Food plans

[tvwalsh]

Could any of you explain the differences between the two food plans available to us as DVC members? What do you get with each and what is the cost? I would also appreciate a good up to date website with the information that I could forward to a friend who is coming with us.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Chuck S]

Standard DDP:

Once ounter service, one snack, one table service meal credit for each noght of your stay. Table service inculde entree, non-alcoholic beverage, and dessert. Appetizer and server gratuity are not included. Approx. $37 per adult (age 10 or older) per night, $10 per child (age 9 and under).

Deluxe plan:

3 meals and two snacks per day. Meals are your choice of table service or counter service. Table service includes appetizer, beverage, entree and dessert. Also includes one resort refill beverage mug for each party member. Does NOT include server gratuity. Approx $70 per night per adult, $20 per child.

Both plans include tax. Everyone in the room must be on the same plan for the entire length of the reservation.

 

[crisi]

The third one you'll hear about isn't a plan - its a discount card - the DDE (Disney Dining Experience)

You need an annual pass (or you need to be a Florida resident). Then you purchase the card for $65 (?). Its good for a year and gets you 20% off MOST table service venues, a few counter service venues, and most lounges - including 20% off alcohol for parties up to ten. A 18% gratutity will be added next year automatically if you use the DDE (we tip around there anyway).

We are traveling with 10 (maybe 12) next year and although won't spend enough days in Orlando to justify an AP, will likely get one and the DDE anyway because it will more than pay for itself over the course of the trip. If you do a lot of signature dining and order bottles of wine with dinner, this can be a better deal.

 

[tjkraz]

Here's a link to the Dining brochure for DVC members:

http://advc.disney.go.com/media/dvc...ng/disneydiningplan/2008_DisneyDiningPlan.pdf

Reportedly they are still negotiating with a handful of Epcot restaurants which are not owned by Disney. If those negotiations are successful, they may still be added in time to be used after 1/1/08. But as of right now, that document represents all of the confirmed locations that will accept the DDP in '08.

 

[Anal Annie]

We purchased AP's and the DDE card this past summer just to see how it would work out for us. We did not go for the DDP because our DS is 10 now so is considered an "adult" by Disney for tickets and food - but he doesn't eat $38 worth of food per day yet so the DDP was not a good plan for us. Now when he's 15 or 16 and eats everything in sight it will be a different story!

The more people you have in your party the better deal the DDE card is if you eat your meals together as it is a 20% discount and covers up to 10 people at your table. Only you can use it tho - you can't hand it off to someone else in your party to use, like your spouse. If we wanted 2 cards there was an extra charge of like $20 or something to get a 2nd one. Since it was in my name I had to order all of the meals - I couldn't send DH to get in line to get stuff. We are just a family of 3 so the $65 fee for the DDE card is a stretch to recover as the card is not good at a lot of counter service places in the parks - which is where we tend to eat lunches and it's not good on the Fantasmic packages - but it IS good for Character Dining and alcoholic beverages at the participating restaurants (we saved a lot at Boma using the card as we had several drinks with dinner too). Anyway, we went for a week in August and after I totalled up our receipts we saved about $55 with the card on that one trip. So we're still $10 short of "paying for it". Now, that said, we're going again for 4 n. in Jan. and will use it a couple of times and then we're going again next July for 3 n. and will be able to use it a couple more times. Hopefully we'll "pay for it" on our Jan. trip.

The DDE card is an especially good deal if you have a large party, if you drink, if you do a lot of sit-down dining AND if you go more than once per year as it's good for a year. We will get our money back for it - but only because we're going 3 times this year and because we now plan to eat at places that take the card. I just wanted to see how it would work out & if it would really be worth it for us. We are planning an extended family trip for 2009 so it would be worth it on that trip if we eat 1 or 2 nice meals together. With 10 people, dinner at say a place like Boma or The Brown Derby, it could pay for itself in 1 meal...

 

[Cheryl N. WI]

Thanks Annie for the explanation of the DDE card! I have been trying to figure out if it would be worth it for us because there are only 3 of us and we do eat counter service a fair amount of the time. I think we will skip buying the DDE card.

We purchased AP's and the DDE card this past summer just to see how it would work out for us. We did not go for the DDP because our DS is 10 now so is considered an "adult" by Disney for tickets and food - but he doesn't eat $38 worth of food per day yet so the DDP was not a good plan for us. Now when he's 15 or 16 and eats everything in sight it will be a different story!

The more people you have in your party the better deal the DDE card is if you eat your meals together as it is a 20% discount and covers up to 10 people at your table. Only you can use it tho - you can't hand it off to someone else in your party to use, like your spouse. If we wanted 2 cards there was an extra charge of like $20 or something to get a 2nd one. Since it was in my name I had to order all of the meals - I couldn't send DH to get in line to get stuff. We are just a family of 3 so the $65 fee for the DDE card is a stretch to recover as the card is not good at a lot of counter service places in the parks - which is where we tend to eat lunches and it's not good on the Fantasmic packages - but it IS good for Character Dining and alcoholic beverages at the participating restaurants (we saved a lot at Boma using the card as we had several drinks with dinner too). Anyway, we went for a week in August and after I totalled up our receipts we saved about $55 with the card on that one trip. So we're still $10 short of "paying for it". Now, that said, we're going again for 4 n. in Jan. and will use it a couple of times and then we're going again next July for 3 n. and will be able to use it a couple more times. Hopefully we'll "pay for it" on our Jan. trip.

The DDE card is an especially good deal if you have a large party, if you drink, if you do a lot of sit-down dining AND if you go more than once per year as it's good for a year. We will get our money back for it - but only because we're going 3 times this year and because we now plan to eat at places that take the card. I just wanted to see how it would work out & if it would really be worth it for us. We are planning an extended family trip for 2009 so it would be worth it on that trip if we eat 1 or 2 nice meals together. With 10 people, dinner at say a place like Boma or The Brown Derby, it could pay for itself in 1 meal...

 

[shellbelle1971]

The DDE card has been a great savings for us, even though we don't drink, because we always have a big group. We found that the card paid for itself at our first dinner! (Group of 10.) YMMV!