Please help with dining plan questions....

[Happy-go-Lucky]

This is our first trip. We have 3 adults and 3 kids, 2 rooms. Does everyone HAVE to buy the dining plan that's staying in the room? I have 2 kids who are extremely picky eaters and would be a waste of money to get the dining plan. However, I think my husband and I would benefit from it.

Do they care if you share food from 2 dining plans with 4 people? I wondered if we bought 2 dining plans and the kids at off our plates when they were hungry....

 

[DisneyBound]

Definitely a no no at any buffet, The other table service restaurants Im not sure...

sorry i wasnt much help!

 

[Monty]

If you really like table service meals, it might still be worth it. I'm going for 7 nights, my DS doesn't eat all that much, so for some meals we'll share one meal. That allows us to do table service more often and include CRT which will take four table service [expensive, but worth it to us]. So, we'll be able to have breakfast AND dinner at table service a few days, as well as counter service every day for lunch. A daily Mickey ice cream finishes off the snacks.

Some restaurants that won't work... Any buffets or AYCE meals aren't going to allow sharing. But if you plan ahead, you can get even better value by sharing and improve your chances of not gaining too much weight while you're there! :brick::hammer::brick:

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Does everyone HAVE to buy the dining plan that's staying in the room? I have 2 kids who are extremely picky eaters and would be a waste of money to get the dining plan. However, I think my husband and I would benefit from it.

Do they care if you share food from 2 dining plans with 4 people? I wondered if we bought 2 dining plans and the kids at off our plates when they were hungry....

My understanding is that everyone in the room must be on the dining plan, including the children.

If they are under 9 they will get the less expensive children's plan.

All table service restaurants have kid-friendly menus--chicken strips, grilled cheese, plain pasta, cheese pizza, peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, etc. Check out the menus and you will probably find something they will like.

 

[Happy-go-Lucky]

My understanding is that everyone in the room must be on the dining plan, including the children.

If they are under 9 they will get the less expensive children's plan.

All table service restaurants have kid-friendly menus--chicken strips, grilled cheese, plain pasta, cheese pizza, peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, etc. Check out the menus and you will probably find something they will like.

Thanks for this info. I just found 2 foods that my little ones will eat on this menu...cheese pizza and mac & cheese. They also love, of course, any kind of ice cream stuff. May be worth it now!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

I have no personal experience with this, but people have reported that even if something isn't on the kid's menu, it may be possible to get it.

I think the poster was able to get mac & cheese at 'Ohana, where it wasn't on the menu.

Seriously, get them to eat chicken strips before the trip. They are EVERYWHERE at WDW, and they are pretty good quality. (actual chicken tenderloins rather than the pre-chewed Mc Nugget stuff).

I also tell my kids that vacations are the place to try one new food.
Got my son to try biscuits and gravy on one vacation, and now they're a favorite, and onion rings at 50's Prime Time.

The menu plan does include desserts, so ice cream could definitely be a daily thing for your kids.

 

[rshell68]

Haven't seen the answers to a few ??'s I have

Okay I did a search and haven't found the answers to a few of DDP questions I have:

1) Ice Cream-Are all ice cream options available on the plan? We are frozen banana and the cookie sandwich people just want to make sure we can get these with the "plan"

2) If you haven't used up all your snacks/counter service can you use them all up in one visit to a restaurant on your last day? Can we hit Casey's and just load up? (This would make the DH happy!)

3) Do they have a separate menu for dining plans or do you get the regular menu?

Thanks!

 

[DisneyBunny]

Okay I did a search and haven't found the answers to a few of DDP questions I have:

1) Ice Cream-Are all ice cream options available on the plan? We are frozen banana and the cookie sandwich people just want to make sure we can get these with the "plan"

2) If you haven't used up all your snacks/counter service can you use them all up in one visit to a restaurant on your last day? Can we hit Casey's and just load up? (This would make the DH happy!)

3) Do they have a separate menu for dining plans or do you get the regular menu?

Thanks!

To answer:

1. Yes, the banana and the cookie sandwich are both snacks on the plan, just make sure those are pre-packaged ice cream sandwiches you find at snack carts, not the fresh made ones made in certain counter service places.

2. You can use your credits for table, counter service, or snacks in any order you so choose. We had a few snacks left over on the last day, and we used them on drinks and snacks for the plane ride home. If you wanted to, you could use ALL your meals on the last day, and you would have pay for the extra seat on the plane :lookaroun
The posssibilities are endless for how you utilize them.

3. Most things on all menus are included on the plan, so there's no seperate menu just for you. However, some extras, like adding on a lobster tail, extra shrimp, or something like that, or certain specialty drinks are not included. But other than that, the sky's the limit.

Good luck! Once you go with the plan, you won't likely go again without it.

 

[New2WDW]

This is our first trip. We have 3 adults and 3 kids, 2 rooms. Does everyone HAVE to buy the dining plan that's staying in the room? I have 2 kids who are extremely picky eaters and would be a waste of money to get the dining plan. However, I think my husband and I would benefit from it.

Do they care if you share food from 2 dining plans with 4 people? I wondered if we bought 2 dining plans and the kids at off our plates when they were hungry....

I do not know if it is too late to reply to this thread but, I will.
Everyone in the room must be on the same package (food, tickets, etc.)
As far as being on the Dining Plan.... I would definitely do it for all. Especially if your kids are 9 or under. When you look at the price per person per day it is hard to beat, unless you eat counter service minimums for all meals. We just take breakfast items with us on the trip and snack on those for Breakfast and then enjoy a nice lunch and dinner. Now, since you are on the plan you will be able to go to nice restaurants that would have cost you mega bucks without the plan and you get appetizers and desserts on top of the meal. My family of four (2 Adults and 2 kids under 9) did all we could to eat lunch and dinner for under $100/day. This was counter service/snack type meals. When we did the Dining Plan we were able to do character dining every day and really enjoy the counter service menus as well and still spend less than $100 for the plan. We got sooooo much more out of it! Hope you enjoy it!

 

[rshell68]

Hard sell

Okay, having hard time selling the DH on the dining plan (he feels restricted blah blah blah). His question (which I didn't have the answer to but don't worry I didn't tell him )... if we have the dining plan but don't want to use it for a certain meal can we do that? For instance, we sit down say at Sci-Fi earlier in the week but we know later in the week we are doing Cindy's for breakfast and need 2 sit-downs can we tell them at the Sci-Fi to just room charge it or will they automatically take it off the dining plan? (not sure if I've made sense or not)

Hopefully this is the last question he'll have :lookaroun

 

[jesserin]

You can choose any meal you want to use the dining card, and any meal you want to pay for seperatly - your waiter will ask what you'd like to do- and you simply tell them your plans...

Just to make a little more difficult - you can also just use one meal plan option if you find that you'd like to save up a few - sharing an app., meal, and dessert - can usually fill up two medium appetites! If you do that a couple of times you'll have extra sit down meals to use on a signature dining (where it takes 2 sit down points for one meal)

 

[Yellow Shoes]

For instance, we sit down say at Sci-Fi earlier in the week but we know later in the week we are doing Cindy's for breakfast and need 2 sit-downs can we tell them at the Sci-Fi to just room charge it or will they automatically take it off the dining plan? (not sure if I've made sense or not)

:lookaroun

I suspect that once it's been charged to the dining plan, it cannot be changed.

If you want to go to Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast, you will need reservations made several months in advance (either 90 or 120). One rarely is able to walk into a CRT breakfast. If that's what you want to do, then you can plan your other meals accordingly.

I agree with jesserin--portions are huge, and with appetizer and dessert, 2 people can easily share one meal. For example, you can go to Le Cellier and order 3 meals for 4 people. (this, of course, is not possible at buffets). If you are still hungry, you have snack credits for ice cream later.