Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On a positive note, many readers report that Disney cast members are much
more knowledgeable about the dining plan these days than in the past. A Washington,
D.C.-area couple writes:
The kinks are worked out, and everyone at the parks we talked to seemed to get it, but
we still spent $40 or more at most sit-down dinners on drinks and tips
.
A mum from Sutton Coldfield, England, warns that toddlers fall through the
cracks:
We were traveling with two 6-year-olds and a 2-year-old. My youngest did not qualify
for the dining plan, which worked well in the buffet-style restaurants where he could
eat free. However, if you eat in a full-service restaurant and your 2-year-old is eating
off the menu, there's no infant option—you have to pay for a child's meal.
A Land O' Lakes, Florida, dad bumped into this problem:
We had some trouble with our Deluxe Dining Plan being “invalidated” after check-
out, though it was supposed to be valid until midnight of our checkout date. That was
annoying, since calls to the resort were needed to verify the meals left on our passes
for The Crystal Palace and for some snacks later.
The dining plan left a family of five from Nashville, Tennessee, similarly dazed
and confused:
What was annoying was the inconsistency. You can get a 16-ounce chocolate milk on
the kids' plan, but only 8 ounces of white milk at many places. At Earl of Sandwich,
you can get 16 ounces of either kind. A pint of milk would count as a snack (price
$1.52), but they wouldn't count a quart of milk (price $1.79) because it wasn't a
single serving. However, in Animal Kingdom, my husband bought a water-bottle
holder (price $3.75) and used a snack credit.
Reader Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Plan
A mom from Radford, Virginia, shares the following:
Warn people to eat lunch early if they have dinner reservations before 7 p.m. Disney
doesn't skimp on food—if you eat a late lunch, you WILL NOT be hungry for dinner.
A mom from Brick Township, New Jersey, found that the dining plan streamlined
her touring:
