topic Re: Disney Dining Plan in Community Chat

Disney Dining Plan

drizzellla — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 03:23:56 GMT

Has anyone used the Disney Dining Plan?

A dear friend is going to Walt Disney World. It started out being just her husband's family. But recently more people have "invited themselves". Well, my friend made reservations to some very desirable restaurants in Walt Disney World (Princess meal in the Castle etc.). And to make the reservations she had to use her credit card. So since there are now 20+ people going - she is concerned about maxing out her credit card. And she does not know or never meet some of the people who are going on the trip. She is not sure about these people she never meet reimbursing her.

She doesn't want to cancel the reservations BUT she doesn't want to end up paying for all the meals either. Is there a way that she is not financially responsible for 20+ people?

Re: Disney Dining Plan

homedecor1 — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 04:56:23 GMT

Obviously this group of people will be staying on property. When they check in they will need (or u tell them) to put THEIR credit card on file and REMOVE info from your magic band. You can call Disney and have it taken care of before you arrive -- I'm sure the can straighten it out. Heading there tomorrow and will be doing the same I held the reservation BUT won't be paying for anyone except me & my 2 guests.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Pickwickpapers — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 05:05:38 GMT

Probably not. Meals at the castle are usually on reservation basis. So you are reserving a seat and charged whether you go or not once the deadline for changes has passed. The meal plan is a different deal in that you get a certain number of meals daily. But again you purchase a certain number of plans for a certain number of days. IMO it is highly risky to charge any of these food purchases on your credit card for so many people and people that you don't really know. Look at the Disney website for a detailed explanation before you use your card. P.S. The dinner in the castle is quite nice......we took our granddaughter a few years ago...

Re: Disney Dining Plan

drizzellla — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 16:52:09 GMT

Homedecor - Have a great time. It is so nice this time of year.

MOM of Mason - glad to hear you took your granddaughter, I hope to go one day and eat in the castle.

I only used the Dining Plan one time and that trip it was only 2 of us. My friend is so organized she made up a spreadsheet of every reservation and every detail. Unfortunately, most of the people who are going with her don't want to decide anything until they get there. In fact they told her they were not going to purchase their tickets until they get to the Park. She has an uphill battle.

I appreciate your input and passed it on. I told her it is best to talk to Disney and have it straightened out.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Krimpette — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:02:40 GMT

Wow! Why would she have done that? Do that many people even want to be together for several meals? I hope she can get out of that, but I'm not sure how.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Burnsite — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:14:57 GMT

Hi, drizella, Did your friend make reservations for 20? Or did she reserve for herself and you? If that is the case, the outriders can be told that they will make their own arrangements for meals if they will not pay in advance.

If she paid for her own plan but just reserved at restaurants for the others, she can cancel those reservations, or point out that if they want the Disney Dining plan, they must pay for it in advance, as you have.

Maybe I misread your message, but that's a lot of people to latch on to someone else's vacation at the last moment!

The Disney Dining plan is for people like Henry VIII, though. I tried it once and getting to the restaurants diverted other plans that would have been fun. Three meals/I think 2 snacks a day. An unintended effect is that food at Disney used to be more special than it is now. There is a tendency for all the meals to be less authentically ethnic and more to middle American tastes.

I overheard this once in the Italy restaurant in Epcot from two young kids on a date: "Waiter, can you tell me...what is the difference between _pasta_ and _antipasta_? Maybe he was a Star Trek fan thinking in terms of matter and anti-matter.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Qwackertoo — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:18:26 GMT

Some of those reservations are harder to get . . . and must be made months in advance . . . so depending on dates of travel if sooner than later . . . you can't just up your reservation from say 8 to 20 for the "hard to get" ADR's.

IF you are staying in a Deluxe and have the DDP . . . some of those table service meals may be covered. We're past the phase of the Princess etc. meals . . .

Just depends on where you are staying, deluxe, mod, budget and which dining plan whether table service or quick service.

But yep, due to "no shows" they've starting charging for "no shows" IF not canceled within required time frame.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

terrier3 — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:19:25 GMT

The Disney Dining Plan is WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, IMO.

You can do a lot better with having a good breakfast, snacks during the day and then dinner. Or to save money, have your biggest meal at lunch and just snack later on.

I have been to Disneyworld 20+ times and I don't think the Dining Plan is a good deal. You'll want to be enjoying the parks, not sitting down for all your meals, IMO.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Qwackertoo — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:23:00 GMT

On 10/12/2014 terrier3 said:
The Disney Dining Plan is WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, IMO.

You can do a lot better with having a good breakfast, snacks during the day and then dinner. Or to save money, have your biggest meal at lunch and just snack later on.

I have been to Disneyworld 20+ times and I don't think the Dining Plan is a good deal. You'll want to be enjoying the parks, not sitting down for all your meals, IMO.

It is a GREAT deal when you catch it during one of the FREE offer time periods!!! Even then it is still TOO MUCH FOOD!!! A few times we'd get a cashier to let us get an extra bottle of water instead of a dessert . . . some would allow the switch and others wouldn't.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

terrier3 — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:51:31 GMT

On 10/12/2014 Qwackertoo said:
On 10/12/2014 terrier3 said:
The Disney Dining Plan is WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, IMO.

You can do a lot better with having a good breakfast, snacks during the day and then dinner. Or to save money, have your biggest meal at lunch and just snack later on.

I have been to Disneyworld 20+ times and I don't think the Dining Plan is a good deal. You'll want to be enjoying the parks, not sitting down for all your meals, IMO.

It is a GREAT deal when you catch it during one of the FREE offer time periods!!! Even then it is still TOO MUCH FOOD!!! A few times we'd get a cashier to let us get an extra bottle of water instead of a dessert . . . some would allow the switch and others wouldn't.

OP didn't say anything about getting it for free...she is concerned about the charges on her CC.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Qwackertoo — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 18:36:37 GMT

On 10/12/2014 terrier3 said:
On 10/12/2014 Qwackertoo said:
On 10/12/2014 terrier3 said:
The Disney Dining Plan is WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, IMO.

You can do a lot better with having a good breakfast, snacks during the day and then dinner. Or to save money, have your biggest meal at lunch and just snack later on.

I have been to Disneyworld 20+ times and I don't think the Dining Plan is a good deal. You'll want to be enjoying the parks, not sitting down for all your meals, IMO.

It is a GREAT deal when you catch it during one of the FREE offer time periods!!! Even then it is still TOO MUCH FOOD!!! A few times we'd get a cashier to let us get an extra bottle of water instead of a dessert . . . some would allow the switch and others wouldn't.

OP didn't say anything about getting it for free...she is concerned about the charges on her CC.

My comment was to YOU . . . which is why I quoted YOUR post . . . you said you didn't think it was a "good deal". My comments earlier in the thread were addressed to the OP.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

terrier3 — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 18:40:23 GMT

On 10/12/2014 Qwackertoo said:
On 10/12/2014 terrier3 said:
On 10/12/2014 Qwackertoo said:
On 10/12/2014 terrier3 said:
The Disney Dining Plan is WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, IMO.

You can do a lot better with having a good breakfast, snacks during the day and then dinner. Or to save money, have your biggest meal at lunch and just snack later on.

I have been to Disneyworld 20+ times and I don't think the Dining Plan is a good deal. You'll want to be enjoying the parks, not sitting down for all your meals, IMO.

It is a GREAT deal when you catch it during one of the FREE offer time periods!!! Even then it is still TOO MUCH FOOD!!! A few times we'd get a cashier to let us get an extra bottle of water instead of a dessert . . . some would allow the switch and others wouldn't.

OP didn't say anything about getting it for free...she is concerned about the charges on her CC.

My comment was to YOU . . . which is why I quoted YOUR post . . . you said you didn't think it was a "good deal". My comments earlier in the thread were addressed to the OP.

It stands to reason that if it's free - it's a good deal.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

drizzellla — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 03:07:07 GMT

My friend called for reservations the first day she could make them. That is why she was able to get reservations to several highly desired restaurants. That is why she doesn't want to cancel any of the reservations. With additional people she was not able to add them to all the reservations. But she is still worried about all the reservations she did make and not having people show up or pay her.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Qwackertoo — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 16:02:46 GMT

How much do they charge for a no show? Full meal price per person? And does it vary IF it is a character meal vs. a standard meal with no characters?

IF I did not know some of these people and they weren't too keen on planning in advance . . . I'd have to go with no money prior to cancellation deadline then I'd cancel the reservation or reduce the number of people to my immediate family or those I would feel were responsible to either show up or pay their share IF they didn't.

Our last couple of trips we've opted NOT to do the ADR's . . . and chose free style touring for lack of a better word and went with spur of the moment choices plus we go during ""slower"" seasons so the crowds aren't as bad in the parks or the restaurants.

Good Luck to your friend! She will have a blast! I'm leaning towards going again in December with daughter and meeting her at the airport 1/2 between home and her college town after exams . . . although we'd have to pay parking for two vehicles so we'll see. Free Dining Plan Starts 2 days after finals so we're tempted and can get 4-5 days/nights in before the busy crowds of Christmas week.

edit typo

Re: Disney Dining Plan

missy1 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 16:44:15 GMT

I personally would not take a risk and put 20+ peoples meals on my credit card, unless they gave me upfront money.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Qwackertoo — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 16:55:45 GMT

from the DIS boards. Varies . . . dinner shows or dining experiences paid in full . . . cancellation must be by 11:59 p.m. eastern time the day before your ADR.

CANCELLATION POLICIES AND CREDIT CARD GUARANTEES will apply to ALL Walt Disney World table service restaurants for reservations made on or after NOVEMBER 19, 2013. if you modify a reservation made before November 19, the new rules may apply.

In most cases, the penalty for a no-show or late cancellation is $10 per person (note: it is per person, not per reservation). Victoria & Albert's is $20 per person for a no-show.

Some dining experiences are prepaid, i.e. you must pay in full for them at the time of booking. The best known are Cinderella's Royal Table and the three dinner shows, although there may be other special meals and events that are prepaid.

At this time it is unknown what, if any, exigent circumstances will be permitted as excuses for cancelling a reservation at a restaurant on this list past the cancellation deadline (same day as the scheduled ADR). We do not know if Disney will have specific accepted excuses or if it will be up to the person who answers the phone whether or not to accept the excuse. We also cannot be sure at this time that any exigent circumstances for cancelling past the official deadline will be accepted at all.

Be Our Guest lunch is counter service and reservations can't be made, so the policy does not apply at lunch for that particular restaurant.

This is from the FAQ:

Quote:

Your credit card wont be charged before you dine with us unless you either dont show up for your reservation or cancel after 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day before your arrival. So, we encourage you to keep your reservation and enjoy your dining experience!

PLEASE NOTE: the site says "each restaurant maintains its own cancellation policy." Note that some restaurants or events have a DIFFERENT cancellation policy - for example the Candlelight Processional packages have a 2 day cancellation deadline, rather than 1 day.

The above wording also means the penalty will be applied if YOUR ENTIRE PARTY DOESN'T SHOW UP. If a partial party shows up, the reservation is considered honored.

This policy may be different where it concerns a prepaid dining experience (which is paid in full at booking - Cinderella's Royal Table, or the 3 dinner shows - Hoop de Doo Revue, Mickey's Backyard Barbecue, Spirit of Aloha Luau - for example.)

Re: Disney Dining Plan

scotttie — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 17:01:16 GMT

I don't know anything about cancellation policies (your post looks very helpful Quackertoo) but I will say the Dining Dollars was a great deal for us when we went to Disney a few years ago. We took Burnsite's advice and stayed at the Wild Kingdom Lodge (hope that's the right name...it's the one where there are animals outside your room).

And the Dining dollars saved us a lot of money. The food wasn't always great but you have to eat somewhere so it worked out really well for us. Plus the snacks and drinks.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Qwackertoo — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 17:08:21 GMT

Hi Scottie

Our last trip we had the free dining plan . . . with the menus online we pretty much knew where to eat and never ate a single hamburger or hotdog . . . mainly fish, shrimp, bbq chicken & ribs . . . the Bakery in Norway, lovely lunch . . . best meal was probably Downtown Disney . . . it was just my daughter & I so we "shared" a lot and just ate more frequently . . . One of these days I want to eat at Victoria & Albert's . . . maybe our 25th anniversary I'll get to experience it at the "chef's table". We stayed one trip at the Animal Kingdom Lodge . . . with the afternoon children's activities the kids, they were like 6 & 9 that trip, made me some nice mosaic style ornaments, I still have them!

Re: Disney Dining Plan

Puzzle Piece — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 17:28:39 GMT

Just say ""NO'.

Re: Disney Dining Plan

scotttie — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 17:32:36 GMT

On 10/13/2014 Qwackertoo said:
Hi Scottie

Our last trip we had the free dining plan . . . with the menus online we pretty much knew where to eat and never ate a single hamburger or hotdog . . . mainly fish, shrimp, bbq chicken & ribs . . . the Bakery in Norway, lovely lunch . . . best meal was probably Downtown Disney . . . it was just my daughter & I so we "shared" a lot and just ate more frequently . . . One of these days I want to eat at Victoria & Albert's . . . maybe our 25th anniversary I'll get to experience it at the "chef's table". We stayed one trip at the Animal Kingdom Lodge . . . with the afternoon children's activities the kids, they were like 6 & 9 that trip, made me some nice mosaic style ornaments, I still have them!

Ah yes. I would love to do the Victoria and Albert's some day. yes, that's what we did too. Checked out all the menus online beforehand. We ate one time at EPcot I think it was in a German restaurant. Kraut and some kind of sausage I believe. Whatever, it did NOT agree with me. The bus ride back to the hotel was torture.