Counter Service Meal?

[MomLC]

What exactly is considered a "Counter Service Meal"? Say if you order a hamburger would anything else come with it that would be included? Is there a menu, like the snack menu, that I could look at? Thanks for any info.

 

[colinsdad]

What exactly is considered a "Counter Service Meal"? Say if you order a hamburger would anything else come with it that would be included? Is there a menu, like the snack menu, that I could look at? Thanks for any info.

All of your "what is included" questions should be here. It includes all the restaurants that participate as well. As for the menus, on this site, click the Dining link (near top of page in light blue) and check out the menus.

2009 Disney Dining Plan Brochure

As for Snacks, check out this link started by snack guru jjohnson:

2009 Confirmed Snacks included in the Dining Plan

I've used the 2008 version of the list above and will be using this one in May. Print it out and bring it with you.

 

[horsified1]

If you are using the dining plan, you get a choice of side and drink and dessert with your counter service meals. It is more food than you would probably think.

 

[cavepig]

With the quick serve meals on the dining plan you don't always get a side. We just got back and sometimes you would, but sometimes you didn't. Like at Pizzafari you only get the Pizza, dessert, and drink, but at Toy Story you can get pizza, salad, dessert, and drink.

If you order a hamburger at Pecos Bills you get fries with it (or apple slices), dessert, and drink.

A lot times you can get another drink instead of dessert or a side item instead of dessert.

The cast members are really good about making sure you get what you are supposed to get.

 

[5boyz]

cavepig(lol cute name)!!!! Thanks for the info that is good to know.

 

[MomLC]

As for the Disney Dining Plan itself are the restaurants Le Celiar in Epcot and Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney included? My husban is finding it hard to believe that if we go with the DDP that you can actually eat at these restaurants and not have to pay extra for what they offer on the menu. Am I correct?

 

[Faldred]

Le Cellier, yes. Fulton's, no.

 

[5boyz]

I think you just have to pay the tip!

 

[brokenlola]

Here are your included restaurants...
http://www.disneytravelagents.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/2009Product/2009Dining.pdf

 

[dlstamps]

Thanks for the great information! I'm going to print it out and bring it with my in May. This will be our first time using the dining plan and it seems a little confusing.

 

[MomLC]

Hello again and thank you to everyone who gave such great information. I do have another ? about the counter service on the DDP. Is there anything you can do if towards the end of your trip you have not used all of your counter service meals? Can you combine them in any way? Thanks again for any info.

 

[brokenlola]

Hello again and thank you to everyone who gave such great information. I do have another ? about the counter service on the DDP. Is there anything you can do if towards the end of your trip you have not used all of your counter service meals? Can you combine them in any way? Thanks again for any info.

Nope, not officially.

 

[septbaby]

If you are using the dining plan, you get a choice of side and drink and dessert with your counter service meals. It is more food than you would probably think.

This may vary from location to location. If that location offers combo meal OP would get a side. However, a burger (or pizza, etc.) could be an entree, thus no side is "included". A CS meal includes an entree or combo, dessert and non alcoholic beverage. At Main Street Bakery I got a sandwich, dessert and drink. I think I would have had to pay OOP or use a snack credit to add chips to that meal. With the size of dessert there we did not need chips!


At our resort we ordered a CS pizza, beverage and grabbed a dessert. The CM let us know that we could make it a combo with a side salad for the same CS DP credit, we did that and it was perfect for a shared meal. The next time the salad would have been wasted, so we just got the pizza (and a Mickey bar and Itzakadoozie, we had our priorities straight ).

 

[MomLC]

This may vary from location to location. If that location offers combo meal OP would get a side. However, a burger (or pizza, etc.) could be an entree, thus no side is "included". A CS meal includes an entree or combo, dessert and non alcoholic beverage. At Main Street Bakery I got a sandwich, dessert and drink. I think I would have had to pay OOP or use a snack credit to add chips to that meal. With the size of dessert there we did not need chips!


At our resort we ordered a CS pizza, beverage and grabbed a dessert. The CM let us know that we could make it a combo with a side salad for the same CS DP credit, we did that and it was perfect for a shared meal. The next time the salad would have been wasted, so we just got the pizza (and a Mickey bar and Itzakadoozie, we had our priorities straight ).

When you ordered your pizza and the extras to go with it how many CS credits did you need to use?

 

[5boyz]

I am going to assume that Septbaby only had to use 1CS for the pizza salad drink and dessert?

 

[msce2]

Hello again and thank you to everyone who gave such great information. I do have another ? about the counter service on the DDP. Is there anything you can do if towards the end of your trip you have not used all of your counter service meals? Can you combine them in any way? Thanks again for any info.

(my 2cents) - To get the most out of the dining plan, I would make your ADR's for your table service meals, and then plan out your counter services. Try to figure out where you might be for that day. Even if you just narrow it down to a couple of restaurants within a park. So for example on our first day, we have an ADR at Teppan Edo's for dinner. So we planned on having lunch (CS) at MK. Either at Pecos Bills or Columbia Harbor. I also printed out the list of acceptable snacks on the DDP that can be found on the disboards. And figured out my top 6 snacks (we are going for 6 days). The more you plan the less chance that you will end up with credits left over. I think it helps you get your money's worth. (IMHO)

 

[septbaby]

I am going to assume that Septbaby only had to use 1CS for the pizza salad drink and dessert?

That is correct. It was a combo meal. Actually used an Adult CS credit and shared. I ate the salad and my nephew loved the pizza. Pizza was not an option on the kids menu. He also picked the drink, I was fine with water. However, the dessert choice was all mine.

On our last day we had some Adult CS credits left (we shared CS most of the time) so I was able to order the pizza meals for both of us so the salad would have been too much food. We didn't order something just because we could. We were very well fed on the DP. I'm sure you can be too.

 

[bratmomma]

This may have been asked somewhere, and if it was, I apologize but I also have a question about specifics in CS meals on DDP.

If we are at a CS restaurant and my husband wants the double cheeseburger combo, or maybe a bacon cheeseburger, rather than a single burger, does he pay extra, or is it good for ANY combo the participating restaurant offers?

Thanks in advance for your help.

(this is our second trip on the DDP. I wanted to second what the previous poster said about narrowing down your CS choices beforehand, it is really helpful to me! )

 

[Dizneydaz]

This may have been asked somewhere, and if it was, I apologize but I also have a question about specifics in CS meals on DDP.

If we are at a CS restaurant and my husband wants the double cheeseburger combo, or maybe a bacon cheeseburger, rather than a single burger, does he pay extra, or is it good for ANY combo the participating restaurant offers?

Thanks in advance for your help.

(this is our second trip on the DDP. I wanted to second what the previous poster said about narrowing down your CS choices beforehand, it is really helpful to me! )

There are no exclusions at the CS locations. Any entree (or combo) is included.

Which is why my DM and I share the chicken/ribs combo at Cosmic Rays and also one of the Schwarma platters at Tangierine Cafe in WS at Epcot. Enough for two,

 

[Dizneydaz]

Hello again and thank you to everyone who gave such great information. I do have another ? about the counter service on the DDP. Is there anything you can do if towards the end of your trip you have not used all of your counter service meals? Can you combine them in any way? Thanks again for any info.

I've seen some threads where you can exchange CS for SC but I don't know if it's written anywhere officially.

For us, we always have CS (and SC) left on our last day. What we do is when we start getting to the end of our trip and figure out how many CS we have left, we will start grabbing breakfast in the food court. (we do a TS breakfast on our last day). Then we use our very last ones to buy our food for the plane. Since we check out of our room around 10-11 (late breakfast @10:45) we usually hop on the monorail and make a stop at GF. Their food court (Gasparilla Grill and Games) has some excellent meal choices. Other restorts do as well (SSR, Poly, etc). Since our flight doesn't leave until almost 6 p.m. we'll need some lunch for later in the day as well as something extra for on the plane. The sandwiches at GGG at GF are very good-and you can get a bag of chips instead of fries so you can take them on the plane.

Except for the first time we used DDP (Jan. 05) we have never left an unused CS or SC on our card. A few years back we did have one TS leftover since my DNiece was sick on our last night and couldn't make breakfast. Found out later we could have traded it for a CS or some SC but since we usually have around 10 SC to use up on our last day, it didn't really matter.

This year I promised myself that we won't wait until our last day to use up our SC. Last year my DD9 and I were going crazy trying to use up our SC at GF. Surprisingly their approved SC were different than other places. (smaller lollipops, etc) so we ended up at Goofy's Kitchen at the last minute. This year, if we go to Goofy's, we'll do it the night before. Less stress that way and I can pack our SC in our lugagge so I don't have to carry it on.

This year is our longest stay yet-11 nights. Plus my DD is turning 10 on our trip so we'll have 33 of each credit to use-no restrictions.

We've used DDP 5 times now, this year will be our 6th, any question, feel free to ask.