Foodie Friday: Dining Plans

Everyone has to eat. On vacation, we tend to splurge and vacationing at Disney is one of the best places to do it! As I explained in last weeks article, Walt Disney World has anything you could ever want. How often can you plan your meals worry free? If you are like me, no one can ever decide on where they want to go, or what they want. Well at Disney, everyone can find what they want. Adding a dining plan to your package can actually save you up to 15%. A great time to visit is also when they are offering certain dining plans for free. There are different levels othe dining plan. I will break them down with decriptions. You can add any of these to your travel package, prices vary. The quick service dining plan offeres two (2) quick service meas and two (2) dnacks per person, per night of stay. A quick service meal includes one entree or combo meal such as a chicken finger basket with fries, a single serve drink and small dessert. This would also include a plate breakfast at your resort food court. A snack can be any small single item ranging from a fountain drink, coffee, popcorn or ice cream. No table service meals are included with this plan. Next up is the regular dining package. This one includes one table service meal, one quick service meal and one snack per person, per night of stay. Quick service and snack examples are listed above. A table service meal is larger than a quick service meal and includes one entree with dessert and a larger dessert or a full buffet. Most of the table service meals use 1 dining credit. There are however, specialty dining expereinces such as Cinderella Royal Table that require 2 credits. Character dining is considered a table service meal. This is the option that my family chooses and it always seems to be more than enough food. The deluxe dining plan includes three(3)full meals and two (2) snacks per person, per night of stay. You may choose from quick service or table service meals. Allowances for each are listed above. The premier package offers the same meal choices as the deluxe, but comes with extra perks. You can also add an appetizer to your meal. Finally we have the platinum package. This is the same meal plan as the premium but you will be staying at a Villa resort and recieving the star treatment with a personalized itenerary, a fireworks cruise, reserved Fantasmic! seating and spa treament. You can also ad theDisey Wine and Dine plan to any meal package that has table service offering. This plan should save you about 20% on wine. It offers one wine credit per night, per room, NOT PER PERSON. Some specialy wines require two (2) credits. Advanced Dining Reservations, known as ADRs to the Disney community, can be made up to 180 days in advance. Popular meals and restaurants, such as Chef Mickey's, fill up quickly and I recommend making the reservations as soon as you decide to book your vacation package. Next week on Foodie Friday, I will talk about all the sweet treats available at Walt Disney World. Who doesn't love a sweet treat?!