Can you switch entree for appetizer?

[lor]

Hi, we are going to Disney during free dining, first time doing the dining plan,not looking forward to using it, but hey it was free. Anyhow in other trips lots of time my daughter ( 13), not a big eater, would order just an appetizer at dinner, and then a desert.
I know they will not let you switch out a desert for an appetizer, but if she does not want a huge entree on the dining plan will any of the table service restaurants let her switch our her entree for an appetizer? Seems to Make sense to me because the entrees are way more pricier than an appetizer.
Also if you are on the dining plan do you ALL have to use a table service credit at dinner? I was thinking of maybe just paying OOP for a appetizer and then just let her have my dessert, whuch I hardly ever eat anyway? save her table service credit for another time.
thanks, Lauren

 

[Faldred]

There is no real reason why a restaurant would refuse to do this; in fact some places might very well serve an "entree-sized" appetizer in this case.

However, there are enough reports of this being disallowed, despite making no sense, that it needs to be chalked up as a "depends on the location, day, and server" issue.

In general, I bet this will work, but you can't depend on it.

As to the rest of the question, no, you do no have to use credits for everyone. You can pay OOP for an appetizer (and drink, unless she sticks to water) and give her your dessert, saving the credit for another meal.

 

[lor]

Well I guess the general plan is to ask, ask, ask,ask, wherever you go. we are doing a few buffets so that should be straight forward.
I am actually not looking forward to this dining plan thing, albeit free, I would never pay for it. Before we went and ordered and ate what we wanted where we wanted, there allways seemed to be someone beside us confused an struggling with the dining plan. now it will be us.

 

[unionville]

Glad you asked this question. My 13 and 16 year old nieces will be with us at Thanksgiving. They often prefer an appetizer instead of an entree too. Guess we will just ask!

 

[DisneyLindsay]

Well I guess the general plan is to ask, ask, ask,ask, wherever you go. we are doing a few buffets so that should be straight forward.
I am actually not looking forward to this dining plan thing, albeit free, I would never pay for it. Before we went and ordered and ate what we wanted where we wanted, there allways seemed to be someone beside us confused an struggling with the dining plan. now it will be us.

I can't understand why you wouldn't want to use the Disney dining plan. We went for the first time last year, had the plan for free and are looking forward to using the free plan again this year. There was nothing confusing about the plan at all and you are more than able to pay OOP for anything you like. Which we did on occasion for a special dinner or for appetizers and alcholic beverages. The plan was wonderful and it is definitely a deal maker for our family. We plan on only going when it is offered.
I sure hope you like it, go in with an open mind and feel free to ask always ( we got many pleasant answers) and ck your receipt at the end of the meal to make sure you have the proper amount of credit used and credits left.
Have a great trip!!

 

[pooch]

don't find the dining plan confusing at all. It doesn't work for everyone but it certainly isn't hard to use. This will be our 5th free dining trip and we love it!

 

[Faldred]

If you plan on using the dining plans as they are intended to be used, they're very simple and not confusing at all, once you get the general hang of it.

The problem comes in if you try to use the plan in a way it really wasn't designed for. Once you step out of the "norm", everything becomes subject to how each restaurant or server interprets the plan, and how that relates to what you're trying to do.

As noted, if you're trying to put the plan through a series of "entitlement gymnastics", so to speak, the plan might very well not be right for you in the first place.

 

[TDC Nala]

I can't understand why you wouldn't want to use the Disney dining plan.

Not everyone likes it. Some don't like having to keep track of the credits. Some don't like having to eat an entree and dessert and pay for an appetizer, or that they might not have the flexibility to order an appetizer as an entree if that's what they really want. Deluxe plan will give you the appetizers...but that is going to cost about $80 per night next year. Some don't want dessert with every meal, and if you don't get the dessert the value of the plan goes down.

Faldred is correct, for those who follow the letter of the plan it can even save a bunch of money depending on where you eat and it is not difficult to use. But anyone who tries to step outside the plan's boundaries may find it to be more trouble than it is worth. They can't even be sure that every restaurant will give them the option to substitute an appetizer for the entree, because there's no consistency regarding which restaurants will do it, or even which servers will allow it. If you have a family member who won't eat all the food allotted, you then have to either not order all the food they're entitled to or figure out a way for the others in the party to eat the food.

I won't use the plan again, not even for free dining. I don't like not having the option to eat at ANY restaurant on property (there are some really good ones at the Swan/Dolphin) and I don't like sticking to the entree/dessert format. I really don't do buffets either.

 

[WildGrits]

They are also offering 40% off a room the exact time as the Free Dining. If the dining is not something you are interested, why don't you use the discount instead?

 

[lor]

Yes the 40% off is what we have done before and just done our our dining on our own, but they are not offering the 40% off the time we are going, I sure the dining plan will be fine because it is free, but I wouldn't pay for it, when we went before we didn't do 7 table services, some nights you are just too tired to take off halfway across the park for a dinner res. And I rarely eat deserts so if I had choice, I would prefer the 40% off. I don't like feeling I have to use up 7 table service credits, we thought about doing QSDP, and then just add about 3 table service nights, but that would be way too much food. I'm sure we'll manage, just not what I would choose to do

 

[pooch]

just fo with it. If your DD wants only an appetizer, ask. If they say yes, you're all set. If they say no, get it OOP (appies are terribly expensive and the rest of your food is free!) and bank the TS credit. If you use all your credits, great. If some fall through the cracks of your trip, let them. It seems to me that many of the complaints (not you TDC NALA!) stem from people trying to wring the last penny out of the plan. It does mostly fit our dining habits but, if we want something not on the plan, we get it. Its VACATION!!! If we end up with extra credits, oh well, as long as we had fun, who cares!!!!

 

[SoosieQ]

Last year I thought the same as you. I was getting the dining plan just because it was free and heck it was nice to not pay for food. I thought that it would be confusing as on previous trips I spent many times behind someone that was trying to figure the plan out.

Well after our trip I was converted (sort of). Not enough to actually pay for the plan. I found that it was too much food for me and I don't really like all of the TS meals.

I am going for Free Dining this year again and it was nice that we could get it because it made convincing my Mom to go easier when I told her most of our meals were included. I do have 3 TS meals reserved (1 breakfast, 1 lunch and 1 dinner) and that is enough for me.

 

[traviesojmt]

We were on the DP on our last trip in June. My son was allowed to order the Sticky Wings at Kona Cafe as his entree on the plan. I am sure that at times it might vary with the server, but we were allowed to sub without issue.