Please help me understand the dining plan.

[mainewmn]

In our party there are 2 teenagers and 2 adults traveling on January 11th-19th and staying at POP resort, during our stay we are planning on visiting Universal Studios for 2 days. We always budget $50 per person per day for food, that gives us breakfast, lunch and dinner and at least one of these meals is in a sit down rest. Now I was going to go with the dining plan just to make it easier on us and use the days we wore going to be at the Universal meal plan for the Lua (sp) dinner the following night. I was looking on line at the meal plan however and I see it includes lunch, snack and dinner but not breakfast. Am I understating it correctly? I thought that it would save us money but it looks like its going to cost us more with the meal plan then what it would just paying out of our pocket. Any experts out there that can explain this mystery to me? TIA

 

[**pixiedust**]

You are budgeting $200 a day for food. The meal plan is going to cost you $140.00 a day. Even if you are going to spend $60.00 on breakfast to make the cost equal, I would still go with the meal plan, because if you play it right, you can eat at much better restaurants for dinner with the meal plan than you would be able to do with your own budget.

 

[ahappydisneymommy]

I would go with the meal plan. It will allow you to eat at TS and character meals without blowing out your budget. Also, you can use your CS seating for breakfast if you want to. We will be on the dining plan when we go and it will definately save us money.

 

[mainewmn]

Is there a meal plan or an option we can purchase that does include the breakfast?

 

[**pixiedust**]

I believe there is a premium dining package that includes three meals a day but I do not know anything else about it. I'm sure someone here will be able to help...if not, try allearsnet.com or disneyworld.com and there should be details about it on one of those sites.

 

[DaisyGirlAllTheWay]

From what I understand you can use your credits anyway you want, for examply you can use your TS credits for Breakfast while you use your Counter Service for lunch or dinner. The dining plan is not made for three meals, instead a counter service, table service and a snack per night of stay. If you are going to be in Universal for a day or two and you eat there those days then you will have credits left over.

There is also the Premier dining plan that allows you 3 TS per day, but that is way more money than you have budgeted.

HTH

 

[digskat]

is there a website for the dining plan with costs etc thanks

 

[plutolovr]

I think you are totally misunderstanding how the plan works.
You get 1 counter service meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner); 1 table service meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner); and 1 snack per night.

So if you want on the days you go to Universal you can have a counter service breakfast at Pop, save your table service from that day and enjoy a signature meal (2 credits) another night.

Counter service breakfast is available at most resorts with a food court and at some parks. I know at Tusker House in AK they have a great counter service breakfast. You can have a table service breakfast most anywhere, including character breakfasts

Hope this helps.

 

[mainewmn]

Ahh, this is so much more confusing then I tough it would be. I guess the way I have to look at it is like this (correct me if I’m getting it wrong):

1. Majority of our food will be paid for ahead of time.
2. We will not be restricted to burgers and fries in most of the restaurants
3. We will have the two snacks per day that we are not use to before
4. our character dinner will be paid for in full
5. $60 per day for us for breakfast is a lot more then what I’m anticipating on spending for breakfast.

Now another question, since I want to pay for the meal plan with my bonus how late/close to the arrival date can it be added.

 

[ybalx]

I believe you should have booked your meal plan with your original reservations. I don't believe it can be added later.

 

[**pixiedust**]

Go to the disney website and download all the information about the dining plan. They have a brochure that is pretty good at explaining the whole thing. There are a few "conditions" that you really need to know about - such as some character meals like CRT are two credits. Don't do this unless you are fully versed on how it works. I personally think the dining plan is great, but you really need to plan out your meals to take full advantage of it. Good luck!

 

[kutchyone]

I think you can add it later to your reservation but I don't know how soon prior to your date.

I think I understand your issues with the plan. You have to have the dining plan for every night stay at the resort so you will have two days when you are not touring on the Disney property that you will still have to spend money on meals at the other park. Even though you will use those credits for breakfast and maybe "signature meals", those that need two TS credits, you will still have to eat on those days? Is that the problem that you see with the plan?

 

[Annette_VA]

is there a website for the dining plan with costs etc thanks

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/tickets/packageDetail?id=PackageDetailMYWDiningPkg05Page

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...gespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/MYWDining.pdf

 

[mainewmn]

Just called Disney to inquire how close to our arrival date can dinning plan be added and was told 5 days. So I think I will go with the plan and pay for it with my bonus like I wanted to begin with.

 

[wright1baby]

MYW Premium Package:

Magic Your Way Premium Package: Upgrade to the Magic Your Way Premium package to enjoy a breakfast, lunch and dinner meal plan per person, per night and unlimited use of selected recreation and our most flexible ticket - the Magic Your Way Premium Pass which includes the Park Hopper® and Magic Plus Pack options

Sounds like waaayyyy too much food! When we used the dining plan we ate great and didn't have to figure out what we could order according to price or even worry about tip!

 

[aviva5675]

You dont have to eat (at Disney) on every day, so the days you are at Universal you will have dining credits but arent forced to use them that day. From what I understand, when you check in you are credited with a pool of credits for your whole length of stay. For example, if there were 3 of you going, whether adult or child, and you were staying 5 days you would have a pool with 15 table service (TS) credits, 15 counter service (CS) credits and 15 snack credits. You could use them all in one day if you wanted, stretch them out etc. You can choose when to use them, breakfast lunch or dinner. From what Ive seen it might not be possible to use any of the snack credits for a meal, like breakfast, since the choices of snacks arent really food-ish.

Tho you would have alot of "extra" credits cause youre not going to be at WDW the days you are at Universal it might work well for you because you can eat at more nice restaurants than you might have originally planned for. The $35 cost per person per day of your stay just seems to be unbeatable unless you really restricted yourselves to in room food, or burgers all the time.

 

[mainewmn]

So after debating a and going back and forth on this I decided to do it. I called Disney last night again to have them explain to me a few questions I did have and the person was very helpful and answered them all. I also inquired again how close to our departure date we could add the dinning plan as I REALLY don’t want to charge the dinning plan if I can avoid it as my bonus this year will be at least double the amount of what the dinning plan will be, she said that since we are on the magic your way package we can technically add the dinning plan up to 48 hour before our arrival, others without this package must add the dinning plan at least 5 days before arrival. Either way its plenty of time for us as I’m expecting my bonus this or the next week. In any way I did book our TS priority seating ahead of time. Now can the DP be used at Rainforest Café? I’m pretty sure it can’t but would welcome answer from someone that knows for sure.

Oh and thanks to everyone that helped.

 

[dixiedizfan]

Unfortunately Rainforest Cafe is not on the Dining Plan. You can still eat there, but will have to pay out of pocket.

 

[mainewmn]

Unfortunately Rainforest Cafe is not on the Dining Plan. You can still eat there, but will have to pay out of pocket.

Thats what I tought.

Thanks again.

 

[lustergirl]

You can go to the mouseforless.com website and download and print a mini brochure that you can fold up and keep handy. It lists all of the restaurants that are included in the dining plan and which one require 2 credits. I enjoyed the free dining plan with my family this past September and can't see going without it. I booked our trip for next September already and included the dining plan, only difference is that this time I am paying for it. It is 35 dollars per day per person. I know with my family each one of us eats more than 35 dollars a day in food alone. Next trip I will be traveling with 6 people so this plan will work out great. I just called and reserved the Luau show while I am at disney next September, totally insane with my planning, huh??? The Luau show requires 2 credit for their dinner so I will skip using my table service the first night we are there.

The point I am trying to make is that you don't have to use your credits every day, you can save them up and splurge on a 2 credit meal insteady. By all means go for the dining plan, awesome deal!!!!!!!