the reference to now "ala carte" ordering is very, very misleading and is frequently misunderstood. The hidden "cost" is this: ala carte is a misnomer here...it's your choice of food on the menu, but not your choice of price! As previous posters mentioned it IS a fixed-price meal, and not a cheap one - in the $50-58 range, depending on the time of year. We've used the dining plan for it, and it's 2 TS credits per person at Brown Derby.
You pay the full price, but can order any appetizer, entree, dessert and non-alcohol beverage on the menu.
The confusion came about when they changed the Fantasmic package deal...the original Fantasmic Dinner Package was a fixed price for a limited, semi-fixed meal. You got salad for the appetizer, your choice of like 2 entrees, and then the dessert was specified (you did not choose whatever you wanted.) But then a couple of years ago, they changed it so that it was still a fixed price package, but you get to choose the components from the full regular menu at the restaurant.