Meal Plan

[Jeanine3kids]

How many days in advance do I have to book the meal plan?

 

[BillPA]

48 hours, but it's been reported they will let you do it on check in. Why have rules???

 

[kboo]

Cautionary tale: One morning last week I was at the store at the Contemporary and it was mobbed - about 10 people out of a group of 17 who had gotten the meal plan, trying to use up their snack credits.

 

[Cyberc1978]

48 hours, but it's been reported they will let you do it on check in. Why have rules???

You might get lucky and be able to buy it at checkin but dont count on it and plan accordingly.

Some rules Disney are more willingly to bend than others.

 

[CraigInPA]

Cautionary tale: One morning last week I was at the store at the Contemporary and it was mobbed - about 10 people out of a group of 17 who had gotten the meal plan, trying to use up their snack credits.

Precisely why I have stopped buying the dining plan. The only way to "save money" on the plan for us is to use all the credits, both dining and snack. My wife and I often had all but one or two of the snack credits remaining at the end of the trip, and would fill our carry on luggage with whatever was available. One year, we returned with 28 bags of trail mix. Another year, it was boxes of fudge.

I suggest looking at the menus of the places you are intending on eating, and then deciding whether you'll really save money based upon what you want to eat, versus trying to maximize "savings" on the plan by choosing the most expensive thing on the menu.

 

[kboo]

One year, we returned with 28 bags of trail mix. Another year, it was boxes of fudge.

It is just too much food. Our "problem" is that we like TS/signature restaurants, but don't get 3 or sometimes even 2 courses per person.

Our actual cost of food and drink, including tax and additional tip, was about $50 less per day (across all people) than it would have cost for the deluxe dining plan. That included getting whatever we wanted on the menu, and alcoholic drinks when we wanted (which was not always). We used TiW. We went to: 1900 PF (B), BOG (D), Plaza (L), WCC (D), Satuli Canteen (L), WCC (D), Akershus (D), CP (B), Cali Grill (D), Wave (B), had most breakfasts in the room, and got snacks whenever/wherever we wanted, including using snacks for lunch.

Using the handy dandy calculator, on the DxDP we would have paid an additional $400+ in tips, and still had 12 snack credits left over. On the regular DP, we would have paid over $1000 more OOP due to being 24 TS credits over, and had 16 QS credits left over.

So, I'm sold ... on paying OOP. Maybe we'd consider it with 2 kids on the DP, maybe not.

 

[Chuck S]

I would advise not to add it at check-in. I don't like the front desk messing with my reservations. the front desk CMs are often unfamiliar with the DVC system, and can sometimes cancel and rebook the reservation, messing up your banked/borrowed and current use year points. For adding the Dining Plan that is something I'd do online or via voice call to Member Services.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I see I can add the plan online, but no option to pay with gift cards. Can that be done by phone?