opinion on Premium plan??

[laura001]

Someone must have an opinion on the Premium Plan. Was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on whether or not they bought the Premium Plan and whether they thought that the amount that they spent on the plan vs. what the cost of their meals was...was it a good deal and why??

Thanks so much!

 

[laura001]

wow...not one opinion...

 

[whacked]

It would be VERY difficult to make the premium plan come out on strictly a financial basis.

The only reason to get the premium plan is if money just doesn't matter, and you just want the convenience.

It's not for me, but if money didn't matter at all, it might be.

You need to plan to do a TON of recreational things, Cirque, all TS meals, golf, etc to get any kind of value out of the premium plan. I don't want more than one TS a day from a time management standpoint anyway.

 

[goodeats]

When I read reports on the Premium Plan it just seems like way too much food for us. We only eat 1, maybe 2, sit down meals a day. We don't play golf and rarely go to dinner shows, plus we've already seen Cirque. The old Silver Plan (where you got 2 wishes per day) was easier to get your money's worth.

You need to do the math to see if it would work for you. Unless you play golf or want to go to the spa everyday I doubt it would.

 

[padisneylover]

I am one of those people who like the convience of the Premium Plan. I don't have to worry rather or not the restrauant I want is covered on the plan or not since all are but in room dining and V&A. I can do anything that suits my fancy such as taking a ride on one of the pontoon boats, renting a bike or what ever if I feel like it. I love Cirque so seeing it more than once isn't a detraction to me. Do I get my money back?? I haven't really figured it out. I just know that with this plan no matter what I want to do it is covered and my out of pocket expenses on site are only for an occasional soda/coffee in the parks and souviners.

 

[SkipperBubba]

DW and I have a premium plan reservation in 11 days (not that we're counting or anything) and we figured we'd get better use out of it than we would concierge (about the same price), plus there wouldn't be people wandering around putting their diseased feet up on the tables like in the concierge lounge. So, we have ADRs at Yachtsman, Jiko, HBD, Artist Point, and Flying Fish, along with many others that aren't cheap. We also have the Backstage Safari, Hidden Treasures and Undiscovered Future World tours booked. We tried for Cirque, but they are dark next week. Hopefully Disney will compensate us in some way. It's a lot more convenient since it's just the two of us. We'll report on how we made out financially when we return to cold PA. We do miss the old silver plan, though.

 

[diswedwish]

I've done the old Silver, Gold (aka Premium ), and Platinum. Came out ahead $-wise for every one - usually saved around $300 with Silver, about $7-800 on Gold, and over $1000 on Platinum. But there were just the 2 of us, and we had jam-packed days full of activities and food. So it can definitely be worthwhile ($-wise) if you like to be on the go, like to eat, and want to try different activities like the tours, Cirque, parasailing, horsebackriding, etc. It is nice that it's pre-paid, but that wasn't why I booked the plans - I wanted to try all of the different options that were included and love to plan.

 

[dejavu]

I agree, DH & I always take the premium plan and feel we come out "ahead" but it is a jammed packed, fun filled, exhausting vacation to say the least- we eat eat eat and golf and rent boats and go to the parks, go to cirque , go to PI and then collapse and get up the next day and do it all over again This isn't everyones idea of a vaction but it works for us- You have to do alot to get your $$$ worth but I think you could do less and if you really enjoyed fine dining and maybe a few recreation things it would be worth the money. The only drawback is that with the plan you really do have to plan ahead with meals and cirque tickets and such-it would be hard to "wing" it on the premium plan IMHO.

 

[honeymo78]

We always come out ahead on the Premium (or gold) package. Then again we love to eat 3 meals a day, we love water sports and parasailing and we enjoy tours. I'm hoping we'll be able to the Platinum plan in the next year or two (I love room service) and we'll come out ahead on that one too. I recently posted a review of my dining on the premium plan (will add recreation soon) if you want to check that out.

If you like 3 sit down meals a day, want to try out a tour or two, and enjoy some of the recreational activities - you'll have a blast on this plan. And I agree with Skipper that its a comparable price to concierge level but we find we get so much more out of it than we would staying concierge. (Have a great trip skipper!)

 

[karen l]

We did the silver plan the past 2 years & like everyone else, we loved it!
I just upgraded to the premium because we have always done ts meals for breakfast & dinner. We've also got ressies for Cirque & 2 tours. The trip isn't until April so we're still making plans - mini golf, boats etc. I know it's alot of money but we nejoy Cirque & are lloking forward to trying the tours.

 

[wasabi girl]

I'm going with my family, DH, DDs (20 & 17) in 7 days (woohoo!). For us it seems like it will be a great value. DH is a chef, and we all really enjoy nice meals ( we have nearly 3 sit down meals planned everyday). Each of us plan to split up a bit and everyone will enjoy recreation of their choice (golf, riding) etc. We've got tours and cirque planned. I may not do the premium plan for just the meals...or if my daughters were young (I'd hate to pay adult prices for things they wouldn't do or enjoy). I'll let you know about the value aspect of it when We get back.

 

[pedro2112]

It would be a waste for a family with small children, and the kids are charged about $90/day. However, if it was just adults or teens that eat a lot, and you were planning on doing a lot of tours and recreation, then it would be definitely worth it.

If you are just going to use it for meals, it would be almost impossible to get your money's worth out of the plan. You would be better off getting the dining plan and paying for the rest of your meals out of pocket.

 

[Nancyg56]

We looked at it, and decided that for us, it would not be worth it. We have 6 in our party, and one is a four year old. This trip is geered towards our DGD, and we would not bring her to all of the places that are included in the plan. Perhaps if it was just DH and myself to consider.....