What substitutions can be made with the Dining plan?

[durangojim]

This is our first time using the dining plan, so I'm trying to get a better idea of what can and can't be done. We're not big desert eaters at lunch or breakfast so are there items that can be substituted for deserts like drinks or appetizers at the counter service restaurants or table service restaurants?
Thanks!

 

[Monty]

The rules say no.

Breakfast at a Resort Food Court they allow two drinks on a Quick Service since you don't get dessert.

I've heard anecdotally of servers at TS who allowed some leeway, but nothing concrete. :shrug:
​

 

[Mr Toad]

This is our first time using the dining plan, so I'm trying to get a better idea of what can and can't be done. We're not big desert eaters at lunch or breakfast so are there items that can be substituted for deserts like drinks or appetizers at the counter service restaurants or table service restaurants?
Thanks!

Depends on the server. I've had some servers stick strickly to the plan while others allowed sustitutions. Never hurts to ask :shrug:

 

[stitchtastic]

The rules say no.​

Breakfast at a Resort Food Court they allow two drinks on a Quick Service since you don't get dessert.​

I've heard anecdotally of servers at TS who allowed some leeway, but nothing concrete. :shrug:​

So, does that mean if I have my refillable mug that I can get 2 juices/bottle drinks at breakfast. Then I could use snack credits to get pastries etc and every now and then have a "free":brick:free breakfast and then use my dining at another meal?

 

[Monty]

So, does that mean if I have my refillable mug that I can get 2 juices/bottle drinks at breakfast. Then I could use snack credits to get pastries etc and every now and then have a "free":brick:free breakfast and then use my dining at another meal?

:veryconfu

 

[lighteningqueen]

For Dinner there is only desserts but some of them are fruit etc.... or just ask them not to bring it. Lunch you usually ahve a choice of 3 or 4 things for your dessert. No subs for other things there as well. You can use your counter for breakfast instead of lunch. I think it is a juice milk drink platter and fruit maybe. Or you can use snack credits to buy anything under $4.00 so you could combine several snack credits if you want break lunch and dinner one day. I would think if you didn't want the desserts then the dining plan might not be for you as you would pass them up and not get full advantage of the plan. We are more app people so we opt not to go on dining plan again this year as we can pick and choose what we will eat as to not.

 

[lighteningqueen]

Sorry you can save all your meals for one day if you wish as long as you use them up by the day you check out.We forgot to cash i 17 snack credits last dec before we left. Could have used them on a roll or something, we get so involved with WDW we forget to use them...I don't mean cash them in but take out stuff for them before we left like fruits, anything in the resort cases if you are driving like we do. I think using them on water is such a huge waste. Water should be free if not in a bottle outside of WDW.

 

[NewfieFan]

This is our first time using the dining plan, so I'm trying to get a better idea of what can and can't be done. We're not big desert eaters at lunch or breakfast so are there items that can be substituted for deserts like drinks or appetizers at the counter service restaurants or table service restaurants?
Thanks!

I've never heard of desserts being substituted at a CS restaurant (not saying they don't do it... I've just never heard of it)!

But I have heard of desserts being substituted at a TS restaurant - in fact my mother did it quite often. She's just not into sweets! Most times she'd just explain to the server that she didn't like anything on the dessert menu and wondered if she could get an appetizer or salad instead. Most times they were happy to accommodate her!

It doesn't hurt to ask - the worse they could say is no!!!

 

[tjkref418]

So, does that mean if I have my refillable mug that I can get 2 juices/bottle drinks at breakfast. Then I could use snack credits to get pastries etc and every now and then have a "free":brick:free breakfast and then use my dining at another meal?

I think you can only use the refillable mug at the soda/juice "machines" for your refills (you can't get bottled juice etc.and then put it in the mug). So if you can find a drink for the mug and some pastries that qualify as snack credits, than you could have breakfast without using a credit. The two bottled drinks you get on the dining plan for breakfast are technically part of the "credit".

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

This is our first time using the dining plan, so I'm trying to get a better idea of what can and can't be done. We're not big desert eaters at lunch or breakfast so are there items that can be substituted for deserts like drinks or appetizers at the counter service restaurants or table service restaurants?
Thanks!

Assuming you're on the DP with snacks/quick service/table service per day. This may work for you (It's what we usually do)

For breakfast we use our resort mug for a drink and our daily snack credit, for lunch we use our quick service credit and get maybe one dessert to share and use the other "dessert" portions to get bottled water (I haven't had too many problems substituting dessert for water) and then we use our table service credit for dinner (I have been able to substitute dessert for an appetizer every time I've asked)

We're not big breakfast eaters so it works for us and it's nice to have that extra water midday when the parks can be hot.

 

[Rob562]

A new "substitution" that I learned of on my trip two weeks ago (at least they were doing it at Pop Century) is that on a counter service credit used for breakfast, they allow a bit of leeway for the two beverages, and you can even substitute a pastry for one of them. (So a waffle platter, OJ and croissant would work. So would a waffle platter with 2 OJs)

And a suggestion, if you don't want a dessert with your counter service meal, get a bottle of water as your dessert to take with you for later.

-Rob

 

[BigTex71]

Hopefully we could do a dessert sub with an appetizer at some TS places. My wife could order the app (using dessert substitution) and I could get the dessert. Then we get the three courses without having to overdose on sweets. I would think that would be plausible.

 

[disneygirl1]

Hopefully we could do a dessert sub with an appetizer at some TS places. My wife could order the app (using dessert substitution) and I could get the dessert. Then we get the three courses without having to overdose on sweets. I would think that would be plausible.

That would be a great idea!!! I like your thinking!!! I think I am going to try that in Sept. :lol:

 

[balletgirl2]

Hopefully we could do a dessert sub with an appetizer at some TS places. My wife could order the app (using dessert substitution) and I could get the dessert. Then we get the three courses without having to overdose on sweets. I would think that would be plausible.

That would be nice!:sohappy: Good luck with it though, because you will need it for sure. That is the one rule CMs seem to be real hard lined with in my experience.

 

[beanbunny]

Just returned from a 2 week stay & overheard a cm telling a guest that they could substitute a ts meal for a cs. We are going back in August with the dining plan & sometimes, especially with the heat, we just don't want another table service & would love to substitute with a counter service. Any truth to this?

 

[Dwarful]

We just did our last trip with the dining plan. We said that before, but this trip every sit down meal was close to 3 hours in length. Far too long for a dinner in a theme park with kids. The fastest from the time we sat down until we left was 2 hrs and that was at the Biergarten. As much as we enjoy a sit down meal break 2 1/2 -3 hours is a big chunk of time.

Also, when we did try to sub things it was 'I'm sorry that isn't currently permitted' We even tried to pay the difference and upgrade our youngest to the adult dining option but that wasn't allowed either...so I 'enjoyed' a few kids meals at the TS restaurants.

As to the ? about a free breakfast. Yes, you get the two drinks, so you could on one day get the breakfast platter and 2 different Powerade/ Juice/ Bottled water etc., then save those two bottles for another time, using your mug to get your drink for that day's breakfast. Then the next day get a 'snack' muffin, bagel, etc. and drink your bottled beverage. If that is what you were asking.

 

[lighteningqueen]

This is why we don't do it either. Too long, and the food is just not good. Not worth 20-29.00 a plate. They really need to work over the plan. Some of us are diabetic and the app would be a better choice and we should get the choice. Plus the wait staff have really gotten I do not care attitude... Not worth those huge TS tips they think we must pay. If they were hopping to me all the time and going above and beyond without being a pest then 18 is good,I am betting they either quit it all together or tweak it some more or at least give us a choice...The first time we ever went in 2007 tips were included and so were both dessert and apps and it tasted so much better then and the wait staff really were good, but last year, service and the lack of tips and option on choices sure changed the taste and manner in which it is served greatly. We saved so much money last year not going on the plan and actually ate better and got better attention... This year we are allowing ourselfs 60.00 a day and see what we can do with that...