Meals for free- how does it work?

[orchidea]

Looking into booking restaurants for our February trip - is it necessary?

I have been looking at menus online but not sure how free meals works out.

For example lunch value for adults is 11.95 including starter main course, dessert and drink. Do they have especially prepared set menus for these dining plans or can we order 1 of each (starter etc.) and we have 11.95 covered by the voucher? I have seen some set menus online and not all restaurants have 11.95 menus.

Just want to make sure I am selecting the best I can – but have no info about the food and how this all works!

 

[vicki_c]

First, yes, reservations for table service restaurants are always a good idea @ Disney. Depending on the time of year, walk-ups are not really possible. Especially during free dining.

As for the dining plans - there is a sticky here @ the top of the boards explaining all the details. That will explain it much better than I could type out here.

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm assuming you already have a reservation booked with the "free dining" discount. I'm guessing you are also British as you use the word "starter." I don't know what you mean by "lunch" but I'm guessing from the price (I don't think there's anywhere at WDW that an adult can get a full service meal for $11.95) that you are looking at counter service meals rather than table service. You don't get a "starter" covered by the dining plan at counter service. Unless you're on the deluxe plan you don't get one covered at table service (full service restaurants where you sit and order your food and a server brings it) either. If you're looking at children's meals (kids age 3-9) they do get a "starter" or "appetizer" but it's something small like some raw vegetables or a cup of soup.

If you want to know how the dining plan works (and check the credit allotments for the dining plan you are on) please see the "Everything you always wanted to know" FAQ sticky thread at the top of this board.

You don't get any paper vouchers. You get "dining credits" encoded onto your hotel room key card. You must have that card with you to redeem the credits for meals. There are no set special menus just for dining plan guests. You order from the same menu as anyone who is not on the dining plan would. There are different types of restaurants though; some are a la carte and some have fixed menus for one price.

And yes, if you have places you want to eat, you should make reservations. If you're okay with taking the chance of going from restaurant to restaurant and possibly having to leave a theme park to get a meal, then you may be able to do it without any reservations.

 

[crashbb]

Okay, I figured out the problem.

The OP is going to DLP - not WDW. I believe that there is a voucher system at DLP, though I have no idea how it works (I briefly looked into going to DLP once when in Paris).

OP, I suggest posting your question on the DLP board, as you'll get more/better advice there.

 

[TDC Nala]

Ah, if indeed the OP is going to Disneyland, the Disneyland plan is much different from the WDW plan and they would be better off asking on the Disneyland board. At Disneyland, they do use paper vouchers. But I am not sure anyone would refer to the Disneyland plan as "free meals" because they do not offer their dining plan free with a package to my knowledge (unless they have a special offer for British guests and the OP is British)

 

[crashbb]

Ah, if indeed the OP is going to Disneyland, the Disneyland plan is much different from the WDW plan and they would be better off asking on the Disneyland board. At Disneyland, they do use paper vouchers. But I am not sure anyone would refer to the Disneyland plan as "free meals" because they do not offer their dining plan free with a package to my knowledge (unless they have a special offer for British guests and the OP is British)

DLP is Disneyland PARIS. I don't think the vouchers are free there either, but if the price is included in the price of your hotel room, perhaps it "feels" free.

 

[TDC Nala]

When I did Disneyland Paris they only included breakfast in the price of the hotel room and you had to have a ticket for breakfast (you got only one ticket and you had to hold onto it so you could get breakfast for the rest of your stay). Maybe they're including other meals now. At any rate we'd need to know what park the OP is going to.

 

[2Tiggies]

Here is a link to the DLP board

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77