What
is the Disney Dining Plan? Good
question! Disney offers several
different dining plan options to suit a variety of dining styles. Here, I’ll provide a brief description of
each of the 3 most popular dining plans, followed by a glossary of common
dining plan terms for the items I’ve bolded in each plan. You might be thinking “Really? A glossary?
I thought I was planning a vacation, not studying for a test!” But
please, stay with me! It might look a little
complicated at first, but I promise once you read through it, it will all make
sense!
I’ll
provide my thoughts on whether or not you should add the dining plan and which
one you should choose in an upcoming post – this one got long enough without my
opinion!
Option #1:
The Quick-Service Dining Plan
2011 pricing:
Adults (age
10+): $34.99 per adult/night
Children
(ages 3-9): $11.99 per child/night
2012 pricing:
Adults (age
10+): $34.99 per adult/night
Children
(ages 3-9): $11.99 per child/night
The
2011 Quick-Service Dining plan offers 2 quick
service meals and 2 snacks per
person, per night of your stay. In
addition, it includes a resort
refillable mug per person, per stay.
The
2012 Quick-Service Dining plan will offer 2 quick service meals and 1 snack
per person, per night of your stay. In
addition, it includes a resort
refillable mug per person, per stay.
Option #2:
The Dining Plan
2011 pricing:
Adults (age
10+): $45.99 per adult/night (regular season), $47.99 per adult/night (peak
season)
Children
(ages 3-9): $11.99 per child/night (regular season), $12.99 per child/night
(peak season)
2012 pricing:
Adults (age
10+): $51.54 per adult/night (non-peak season), $53.54 per adult/night (peak
season)
Children
(ages 3-9): $15.02 per child/night (non-peak season), $16.02 per child/night
(peak season)
The
2011 Dining Plan offers 1 quick service
meal, 1 table service meal, and
1 snack per person, per night of
your stay.
The
2012 Dining Plan offers 1 quick service
meal, 1 table service meal, and
1 snack per person, per night of
your stay. In addition, it includes a resort refillable mug per person, per
stay.
Option #3:
The Deluxe Dining Plan
2011 pricing:
Adults (age
10+): $78.99 per adult/night
Children
(ages 3-9): $21.99 per child/night
2012 pricing:
Adults (age
10+): $85.54 per adult/night (non-peak), $89.55 per adult/night (peak)
Children
(ages 3-9): $23.79 per child/night (non-peak), $25.79 per child/night (peak)
The
2011 Deluxe Dining Plan offers 3 meals and 2 snacks per person, per day. The meals can be either quick service meals or table
service meals. In addition, it
includes a resort refillable mug per
person, per stay. Note that on the Deluxe Dining Plan, your table service meals
will include an appetizer in addition to your entrée and dessert.
The
2012 Deluxe Dining Plan had no changes to your meal entitlements – it is the
same as the 2011 Deluxe Dining Plan.
Glossary of
Dining Plan Terms:
Quick service
meal: Includes
1 entrée, 1 dessert (lunch/dinner only), and 1 non-alcoholic beverage or
1 combo meal. Children must order from
the kids menu, when available.
Typically, a kids meal will be a combo meal, including both a child-size
drink and child-size dessert.
Table service
meal:
Includes 1 entrée, 1 dessert (lunch/dinner only), and 1 non-alcoholic beverage or
1 buffet meal. Children must order from
the kids menu, when available.
Typically, a kids meal will include an appetizer, entrée, drink, and
dessert. On the Deluxe Dining Plan, your
table service credit also includes an appetizer.
Note
that some table service options are considered “Signature Dining Experiences,”
which require the use of 2 table service meal credits per person. For a list of
the Signature Dining Experiences, please see the F.A.Q.
Snack: In general, this includes anything that would
be considered a snack (not meal side items), that is under $4.00. The official Disney materials say that it
includes frozen ice cream bar, popsicle, fruit bar, single piece of fruit,
popcorn scoop (single serving box), single serving bag of snacks, 20 oz. bottle
of pop or water, 22 oz. fountain drink, 12 oz. coffee, tea, or hot chocolate,
or single serving pre-packaged milk or juice, but I have always found that it
includes much more than this.
Anything that qualifies as a snack will have the Disney Dining Plan logo
next to it on the menu, indicating that it is an option.
Resort
refillable mug:
This is a souvenir mug that is good for unlimited refills of pop, water,
coffee, hot chocolate, and tea at your resort for the duration of your stay.
Ok, so now I
know what I get on each plan, but how does it all work?
When
you check into your hotel, your table service, quick service, snack, and mug
credits will all go onto your Key to the World Card (your card which includes
your hotel key, park tickets, and room charging privileges. So, for example, your family of 2 adults and
2 children is on the Dining Plan, and you’re staying for 7 nights. You receive all your credits at check-in as
follows:
1
Table Service per Adult x 7 nights x 2 adults = 14 Adult Table Service Credits
1
Table Service per Child x 7 nights x 2 children = 14 Child Table Service
Credits
1
Quick Service per Adult x 7 nights x 2 adults = 14 Adult Quick Service Credits
1
Quick Service per Child x 7 nights x 2 children = 14 Child Quick Service
Credits
1
Snack per person x 7 nights x 4 (2 adults + 2 children) = 28 Snack credits
1
Resort Refillable Mug x 4 guests = 4 Resort Refillable Mugs
You
are then able to use your credits however you’d like from the time of check-in
until midnight on the day you check out.
Say you wanted to eat 28 Mickey Ice Cream Bars on your first day, you
could (though you’d probably have quite a tummy ache)!
Frequently
Asked Questions (F.A.Q.):
Q: Can I
order anything off the menu?
A: When using
the dining plan, you are able to choose any entrée on the menu – there are no
restrictions for your Quick Service or Table Service meals. This, I think, is one of the main benefits of
the plan – no restricting yourself and choosing the chicken entrée when you really
wanted the steak, no arguments with the kids over ordering an entrée that’s too
big for them, etc. I’ll provide more of
my thoughts on the benefits of the dining plan in my next post, but I just
couldn’t resist my opinion here!
Q: Do my kids
have to order off of the kids menu? I
have a 9 year old with an adult appetite, what can I do?
If
your child is classified as such by Disney (ages 3-9), then yes, they are only
able to order off of the kids menu. If
you feel this might cause a problem with your child, one thing you can do is
classify them as an adult (age 10+) when booking your package. If you do so, you’ll be required to pay both
the adult ticket price and the adult dining package price for them, but in some
cases, it’s well worth it!
Q: What if a
restaurant doesn’t have a kids menu?
A: If a
restaurant doesn’t have a kids menu, your child will be able to order from the
adult menu. There are only a few cases
of this at Quick Service locations. All
participating table service locations have a kids menu.
Q: Is tax
included?
A: Yes, tax is
included in the cost of the dining plan.
Q: Are tips
included?
A: No, tips are
not included in the cost of the dining plan.
When you use your Key to the World card to redeem your meal credits, you
will receive a receipt with a suggested tip, based on what the cost of your
meal would have been without the dining plan.
You can use any accepted method of payment for this (room charge on your
Key to the World card, credit card, cash).
For parties of 6 or more, an 18% gratuity will automatically be added to
your bill.
Q: Do I have
to eat my meals as they are allocated each day?
A: Nope! You can use your meal credits however and
whenever you’d like, up to midnight on the day you check out!
Q: I’m
traveling with friends who are not on a dining plan. Can I use my credits to buy them dinner?
A: No, your meal
credits can only be used by the people in your reservation.
Q: Do I need
to make reservations to use my table service credits?
A: While it is
not necessary, it is strongly recommended to make reservations for your table
service meals. Disney restaurants are
popular, and you certainly don’t want to get stuck using your credits at a
restaurant you don’t want to go to! You
can make reservations online at www.disneyworld.com/dining
or by calling (407) WDW-DINE
Q: How do I
keep track of the meal credits I’ve used?
A: Your
remaining meal credits will be printed on your receipt each time you redeem
dining plan credits.
Q: Which
dining options are considered Signature Restaurants and Dining Experiences?
A: The following
dining options are considered Signature Dining Experiences, and require 2 table service credits per person:
Jiko
– the Cooking Place
Location:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Flying
Fish Café
Location:
Disney’s Boardwalk Resort
California
Grill
Location:
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Hoop-Dee-Doo
Musical Revue
Location:
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Mickey’s
Backyard BBQ
Location:
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Citrico’s
Location:
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Narcoossee’s
Location:
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Disney’s
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
Location:
Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Artist
Point
Location:
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Yachtsman
Steakhouse
Location:
Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
Fairytale
Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table
Location:
Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom
Le
Cellier Steakhouse (Dinner)
Location:
Canada Pavillion, Epcot
The
Hollywood Brown Derby
Location:
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
In-Room
Private Dining
Location:
Disney’s Deluxe Resorts
Next
up: my thoughts on whether to choose a dining plan and if so, which one! Also, look for a future post on the remainder
of the dining plans – including the Premium Plan, Platinum Plan, and the Wine
& Dine Add-on. Need more info on
these plans right now? Check out the
official information available at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/
Have
a magical day!
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