Quick Dining or Table Service....HELP!!!!!

[Razorback]

I need help on deciding which dining plan to go with.

We will be staying at Pop Century 3/21 to 3/28.

This is our 5th Spring Break in a row so we are not rookies but this will be our first year on the dining plan.

Me(dad) 36, Mom 34, 8 year old son and 6 year old son.

We really enjoy the thrill rides and all rides for that matter and have never slowed down enough to actually order off of a menu that was not bolted to the wall.

1. Is it too late to really consider table service anywhere?
2. My boys are very well behaved but not sure if they will be happy with
slow sitdown meals when they could be in the parks having fun.
3. I think they might enjoy one charactar meal but more than that might
be overkill.
4. Money is not a concern as it would only be about $150.00 difference
in the packages.
5. The last factor is that the $200 gift card(4/3 deal) will cover breakfast
and the two counter service meals with snacks will cover the remainder of
the meals so we would not be out any money for meals.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

 

[blessedby3]

We are going 3/7-3/14 and have booked the CS dining plan.
We are a larger family (of 6) and I dont want to have to have a sit down meal with 4 kids everyday! We also prefer to be on the rides instead of having a sit down meal. We have booked 2 TS meals and will pay OOP. Ohana's for breakfast and Trails End for dinner. We will only eat 1 CS meal on those days as we will be stuffed from the buffets. We are going to use those credits on other days for breakfast. Also, we are going to use 1 Snack credit per person to get something for breakfast the night before (muffin, cinnamon roll, fruit bowl, etc.) because we wont need 2 snacks per day since you get dessert with each CS meal.
I think we will have plenty of food with the CS plan and will get to enjoy the rides much longer!!!
Sounds like you are like we are, so I say go for the CS- you get a free refillable mug to boot!

 

[abt426]

I don't think it is to late to consider some adrs. you never know until you try. We are traveling the week prior. I had to call to change some adrs last week and was excited that i was able to make all the changes i wanted for a party of 4.

 

[AustinTink]

We're going for a week, and have three TS meals planned. We find it too time consuming and way too much food to do everyday.

 

[jblrn2b]

You have to think about what would make your family happy - a 6 and 8 yr old could sit for one TS a day. My DH would not be happy eating CS at every meal and that would make him not want to go to WDW again. But if you don't mind CS meals then go for the QS DP. I also found it a good "lesson" for my kids to eat out - just my two cents.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Not to late. I would go with the 1 cs, 1 tb service plan. This one is a great plan.

 

[WDmommyof4]

I agree that every family is different. My two oldest are the ones that are coming on this trip with me 3/1-3/8, and I asked them if they wanted to do more sit down and character meals, or just quick meals, and they both opted for the sit down meals. They really enjoy eating out and are never a problem in restaurants.

So, I ended up booking the deluxe dining, because next year I will have all four boys with me and will not be able to afford it. However, it all depends on what is best for you. If your family is happy eating counter service for each meal, the go for it. If you want to try table service though, there are definitely still some spots available. I called about 3 days ago, and was still able to get an early dinner at the castle. Yesterday I made the ADRs for the rest of our meals, and didn't miss out on a single restaurant except Yak and Yetis suprisingly.

Good luck whatever you decide!!

 

[Rylee]

Since you've gone so many times without doing Table Service restaurants, I say give it a try!

Some of the restaurants are as much fun as the attractions. My children look forward to the dining... as soon as we announce we're going to Disney, they all start naming which resort they to stay at, and where they want to dine, (opinionated little people. )

For different experiences, try...

Any character meal - our favorite is Chef Mickey's for breakfast.
Teppan Edo in Japan @ Epcot - Chefs prepare food on a grill at your table and can be quite entertaining.
Coral Reef @ Epcot - one entire wall is an aquarium.
Si-Fi Dine-In @ DHS - Sit in car at the Drive-In movies.
California Grill @ the Conteporary - Watch the MK fireworks, (requires 2 credits)
(Those are only a few of the restaurants we enjoy for one reason or another... food, atmosphere, etc.)

If for some reason you find you don't enjoy a Table Service meal each day, you'll know what you don't want to do on your next trip.

 

[3boys4me]

I say go for the table service. With the table service you can throw in some buffets or Ohana. Places where the children aren't restricted to a kids menu. My boys had no problem taking time out to sit and eat on our last trip. To me, the counter service options get old really fast.

 

[Disneychix]

Do you really need the DP at all if you have some of your meals and snacks covered with the $200?

 

[summermac]

I vote for trying it out. I can't imagine eating nothing but CS all week, even at WDW. It's nice to have a break and let others wait on you. Plus with only ONE TS a day, you can mix it up - breakfast a couple times, lunch a couple times and dinner a couple times. A buffet twice, a nice sit down once..stuff like that.

Call today and see about ADR availability and then decide!

 

[summermac]

Do you really need the DP at all if you have some of your meals and snacks covered with the $200?

This is a good point though too. But my family could certainly spend the $200 on other stuff too. Plus a lot of people are using the $200 for tips at TS, etc.

 

[septbaby]

The question is if you didn't use the $200gf for food what else would you use it for? The card would pay for a couple of TS meal, esp. character meals.

Generally, I prefer the TS plan, but if you only want a couple of TS meals I'd go with the QS plan and use the card to pay for two TS character meals. I'd suggest Chef Mickey's for one of those meals. Take a look at the descriptions for the second one. If you don't want the second meal to be character I highly recommend Boma at AKL. It is the broadest buffet at WDW and I thought the food was well prepared. Our 6yo was comfy there and found plenty to eat. Also AKL has some neat things for kids, including the possibility of seeing some animals on the savannahs. Others would recommend Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge for a family like yours. It does not appeal to me, but might suit your family really well.

If you are going to do a character meal under no circumstances would I skip Chef Mickey's, your sons should absolutely love it and there are 5 characters there. My 6yo nephew talked about Chef Mickey's for a year after we returned. I think that's a pretty good endorsement.

 

[Razorback]

It's good to know that we all go through the same thought process on trying to figure what the best way to spend our hard earned money.

I do like the idea of spending the $200 gift card on a charactar meal or table service meal. That could be our treat after eating all those CS meals for a week.

Is $100-$125 worth eating at Chef Mickey's...don't get me wrong. It does look fun but that would also pay for Disney Quest!!!!!!

 

[septbaby]

I do like the idea of spending the $200 gift card on a charactar meal or table service meal. That could be our treat after eating all those CS meals for a week.

Is $100-$125 worth eating at Chef Mickey's...don't get me wrong. It does look fun but that would also pay for Disney Quest!!!!!!

There isn't any reason that I'd skip Chef Mickey's as a character meal. All of the character meals cost about the same. Except for the meal at the castle they are withing a few dollars of each other. Look at this through the eyes of your 6/8yo, not your eyes. We were on the DP and paid OOP for Chef Mickey's and would do it again.

 

[DWFan4Life]

Is $100-$125 worth eating at Chef Mickey's...don't get me wrong. It does look fun but that would also pay for Disney Quest!!!!!!

Yes, very worth it. We love eating at Chef Mickey's and it's on our first list everytime we have a trip. My kids really enjoy the place same as your kids will experience.