What is the difference between Disney Dining Experience and Disney Dining Plan???

[sharonRNms]

Is there an advantage to the Disney Dining Experience?? We are going in Dec of 2007. Is it worth buying an AP for this?? Any info would be appreciated!

 

[tomerin]

with the disney dining experience you get 20 % off your entire bill including drinks, beer etec, for up to 10 people. this works for us because being DVC members we often eat one meal in our room each day. the dining plan really doesnt work for us. we are going again this july and will definitly use the dining experience card again

 

[sharonRNms]

Isn't the dining experience mostly for lunch??

 

[ajleone]

Isn't the dining experience mostly for lunch??

Nope, its for any meal. However it is only for the table service restaurants. You can check this link for participating restaurants. http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneydiningexperience.htm

 

[oogieboogie]

The Disney Dining Plan is available to anyone who purchases a package from Disney (room+tickets) and the Plan covers your entire stay up to 10 days.

The Disney Dining Experience is a 20% discount program that is available to Annual Passholder, Florida Seasonal Passholder, and Florida Residents for $50 and is good for 1 year. DDE gives you 20% discount on food, beverage, and alcoholic beverages at TS restaurants, resorts that don't have TS restaurant, and Animal Kingdom (since they don't really have a TS restaurant)

 

[BCV23]

Also DVC members can purchase the DDP when staying at DVC properties on points without (obviously) being on a package with room and tickets.

 

[AZ Mom]

We're planning a trip for March. Right now we have a AAA rate at BWV. I'd like to just go ahead and buy our four 8-day passes now (and be done with it before prices go up again), but not sure if I'm better off getting one of us an AP instead. I'm trying to "do the math" to see if it's worthwhile for us to get an AP even if there isn't a room discount. It seems to me that if we get the AP we'll want to DDE card, too (although we typically do our TS meals at lunch and would still get a 10% discount). That means an extra $270 or so to get the APand DDE. Any advice from veterans?

Thanks!

 

[vacationwoman]

We're planning a trip for March. Right now we have a AAA rate at BWV. I'd like to just go ahead and buy our four 8-day passes now (and be done with it before prices go up again), but not sure if I'm better off getting one of us an AP instead. I'm trying to "do the math" to see if it's worthwhile for us to get an AP even if there isn't a room discount. It seems to me that if we get the AP we'll want to DDE card, too (although we typically do our TS meals at lunch and would still get a 10% discount). That means an extra $270 or so to get the APand DDE. Any advice from veterans?

Thanks!

We have AP's because since we go at least once every year, we don't have to buy park passes the second trip. We also have the DDE for AP holders.
(it now costs $60). It is also good for one year, so we get to have 20% off most of our meals (and all alcohol beverages, love that stop in the lounge at night ).
It is not good in CS at the parks just TS (exept for AK).
We stayed at POR this year and it was accepted at Boatwrights (TS) and their food court. By our 3rd day there this year the savings had paid for the card.

The DDP is way too much food for the 2 of us. And I don't want to feel like I "have to be somewhere" at a certain time for dinner. Somedays I'm not all that hungry. Don't want to decide months ahead of time where I will be eating.

We had no trouble getting reservatons for dinner at any of the restuarants when we were there at the last minute.

 

[AZ Mom]

Thanks! Since we live in AZ, it's unlikely we'll make more than 1 vist every few years ($1000+ for airfare alone). We hit Disneyland most of the time, but there's just something about WDW...I agree on the DDP -- we don't eat very large portions and sometimes just graze all day. Can you still get the 10% AP discount for CS?

 

[BCV23]

Can you still get the 10% AP discount for CS?

The AP discounts are rather limited especially compared to DDE and DDP.

There are discounts for lunch only at some of the Epcot and deluxe resort table service restaurants. No CS at all at the parks or Disney resorts. No discounts at those restaurants for dinner.

The only CS places I know of that give an AP discount are at the Wide World of Sports and Wolfgang Puck Express locations. Some of the TS restaurants at DTD do give AP discounts too.

For your situation I would get the 8 day hoppers and think about doing the DDP. Even eating your TS meals at lunch, you'll probably come out ahead. We used most of our TS at lunch and most of the CS for breakfast on one trip. Our TS meals were about 20% off what we paid for the plan so the same as the DDE discount. But our CS and snacks were therefore "free." The snacks can be used for grazing and CS for dinners. Or just get the hoppers and graze away.

Happy planning!

 

[ajleone]

Just a quick correction
AP/ Florida Seasonal pass- $60.00
Florida residents- $85.00