What is This Platinum Plan Anyway - Some Details

Hi all:

Based on some private inquiries, I thought it might not be a bad idea to post some details about the Platinum Plan and why it might be a good choice for some people.

In short - the Platinum Plan is the closest Disney has to an all-inclusive vacation. It includes a LOT, I%26#39;ll get to the details below.

It IS Pricey - Approximate cost is $200 per person per night. (If I haven%26#39;t scared you off yet, see below where I break down why this is not such a bad deal). Also, it is only available if you stay at a Deluxe Level hotel.

Benefits:

1%26gt; As I said, it%26#39;s very inclusive.

2%26gt; Includes the services of a Disney Trip Planner who will take care of all those pesky things like Cinderella%26#39;s Table reservations for you. No 7 AM Phone Calls.

3%26gt; Often, but not always leads to a room upgrade (this is NOT part of the plan, but Anecdotal evidence tells us it happens a lot).

4%26gt; Stress free! Other than tips and souvenirs, you don%26#39;t worry about what you spend..

Downsides:

1%26gt; Like I also said, it ain%26#39;t cheap.

2%26gt; Requires some planning to maximize value.

3%26gt; Significant weight gain (see our plans, below).

What the Plan Includes:

(and I may miss some stuff here)

Food - 3 meals and 2 snacks per day at ANY restaurant owned by Disney in the Parks and Resorts. This also includes ROOM SERVICE. Also, unlike the dining plan, Appetizers are included. Gratuities are NOT neceesarily included except for room service and some dinner shows (this is an incremental cost, as you will be planning to eat more expensive meals). Victoria and Alberts is also included. In addition, Signature Dining experiences do not require 2 TS credits as they do on the dining plan.

Recreation - Unlimited golf lessons, watercraft rentals, horseback riding and many other items.

Tours - Unlimited access to Most of Disney tours. Notably absent from the free list is the Backstage Magic 3 Park tour (most others are included).

One-Shots: You also get 1 each of the following per person:

Fireworks Cruise at Epcot

Category 1 Cirque Du Soleil Tickets

Refillable Resort Mug

Grand Floridian Spa Treatment

And One PhotoPass CD per couple.

The $ Breakdown:

We%26#39;re going on the Plat Plan to the Poly in October for 7 nights. The plan is costing us approximately $2800 extra over the cost of the room. While this sounds like a scary #, let me break it down a bit.

First though, our vacation plan. We%26#39;ve been to the parks before so we are less focused on %26#39;doing every ride%26#39;. Instead, we are looking to experience more tours and some of the other options while still being able to partake of the Disney Experience. Our dining plans include waking up to Room Service each day, and a nice TS meal each evening. Lunch will be wherever we are when we get hungry. Important note, we have no kids.

We%26#39;ve roughed out our dining plans, so I have worked up some numbers based on the average at those restaurants..

So, how much WOULD we spend for the same stuff without the plan? :

Food:

Room Service breakfast 5 mornings $40 = $200

Cinderella%26#39;s Breakfast = $66

7 Counter Service Lunches = $182

Boma Buffet = $52

Ohana%26#39;s = $52

Artists Point = $120

Le Cellier = $90

Liberty Tree Tavern = $56

Victoria and Alberts = $288

Cinderella%26#39;s Dinner = $82

Total Food With One Character Breakfast TBD = $1,188

Entertainment:

2 Cirque Tickets = $220

Sea Raycers 1 Hour for Me = $96

Fireworks Cruise = $50 (that%26#39;s an estimate)

SPA Treatment = TBD (Based on what we choose)

Total Entertainment = $366

Tours:

Aqua Seas Tour for the Wife: $100

Dolphins in Depth: $300

Epcot Segway Tour: $170

Wilderness Lodge Segway Tour: Unknown

Total Tours: $570

Misc:

Photo Pass CD: ?

Resort Mugs: $25

Golf Lesson for Me: ?

Carriage Rides after Dinner at Artist Point if avail: ?

Total Misc: $25

Total So Far: $2149, not including a few things. And this is based on the AVERAGE food prices, when not paying we tend to go higher choice. Spending the additional $651 and beyond will NOT be a problem. On our 2003 honeymoon which was also 8 days, our food bill was much higher than above, but we did more sit down lunches. And we are doing more buffet%26#39;s this time too. Subsitute full service for some of those and costs go WAY up.

So as you can see, with a little planning and a lot of eating, the Plat plan is the right choice for a luxury vacation. I%26#39;d never recommend it for families with kids, but for someone on a honeymoon or anniversary, its a very practical choice if budget allows.

What is This Platinum Plan Anyway - Some Details

Very nice post...for those that inlcude the ';extras'; and ';pay per use';, this upgraded plan may make financial sense. The key would be making sure that you actually use all those extras.....

M

What is This Platinum Plan Anyway - Some Details

Oh may............May be start with the personal trainer now !!! We actually looked in to this also... We decided against it because of the food... Our stay in usually for 10 days and about by the 5 or 6th day I am yelling ';do we have to eat again!'; Not that the food is bad it just seems like our whole trips revolves around when is our next reservation and at which restaurant is it at(but I really do enjoy it ). With just having the plan Jane Disney Dining package ..to me..is just so overwhelming with food that my stomach could not comprehend 3 sit downs in a day !! Our next trip in May is a 16 day-er and I am sure by the time that the 10 day rolls around..I will not even want to look at food....

Thank God for alot of walking !!

Enjoy..it does sound wonderful :)

Disney Chicks

You do in fact %26#39;food-out%26#39;. That%26#39;s why we have counter service lunches on there and will probably skip on or two of those! Same reason I didn%26#39;t put snacks on there, even tho we get them (will probably be bottled water).

I can add some more prices too:

Photopass CD Retails at $100.

My Golf Lesson will be worth about $80 including equipment rentals.

Spa Treatments average $60 per person, so $120

The Carriage Rides are not at Artist Point, so don%26#39;t know if we will do those, they are at Fort Wilderness, there is a connecting boat, so we%26#39;ll see what the schedule is.

One thing I did not stress is the Trip Planning service. Thats a HUGE perk both pre and during trip. Even if you don%26#39;t stay concierge, you have access to concierge services to help with rez changes, etc. And there is no need to stay concierge really, since the biggest benefit of that is food (and you will NOT need any more food!)

Also, I neglected to mention 2 non-cash value perks. One, reserved seating at Fantasmic. That%26#39;s right folks, limited or no lines! The other is a reserved viewing area at either Wishes or Illuminations that is MUCH less crowded (and had seats when we went but not enough for all).

Many years ago, they had a ';Deluxe Magic'; package. It seems to be just like the Platinum. We booked it %26amp; stayed at the Poly. 2 adults %26amp; 1 child. It was wonderful. Best vacation we%26#39;ve had. (Over Jamaica, Cancun, %26amp; Atlantis in Paradise Island !)

I am so envious......