******Official 2017 Free Dining Plan Watch, Wait, and Dream

[ThistleMae]

Not yet. This upcoming trip will be the first time for us using Exp Transportation. I'm excited to streamline moving between parks. I believe it will be worth it.
Btw, we always drive. In the past, we've parked at TTC and monorail to/from MK & Epcot. If we PH to AK or HWS, we'll move the car.

Initially this is what I was thinking for the car plan...but then saw the huge lines at the TCC for security. So I heard about the Express Bus and it really is a great deal, plus it brings you inside the parks, so once you get in you don't have to go through security again. My only concern is getting back to say MK, if it closes earlier than where we end up. And suppose there is a party at MK that goes late, can you still get dropped back at MK? I know it seems confusing because it might be until I get all the answers. Maybe I'll try doing the online Disney help thing and see what they say.

 

[ThistleMae]

Wow! I wish my airfares to FL looked like that. I have my return flight booked and consider it a deal at $625 each for my family of four....making it a grand total of $2500. That's just for airfare alone!

OMG....from where do you hail?

 

[ThistleMae]

My best friend and her partner just got back and they used it. They really enjoyed it. I don't know if it will stay around because she said every time they got on they were alone or maybe one other person, so it doesn't look like it has picked up yet, but I'm sure with summer coming more people will use it. I am looking forward to only having to go through security in the morning. We are doing a Nine day stay so we will cut out the first and last day and pretty much only use it five days, but it will be totally worth it. Oh and my friends actually hate other Disney transportatioin, but they loved this. Quick, easy and very efficient.

Wonderful! I was wondering how crowded it would be and whether we end up having to wait or not. Will see what the summer is like.

 

[ThistleMae]

Is anyone planning on trying the new Polite Pig restaurant on their trip? It just opened and I'm reading the review from Disney Food Blog and I was shocked to learn that it will be considered a table service credit. For all intents and purposes it's a counter service meal. The only thing that makes it "different" is that you get a beeper after ordering and they bring your food to your table. But there are other CS locations out there that do that. I've had it happen at places like WPE. I hope this isn't a new sign of things to come for the dining plan. I wanted to try this place out but I may just end up paying OOP or not going at all rather than wasting a TS credit on it.

Yeah, they bring your food to the table at BOG and it's a counter service for lunch.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Is anyone planning on trying the new Polite Pig restaurant on their trip? It just opened and I'm reading the review from Disney Food Blog and I was shocked to learn that it will be considered a table service credit. For all intents and purposes it's a counter service meal. The only thing that makes it "different" is that you get a beeper after ordering and they bring your food to your table. But there are other CS locations out there that do that. I've had it happen at places like WPE. I hope this isn't a new sign of things to come for the dining plan. I wanted to try this place out but I may just end up paying OOP or not going at all rather than wasting a TS credit on it.

The DFB review I read calls it a quick service credit.

 

[pooch]

Always fly out of RI and usually see SW as having much better prices than Jet Blue. But it's definitely a game of roulette about when to book! Going in August. Got our flights down for $112--great price! Flight home at the time I wanted was over $200!!!! So I had booked a 7:30 am return flight--yuck! But kept checking and checking. About two weeks ago, logged in on a Saturday morning and the last flight home was down to $132! Grabbed it right away! Got right on the phone to friends who are looking for the same flight home and the best they could get was $174, even though they literally jumped on within a minute of my booking. It's all luck of timing!

Have any of you tried BDL? I regularly get flights in the $90 range on SWA.

 

[vanjust14]

Have any of you tried BDL? I regularly get flights in the $90 range on SWA.

That's a good point. I am 20 minutes from PVD, but if BDL is a substantial savings it may be worth the travel. I'll check it out, thanks!

 

[JackieO]

Not my childs though-voice of an angel that one

Ba ha ha Of course

 

[Moocabn2258]

Have any of you tried BDL? I regularly get flights in the $90 range on SWA.

This trip, the flights from BDL have been higher for me! But I'm keeping an eye on them. We're traveling the last week of Sept. Let me know if you come across any good fares

 

[ThistleMae]

So I talked to a CM about the Express Bus. It does not run an hour after park closing like the reg. transportation, so if you have to get back to your car at MK, when say AK closes later than MK....you will have to take the reg. transportation back to MK.

 

[JackieO]

Does anyone in here drive to Disney? I am trying to figure out the best way to navigate from park to park with a car. Now that they have security at the TTC, I'm wondering if we should park at Epcot and take the monorail to MK? I just don't have a parking strategy.

We drive. I like to take my car in the morning to whatever park we'll be in. If we can move via monorail I'll take that and leave me car, but if we have to transfer by bus I'll drive instead. I don't care for a bus ride back to my car at the end of my day. I'm really thinking of trying out the quick bus from inside the parks this time. (Don't remember what that's called) Then I might take that bus back to wherever we started out the day, to pick up my car. I don't mind going back to my car to move it. It still feels like Disney and it's just a little down time to me.

 

[JackieO]

So I talked to a CM about the Express Bus. It does not run an hour after park closing like the reg. transportation, so if you have to get back to your car at MK, when say AK closes later than MK....you will have to take the reg. transportation back to MK.

Oh interesting. Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind while we're hopping around then!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

Wonderful! I was wondering how crowded it would be and whether we end up having to wait or not. Will see what the summer is like.

I think the summer will be the tell all.

 

[TomServo27]

The DFB review I read calls it a quick service credit.

Table or counter service doesn't matter I'm trying it looks great.

 

[LauraJean]

Newfoundland, Canada. It costs a small fortune to travel anywhere

That it does! I fly from Deer Lake.

 

[Felicis]

New Zealand, miles from anywhere! I think our flights were 7k or so for the three of us. That's just flights!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

No dining plans are accepted at the Polite Pig.

 

[JackieO]

So funny!! I actually think he would have loved it if it hadn't of been a bit scary before! He still talks about never going on the scary ride again! Haha!

When we first took my DS on Everest (he was 5), he HATED it and every time he would catch a gimps if the mountain he would say it made him so mad he wanted to "smash it with a hammer"! We still reference this when someone is angry in our family. "Are you smash it with a hammer mad?".

He loves Everest now. Don't ask me how we got him back on (l paid him a dollar to try again).

 

[SKYYCAMEL]

I just got an email from Disney. I got all excited til I read it was just for the summer 25% off deal.

 

[anorman]

That it does! I fly from Deer Lake.

You feel my pain then....

OMG....from where do you hail?

Newfoundland, Canada. It's that rather large island northeast of Maine. It costs a small fortune to travel by air from here.....but we bite the bullet every year and take a family trip to somewhere.....usually Florida. Love disney!

New Zealand, miles from anywhere! I think our flights were 7k or so for the three of us. That's just flights!

Maybe I should consider us lucky.....$2500 for the four of us doesn't sound so bad now!