Disney Dining plan (part 2)

                   I wanted to let everyone know the Disney restuarants that we have
 tried and what we thought of each,,now each persons taste is different but I
thought i'd let you know if you haven't been what we thought of them....
here it goes....

Animal kingdoms
-Asia—

Yak &yeti restaurant-Asian food located by

 Mount Everest...we found the food very good.

Discovery islands—
Flame tree bbq...bbq chicken and ribs in large portions...very good as well...

Disney’s Hollywood studios (mgm)
—streets of America& commissary lane—
ABC commissary—cafeteria style food, fish and chips, burgers...
we found the food fair....

Back lot express—fast food with a fair amt of choices...
food was good for fast food...

       Sci-fi dines –in theatre—you eat in classic convertible cars in the dark and
watch old movies and cartoons like at the drive- in...Food was fair...better for
 younger kids, my 14 yr old thought it was “lame”...I like seeing the old movies
 but we haven’t gone back in our trips since..

Hollywood blvd & echo lake area...

50’s prime time diner......home cooking like in the 50’s meat loaf, big Sundays etc...
but don’t forget your manners or you won’t get any dessert....(my husband didn’t
realize the theming and when the waitress asked if he had washed his hands he was
 quiet insulted..I had to quickly explain what was happening...oops...so plan ahead
and let the adults in on it)...food is yummy and lots of it and its just plain fun even
my teenage wants to go again and again..Maybe it’s the huge brownie sundaes???

Epcot....
Garden grill—character meal with chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto dressed up
 like farmers...the restaurant rotates while you eat...(farm house/field/etc)..It’s
served family style (platters) all you can eat...and it’s good food...we have
 great character pics from here...great for young and old...

Boulanger patisserie—French pastry—need I say more...yum and yum...a must do!!

Les chef des France—traditional French foods...
cheese plate, French wines, French pasteries..
.need I say more...

                     Coral reef ---fine dining and they say every table has a clear
view of the aquarium.....Well we were seated on the top row as far away
 from it as you could get and couldn’t see much.. As for the food..It was
 good but not at those prices...it would be better near the tank because
they had huge sea Turtles, sharks and fish (we had to walk down to
the tank to see any of this).....we haven’t gone back.

               San Angel inn...Mexican food by a volcano, outdoor bistro setting
(inside Mexico building) in the dark....I don’t know if it was just us /travelers
sickness but on our first trip my son and I ate here, the last night of our trip
thank God, because we were up all night throwing up and had diarrhea,
 the two of us...enough said...the atmosphere was really nice on the positive
side...

Restaurant Marrakesh...Moroccan food with a belly dancer
 that my son and hubby thought was cool...we didn’t care for
 the food except dessert was good...

• Magic kingdom....

Fantasyland

         Cinderella’s royal table...character meal....we had the lunch and got
 a free picture package with the dining plan and saw many of the princesses
 inside (Cinderella is only seen outside for the picture but the others come to
each table for pics)...food was pricy but pretty good...

Frontier land..

Liberty tree tavern...New England foods served family style platters)
it used to be a character meal...we love it...foods good...theming is fun...

The crystal palace...character meal with Winnie the pooh and friends...
buffet with a good selection...we went with a teen...best for younger kids...
we still had fun getting pics...

Tomorrow land—

        Cosmic rays cafe—“live’ entertainment...a lounge singer..(Mechanical character)
 ..lots of food choices like chicken and ribs, burgers etc,,,,lots of food per serving
could easily share a plate between kids if on a budget...we weren’t so lucky with
 a teen with a hollow leg ...we go back every time we are there...

 Resorts----

All star resorts

(We’ve been to movies, music) they are basically the same...nothing fancy but good food
...chicken meals, salads, pizza, burgers, steak ,breakfast foods...a good value but basic
foods...we had no problem finding something for everyone the choices are many..

Contemporary...

             The California grill...fine dining—dress code...takes 2 dining meal credits,
best with older kids...if you time it 30-40 mins prior to the wishes fireworks at the
castle like we did ..
It’s all worth the cost...stunning views from the roof top fully glassed restaurant
...you can also go out on the roof for a view of the fireworks...all the sounds from the
 magic kingdom fireworks are piped into the restaurant ,it’s like being at the castle...
food is pricy but amazing..Yum...and we were on the dining plan and got a seat right
by the window. It was perfect but any seat will give a great view...

Chef Mickey’s—a must.. for young and old...buffet with loads of choices and
great foods...a character meal geared to little ones..A bit noisy but even with
a teen we have fun and we go back every year we love it so much...

Coronado springs ---
               Pepper market...basically it’s a fancier food court...a lot of stations were you pick you
 food and they stamp your card( a bit confusing at first) lots of choices great steak ,and desserts...
etc.. We really likes it...ate there more than once...

Downtown Disney—

               Planet Hollywood—very fun theming...noisy, crowded but servers
 work hard to make the wait reasonable...food is great...
We go back every year...love it...

Disney dining plan food examples

lets see

 ..liberty tree tavern family style(T)

                                 --cinderellas royal lunch....(2xT)(character meal)

                                                                                                                         

 50's diner(T)

chef du france(T)

cosmic rays (Q)("cheaper" meal on plan+still a feast)

chef du france(T)

(T)50's diner

planet hollywood(T)                 

Pepper Mill (Q)(quick service but still a great meal

..its not just hotdog choices you can have great food on quick service meal plan as well)

                            

(Q) all stars (mickey waffles)                                                                        

                                                       

                                                                          

castle royal table(2xT)

                                                                                                                                                                                               50's diner

Yak and Yei(T)

   

So these are ALL on the disney dining plan :)

(we get the dining plan each yr)..

This is why we plan our park days by which day ,that park is open latest

( we still get park hopper incase we need it)..so we can make the most of each park day

 and we make reservations according to which park/resort we will be near and end up having to loose less park day hours and have super good food

( both quick service spots and table service spots have good choices fast burgers if you want or full meals like above are all included)

and yes character meals are included on the dining plan:)

(T)= table service meal....(Q) = quick service meal

Disney Dining plan?

Disney Dining Plan....???


What is it? Should I? Is it worth it? Will I save money? I can only give you my opinion on this subject. Things you’ll need to consider are

(1) How many meals do I want paid ahead of time so I don’t have to think about the cost once I’m there? All three meals or just lunch and dinner/supper? Snack costs?

(2) Do I have younger children (too young for fancy sit down meals) or teenagers (able to sit and enjoy a 5 star restaurant?)

(3) Does having to be at a certain part of the park or resort, at a certain time bother me? Or do I want the freedom to go where I wish when I wish with no reservations to go to (in case the kids are too tired to eat or to irritable to sit at a fancy restaurant? And I’ve opted to pay the extra for the standard plan verses quick service plan...and lose money)(quick service plan= 2 quick service meals)

(4) Am I on a budget?(park meal costs add up quickly and can be pricey)

(5) Is the dining plan free on the dates I plan to go (typically mid Aug-early Oct but can sometimes be extended like this year till mid Dec prior to the holiday season)( all prices go  up at holiday seasons but your dining plan cost stays same/day so you save even more than anyother time )

If you have younger children and fancy restaurants are not the best plan I’d advise getting the quick service plan...it’ll meet your needs and save you money.

If you have teenagers ( my son was 14 the first yr we went ) who can sit and behave well in a nice restaurant then you will definitely get a deal with the standard (i snack-1 quick and 1 table service)or deluxe dining plans( 3 meals included but costs much more)...some of the nicer restaurants can run into $100 plus tip for each adult( kids over 10yrs)..But the meals are to die for....

(So you’ve paid aprox $49Can/day for the standard meal plan...getting you a snack (anything under $4..great for water in the parks or a quick item like grapes/muffins to eat on the go or for a light breakfast) plus your lunch meal($15-25) plus a fancier sit down restaurant that might cost over $ 100 (you can plan fancy at noon and quick later as well)

.... Sound like a deal??? Well it is don’t you think ...Epcot has wonderful ones like Les Chef du France...resorts like Contemporary have the private dining room with full window views of the castle ( uses 2 meal credits for this but so worth it if you plan your Res time about 30-45 mins before the fireworks...they have a private roof top viewing area and the music from the fireworks is piped in from the wishes fireworks in Magic kingdom so you can hear and watch it(check out videos on YouTube)and we were on the dining plan and got window side seat(all seats have decent view)(dress code for this one..Most don’t) ....I will be letting you know my opinions on the ones we’ve been to as we go along

.... (Food pics/restaurant pics/scrap layouts like my Chef Mickey’s one to follow)

...please let me know if you have any questions I might be able to answer for you

... (We buy our plan as an add on cost from our travel agent...We choose where we are eating...I’m not sure what other pkgs deals offer on their plans ... so choose wisely and ask lots of questions on what you are getting)......

Now as for making your dining reservations...get up early on the 90th day before your trip(you'll have to check but at times you can book at 180 days ahead)... (use a countdown gadget or calendar to keep tract...also fun for kids) and start calling or booking online( I found it to slow)phone was actually easier....they book up fast ..In mins sometimes...so CALL on the 90th day( or sooner if allowed).....if you can’t get a certain time or restaurant book another spot (have a list made out ready to go when you call (http://www.intercot.com/  has a dining reservation sheet to plan your days/times) of 1st, 2nd choices...including name of  place,preferred time ,alternate time choices..wanted lunch but switch to dinner in order to get in etc..)( it helps to know the park hours and which park you’ll be going to on which day, when you book..Park hours come out 3 months ahead of time...if you don’t plan ahead you maybe at one park and have to travel to get to your planned restuant..If you plan, you can be in the park or near that spot so you’ll save time...give yourself plenty of time to get to the restaurant and be there 15-20 mins before your res time) then call back and try again to see if anyone has cancelled...change the old res to your new time.....if you wanted a character meal and its booked up solid..Go to the restaurant the day of and try sometimes people don’t show up (kids tired cranky or leave for another park, run late etc) and you might if you are lucky still get in....

Well that’s all for today..more to come later on this subject..I hope this is helpful to you...This is only my point of view ...you’ll have to judge for yourself...choose carefully..have fun..
               ***ps: the dining goes by nights stayed at resort not days....ex 8 night stay equals 8 days of meals...but usuall works out as 1/2 of arrrival day and departure days are lost and make up for that 9th day missed..

chef mickey's pics(food)

My son loves the mickey ears pasta..he had fun creating this dessert as well

( choc and gummies

a kids delight)