Hiya Catherine!
Welcome to planDisney, and I'm happy you are visiting us with your
Disney Dining Plan question today. How exciting that your summer vacation will be here soon! I hope you've got a magical countdown in the works, and are savoring that anticipation.
The answer may depend on the type of dining location, but yes you should be able to pay out-of-pocket for some food items, while also using a Dining Plan table service entitlement for others. The caveat would be if you are dining at an experience like the buffet at
Boma Flavors of Africa (I highly recommend!) or a character dining meal... then each individual in your party would need to either pay the per person amount, or use their table service credits (meaning one person can't opt out altogether). So if you're dining at a restaurant with a menu selection, and your daughter doesn't want to use a table service entitlement on a full entree and beverage, just clarify to your server that you don't wish to utilize the Dining Plan as payment for her item.
I don't blame you for wanting to maximize the value of your dining credits in this manner. There are so many delicious opportunities to eat at Disney World. It's nice to have this flexibility, and be able to eat what you want, when you want! That sounds like a practically perfect vacation plan to me.
Ok, last minute tips! Do you have your My Disney Experience app installed and ready for your trip? Having
MagicMobile ready to go on your phone can be very handy to use for things like charging purchases, park entry, Lightning Lane passes, or placing a mobile food order during your busy park day. Also, since you've got the Disney Dining Plan be sure to make some
advance dining reservations.
Please
send me a message at planDisney if I can help with any tips or ideas... I love to help sprinkle pixie-dust!
See ya' real soon!
Tami