First time in a long time. . .

[skyyhiflygirl]

Okay, so this might sound a bit funny but having been an annual passholder, then a florida resident annual passholder for years, I am making my first WDW trip with all the new "things" than regular vacationers must do. I have an annual pass, no worries there, but I am booking a hotel room and dining because my son and his girlfriend are doing the same. We used to make dining ressies on the fly, however, I understand that sometimes this is not possible and would be better off planning. Then there is the fastpass+ planning. I feel a bit overwhelmed with all of it and just want someone to hold my hand for a bit. I have done exactly one day of fp+ in the last 2 years and someone else did it for me. Do I have to plan my rides ahead of time? This is such a foreign thing to me. As for meals, we have the regular Disney Dining Plan (1 TS, 1 QS, 1 S per day). I get in at 8:30 p.m. my first day. Do I have meal credits that day? As for ressies at restaurants. . .do I really need to book all of them in advance? What if I don't want to go to Tony's Town Square for dinner because we are having too much fun at Epcot. Will we be able to find another dining establishment to use our credits? (P.S. I have NEVER used a Dining Plan before. . .can you tell?) Someone please talk me off the ledge. My son, his girlfriend and I need to have a fabulous experience.

 

[maryandthemouse]

Hi! Regarding your FastPasses, yes, you will want to make them ahead of time in order to get the best selection of rides. If you wait until you get to the parks, depending on the time of year you are there, due to crowds, you might not have a lot of ride options available, so it is always better to do those ahead of time if possible. For your dining plan you get 1TS, 1QS and 1D PER NIGHT that you stay, so yes, your meal plan will start when you arrive. The ADR's are the same as the FP's. You get your better selections the sooner you can book them. If you have a reservation made, you have a 24 hour cancellation policy. If you are a no show or cancel the day of your reservation, you will be charged $10 per person on the reservation. Basically, the more you can do ahead of your trip, the better. Have a great time!

 

[larryz]

Run, don't walk, to this thread and read at least the first couple of posts to help you sort out FP+ on your own...

 

[Alesia]

Okay, so this might sound a bit funny but having been an annual passholder, then a florida resident annual passholder for years, I am making my first WDW trip with all the new "things" than regular vacationers must do. I have an annual pass, no worries there, but I am booking a hotel room and dining because my son and his girlfriend are doing the same. We used to make dining ressies on the fly, however, I understand that sometimes this is not possible and would be better off planning. Then there is the fastpass+ planning. I feel a bit overwhelmed with all of it and just want someone to hold my hand for a bit. I have done exactly one day of fp+ in the last 2 years and someone else did it for me.

1. Do I have to plan my rides ahead of time?
2. This is such a foreign thing to me.
3. I get in at 8:30 p.m. my first day. Do I have meal credits that day?
4. As for ressies at restaurants. . .do I really need to book all of them in advance?
5. What if I don't want to go to Tony's Town Square for dinner because we are having too much fun at Epcot.
6. Will we be able to find another dining establishment to use our credits?

1. You don't have to, but it's a good idea.
2. Read the first 2 posts of this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/fa...ed-priorities-and-strategies-part-ii.3326057/
3. Your credits will be valid from the time you arrive until midnight on your checkout day.
4. If there's any place you really want to eat, yes.
5. You'll pay the $10 per person no-show fee,
6. Probably, if you're not too picky.

Are you sure you want to do the dining plan? We spend much less money without it and we have much greater flexibility. We only have one TS meal every 3 days - there are tons of great counter service options.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

Wow, thank you.

1. You don't have to, but it's a good idea.
2. Read the first 2 posts of this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/fa...ed-priorities-and-strategies-part-ii.3326057/
3. Your credits will be valid from the time you arrive until midnight on your checkout day.
4. If there's any place you really want to eat, yes.
5. You'll pay the $10 per person no-show fee,
6. Probably, if you're not too picky.

Are you sure you want to do the dining plan? We spend much less money without it and we have much greater flexibility. We only have one TS meal every 3 days - there are tons of great counter service options.

My son and his GF bought the dining plan. I normally would say no but I like eating with them. As for counter service over table service. I probably eat at more TS than CS. My friends and I just enjoy that more. Most of us don't have children and we like to be waited on. . .lol.

 

[minnie mum]

My son and his GF bought the dining plan. I normally would say no but I like eating with them

Just because they have the DDP doesn't mean you have to have it too; even if you're dining with them ( provided you aren't all staying in the same room). Servers at TS restaurants will split the bill so that you can lay OOP for your portion. But if they are on the DDP, you need to make ADRs so they aren't at risk of not being able to use all their credits.

 

[mrzrich]

You can use dining credits on your arrival night, but you don't have to. You get one credit for each night, but they are pooled together, so you can use no credits on one day, or several credits on another day.

The credits expire at midnight on the day of departure.

 

[Hopefully]

If you are all staying in the same room, you all need to have the same package - that means you DO need to have the DDP. If you have your own room you can pay out of pocket for your meals while they pay for their meals with their DDP credits. You still make all your ADR's for 3 and just tell your server when you are seated that it will be only 2 on the DDP.
Yes, you need ADR's in advance, most especially for popular in park restaurants. In your example if you cancel your Tony's ADR because you are having too much fun in Epcot, you will be charged $10/person no show fee. ADR's must be cancelled by 11:59 PM the night before the ADR.
But more importantly, I would NEVER schedule an ADR in a different park than I plan to be in. Travel time to an ADR is wasted time. We first choose which park on which day and then we make our ADR's in or near that park.
Take a look at the menus here on the DIS or at allears.net to get an idea of where you would like to eat
Good Luck

 

[mrzrich]

To help you decide which days to go to which parks, look at the free crowd calendars on easywdw.com. He explains the rationale for his reccomendations. Then you can make your ADRs knowing where you will be on any given day. At the 60 day mark you can make FP+. I would start a new thread when you get close to that date, explaining your party's likes and must do's. We will help you figure out which FP to aim for.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

Just because they have the DDP doesn't mean you have to have it too; even if you're dining with them ( provided you aren't all staying in the same room). Servers at TS restaurants will split the bill so that you can lay OOP for your portion. But if they are on the DDP, you need to make ADRs so they aren't at risk of not being able to use all their credits.

I understand this, however, I have always loved the idea of it and the fact that I have some meals prepaid for is awesome. I am going with it for now. I can still change if I decide to change my mind. I wish you could have an appetizer instead of a dessert. I am not a big fan of sweets. However, I will at least try some that I haven't done before. A spoonful goes a long way.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

Run, don't walk, to this thread and read at least the first couple of posts to help you sort out FP+ on your own...

Thank you. That was very helpful.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

You can use dining credits on your arrival night, but you don't have to. You get one credit for each night, but they are pooled together, so you can use no credits on one day, or several credits on another day.

The credits expire at midnight on the day of departure.

This was good news for me. I arrive at MCO at 8:30 pm so will not use ANY credits the night of arrival (between airport, magical express and checking in, I will only want my bed, oh and maybe some water. . .lol).