Are you trying to decide if you should add a dining plan to your Walt Disney World package? Let me clear up some of the confusion and answer the most common questions.
Convenience - Having most or all of your meals pre-paid can be a great stress reducer, and money saver. Most guests have found that they enjoy the meals a great deal more on one of the dining plans. This is because you are more likely to order what you really want when it is pre-paid than if paying cash.
Money Saver – Yes it can be IF you use the plan you are on to maximize your point value. Choose restaurants and meals that are either an experience you can’t get any place else (character meals) or the meals are unusually “fancy” for your family.
Dining Points - All dining plan “points” are per person, per night of your stay. Everyone in the room must be on the same dining plan or no dining plan. All dining points for the entire trip are issued when you check in and expire at midnight the day you check out. When you use them is up to you. One meal equals one point for either counter or table service.
Tipping - With a couple of exceptions, you must pay your tips for the service received at a table service restaurant based on the retail value of the meal. Disney will calculate this for you at 16%. You always have the right to change the tip amount. Please be sure to let management know if you are reducing the calculated tip amount for service that didn’t meet your expectations.
Quick Service Plan– offers two counter service meals, one snack, and one resort refillable drink mug per person, per night. Counter or Quick Service are the restaurants that you walk up, place your order, and take a tray of food back to your table. There are no character meals at Quick Service restaurants.
Regular Dining – offers one counter service meal, one table service meal, one snack and one resort refillable drink mug. Table service are the restaurants that offer a server that takes and brings your meal order or a buffet meal with a table server. All Character meals are at table service restaurants.
Deluxe Dining – offers three meals per night at your choice of table service or quick service, two snacks, and one resort refillable drink mug. This plan gives you the most “points” to use as you see fit. This is an especially good option if you want to do more than one signature dining experience.
Snacks - can be prepackaged items, fresh fruit, bottled drink or other bakery type snack. ASK to be sure what is considered a snack. You may be surprised at the vast selection.
Dining Brochure – lists all of the restaurants that participate in the dining plans and their point usage for dining at a particular location. Signature experiences require two table dining points. Cinderella’s Royal Table inside the castle at the Magic Kingdom is a signature dining experience – and well worth the two points! Please email Wishes Family Travel if you would like a 2013 Dining Brochure.
As Authorized Disney Vacation Planners, all concierge agents at Wishes Family Travel are well versed in the Disney dining plans. They can help you to be sure your family has a truly magical Disney World Vacation! They will take the worry and stress out of your vacation planning.
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