Seriously Considering Dining Plan..... but I have some questions

Walt Disney World
1

I just started looking at what meals will cost for us with a 10 year old. OMG! I’ve got at least two that are fixed price (Trattoria al Forno and Biergarten), and holy crap, it’s expensive. Some days, he eats more than hubby and I combined, and some days he eats less than the 5 year old.
Anyway, I started adding up what I expect we’ll buy and while I think we can take advantage of some meal sharing, snacks, etc, I don’t think it’s all that out-of-line to consider the regular dining plan. We’ve got a TS meal each day. I expect hubby and I would enjoy alcohol at least one meal a day. We don’t at home, but hey, we’re on vacation!
So, if I price it out, and factor in tips out of pocket, I think we’d about break even. I think we’d be a little more free to pick what we want (that’s the selling point, right?).

My questions…

  1. We rented DVC points. We can add dining plan to that, right?
  2. We have a split stay. One night at Boardwalk Villas, then 4 nights at BLT. Can we get the plan for just the 4 night stay?
  3. If so, can we use credits on our arrival night - 1 night before the BLT stay? I assume we can use them all day the next day - even before check-in at BLT?
  4. Can the 10 year old order off the kids menu at places like Sanna and Whispering Canyon(the all-you-can eat?) if paying out of pocket?

I’ve never even considered the dining plan before, so this is new territory for me. With more TS dining and a 10-year-old, the calculations have changed. Time for me to go back and read ALL the dining plan threads in the last few months…I’d just ignored them before. Goodbye work for today… :smiley:

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  1. Yes.
  2. You should be able to, yes, as they are separate reservations
  3. No, your credits will become available on the day of check-in for the reservation that has the plan.
  4. Yes. That tremendously impacts the value of the plan. We have two Disney adults who often order off the kids menu ---- so we don’t buy the plan right now.
3

I know you can order off the kids menu for anyone (even IRL adults) unless it’s an AYCTE either buffet or family style or prepaid and then the age 10 has to pay adult prices. Is this not the case at Whispering Canyon for the skillet? I’ve never been there but for other AYCTE places 10 yo pay adult prices. I guess if you aren’t paying with the DDP, they aren’t going to ask for proof of age for the 10 year old but they will ask (at least in my experience).

1 Like
4

WCC is also adult price for the skillet for 10+

That is an important fact I left out.

5

Thank you for all the quick answers! You guys are great. :smiley:
More questions now…

  1. We can order alcohol at every meal now? Even buffets, character meals, etc?
  2. I think I’m hearing that at WCC, my 10-yr-old could order a kid’s meal, as long as it’s not the skillet? How strict are they about sharing food? Like, if he wanted a bite or two of BBQ, but ordered a kid’s burger?
  3. What about ordering an appetizer instead of an entree? Like, bread service at Sanaa?

I think it’s time to talk to the hubby and see if he’s convinced by my awesome spreadsheet. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

6
  1. If you’re on the Dining Plan, your TS credit does include 1 alcoholic drink per meal. This is, naturally, only valid at restaurants serving alcohol.
  2. If he’s not ordering the AYCTE meal, and it’s not a “whole table must order AYCTE if any do” situation, then yes, the 10yo could order from the kids menu.
  3. When paying out-of-pocket, you can order whichever meal portions you like; there is nobody policing you. If you want to order an appetizer instead of an entrée, go for it. If you want to order no appetizers and no entrées, but instead make your meal 3 desserts, you can do that too. When you’re on the dining plan, you are restricted to one item from each category as per the credit description, but OOP you are free to design your meal as you see fit.
7

So does your QS credit. Don’t forget that little nugget. Your kids (Disney or not) can also get specialty drinks like shakes or non-alcoholic mixed drinks as part of their meals too.

3 Likes
8

This is all very helpful!
I should be more specific… for question #3… (ordering appetizers for meals), I’m particularly asking about it when on the dining plan.

9

I love appetizers. On the dining plan you can add an appetizer and pay for that but you can not substitute .

10

Not even for an entree? Disappointing. :frowning:

11

I suppose you can ask .