WoW I'm totally confused with this dining plan - please help !

[~Disney's Princess~]

Hi, we are staying at Disney 10/11 - 10/14 (Only 3 nights and 4 days) since we will be doing Universal as the first part of our trip.

I've never done Disney on any kind of 'all inclusive' deal - I've always booked the rooms with a code, and got the tickets etc. Now I've got this deal to stay at the Port Orleans Riverside and have the tickets included and have the meals included and it's for $1926 (which seems very steep for only 3 nights - 4 days) - and that's a tax included price.

What I'm confused on - is exactly 'how much' does a family of 4 - (hubby, wife, boy 9, boy 6) get to eat and at what price? The only thing I know is you can't go to the Cinderall Royal table unless you use "two" days worth of eating - which we've already done that so dont need to do it again.

Anyway - I'm just confused as to if I'm really REALLY overpaying for this vacation when I could be saving money. I have to say I'm not trying to do this on a budget by any means - but I'm not trying to just throw money away either. Also - I'm flustered because I normally plan my trips a year in advance and I basically just started planning this one and it's just 3 months away so I'm REALLY freaking out!

Any help or advice is much much much appreciated !

 

[PureTcrazy]

It is really very simple. Each person in your party will get 3 Counter service credits, 3 snacks and 3 Table service credits. The signature restaurants are the restaurants that require 2 TS credits. There is a lot of information in this forum and also some info at allearsnet.com. You might want to look at the menus and start making ADR's.

Relax, I know you'll have a Really Great Trip!

 

[jjohnson]

I thought your price was high too so I priced it out on Disney's web site & came up with $1573 but tickets had no water parks & no hopping. I also did standard room.

 

[kcashner]

Each person gets a Table service credit, a counter service credit, and a snack credit for each NIGHT of your stay (not day!). Your credits start the minute you check in and end at midnight on the day you check out. You can use them in any order you'd like at any restaurant that accepts them (most do). Signature dining (the very fanciest places) and dinner shows require 2 TS credits. Many people feel that this makes them not a terribly good use.

You can use any type of credit for any type of meal you'd like. We did primariy CS at lunch and TS at dinner.

Depending on how much you eat and how picky you are, there are lots of ways to "stretch" your credits. FOr instance, you can get a whole box of donuts or a quart of milk as a snack credit. So, for 2 snack credits you can have a light breakfast for the whole family. THere are several CS lunches that include a LOT of food--a double hamburger or cheesburger combo can easily feed 2 (you can cut the burger in half or buy an extra bun for 70-90 cents). There is a chicken and ribs combo available at Pepper Market and Cosmic Rays that nearly feeds 3. Sharing CS meals is perfectly ok on the plan--you have bought the food, they don't care who eats it.

Currently, there is no such thing as a child's credit and adult credit--credits are credits...but it is rumored that this might change soon. You have 2 kids--the dining plan is the best thing going at the kid's rate of $11 per night. Many snack items would sell for nearly $4 without the plan!

 

[DebbieB]

I thought your price was high too so I priced it out on Disney's web site & came up with $1573 but tickets had no water parks & no hopping. I also did standard room.

Did you include dining? That's an additional $294.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

The $1926 price tag sounded a little high to me, too. I priced it out on disneyworld.com and got the same as jjohnson: $1573 for 3 nights @POR (std. view) w/4-day MYW base tickets and the DDP, tax included. Trip insurance and airfare was not included.

The dining plan provides for 1 TS, 1 CS and 1 snack credit per person PER NIGHT. For you, that would mean a total of 12 of each credit. The credits can be spent any way that you wish. So it's possible to use 2 TS pp for a signature meal followed by CS meals the next day, etc. Most people feel that the plan actually provides too much food.

For a detailed look at how the plan works, you can check Disney's brochure here:
http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...gespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/MYWDining.pdf

 

[jjohnson]

Did you include dining? That's an additional $294.

 

[Dizneydaz]

When I booked our vacation back in April (on the phone) I got a different total than they did. Turns out the difference was trip insurance. Apparently (according the the CM helping me) they automatically include unless you specifically ask them not to. This might account for the (some )difference.

 

[jmskinner]

The amount of food you get on the dining plan is amazing. For the TS it is an appetizer, entree, and dessert, plus your non-alcoholic drink. The appetizer is what you would normally get at any restaurant for your whole table, with the dining plan you get one for each person. Each person in our party would order a different appetizer so we got to try different things. None of us ate everything. This is something we never would have done without the dining plan. We probably would have only eaten at on TS without it.

The CM's always explained what all we could get, many times I had to explain that I was too tired for more food, but thanked them for helping.

Hope you enjoy your trip and try to relax, you will have fun!

 

[kimis]

It can be overwhelming the first time you do it all but it isn't that hard. The first time my dh and I did the whole package thing (which is the only way to do it) I called dinsey direct and they answered all my questions. Everything is on your room card key. You and your husband will each have a card. You can use one card if your eating together or if you're getting food at two different places you can each use your own card. Your room key, park passes and dining plan is on the same credit card style card. It is really easy. Feel free to call disney and they will help. After all it is a magical place. Enjoy!