Planning Our Disney Trip: Dinning

Planning for Disney is just as much fun for us as going to Disney (well, maybe not as much, but you get the idea). We take into account the following things:

– Crowd Calendar
– Dining
– Accommodations
– Fast Passes
– Transportation

Ever since I married my husband I have looked at Disney Dining in a different way.

When my dad took us to Disney we always came on a budget. We stayed in a cheap Holiday Inn, had breakfast in a Denny’s and then had fast food at the park. Basically we ate two burgers a day for a week.

That all changed on our honeymoon. My husband had visited WDW a few times before, but I had done it many times. I thought I was the expert and he proved me wrong. The first thing we did was have lunch and/or dinner at a table service restaurant. While my husband had the best time I was freaking out inside because we were going OUT OF BUDGET!

I soon learned that visiting a table service restaurant a day was also an experience, especially those character dining ones with kids… instead of randomly finding a character on the street or lining up for ages to get a picture with one of them, we would have breakfast, lunch or dinner with a buffet included having all the characters in that experience visit our table to take pictures and sign autographs.

This is when we tried Disney’s Dining Plan.

There are different levels of the dining plan. The first one includes only quick service meals – three per day, and since we at least visit one table service each day, we needed to upgrade to the one with two quick service and one table service.

Sounds good, right? Especially since it also includes 2 snacks per person per day.

I must admit that paying for it before hand is great because you don’t see the BIG check at the end of every meal, but there are some problems:

– Too much food!!! Breakfast is ok, but then lunch includes a dessert and so does the table service, and if you go to a buffet, you will roll down the hotel lobby when you check out.

– You could end up paying more if you’re not careful. The table meal credit is the same if you order a $16 item or a $30 item. So if you really want that $16 item, then you’ll feel your money slipping away. Buffets are in the right range for the savings, but we don’t go to a buffet everyday!

– Alcohol and tips are NOT included. Although alcohol will be included in 2018 (which no doubt will increase the price). Even when you calculate your total, it will still be more if you could tips.

– You feel pressured to finish those snack credits. Think about it, you had breakfast, you had an entree with dessert for lunch and then you go to a buffet… will you be hungry enough for a popsicle and popcorn? Maybe, but not us. We ended up buying bottled waters. A waste, don’t you think?

– Some restaurants cost 2 credits instead of one!

I think the best thing is to eat as you go. Just make sure you have all your reservations in order as soon as you can (6 months before is definitely recommended for some experiences).

What are some of my favorite table service restaurants:

With characters/buffets:
– Chef Mickey’s (take the monorail from Magic Kingdom: Mickey and friends)
– Akershus (in Epcot, Norway: Princesses)
– Tusker House (in Animal Kingdom: Safari Mickey and Friends)
– Crystal Palace (in Magic Kingdom: Pooh and Friends)
– Garden Grill (in Epcot, The Land: Chip & Dale)

Without characters:
– Biergarten (Epcot, Germany: Buffet w/show)
– Sci-Fi Dinning Theater (Hollywood Studios: you eat in a car)

These are our favorites, but we’re trying new things this year. Here’s where we’ll go:
1. Biergarten Restaurant (Epcot, Germany)
2. Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano (Hollywood Studios)
3. Teppan Edo (Epcot, Japan)
4. The Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen (Magic Kingdom)
5. Coral Reef Restaurant (Epcot
6. Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)

We tried reservations at the Be Our Guest restaurant but it was full! We tried 5 months before the date! Maybe one day 🙂

cheers!