FAQ about the Disney Dining Plan

[clombardi]

I apologize if this is a repeat question, but..... If we have dining credits left over on the day we check out, can we still use them that day? I know the dining credits are tied to a nights stay. We will probably check out of the hotel and go to the park for a couple of hours. I was hoping we could use left over credits (if any) for snacks or CS meals that day.

You can use your credits until midnight of the day you check out. So, if you check out on Monday morning, you can use those credits until 11:59 that night.

 

[HaleyB]

Flip side of the last question. Does your 'point bucket' become avaliable to you to use as soon as you check in, or only AFTER the first night? I am trying to figure out how to use our points and was thinking of doing a big kick off meal the day we arrive.

Thanks in advance

 

[clombardi]

Credits begin when you check in.

 

[Bartoli]

Thanks so much for the quick response. Only 2 weeks to go and I am getting anxious. As usual, I am trying to over plan.

 

[HaleyB]

Yipee! I am hungry now, I have been looking at menus over on allears


I finally have DH sold on this vacation !!!
:thewave:

 

[angel's momma]

Thank you for such a wonderful thread!

 

[cbusby]

I have read all responses...........I have one question? the dining plan is for the entire stay at WDW or can you get it for a certain # of days(we will be there for 8 days) can I get just for 5 days????

Sometimes we just grab and go......not sure if it will pay off for us.

 

[eddieras]

I have read all responses...........I have one question? the dining plan is for the entire stay at WDW or can you get it for a certain # of days(we will be there for 8 days) can I get just for 5 days????

Sometimes we just grab and go......not sure if it will pay off for us.

it's per nite you have booked in your room (per person too). you can always split your ressie if you don't want the entire time, but then it only covers the time period of that ressie that it's linked to. so doing a split wouldn't really help as it's still for those particular nites.

 

[scrapperjill]

Yep it's has to be the same as the nights your booked...but your not limited to eating in the parks...there are alot of places on the list for WDW resorts...and you can use the meal credits any time...so even if you have 8 days worth of meal credits...you could in a sence use them up all in one day...of course you'd probably have to eat non stop from sunrise to sunset with out breaks...to use them ALL in one day..but you get my point...your not limited to using your points daily. You could also put some of those "extra" days worth of credits toward the signature dinning...where it uses two credits each meal.

We don't have alot of "extra" days...but we are staying at Pop for 4 days-3 nights and only going to the park for 2 days...but were planning on using some of the credits on the first night we arrive and check in...as well as some on the morrning we leave.

 

[cbusby]

I definitely am going to consider it.......just convincing my DH is another story.

My trip is 16 days away....will I still have time to purchase the plan!!

 

[jenndisney]

My trip is 16 days away....will I still have time to purchase the plan!!

Yes you can add the plan up to 5 days before you arrive. But....you must do it as a package which means you pay in full when you change over.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

I don't think I've seen this question addressed yet. If so, please forgive me...

Are most restaurants/counters/snack carts included in the plan?

I've seen the list off the WDW website but, (having only been there 2x) I don't know how inclusive that list is. I called WDW-DINE and they said the plan is accepted at about 75% of the restaurants, which sounds low to me, but then she went on to say only the non-Disney restaurants like Rainforest Cafe don't accept the plan.

I think the plan will be worth it for us, but only if we get to use it when/where we want to use it. We are not big plan-aheaders when we travel. We prefer to just find a place to eat whenever and whereever we happen to be when we get hungry. I realize we'll need to get some PS's for certain restaurants, and I don't mind that, but I also want to make sure we're not wandering around the park for an hour trying to find a place that takes the dining plan when we get hungry. We plan to spend most of our time at MK.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,
AG

 

[Nora94]

if you look at the list of resturants (to which they are adding weekly it seems) you will see that there are lots of choices. The only park that was limited imo was Animal Kingdom.

Say you are going to Epcot, you can chose Epcot places, or Yacht Club, Beach Club or other close resort places. That will give you about 10 different sit down resturants to try for that one park.

No, not every place is on the list, but there are definately enough to make it easily done w/o a hassle. And no matter what if you are going to eat at a table service you should try to get a advanced reservation. We found that doing it the morning of or day before was fine. Counter service and snack carts were doable easily too.

Nora

 

[LisaBi]

Please don't shoot me - I know this sounds unimaginable, but....

Can you trade a Table Service credit for a Counter Service meal? It will be just me and DS12 (who has Down Syndrome). I have a hard time dragging him to a sit down meal, especially if we have to plan in advance. I have NEVER eaten a table service in any Disney park, except character breakfasts, and very few table service meals anywhere else in Disney.

Also - how do the counter service meals work at the food courts for breakfast if you don't get one of the combo plates?

Thanks,
LisaB

 

[Nora94]

why don't you use your table service for lots of character meals or buffets. Those would probably work out well for your situation.

When we didn't get a combo plate, you got sides. So, if you got a bacon and cheese bagel, you would get a side (fruit?) and a dessert (danish?) and a drink. We did this once though and the cashier said the side wasn't included. This was our 8th day and we knew we were right, didn't want to deal with that, and went to a different line. We were kinda po'd when that cashier came to the new line and argued that we were wrong. Luckily the person we went to told her SHE was wrong, not us and rang it out the right way.

Nora

 

[buzzmom3]

This thread just answered all my questions!! i just booked the free dining plan this afternoon. I can't wait.

 

[HaleyB]

Nora, I just wanted to give you a big

Thank You

The information you have posted here is so much help! I am so excited to try this plan out.

 

[Abra Cat]

I'm a little confused about the "expires at midnight the day you check out" thing. We're staying 6 nights and will be arriving on a Sunday morning, and leaving on Saturday morning. Does that mean the plan will expire Saturday morning at 12AM, or Sunday morning at 12AM? In other words, do we have the plan for the day we check in (Sunday), and the next 5 days, but no plan on Saturday? That's fine, as we're leaving very early that day; I'm just confused about the midnight thing.

 

[tlbwriter]

I'm a little confused about the "expires at midnight the day you check out" thing. We're staying 6 nights and will be arriving on a Sunday morning, and leaving on Saturday morning. Does that mean the plan will expire Saturday morning at 12AM, or Sunday morning at 12AM? In other words, do we have the plan for the day we check in (Sunday), and the next 5 days, but no plan on Saturday? That's fine, as we're leaving very early that day; I'm just confused about the midnight thing.

Someone clarified this for me earlier. It expires on midnight *after* you check out. You'll still have that entire day to use the plan as long as you woke up in a resort that morning. It might be easier if they said it expires at 11:59 pm the day you check out.

 

[Abra Cat]

I guess that's the part I don't understand-- I'll have it the day I arrive too, right? So doesn't that give me 7 days? Does that mean then, that I have 6 days of credits, but 7 days to use them?

Someone clarified this for me earlier. It expires on midnight *after* you check out. You'll still have that entire day to use the plan as long as you woke up in a resort that morning. It might be easier if they said it expires at 11:59 pm the day you check out.