Which parks on which days?

[elaine amj]

Well, let me ask--how do you pay for food at F&W? Can you use quick-service or snack points, or is it all on a cash/room charge basis?

Dining plan should actually be a pretty sweet deal for Food and Wine. You get 2 snacks a day and can use those credits for most items at F&W. Considering how $$ items are, I'd guess dining plan is a pretty good value (never crunched the numbers myself). If u have three Signature (2 credit) meals planned, that means u have to make up for the missing meals somehow. With 9 nights u will have 18 snack credits. 3-4 snack credits at F&W should give u a reasonable meal incl. dessert. If u use 12 snack credits for 3 "meals" at F&W, u should be pretty set. The other 6 snack credits can be used for breakfast/snacks at other parks.

 

[gap2368]

ok I did some research and it looks like you can use your snack credits for food at food and wine but I have never done this or seen the sign that says you can use your snack credit, but like I said you need to decide if the dinning plane works out for you price wise as there really is a lot of food. if dinning and food is on the top of your list, and not rides/ show it maybe a good idea

 

[Nancyg56]

I am getting the park-hopper and the water park add-ons. I intend to soak my feet while drifting on the lazy rivers!
Okay, I'm getting the general idea (and seems wise) to cut back on how many reservations I make. Since it's been decades since the last time, I'm wanting to try everything new, and I know better than to try to do everything in one trip. I've got a spreadsheet (hello OCD!) listing the restaurants I'm interested in, and I am slowly narrowing them down now. I'm doing the Dining Plan, so I do want to make sure I use all my points up by the time I leave. I've got a couple of 2-point signature meals planned (Tiffins, Flying Fish, and probably California Grill), but that will still leave me with 3 table-service meals (probably Skipper Canteen, The Crystal Palace for my character meal, and maybe Kona Cafe). That means I'm still looking at 5 reservations if I want to get into them (last time I checked, Skipper Canteen is still same-day only).

I'll be honest, when I made the initial reservation and included the dining plan, I wasn't taking into account how often I might want to eat at the F&W thing. I'm sort of regretting the decision now but would hate to pay a fee to change it. Does anyone know if there's a penalty for backing out of the meal plan while it's still in the deposit phase?

Also, does traveling solo make it easier to get into a restaurant if you don't have reservations?

If there are restaurants you know you want to visit, I would book them.

Going solo makes things easier in terms of planning, but I would still want an outline. You can make changes when you are there, but I think having a basic plan is more relaxing in the long run.

I would be sure to book your CG and your Tiffins as soon as you can., Right now you can get into Tiffins easily, but if Pandora opens, I think all bets are off. Of all the solo dining experiences, this would be my priority because this restaurant lends itself to exploring. It is an art gallery of sorts, and the servers love to discuss the artwork. Plan a late lunch and spend time there, and Nomads Lounge. When I was there in December the server invited my friend and I to explore all of the dining rooms. We ended our meal relaxing in Nomads until it was time to see the Tree awakenings shows, Beautiful!

FF was a blast, and also one I think would be great for solo dining. If you can get a table near the open kitchen you will not regret it. The Chefs are fun to watch. They are talented. Then stop into Abracadbar. Awesome lounge on the Boardwalk!!!

POFQ is my favorite moderate, and like you the water taxi is a draw for me. The ride to and from DS is lovely, especially in the evening. As an early riser myself, mornings are my favorite time there. I love the stroll to the food court for my morning coffee. The "streets" and sidewalks are all freshly washed, it is quiet except for soft music playing in the background, and as you walk, little bunnies peek out at you from the beautifully manicured shrubbery. There are benches located throughout the resort grounds, so if relaxing its on your agenda that day, there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy.

 

[anorman]

I'll be honest, when I made the initial reservation and included the dining plan, I wasn't taking into account how often I might want to eat at the F&W thing. I'm sort of regretting the decision now but would hate to pay a fee to change it. Does anyone know if there's a penalty for backing out of the meal plan while it's still in the deposit phase?

You can change anything without penalty this far out.

 

[Nancyg56]

You can change anything without penalty this far out.

I generally like the meal plans, but there are times when I would find them way too restrictive, and your situation is one of those times. Last December my friend and I decided to book a few TS meals, just like you are doing, but no plans for CS anywhere. WE wandered the WS and enjoyed every bite! Had we paid for teh DDP we woudl have felt compelled to go to CS restaurants to use our points. That woudl not have been anywhere near as much fun as the options we had in Epcot. F&W will be even better, with much more to choose from.

 

[useakiss]

Thanks, folks! Knowing that the snack points can be used at the F&W makes a huge difference. Since one of the things I've been planning to do is splurge on fine dining, I think I'm going to stick with the Plan. Although you do earn so many points for each day, I'm not obligated to use them all on that same day. Due to a physical restriction, I'm unable to eat huge portions at one sitting, so I'm resigned to the fact that I never actually get my money's worth out of most restaurant meals (unless I take home leftovers, which isn't a feasible option here). So I'm forced to break things up into multiple smaller meals. The Plan will let me explore the fine dining without feeling guilty when I see the prices on the menus.

The locations of these reservation-necessary places did play a role in which ones I picked, too. I want to make sure I don't book two on the same day that might conflict park-wise, etc. The Excel spreadsheet I set up is really helping me organize all the details so I can filter them according to location and which meal time I'd prefer. So I guess that's my tip. I don't like to over-plan (I traveled through Europe while studying abroad in college, and liked just winging things and meeting people), but I DO prefer to be fully aware about what's available so I can make informed choices. I'll have the maps and names memorized by the time I get there so that rather than settle for something less ideal because I don't know what's around the corner, I'll know to wait another 100 yards.

 

[useakiss]

Going solo makes things easier in terms of planning, but I would still want an outline. You can make changes when you are there, but I think having a basic plan is more relaxing in the long run.

I would be sure to book your CG and your Tiffins as soon as you can., Right now you can get into Tiffins easily, but if Pandora opens, I think all bets are off. Of all the solo dining experiences, this would be my priority because this restaurant lends itself to exploring. It is an art gallery of sorts, and the servers love to discuss the artwork. Plan a late lunch and spend time there, and Nomads Lounge. When I was there in December the server invited my friend and I to explore all of the dining rooms. We ended our meal relaxing in Nomads until it was time to see the Tree awakenings shows, Beautiful!

FF was a blast, and also one I think would be great for solo dining. If you can get a table near the open kitchen you will not regret it. The Chefs are fun to watch. They are talented. Then stop into Abracadbar. Awesome lounge on the Boardwalk!!!

POFQ is my favorite moderate, and like you the water taxi is a draw for me. The ride to and from DS is lovely, especially in the evening. As an early riser myself, mornings are my favorite time there. I love the stroll to the food court for my morning coffee. The "streets" and sidewalks are all freshly washed, it is quiet except for soft music playing in the background, and as you walk, little bunnies peek out at you from the beautifully manicured shrubbery. There are benches located throughout the resort grounds, so if relaxing its on your agenda that day, there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy.

Nancyg56, were we separated at birth? All of what you just described is what I'm looking for. In my spreadsheet I did for restaurants (I also have one for FastPasses and for packing!), I included lounges because I plan to "adult" the heck out of this trip! It's an aspect I rarely get to explore while traveling solo because of obvious safety concerns, but I figure that Disney World is about as safe as anyone can possibly be. I love a good drink and people-watching or chatting with people, and I LOVE ambiance. I'd love to explore all of them, but I'm being realistic and have narrowed them down to just a handful in locations where I'll likely be for other reasons, like meals.

This trip is meant to be a resort vacation for me--something I haven't had in over 15 years. While the rides are great, and I definitely have some must-rides and probably even some must-ride-agains, my focus for this trip is to relax and pamper myself. I want to stroll, not run. My job is very detail-oriented--it's something I enjoy--and I can't think of any place on earth that's more detail-oriented than Disney World! I'll be actively looking for hidden Mickeys, and that requires slowing down. Maybe I'll make that a goal for myself--to find as many as I can, including talking with cast members.

 

[loves to dive]

Not to push the point, but if you eat smaller meals you might be better off with an appetizer and a salad or soup at the TS restaurants instead of an entre and dessert. I don't eat large meals, 5 small meals a day and I tend to eat kid's meals or an appetizer. When I'm there during F&W, all my meals except breakfast and maybe tea at the GF are at F&W. I try to sample at least one thing from every booth and have yet to get that done over a course of 6 days. I just don't eat that much and even though the food you get at the booths is just a bite or two (for me or three) that can make you full quick. If you have the dining plan you are going to be hesitant to cancel an ADR even if you just aren't in the mood for a big meal, without it, you can make your ADRs but if the night before you decide that is not what you want to do, you can cancel it. We made ADRs for both Tiffins and FF the day of by the way and had no problems. As far as dining solo, there aren't many TS places that you can walk up to but same day ADRs aren't hard if you aren't picky about the time or can change parks. I normally have to get an ADR for two since they rarely have one tops, it's fine to make one for two and only show up with one, they probably would have sat two at a two top instead of a 4 top any way.

 

[useakiss]

Not to push the point, but if you eat smaller meals you might be better off with an appetizer and a salad or soup at the TS restaurants instead of an entre and dessert. I don't eat large meals, 5 small meals a day and I tend to eat kid's meals or an appetizer. When I'm there during F&W, all my meals except breakfast and maybe tea at the GF are at F&W. I try to sample at least one thing from every booth and have yet to get that done over a course of 6 days. I just don't eat that much and even though the food you get at the booths is just a bite or two (for me or three) that can make you full quick. If you have the dining plan you are going to be hesitant to cancel an ADR even if you just aren't in the mood for a big meal, without it, you can make your ADRs but if the night before you decide that is not what you want to do, you can cancel it. We made ADRs for both Tiffins and FF the day of by the way and had no problems. As far as dining solo, there aren't many TS places that you can walk up to but same day ADRs aren't hard if you aren't picky about the time or can change parks. I normally have to get an ADR for two since they rarely have one tops, it's fine to make one for two and only show up with one, they probably would have sat two at a two top instead of a 4 top any way.

That's a valid point, too. Hmm, I've got a lot to think about yet, obviously.

 

[useakiss]

Another question: Since I've only booked 7 park days out of the 9 days I'll be there, but I've also bought the waterpark add-on, can I use the waterparks on non-park days?

 

[moopdog]

I am pretty sure food and wine is just cash, gift cards, credit cards and I think you can use your MB. I normally get a gift card ad put X amount of many on it so I do not spend more then I want ( it is very easey to do with $5 $4 there) I never get the dinning plane because you get so much food with it I can not eat enough to make it worth while for me.

Hey, that's a good idea....getting a gift card. I've been racking my brain about how to carry around our "spending money" so that I don't have to attach my credit card to our MB. Voila - this will be perfect, I think. I can give each of my kids a pre-loaded gift card!! Now....where to buy gift cards?

 

[gap2368]

Hey, that's a good idea....getting a gift card. I've been racking my brain about how to carry around our "spending money" so that I don't have to attach my credit card to our MB. Voila - this will be perfect, I think. I can give each of my kids a pre-loaded gift card!! Now....where to buy gift cards?

disney has gift cards on ( I for got what they are called they go around your wrist. most of the time I see keys on them) they are nice for food and wine because you do not have to worry about losing them and or digging in and out of bag/ pockets the bands should fit a small wrist ( mine are small) so they should work for your kids ( as long as they are not very young kids) you can find them at the festival entrance were they sell the T-shirts and things like that leading in to the world show case

 

[moopdog]

disney has gift cards on ( I for got what they are called they go around your wrist. most of the time I see keys on them) they are nice for food and wine because you do not have to worry about losing them and or digging in and out of bag/ pockets the bands should fit a small wrist ( mine are small) so they should work for your kids ( as long as they are not very young kids) you can find them at the festival entrance were they sell the T-shirts and things like that leading in to the world show case

Possibly a dumb question, but are they basically good for anything, souveniers, food, drink etc. And is there a fee for using them?

 

[gap2368]

Possibly a dumb question, but are they basically good for anything, souveniers, food, drink etc. And is there a fee for using them?

Yes