So, yesterday there’s a bit of a to-do about the Disney Dining Plan. Apparently there’s a typo in Disney’s official PDF describing the Standard Disney Dining Plan, indicating that an appetizer is available with all table-service meals.
Incorrect Info in DDP PDF
Based on calls to Disney Dining (speaking to supervisors and managers), Erin heard that this is, indeed, just a typo and not a change in policy. But if it WAS true, that’d be awesome!
And this got me thinking… what if we could design our very own Disney Dining Plan based on the way we and our families eat in Disney World!?
What Would YOUR Ideal Disney Dining Plan Look Like?
So what if they introduced a “Magic Your Way Dining Plan,” where guests could build their own individualized plan off of a base plan? Let’s dream a little, shall we?
Snack-tastic
Customize your counter service : table service : snack ratio!
One thing that we keep hearing: the Standard Dining Plan is too little, the Deluxe Dining Plan is too much (and yup, we know…it TOTALLY works just fine for some folks.) So, what if you could change things up a bit?
Not a big fan of sit-down breakfast? You could add more counter service meals or snacks in to make for a light first meal o’ the day. What if your little ones have no interest in sitting still for table service? Not a problem! Which brings us to another pie in the sky option…
Different people in your party could have different dining plans!
Maybe your 3-9 year old eats like a linebacker and doesn’t order off of the children’s menu. Or maybe he or she eats like a bird, and you’d rather choose a different level for him or her. Or maybe you have a wife who’s always eating kids’ meals — wouldn’t it be great to only have to pay for kid-sized meals in table-service restaurants?
Customize what you get on your individual dining plan! You’re on vacation, right? So, why not eat two appetizers and a dessert for dinner? Or maybe you aren’t a sweets person, or three courses are way too many for park hopping in your world.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could have that flexibility in your dining plan to tailor the meal just the way you’d like it to be? Yes, we think so, too.
What about an All-Salad, All-the-Time Dining Plan?
Mine? How Kind of You to Ask?
Well, you guys know how I eat in Disney World, so I think my ideal plan would probably include four table-service meals, 10 snacks, and 2 counter-service meals each day!
(Heh heh…no, I don’t really eat that much…well…not all the time anyway… ;-D)
Would a “do it your way” Dining Plan make you want to purchase it? What would YOUR perfect dining plan look like?
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For the past three trips, I’ve gotten the DDP. In all three trips, we saved between 20 and 40% over the actual totals on the receipts. That said, it took us until our second trip with DDP to realize that it’s entirely TOO MUCH food for any person to eat if you choose to have three meals a day. I suspect that the architect of the plan envisioned people would use it as we did on our last two trips: 2 TS meals, one at a signature restaurant each day. We’d have a sit down lunch, freely ignoring the “finish what’s on your plate” manta burned into us by our parents, and then a signature dinner. We’ll have O’hana one night, leaving us a table service credit for the departure day’s meal.
My ideal plan would be the DDP with the tip included. It’s galling that I’m paying $85 a day and then, on top of that, have to pony up an 18-20% tip on top of that, which comes out to $22-25 based upon what I’m eating per day.
We love the Disney Dining plan and always stick to the regular plan, so that we are not totally stuck with counter service all the time. We have used the DDP many times throughout the years and the very first year our family used it, we received an appetizer and desert AND… get this, tip was included! That being said, I would like to have the option to choose either appetizer OR dessert. That would make everything perfect!
I wish there was a plan that offered two sit down meals a day and one snack. I would much rather do sit down than counter service and yet have no interested in dining at most of the signiture restaurants, nor can I eat 3 meals a day to take advantage of the DDP.
I also would like the option of an appetizer instead of dessert.
I would do 2 qs meals and 1 sit down. my one daughter does not eat much and we like to sit down for dinner and then do quick for breakfast and lunch…and i would like to switch if you want appetizer or dessert with the sit down meal…that would be good and then 1 snack…that would be ideal. just glad the basic plan comes with the cup now.
While this plan wouldn’t be optimal for my physique, I’d love the following:
2 snacks per day (hey, I like sweets, leave me alone)
1 quick service meal per day
2 sit-down meals per day <— most likely to be taken advantage of for premium dining experiences like Le Cellier or Cinderella's Castle
Option to choose either an appetizer *or* dessert for each sit down.
Having this as an option would be an excellent halfway option between DDP & DxDDP, as DxDDP is just waaaaay too much, and having to sacrifice an extra sit-down credit for some premium dining experiences makes things difficult on the original DDP.