I am often asked questions by family and friends about
the Disney Dining Plans. My family has used the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) for a
couple of trips. We enjoy it, but have learned several tips and tricks along the
way. I thought I would share them with you all as the fun summer vacation
season is almost upon us!
Meals: Basics on
how they work, and how to make it work for your budget
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First and foremost gratuities are NOT included
except as noted in the dining plan brochure. These generally include In-room
dining, pizza delivery, the dinner shows and Cinderella’s Royal Table. Make sure to budget for the anticipated
gratuities. We forgot about this point the first time we used the dining plan
in 2012 and did not budget for it. So now that you all know, you don’t have to
ask the uncomfortable question to your fabulous server.
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It sounds silly but make sure to check the
listing of participating restaurants, as sometimes restaurants are added or
dropped from the list. Use this
link,
which takes you directly to the
Disney
Dining Plan page for the most up to date information.
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Some special menus (like prix fixe) and menu
add-ons (like adding on a lobster tail) will not be included in the dining plans.
The menu will note an up charge and you will be required to pay that additional
fee.
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Each of the meals includes a non-alcoholic
beverage. If you don’t want your drink, order a bottle of water and take it to
go!
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Looking for quick service but want something
more “exotic” than the frequently menued chicken fingers and burgers? Several
resort food courts – Landscape of Flavors (Art of Animation), Everything Pop
(Pop Century), Pepper Market (Coronado Springs), Mara (Animal Kingdom Lodge),
Contempo Café (Contemporary Resort) – offer ethnic or more exotic food options.
I LOVE the tie dyed cheesecake at Pop
Century and the Beignets at French Quarter. (Desserts – I know, but still – so delicious!)
Snacks: Mickey Ice
Cream? Dole Whip? Food & Wine Festival? Oh Boy!
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Leftover snack credits? Don’t let them go to
waste! Disney offers several opportunities for you to spend those unused snack
credits to bring some of the Parks home with you. Most of the resort food
courts offer “packable food” for any quick service credits that are left over.
These meals make for great meals on the go when you have to travel home. I like
to think of it as my last little piece of Disney meal magic. Also – did you
forget to buy your best friend or sibling a souvenir? Use your unused snack
credits to get them a Mickey themed snack like a rice krispy treat or coconut
ears.
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If you are vacation during either the Epcot Food
& Wine Festival or the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival,
your snack credits can be used for most “tasting portions” offered in the
kiosks around the World Showcase. You can get the most bang for your credits
doing this. For example, during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, in previous
years the Maine Lobster Roll could be redeemed using a snack credit, saving you
$9.75! That is like having a meal but only using a snack credit – SCORE!
Other Tips &
Tricks to get the most out of your plan
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You can use the meal credits whenever you want
during your Walt Disney vacation. For example, if you’re on the regular dining
plan and you want to eat two table service meals one day and three quick
service meals the next day, no problem. Or if you want to use up all of your
snack credits in one day, that is okay too.
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The dining plan includes dessert with both lunch
and dinner. Keep in mind this level of heavy eating could make it difficult to
walk around the parks. An alternative to heavy desserts like cake, pie and
other Disney delicacies is to order fresh fruit instead. Most restaurants and
quick service will offer fresh fruit that you can take to go as your dessert.
Then you can snack on an apple or banana later in the day when you may get
hungry. Meal and snack all in one! You
guys know me and how I love deals.
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If you are on the regular meal plan, you may
want to consider sharing a quick service meal. Last trip Christopher and I
split a half chicken dinner at Cosmic Ray’s and it was more than enough food
for the two of us. The chicken was generous and it came with a potato and
vegetable sides. Other places that offer larger meals are Flame Tree Barbecue
in Animal Kingdom (1/2 chicken & ribs combo – for the meat lovers) and Sunshine
Seasons at Epcot (Asian combo that allows you to pick two entrees and two sides
– oh boy!)
Dining with kids? Here
is the scoop to maximize your credits
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Most quick service locations have a set kids
menu and options are pretty limited. A few restaurants do not have a separate
kid’s menu, which means they can order any combo or entrée on the menu with a
child credit. These include: Casey’s Corner (Magic Kingdom), Catalina Eddies
and Toluca Legs Turkey Company (Hollywood Studios), Sommerfest and Yorkshire
County Fish Shop (Epcot). BAAAM – getting more for your buck never felt so
good!
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Kids’ selections at some sit-down restaurants
can be limited. A couple things to keep in mind:
o Ask
for alternatives. If your kids don’t like anything on the kids menu, ask the
server if they can have a child-sized portion of something from the adult menu.
Not every time, but often this can be accommodated.
o Ask
to see the chef if your child has allergies or a dietary issue where eating off
the regular menu might be tricky. A better option is to contact Disney before
your trip to alert them of the dietary issue (407-939-3463). Disney is very
good at accommodating these issues. You
may have also heard some buzz about Disney’s special allergy menus. Remember –
it never hurts to ask!
o You
may find that buffet locations, where the selection is broader, can accommodate
the pickiest of eaters and everyone in your party can be satisfied. And some
buffet locations also offer character dining! BONUS. Our favorite? Tusker House
in Magic Kingdom. This is one of the few locations guests can meet Daisy Duck!
But I saved the best tip for last…the
#1 tip I have for using the Disney
Dining Plan is to
prepare your dining game plan BEFORE you
arrive at Disney. Seriously, if you don’t want to be
disappointed at the end of your trip or upset because you did not use all of
your credits for dining and snacks, put together a plan ahead of time to make
sure you will use all of your credits. To help you with my #1 tip, use the
Ellegant
Décor Disney Collection Dining Planner. This way, you can get an idea of
how many meal and snack credits your family will have and where you can use
them prior to your trip. At the end of our first trip using the dining plan, we
did not use 2 of our dining credits – doh! We were disappointed in ourselves
for wasting the meals and the money! So learn from our mistakes.
And since Disney vacation season is upon us and many of
you are day dreaming and planning your next trip, Ellegant Décor is offering
10% off ALL of their Disney Planners (from the
VALUE
to
WALT
and the
Dining
Planner) now through April 30
th! Just use the code “APRILSHOWERS”
at checkout! And for a limited time, the
WALT
planner will include the Dining Planner for FREE. Gosh I LOVE deals.
Now I am hungry thinking about all of the delicious
Disney food! Happy Planning!
