Half board (plus) meal plan questions

[cherrymarzipan]

I need some help!

We have bought the half board plus meal plan for our visit in December. We have never used these before and I have some questions that I can’t find answers to in the “sticky” info.

1.How do we know now, for booking, what times the individual restaurants are open to and how that relates to park opening and parade/show times bearing in mind that the hours are not available for our week yet (19th – 23rd Dec.)? I would like to be armed with this information before I ring up to try and book and am put on the spot.

2.Probably a silly question but do the restaurants in the park stay open after park closure time? What would be the latest booking time in a park restaurant relative to a park closure time?

3.With regard to the actual menus - at table service restaurants is our choice of starter, main and desert restricted or can we choose anything at all on the menu?

4.Does anyone know of a site where we can see up-to-date menus for each restaurant?

As a shareholder now I think we probably made the wrong decision in buying these plans but it is done and I want to get the best from them. In theory they should make the meals a relaxing and enjoyable part of our visit but at the moment I feel more stressed because I don’t really understand them and need to get it all organised. Please help!

 

[loladelorean]

Hi there, I don't have definite answers to all your queries but will try to help.
1. This information isn't published anywhere online, as far as I know you can only find out by phoning. I wanted to have dinner at Walts but when I phoned up I learned that it is only open at lunch for the duration of our stay - the CMs on the phone are very helpful and speak good english. As for park hours, I booked Cafe Mickey for 8pm on the thursday but when park hours came out i realised park was open til 9am, so I phoned back and changed it to 9.15pm.

2. No the restaurants do not stay open after park closing time, the CM on the phone will also tell you the last available time for evening bookings when you phone up.

3. With half board plus vouchers there is a set menu in table service restaurants, with around 3 or 4 options for each course. So no, you can't just pick any dish but you CAN use your vouchers for their cash value anywhere you like (as long as its Disney owned)

4. www.magicalkingdoms.com and www.dlpfoodguide.com provide menus, but i'm not sure if they will have the half board menus too. dlpfoodguide was updated in august so many of these are current menus.

I got frustrated about lack of information re times etc prior to booking, and I wish i'd been more flexible before I phoned. So this would be my advice for you, have a few different options prepared to book in case your chosen restaurant is shut on that night.

 

[mommy2ash]

there is no way to know what restaurants are open or what time until you ring the reservation number.

the restaurants all close before park closing.

where are you thinking of eating? there could be menus online but if i knew what restaurants you would like it would make it easier to find

i know the latest booking for walts is between 3.30 and 4 when the park closes at 7.
the lucky nugget stays open longer, i know i have eaten there at 5 when the park closed at 7

there are restricted menus which are only for meal plan users. you will have a choice of starter, main and dessert but only from this menu.

if you want to order from the main menu, you use your voucher at face value and pay any difference. you wont really get any value for your voucher by doing this.

the best place for menus is magicalkingdoms or disneycentralplaza (search the restaurant name on the main page, the thread that pops up will have a menu on the first page)

dlp foodguide is very out of date, i had a look on there a few weeks ago and their updated menus are not updated at all

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Thank you to loladelorean and mommy2ash for your replies. You both mention using the vouchers as cash - would I be able to use my shareholder's discount then?

The restaurants we are thinking of are Walt's, Blue Lagoon, Agrabah and the Parkside HNY. We've not eaten at Walt's or the Blue Lagoon before so are really looking forward to it. As we have teenagers in the party they intend eating seperately most of the time and are thinking of completely different restaurants.

 

[loladelorean]

Thank you to loladelorean and mommy2ash for your replies. You both mention using the vouchers as cash - would I be able to use my shareholder's discount then?

The restaurants we are thinking of are Walt's, Blue Lagoon, Agrabah and the Parkside HNY. We've not eaten at Walt's or the Blue Lagoon before so are really looking forward to it. As we have teenagers in the party they intend eating seperately most of the time and are thinking of completely different restaurants.

You're welcome - it is worth a try with your shareholders card, although it does state on the shareholders site that discount is not valid when using vouchers. Plead ignorance though, and you might get a CM who doesn't know and gives you discount, or just does it because they're feeling nice
Blue Lagoon half board menu was lovely last year, unfortunately cant remember what was on it just know I wanted it all! We had to leave though because my fussy teenage sister didnt want anything on it. We're not doing vouchers this year, just sticking with shareholders discount and going to go back to Blue Lagoon - on the provision that the teenagers menu listed online is actually there!
This year we are going to Blue Lagoon, Walts, Steakhouse, Cafe Mickey and Lucky Nugget. These are what we have booked, as we're there for 6 days we'll squeeze in a couple of visits to Annette's as well and work out lunches as we go along. ooo i can't wait!

 

[mommy2ash]

Thank you to loladelorean and mommy2ash for your replies. You both mention using the vouchers as cash - would I be able to use my shareholder's discount then?

The restaurants we are thinking of are Walt's, Blue Lagoon, Agrabah and the Parkside HNY. We've not eaten at Walt's or the Blue Lagoon before so are really looking forward to it. As we have teenagers in the party they intend eating seperately most of the time and are thinking of completely different restaurants.

i have used my shareholders card with vouchers ( it was a free food offer) and it was fine. the discount is only taken off the balance of what is owed after the vouchers though.

you cant go wrong with walts its a great restaraunt. we ate there our last trip and loved it. my three year old cant wait to go back ( she doesnt get out much ) i think this is the half board menu someone can correct me if i am wrong

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2963/p1070791.jpg

the agrabah is on the standard plan so you would be losing money by eating here. the buffet is 21 euros, i am not sure what you paid for your voucher.

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Blue Lagoon half board menu was lovely last year

Can't wait myself now!

I am worried I am going to annoy the CMs with Indecisiveness though... "Well we might eat from the special HB menu or then again we might prefer just to eat face value off the main one, can we see both please?"!!!

Aaagh, this was supposed to make life easier...

Is the difference between "plus" and not just the addition of more eligible restaurants or are there separate menus at those that take both vouchers?

Have a great time yourself

 

[mommy2ash]

at restaurants that are on both meal plans they have a separate menu for each plan.