2018 Disney Dining Plan Prices & General Discussion

[Lsdolphin]

Alcohol is included in the Fantasmic dinner pkg. I am at Mama Melrose right now!!

Does the Fantasmic dining pkg still include an appetizer?

 

[sharonabe]

This is interesting. So you can’t share a credit if you aren’t on the plan?

My mother in law will have the deluxe dining. My son and I are in a separate room and do not have dining. She had planned to use some of her credits to pay for our meals. Can my son and I split a credit? Thinking of Sci Fi and Tony’s. We’d have an app, entree, and dessert, which is plenty for the two of us.

Yes, you CAN share a credit or use a credit to buy someone else a meal, even if they are not on the plan. You'll be fine.

Under the new dining plan does the alcoholic beverage take the place on the nonalcoholic? Before the addition of the adult drinks on the dining plan, I would often order a Diet Coke as my dining plan drink and also order a bar drink at TS restaurants. Under the new plan, will I need to plan on paying OOP for the Diet Coke?

Yes you will now need to pay for your Diet Coke OOP.

I think I have this right, but just asking for clarification. I have the deluxe plan. Two friends are joining me for the day, and are not staying onsite with a dining package. I would be able to use 3 of my credits to buy lunch for myself and my two friends.

Yes you can.

 

[KNovacovschi]

I'm curious about say 50's for example where you have always been able to have a milkshake as your drink instead of soda and they only have one specialty drink for kids that's in the souvenir cup, will they now give the drink in just a regular cup. I hope that made sense, lol.

 

[hllb]

I'm curious about say 50's for example where you have always been able to have a milkshake as your drink instead of soda and they only have one specialty drink for kids that's in the souvenir cup, will they now give the drink in just a regular cup. I hope that made sense, lol.

Curious - were the milkshakes actually supposed to be included on the DDP, or was that a bending of rules?

 

[eeyoresmom]

Has anyone come to report that sharing credits is allowed still or does the literature say it is allowed? Or is just assumed because we haven't heard anything different?

 

[KNovacovschi]

Curious - were the milkshakes actually supposed to be included on the DDP, or was that a bending of rules?

Not sure, I just know I've done it every year for the last few years. I've read others having done it in the past as well. I've done it when paying out of pocket as well.

 

[sharonabe]

I'm curious about say 50's for example where you have always been able to have a milkshake as your drink instead of soda and they only have one specialty drink for kids that's in the souvenir cup, will they now give the drink in just a regular cup. I hope that made sense, lol.

The only thing that makes it special is the souvenir cup, and someone reported on the "actual experience" thread that the souvenir cups are NOT included, so if in just a regular cup, there's nothing special about it anymore. The kids and non-drinkers are really not getting anything new with the plan, in my opinion.

Curious - were the milkshakes actually supposed to be included on the DDP, or was that a bending of rules?

They've always been included. The plan just specified non-alcoholic drink, so the restaurants were free to interpret that however they wanted. I know we got milkshakes, smoothies, cappachino type drinks, etc at both QS and TS when we used the plan (last time was 2009).

 

[dcassetta]

Is Paddlefish on the list for dining plans in 2018?

 

[Colleen27]

I'm curious about say 50's for example where you have always been able to have a milkshake as your drink instead of soda and they only have one specialty drink for kids that's in the souvenir cup, will they now give the drink in just a regular cup. I hope that made sense, lol.

They always have, in our experience. You just have to ask. A lot of the souvenir cup drinks aren't even anything special - Minute Maid fruit lemonade from the soda machine, for example - but they just happen to only be mentioned on the menu in conjunction with the souvenir cup. We've ordered them often, for kids and for Disney-adults, without the souvenir cup (because I don't care how cute it is, the mugs are already more plastic cups than we need floating around here!) and have never been told no or had to pay OOP. The only specialty drink I ever remember paying cash for was a smoothie at one of the Landry's restaurants, T-Rex I think, or maybe Yak & Yeti. Everywhere else, my kids have been able to order whatever specialty drinks are on the kids' menu (and occasionally, one that isn't - servers at California Grill love to suggest Shirley Temples for the kids!) without an upcharge. So @sharonabe is right about kids, Disney-adults, and non-drinkers really not getting anything new with the changes to the beverage inclusion. There may be some small differences at non-Disney-owned restaurants, but for the most part the change just makes a long-standing unofficial policy official for the first time.

Is Paddlefish on the list for dining plans in 2018?

We haven't heard that it isn't, so probably. It might take Disney a week or two to update the official brochure for 2018, but restaurants on the plan tend to stay on the plan so it is pretty safe to use the previous year's list to plan.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

someone reported on the "actual experience" thread

Could you share this thread? I'd like to get as much information on the Dining plan as we leave soon.

 

[KNovacovschi]

They always have, in our experience. You just have to ask. A lot of the souvenir cup drinks aren't even anything special - Minute Maid fruit lemonade from the soda machine, for example - but they just happen to only be mentioned on the menu in conjunction with the souvenir cup. We've ordered them often, for kids and for Disney-adults, without the souvenir cup (because I don't care how cute it is, the mugs are already more plastic cups than we need floating around here!) and have never been told no or had to pay OOP. The only specialty drink I ever remember paying cash for was a smoothie at one of the Landry's restaurants, T-Rex I think, or maybe Yak & Yeti. Everywhere else, my kids have been able to order whatever specialty drinks are on the kids' menu (and occasionally, one that isn't - servers at California Grill love to suggest Shirley Temples for the kids!) without an upcharge. So @sharonabe is right about kids, Disney-adults, and non-drinkers really not getting anything new with the changes to the beverage inclusion. There may be some small differences at non-Disney-owned restaurants, but for the most part the change just makes a long-standing unofficial policy official for the first time.

That makes sense. I don't get those drinks but wasn't sure how it works, the extent I get is the milkshake at 50's because the PB&J is just delicious. I also agree that the kids and non drinkers are pretty much getting the short end of the stick. My DH is happy though because he has always wanted to get a beer but doesn't because he never wants to pay the price and now he can.

 

[KNovacovschi]

Could you share this thread? I'd like to get as much information on the Dining plan as we leave soon.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-ddp-2018-changes-post-your-actual-experiences.3652817/

 

[supersnoop]

Some interesting exceptions on the Hollywood Brown Derby menu; some lower-prices single marks are excluded (marked with an *), and cognacs also have a different threshold than wines.

 

[just another guy]

Under the new dining plan does the alcoholic beverage take the place on the nonalcoholic? Before the addition of the adult drinks on the dining plan, I would often order a Diet Coke as my dining plan drink and also order a bar drink at TS restaurants. Under the new plan, will I need to plan on paying OOP for the Diet Coke?

At menu based restaurants, it seems that way. At a buffet/family style....I'm hearing conflicting stories. I'm being told the paperwork makes it seems as if a person gets a beer, they then have to pay for their coke. However, I know at least two place, sorry I'm not saying specifics, that are not following this. Their management is going based on this.... Before, the dining plan covered the buffet/family style meal. A coke was included. The price of the dining plan went up, and guests are now allowed an alcoholic drink. So they can now get the buffet/family style meal with a coke, and an alcoholic drink.


You have to understand, the training of this whole new thing from higher ups to restaurant managers has been sort of a "we will see what happens" type thing. Things could change in the next week or so, but that's what I'm hearing right now.

 

[olafgypsy]

It's incredible to me that a large company like Disney would take such a slapdash approach to training their people on this, with the potential to lose revenue if people institute the policy the wrong way, and to cause guest dissatisfaction if there's inconsistency. To me this suggests that Disney is already making so much money off the dining plans that it doesn't matter to them how it's implemented.....they're still going to make a huge profit.

 

[DisneyHardin]

At menu based restaurants, it seems that way. At a buffet/family style....I'm hearing conflicting stories. I'm being told the paperwork makes it seems as if a person gets a beer, they then have to pay for their coke. However, I know at least two place, sorry I'm not saying specifics, that are not following this. Their management is going based on this.... Before, the dining plan covered the buffet/family style meal. A coke was included. The price of the dining plan went up, and guests are now allowed an alcoholic drink. So they can now get the buffet/family style meal with a coke, and an alcoholic drink.


You have to understand, the training of this whole new thing from higher ups to restaurant managers has been sort of a "we will see what happens" type thing. Things could change in the next week or so, but that's what I'm hearing right now.

It makes sense that at buffet/family style places you could still get a nonalcoholic drink with your bar drink since they allowed more than one before. At breakfasts I got a Diet Coke and juice with no extra charge.

I'm sure it will take some time to shake the kinks out of the new plan and figure out exactly what is going to be allowed and what isn't.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[just another guy]

It's incredible to me that a large company like Disney would take such a slapdash approach to training their people on this, with the potential to lose revenue if people institute the policy the wrong way, and to cause guest dissatisfaction if there's inconsistency. To me this suggests that Disney is already making so much money off the dining plans that it doesn't matter to them how it's implemented.....they're still going to make a huge profit.

Hahaha, if you only knew how much money the company wastes. I'll give the easiest example. When a server prints a check, it prints two versions. One is for guests not on the dining plan, or is for the dining plan providing a blank to write in the tip. Figure maybe 20 tables a server, 20 servers a restaurant, 2-3 shifts a day times how many restaurants? All those extra receipts just thrown away. How much paper is wasted a year? This has gone of for years.

 

[olafgypsy]

Hahaha, if you only knew how much money the company wastes. I'll give the easiest example. When a server prints a check, it prints two versions. One is for guests not on the dining plan, or is for the dining plan providing a blank to write in the tip. Figure maybe 20 tables a server, 20 servers a restaurant, 2-3 shifts a day times how many restaurants? All those extra receipts just thrown away. How much paper is wasted a year? This has gone of for years.

LOL. Well I now feel better about the company where I work, anyway.

 

[NYMommy80]

Thanks for sharing! I'm more surprised that straight liquor is included at all. The DDP page says beer, wine, cocktails.

 

[NYMommy80]

h