Just for fun: what would be your "dream" dining plan?

[bangzoom6877]

Just wanted to start this thread for fun, to see what other people would want as far as the dining plan in the future. So let's pretend it's 2009 already and Disney is requesting some input from its potential guests. They want to know what you would like to see as a new added dining plan to the current ones available for 2009, so that they can enhance the dining plans for 2010. Here are a few of my "dreams":

1. My true dream dining plan: 2 meals daily (could be TS or CS, choice is yours); appetizer included at TS a la carte restaurants; 1 snack daily

2. 2 TS meals daily plus 1 CS meal daily, plus 1 snack daily; appetizer included at TS

3. 3 meals daily, anywhere, app. included at TS (no snacks)

What would you like to see in the future, for 2010?

 

[honeymo78]

I would love to see the platinum/premium meal segment available separately - basically 3 meals per night with all locations requiring 1 credit. Or just let DVC buy plat/prem and you don't have to change anything.

 

[stepdisney]

I would love to have 3 meal credits per day, 1 TS and 2 CS and the option of exchanging 2 CS for 1 TS. Some days we eat a quick breakfast sandwich at the CS at the resort, get an early start and have a good lunch and TS dinner. Other days, we like a leisurely TS breakfast either at our resort (Boma!!) or at the park, we eat a snack mid-day, and we have a TS dinner. I like flexibility but I don't like using 2 TS when I only have 2 meal credits per day. I think the basic plan should be 1 TS and 2 CS and the Deluxe should be 3 meals to be used any way you'd like just as it is now.

 

[TDC Nala]

No prepaid plan at all.

 

[disneyin2008]

Ok...just for fun because I know it'll never happen....but I'd love to be able to choose how many nights worth of dining plan I purchase. If I'm staying 14 nights I'd love to be able to say I'll take dining 8 nights please. Then be able to pay OOP for the other 6.

Of course the reason it will never happen is that those 8 nights we'd all be eating filet mignon....and those other 6 days we'd be eating burgers and Trail's End. LOL

But, a girl can dream!

 

[choirfarm]

Yes, choose the amount of time. For example, I was staying 8 nights and if I could have purchased 6 nights worth of meals but EATEN them over the 8 days, then it would have been perfect. We were scrambling to use up the 11 CS and 6 snacks we had left the morning we left Disney.

Christine

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I guess I am weird, I like the numbers of the basic plan now. I like 1 sit down meal a day. But I did like when it included tip, and I would also like to be able to have an appitizer instead of dessert sometimes. DH would probably say add an extra snack, so he could use it at breakfast and still have one for later.

 

[stepdisney]

Oh yeah, I forgot, I'd also like appetizers and gratuity included or at least the choice of dessert or appetizer. We'd much rather have appetizers than dessert most of the time. (The children would say otherwise I am sure.)

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

No prepaid plan at all.

Why? I know it does'nt work for some people, but I think for many others it does.

 

[disneyin2008]

Why? I know it does'nt work for some people, but I think for many others it does.

Many have voiced opinions that the quality of food and service have gone down because of the dining plan. And, the need for ADRs 180 days out, whereas before DP you could walk up to most places and be seated.

I wouldn't mind the walk up and be seated part, but I am not sure I agree with the quality of food/service being only because of the dining plan.....there are lots of other indications that Disney has simply gone the way of "follow the money" in every area, not just dining.

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

Has Disney not always had some sort of dining plan. I really am new to this to be honest, ever since '05, my first visit, (I got bit by the bug bad!), but has there not always been something?

 

[Tricia1972]

I would like for there to be only the Premium and Platinum plans, and to see the removal of the DDP and the DxDDP as well as the QSDP. (Quick Service Dining Plan)

I see a very valid question above that I missed before I posted, so I will answer the question "Why no plan"

For me, no plan works the way I eat. By the time Disney designs enough plans so that my touring style is encompassed there will be dozens and dozens of DDP's and it'll be hard for everyone to keep straight, including servers at the restaurants.

I also feel that I am being penalized because there is no plan that fits my style. Why? Because Disney doesn't have the freedom to increase prices for more expensive dishes because of the fixed cost of the DDP. It seems that to address the loss of money they continue to remove dishes and shrink the menus as they homogenize them across the board.

For right now, with the decreased menus, we eat on site sometimes and eat off site when we tire of Disney's food. It sure would be nice to see the old menus and be able to eat on site for our whole trip.

I would never go so far as to suggest this to Disney, but when asked for my dream - this is it.

 

[hill6]

Choice of appetizer or dessert. Also the option to purchase two snacks a day.

 

[rrkman]

I too would like the option for Appetizer or Dessert (or both ) and the gratuity to be included again. My only other wish would be to have some sort of continental breakfast included at the resorts. It would be nice to go to the lobby. pick up a quick breakfast, and jump on the bus. Why not include this in the plan? Then you would still have a CS and TS for the other 2 meals of the day....plus a snack !

 

[bangzoom6877]

I too would like the option for Appetizer or Dessert (or both ) and the gratuity to be included again. My only other wish would be to have some sort of continental breakfast included at the resorts. It would be nice to go to the lobby. pick up a quick breakfast, and jump on the bus. Why not include this in the plan? Then you would still have a CS and TS for the other 2 meals of the day....plus a snack !

The continental breakfast at resorts sounds like a great idea! How I wish they would have this...then I would not have to buy groceries for breakfast in the room, and it would also be quick! That's one reason we like having breakfast in the room...it is so quick. We prefer getting to the parks before they open and then take an afternoon break by 2PM. In July we got to see tons of attractions during that time. Actually we got to do everything on our must-do list!

The gratuity not included actually does not bother me one bit. As a matter of fact I prefer it the way it is now. Granted, I never experienced the old DDP myself before they stopped including the tip, but I did read several threads on here where people stated that back in 2007, the server asked them if they were on the DDP and then the service was not up to par. In other words, the server found out at the beginning of the meal that their tip was already guaranteed, and therefore did not make the effort to provide good service. We are very generous when we tip (between 18% and 25%...actually we only give 15% if the service is not so good). I don't have to heart not to leave a tip or to leave a really low one. Perhaps this is because both DH and I have waited tables before so we know how it feels to depend on your customers for your rent money. But I do like the fact that we decide the amount. We got some pretty bad service at Crystal Palace back in July, so we tipped only 15%. At all the others, we usually tipped the 18% that was suggested by Disney at the bottom of the check. Once or twice we tipped 20% for exceptional service (Boma had the best!!).

A choice of app or dessert would be so nice!! I am sure the reason Disney does not give the choice right now is because they know that people like DH and myself would share an app and also share a dessert! Something we do frequently when we go out to eat normally! The way the plan is now if 2 people want to share an app, pay OOP.

 

[sandym718]

Hmm...probably just the regular plan the way it was in 2007!! 1 snack, 1 CS and 1 TS each day, but appy and tip still included. That worked out very well for us. I love the continental breakfast idea, though, too!! We did use snack credits for breakfast a few times - the pastries at Captain Cook's are quite good - other times we ate what we had in the room.

Another "dream" idea would be to separate the dessert portion out from the CS meals (yes, really a dream, LOL) so you could get that later/at a different location. I guess it would probably work "easier" if they ever really considered this to just drop the CS dessert and add an extra snack credit.

 

[Colleen27]

I already got my dream dining plan... For years, I was wishing the 3 meals/day, your choice TS/CS element of the premium and platinum plans was available without the entertainment and activity parts of the plan, and that's basically what the deluxe dining is. We loved it on our trip in Jan and we'll most likely use it again when we go back.

 

[honeymo78]

I already got my dream dining plan... For years, I was wishing the 3 meals/day, your choice TS/CS element of the premium and platinum plans was available without the entertainment and activity parts of the plan, and that's basically what the deluxe dining is. We loved it on our trip in Jan and we'll most likely use it again when we go back.

I agree - deluxe is almost perfect. Now if only they got rid of the extra credit required for signatures/dinner shows I'd be in heaven.

 

[caroline1851]

1 TS (app or dessert choice)
2 cs
1 snack

tax and tip included

$45/day adults, $15/day kids

 

[Bell30012]

I would love just to see the tip included again. I like the fact that I have all the meals paid for, the rooms paid for and the tickets paid for months in advance. Then all I have to worry about is spending money.

Normally we are on the regular dining plan but since this trip was already paid for when I discovered and applied a code we used the savings to upgrade to the DxDP. Next year we will probably do the counter service dining plan unless we get a bounce back offer while we are there.