In your opinion, is it worth the extra money to add-on the disney dining package? It's $35 a day for adults. I can't remember how much money I spent on food during my last DW vacation.
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Disney Dining package
- Thread starter natalia1681
- Start date
Tom
Beta Return
natalia1681 said:
We haven't booked our June 2006 trip yet, but I think we're going to go for the package, with Dining. I look at receipt totals for years past, and...yeah, I spend at least $35 a day on food. When I saw that Ohana counted as a regular dinner voucher, I was sold! With drink and dessert and tax, that's almost $35 alone!
I had thought the same thing about spending more than $35 by lunch 
It is definately worth the money. I have a lot of clients who are booked with this. You save a lot of money with it.
Pam
Pam
SheenaXena
New Member
I have the dining also. Could someone please explain how it exactly works. All I was told is that we get $35 a day. I don't know if Disney is going to send us something, they haven't yet. I already have PS and know there's certain places you can eat at. I just don't know what they give you and how it works. Thanks. I know I'm probably the 100th person who's asked this ?
Victoria
Not old, just vintage.
I just got back from the World yesterday and we used the Dining Package for the first time. WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! For 35$ a day we ate everything not nailed down. Counter service for both of us averaged 25$ a day and a full table service meal was usually 75$ to 100$ for the both of us. The snacks were usually about 5$ a day. The Dining Package was a HUGE savings. The only meal we usually paid for was breakfast at the resort because you dont usually order a dessert like item with breakfast. We would save our counter service meal of the day for lunch usually because then we would order the dessert and drink (used our mugs with breakfast). We were soooo happy we did the dining. Ate some excellent food and paid next to nothing to eat it. I do think we each gained about 30lbs. though. The only people who I dont think will benefit from the Dining Pack are those who dont plan on doing table service more than once though. Hope Disney decides to keep the plan as an option for a long time to come.
The only people who I dont think will benefit from the Dining Pack are those who dont plan on doing table service more than once though. Hope Disney decides to keep the plan as an option for a long time to come.
Fantasmic Freak
New Member
I just returned yesterday from a Magic Your Way Plus Dining vacation package. Although I got the dining option for next to free, I can tell you it is still worth well over $35 per day if you plan well. We ate like kings the whole week.
For the person who asked how it works. Here's how my trip went. I was there for 5 nights; therefore I had 5 counter-service meals, 5 table service meals and 5 snacks to use whenever and basically wherever I wanted. Your counter service meals are obviously ones where you order at a register. You are allowed an entree, a drink and a dessert and simply let them swipe your WDW card. The 5 snacks are available at most outdoor carts and counter service areas. You can get a drink, an ice cream or popcorn for the most part.
The table service is where this plan really gets good. Of course you want to make reservations as far in advance as you can. One table service meal includes an appetizer, an entree, a dessert and a non-alcoholic drink. There are some higher end restaurants/shows that count as 2 table service meals. One of the most impressive things is that this plan INCLUDES gratuity! We ate at Le Cellier Steakhouse, California Grill, Cinderella's Royal Table Princess lunch and Boma. I have never eaten so well on vacation before. Also, I was worried that because gratuity wasn't included that service would be subpar but we were treated wonderfully. We had an amazing server, Claude, at Le Cellier and a very knowledgable server, Maureen, at Boma. Ask for them if you're there. On average we racked up the equivalent of $200 per meal for 4 people at Le Cellier and Cali Grill (that does not include any alcoholic bev. that you have to pay for).
I was so excited to be eating at California Grill and made reservations for 8:20pm to catch Wishes from the window. When we checked in at 7:30 we were told that a window seat would not be available for up to 1.5 hrs AFTER our scheduled reservation and that we wouldn't even be seated at all until 40 mins after our reservation. I was mildly disappointed but we went out to the observation deck to check out the amazing view of MK. 5 minutes later our buzzer beeped and we were seated AT THE WINDOW!! My friend and I are former Cast Members so we were just ecstatic with the surprise. Our server, Kevin, made every dish sound delectable. Watching the fireworks and eating a delicious meal was just unbelievable and very much worth the 2 table service meals. I highly recommend doing that. I could talk forever about it.
All in all, get the dining plan and make reservations at some of the places that you might never have tried otherwise. Let me know if you have any other questions about it.
Mary
For the person who asked how it works. Here's how my trip went. I was there for 5 nights; therefore I had 5 counter-service meals, 5 table service meals and 5 snacks to use whenever and basically wherever I wanted. Your counter service meals are obviously ones where you order at a register. You are allowed an entree, a drink and a dessert and simply let them swipe your WDW card. The 5 snacks are available at most outdoor carts and counter service areas. You can get a drink, an ice cream or popcorn for the most part.
The table service is where this plan really gets good. Of course you want to make reservations as far in advance as you can. One table service meal includes an appetizer, an entree, a dessert and a non-alcoholic drink. There are some higher end restaurants/shows that count as 2 table service meals. One of the most impressive things is that this plan INCLUDES gratuity! We ate at Le Cellier Steakhouse, California Grill, Cinderella's Royal Table Princess lunch and Boma. I have never eaten so well on vacation before. Also, I was worried that because gratuity wasn't included that service would be subpar but we were treated wonderfully. We had an amazing server, Claude, at Le Cellier and a very knowledgable server, Maureen, at Boma. Ask for them if you're there. On average we racked up the equivalent of $200 per meal for 4 people at Le Cellier and Cali Grill (that does not include any alcoholic bev. that you have to pay for).
I was so excited to be eating at California Grill and made reservations for 8:20pm to catch Wishes from the window. When we checked in at 7:30 we were told that a window seat would not be available for up to 1.5 hrs AFTER our scheduled reservation and that we wouldn't even be seated at all until 40 mins after our reservation. I was mildly disappointed but we went out to the observation deck to check out the amazing view of MK. 5 minutes later our buzzer beeped and we were seated AT THE WINDOW!! My friend and I are former Cast Members so we were just ecstatic with the surprise. Our server, Kevin, made every dish sound delectable. Watching the fireworks and eating a delicious meal was just unbelievable and very much worth the 2 table service meals. I highly recommend doing that. I could talk forever about it.
All in all, get the dining plan and make reservations at some of the places that you might never have tried otherwise. Let me know if you have any other questions about it.
Mary
Tom
Beta Return
Fantasmic Freak said:
Mary, thanks for the great explanation. I have a few questions:
1. When you go to the register at a counter service restaurant, I presume that you need to tell them that you're using the DIning Package and that you'd like it charged as a Counter Service meal, right? Otherwise, they may swipe the card and assume you're simply charging it to your room.
2. You mentioned that your servers worked just as hard for you, even thought you were not going to tip them. Do you have to tell them in advance of your meal that you're using the Dining Plan, is that why? I guess that makes sense, so that you can get the appetizer, entree and drink - and that they can ensure that you stick to the plan.
Fantasmic Freak
New Member
edwardtc said:
Edward,
1) Yes, simply tell the cashier that you are using the dining plan (a vast majority of people are so they are used to seeing people hand over their cards lately). I was worried about the same thing so when I checked-in I told the CM at the Front Desk that I didn't want the option of charging anything to the room on my card. They will ask you about that.
2) No you don't have to tell the servers ahead of time. We did at Le Cellier because it was our first time with the table service meal so our server explained to choose an appetizer et cetera and that there was one provision that wasn't included on the plan (adding a lobster tail to your meal). We also told our server at Cali Grill because there are so many different menus (flatbread, sushi, first course) that we weren't sure which counted as an appetizer, turned out they all did. We didn't end up telling the server at Boma because it was a buffet.
Hope that helps
Mary
Tom
Beta Return
Fantasmic Freak said:Edward,
1) Yes, simply tell the cashier that you are using the dining plan (a vast majority of people are so they are used to seeing people hand over their cards lately). I was worried about the same thing so when I checked-in I told the CM at the Front Desk that I didn't want the option of charging anything to the room on my card. They will ask you about that.
2) No you don't have to tell the servers ahead of time. We did at Le Cellier because it was our first time with the table service meal so our server explained to choose an appetizer et cetera and that there was one provision that wasn't included on the plan (adding a lobster tail to your meal). We also told our server at Cali Grill because there are so many different menus (flatbread, sushi, first course) that we weren't sure which counted as an appetizer, turned out they all did. We didn't end up telling the server at Boma because it was a buffet.
Hope that helps
Mary
Quite helpful again, Mary. I like the charging privileges because then I only carry my license, a bit of cash, my resort ID and my ticket - and leave my credit card and other important stuff in the room safe with the key safely stowed in the room where nobody wants to go digging for it :animwink:
So, I would tell the cashier, every time, to specifically charge it toward my meal plan rather than to my room.
Thanks again for the help!
-Tom
Fantasmic Freak
New Member
Tom,
My apologies for addressing you as Edward! I was deceived by your member name, lol.
Mary
My apologies for addressing you as Edward! I was deceived by your member name, lol.
Mary
Tom
Beta Return
Fantasmic Freak said:Tom,
My apologies for addressing you as Edward! I was deceived by your member name, lol.
Mary
Not a problem, it happens all the time. If I could go back and change my member name, I would - without having to start all over. It was my assigned computer login at college (most of my last name and then my first and middle initial), and that's all I could think of when I first joined here. Then I saw all the unique WDW-related names and thought, "DANG! All these fun names and here I am, stuck with this stupid login that makes no sense!" :lol:
If I could change screen names without starting all over, I would.
SheenaXena
New Member
Mary,
Thanks alot for posting how you did your plan. It's helped out alot! I'd like to ask a few more questions.
Can you order anything off of the menu, even if it expensive?
I'm going to the Teppanyaki DR @ EPCOT and it seems pretty expensive. I could just order anything? You get $35 a day. If you order well over $35 at the Table Service, do you have to pay out of your own pocket? Say that you already used your counter service and it was around $10, do you only get $25 for dinner?
Sorry for the questions, I just want to be really clear before I go. I know that Disney gives you a card and it's taken off that. Do they go by how much you have a day? Or that you have 1 CS, 1 TS, and 1 snack a day? As long as it's on the dining plan. This is confusing me! :veryconfu Sorry!
Thanks, Sheena
Thanks alot for posting how you did your plan. It's helped out alot! I'd like to ask a few more questions.
Can you order anything off of the menu, even if it expensive?
I'm going to the Teppanyaki DR @ EPCOT and it seems pretty expensive. I could just order anything? You get $35 a day. If you order well over $35 at the Table Service, do you have to pay out of your own pocket? Say that you already used your counter service and it was around $10, do you only get $25 for dinner?
Sorry for the questions, I just want to be really clear before I go. I know that Disney gives you a card and it's taken off that. Do they go by how much you have a day? Or that you have 1 CS, 1 TS, and 1 snack a day? As long as it's on the dining plan. This is confusing me! :veryconfu Sorry!
Thanks, Sheena
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
I think that the dining package is definately worth the cost. I don't think you can spend less than 35 dollars a day when you are eating in WDW.
Tom
Beta Return
SheenaXena said:
I can actually answer this one! :sohappy:
You're just PAYING $35/day to have the plan. It's not like a debit card - just paying that much for the privileges. You can order anything, from anywhere. You just get "charged" one meal of the appropriate type (2 meals if you go to a signature, or whatever, restaurant). You can get the most expensive snack, most expensive lunch and most expensive dinner and it's ALL GOOD!
It's a marketing ploy to get you to stay on property, buy a package, and try out places you wouldn't normally try because of price - and then remember how much you liked them the next time you go back.
SheenaXena
New Member
Thank you!!!! That answered my question perfectly! I was just worried I'd go over my $35 and now I know I don't have to worry about it. Thanks so much. NOW it's the waiting part that's going to eat me up. 31 days to go!!!
Fantasmic Freak
New Member
Sheena,
I'm just echoing what Tom said. Make your goal to "spend" as much as you possibly can on your meals. We often found ourselves forcing down dessert simply because it was included, lol.
You can ask your servers if there are any exceptions to the rule at their restaurant. As I mentioned earlier, the only one I ran into was at Le Cellier where you would have to pay for a lobster tail to be added to your meal and again, alcoholic beverages are not included.
Have fun!
Mary
I'm just echoing what Tom said. Make your goal to "spend" as much as you possibly can on your meals. We often found ourselves forcing down dessert simply because it was included, lol.
You can ask your servers if there are any exceptions to the rule at their restaurant. As I mentioned earlier, the only one I ran into was at Le Cellier where you would have to pay for a lobster tail to be added to your meal and again, alcoholic beverages are not included.
Have fun!
Mary
SheenaXena
New Member
Thanks. Ya'll were life savers. I'm so glad I asked. I would have probably gotten down there and had a bad time worrying about what I could eat and not eat. Thanks again. Can't wait to eat at the fun places.:slurp: When we were younger, we always ate at the same burger places. I'm so excited to do the character dining this time. I have never eaten at any of the FS rest. (My dad is a cheapo!) So I'm excited just to be going with someone who isn't cheap this time. And because the dining is on Disney! Thanks again.
Thanks again.
GrandFloridian1
New Member
Thanks for the dining tips! I will definitely talk it over with my family for our October vacation.