Tips about Disney Dining Plan, Epcot, Kids, Planning and Resorts

We learned a helpful hint regarding the Standard Disney Dining Plan (counter and table service meals) from one of the wonderful servers at the Port Orleans Riverside Mill Food Court while purchasing dinner on our last evening. Though we had made priority seating arrangements long in advance of our trip, we had canceled a couple of table service meals during our week's stay. This left us with zero counter service meals and four table service meals remaining on our plan on our last day of vacation. We had intended to pay for our counter service meal that evening, but the helpful cast member told us that you can always use a table service credit for a quick service meal (just not the other way around). So we saved $24 that we would have otherwise spent, thinking we had used up our counter service credits. So if you have table service meals left toward the end of your stay with no plans to use them at one of the table service eateries, you can use them at any of the counter service restaurants. Just tell the server you'd like to use table service credits to pay for your meal. We will likely use the Counter Service Dining Plan next trip (the older I get, the less inclined I am to be held to the "tyranny of the spreadsheet" to coin an AllEars® phrase!), but it's comforting to know there is a way to use leftover credits if needed. Thanks again for all that you do to bring us a bit of Disney magic every week! - Laura Lee Mildon

Some trips to Disney may not include all members of your family, such as the special trip my cousin took her oldest daughter on due to meeting goals with the Girl Scouts. The younger daughter had to stay home. I just had to share what my cousin did for the one at home: She created a gift bag that contained one gift for each day they would be gone. She was allowed to open one gift per day. She was thrilled to receive a gift card to go out to dinner with Grandma, a bracelet, a picture frame with her and Mom in the photo and more! We got an update each night regarding which gift she discovered that day. This was a great way to show that we were thinking of the one left at home, and for her to have some magic of her own. - Shawna Mott

Stroller rental prices have become outrageous at WDW, and they are way too small for bigger kids! Our solution was to purchase a new stroller that fit our family here at home and sell it when we returned. Our actual spending was only around $25 rather than almost $200 for our 6 night stay. - Joy Clevenger

Stroller rental prices have become outrageous at WDW, and they are way too small for bigger kids! Our solution was to purchase a new stroller that fit our family here at home and sell it when we returned. Our actual spending was only around $25 rather than almost $200 for our 6 night stay. - Joy Clevenger

There is stuff that you can do at Disney that costs no money such as viewing the Electric Water parade, participating in Chip N' Dale's campfire sing-along at Fort Wilderness and watching the movie afterwards and going to Disney Springs just for the atmosphere (fun fountains, entertainment). - Michele Munoz

We went to the Chip and Dale's Campfire Singalong. The event is free. There is singing and dancing for the kids. A gentleman comes out and plays his guitar with Disney type songs. They build 2 fires at each end of the little theater area. You can bring your own marshmallows/smore ingredients. Or you can purchase the makings onsite. If I remember, the S'mores kits were about $12.00. Chip and Dale come around so you can take pictures with your family or get autographs. We missed this the first time we came to Disney but got a chance to participate this last trip. We would recommend this to a family with younger children. My daughter was 12 and still enjoyed it. - Carol Kuhar

I try to go by a craft store before a WDW trip. You can usually pick up a whole tube of glow necklaces or bracelets for a few dollars. I bring it into the park in a diaper bag. Then, when we are waiting for the parade, there is less temptation to by something from those very appealing carts full of light-up merchandise. Last week, while we were waiting for SpectroMagic, we opened up our tube and enjoyed playing with them. Since we had so many, my daughter (age 4) actually passed out a bunch to the kids sitting around us. It was a nice way to spread some magic without spending $8 on a toy. - Valerie Riley

An alternative to face-painting are the temporary tattoos sold at stands throughout the parks. There are a ton of designs and characters to choose from and at a cost of $5-$7 dollars they are a cheaper alternative to the face painting and other experiences like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and hair wraps. Plus, with care, the tattoos can last well over a week instead of washing off in one day. - Kelly R.

We discovered by accident that it's a good idea to take your little one to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique early in your trip. They really work hard to slick back the hair into a sleek, fabulous pony tail. Even after the "do" was done -- the next day or so -- our daughter still had that slicked back pony tail, which saved us tons of time the next several mornings getting ready for the parks. We just left her pony tail alone after taking out all the pins and doo-dads from the boutique. - Rachel Bruce

Everyone knows that when you arrive at Disney you want to see everything. It is extremely difficult to predict what the crowds will be like and how fast or slow lines will be moving, though. No one wants to be disappointed by missing out on the one thing they wanted to do the most. We traveled to Disney with my sister's family (at the time they had a 2-year-old) and my family (three children ages 5, 7 and 9). Each night we would sit down and look at the map for the park we were going to the next day. Everyone got to pick one thing that was tops on their list to see (usually there would be duplication) and then everyone got to make two other suggestions. We then ranked them, so everyone's top priority was on the list and then other suggestions, depending on their number of votes, got put on the list after that. Therefore, everyone got to do at least the one thing they were looking forward to doing the most and usually one or two more things that were high on their list. It did take some advanced planning but was well worth it. It also made the kids feel like they were making a significant contribution to the vacation planning. - Heidi Koll-Pio

We saved over $400 by using the Deluxe Dining Plan. We scoured AllEars.Net menus to find which restaurants had food our children would eat and how much each meal would cost with tax and tip. Then we figured out the cost of the plan for two adults and two children, and it was definitely worth it, knowing approximately how much to allot for tips. This can be done with any of the plans, and then meals are paid for ahead of time. When booking with Disney reservationists, it also allows you to make payments over an extended period of time so it isn't so hard on the pocketbook. - Jennifer Keller

As an avid visitor to the world, we have found a few ways to save a buck or two. We have found the dining plan is a money-saver and we do not travel to Disney without it. We just returned from a trip and tried the counter service dining plan and enjoyed it just as much, if not more than, the sit-down dinners. Also, trade in those left-over snacks for some take-home magic! - Jodi from Louisiana

We are going on our next trip in June and are taking advantage of the quick service dining plan. We did our math and it seems like a pretty good deal. We've done the regular dining plan before, but this time around our pocketbooks (and our time... we're only there for five days) couldn't afford it. We'll have to see how we like this dining plan! - Laura Amlung

I have found that over the past several years that it's great to go during the "Free Dining Plan." The schedule works out very well for us. We have not changed our eating habits, only the amount of money we spend. We use the counter service credit for lunch time and then have a nice sit-down dinner (with the table service credit). I still find that paying for the meal plan is still a good savings. - Dianne Spawn

We used the basic Disney Dining Plan this trip. After having a quick-service lunch the first day, we decided we didn't need the dessert that came with our meal. If we were in a place such as Starring Rolls Cafe or Sunshine Seasons, we chose a muffin for our dessert, bagged it up with napkins, forks, and knives and saved it to have for our next morning's breakfast along with a cup of tea we could get with our resort mug. Voila -- free breakfast. - Fran