Newbie Dining Plan Question (s)

[DisneyKiwi]

Hey all,

I'm looking at a first time trip to WDW (and USA) late January, my little Bro is possibly going to join me - just waiting for him to decide if he can afford it or not as just getting to Orlando from NZ costs more than the actual vacation itself!

I was planning to get the Dining Plan for 2015 - but have noticed that many of the Table dining options are still missing for 2015 compared to 2014. I'm aware this will change over time, but how much time? Will it still be a small list in January when I plan to visit and therefore the DP won't be worth buying or will most of the remaining restaurants have signed on by the beginning of the new year?

Secondly an ADR question - as I haven't booked my stay yet, will I be too late for most reservations?

Finally, a question about gratuity. Can I pay tips via magic band or is it best to just leave some cash with the bill?

Thanks for the replies in advance. Have enjoyed reading through the forums so far.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

There was a post a couple of months ago about this. Most of the missing restaurants are in DownTown Disney and are not owned by Disney. As yet they're not listed in the 2015 DP lists as contract renewals hadn't been negotiated. But, rest assured, they will be on the lists soon (or so the other thread assured).

No, you won't be too late to book. Sure some of the more popular restaurants will have the more popular times booked, but if you're flexible you will still find plenty of places and times to eat

You can charge most things via your band, including the tip. I don't know how a gratuity charged to a band would be allocated and if it would just go to your server. I've never had the DP before, but previously we'd pay for a meal by credit card and leave the gratuity in cash when we left, knowing that our server got the tip.