We purchased the Disney dining plan with this trip. We figured it would eliminate some stress about the cost of food and make us feel a little less guilty about splurging on some character meals.
For each night of our reservation, we EACH got a snack, a table service meal, and a counter service meal.
Counter service: What we learned when we got there was that each counter service meal included a large fountain drink, entree, side, and dessert! In addition, if James and I ordered, we could order adult meals for the kids so they didn't have to eat burgers and chicken fingers every day. After a few days, we realized that we could spread things out a big by ordering two or three counter service meals. This allowed us to have a more substantial 'snack' at a different time of the day and to have meals leftover for our last day.
Table service: The table service was a sit down meal. Hoopty Dee Doo Musical Revue counted as 2 table service credits (another reason spreading out the counter service was a good idea). We also did Whispering Canyon Cafe (unlimited milkshakes!), Kona Cafe breakfast, Chef Mickey's brunch, Mama Melrose, Ohana, and Tusker House. We had booked a lot of buffets because we knew the kids would only be able to eat off the kids' menu otherwise. A couple of chicken fingers doesn't last these guys very long! The buffets were fine, but the food quality was probably not as good as we would have gotten at a more full service restaurant.
And, finally...the snacks! Wow - this was fun! I think Goofy's Candy Co. was the biggest hit, with the make your own Mickey treat. The kids filled out the forms, selecting the base (Mickey shaped rice crispie treat), the type chocolate dip, the topping, and then the type of chocolate drizzle. Then you get to watch as the cast member creates your delicacy...
For each night of our reservation, we EACH got a snack, a table service meal, and a counter service meal.
Counter service: What we learned when we got there was that each counter service meal included a large fountain drink, entree, side, and dessert! In addition, if James and I ordered, we could order adult meals for the kids so they didn't have to eat burgers and chicken fingers every day. After a few days, we realized that we could spread things out a big by ordering two or three counter service meals. This allowed us to have a more substantial 'snack' at a different time of the day and to have meals leftover for our last day.
Table service: The table service was a sit down meal. Hoopty Dee Doo Musical Revue counted as 2 table service credits (another reason spreading out the counter service was a good idea). We also did Whispering Canyon Cafe (unlimited milkshakes!), Kona Cafe breakfast, Chef Mickey's brunch, Mama Melrose, Ohana, and Tusker House. We had booked a lot of buffets because we knew the kids would only be able to eat off the kids' menu otherwise. A couple of chicken fingers doesn't last these guys very long! The buffets were fine, but the food quality was probably not as good as we would have gotten at a more full service restaurant.
And, finally...the snacks! Wow - this was fun! I think Goofy's Candy Co. was the biggest hit, with the make your own Mickey treat. The kids filled out the forms, selecting the base (Mickey shaped rice crispie treat), the type chocolate dip, the topping, and then the type of chocolate drizzle. Then you get to watch as the cast member creates your delicacy...
They were pretty excited!
Enormous ice cream sundaes and ice cream sandwiches at Magic Kingdom:
All of the table service meals also included dessert. We got ours to go at Mama Melrose so we could eat it during Fantasmic. The kids selected spaghetti and meatball cupcakes. One cupcake was HUGE!
We had planned to snack our way through the World Showcase at Epcot. The problem with the snacks is that we were SO FULL from all of the "all you care to enjoy" meals that we didn't have room for all the snacks we wanted to try! Other top snacks were the treats from Karamel Kuche, the soft almond pretzel pastry in Norway, soft serve cones, and soft pretzels.
All of the tasty delights at Karamel Kuche:
We still had 6 snack credits on our last day. After dinner with Dave and Laura, we met up with Cindy and Andy for dessert. The kids were eagerly anticipating using the remaining snack credits for more sugar from Goofy's Candy Co.
We actually kept track of what we would have spent if we'd bought all of the food a la carte; it ended up being almost exactly what we spent on the dining plan. It certainly wasn't a bad deal, but we did have A LOT more food than we would have ever considered buying separately. If we ever go back and stay on property, I think we would skip the dining plan and just know that it's OK to splurge on a few snacks and pricey table service meals.
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