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Category Archives: Dining Plan
How Soon Should You Start Disney Planning?
I’m not a planner in my “real life.” I don’t know what I’ll do at work tomorrow, what I’ll have for dinner or even who is picking my son up from golf practice. Tomorrow is plenty of time to work that out. But I DO know that more than six months from now, on September 19th at 7:05 pm I will be at Epcot’s Coral Reef restaurant for dinner. Disney is different. Disney requires planning far ahead of time if you want to get the most out of a trip. Luckily, even for the planning-averse such as myself, Disney planning is actually fun. Figuring out when to go, where to stay, what to eat and what to do during your trip takes time and effort, but also helps to build up the joy and wonder and magic of a Disney vacation. But what planning should you do when? Here is a rough timeline that works for me, and I hope it helps you.
The Dreaming — It’s never too early to start dreaming of Disney. Even if you know you won’t be able go for a few years, it is fun and helpful to start perusing the Disney fan sites like Chip And Company. You should set up an account on the official Walt Disney World website as well, and start playing around with the online reservation system. Order the free vacation planning dvd and the free customized park maps. Not only are these things lots of fun to have and to look at, but ordering them will put you on Disney’s radar as a potential guest and they may start sending you special offers and pin codes.
Resort Reservations and Park Tickets — The Disney online reservation system seems to let you book a stay as far out as you like. The trouble is that you won’t know what the rates, for both rooms and park tickets, will be beyond a certain point. Rates for a new year usually are released in the early summer. For instance, the 2012 rates were released on June 14th of 2011. Special promotions like discounted room rates and free dining can come out at any time, but they can be applied to an existing reservation easily, so there is nothing wrong with booking as soon as you know when you can go. Disney only requires a $200 deposit with the balance due 45 days prior to your arrival.
Dining Reservations — Disney calls them Advanced Dining Reservations, or ADRs, and they are important if you want to eat at specific table service restaurants. You can walk in and probably eventually get a table at most places, but making ADRs will ensure you eat where you like and when you like. The trick is, you need to decide where and when that is far in advance. Disney will accept ADRs 180 days out, and if you are staying on property, you can cheat a little. Resort guests can make up to ten days worth of ADRs 180 days out from their arrival day, which gives you a leg up on off property guests. That can be important, as some meals at some restaurants, like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Chef Mickey’s breakfasts, will fill up within hours or even minutes of the 180 day window opening. Online reservations can be made starting at 6:00 am Eastern time and the phone reservation system opens at 7.
Special Events — If you plan to attend any special events, like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you’ll probably want to buy advance tickets. While tickets for both are sold up to and including the day of the event, they do sell out and you don’t want to be disappointed. This can present a problem when your 180 day mark is coming up for making ADRs, but the dates of the parties have not been released. Luckily, you can cheat. Disney’s park hours are released 6 months ahead, and the two parties begin at 7 pm. So, when you look at Magic Kingdom hours and see the park closing at 7 pm, you can be pretty sure that is a day for either MNSSHP or MVMCP and plan accordingly.
Rides? — Coming soon, perhaps, is a system that will allow Disney guests to schedule Fastpass times for certain attractions from home months in advance. The next generation Fastpass system is rumored to be going into testing this summer and may make planning a Disney trip that much more interesting. While picking which rides you will ride at what time months out won’t appeal to all guests, it will likely make the lines more manageable for everyone, whether they take advantage of the new Fastpass system or not. We’ll just have to wait to see if another opportunity to plan makes the process more fun or more of a hassle. My guess is Disney gets this one right.
Do you have any planning tips to share? If so, leave them in the comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Related articles
- Now Open Tutto Italia, Tutto Gusto at Italy Pavilion at Epcot (chipandco.com)
- 2012 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Schedule (chipandco.com)
Disney Food Confession – Pepper Market Coronado Springs
Where can you find it at?
Coronado Springs Resort-Pepper Market Food Court
What is it?
Penne Alfredo,Orrechiete (three meat bolognese),Rosemary red potatoes,loaded mashed potatoes, Pork with lime glaze,Yucatecan spiced grilled chicken with fresh chile salsa *this is just a sample of what there is available*
Why you want it-
Pepper Market is one of the best ways to get your money’s worth for a counter service credit if you are on the Disney Dining Plan.They have changed the way you use your credits. Now it is a all you care to eat buffet compared to one entree,one drink and one dessert.You can visit their many food stations as much as you like.They have a huge variety to choose from and is a great way to get the most out of your counter service dining credits.
If you are not on the Disney Dining Plan it is $9.99 for children and $16.99 for adults.
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- Planning some down time with your kids? Use the Resort Playgrounds! (chipandco.com)
- Disney Food Confession – Mediterranean Sliders (chipandco.com)
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare
If you’re looking for a character meal with maximum food and fun for minimum price let me suggest the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian.
My daughter and I ate there in February 2012 for the first time and really enjoyed the food as well as the opportunity to meet Mary Poppins, Pooh, Tigger, Alice & the Mad Hatter. Yep, that’s FIVE characters!
Once you check in on the bottom floor of the Grand Floridian Resort at 1900 Park Fare and they take you to a backdrop where you can get your family 
photograph made while you wait.
The photo is not included in the price of your meal. They bring it around while you’re eating to buy if you want.
Your host then calls your name and takes you into the dining room to be seated. The wait-staff then come and take your drink order and you’re dismissed to the buffet which is AWESOME!
It’s honestly one of my favorite breakfast buffets at Walt Disney World.
And the stars of this delightful treat for the senses?
STRAWBERRY SOUP!! 
LOBSTER BENEDICT
and CINNAMON ROLLS 
This breakfast was not as crowded as many of the other character breakfasts I’ve been to, so we saw all of the characters twice AND they didn’t rush to get on to the next table. And it was so fun meeting the characters. Especially the Mad Hatter who you RARELY see in the parks.
We really had a great time and would recommend it to anybody wanting maximum time with characters and one really delicious breakfast!
Oh, one last weird thing. If you bring a stroller they take it when you go inside and put it on the OUTSIDE deck behind the Grand Floridian. So don’t be shocked when your stroller is gone. Just ask the person at the front desk to point you in the right direction or look for the signs.
Related articles
- Table Service in the Parks vs the Resorts – Which is Better? Part 1 (chipandco.com)
- Is Disney World Character Dining Worth it or is it Overpriced? (chipandco.com)
Signature Restaurants – Are They Worth It? Part 2
Walt Disney World is FULL of amazing restaurants, and a select handful of them are good enough to earn the title of “Signature Restaurant”. These restaurants offer some of the finest food and drink options in the best settings in all of Walt Disney World.
So when it comes to picking where you will be making your Advance Dining Reservations (or ADR’s) for your WDW vacation, one question you will have to ask yourself when it comes to the Signature Restaurants is, Are they worth it? Is it worth the extra money or extra Table Service credit (as Signature Restaurants will set you back 2 table service credits apiece on the Disney Dining Plan)?
Last week I reviewed some of these restaurants in an attempt to answer the question of ‘are they worth it?’ (if you missed those reviews check them out here) and now I want to talk about the rest of the Disney Signature Restaurants in hopes that the information will help you make the right dining decisions for your vacation (because as we all know, food is one of the best parts of any vacation!)
So, here we go:
Yachtsman Steakhouse – Located at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, this New England themed restaurant offers a variety of dishes, but it’s main focus is – you guessed it – steak. And they do it well – from the braised beef ravioli, to the boneless Rib-eye, to the deconstructed Beef Wellington, they are all delicious. Some common complaints about the restaurant are that the service can tend to be slow and the food inconsistent, but I have not found those to be true. The setting is great, the Resort is beautiful, and it’s definitely worth the trip to have dinner here
Survey Says: If you like steak, you’ll like Yachtsman Steakhouse
Le Cellier Steakhouse – Head over to the Canada area of Epcot’s World Showcase for lunch or dinner here, where you can feast on Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup (made with beer and bacon!), Filet mignon or king salmon or pan-seared cod, with a trio of chocolate to finish off the meal. An added bonus of this restaurant – they serve dinner AND lunch, and lunch is usually cheaper than dinner, plus lunch will only cost you ONE table service credit per person (whereas dinner will cost 2 credits)
Survey Says: The price for dinner is a little high, so I suggest grabbing lunch here (it’s the same experience, for less money!)
Bistro De Paris – Celebrate a special occasion in style at this intimate restaurant in the France pavillion of Epcot’s World Showcase. They do a Prix Fixe menu where you can select from scallops, beef, or or chicken for your main course with options for dessert and starters as well (you can also choose to have wine pairings included, for an additional fee). It’s the perfect place to enjoy a romantic dinner, as it’s a smaller, more upscale restaurant (and there tends to be fewer families and young children dining here), and it’s also a great spot to view the nightly Illuminations show. It’s main drawback? Price – it’s not cheap, and if you aren’t sure if you like French food this might not be the best place for you to dine
Survey Says: It isn’t cheap, but it’s a great place to celebrate!
The Hollywood Brown Derby- Head over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a meal at this restaurant that is a replica of the original Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood. Try the signature Brown Derby Cobb Salad, or the Duck Two Ways, and finish off your meal with their famous Grapefruit Cake (and it’s famous for a good reason – because it’s delicious!). They also have some amazing wines and martinis, and do wine pairings as well. The decor is fun, with drawings of Hollywood stars on the walls, and it has a great “old school tinseltown” feel to it
Survey Says: If you’re a movie fan, this is the place for you – you can grab a martini and relax in the elegant setting of the Brown Derby
Fulton’s Crab House - This restaurant’s location in Downtown Disney is unique – it is actually a replica of an old riverboat that is docked right on the waterfront! The location is a huge part of it’s appeal – who wouldn’t want to eat on an old riverboat? The food has appeal too – crab cakes, oysters, and mussels grace the menu, as well as a few non-seafood selections.
Survey Says: Seafood fans will love eating here, and even non seafood fans will love the old riverboat setting
Wolfgang Puck: The Dining Room – Guests who dine here will get to experience the chef’s truly unique Asian/Californian fusion in an upscale setting. Lobster risotto, a selection of sushi, and banana beignets are just some of the items you can expect to find here, as well as prix fixe menus of specially selected items, like the Austrian 2 Course Tour. Enjoy some wine and watch as your food is prepared in the open kitchen
Survey Says: If you are looking for something truly unique and different, this is the place for you
Whether you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, wedding, engagement, promotion, or simply the fact that you are on vacation at Walt Disney World (reason enough to celebrate in my mind!), I urge you to check out some of these Signature Restaurants for great food, drink, and atmosphere – there are so many choices that chances are one will be perfect for you!
Stay tuned right here on Chip and Co for part 3 where I will be discussing the character meals and dinner shows that will set you back 2 Table Service credits (while they aren’t technically “Signature” restaurants, they are unique and therefore more expensive than other restaurants. What makes them special? Check back next week to find out!)
Related articles
- Top 10 Romantic Walt Disney World Restaurants (chipandco.com)
- Signature Restaurants – Are They Worth It? Part 1 (chipandco.com)
Why Choose Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan
Let me tell you…our first Disney trip, five years ago, we chose to NOT include a Disney Dining Plan in our resort package. Why? Well, we were “first timers” and uneducated :). We assumed, like many people do, that it is WAY expensive, that we could pack our own food for cheaper. That our resort has a refrigerator, so why not come back and grab a sandwich? Disney allows small coolers into the parks, we’ll just pack a lunch. Yea, not so much. While some of those reasons may be good ones for bringing your own food into the park, we realized it isn’t for us.
However, the Quick Service Dining Plan is perfect for our family. We chose this option two trips ago, and will never go back to carting our own food around the parks, and here’s why.
1. We love the flexibility. We can eat WHENEVER we want since we aren’t tied to a reservation. We aren’t at the point with our family where we can try to hold our kids off very long from eating. We don’t like to stop, in the middle of a hot day, to sit down to a buffet or table service meal.
2. Snacks rock. With the Quick Service Dining Option, you get one snack per person, per day. For me, that’s a pretzel in Germany 
. That’s the snack I look forward to. My kids LOVE the MIckey Ice Cream Bars and Rice Krispie treats. It’s so nice to walk through the park, and when my kids ask for a treat or a snack, to know I’ve already paid for it. We just hand our Key to the World Card over to the cashier, and it’s paid for.
3. Contrary to popular belief, there is a variety of food on the Quick Service Dining Plan. That is something we realized after our first time using it, two years ago. Before we leave, I email myself a list of restaurants, mainly in World Showcase, that offer Quick Service Dining. That way, we can make sure we are trying new foods, and not eating chicken nuggets and sandwiches for every meal.
If anyone is reading this post at EPCOT, promise you’ll grab a Bavarian Pretzel from Germany for me
I want to know what you think. Are you a Quick Service Dining Plan user? Let me know in the comment box below.
This guest post comes to us from our new friend Carrie. She is a teacher, mom, and avid Disney fan. She loves planning Disney trips with her family and sharing her magical experiences with others She blogs at My Favorite Finds about cooking, organizing, creating, and of course her Disney travels.”
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