What is the Premium Dining Plan?

[jetstrip19]

I called and planned on the regular dining plan, and after reading the board I read about premium, I cant remember seeing that on the "official site" Whats the deal with it, what do you get (compared tp the reg dining option), how much is it and how do you get it i.e. same way as reg dining plan?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Now called the Platinum Plan, it includes three table service meals per day at table service or buffet restaurants, including V&A. It requires staying at a deluxe hotel and includes Concierge service and lots of other stuff.

 

[Marseeya]

I called and planned on the regular dining plan, and after reading the board I read about premium, I cant remember seeing that on the "official site" Whats the deal with it, what do you get (compared tp the reg dining option), how much is it and how do you get it i.e. same way as reg dining plan?

It's expensive. The premium plan includes three meals a day (TS or CS, signature & shows included) and a snack. Plus you get free tickets to Cirque du Soleil and unlimited admission to the different park tours (Keys to the kingdom and whatnot), admission to child care places, and free golfing and other amenities like that. The platinum package has even more, but it costs even more.

Just as an example on prices, we priced our trip at approximately $4500 for the dining plan. The premium plan went around $7700 and the platinum was well over $10,000. No platinum for us!

We did the dining plan last June and there was more than enough food -- in fact, we were working out ways to fit in all those credits. I can't imagine how wasteful it would have been for us to have three meals a day.

 

[wilderness gal]

Jetstrip

DH & myself are going to Disney on the Platinum Plan Nov. 26 - Dec. 1, 2006 for our 20th wedding anniversary @ the WL (standard room) 5 nights/6 days thru AAA (kbasnett@merrimack-valley.aaa.com) . She got our trip for $3,534.00. I thought that was a pretty good deal. She saved us "$200.00" off the top of the package. I had priced it with Disney Travel Co. & they were $200.00 more than AAA.

This board led me to Kristin @ AAA and now we are doing the "happy" dance , just waiting on Nov to get here

DH, DS, & DS'friend and myself went to WDW in May 2003 on the Gold Plan which is now called the Premium Plan, we stayed @ the WL (standard room - rec'd a complimentary upgraded to a Courtyard). We had a blast on the plan, hoping to have even more fun on the Platinum Plan. My DH LOVES, to go fishing, fishing, fishing.......and I'll go to the spa. I looked for codes back then & if codes become available I'm sure Kristin will apply them as I've been told she is extremely good @ finding bargains

Good luck @ booking your package ! !

 

[Marseeya]

Jetstrip

DH & myself are going to Disney on the Platinum Plan Nov. 26 - Dec. 1, 2006 for our 20th wedding anniversary @ the WL (standard room) 5 nights/6 days thru AAA (kbasnett@merrimack-valley.aaa.com) . She got our trip for $3,534.00. I thought that was a pretty good deal. She saved us "$200.00" off the top of the package. I had priced it with Disney Travel Co. & they were $200.00 more than AAA.

This board led me to Kristin @ AAA and now we are doing the "happy" dance , just waiting on Nov to get here

DH, DS, & DS'friend and myself went to WDW in May 2003 on the Gold Plan which is now called the Premium Plan, we stayed @ the WL (standard room - rec'd a complimentary upgraded to a Courtyard). We had a blast on the plan, hoping to have even more fun on the Platinum Plan. My DH LOVES, to go fishing, fishing, fishing.......and I'll go to the spa. I looked for codes back then & if codes become available I'm sure Kristin will apply them as I've been told she is extremely good @ finding bargains

Good luck @ booking your package ! !

I am so jealous! One of the things that kept me from booking premium or platinum was the fact that our DD will be with us, and a good many of the tours we wanted to do had an age requirement.

 

[wilderness gal]

Jetstrip;

Our DS is NOT going with us this time. He'll be a senior in high school, he wants to go but NOT...............

I forgot to mention that Kristin also got us 15% off of the room rate
WL - "Standard" room rate $205 X 5 nights = $1,025 (w/out taxes)

AAA price for the same room is $174.25 X 5 nights = $871.25 (w/out taxes)

She saved us: $200.00 pkg discount
$153.75 room discount - 15%
$353.75 TOTAL DISCOUNT

That savings almost paid for our airfare . I'm hoping for some more discounts such as codes from Disney Visa during the year for her to apply to our trip. Hopefully this can be done. I've seen it done in the past, Lord willing.

I hope you get to go on the plan of your choice. The only reason we are going on the Platinum Plan is because of the extra's, & as i stated before DH loves to fish. We are going for our 20th wedding anniversary & DH was in the Air Force when we married & "on alert" right after we got married so, we really didn't get a real honeymoon. This will be a treat , just waiting for the magic ! ! In fact this will be only the 2nd time we've been on a VACATION without our DS ! ! So, I'm REALLY excited !! I love my child but he'll be 18 so it's time to have some FUN

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We did it back in '97 on our honeymoon and in 2000(can't remember what they called it then) and I honestly felt like all we did was eat. During our 2000 trip my FIL actually said "Hurry up and finish your breakfast, we have lunch in 2 hours!"

But WDW does have some of the best food on the planet so if you chose to go there just to eat and not really see anything else, than have at it!!

 

[ReneeA]

I can't imagine eating that many TS meals. We were on the "free" dining plan back in August and we left without using all of our credits. Even with just 1 CS and 1 TS meal a day, I felt like we spent a ton of time eating. Plus, usually I loose weight on our trips with all the walking...this one I didn't .

ReneeA

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

Actually you can stay at any resort.
And no Snacks. Just three meals a day - can be table or counter your choice.

the Platnium new for 2006 has to be a deluxe or DVC resort.

We went in June on the Premium package at the Caribbean Beach. There are a few changes from 2005 to 2006.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/tickets/packageListing?id=PackageListing06Page takes you to the Disney site for the 2006 packages and whats included.

If you have any specific Premium questions I would be happy to answer them

 

[jetstrip19]

Ok I totally understand the concept behind it all but my question is, I rented points off a DVC member, and bought my park tickets through ticketmania, and booked plane tix through kayak.com I did call DVC and made arrangements to be put on the dining plan, my questions, since I bought everything ala carte would I be able to do just premium dining, like I did with the regular plan that was priced at 37.99 a day, I hope I am clear in my question, can you do premium or platnum w/out the package just the dining and if so how much per day is it?

 

[DeterminedOne]

Ok I totally understand the concept behind it all but my question is, I rented points off a DVC member, and bought my park tickets through ticketmania, and booked plane tix through kayak.com I did call DVC and made arrangements to be put on the dining plan, my questions, since I bought everything ala carte would I be able to do just premium dining, like I did with the regular plan that was priced at 37.99 a day, I hope I am clear in my question, can you do premium or platnum w/out the package just the dining and if so how much per day is it?

I don't think so. The platinum/premium plans aren't really dining plans per se. They are plans with a lot of features. Dining happens to be one of them.

 

[jetstrip19]

I see so its an upgraded package, any I wonder since Im renting if I can upgrade

 

[pedro2112]

I can't imagine eating that many TS meals. We were on the "free" dining plan back in August and we left without using all of our credits. Even with just 1 CS and 1 TS meal a day, I felt like we spent a ton of time eating. Plus, usually I loose weight on our trips with all the walking...this one I didn't .

ReneeA

The premium plan isn't for the food. You don't have to eat 3 TS meals a day. The premium plan allows you to eat three meals (like humans are supposed to), anywhere you want and not have to worry about paying for it. Even if you at three TS meals a day, you would never get your "moneys worth" out of the plan. On the contrary, the Premium Plan is for those that will use the Cirque Tickets, go golfing, do the tours, etc... that normally are very expensive, but are included on the plan.

 

[wasabi girl]

To the OP, I don't think you can add on a premium dining package as an option...it is a package more than an upgrade I think. I was just at WDW in Dec for our first trip (not the last!) and we did the premium plan. It's a great plan but I don't think it would be cost effective to try to use the package primarily for dining. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

No DVC cannot upgrade to Premium (yet - although I have begun my pester campaign)
Nor can you get it al a - cart.

You have to have it with a Magic Your way package.

They are right - it is not just a Dining Plan. It's a Dining and Activity Plan. There is no reason they could not let a DVC person who is getting Magic your way tickets get this plan. the plan does not give you a discount on your room. And the only Diffrence between a DVC vacation and a regular Vacation is the fact a DVC member prepaid for the room.

We debaited so much about getting it or just the dining plan for our 10 year this past june. I'm so glad we did and we talk about wanting to do it again. But we bought DVC while we were there so it's a no until they add it just to get me to stop calling and Writing.

 

[DeterminedOne]

The premium plan isn't for the food. You don't have to eat 3 TS meals a day. The premium plan allows you to eat three meals (like humans are supposed to), anywhere you want and not have to worry about paying for it. Even if you at three TS meals a day, you would never get your "moneys worth" out of the plan. On the contrary, the Premium Plan is for those that will use the Cirque Tickets, go golfing, do the tours, etc... that normally are very expensive, but are included on the plan.

I disagree that you can't get your money's worth for the premium plan. You can get your money's worth but it takes a lot of planning and a lot of time away from the parks. The platinum plan - that's a different story. The cost difference between the two plans is huge. All because of a personal planner, Victoria & Albert's, fireworks cruises- stuff like that, which still don't add up to the price you pay for them. The premium plan is a much better deal according to what I've been quoted. And if you plan things just right you can at least break even.

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

I think that pedro was just saying that by eating alone you can't get you moneys worth. You have to do the other stuff.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Sorry, Pedro. I misunderstood.

 

[pedro2112]

Sorry, Pedro. I misunderstood.

No Problemo muchacha!

 

[blueroses]

The premium plan is great for people who don't plan to be in the parks from open to close every day of their vacation. If you want to do behind the scenes tours, rent watercraft, golf, see Cirque, etc., it really is convenient and somewhat economic. I wouldn't do it every time I go to WDW because I love being in the parks so much. I would jump at it if I could get it at a discount, but you really need to plan on taking advantage of all the features of the plan (definitely not just dining) to make it worth it. For those who love the "planning phase" of the WDW vacation as much as the actual vacation, the Premium plan is really fun.

RE: the Platinum plan. This one I would not do, because it is charged per night. Since you're not going to use the Platinum-only features every day of your vacation, you're almost always going to lose money on this. IE, you're not going to eat at V&A's every night, so why pay for the opportunity to do so. Package number crunchers out there, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this.