Deluxe Dining Plan - "Appetizer"

[jezebel73]

I'm considering upgrading to Deluxe dining this fall and have a question:

Does the appetizer have to be something from a section specifically labeled appetizers on the menu or can it be a salad, soup, small plate item? I see many places, especially signature dining, have a lot of these starters that sound yummy!

Thanks!

 

[purple figment]

Soups, salads, flatbreads, items in the menu sections listed before the entree section of a menu can be ordered as an appetizer. An exception we encountered was one (or two?) of the sushi on the Cali Grill menu could not be ordered as an app, but could be ordered as an entree.

 

[jezebel73]

Thanks, Kim! I knew that, logically, it made sense, but sometimes rules are rules.
Also thinking about making my 9 year old "10" (it'll only be 2.5 weeks away anyway) so she can order adult meals and that expands the options a LOT at some places.

 

[figment_jii]

As Purple Figment said, most places will allow you to choose from soups, salads, flatbreads, etc. for your appetizers.

It's worth noting that entree-style salads or side-salads (I'm thinking of Via Napoli specifically) won't be allowed for the appetizer. Your server will tell you specifically which item(s) or sections of the menu can be ordered from. I feel like Yak & Yeti also had some very specific rules about what counts as an appetizer, but I can't remember what they were (sorry about that). In general, I've found that the third-party restaurants are more strict about what can be ordered when on the DxDP/DDP.

Also, when you say "small plate" do you mean the separate price point sides? Those cannot be ordered as an appetizer.

 

[snoopy352]

Thanks, Kim! I knew that, logically, it made sense, but sometimes rules are rules.
Also thinking about making my 9 year old "10" (it'll only be 2.5 weeks away anyway) so she can order adult meals and that expands the options a LOT at some places.

Does she have a big appetite and adventurous palette? because the price difference is HUGE. Personally I plan to do deluxe UNTIL my DD turns 10 to save on the money and allow her to sample small bites of what I get.

 

[purple figment]

The DxDDP is a lot of food. Every adult gets an appetizer, entree, dessert and fountain beverage at lunch and dinner. Since you get 3 meal credits per night per person, if you upgrade your daughter to the adult plan that adds a lot more food per day. We found that in our family of 3 adults getting 3 of each at lunch and dinner was an overwhelming amount of food even though we usually did only 2 meals a day - either breakfast or lunch and a 2 credit signature dinner.

Unless your daughter has a really big appetite you could share at TS restaurants (Via Napoli is an exception) and she could use her kid's DxDDP credits at buffets, family style places, fixed price meals (CRT, dinner shows) and at any TS where she wants something from the children's menu.

Upgrading her to the adult's plan would expand her options and portions, but there's a huge jump in prices (Adult DxDDP $109.53, Child $29.86) between the two.

 

[phyzch]

Keep in mind also that if you are buying the dining plan in a package, the age difference will affect other items as well (like park tickets). That said, I upgraded my 4yo and newborn to adults (on a qs plan, no park tickets needed) because my wife is hypoglycemic, and two meals a day are simply not enough for her, also my son is allergic to nuts and nearly every kids meal is either nuggets or pb&j. We were also able to share what might have been left over credits with family traveling with us and then they bought our meals on the days we weren't at Disney (read at Universal), so it worked out really well for us.

 

[aacvacation]

Sorry that I am not really contributing to the discussion, I have a question of my own. Are you saying that for the 2014 Deluxe Disney Dining plan, you are also able to get an appetizer?

(I just did my first DDP last vacation, and am hoping to try the Deluxe this time)

 

[aaarcher86]

Sorry that I am not really contributing to the discussion, I have a question of my own. Are you saying that for the 2014 Deluxe Disney Dining plan, you are also able to get an appetizer? (I just did my first DDP last vacation, and am hoping to try the Deluxe this time)

Yes. An app for everyone at TS lunch and dinners.

 

[jezebel73]

My daughter is honestly right on the cusp between the two. She has a good appetite for sure and does prefer some more adventurous dishes (we get Indian buffet together ALL the time), but on the DxDDP, we would eat a breakfast or lunch and then signature dinner everyday, so all those table service places have much better kid options than the counter locations. She has a "healthy"? aversion to chicken fingers and Kraft mac and devoured her father's Bison strip steak at Artist Point in 2012.

It will likely come down to discounts and price. If food is free when we go, we can swing it all since that's just paying for the upgrade part. If not, it wil depend on room discounts instead. I agree it is a BIG difference on the food, but the park tickets aren't too bad. We're looking at 5 days no hopper and it was less than $50 more, if I remember correctly.

 

[jezebel73]

Also, when you say "small plate" do you mean the separate price point sides? Those cannot be ordered as an appetizer.

No, I figured the sides were out of play. I was thinking more of the various ways I've seen things labeled on my menu stalking. Sounds like the best advice is to ask, although these comments leave me optmistic that many choices exist.