Details of the 2008 Disney Dining Plan for Walt Disney World have recently been released. The Dining Plan will cost .99/day for those aged 10 and above and .99/day for children ages 3-9 (which is a dollar less per day than the 2007 plan.) The fancy Dining Plan will cost .99 for those aged 10 and above and .99 for children ages 3-9.
For the regular Dining Plan in 2008 you'll receive the following:
Dinning
2 Meals Per Day: For the regular Dining Plan you'll receive one table aid meal and one quick aid meal each day of your stay.
1 Snack Per Day: In expanding to the 2 meals you'll also receive 1 snack every day. A snack includes one of the following: freezing ice cream novelty, popsicle, fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single serving box), singular serving grab bag of chips, singular piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. Bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, medium fountain soft drink or juice, 12-oz. Coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea.
Here are some of the key differences between the 2007 and 2008 regular Dining Plans:
Gratuity No Longer Included: beginning in 2008, the Disney Dining Plan will no longer contain gratuity (tips.) This means you'll need to bring some cash along with you to leave a tip for your table aid meals. For parties of 6 or more citizen an 18% gratuity will be added to your check automatically.
Appetizers No Longer Included with Table aid Meals: In 2008 the table aid meal will only contain an entree, non-alcoholic beverage and sweetmeat (or full buffet meal if applicable.) This is distinct from 2007 where you received an appetizer with your meal as well.
Wine and Dine Option: For an extra .99/day you can add a daily bottle of wine to your package.
Disney has also added a new dining plan for 2007 called the fancy Dining Plan. This is a more flexible (and more expensive) option for diners where you'll receive the following:
3 Meals: On the new fancy Dining Plan in 2008 you'll receive 3 meals each day of your stay. The 3 meals can be any composition of sit down or counter aid so you have the option of eating at any Disney cafeteria on the list. If you select a table aid meal that will contain one appetizer, one entree, one sweetmeat (lunch and dinner only) and one non-alcoholic beverage Or one Full Buffet. If you select a counter aid meal that will contain one entree (or perfect combo meal), one sweetmeat (lunch or dinner only), one juice (breakfast only) and one non-alcoholic beverage.
2 Snacks: In expanding to the 3 meals you'll also receive 2 snacks every day. A snack includes one of the following: freezing ice cream novelty, popsicle, fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single serving box), singular serving grab bag of chips, singular piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. Bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, medium fountain soft drink or juice, 12-oz. Coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea.
Wine and Dine Option: For an extra .99/day you can add a daily bottle of wine to your package.
For the fancy Dining Plan the same rules will apply as the regular plan when it comes to gratuity. It's not included.
On the exterior my first reaction is that I'm not surely happy with the changes in the regular Dining Plan. With the loss of the appetizer on the table aid meal and the added expense of paying for gratuity out of my pocket it starts to make more sense to pay-as-you-go. And when it comes to the fancy Dining Plan it just seems like a lot of money on a daily basis unless you plan on eating at a lot of table aid restaurants. That option could be the great option any way I'll have to play with the numbers a bit more to see what is the best way to go so look for hereafter articles concerning this subject. No matter what you're still in for a thrill the next time you dine in Disney so have fun!
2008 Disney Dining Plan Details Revealed!