Confusion on Disney dining and packages!

[LongLiveDisney]

Hi! We're planning a trip to the World and we're really confused. We're doing the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining as of now but we're open to changes. We're staying at the Contemporary. I have some questions:
1. Are there only certain restaurants you can go to with certain packages? I thought you could go to any of the restaurants, but after a little searching I think I'm mixed up.
2. In the package we're getting, you get one quick-service meal, one table-service meal, and one snack per person per night. I don't really get what that means. How does that work?
3. Can you still make ADRs with this package?
4. Can you make ADRs with any Disney restaurant?

I'm sorry that these questions seem so obvious, but I'm only 14 and I like to know everything so I can make the best out of our trip. My parents don't really care about all these packages and things.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

1. Just about every restaurant takes the dining plan. Here's the Dining Plan brochure: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...alog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_us/PDF/2012Dining.pdf

2. TS (table service) is a sit down meal/buffet with a waiter that takes your order. QS (quick service) is a "fast food" place where you order at a counter and take your tray to a table. For each night you stay you get 1 of each of these meals. They give them to you all at once upfront and you can use them from the time you check in until midnight the day you check out in any order you want.

3. You SHOULD make ADRs for any table service meals you want.

4. Almost all TS restaurants take ADRs 180 days in advance.

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Thanks so much! I think I'm getting it now.

 

[Cafeen]

And...just because I have it handy and it's a very common question (which is more than understandable! I actually called Disney before my first adult trip and asked it )....

There are very few actual restrictions on entrees, so pretty much anything on the menu that's called an entree is available.

• Tokyo Dining - Sushi is not covered (though certain large combinations may be)
• California Grill - Most sushi is not covered. There are 2 combination plates that are considered entrees
• Restaurant Marrakesh - The "Feasts" require a small surcharge (~$7-$10 I believe)
• Flying Fish Cafe - I'm 90% sure the Prix Fixe menu here is not available on the dining plan
• Via Napoli - Only individual pizzas and standard entrees may be purchased with the plan, you are unable to combine credits to order larger pizzas (They changed this sometime after they opened, they originally allowed this). For the individual pizzas, you may either choose their "signature" pizzas or the create your own, but any toppings on the create your own will be out of pocket! (This is one of the stricter restaurants on the plan)
• Any item that's listed as "For 2" must be ordered by 2 people on the plan.

Prix Fixe menus as several other locations (Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Kona Cafe, etc) ARE covered and DO offer an appetizer even for guests paying with the standard DDP (which is what you got ).

Now, I won't throw a lot more info (or math!) at you just yet, but you may want to take a look at the menus on AllEars.net, WDWInfo.com, and the official Disney site to get an idea of what you'd order, just to make sure it makes sense to keep the dining plan. It DOES take planning to make it work for you.

Also, depending on when you're going, if you're going in 2013 and you look at the restaurant list on that brochure (different than what was linked above) you will notice lots of missing restaurants. This is normal. It's due to contract stuff that happens every year. It's very rare that a restaurant will drop out of the plan (it's happened once, and that restaurant rejoined the plan this year). So it's relatively safe to assume that all the restaurants in the 2012 list will be on the 2013 list. This will be updated once 2013 gets closer and those yearly contracts are signed.

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Thank you so much Cafeen. ))