• For many meals, you need a credit card to make the reservation.
• During the holidays some restaurants add a holiday surcharge, especially buffets, so ask how much it costs when making reservations.
• Some of the more popular restaurants require a credit card charge to secure a seat year-round. This is to discourage people from blocking off meals and then not showing up, depriving others of the chance to eat there.
Disney Dining Plan
This has quickly become one of my favorite features of a Disney resort vacation package. It’s available only to Disney resort guests and is a great value, in most cases. You’ll still want to consider your overall dining plans and budget to see if it’s right for you, but in the right instances, it can provide significant savings and a great deal of convenience.
How the Plan Works
With the plan, you pay a flat amount per person in exchange for a specific number of meals at Disney restaurants. There are now three basic plans, where for every hotel night of your stay, you get the following:
Deluxe Dining Plan
• Three meals, either counter service or table service
• Counter-service meals including an entrée, a dessert (or juice for breakfast), and one drink; or a combo meal with drink, if applicable
• Table-service meals including an appetizer, an entrée, a dessert, and one drink; or a full buffet, if applicable
• Two snacks (ice-cream bar, popcorn, milk, or bottle of soda or water, to name a few)
Standard Dining Plan
• One counter-service meal including one entrée, one dessert at lunch/dinner (or juice at breakfast), and one drink; or a combo meal with drink, if applicable
• One table-service meal including one entrée, one dessert, and one drink, plus an appetizer for kids 3–9; or a full buffet, if applicable
• One snack (ice-cream bar, popcorn, milk, or bottle of soda or water, to name a few)
Quick Service Dining Plan
• Two counter-service meals including one entrée, one dessert at lunch/dinner (or juice at breakfast), and one drink; or a combo meal with drink, if applicable
• Two snacks (ice-cream bar, popcorn, milk, or bottle of soda or water, to name a few)
• Resort refillable mug (only refillable at your Disney resort)
Note that the drinks included must be nonalcoholic. You can still buy wine, beer, or cocktails—or additional food items, for that matter—but you have to pay for them. But don’t think that this is a restrictive plan. The menu item selection is complete, not some prechosen item list at each restaurant. And with more than 100 Disney restaurants included in the main plan, you’ll rarely encounter a problem. Plus you don’t have to use your meals in any particular order or on specific days; use them when you want to.
Other Considerations
Well, a few meals at Walt Disney World are more extravagant in their food or entertainment. For these, you have to redeem two of your table-service meal credits for just one meal. Furthermore, the two-credit charge at dinner shows like Spirit of Aloha gets you into Category 2 (of 3) seating, not the premiere Category 1 that sits closest to the entertainment. These restaurants include the following:
• Jiko—The Cooking Place
• Flying Fish Café
• California Grill
• Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review (Category 2 seating)
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
• Citricos
• Narcoossee’s
• Spirit of Aloha show (Category 2 seating)
• Artist Point
• Yachtsman Steakhouse
• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Le Cellier (dinner only)
Other plan considerations include:
• Room Service: You can use the dining plan credits for room service, but not for mini-bar charges, souvenir or refillable drink mugs, or nonfood merchandise (such as photos at character meals).
• Children’s Plan: Kids ages 3 to 9 have to pick their meals from the children’s menu, if one is available.
• Toddlers: Children under 3 cannot order the plan. But they are allowed to eat from one of the parent’s plates, saving you from having to buy them a meal at many dining locations, like a buffet.
• Everyone Is on the Plan: You can’t have some of your party on the plan but others not. Everyone in a room has to be on the plan, so you can’t go cheap and share meals.
Where the Plan Works
Few restaurants don’t honor the plan. Victoria & Albert’s in the Grand Floridian Resort is one, and select Downtown Disney restaurants will take the card, but have some entrées that require an added charge. Most new restaurants don’t get added to the plan right away, but usually end up there eventually. Otherwise, coverage is extremely broad. As you read the restaurant reviews in the next chapters, look for the symbol.
You can print out brochures for these plans from the Disney World website. Just look for the page titled “Why Stay at a Disney Resort Hotel?” under the “Plan” section.
How to Use It
Your room key will keep track of your meal redemption. Whenever you’re dining, let them know you’re on the plan when you’re being seated or approaching the counter. Then give them your room key when paying the bill. The receipt will show how many credits remain for that particular kind of meal, a nice feature for tracking your progress.
When it comes to snacks, all you need to do is look for the Disney Dining Plan logo on cart stands or counter-service menus. The distinctive block logo with the DDP letters and a soda cup in it are easy to find and are next to all applicable snack selections.
MICKEY-SPEAK
When you see the logo next to a restaurant in the dining chapters of this book, it means the restaurant is part of the Disney Dining Plan program.
Disney Dining Plan Costs
So what is the cost? The plans can change at any time, but it’s safe to assume that it will cost, per person, per day, the following amounts:
• Quick Service dining plan: Adults $34.99/Children 3–9 $11.99
• Standard dining plan: Adults $45.99/Children 3–9 $11.99
• Deluxe dining plan: Adults $78.99/Children 3–9 $21.99
How does that compare to buying on your own? Let’s take a quick look at one day on the plan with our fictional family of four (two adults, one child age 7, and one age 13). That equates to three adult dining plans and one child dining plan.
How much would each plan cost for one day? And how does that compare to what you would get? Let’s take a peek:
Quick Service Plan Comparison
• Quick Service Daily Plan Cost: $117.00
• Counter-Service Lunch (Pecos Bill’s): $47.50
• Counter-Service Dinner (Pecos Bill’s): $47.50
• Two Snacks Each (Mickey Ice Cream Bars): $28.00
• TOTAL COST: $123.00
Standard Plan Comparison
• Standard Daily Plan Cost: $150.00
• Counter-Service Lunch (Pecos Bill’s): $47.50
• Table-Service Dinner (Crystal Palace): $128.96
• One Snack Each (Mickey Ice Cream Bars): $14.00
• TOTAL COST: $190.46
Deluxe Plan Comparison
• Deluxe Daily Plan Cost: $259.00
• Table-Service Breakfast (Crystal Palace): $81.96
• Table-Service Lunch (Crystal Palace): $88.96
• Table-Service Dinner (Crystal Palace): $128.96
• Two Snacks Each (Mickey Ice Cream Bars): $28.00
• TOTAL COST: $313.88
In all three examples the math certainly indicates that you can save some money. As the plans get more expensive, the savings seem to rise as well. However, does it really work out that way? This math all looks fine and good. But don’t just compare the price to the cost. Compare what you would have bought normally to the cost. That’s the real measure of the deal.
One
important note: remember when calculating your food budget that you will still have other possible food costs that you will need to add, whether you choose to do a dining plan or not:
• Extra meals. You have the same number of days of vouchers as nights in your resort hotel, but you’re probably there for one more total day, so you’ll be buying some meals on that extra day.
• Breakfast, or whatever third meal you did not use. Plan to use credits for this meal on the Standard or Quick Service plan.
• Alcoholic beverages at meals.
• More snacks in the parks.
• Waters and sodas that you will drink to keep hydrated in the Florida sun.
• Gratuities are not included in the dining plan (with a few exceptions), so budget for that as well.
Which Plan for Which Family?
So should you go with the Deluxe, the Standard, or the Quick Service plan? It all depends on your group. Here are some basic suggestions:
• Families with smaller children are usually best off with the Standard or Quick Service. Why not the Deluxe? To make it pay off, you pretty much have to go to table-service restaurants for every meal, and most small children won’t sit for that or eat that much food.
• Adult-only groups and foodies. People who are here for culinary adventures should consider the Deluxe. It pays off as long as you are going to all table-service dining choices.
• Families with teens can consider the counter-service option, especially if they are going to let their kids go off on their own. Breakfasts or lunches on the go are probably the norm already, and they can just use their Magic Your Way card to pay for their meals, meaning you don’t have to give them cash!
Bottom Line
While they all seem to measure out as good deals, I think that you have to consider each with a guarded eye. For most families the Deluxe plan is too costly and too much food. They simply won’t get to it all, so they are overspending even before they get to Orlando. It can be a good deal. No criticism there. But few can really make it worth their while.
The Standard and Quick plans can be right, if that’s how you dine. But be sure that you are planning your meals to ensure that you are maximizing the plan. Overall, the dining plans seem to give savings to many different kinds of guests.
Comparing Character Meals
You may have heard about the famed character meals at Walt Disney World. In a nutshell, your dinner (or lunch, or breakfast, or high tea) hosts are Disney characters. From Mickey and Minnie, to the bevy of movie Princesses, to Lilo and Stitch, you have a wide array of characters from which to choose. During your meal the characters move from table to table, greeting the kids, signing autograph books, posing for pictures, and creating special moments that your children will treasure forever.
These character encounters have become a staple of most family vacations to Walt Disney World. They are also the most sought-after advance reservations, with few exceptions. But with more than a dozen to choose from, as well as the dinner show options that we review later in this chapter, which one is right for you?
Later in the respective chapters, we review the restaurants for cuisine and overall entertainment value, but let’s do a little side-by-side comparison to get you started. The chart starting on the next page reviews the different features of the character meals and dinner shows.
DID YOU KNOW?
Are you wondering why there’s a range of prices for the Spirit of Aloha show? Disney is testing different price ranges for different seating options. They have already mapped out the seating at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review and the Spirit of Aloha dinner show into three tiers each, with higher prices for better views of the show. I think that the $10 added cost per person makes choosing the best seating section a good idea, but for larger groups, that can be expensive. In the Spirit of Aloha show, the second tier offers good views and a bit more of the warm ambiance of the restaurant, so it’s a good selection. The second tier in the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review is also a good choice if you want to keep the costs down a bit.
Kids and Healthful Dining
Long before the fury over trans-fat oils hit the national media, Disney had been beset by concerns over the foods that they were dishing out to kids. The counter-service meals were all falling to the usual suspects, like burgers with fries, chicken strips, and mac and cheese. Don’t get me wrong—these are all personal favorites, but even I know I can’t eat them all the time.
Disney knew they had to do better, so they’ve started to incorporate more healthful children’s menu items around Walt Disney World. Chicken pita pizzas with apples and a side salad, vegetable plates with yogurt and chicken salad, and broiled chicken strips with vegetables and yogurt have all become the new lead kid’s meals. You can still get your kids the bad stuff usually, but when they’re putting more healthful selections forward as their primary selections, it’s much easier to get your kids to eat well while on vacation.
Character meals and dinner shows at Walt Disney World.
Comparing Dinner Meals
As you can see, I also review the dinner shows. There aren’t a lot of them, but they are popular. The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review and the Spirit of Aloha show have been here for quite some time, always packing them in.
Author’s Favorites
Everyone has their own cuisine favorites, so my choices will not always be the best for everyone. That being said, as you go through the next few chapters, you’ll see what I consider to be the best of each park, the resorts, and the rest of Walt Disney World. My tastes lean to trying lots of new cuisines, and I also don’t mind spending a bit to try them. What do I think are the absolute best? Here are my choices.
Best of Walt Disney World Dining
These are my very favorite overall Walt Disney World dining choices.
Best Overall Fine Dining—California Grill (Contemporary Resort): Fine dining, exceptional views, relaxed but elegant ambiance. Perfection.
Best Overall Character Meal—Restaurant Akershus (Epcot): This restaurant has an embarrassment of riches in the Princess department. The food is also quite good, offering some new tastes but letting you rely on American standards if that’s your royal wish.
Best Overall Counter-Service Meal—Flame Tree Barbeque (Animal Kingdom): Excellent barbecue combined with tropically lush and luxurious dining ambiance makes for an unparalleled and affordable experience.
Best Overall Snack—Dole Whip (Magic Kingdom): To each his own, but this classic never fails to satisfy.
Best Dinner Show—Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review (Fort Wilderness): This long-running show is still one of the hardest reservations to get, and it combines good food and fun, kitschy entertainment.
Disney Dining Honorary Mentions
Some of these are not awards you’ll see in a Michelin Guide, but they’re important for Walt Disney World.
Best Fireworks Show Restaurant—Rose & Crown (Epcot): An outdoor seat is hard to score, but the view of IllumiNations is beyond compare, especially with a nice pint of English beer.
Honorary Mention—California Grill (Magic Kingdom) for a view of the Magic Kingdom show: A better view than at Rose & Crown, but the Epcot show is the better of the two.
Best Pizza—Via Napoli (Epcot): Pizza has been notoriously mediocre at Walt Disney World until this new pizzeria breezed in with crisp, Nepalese-style pies.
Best Counter-Service Breakfast—Tonga Toast (Polynesian Resort): Originally only available at the Kona Café, you can now get this banana-stuffed French toast at Captain Cook’s counter service as well.
Best Romantic Restaurant—Victoria & Albert’s (Grand Floridian Resort): If white table cloth, over-the-top elegance is your cup of tea, then V & A is exceptional. It’s expensive, but is the most elegant experience in all of Walt Disney World.
Most Over-the-Top Cocktails—Tambu Lounge (Polynesian Resort): The glasses are tiki gods and the drinks are all strong, fruity, and tasty.
Most Fun Dining at a Resort—Whispering Ca
nyon Café (Wilderness Lodge Resort): The staff makes dinner so fun for kids—and the adults, too—that nobody wants a room near the place!
Most Fun Dining at a Park—50’s Prime Time Café (Hollywood Studios): Don’t tell Mom that you don’t like green beans. We clean our plates in this family, young man!
Best Steakhouse—Yachtsman Steakhouse (Beach Club): The nearby Shula’s (Dolphin Resort) might have a higher-end, more traditional experience, but the expense for value there is so extreme that Yachtsman is a better bet.
Best Seafood—Flying Fish Café (BoardWalk): Good-quality and innovative preparations make this the choice for seafood fans.
Most Exotic Restaurant Setting—Restaurant Marrakesh (Epcot): Welcome to the Kingdom of Morocco, showcasing authentic cuisine and complemented by live music and dancing.
Best Trendy Dining—Jiko—The Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Lodge): The flavors explode from the food, and all those awards wouldn’t lie.
Best Buffet—Tusker House (Animal Kingdom Lodge): The food includes both a well-executed array of traditional cuisine at each meal, but also some wonderfully exotic and still approachable Indian and African inspired selections as well.
Honorary Mention—Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge): Inspiration for Tusker House, Boma offers a different setting for its African-inspired items that are alongside American standards.
Best Wine List—Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge): Sporting the largest South African wine list outside of South Africa, it’s filled with great choices that are new to most wine connoisseurs.
Summary
You’re probably going to disagree with at least one of my awards. That’s a good thing because that means you found a favorite of your own. Either way, let’s dig in and see what these restaurants are all about, shall we?
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World, 2012 Edition Page 13
