When planning a Disney World vacation, guests plan for their resort, number of days traveling, attractions they’ll enjoy, and meeting Mickey Mouse and his famous friends. There is one other huge element to plan though…the table service locations you’ll dine at.
This simple concept of food can affect two major parts of your trip:
1. Your daily itinerary
2. The enjoyment you will have consuming that food.
Although the food can be a favorite part and once you are there enjoying it, you’ll quickly realize the amount of food will keep you quite full even at the end of the day. Many guests also would love a day or two of an open itinerary but with so much food to consume, is that even possible?
Yes! It’s possible to modify your dining itinerary to allow for food downtime to ensure you don’t get “fooded” out. In the process, you’ll add more flexibility to your park day. When on the dining plan, ALL dining entitlements are loaded onto your Magic Bands on arrival day, meaning you do not need to stick to one table service meal per day and can spend credits any way you’d like throughout your trip. Disney vacations have so much we plan for, that one or two “open” days are worth a lot to families.
On my last 7-night trip, we had 3 FULL days with NO scheduled dining. This allowed for bellies to relax, chances to try snacks we may otherwise be too full for, and a more open schedule for unpredictability and impromptu swim days.
This can be achieved by planning two table service meals in a single day or adding signature dining (2 credits) to your schedule. This way, your FastPasses will be the only “schedule” to adhere to.
Let’s look at what a trip with this kind of dining schedule may look like (a 7-night stay):
This type of itinerary is a great option for guests looking to enjoy food at the Food & Wine Festival in the Fall at Epcot. There are so many great snacks throughout the Festival that an open evening to snack around the world is ideal for the foodie family!
This plan is not ideal for everyone but it IS an option families should consider based on their ideal touring plan. By carefully planning the use of quick service credits, you can cover dining needs on the “off days” to avoid paying out of pocket. We want all the good food we can get and this allows you to enjoy all the good things alongside an open itinerary.
What is your best-balanced itinerary?