What do you think about my dining plan?

Walt Disney World
1

Hello,

My ADR date is next Monday. This is our second trip to Disney (me, DH, and DD7), but for some reason, I am really struggling with when/how to fit in all of our table service meals this time! We have the dining plan, in hopes that free dining will be offered. If it’s not for some reason, then I might just drop it and pay OOP. There are some table service meals that we will do regardless of whether we have the plan or not, but others that I’m just putting in to use up our TS credits. Anyway, below is my tentative plan, I would welcome your feedback or critique!

Saturday 9/17 - flight arrives at 9:15am - planning on spending the day at Hollywood Studios. Lunch would be a CS meal, dinner would be Minnie’s Halloween Dinner at Hollywood & Vine, hopefully the Fantasmic VIP package. Was thinking for around 6pm?

Sunday 9/18 - Animal Kingdom day - our original thought was to go early and then do a dinner at a resort, but with the ROL show, I’m thinking we’ll be at AK into the evening to see that now. So my thought was counter service lunch and dinner at Yak & Yeti, maybe around 6pm?

Monday 9/19 - Epcot - thinking we will do two TS meals this day - a late breakfast at Akershus (around 10:30?) and then dinner around 6:30 (going back and forth between Coral Reef, Tutto Italia, and Via Napoli).

Tuesday 9/20 - We are planning on doing MNSSHP this day (hoping this will be a party day) and if so, just having a pool day until it’s time to head to MK and just doing counter service for all meals this day.

Wednesday 9/21 - MK day, counter service lunch, dinner at 1900 Park Fare (6pm?)

Thursday 9/22 - Epcot - am thinking it probably won’t be a full day there, but we love Soarin, Test Track, and I’m sure our daughter will love the Frozen ride, so we wanted at least part of a second day there. So planning on a counter service meal for lunch and then dinner at Ohana that night (maybe around 7?).

Friday 9/23 - Our last day, but we don’t fly out until after 7pm. Planning to go to MK in the morning, pre RD BOG (maybe around 8?).

Thoughts? I feel like we don’t have a lot of free time built in there, but I guess it’s similar to what we did the last time we went, and DD was 4.5 then and had no problems keeping up, so I think it will be even easier this time. I find from looking at this that we aren’t making use of the PH option, but I suppose that gives us the freedom to hop to another park if we feel like it that day.

Thanks!
Kim

2

Where are you staying? If you are MNSSHP, why not a TS late in the day before heading to MK? Depending on where you are staying this might be at resort or alternately at a monorail resort.

Also, after your 6pm ressies are you thinking back to resort? Or are you returning to a park? This might influence timing and/or restaurant suggestions.

3

I’m thinking we will head to MK late afternoon…I don’t really want to take up time there with a TS restaurant, and don’t really want to eat at 3:30 or 4pm - just not a normal mealtime for us and not our preference. I thought it would be nice to have a day where we don’t have to worry about getting to a restaurant at a specific time and maybe be a little more relaxed that day.

As far as the 6pm reservations go, I’m not exactly sure. At HS, we’ll be staying for Fantasmic. I would think we’ll stay in Epcot after the dinner reservation so we can see their nighttime show, as we didn’t get to see it on our last trip. My hope is to go back to MK after 1900 PF for their nighttime shows, as we only saw the Halloween ones last time we went. And as for Ohana, I was thinking possibly back to the resort after. So I was thinking a later dinner than the others. Maybe I should go even later than 7? What time would you suggest for dinners if we are going back to a park afterwards? I’m flexible on the dinner times…

Oh, and we are staying at CBR.

4

I think you may want to reconsider Yak and Yeti. The only reason is that everything I have seen has not included it in the RoL dining.

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5

Oh, that’s a bummer! Thanks for letting me know. Where have you seen information on what will be included? Has this been announced? Admittedly, I have been preoccupied and have fallen off the planning wagon in the last week due to an ill family member, so I haven’t seen much of anything lately.

6

No formal details on RoL packages yet, but Tusker House seems to be the only “very probable” location. I’m guessing Tiffin’s (the new signature restaurant) will probably have something as well, but no announcements yet as to when it will even be opening. I like Y&Y well enough, but I think DD7 would like the character interaction at TH much more - and the food is one of the better buffets in any of the 4 parks (coming from someone who does not especially like either CMs or buffets).

For your 3 EP choices it really depends on what you like/want. If pizza is your thing, then VN cannot be beat (at least in WDW). If you’re looking for non-pizza Italian food, TI is the better choice. CR is a very unique restaurant and is a very cool experience if you are sitting near the glass; not as much if you are in the back. Also, although my experiences there have always been positive, it seems to be one of the more uneven TSs with regards to service and food quality.

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7

My kids and I loved Via Napoli. Their pizza was wonderful but we decided to pay OOP for it instead of using dining plan. It’s been a long time since we ate at Coral Reef. Another one of our favorites is Teppan Edo! MNSSHP will be wonderful. I agree with CS on that day. Just remember that you can enter the park at 4 pm :). My kids absolutely loved the Halloween party.

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