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Category: Disney World

2017 Disney Dining Plan Changes

2017 Disney Dining Plan Changes

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Tomorrow, June 21, 2016, Walt Disney World will be releasing rates and package info for 2017. If you have been waiting to book your 2017 Disney vacation, tomorrow is the first date you can book. Each year, Disney makes small changes to their dining plans and packages, so you really can’t assume next year will be the same as this year. If you look at the dining plans when they were first released years ago, a ton has changed (we now get less for more money). Of course, 2017 is going to be no different. While not yet officially released, we have obtained copies of the 2017 Disney Dining Plan brochures (linked below for you), and there are some changes coming for 2017. Please note, pricing will not be released until tomorrow.

Changes coming to the 2017 Disney Dining Plans

  1. Quick-Service meals no longer include a dessert. All quick-service meals at Walt Disney World will now include only a non-alcoholic drink and an entree. This holds true whether you are using the quick-service, Disney Dining Plan or the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan.
  2. In place of the missing dessert, the Quick-Service and Disney Dining Plans will now include one additional snack. Most quick-service restaurants offer their desserts as a snack option, so you can still opt to get dessert by using one of your snack credits. This change is a positive though, as many quick-service restaurants offer sub-par desserts, and this will allow guests greater flexibility when dining. Plus, I would much rather choose from an entire park’s options for my snack than be forced to order a dessert I know I will not eat (I am looking at you Restaurantosaurus cheesecake in a cup). For the Quick-Service Dining Plan, this ends up being a slight negative, as you are trading two desserts for one additional snack, but hopefully this will keep the price increase down.
  3. The Premium and Platinum plans, which are rarely sold will be discontinued for 2017.
  4. Despite many rumors to the contrary, most Walt Disney World character meals ARE NOT changing to 2 table service credits per person. The only character meal currently listed as 2 credits per person is Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table.
  5. It appears as no additional restaurants have been reclassified as signature restaurants, so no changes in that regard from this year.

Please Note: While looking at the current 2017 Disney Dining Plan brochures, please understand that the restaurant list is incomplete. Every year, Disney must negotiate with Disney restaurants to be included on the Disney Dining Plans, and that negotiation is usually not completely until much later in the year. So, many Epcot and Disney Springs restaurants are not going to be listed on the current version of the brochures, but that DOES NOT mean they are not included, but that they will be included in the plan at some point before the end of this year. When planning, assume the list of restaurants for 2017 will look very much like the list for 2016, and you will be in good shape.

2017 Disney Dining Plan Brochures

What do you think of the changes to the Quick-Service restaurant?

Disney Things June 17

3 Disney Things You Should Know This Week – June 17, 2016

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Normally each Friday, I provide 5 Disney things all Disney fans should know from this past week, just in case you missed them. However, due to the horrible tragedies that occurred in Orlando and at Walt Disney World earlier this week, the release of Disney news and our posting on this site was slowed on purpose. This week we only bring you 3 Disney news items.

Toddler Killed by Alligator at Walt Disney World

On Tuesday, June 15, a 2 year old Toddler from Nebraska was walking on the beach with his family at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort when he was pulled underwater by an alligator. The child did not survive. This is a horrible tragedy, and one I couldn’t even imagine having to endure as a father.

For more information:

Orlando Sentinel

CNN

NY Times

After the child’s body was found, Walt Disney World Resort President George A. Kalogridis released the following statement:

“There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss. We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help them during this difficult time.

On behalf of everyone at Disney, we offer them our deepest sympathy.”

Shanghai Disneyland Opens!

Shanghai Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland, the sixth theme park location for Disney has finally opened, following Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. While many of the international parks resemble Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, Shanghai Disneyland only feature a hand full or original Disney rides, while most of the attractions are brand new exclusively for Shanghai Disneyland.

The park looks fantastic, can’t wait until I get to go in November. Check out the video of the opening ceremonies, so so good.

Finding Dory Opens

The long anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo has finally been released, Disney•Pixar’s Fining Dory. Can you believe it has been 13 years since Finding Nemo? This updated version features Dory in search for her family, along with Nemo and Marlin and a cast of new characters. Early reviews have been fantastic, and I am sure it will be a very popular film. BTW, did you know many of the new characters from Finding Dory were added to Turtle Talk with Crush in Epcot today?

Did I miss any Disney news this week that should have been included?

epcot first stop

3 Reasons to make Epcot your First Stop

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Visitors to Walt Disney World are faced with a dilemma when starting their vacations: Where do I start? By default, most people start their vacations with a visit to the Magic Kingdom for no reason at all, well, no good one. Personally, I have found that making Epcot your first theme park visit on your Disney World vacation makes for a much better visit to Epcot, and a much better vacation overall. Now, Epcot is my favorite theme park, and if you ask my kids where they would want to spend a day at Disney, it would almost unanimously be Epcot, mostly because we always make it our first stop, and partly because they are my kids and have been forced to love it.

Three Reasons to make Epcot your First Stop

  1. Overstimulation – By spending your first day in the Magic Kingdom, your family is completely over Disney stimulated. They are bombarded with rides and characters and parades and shows and fireworks from the moment they walk into the park until you head home after midnight. They then mentally come to expect this from all four Disney theme parks, and the other parks are really not like that, and Epcot couldn’t be further from that experience. Many of my clients say their kids just don’t like Epcot, but that is because they visit after three straight days of the Magic Kingdom and expect more of the same. By starting at Epcot, you set the stimulation bar low and you enjoy the park for what it has to offer, which makes for a fantastic experience and a fantastic day.
  2. Decent Closing Time – Regardless of the time of year, Epcot closes at exactly the same time every night, 9 PM. Well, technically the fireworks show Illuminations starts at 9 PM every night, then the park closes. Since it is your first day of vacation, 9 PM is a perfect closing time. You have a nice dinner, ride a few more rides, watch the fireworks and are home and in bed by 10 PM. While I love that the Magic Kingdom is open late at time, it isn’t optimal for the start of your vacation. On my last Disney World vacation, I stayed in the Magic Kingdom until 3 AM. It was awesome and basically empty, however, it completely ruined the next day for me, we all slept until mid-afternoon, and just was not worth it. Plus I hate leaving a park early, it feels like you are missing out. Much better to have a decent closing time so you can be back out and at another park first thing.
  3. Dining Options – One of my favorite features of Epcot is all of the dining options you are provided in the park (plus even more near by) due to the country dining locations in the World Showcase. Why is this important? On your first day, you are going to want a nice, decent place to sit down and relax for dinner. Your poor feet are not used to this, and will need a break. Consider going to the Biergarten in Germany or Chefs de France for a great dinner, or maybe even Tokyo Dining in Japan or Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco for a fun tasty dinner. Epcot is a fantastic place to take your kids to a nice restaurant and dine on something you may not be able to find at home. Epcot restaurants are used to kids every day, all day, so your kids will be welcome and treated with respect. DO NOT book a character meal this first day (remember #1 above), pick one of the World Showcase options and enjoy!

There are my three reasons why you should make Epcot your first stop on your next Disney vacation. Where do you stop first and why?