Survey on meal plans

[BCV23]

Over on the restaurant forum, there's a thread about someone who was part of a survey about various meal plans. Several different options were discussed.....2, 3 meal plans...sitdown plans, counter service plans. How many DVCer's would be interested in such plans? I know we would be.

 

[Snowgod]

I would like to join the Disney Dining Club.

 

[5infam]

I have heard about the packages that include meals (like the Silver plan, I think), but as DVC members are we able to buy these plans as part of our stay on points? Just curious, although I hear its not worth the money. Any thoughts?

 

[dianeschlicht]

It would have to be pretty flexible for us to do it. We usually buy one big meal out at a nice restaurant each day and sometimes have our main meal in the villa. I think most of the meal plans you have to use a set amount per day, and we just don't do that. We usually have breakfast in the villa, a big meal midday at one of the resorts or parks and a light supper or dessert later at the villa. About two times during the 8-10 days we have a main meal in the villa just to save a little and because we get a little tired of eating out all the time. If we have guests, we tend to do a bit more cooking too, since many times they are not able to afford the restaurants we like to go to.

 

[Cruelladeville]

I would also like to see a dining plan, perhaps for a meal per day. We always eat at the very expensive restaurants for dinner, go to that awful ESPN Club for lunch, and eat breasfast in the room.

 

[Regina]

They had two versions of meal plans over the years that DVC members could add on. We never used either of them.

 

[lovespugs]

DH and I would definitely use the meal plan. In fact, when we were trying to decide whether to buy DVC, one of the drawbacks was that we could no longer get the Silver plan. We generally sleep late enough on vacation that we miss breakfast, so we do an earlyish sit down lunch and a lateish sit down dinner at nicer restaurants, so a two meal a day plan would be perfect for us!

 

[Cinderelli]

I saw the thread about the meal plan, too. I think we would love it.

I always choke when I see the amount of money we spend on meals at WDW. If I knew I could pay in advance, I think I wouldn't worry as much about how much our meals are costing. It would be something I would budget in (not good at this currently since I always think we'll eat in our villa more than we actually do) and I would enjoy our meals and days much more.

I'm all for it and I hope it happens.

 

[lulu71]

That would be great, but it would depend on what is included. I find the prepaid meals such as CP dinner package, etc. to be way too much food for me to have meals like this every day on vacation.

 

[Gail & Joe]

The (Silver Plan add on) gives you 2 Magical Wishes per day per person for the lenghth of your stay. If you use this add on it must be for everyone in your party and for the lenghth of your stay. The Magical Wishes can be used for others things besides for your meals. You have till the end of your stay to use them, so you don't have to use them everyday. Some of the places that you eat at require 2 magical wishes. We always booked through the Disney Club and have used this and we were quite pleased with it. Now we are DVC member and we cannot have this plan added on to our stay. This Dec. will be our first trip home to VWL and I'm sure we will live without it.

 

[Dean]

The Food-n-Fun plan was a combination of dining and activities. It had many forms over the few years it was around. Initially it was for 2 meals and you could get anything you wanted (app, entree, desert, no ETOH drink) with a couple of exceptions. It worked for basically all the sit downs that are Disney's. Most times you could pick any 2 meals you wanted. Kids were also not limited to the kids meals on most options.

Activities included things like the trail rides, water craft, fishing excursions, bikes (except surrey's) and parasailing. Price was around $40 per adult per day (or a little less) and kids $13.50 per day. The problem was it was like going to a buffet several times a day. We got it once for 3 days (min at the time) and by the end of 3 days we'd spent about $400, saved about $600 and gained a few pounds. We were miserable and even the kids were refusing desserts.

In another incarnation it gave you a prepaid card where an adult paid $50 per day and you got a credit of $55 per day. This version was food only. It amounted to a 10% discount. You could not combine this with other discounts and with the DDE 20%, it would have costs us a lot more.

 

[BCV23]

The Food-n-Fun plan always sounded like a fairly good deal to us but not as good as the Gold Key plan (different names over the years) that we used to do those days. I know lots of people think those plans aren't cost effective but my DH always kept track and in the early years we saved tons of money. Toward the end of our once/year trips the margin was narrowing but we still came out ahead. However, my husband and sons played golf which really adds up.

But I digress. Although we never used the Food-n-Fun plan, friends did and loved it. The latter plan that Dean described had some limitation that made it a no go for us....don't remember what it was. Something like the balance couldn't be applied elsewhere or to the next day...or something?

At any rate although we're rather new DVCers and still getting our legs, the plans sound like a good idea to me.

 

[Lesley]

I think I'd be interested in something like the Silver plan (magical wishes thing...or whatever) when we stay in a studio....but less likely to want something of the kind while staying in a one bedroom or larger. In the larger rooms we're more likely to cook, or bring back take out, or whatever! Also, with the recreation options, we're more likely to use them when we're having a visit that based more out of the room than in....which is more the case when staying in a studio.

You know, it would be nice if they'd offer these plans w/o passes at the regular hotels for those of us with AP's too....that's probably when I'd be most likely to use them...when we don't have any food facilities at all.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I highly doubt I would participate in a meal plan. I don't think I could live under such a structure. I don't want to feel forced to eat something so I am not wasting money. On the other hand, if I want two appetizers as my meal, then that is what I want (my wife does this quite often).
That being said, options are always a good thing....

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
On the other hand, if I want two appetizers as my meal, then that is what I want (my wife does this quite often).
That being said, options are always a good thing....

In our experience with the all inclusive plans, you could order pretty much whatever pleased you. Like your wife, I often like to order two appetizers rather than an entree. No problem in our experience. Servers were always very flexible.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by BCV23
In our experience with the all inclusive plans, you could order pretty much whatever pleased you. Like your wife, I often like to order two appetizers rather than an entree. No problem in our experience. Servers were always very flexible.

Be careful where you put the punctuations in this post, LOL.

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by Dean
Be careful where you put the punctuations in this post, LOL.

I know I'm tired but I don't get it, Dean. Please help!

 

[Richyams]

They had two versions of meal plans over the years that DVC members could add on. We never used either of them.

I never even knew they were available. Saving money on meals would be nice, buut its not really high on my list of needs. If I knew of a concinient paln, flexibility being key, two appeitizers sometimes works, maybe even three. Since we are in the parks just about every singe day and eat just about every single meal anyway, why not save money?

The number of meals in the room would drop. I could even be coaxed into a pretty regimented paln...as long as it offere flecibility, I don't know, maybe credits or something. Contract to eat 21 meals in seven days for the cost of sixteen....I just don't know how that would work. They could even have numbers of certain 'class' meals, heaven knows that they have the restaruants classified eight different ways already.

I remember the food and fun, never actually did it, I looked only briefly and always had so many guests, especially when we had free passes, guests that wouldn't let me touch my wallet whie eating, that the food and fun never really got a fair look.

Maybe I am not the only one that had guest bought meal plans, maybe Disney needs to revamp and reintroduce hte food-n-fun

 

[Richyams]

In our experience with the all inclusive plans, you could order pretty much whatever pleased you, Like your wife.

 

[Richyams]

Talk about "All Inclusive"!!!!