we are going to disney with a 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old. should we get the basic disney plan(1 table, 1 quick service, 1 snack daily) or the deluxe(3 meal credits a day that can be used for table or quick service, 2 snacks)?
we want to do character meals and with one show and cinderellas' royal table, that will use 4 credits. with the basic it only leaves us 3 table service for 7 days. and my kids do actually eat, and will definatly use up the snacks. since we were never there, i dont know the cost to compare meals. what do you think. we want to go to many theme restraurants and character meals since both kids are young enough to really enjoy them, and we can narrow it down for any return trip(where we will then have to pay for 2 kids instead of just the one now)
Hi,
We were just there last August and very grateful for the Quick Service meal plan! It saved us a ton of money because the food is expensive. We paid out of pocket for the character meal and we only did one of those. But quick service works in your hotel food court and also at the theme parks. We had 3 meals and 2 snacks and they give you so much food so we were never starving. Breakfast even comes with a dessert! LOL
Be sure to pay attention to your receipts because they track how many meal points you have remaining for the day.
Report This
A.S.
answers from
Kansas City
on
We have done this several times and I think the meal plan WITH table service is great! We like to use those for things exactly like what you described. Another great show to see if the Hoop de do review. My kids LOVED that one, although there were just a touch older. Still great fun though!
A good tip for you - We used our counter service as all adult meals. For table service you have to order off the kids menu but for counter meals you can use them however you want so we would usually get 2-3 counter service meals at a time and share them. For example - There is a counter service meal that is 10 nuggets w/ fries and a drink. It comes with a drink and dessert. we would get 2 of those and share them between the 2 of us. www.allears.net has some great tips for making the most of counter service meals. Cosmic Rays in Magic Kingdom has HUGE counter service meals that are great for sharing. At Epcot there is a cafe in "the land" building (where Soarin' is) that also has really good sized meals, plus they have a bakery counter with the best desserts in all of Disney World for counter service. Bottom line - you can strech those counter service and snacks a long way if you share and plan ahead a bit on where you are going to eat. Have fun!
Report This
M.W.
answers from
St. Cloud
on
You don't mention WHEN you are planning on going. Just to let you know. The character meals book up FAST! For Cinderella's Royal Table you need to call exactly 90 DAYS before the day you want to eat and get reservations. If you are going at a busy time of year, it fills within minutes of them taking reservations....... If you are going off-season, you may have a day leniency.
So, just because you want to get some charactre meals in doesn't mean you will. You need to make the decision and get those reservations! I've heard of some people who tried for days to get a table at Cinderella's Royal Table and never could get in. We just went in Jan. and it was GREAT! My daughter's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger. We did breakfast and the food was really good. I think we were all full but could have probably eaten more if it would have been an all you can eat or buffet...... I had no trouble getting our table but I got up VERY early that morning 90 days prior.....LOL.
We did not do the meal plan. We brought our own lunches into the park. However, ONE day we did eat at Magic Kingdom before the night parade. Over at the Buzz Lightlyear looking food place. I can't remember what it was called. It was in the land to the RIGHT of the castle if you are standing directly in front of it. A kids meal (chicken nuggets, drink, and 2 sides) was $5 and my burger and fries was $7 (I think.....) So, it was more affordable than what I was expecting. I also suggest packing some snacks in a backpack to bring into the park. No need to spend extra money on that if possible.......
That was the only place we looked at prices so I can't really give you anythign more to compare it with...... You could probably find menus online.
Our daughter was 4 1/2 and son was 2 1/2. We had a Cinderella dress and cape custom sewed before we went. Had I known how cute the hairdos are at Magic Kingdom I would have tried to talk my hubby into a $50 style for our daughter. So, you may want to check that out if your girls are into that sort of thing. I did get up early that morning and put her hair up and curled it and it did look fancy enough. We got a ton of compliments anyways......
Report This
H.R.
answers from
Knoxville
on
We took a 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old in October for the first time. What fun. I can't wait to go back. I recently wrote a blog entry about what I learned. You might be interested in it.
We've been at least 7 times to Disney and only stay at the Polynesian resort.
As for meal plans, we've never done that. On a personal note, we did not want Disney picking out what we would do and limiting our choices. We loved character dinner at Chef Mickey/Contemporary, Character breakfast at O'Hana/ Polynesian, a breakfast inside MK with Pooh. We did not do the Cinderella character meal but I've heard it is good.
We've been every 2 yrs since our 15 yr old was 2. It is a magical experience....ENJOY!!
Report This
M.M.
answers from
Jacksonville
on
We did the basic. We did this two years ago with 3 kiddos and it was plenty of food. Our Hotel, we stayed at the New Orleans RIverside accepted the meal plan. It was really worth it. . We also did the Breakfast with POOH and friends. YOu have to make reservatios for the character dinners so I would do that now, before you get there. We missed out on the princess dinner and the princess hair extravanganza where they put your daughters hair up into a princess do. .
You can also have your souvenirs set to the hotel if you dont' want to carry them all day.
