I'm really confused by the dining options at WDW. One counter, one sit down and one snack. How do you eat breakfast? Like in the hotel I'm looking at there is Chef Mickey's Buffet. They serve breakfast and dinner. Does this count for one of your sit downs? I'm so confused. If we go to counter service what can you expect for breakfast?
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Dining Plan Confusion
- Thread starter cbleigh
- Start date
zurgandfriend
Well-Known Member
If you go to Chef Mickey's for breakfast that is a "sit-down" meal, and you use one credit. there is no restriction that I know of as to what meal you use your table service credit for
Quick service breakfast usually consists of a pastry of some sort.
We usually eat a sit down breakfast 2-3 times a trip, usually the morning we are heading to a water park, one morning DW likes to take it easy and enjoy the resort and the day we leave we like a big breakfast before heading to the airport,
I hope this helps
Quick service breakfast usually consists of a pastry of some sort.
We usually eat a sit down breakfast 2-3 times a trip, usually the morning we are heading to a water park, one morning DW likes to take it easy and enjoy the resort and the day we leave we like a big breakfast before heading to the airport,
I hope this helps
If you do a breakfast buffet, which it's always pretty fun to go to a few character buffets during your time there, it does count as your TS. If you do want breakfast, and don't want to use your TS credit for the day on it, there are a CS breakfasts in the resorts, I don't think they have them in the parks, though. CS breakfasts are just generally different platters of common breakfast foods that everyone can choose from, you should be able to find menus around for them at different places. Another option, and one that we use a pretty good bit is to use your snack credit for a quick breakfast, muffins and other pastries in the park are a pretty good size to fill you up.
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
The DDP has lots of options for Breakfast.
TS credit can be used at places like Chef Mickey's for a buffet or Kona Café for anything there.
QS credit can be used at resort Food Courts for any of their breakfast entrées.
Snack credits can be used for a pastry or piece of fruit.
Each Table Service Meal includes one (1) single serving:
FOR BREAKFAST
- Juice
- Entrée
- Non-alcoholic beverage
OR
- One (1) full buffet
FOR LUNCH/DINNER
- Appetizer (Guest ages 3-9 only)
- Entrée
- Dessert
- Non-alcoholic beverage
OR
- One (1) full buffet
Each Quick Service Meal includes one (1) single serving:
FOR BREAKFAST
- Juice
- Entrée
- Non-alcoholic beverage
FOR LUNCH/DINNER
- Entrée
- Dessert
- Non-alcoholic beverage
Some examples of eligible Snack options include:
TS credit can be used at places like Chef Mickey's for a buffet or Kona Café for anything there.
QS credit can be used at resort Food Courts for any of their breakfast entrées.
Snack credits can be used for a pastry or piece of fruit.
Each Table Service Meal includes one (1) single serving:
FOR BREAKFAST
- Juice
- Entrée
- Non-alcoholic beverage
OR
- One (1) full buffet
FOR LUNCH/DINNER
- Appetizer (Guest ages 3-9 only)
- Entrée
- Dessert
- Non-alcoholic beverage
OR
- One (1) full buffet
Each Quick Service Meal includes one (1) single serving:
FOR BREAKFAST
- Juice
- Entrée
- Non-alcoholic beverage
FOR LUNCH/DINNER
- Entrée
- Dessert
- Non-alcoholic beverage
Some examples of eligible Snack options include:
- Frozen Ice-Cream Novelty, Popsicle or Fruit Bar
- Single Piece of Whole Fruit
- 20 oz. Bottle of Coke®, Diet Coke®, Sprite® or 20 oz. Dasani® Water
- 12 oz. Coffee, Hot Chocolate, or Hot Tea
- Popcorn Scoop (single-serving box)
- Single-serving Bag of Snacks
- 22 oz. Fountain Soft Drink
- Single-serving Prepackaged Milk or Juice
Rob562
Well-Known Member
I think part of the confusion by the OP is that most versions of the DDP (except the Deluxe DDP) pretty much only cover two meals, not three, each day. Breakfast is often the cheapest meal of the day, so it's often cheaper to just pay out-of-pocket for breakfast, and stick to using your Counter Service and Table Service credits for lunch and dinner.
With all the food you get from lunches and dinners on the DDP, you might only be looking for a small breakfast. A kid's-portion of waffles/pancakes is fairly cheap. (I presume the Kid's breakfast meals are available at Contempo Cafe like they are at the Moderate and Value resort food courts)
Or, as already mentioned, use a Snack credit for a small breakfast item, such as a cinnamon roll, bagel, bowl of cereal, etc.
When using a Counter Service credit for breakfast, they will often allow you to substitute a baked good for one of the beverages. (Like if you have a refillable mug to use for coffee, you don't need that plus 2 more drinks) Ask the CM to see if it's OK.
-Rob
With all the food you get from lunches and dinners on the DDP, you might only be looking for a small breakfast. A kid's-portion of waffles/pancakes is fairly cheap. (I presume the Kid's breakfast meals are available at Contempo Cafe like they are at the Moderate and Value resort food courts)
Or, as already mentioned, use a Snack credit for a small breakfast item, such as a cinnamon roll, bagel, bowl of cereal, etc.
When using a Counter Service credit for breakfast, they will often allow you to substitute a baked good for one of the beverages. (Like if you have a refillable mug to use for coffee, you don't need that plus 2 more drinks) Ask the CM to see if it's OK.
-Rob
erstwo
Well-Known Member
As always - Rob is correct! That's what we always do on our trips to WDW. We use our Counter Service for lunch, our Table Service for Dinner and for breakfast we either pay out of pocket or have a snack we brought from home (granola bar, pop tart, etc.) We usually use our snack credits for really yummy things like Dole Whips!
Although, if you're headed to the Magic Kingdom, you could always get one of those giant cinnamon rolls from the Main Street Bakery as a Snack and you'll get something yummy AND breakfast all in one!
Magical Dreamer
Well-Known Member
As always - Rob is correct! That's what we always do on our trips to WDW. We use our Counter Service for lunch, our Table Service for Dinner and for breakfast we either pay out of pocket or have a snack we brought from home (granola bar, pop tart, etc.) We usually use our snack credits for really yummy things like Dole Whips!
Although, if you're headed to the Magic Kingdom, you could always get one of those giant cinnamon rolls from the Main Street Bakery as a Snack and you'll get something yummy AND breakfast all in one!
Absolutely the right way to go......We've booked 10 days and only scheduled 1 TS breakfast. (Chef Mickeys). This year were placing a order with Garden Grocer to have some additional choices in our room.
Perhaps another thing that could help our OP is not using all of the CS credits at the same time.
As a party of three, we tend to use one CS credit and one Snack for breakfast. Then we use two CS credits and one Snack for lunch or dinner. And our all three TS credits for our big meal of the day. The other snack usually ends up being a frozen treat some time during the day. We also always carry H2O with us so we don't waste Snack credits on drinks.
Some of our favorite CS values are Main St. Bakery in MK for breakfast (huge croissant with egg/cheese and huge cinammon roll with two drinks for one credit!) and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot (any of the platters will feed two of us with one credit). Also the breakfast platters at most of the resorts are a decent sized meal for just one CS credit.
We are also big fans of the huge meal at an off time. A couple snacks for a small breakfast at 7am, then a TS buffet at 10:50am that fills us up for the whole day. Also, if it is a character meal, the first and last seatings tend to get a little more time with the characters.
Hope that helps!
As a party of three, we tend to use one CS credit and one Snack for breakfast. Then we use two CS credits and one Snack for lunch or dinner. And our all three TS credits for our big meal of the day. The other snack usually ends up being a frozen treat some time during the day. We also always carry H2O with us so we don't waste Snack credits on drinks.
Some of our favorite CS values are Main St. Bakery in MK for breakfast (huge croissant with egg/cheese and huge cinammon roll with two drinks for one credit!) and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot (any of the platters will feed two of us with one credit). Also the breakfast platters at most of the resorts are a decent sized meal for just one CS credit.
We are also big fans of the huge meal at an off time. A couple snacks for a small breakfast at 7am, then a TS buffet at 10:50am that fills us up for the whole day. Also, if it is a character meal, the first and last seatings tend to get a little more time with the characters.
Hope that helps!
TRONorail10
Active Member
Just want to add some basic clarification for any new users checking out this thread on info for how the dining plan works.
Table Service (TS): restaurant where a host/hostess seats your party and there is a wait person assigned to your table, this includes buffet meals.
Counter Service (CS): restaurant or small food location where you place an order at a register and pick up your order at a counter.
Snacks: SINGLE serving items, almost always represented by a DDP (Disney Dining Plan) symbol. Don't assume everything counts as a snack, if you are unsure, always ask a cast member that works in the location, most of them have all of the snacks memorized.
Even though snacks and meals are sold on a "per day" basis, they are lumped together for every person listed in the room. For example: if you are staying for 7 days and get 1 (TS) and 1 (CS) per day, you could actually have up to 7 (TS or CS) meals in one day, however, you would have used up all of your entitlements and won't have them for the rest of the week. There are a limited number of restaurants that will require 2 (TS) meal entitlements per 1 meal ordered, such as Cinderella's Royal Table, Victoria and Albert's, California Grill, etc. (typically the most expensive restaurants).
All resorts and theme parks have counter service locations. Moderate/Deluxe resorts have counter and table service locations.
Reservations are not needed for counter service, but are strongly encouraged for table service restaurants.
Just like attractions, restaurants are part of the Walt Disney World Resort, and are subject to closure or refurbishment at any given time.
Table Service (TS): restaurant where a host/hostess seats your party and there is a wait person assigned to your table, this includes buffet meals.
Counter Service (CS): restaurant or small food location where you place an order at a register and pick up your order at a counter.
Snacks: SINGLE serving items, almost always represented by a DDP (Disney Dining Plan) symbol. Don't assume everything counts as a snack, if you are unsure, always ask a cast member that works in the location, most of them have all of the snacks memorized.
Even though snacks and meals are sold on a "per day" basis, they are lumped together for every person listed in the room. For example: if you are staying for 7 days and get 1 (TS) and 1 (CS) per day, you could actually have up to 7 (TS or CS) meals in one day, however, you would have used up all of your entitlements and won't have them for the rest of the week. There are a limited number of restaurants that will require 2 (TS) meal entitlements per 1 meal ordered, such as Cinderella's Royal Table, Victoria and Albert's, California Grill, etc. (typically the most expensive restaurants).
All resorts and theme parks have counter service locations. Moderate/Deluxe resorts have counter and table service locations.
Reservations are not needed for counter service, but are strongly encouraged for table service restaurants.
Just like attractions, restaurants are part of the Walt Disney World Resort, and are subject to closure or refurbishment at any given time.
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
wvdisneyfamily
Well-Known Member
You can try to spread your credits out evenly like one sit down, one snack, one counter per day. Or you can use whatever you want per day. If you want Chef Mickey's for breakfast and Boma for dinner, then you use two sit down (table service) credits. That will leave you without one table service credit for one day of your trip.
Your original question seems to be how do you get three meals per day on the basic DDP. Essentially, one meal is sit down, one meal is a fast food type option, and one meal has to be a snacky sort of thing. Some people get their desserts boxed up at fast food and table service places and eat it for breakfast so they can have their snack credit for an ice cream or something later in the day.
Quick service breakfasts are kind of gross for the most part. Sunshine Seasons is okay. I have yet to find one that is really worth it. I'd suggest either boxing a dessert, using a snack credit, or bringing pop tarts of something like that with you.
Your original question seems to be how do you get three meals per day on the basic DDP. Essentially, one meal is sit down, one meal is a fast food type option, and one meal has to be a snacky sort of thing. Some people get their desserts boxed up at fast food and table service places and eat it for breakfast so they can have their snack credit for an ice cream or something later in the day.
Quick service breakfasts are kind of gross for the most part. Sunshine Seasons is okay. I have yet to find one that is really worth it. I'd suggest either boxing a dessert, using a snack credit, or bringing pop tarts of something like that with you.
wvdisneyfamily
Well-Known Member
No, it is a CS. It is really a great CS value, too. The lunch there is great. I'm assuming dinner is the same as lunch. Breakfast is so-so.
Mukta
Well-Known Member
I have never paid for breakfast out of pocket while using the dining plan.
Some days I don't eat breakfast and have lunch around 10 am.
Some days I use my snack point to grab a muffin or something small and portable.
Some days, I take my CS dessert back to the hotel and eat it for breakfast. I love chocolate cake for breakfast!
On Epcot days, I buy a pastry from France before I leave for the night and eat that for breakfast the next day.
I always use my TS and CS for lunch and dinner.
Some days I don't eat breakfast and have lunch around 10 am.
Some days I use my snack point to grab a muffin or something small and portable.
Some days, I take my CS dessert back to the hotel and eat it for breakfast. I love chocolate cake for breakfast!
On Epcot days, I buy a pastry from France before I leave for the night and eat that for breakfast the next day.
I always use my TS and CS for lunch and dinner.