Trying to figure out dining plan...

[Stag]

Hi guys! You've all been crazy helpful in the past, so I thought I'd come back and ask.

My friend and I are trying to figure out what version of the dining plan to get for our trip. We both have some special dietary needs. We'll be staying on Disney property, but have not decided yet if we want to go to a value or moderate resort; does anyone have any experience with special dining needs? Have you noticed a difference in the availability of items that you could eat based on the resort, or the service if you asked for special items?

Our needs boil down to this...

Me: I have a neurological dysfunction and am a service dog handler. Needs breaks in AC so I don't pass out, sitting down is ideal-- I also need to keep up on my blood sugar as well as try to eat every few hours at most and putting back 96 fl oz + of water every day to keep my blood pressure from crashing. I'm also a vegan, so NO meat, dairy, eggs, honey, etc. which means I'll likely be eating a lot of allergy-friendly foods.

My travel buddy has issues along the same lines though no special/allergy diet; she still needs frequent eating and frequent breaks, so that's something to take into consideration.

We were going to do the Deluxe Dining Plan because we need to break from the heat frequently; we're also doing a full two weeks, so we can take it slow during the day and I'm not concerned about the time that we'll take to sit down for our meals if we do all table service, which I doubt. I'm concerned about if many of the quick service places will have options for me, as well. I don't want to get stuck eating veggie burgers for lunch every day, so that's a big thing. My dog is very big and very hairy, so he will also need breaks to nap.

Anyone have suggestions or advice on what you would do in our situation? We're also going to see if maybe we can get free dining... but the dates for the end of 2012/beginning of 2013 aren't out yet and we're hoping a nice PIN code comes along.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Frankly I suspect you'll be wasting money getting the deluxe dining plan. Will you be eating that much each meal? You can probably eat the same number of meals cheaper by paying OOP. When you eat 3 meals a day at WDW you'll most likely want just appetizers for at least one of those meals, possibly 2. You're going to get REALLY tired of the desserts in restaurants since the vegan options are pretty similar at many restaurants. Not using a dining plan offers you a lot more flexibility than using the plan. On the dining plan board people have discussed just what percent of your meals have to be TS and what portion of your allotments per meal you really need to eat in order for the deluxe plan to be financially worthwhile. I think it was at least 2/3 TS meals if you're ordering all of your allotments and that number goes up if you're not always order appetizer, entree, dessert and drink.

You've got plenty of time to research restaurants. Go through the menus on allears.net and figure out what restaurants have offerings that look interesting to you and also check out the vegan thread on the restaurant board. You'll get a better feel for just how many TS vs meals you'll really want and of those TS meals just how many courses you'll really want with those meals. You may find it to be a LOT cheaper without a dining plan.

Make sure that during your trip you stop at DTD for Babycakes. It's a bakery where every single thing they make is vegan. They sweeten with either unrefined sugar or agave nectar depending on the item so the stuff is easier on the blood sugar than typical baked goods. If you do use a dining plan, they do accept snack credits. Their prices for OOP are pretty much in line with the rest of the bakeries around WDW even though they're privately owned.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You mention you will be at WDW for two weeks. You might look into getting at least one Annual Pass and then get an AP-discounted room-only reservation. Then invest $75 in the purchase of the Tables in Wonderland Card, which gives a 20% discount on food and all beverages at almost every sit-down restaurant and even some quick-service locations. Here is a link to information about TiW.

 

[Fuhnuh]

I don't know which moderate or value resorts would be the easiest to get back to for breaks, but hopefully some other members will come forward. I just chimed in to add disneyfoodblog.com has some information on vegan dining.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I just realized I never commened on resorts. Pop Century has the biggest food court on property and we've had amazing experiences with them handling our dietary needs. The chefs at POFQ tried just as hard but they didn't have nearly as many ingredients to work with so they were much more limitted in what they could offer. The chefs at POR frequently seemed to be out of tofutti cheese and I've read similar reviews about them not carrying some allergy items which surprised me so I'm not sure we'll ever stay there. Dining options are an important factor for us in our resort choices.

Transportation-wise if you're looking at a value or moderate, if I was using mobility devices I'd personally limit myself to Pop, Art of Animation (which hasn't opened yet), All Star Sport or POFQ. I know that there are regulars on here who use mobility devices who have been very happy with other value and moderate resorts but my personal choice is based on which resorts either don't share busses or are always the first pickup for busses. I remember when staying at POR watching people in ECVs be turned away from getting on busses because either there weren't any more spots for chairs or the driver just wouldn't ask anybody to move (there was standing room) and I wouldn't want to deal with that so I'd be choosing my resort accordingly. I'd be fine with any of these from a dining perspective as well though as I said, POFQ doesn't have as many dining options so I'd probably just go with Pop (we've had only great experiences with Pop). If you can afford a suite at AoA then that'll give you lots of room plus a kitchenette. I'm being told that they'll have dedicated busses as well and it looks like the food court will be similar to Pop's. I can't wait to try it. The non-suite rooms won't be opening until maybe December 2012 or January 2013 so I don't think you can count on these since I don't even know when they'll begin allowing bookings (you can keep your eyes open for it though; it might be nice to be among the first to stay here though I think the buildings with the regular rooms will be in the farthest section from the main building and busses).

 

[catra121]

Just a couple of thoughts...don't know if these would be good options for you or not but might be something to consider.

1. I have mobility issues and the deluxe plan worked out very well for me and my mom last trip because we were able to sit down regularly for breaks. I would think (though I have no experience with this) that a TS restaurant may have an easier time with dietary needs. I am a BIG fan of the deluxe plan. I love having everything paid for ahead of time and not having to worry about spending money OOP for food/snacks.

2. Another option would maybe be to stay in a deluxe resort villa (1BR) and order food from a grocery delivery service. That way you could take breaks in your room and have meals. Plus, you would be able to order snacks that you could take with to the park that would fit your needs better. I know it's a vacation and some people don't want to cook on vacation, but this would be an option that may fit your needs the best. Some of the resorts have great locations close to at least one or two parks. If cost is an issue, you could maybe look at renting DVC points (this can bring the cost down into the range of a value or moderate resort). In this case you would skip any dining plans.

Good luck, I hope you are able to find something that will work out well for you.

 

[jmartinez1895]

Here is a section of a site taht I thought may be helpful for for. http://allears.net/din/vegcsparks.htm
Once at this site if you go to the left side and scroll down, under special diets you will see more info for vegans at the world. The link I provided is for vegans at CS places.

 

[vwlizard]

They don't seem very flexible on the dining plan. I'd pay OOP. You might be able to make a full meal of sides that they would just charge you extra for on the dining plan anyway. Could you upgrade from without DDP and get room only discount and access to fridge or dinette? What park do you think you will be spending the most time in?

 

[Bete]

First, consider splitting meals. This would mean you could do more meals for the same dollars. Also, what you can't eat the other person may be able to eat; so, food won't go to waste and you both may be more satisfied that way.

Study the menus carefully and it should help you pick the right places for your situation. Also, think about bringing good snacks from home that will help you with in between meals at the parks.

From what I understand table service restaurants are more helpful on vegan meals combined with special considerations. Sometimes a chef will come to your table and you can customize a meal. All of this takes time and you need to consider what's best for you on that count, too.