Just back from WDW With MYW Dining...

[HB2K]

And we'll never go back to WDW with out it. We saved approx. 40% (actual spend vs. package cost) and around 30% (actual spend vs. prior food budget of $100 a day).

We ate at the following:

Sit Down Meals
Cinderella's Royal Table
Boma
Whispering Canyon Cafe
1900 Parke Fair
Crystal Palace
ESPN Club
Sci-Fi (paid cash)
Liberty Tree Tavern
Chef Mickey's

Counter Service
All Star Movie's Food Court (BEST VALUE!)
Cosmic Ray's
The quick service in the American Adventure
The backlot quick service near Star Tours
Flame Tree BBQ
Pinoccio Haus

The food package worked as advertised, although there were nuiancess which you can take advantage of.

When we ate counter service in the parks, I had my wife, son & infant daughter sit at a table while I got the food. I ordered adult meals for all of us (and was never questioned) and ordered LARGE Sodas for each of us. My thinking on the large soda, which worked out, was that we could take the leftover soda with us instead of using snacks for it.

When we ate table service meals, we were each allowed to select ANY appetizer (including my 6 year old son) from the menu. We then were able to choose any meal and any desert. With regards to drinks, the only time I tried to stray from a soda was at Whispering Canyon & Pinoccio Haus. Both times I was told that I could order a milkshake, but it would also count as my desert. Needless to say I skipped the shake.

In a follow up to the shake situation, it does seem that each server has their own set of rules. While waiting for our table @ Whispering Canyon, we asked the person at the counter if we could order the all you could eat skillet as our entree. We were told we could order it, but we would not get an appetizer. When we sat down the waitress tells us that we can order the skillet and it only counts as a entree...yet if we want one of the unlimited shakes, it counts as our desert....another example....we all know that the fantasmic diner is not included with the dining package, right? Well since everyone seems to be working with their own rules, I stopped by the front desk at the All Star Movies and asked if I could book a fantasmic meal but pay with my sit down meals....and I was told that yes I could book a fantasmic meal, yes I could pay for the meal with my vouchers but I would have to guarantee the ressie with a CC. Unfortunately there were no available fantasmic PS that day so I didn't get to try this.

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions or aleviate any concerns for anyone about the package based on my experince.

 

[Princess Wannabe]

Thanks for your information; it is helpful! We have an upcoming trip, and I've purchased the Dining Plan, as it appeared we would save money. It's nice to know that it truly CAN work! I am sure that with time, all of the 'kinks' will get worked out, just as in anything new!

 

[CrazedDisFan]

HB2k,

did you at any time not order your son a meal and have him share with you or your wife?

I am curious about this, as i am thinking there is no way my ten year old will eat all that food and we can save a couple of meals this way.

Thanks for the first hand report!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DisneyNutMary]

The dining plans definitely seems worth it, and I'd jump on it in a second. I just wish DVC would offer it! I feel left out of a good thing by booking my trips on points

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I just booked my trip and included the Dining option. Does anyone know if/where there is a list of the places that are included for sitdown dining?

Also, do they give you meal vouchers or do you use your room key/charge card/park ticket?

Thanks for the info listed above. Really happy to know that the plan is working out for people.

 

[Bluenoser]

Thanks for the info. Were going the first week in April and we have 2 PS booked so far for charater meals. Did book PS before you went or were you able to get them the same day/night before?

Thanks.

 

[disneyjunkie]

What type of snacks were you able to get?

 

[princessknb]

I'm so glad to know the dining plan worked well for you. We will be using it in May. To the OP www.allears.net has a list of all the restuarants.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Think you meant:


www.allearsnet.com

 

[princessknb]

Thanks for making that correction for me.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I did the same thing first time I posted that link - it's an easy mistake!!

 

[HayGan]

Thanks for the info!

Did you ever pay for your son's dinner seperately and save a table service credit(s) for another meal? We have the dining package booked for December and I was hoping to do this and use their credits for a couple character meals.

TIA!

 

[Mamacelt]

Haygan: I'm not the OP, but we did exactly that last week. We had dinner without the kids (they were at the Neverland Club), so had 3 extra credits. We paid for two kids out of pocket at a restaurant with a kids' menu (so each was only $4.99) and then had enough credits for the entire family to have another sitdown meal together.

 

[HayGan]

Haygan: I'm not the OP, but we did exactly that last week. We had dinner without the kids (they were at the Neverland Club), so had 3 extra credits. We paid for two kids out of pocket at a restaurant with a kids' menu (so each was only $4.99) and then had enough credits for the entire family to have another sitdown meal together.

Thanks so much for the info! I'm really hoping to do this 2 evenings so that we can do a character breakfast 1 morning!

 

[WDWBetsy]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the dining plan!

 

[lsteadman]

Just back from WDW With MYW Dining...

And we'll never go back to WDW with out it. We saved approx. 40% (actual spend vs. package cost) and around 30% (actual spend vs. prior food budget of $100 a day).

I am glad you also saw the value in this plan. I do agree with the shake situation. Sometimes shakes where a regular beverage and sometime dessert. We only got shakes when they where regular beverage.

I am using the dining plan again in May because I loved it so much in January.

 

[Mimi Q]

Thanks for the info on the dining plan. I think it will save us money as well.

 

[we3disneygo]

Thanks for posting your experiences with the dining plan-we are going to try it on our next trip-hopefully all the CM will be on the same page!

 

[HB2K]

I am sure that with time, all of the 'kinks' will get worked out, just as in anything new!

One kink we ran into....

Our daughter is 19 months old. When we made PS we had to make them for a party of four and specify the ages of our children.

Well seems that when the servers ring out the sit down meals, they rung out FOUR meals instead of Three. There were at least three instances during the week where this happened. Most of the time the servers took care of it, but at 1900 Park Fare (I HATED THAT PLACE), the server absolutely REFUSED to admit it was here (to her defense, there was a line item indicating my daughter was under three) and I ended up having to call my hotel front desk, then contact the manager at 1900 to get the sit down meal back.

Frustrating, but a kink which will get worked out. Quite frankly an EASY way to fix this would be to show on the receipt how many meals were deducted from your plan for this meal...that way there is no confusion at the point of sale.

did you at any time not order your son a meal and have him share with you or your wife?

No. We had him order his own meal at each restaurant. We paid for the meals, I wanted him to use them. Our daughter did share at sit down meals which were not buffett meals.

Also, do they give you meal vouchers or do you use your room key/charge card/park ticket?

Everything is on your room key. And everything is grouped together so you only need to present one room key.

Did book PS before you went or were you able to get them the same day/night before?

Booked prior to trip, although we were changing them constantly.

What type of snacks were you able to get?

You can get a bottle of soda, a medium cup of fountain soda, a box of popcorn or ANY ice cream from one of the carts.

Another glitch...when ordering a snack from the cart, each item needs to be rung up individually....which sucks when you're ordering 3 ice creams and 3 sodas and there's a long line behind you....

Did you ever pay for your son's dinner seperately and save a table service credit(s) for another meal? We have the dining package booked for December and I was hoping to do this and use their credits for a couple character meals.

Nope. We did this at a couple of counter service meals but we didn't test the sit down principal.

 

[NJDisneymom]

Thanks for the info. I have a different type of question though, if you don't mind me asking.... did you pay rack rate for your room or was there a package discount?? I know we would make great use of the dining plan as we do a lot of character meals but if it means I have to pass up a great room only discount and pay rack rate I wouldn't be saving any money in the long run. The May discounts will determine if I get the meal package.