, Jiko - The Cooking Place, Victoria Falls
Disney's Beach Club Resort - Beaches & Cream Soda Shop (excludes take-out shop), Cape May Cafe, Martha's Vineyard Lounge, Rip Tide Lounge
Disney's BoardWalk - ESPN® Club, Flying Fish Cafe, Spoodles, Bellevue Lounge
Disney's Bonnet Creek Golf Club - Sand Trap Bar & Grill
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - Shutters at Old Port Royale
Disney's Contemporary Resort - California Grill, Chef Mickey's, Concourse Steakhouse, Outer Rim Lounge
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - Maya Grill
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground - Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (9:30 p.m. show only), Trail's End Restaurant
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - 1900 Park Fare, Citricos, Garden View Lounge, Grand Floridian Cafe, Mizner's Lounge, Narcoossee's, Victoria & Albert's (excludes Chef's Table)
Disney's Old Key West Resort - Olivia's Cafe
Disney's Polynesian Resort - Kona Cafe, 'Ohana, Tambu Lounge, Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (Late show only)
Disney's Pop Century Resort - Everything Pop Shopping and Dining and Classic Concoctions
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter - Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory, Scat Cat's Club
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside - Boatwright's Dining Hall, River Roost
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort - The Artist's Palette, The Turf Club
Disney's Wide World of Sports™ - Official All-Star Cafe
Disney's Wilderness Lodge - Artist Point, Territory Lounge, Whispering Canyon Cafe
Disney's Yacht Club Resort - Yacht Club Galley, Ale and Compass Lounge, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Crews Cup Lounge
DOWNTOWN DISNEY® - Marketplace - Cap'n Jack's Restaurant
DOWNTOWN DISNEY® - West Side - Wolfgang Puck® Cafe, Planet Hollywood®
Epcot® - L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Restaurant, Chefs de France, Nine Dragons Restaurant, San Angel Inn Restaurante, Bistro de Paris Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Biergarten Restaurant, Restaurant Marrakesh, Restaurant Akershus, Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room, The Garden Grill, Coral Reef Restaurant
Disney-MGM Studios - Hollywood & Vine, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Tune-In Lounge, Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, The Hollywood Brown Derby
Magic Kingdom® Park - The Crystal Palace, Cinderella's Royal Table, Liberty Tree Tavern, The Plaza Restaurant, Tony's Town Square Restaurant
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park - Tusker House Restaurant, Pizzafari, Flame Tree Barbeque, Restaurantosaurus

Entertainment & Dancing

DOWNTOWN DISNEY® Pleasure Island*
Half-price admission for each Club Member, except for specially priced events.
Atlantic Dance Hall - Disney's BoardWalk
Admission is free for members and guest.


*Proof of Florida residency includes any of the following: Florida Driver's License; Florida state-issued I.D. (must have Florida address); Florida voters registration card with corresponding picture I.D.; a college I.D. for a Florida college; a Florida-based military I.D.
**You must 21 years of age to purchase.
†Remember: If you are under 18 years of age, you must have your parent or guardian's permission to dial this number.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

Memorymakers:
AFTER 5:00??
They said nothing about that when I ordered my card. Just said Guest relations ouside Epcot---

THis is if you order it that same day. We ordered our APs the day before we came down and had them at will call. Had to go activate those first, so we could call DDE to order that. Did this from our cell phone once we had the APs in our hand. Then had to go back after 5pm to pick the DDE card up. There was a HUGE stack of them too, so many people obviously ordered them for that day.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Thanks guys. The same day procedure makes sense.

 

[newholidayx2]

DS13 & I just used ours for our 14night stay Aug 13-27
We ate at 20 table service restaurants.
Also going to WDW Feb 5-10
and will renew before we go for our week in August

 

[Paul in CT]

My DW and I have a DDE card and it has already paid for itself on our first visit in May. We still have our September and December trips to save more.

 

[yooperfan]

Can we order the card in advance (from home) and pick it up at Epcot when we arrive if we have an AP voucher when we call and not an activated card? Also, if I order the card near the end of Dec. will it be good until the end of Jan. 2007? We will be returning Jan. 2007 a week earlier than our 2006 trip so that we can get 2 trips out of our AP. I'm hoping to be able to use the dining card for both trips.Thanks!

 

[Bobump]

Just came back from 9 days at "THE WORLD" and you see if it is worth it
PAID COST
Biergarten $130.00 $156.00
San Angel Inn $100.00 $120.00
Concourse Steakhouse $70.00 $84.00
Sci-Fi Reastaurant $116.00 $139.20
ESPN SPORTS CLUB $111.00 $133.20
ESPN SPORTS CLUB $14.00 $16.80
Rose & Crown $145.00 $174.00
ESPN SPORTS CLUB $108.00 $129.60
Crystal Palace $100.00 $120.00
Le Cellier $82.00 $98.40
$976.00 $1,171.20 NET SAVINGS $195.20

LESS THE 50.00 = +$145
And we are going for 2 more weeks in October