DVC Dining Plan

[DIS4MYGIRLS]

Another question if you don't mind. What does the per day fee give you? Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner - one, two or all three.... does anyone have any details?

 

[PKK/MJK]

I was told you get one sit down meal, one quick service meal and one snack daily. You have to book the dining plan for the entire length of your stay and for everyone staying in your villa/room. I should have asked more questions like--which restaurants--all of them? Can you order anything on the menu? Does anyone know about this?

 

[thelionqueen]

Without directing you to another link I can tell you a simple description of the Dining Plan. Each person gets 1 Table Service (TS) 1 counter service (CS) and 1 Snack per day. So if you're a family of 4 for 10 nights you'll have 40 of each (40 TS, 40 CS & 40 Snacks). These are all pooled on your "Key to the World" which also includes your room key and park passes. You can use these credits in any way you wish.

Almost every restaurant in WDW is included. I can think of a few exceptions, and there are a few more on Disneyworld.com. Exclusions are....Rainforest Cafe, Shula's and others).

Each Counter service (which is good at nearly every counter service restaurant I can think of, don't think there are any exclusions on them) is good for an entree, dessert and drink.

Each Table Service includes 1 appetizer, one entree, one dessert and 1 drink.

Each snack can buy an ice cream bar (of any kind), 1 piece of fruit, bottle of water or soda, rice krispy treat or popcorn.

If you go to disneyworld.com and click on dining, then click on "more info. on dining plan" then click on participating restuarants it will give you a printed guide of what is included.
It's a great deal! Have fun!

 

[BCV23]

Hi Ben, welcome to the DIS!

Where were you warned about a cancellation fee? I know of some of the princess meals and the dinner shows. Anywhere else been added?

 

[Pollyann]

I traded from II into OKW for Sept 2006. Am I able to purchase the Disney Dining Plan for me and my family?

 

[DebIreland]

There are several long-running threads (and new ones start all the time) on the restaurant board about this very subject.
Camp A feels that credits are credits and I can use them however I want including paying out of pocket for my kids food and then treating freinds (who are not on the dining plan) to Le Celliar for dinner, using them for more signature meals for the adults. Some people claim to have done all of these things multiple times during a trip. These people feel that since all the credits are pooled and because there is no difference between an "adult" credit and a "child" credit that it is okay. Your card will say 2 adults/2 children (for example) but you could walk up to Flame Tree BBQ and order 2 adult meals and 2 seconds later your wife could do the same thing and your family would have 4 adult counter service meals. You could do this every day. The computer system does not seperate adult and children's credits. They point out that one could use 8 counter service credits one day if they wanted to, and none the next 2 days. They are yours to use as you see fit. This camp strongly argues that they are doing nothing wrong that Disney could seperate the credits if they wanted to. They see nothing wrong in paying out of pocket for kids meals and then eating at several signature restaurants with the saved credits. They will quote the Dining literature from Disney word for word to prove their point.

Camp B thinks Camp A is wrong, wrong, wrong! They say it is unethical to pay $10.99 a day for a child and then pay cash for the kids meals and then eat at California Grill, Flying Fish, Jiko, and Yachtsman Steakhouse with those saved credits. Some threads have gotten out of hand in the past 6 months with members of this camp going so far as to call camp A members cheaters, immoral, and even worse things. They point out that recent posters on the restaurant board have reported being told that paying out of pocket for the kids is longer an option at some places, either everyone uses the plan or no one does. Chef Mickeys is one place I've read this a couple of times. They claim that this is a sign that Disney does in fact care that people are not using the credits as intended and are trying to stop it.

These threads have been around as long as the dining plan itself, I'm sure you could do a search and find some of them.

That is an excellent explanation of the two "camps" and very diplomatic too I might add as I noticed you never gave away which "camp" you belong to. Are you a politician?

Seriously, great explanation!

 

[byoung]

Good Question? Call the hotel and ask. Good luck.

 

[Pollyann]

Thanks - I think I will!!!!!!

 

[bkjones911]

Hi Ben, welcome to the DIS!

Where were you warned about a cancellation fee? I know of some of the princess meals and the dinner shows. Anywhere else been added?

It was when we were at WDW and we changed our plans. I asked my DW just to make sure i was not passing bogus info and she informed me it was for our Mama Melrose reservations for the Fantasmic meal. I do not know if this meal is considered a dinner show or not? Since you only recieve a ticket for the show later that night. It was my mothers 50th birthday and my parents first time to WDW. We changed our pre-arranged plans to better suit my parents. Luckily they waved the cancellation fee for unknown reasons. I believe it is because we were there during the offseason or maybe it was because I worked my mojo?

 

[rogerram]

I wouldn't think you would have a problem. You are on Disney property and guests at the other non DVC WDW hotels can get the dining plan. You should too. Make a call.

Goodluck

 

[starwood]

OK - hypothetically. Instead of using 2 credits each at Yachtsman's Steakhouse for the 3 of us (6 credits total), could i use credits for 1 of us and pay for the other 2. Using only 2 credits for the meal but saving about $30-$40 on the meal?

 

[Dean]

OK - hypothetically. Instead of using 2 credits each at Yachtsman's Steakhouse for the 3 of us (6 credits total), could i use credits for 1 of us and pay for the other 2. Using only 2 credits for the meal but saving about $30-$40 on the meal?

I don't wee why not. The question is how will they let you do it. I'd say get separate checks and get the most expensive meal ordered as the one for the DP.

 

[DebbieB]

I just came back from WDW, I was just there 1 day after a business trip. Has the price of counter service gone up? On Thursday night, I got a cheeseburger, fries and drink at Pecos Bill, it was $8.50. Yesterday afternoon I got chicken fingers, fries and a drink at the American Pavillion, it was $9.36. Those didn't even include a dessert item. It just struck me as higher than before. This makes me think that the dining plan can be a better deal.

 

[shelleyz]

Is the $37.99 & $10.99 with tax included or do they add tax onto that? I am almost positive we will be getting the DDP on our August trip and not sure about our December trip. Have to talk it over with our friends who are going with us in Dec, they will be in a 2 bedroom with us.

 

[GrimGhost]

That price has the tax included as well gratuity.

 

[shelleyz]

I was wondering when you pay up front for the DDP if they add tax on then? I know when you order your food it includes tax and tip. Like when you buy tickets they have the ticket price but then they add tax. I assume they don't for the DDP but wanted to make sure.

 

[Anniegirl]

We took advantage of the the free dining this past August for 3 days prior to moving to VWL. Our son's credits were separate from our son the room card. It stated 2 adult , one child. There was no way to use his credits for anything but a child's meal. I have been reading how the credits have been pooled for others but that wasn't the case for us. Is this because we were on the free plan? We are considering adding the plan this May for our 3 night OKW stay, even though we have the DDE card. We are able to go frequently enough this year to make good use of it Guess the point is moot about pooling credits since it is just the 3 of us this time and we will scoff down every meal with gusto . I'm loving the new smilies, by the way. Thsi was me last night , think SleepyTime tea in the mug

 

[pplasky]

We took advantage of the the free dining this past August for 3 days prior to moving to VWL. Our son's credits were separate from our son the room card. It stated 2 adult , one child. There was no way to use his credits for anything but a child's meal. I have been reading how the credits have been pooled for others but that wasn't the case for us. Is this because we were on the free plan? We are considering adding the plan this May for our 3 night OKW stay, even though we have the DDE card. We are able to go frequently enough this year to make good use of it Guess the point is moot about pooling credits since it is just the 3 of us this time and we will scoff down every meal with gusto . I'm loving the new smilies, by the way. Thsi was me last night , think SleepyTime tea in the mug

Even though your card states 2 adults and 1 child, the credits are all pooled together. So you and your husband could have went out for dinner by yourselves and used credits repeatedly. Usually we spend one without our children, we use the plan. At the end there are three extra credits, we usually order two adult meals and one child and share all the food(or pay for two extra child meals). I am sure some on this board are going to flame me and say this is cheating, but we don't go out of our way to "beat" the system and we figure the price of babysitting far outweighs the price of a dinner. We liked the old plane better, where you could use a credit to get babysitting for a child. Then, everything equaled out in the end anyway.

 

[NMW]

We took advantage of the the free dining this past August for 3 days prior to moving to VWL. Our son's credits were separate from our son the room card. It stated 2 adult , one child. There was no way to use his credits for anything but a child's meal. I have been reading how the credits have been pooled for others but that wasn't the case for us. Is this because we were on the free plan? We are considering adding the plan this May for our 3 night OKW stay, even though we have the DDE card. We are able to go frequently enough this year to make good use of it Guess the point is moot about pooling credits since it is just the 3 of us this time and we will scoff down every meal with gusto . I'm loving the new smilies, by the way. Thsi was me last night , think SleepyTime tea in the mug

Even though the card states that you have 2 adults and 1 child on the plan, there are no seperate child/adult credits. There is nothing to stop you (at least at this point) from paying out of pocket for you child's meal at several restaurants and then using those credits for yourself. All the credits are "pooled" in that the computer system does not seperate whether or not a child or an adult used them. Now, if your child is with you and using the plan, he/she is required to order off the children's menu at both CS and TS locations. Many people on the restaurant board report treating friends to dinner with their children's credits, giving away left over CS credits to strangers. I imagine that Disney can stop this and change the computer system to seperate adult/child credits, if they want to. Maybe not that many people do it to make it worth it. I'm sure Dis posters only make up a small segment of people who purchase the plan. Dr tomorrow suggested once that some of the over 90,000 DVC members may let points expire-shocking to Dis board posters, but probably true. I bet many people who get the dining plan never even think of paying out of pocket for kids meals!

 

[Donna]

I have a question about paying for the plan at check in. We have 10 people in a grand villa, which divides out to be about 4 families. We all would like to pay separately but is this possible? Should i just pay for everyone and have them pay me back? I would rather they just pay the CM at check in if thats possible.