Counter Service Dining Plan questions

[Jackie H.]

I am sorry if this has already been asked....I did a search but all I could find was information on the table service meals.

I know the counter service meals include: 1 entree, 1 dessert and 1 drink or 1 combo meal. But are those choices limited.

For example: at Peco's Bills there is a 1/4 lb burger and a 1/2 lb burger....am I limited to the 1/4 lb burger? Or can I order a 1/2 lb burger and fries and a large drink with a cookie and that be 1 meal? Most counter service places have a larger sandwich and I was wondering if those were included as part of the plan.

Also, at these counter service places.....do they have these items marked on the menu board as "qualifies for Disney's Dining Plan" or something?

Thanks

 

[adisneymama]

Would like to know the answer on this too!

 

[mommykds]

You can order any meal whether it's 1/2lb or 1/4 lb..no limited menu choice...

As for the drink WDW says..

"One counter service meal (including entree/combo meal, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage)"

So no specifics on the size of a drink..I would think large would be ok

 

[adisneymama]

Thanks Mom! I didn't think there was a limitation, but I think if it is a combo meal then you have to get the size stated in the combo for the drink. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[threeboysmom]

Some of the counter service places (like Backlot Express at MGM) do not have a dessert item listed on their menu. What is done in these instances? Anyone know what happens if you go to a place without extra sides on their menu or desserts?

 

[huey578]

Hi all, I'm curious what you guys think about the Dining plan. It sounds good but are there any drawbacks? Any bad experiences? We would be purchasing 2 adult plans. Your help is greatly appreciated.


Huey

 

[Hockeychic]

It is worth it to us...right now only because it was free....lol

However, I have having a heck of a time trying to see how we can eat all this food......wow.....just seems like alot but I am sure glad they offered it. It is giving us a chance to go to restaurants we might not have been able to go to due to cost.

 

[Jackie H.]

I am hoping they will offer it free when we go the first week in January but nothing yet. I was also thinking "wow, this is a lot of food...we would never eat it all..and still have to buy breakfast". Then I learned on this board that you can share the meals. Like my family of 4 would order only 3 meals and use only 3 credits and save the fourth for another time.

This is why I was asking this question. My DD is 11, so Disney will charge her an adult price. But there is no way she can eat that much food! I know she and I can share most of the table service meals and we would use 3 meals instead of 4. In this instance, we could make it worth it because we could save some meals and buy breakfasts (character buffets for instance) and really feel like we've got our money's worth (still assuming we are going to have to pay for it).

So I was wondering about the counter service meals, too. For instance she & I could easily share a 1/2 lb hamburger and a large drink.

 

[HaleyB]

Yes you can share the CS meals and ge the bigger sandwiches, unless they change rules on us, which is something you just never know about. I don't think you can get a large soda, but you could use a anack credit to get an extra drink.

So far of the people I know personally, who have done this plan, all have said- they had credits left at the end (lots of snack credits) AND they more than got their money's worth out of it.

I looked back at receipts from our last trip and I am SURE we will (or would have if we had paid for it, we are in on the free code ). We split a CS meal from Tangerine Cafe in Epcot- it was $17. We ate at coarl reef and split desserts only had one app. and it was $189 + tip... every one I checked we spent more than $10 per adult CS meal and more than $25 on average for adult TS meals. We ate at Mara at AKL (CS) and it was $36 for me and two kids...

 

[n2mm]

Keep in mind that the food courts at the value resorts and other resorts (POR), are considered CS meals. So you can actually get a nice hot home-cooked meal too, plus desert. Just keep in mind that if you already have your mug, you are still entitled to a drink, so pick up a bottle of soda or water (or juice) at the food court to maximize the benefit. I know mom's meals at Pop food court are pretty big and a couple of them could feed several folks. There are some pretty good deserts in the food courts too. So just because you think counter service, don't forget about the food courts for a nice lunch or dinner.

 

[Nora94]

1/4 lb or 1/2 lb ? - you can order either, imo you should order the bigger one and share to get more value for your credits. This allows you to stretch the credits and get breakfast and lunch.

LARGE drink - we were told at some places we could only get a med drink, at others they let us do a large. Almost all counter service would only let us get a medium drink on our visit.

Qualifying purchases sign - nope, it is all there for you to chose from, they all qualify. If you have questions, ask the cashier or server.

Dessert if none listed - we found they DID have desserts, even if not listed on the menu. They were usually yucky, lol. Carrot cake or choc cake that were the prepackaged kind. Some had cookies. You can do a fruit cup as dessert too.

sharing - go for it! We shared between 4 people, one was under 3 but still eats believe it or not, and we had breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every day. All paid for with our credits, the only out of pocket was frozen cokes that weren't on the plan or that huge cinnamon bun at Main Street Bakery.

There is a great thread that answers so many of these questions -
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=820709

 

[cocodog]

At some places, they restrict the drink size for the dining plan. Others let you make the choice. Don't know why this occurs..........

 

[DebbieB]

Some of the counter service places (like Backlot Express at MGM) do not have a dessert item listed on their menu. What is done in these instances? Anyone know what happens if you go to a place without extra sides on their menu or desserts?

I ate at Backlot Express last month and they did have some dessert items on their menu (cookies, cake). They may just not be published on their online menu.