Dining Plan: can you now get an appetizer instead of dessert?

[MyTwoPrincesses]

This August will be my first trip to WDW since 2013 (other than Christmas Day at Epcot in 2018 where we stayed at the Swan and paid for all food OOP) so I haven’t used the dining plan in years. I read somewhere that you can now swap an appetizer for desert on the dining plan. Is this true? I will have the regular DDP.

Thanks!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

That hasn't been our experience, but we haven't been in 2 years. We were able to order a cheese plate as an appetizer when that same cheese plate was offered as a dessert, but that's about it.

 

[RealBlast3]

That is an interesting idea! I have had the Disney computer do some fabulous magical pixie dust things to enhance my dining experience over the years though. I am always a solo diner on the Deluxe Dining Plan, and anyway, I often like to get two or maybe even 3 appetizers - like I am always a sucker for all those international cheese apps alot of places have and then I often want a soup and one other hot dish or something.

Well, anyway, quite a few times at the end of the meal, they have come back to tell me that after scanning my magic band, I didn't have to pay out of pocket for any of my extra appetizers at all, and they said it had nothing to do with them, it was just how it got processed.

I've never ordered 2 desserts but I wonder...if I did do that, I think there might be a good chance of that happening! And all the times I didn't have to pay for the extra apps, I didn't exclude anything else from my meal experience - I still got my beverage, entree and dessert. You might find that to happen for you, too, if you order an extra dessert, maybe not everywhere but who knows. I can't be the only person this pixie dust has happened to on the deluxe dining plan.

 

[kcp6763]

I don't believe this is true although you might be able to ask at certain restaurants. I think across the board the answer is no unless I'm missing something.

 

[lmhall2000]

I know we did that over 5 years ago, we are going mid August- we will definitely check!! We routinely split desserts, we’d prefer to split two appetizers and 2 desserts...

 

[sharadoc]

There was a time a year or so ago that I read you could get soup or salad instead of dessert.

 

[Pumbaa_]

In all the years I’ve been here I have never heard of an app instead of dessert. Ever.

The only exception is, at the discretion of the restaurant, a cup of soup or side salad for the dessert.

I would have loved to have seen your receipt @RealBlast3

 

[ShayBells]

I thought there wasn’t deserts anymore with the dining plan meals or am I mistaken?

 

[Pumbaa_]

I thought there wasn’t deserts anymore with the dining plan meals or am I mistaken?

Qs meals do not have a dessert component. TS meals still do

 

[ShayBells]

Qs meals do not have a dessert component. TS meals still do

Awesome thanks!

 

[juxtapose]

We were there in May and did is a couple times. Anytime we asked, they let us. If the app was over the price of the desserts we asked if we could exchange 2 desserts for 1 appetizer. I know at Sana’a we got the bread service in exchange for 2 desserts. Skippers we got a large soup for one dessert. We did it somewhere else too but I forget where.

 

[Pumbaa_]

The soup is standard offerings.

The bread service is interest. First time I have heard of this being allowed.

 

[DisBuckMan]

In short...no, it's not true.

It's pretty standard that many Disney restaurants will allow you to substitute your dessert for something like soup, a side salad, bowl of fruit, etc.

However...that's about it, without some pixie dust.

Desserts are, for the most part, produced en masse...a whole bunch at one time. They aren't very labor intensive when ordered, as they're already prepared.

Appetizers, on the other hand, for the most part require additional preparation. More labor intensive. That's why Disney does not allow this substitution for nearly every item listed on the standard appetizer menus. They're not going to bog down their already stressed kitchens to allow this substitution.

 

[Christine]

The rules are no, but that's not to say a restaurant won't let you do it.

You can substitute a side salad or some fruit I think.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Thanks! I hadn’t found any information on this but had read about some substitutions. I remember thinking there were way too many desserts/sweets when we last used the dining plan in 2013 and we would often get water instead of dessert or get a pastry we could eat for breakfast the next day.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Thanks! I hadn’t found any information on this but had read about some substitutions. I remember thinking there were way too many desserts/sweets when we last used the dining plan in 2013 and we would often get water instead of dessert or get a pastry we could eat for breakfast the next day.

The dessert was removed from qs meals and is just now on ts meals. I personally was never a fan of qs desserts. I found most to be mass produced blandness. Much prefer additional snack options.

 

[drwadadli]

This August will be my first trip to WDW since 2013 (other than Christmas Day at Epcot in 2018 where we stayed at the Swan and paid for all food OOP) so I haven’t used the dining plan in years. I read somewhere that you can now swap an appetizer for desert on the dining plan. Is this true? I will have the regular DDP.

Thanks!

This can be done but it depends on the restaurant and the item you are swapping. I have been told that if the item if offered on the dessert menu as well as listed as an appetizer then they can swap them and there were a couple others.

I did this last fall when we ate at Tiffins. I am not much of a dessert people but my wife is. I prefer appetizer but my wife doesn't. So, I asked if I could swap my dessert for an appetizer and the CM told me I could as long as I order the cheese board because it was listed as both an appetizer item and dessert item.

So, conclusion...........it never hurts to ask. Whichever restaurant you go to, ask!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

So you did order dessert just had it served premeal

 

[drwadadli]

So you did order dessert just had it served premeal

To some degree, yes but the other items that I could swapped out for my dessert were the Tiffins Bread Service or Avocado and Tomato Salad. I picked the cheese plate because I knew I could share it with my wife if she wanted to try them too. If I had picked the bread service or the salad, then it would not have been a dessert serviced premeal.