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By Melissa at Travel Time Travel
So when you purchase the dining plan you
are pre-paying for your meals (or a portion of them), but how do you go about
using those meal allotments. If you are travelling to Disneyland, your travel
package will include a book of meal vouchers for each member of your party that
is on the dining plan. The booklets say that the vouchers must remain intact
with the booklet until the time of payment so make sure that you are not just
tearing them out and putting vouchers in your wallet. I personally keep all of
my booklets of vouchers in a Ziploc bag in my purse/backpack to protect them
from the water rides. If you are travelling to Walt Disney World your meal plan
is attached to your Key to the World/ Magic Band.
Now deciding if it is worth it for your
travel party, if you are a party of people that is all adults or adults and
small children that cost the same as children it most likely is worth it, in my
opinion. Where it can get a little bit trickier is for the parties that are
travelling with that in between age, the tweens. The Disney Dining plan counts
children as ages 3-9, so kids 10 and above get charged as adults for the dining
plan portion of their package. Kids 3-9 must eat off a kids menu where kid’s
menus are available, so if your 9 year old is used to eating an adult’s meal
you may find that them having to order off a kids menu leaves them still a bit
hungry. On the other side you might have a 10 or 11-year-old “tween” who still
eats small and would prefer to order off the kids menu, this “tween” would
still be getting charged as an adult.
Another important thing to consider is what
type of dining, and what type of vacation, does your family want to have. If
your family wants a flexible vacation with fewer reservations to hold them to a
schedule a quick-service dining plan may be the best option for you. If your
family likes A la cart versus fixed price meals such as buffets may also
influence the value you get from your dining plan. At A la cart restaurants
kids 10 and over can eat often eat off the kids menu but may get charged for
beverages at server’s discretion.
So if you have a tween that eats small but
your family want to do a number of fixed price meals, such as; a Buffet with
Character at Chrystal Palace, Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table, Princess
Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Donald’s Dining Safari at
Tusker House Restaurant during your 5 day stay at Walt Disney World it could be
worth it to purchase the dining plan.
The
dining plan can save your family money, but it is always good to know what kind
of eaters you are travelling with, and what type of vacation you are looking
for. To help your Travel Time Agent help make the most of your vacation talk to
them about any concerns you have, if you have any other questions about the
Dining Plan or its value for your Disney Vacation contact your Travel Time Agent:).
Contact Melissa
Melissa@traveltimetravel.com
1-855-468-8896 Ext 128