Sharing a meal on DDP

[kbmartin]

I am a complete newbie to the Disney dining plan - please forgive me! I have a question about it. We are on the standard dining plan (my husband and I each have 1 table-service meal, 1 counter-service meal, and and 2 snacks per day).

We love table-service restaurants and have seen this as an opportunity to splurge a little bit. Because we're visiting some signature restaurants, though, we might miss out on some of our old favorites, and I'm trying to find ways to get to them anyway! (For example, we're paying OOP at Via Napoli.)

So here's a scenario: We want to get to Homecomin', but we'd only have one credit. What if we shared a fried chicken plate and paid OOP for soup to share? Same deal with Liberty Tree Tavern. Let's say we shared the Pot Roast on the DDP and ordered an appetizer/dessert to share OOP. Would that work 100% (I have to be certain!) or not at all?

I have a feeling the answer will be no, but I thought I'd see.

 

[supersnoop]

You want to "split" a meal. "Sharing" is similar, but can carry the connotation that everyone orders a meal an passes them around.

Regardless, yes, you can split a meal. At buffets, you can't, but practically everywhere else it won't be a problem.

However, unless you're getting the dining plan for "free," you need to go back and do the math. Signatures are generally a terrible value on the regular plan. Since you're planning to split meals and pay out of pocket for others, I imagine you're going to have leftover QS credits. It's very likely the dining plan will cost you more than you'd spend if you just pay for all meals out of pocket. In general, you need to get $18 out of a QS credit and $38 out of a TS credit. That's really difficult to do at signatures.

 

[kbmartin]

You are probably right about the value (I've read a TON on how it's not really all that worth it), but we are definitely steak and lobster type of people. We will certainly order the big ticket items. I just wanted to try free dining once. We probably will never have it again anyway - especially not with the way Disney is reducing free dining at moderates to quick service only. I do tons of planning as well to make sure we aren't wasting any credits, by the way. (I already have an 8-page Word doc filled with my itinerary and exactly how we will use our credits each day, haha.) But lately, yes, I have been thinking about how maybe we should have just stayed at Pop and paid OOP. I don't know, I just wanted to try it once, I guess. (Sorry for the rambling!)

 

[purple figment]

I am a complete newbie to the Disney dining plan - please forgive me! I have a question about it. We are on the standard dining plan (my husband and I each have 1 table-service meal, 1 counter-service meal, and and 2 snacks per day).

We love table-service restaurants and have seen this as an opportunity to splurge a little bit. Because we're visiting some signature restaurants, though, we might miss out on some of our old favorites, and I'm trying to find ways to get to them anyway! (For example, we're paying OOP at Via Napoli.)

So here's a scenario: We want to get to Homecomin', but we'd only have one credit. What if we shared a fried chicken plate and paid OOP for soup to share? Same deal with Liberty Tree Tavern. Let's say we shared the Pot Roast on the DDP and ordered an appetizer/dessert to share OOP. Would that work 100% (I have to be certain!) or not at all?

I have a feeling the answer will be no, but I thought I'd see.

Most restaurants where you order from a menu you will be able to share. It is a way to extend credits for additional meals or 2 credit restaurants/experiences.

You are correct that at Via Napoli if you want to share an entree or an individual sized pizza you will have to pay OOP because this is one TS restaurant that has strict rules when using the dining plan and will not let you use one credit to feed two or more people.

On your Disney Dining Plan at a TS restaurant you are entitled to an entree, dessert and standard non-alcoholic beverage so at Liberty Tree Tavern you will be able to share the Pot Roast and order a dessert to share (I recommend the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake). If you also want an appetizer you will have to pay OOP for it. I have shared an entree at Liberty Tree Tavern, but not at Homecomin', but haven't seen anyone post that it was not allowed at Art Smith's restaurant. You can also share at the Signature restaurants, but entree portion sizes tend to be smaller. However, there are excellent apps at the signatures.

You will not be able to share and everyone will be charged at buffets, all you care to eat family style meals, dinner shows (Hoop De Doo, Spirit of Aloha Luau, Mickey's Backyard Barbecue), fixed price meals (e.g. CRT, Akershus), dining packages (e.g. Fantasmic, ROL), dessert parties, special events (e.g. Food & Wine events, Dine with an Imagineer) and the Family Platter at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

Enjoy!

 

[earfulofmagic]

You are probably right about the value (I've read a TON on how it's not really all that worth it), but we are definitely steak and lobster type of people. We will certainly order the big ticket items. I just wanted to try free dining once. We probably will never have it again anyway - especially not with the way Disney is reducing free dining at moderates to quick service only. I do tons of planning as well to make sure we aren't wasting any credits, by the way. (I already have an 8-page Word doc filled with my itinerary and exactly how we will use our credits each day, haha.) But lately, yes, I have been thinking about how maybe we should have just stayed at Pop and paid OOP. I don't know, I just wanted to try it once, I guess. (Sorry for the rambling!)

Rambling is essential to the DIS. save your apology!

I get where you're coming from. Try it once and you'll always have that personal experience to reference when planning future trips. As Gazelle said, "whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa... try everything!"

For me, OOP (+ I'm planning on bridging to an AP and buying TiW) works for our trip, esp because we'll take 2-3 trips in 2018... but I wonder if we'll someday try a dining plan. We're curious about whether there's much (psychological) freedom in pre-paying meals then ordering without needing to note prices, but I know I'd still see prices and mentally track credit value.

Now I'm rambling! I guess in some ways the dining plan loosely emulates dining when money is not an object, which has its allure.