Dining Plan question ...

[aljay]

Just a quick question ...

We are going to POFQ in August 2012, and have the free dining plan included. It says we are entitled to one Quick Serve and one Table Service meal per day. I'm just wondering if we HAVE to do a Table Service meal each day, or do we have the option to do 2 Quick Serve meals when we want to?

Thanks!!

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you can do whatever you want. You're allocated 1 QS and 1 TS credit per day of trip, including the day you arrive and the day you leave; you can use up all your QS credits on one day, if you want to.

 

[mtmbyck]

The credits can be used however you wish. We used 2 table service one day for the Luau at Polynesian. So yes, use you counter service twice in a day if you wish. I wouldn't use a table service credit for a counter service meal as the value of table service is twice as much as counter service. Hope this helps.

 

[partypa]

Just a note
Your Dining Credits are based on the Number of Nights, not days
You will have a Total Number of Credits per room and they can be used anyway you like. You could use all your credits in one day if you want. I don't suggest you try that but you could if you wanted to

 

[Alderbrook]

Yes, for example, if you're staying 7 nights you get 7 counter service meals & 7 table service meals. They come in one total for you to use anyway you like. If you book 7 table service meals all in one day then on your receipt it will show zero left. If you book 2 on your first day there, when you get your receipt, it will show 5 left - same with counter service. Once they are gone, then you have to pay if you're still there. Also table service meals will convert down to counterservice but counterservice doesn't convert to anything. When we were there 3 years ago with my son he got sick & we didn't make it to some of our table service meals so we ended up just using those credits as counterservice.

 

[newdeal]

Yes you can use a table service credit at a counter service location just be sure to tell them that is what you would like to do

 

[mountain man]

Also the "Signature" restaurants count as 2 table service meal credits

 

[Nahanni]

Last August we booked most of our TS meals at lunch. Nice AC break and no need to search for a QS table. Then had QS at dinner. With the ages of your girls you could do princesses at Akershus, CRT or 1900 Park Fare and a character or other fun meals of your choice.

It's your choice but with free dining I'd hate to use TS credits for QS meals. Our next trip is without DDP and we will still book TS lunch but no characters or buffet as the cash prices are crazy.

 

[aljay]

Thanks everyone! I'm happy to know there is some freedom with the plan. I like the idea of having both QS and TS meals, just not sure if I wanted to always use both, each day. I don't want to be tied down to reservations every single day (except character meals), so hopefully we can still get in to some TS meals without one!

 

[Ted in Halifax]

aljay ... remember to book your TS meals early. I booked mine each day when the meal was 180 days away. Like suggested above I have Akershus and 1900 Park Fare. I also have Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic package) and OHana, plus BONA twice (when we are at AKV).

Ted

 

[Alderbrook]

Also note some of the table service meals are requiring a deposit now & a cancellation policy so if you don't show up, you lose your $10. Also dinner shows are 2 credits. We did the Hoop Dee Doo last year & loved it. My son was 4 at the time & had a blast! We are actually considering doing it again next year.

 

[aljay]

aljay ... remember to book your TS meals early. I booked mine each day when the meal was 180 days away. Like suggested above I have Akershus and 1900 Park Fare. I also have Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic package) and OHana, plus BONA twice (when we are at AKV).

Ted

So are those all Character meals that you booked 180 days in advance, or do I also need to book just regular TS meals in advance too? I'm just finding it hard to decide 6 months in advance, where I'll be each night, to make reservations!
If we don't have reservations, and it's NOT a character meal, can we just walk in?

Thanks!

 

[damo]

So are those all Character meals that you booked 180 days in advance, or do I also need to book just regular TS meals in advance too? I'm just finding it hard to decide 6 months in advance, where I'll be each night, to make reservations!
If we don't have reservations, and it's NOT a character meal, can we just walk in?

Thanks!

I wouldn't count on being able to just walk into any table service restaurant in August. You may be able to walk into a few but most are full with reservations at prime lunch and dinner times. If you don't have reservations you may be in for very long waits.

We were there this past September and we had all of our table services booked well in advance. We did rearrange things as the time got closer and open reservations came up online. I believe we would have wasted a lot of time waiting in line to eat or wandering around searching for something if we hadn't have had those reservations.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

They are both TS and character. You can set up an account on disney's website and book these 180 days out ... 1900 park fare is a "character" so is Akershus. Booking early is a must do for my family ... you can still change plans, but getting this early is important.

 

[Alderbrook]

we always book at 180 days. We try to plan 2 TS a day so that we aren't having them every day & running around just to make reservation times. Also when booking, make sure you are booking restaurants that are on the dining plan. I'm not sure how it is now, but last year my GF was booking restaurants at DTD & didn't realize they weren't on the plan because it didn't say on the online reservation system & ended up having to change a whole bunch of reservations last minute because she realized it a few weeks before they went.

 

[Tinkershelly]

As for not knowing where I want to eat 180 days in advance, here is our experience. We've used it successfully for the last eight or so years and once for a trip with another family. Your mileage may vary!

We usually book our TS restaurants for an early supper (5-6pm) and maybe a couple of breakfasts depending on circumstances of that trip. And we plan to see each of the nighttime spectaculars at least once each trip so here is our way of working out our TS dining. What we do is to make a chart that includes each of the days we are at the resort including our arrival and departure days. The chart lists the early and late extra magic hours park, the nights that Fantasmic, Wishes and Spectromagic (or MSEP) are on. Then I make a list of which restaurants we want to eat at and match them up by location until I have all the TS credits used up.

For example on a Fantasmic night I would try to book 50's Prime Time, on a Wishes night I would try to book Crystal Palace or a restaurant at one of the monorail resorts. On a late night EMH at Epcot I would get a reservation at a World Showcase restaurant. Then I go online and try to get each of the TS restaurants booked for the evenings I know I will be in each park. The other nights I might book at another resort or Downtown Disney. Maybe on our departure day we could do a character breakfast at a resort.

We don't schedule our days, just where we know we will end up each evening for supper, fireworks show and late EMH. Believe it or not it takes a lot of pressure off knowing that there is going to be at least one evening allotted for each late show and there is never time wasted running around or on the phone trying to schedule supper and making sure we have used our dining plan credits wisely.

This is the 180 day plan, as things evolve the reservations can and will change but changing one or two reservations is easy with the rest of the trip arranged and knowing you have plans to eat at all of your favourite places.

I hope this helps!

 

[aljay]

We usually book our TS restaurants for an early supper (5-6pm) and maybe a couple of breakfasts depending on circumstances of that trip. And we plan to see each of the nighttime spectaculars at least once each trip so here is our way of working out our TS dining. What we do is to make a chart that includes each of the days we are at the resort including our arrival and departure days. The chart lists the early and late extra magic hours park, the nights that Fantasmic, Wishes and Spectromagic (or MSEP) are on. Then I make a list of which restaurants we want to eat at and match them up by location until I have all the TS credits used up.

I hope this helps!

Thanks so much for the advice! So by the time Feb 21 comes along, and I can book my ADR, will the schedule be out for EMH in August? Or will I have to change a few things later on, when the times are released? Are the fireworks, shows, etc on each night or just certain nights?

 

[Alderbrook]

EMH will be out by then so you can book accordingly. I have never been to a fireworks show (my son could care less about them) so someone else will have to answer that question.

 

[Tinkershelly]

Thanks so much for the advice! So by the time Feb 21 comes along, and I can book my ADR, will the schedule be out for EMH in August? Or will I have to change a few things later on, when the times are released? Are the fireworks, shows, etc on each night or just certain nights?

They will release a schedule of opening and closing times for each park, the EMH days and night time shows by 180 days so you will be able to make your plans for sure. The night time shows are not all on every night so you will need to take that into consideration if you want to see them all.

As the time comes closer they may add to the schedule when they know attendance will be increased but they won't reduce the schedule so plan away!