Dining Plan Tips

[Hoyt31]

This is my first time using the dining plan. What are your best tips?

 

[dsnyrn]

what type of plan? reg, QS, or deluxe

 

[Hoyt31]

We are on the reg plan.

 

[jjarman]

I just figured this one out this weekend and won't work for most people. We are me in one room and DB, DSIL and 2 nephews in one room. We have 2 separate packages. I am doing all the planning.

Two of our TS are at Wolfgang Pucks and Planet Hollywood. They are not listed on the 2012 Dining Plan flyer yet. I mentioned this to DSIL this weekend and she said why don't we make an alternative ADR for those two nights so we will at least have something locked in if those two restaurants don't end up on the dining plan. At first I said no you can't have more than one reservation per evening. But then realized all the ADRs are in my name. None are in her name. So I was able to make those two ADRs without a problem. Of course we will cancel the ones we don't need when we have a firm plan. And this won't work for everyone but it is something to consider.

 

[brymolmom]

1) Make all ADR's as soon as possible. I know it's tough to plan that far in advance, but especially with little one's - IMO it's better to have them than not.
2) Don't go too crazy with character meals. They are not relaxing at all, but fun. And with my family, adults and kids alike, we really didn't eat all that much - way too much picture taking, looking for characters, etc. So we limit them to a couple/few per week long trip.
3) That said, since it looks like you'll have a 2 year old without credits (if this is correct??), book lots of buffets. he/she eats for free here so you don't have to worry about sharing.
4) Use your snack credits. When we first started using it, we would try to 'save' our credits for something 'significant' and not just use them on water or soda or a bagel in the morning. But we found we would have too many leftover at the end of the trip. So now we use them as SOON as we're able. We always say that if we end up having to pay for one or two at the end of the trip that will be OK, but we always have enough anyway.
5) For best use of DDP AND because of your kids' ages, I recommend bringing some cereal/other light breakfast items in your luggage. 1) It helps stretch your dining credits farther but even moreso 2) It saves a ton of time in the morning being able to grab a quick bite in your room and not have to deal with food court crowds/lines. When our kids were little - either dh or i would hop in the shower while the other dished out some cereal for the kids...then while the other showered the one who was done would sunscreen the kids...then by the time we were both ready we'd head right to the bus stop.

OK - I think that's my top 5 tips...

ENJOY It!!!

 

[FreeTime]

1) don't use your QS credit for breakfast OR split the breakfast amoung 2 guests and then you will be able to have 3 meals in the one day. Most breakfast plates are plenty for 2 to share if you use a snack credit and add a muffin or bagel.
2) don't use your QS at Casey Jrs. No value IMO there.
3) no more than 1 or 2 buffets (if you go for only American ones as all the food seems to be the same)
4) make a character breakfast plan for the latest time available (usually 10:50 or 11) at Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's of O'hana's. Eat fruit in the room when you get up to hold you off. This is a great break to have after early entry in the MK.
5) use your snack credits freely. As another posted said, holding them usually makes you have extras in the end.

Have fun!

 

[dskib]

I honestly don't focus too much on the value of the plan like some do. We wen't with a little guy who needed to go back to the room for his nap. Unfortunately, we learned that Nap + Sit down dinner = about 5 hours of lost park time. It was really frustrating. Esp in October when the parks close early!! If you're not going back for naps, then it may not be an issue for you.

So (for our 5 night stay) we generally schedule 2 character breakfasts in the parks before they open, 1 Table service meal on arrival night, and 2 TS meals on the park days that we don't have the character breakfasts.

If we're not doing a character breakfast, we eat someting in the room that we brought from home - cereal, fruit. Go to rope drop and then have an early QS lunch around 11:30 and then have a TS dinner.

If we are doing a breakfast, we do so early in the park, have a snack if we're hungry at lunch and then have a QS for dinner.

I agree with the PP who suggested buffets with the little ones. Lots to choose from and under 2 eat free.

Just don't get yourself bogged down by dinners. The first time we did the DDP I felt like our entire vacation was centered around our meals.

 

[mattsmom2000]

I agree with the previous post in that I don't concentrate on the value of the plan. For me it is more of a convenience of not having to get out money all of time for food. Two years in a row we did the full dining plan and in the most recent two years we have done the QS plan. QS is just fine for us. There is so much food and we do not have to schedule our day around a sit down meal. More times to ride the rides! I am at Disney to enjoy the parks. Although I love the food, I can get good food at a restaurant at home.
With that being said, my tips for the best CS meals are:

Magic Kingdom: Cosmic Rays (so much food any many choices)
EPCOT: Sunshine Seasons (sooo many choices)
Hollywood Studios: Pizza Planet (nice pizza, salad and dessert)
Animal Kingdom: Flame Tree BBQ (good size portions and yummy BBQ)

Have fun!

 

[RadioMom]

I found out the hard way on our first trip that if you don't write CASH TIP on your receipt, they will charge your KTTWC if you just write a tip amount on the receipt. I tipped double for 10 DAYS! KIND of a big expense! lol I kind of felt like I was being cheated by the servers - I mean, who often tips $40 on a $100 bill?
Also, remember that your snack credits are good for so much more than just the few items Disney outlines. See the sticky note in this thread for the full list. It's quite impressive! And really gives you lots of options. Buy a bottle of water and save a snack credit for a Dole Whip!
If you're full, ask to take your dessert to go! Most places will give you forks, napkins and a bag to carry your treats. It's nice to enjoy a night by the pool while the kids swim and you relax.
Don't be afraid to ask questions!! Even if you think it's silly, this is your vacation! And you won't know the answer unless you ask. It could make a big difference in your decisions.

 

[mwmom]

Because we didn't have room in our suitcases for breakfast foods, I bought muffins for breakfast with our snack credits. We would grab them the night before as we were leaving the park or at the resort CS so we could eat while we were getting ready.

I think whether you use TS for character meals depends on your family. For a PP they weren't relaxing. For me, even though they weren't completely relaxing bc we took pictures as the characters came around, my DD was completely entertained through the whole meal watching as the characters circled the restaurant. I never had one tantrum, one complaint, or one negative moment bc she was so happy to see the characters. For me, that meant a more relaxing meal. Plus, they tend to be on the expensive side since you are also paying for the character interaction, so it was a good deal for me to use the DDP for these. We do 3-4 over the course of an 8 day stay (usually CRT, Akershus, Ohana and one more....last time Crystal Palace and this time Chef Mickey).

If you don't use all of your snack credits, buy some snacks for the car or plane ride home. I got 3 snacks on our last day to take with us.