Disney Dining Plan questions

[jfall]

I just booked our first family trip to DW for memorial day weekend this year. My head is spinning, but the first thing it looks like I need to do is make ADR's. We will be 4, including my DH, DD5 & DS7. On the regular dining plan- is it worth using the TS credits for dinners vs. breakfast or lunch? We have to do CRT- and it seems that's one of the pricier meals for not very good food. lunch for 4 will cost $175- whereas dinner for 4 will cost $195. I'm thinking dinner is a better deal for 2TS? Am I right?

 

[Nadjalu]

Hello and welcome!

When using the DDP it is a better deal if you use your credits for dinners, as breakfasts and lunches are cheaper.

As for CRT, well that is up to you. What you can do is sit down figure out where you want to eat, how much it is and how to divide your credits so that you pay less OOP.

Sometimes paying for CRT is worth more than using your credits, other times it is not. Just depends on what you are paying out of pocket to replace those credits.

Take a look around the dining/restaurant forums, there is plenty of advice and knowledge. But a word of advice, you need to make your adrs quickly as May isn't that far away and people are already making ressies for that time.

Again welcome!!

 

[imthatgirl]

For CRT if ypou are looking to see more Princesses, go at lunch. There will be a few there. For Dinner Cindy will meet you out in the Lobby, but thats it. I think the character interaction is much better at lunch.
That being said, you're right. You are going to this meal most likely for the experience, not the food.

Another option is to eat a late lunch, that way you can call it dinner.
Generally we use all out TS credits for dinner. Unless we go on the DxDP

 

[Alli76]

For CRT if ypou are looking to see more Princesses, go at lunch. There will be a few there. For Dinner Cindy will meet you out in the Lobby, but thats it. I think the character interaction is much better at lunch.
That being said, you're right. You are going to this meal most likely for the experience, not the food.

I am not sure about that Dinner Cindy is only there. I do not have first hadn knowledge - but from the research that I have done for my next trip I think this changed in the last year or so... you might want to double check on the restaurant boards for someone who has been there recently!

 

[imthatgirl]

I am not sure about that Dinner Cindy is only there. I do not have first hadn knowledge - but from the research that I have done for my next trip I think this changed in the last year or so... you might want to double check on the restaurant boards for someone who has been there recently!

That I know of Cindy is there on for a meet and greet at all 3 meals. She does not ever walk around. For dinner you are likely to see the fairy godmother wandering around during the meal. Breakfast and lunch you get princesses.

I didn't quite understand your reply, but it sounds like you are agreeing with me?

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

Welcome

We are on the dining plan as well, but we are planning on doing CRT and paying OOP for breakfast. It will be pricey but we have always wanted to do it and it will be so magical for both kids.

So outside of CRT, I like doing a mix of all meals. A late breakfast is nice b/c you can skip lunch entirely without getting hungry and do a QS dinner. Dinners are inviting b/c it is a better value for your money and they're YUMMY and there are so many to choose from.

As PPs mentioned, check out the menus and start making your ADRs now b/c there will be people that have already booked, particularly for CRT. Good luck and have fun. Have a few back ups in mind that you would like as well so that you don't get frustrated if you don't get your first choice.

A couple of my favorites are Chef Mickey's (Character meal) and Whispering Canyon Cafe (really fun and yummy food...bottomless milkshakes!)

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

We usually don't do the dining plan because as annual passholders we find we typically come out better using Tables in Wonderland. However, on the several trips where we did use the dining plan, we figured out something very quickly -- it's a lot of food! It's not quite as much now that table service meals don't include an appetizer for each person, but still a good size meal.

Before getting there, we figured we'd be buying additional meals out of pocket because you only get two meals per day. By the end of the week, though, we were wondering how we were going to force ourselves to eat two meals. In other words, don't fret too much about using two credits at CRT.

I also learned to stop looking at the right side of the menus, and just get what I wanted. For the first few days, I ordered the most expensive thing on every menu -- just to make sure I was getting the most out of our money. I enjoyed it a lot more when I stopped worrying about that and just ordered what sounded good.

I'd make the same recommendation regarding CRT. Plan to eat there based on your touring schedule and your family's eating habbits versus which is the better use of the two credits. Try to think of it as two credits, not $175 vs. $195. The menus are completely different, so check to see which entrees you're more likely to enjoy, those served at lunch or those served for dinner.

We always like to do at least one character breakfast on each vacation, but that's about the only breakfast we do in a sit down restaurant. I don't like to be bogged down by a big meal that early in the day. We typically go in August, so I also don't like to be walking around in the heat of mid-day on a very full stomach. That's why we tend to use most of our sit-down credits for dinners.

On many days, we'd use a snack credit at the Main Street Bakery for a crousant or bowl of fruit as breakfast. For the counter service meals, we found that we could often share a meal at lunch -- some of them are huge, and then share another credit if we were in the parks late and wanted a midnight snack.

 

[jfall]

Thanks all- great advice. So glad to be on these boards.

 

[TriSeb°o°]

You should jump on the online reservation system ASAP if you want to do CRT or any other popular ADRs.

As an example, we'll also be there over Memorial Day weekend and have had ADRs booked since mid November.

 

[Alesia]

For dinner you are likely to see the fairy godmother wandering around during the meal. Breakfast and lunch you get princesses.

This changed about a year ago. The fairy godmother is no longer there and the princesses do all 3 meals.

 

[Suellen]

I might be confused... but I thought that dinner was now the same as breakfast and lunch as far as characters. I'd be happy if it wasn't because we love the fairy godmother "skit".

 

[Suellen]

This changed about a year ago. The fairy godmother is no longer there and the princesses do all 3 meals.

Thank you! I guess it took me 6 minutes to read the posts before yours!!

 

[santadog]

if you can't get CRT, try Akershause - it's easily our favorite - DD5 insisted on eating there 3 times when we were there last April.
1 Credit, and you get a pic with Belle, and Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty made the rounds.
(good food, too!)

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Disney Dining Plan board.

 

[goofy2008]

There is a nice breakfast in animal kindom with Goofy Mickey Donald and Minnie sometime and Others..

But a word of advice, you need to make your adrs quickly as May isn't that far away and people are already making ressies for that time.

If you call and it is full, make a res. for that day somewhere else you like..
But keep calling for the one you really want, if you get it just call and cancel the other..
I called every day for a two weeks to get in to the Hop Dee Doo. And we got seats front and center...

 

[hannahdrewmom]

For CRT if ypou are looking to see more Princesses, go at lunch. There will be a few there. For Dinner Cindy will meet you out in the Lobby, but thats it. I think the character interaction is much better at lunch.

This is no longer true. They have recently changed it and all the princess are there just like breakfast and lunch.