I just booked a premium plan through
AAA. Originially was going to do the platinum plan however really didn't want to stay at the Deluxe lodgings. We were more interested in staying at the Coronado. The difference between the premimum and the platinum (staying at the Animal Kingdom) for a 8 night, 9 day stay was $2066 using the WDW web site booking. After pricing out the various options including any tours not on the preimum plan that we'd take and dinner at Victoria and Alberts, we'd still not make the cost of the preimum plan worth it.
I booked online and then called AAA. The TA on AAA was terrific! She diligently called Disney back to verify information and answer questions as I wanted to be sure that the premium or platinum package I booked through AAA would be the same as if booked online. In the end, I saved about $250 booking through AAA - enough to pay for all the tours we'd take that weren't on the premium plan!
Here's some of the figuring I did to arrive at the premium plan over the other options:
WDW web rate:
8 nights, 9 days and includes WDW insurance
Platinum @ Animal Kingdom standard room: $6437
Premium @ Coronado standard room: $4371
Magic Your Way @ Coronado w/dining plan: $2754
Magic Your Way @ Coronado w/out dining plan: $2147
Costs of tours, shows, and dining we know we want to do for two people:
Dolphins in Depth: $300
Around the World (Segaway): $160
Animal Kingdom Backstage: $130
Cirque du Soleil: $180
Fantasmic dinner: $46
Hoop Dee Doo: $100
Victoria & Alberts: $300
Total: $1216
If I wanted to add in the Illuminations Cruises:
Cruise options:
Illuminations:
Birthday: $258
Breathless: $178
Poontoon: $234
Wishes:
w/out sound: $187
w/sound: $234
(These actually seem to be more advantageous if booked outside the package as you get the whole boat for your party depending on which cruise, from 7 -10 people. Even adding in $400 for the two cruises on the premim package, I'm still $450 below the total cost of the platinum package.)
What about the free rec options I bet you're thinking! Glad you thunk that - the platinum required a stay at a deluxe hotel. The least expensive option was the Animal Kingdom. All other options raised the price by another $1200. (An alternative was the Fort Wilderness Lodge - however, we are two adults with no kids and figured that would be alot noisier given popularity for families). Staying at the Animal Kingdom lodge, with no onsite access to biking, boating, or fishing options would limit our use of such. Seemed unlikely we'd use those options much if they weren't easy to get to.
This ruled out the platinum package. We were more interested in the amenities of the lake property of the Coronado and didn't want the noise potential of a more popular for families lodging choice of Fort Wilderness.
The premium plan gave us all the things we wanted plus the rec options where we wanted to lodge and the advantage of the dining plan that included Fantasmic and Hoop Dee Doo, Cirque and the Animal Kingdom backstage tour.
I also priced out all the tours, shows and special dining we wanted with purchase of tickets through MWR and staying at Shades of Green. Given we spend about $100 a day for food off the dining plan, that worked out to less than $100 difference to staying at the Coronado with the dining plan and resort advantages that come with staying at a WDW property.
In the end, I dropped the insurance and booked the premium plan for $4136.
This is only $166 more than the Magic Your Way w/dining w/parkhopper and more pass for 9 days, 8 nights at the Coronado. That $166 more is easily recouped with the Cirque tickets that come with the premium plan.
Part of our consideration is that since we've been to WDW before, we don't have the vacation pressure of needing to make sure we see and ride everything in all the parks. We like the tours and know we want some time just to take it easy. The rec options are nice but not a priority so they are more of a bonus than an imperative to use. And we love the food! So, the slightly better dining options that the premium plan affords over the dining plan work out for us. Also, when we booked the tours not included, we asked for the AAA discount, that saved us more which isn't figured into the above (because I didn't have those costs when I did the evaluation).
Good luck with your own figuring!
), waterskiing, our oldest son used to do the tours that were offered for older kids, we enjoyed lots of fine dining, HoopDeeDoo, etc.. My husband and oldest were signed up for the parasailing on two different trips but both times were cancelled due to weather. I would call ahead if you schedule that because once we had no idea it would be cancelled and they went all the way over to CR marina only to find out it was a no go.
