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Mom and daughter on Expedition Everest; Animal Kingdom
  • On Aug 19, 2010
    Marianne from MD Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    My husband and I are taking our 4 kids to disney, our first time visiting. Our kids will be 9, 7, 6 & 5. They are like clockwork with eating all meals and snacks too. We are going during the free dining promo, but want to upgrade. What plan would u sug

    Marianne:

    I've got four children, too--not as close in ages, but with that many children, dining can really add up!  Free dining can make a big impact on budget savings for you.

    If you're looking to "upgrade" with the free dining promotion, you must be staying at a Value Resort which gives you the Quick Service Plan for free. With that, you receive 2 counter service meals, 2 snacks, and a refillable mug.  With the ages of your children, and this being your first visit, I would upgrade to the Basic Dining Plan that gives you 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal and 1 snack per person per night of your stay. Here's why:

    1. One of the most memorable parts of Disney is its Character Meals. Use a table service credit for at least one or two Character Meals so that your children can have time with their favorite Disney character without having to stand in line. Go for an 8 a.m. breakfast at Crystal Palace so you can get into Magic Kingdom before every one else and get your picture taken in front of the castle without masses behind you! Other favs: 1900 Park Fare or Chef Mickey's for dinner.
    2. The Deluxe Dining Plan gives you 3 table service credits per day. If your children were teenagers and needed to eat like football players or were young adults who enjoyed dining, this would be a great choice. But you have to budget about 1 1/2 hours for a table service meal and that would cramp into the kids' time in the parks.
    3. When we went on the basic plan when our children were your children's ages (before #4 was born), we found that by the end of the week, we were stuffed. You'll get plenty of food on the basic plan. (On our next trip, we combined 2 credits for a dinner show and still didn't miss the meal!)
    If you have any more questions about the dining plan, feel free to come visit me via my bio page!
    Whitney
thumbnail image for Whitney

Meet the Panelist: Whitney, Mississippi

My family of 6 appreciates Disney's value! Although Ft. Wilderness is our second home, we've enjoyed the resorts for business, reunions and romantic getaways. For me, Disney also means dining: last count, I'd eaten at 55 restaurants around the World! Learn More About Whitney

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