Disney updated the Dining Plan restaurants for 2012 today. There are a number of “interesting” updates, depending on your definition of “interesting.” Check out the updated brochure here: http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/2012Product/2012Dining.pdf.
“Sit-down restaurants” are now categorized by type and location – Table Service Meals, Character Dining, and Signature Restaurants. Dinner Shows, Private In-Room Dining, and Pizza Delivery make up the final three categories.
In addition, almost all of the restaurants that did not previously participate in the Disney Dining Plan now offer it.
New Table Service Additions:
At Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney, Rainforest Cafe is one table service credit.
At Epcot, Bistro de Paris is two table service credits.
At Downtown Disney, Fulton’s Crab House is two table service credits. Also at Downtown Disney, Wolfgang Puck: The Dining Room is two table service credits.
At Downtown Disney, the following restaurants are one table service credit and were not previously on the Disney Dining Plan: Bongos Cuban Cafe, House of Blues, Paradiso 37, Portobello, T-Rex.
New Quick Service Additions:
At the new Art of Animation Resort, we now know the quick service will be called Landscapes Cafe. That may have been previously announced…
At Fort Wilderness Campground, The Trails End – To Go Bar is formally included as a quick service eatery.
At Old Key West Resort, the Turtle Shack is formally included as a quick service eatery.
At Saratoga Springs Resort, The Paddock Grill is a new addition (opened July 2011).
At Animal Kingdom, Beastly Kiosk and Mr. Kamal’s are formally included.
At Epcot, Katsura Grill replaces Yakitori House (same location, similar menu).
At Hollywood Studios, Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner is formally included.
At Magic Kingdom, The Diamond Horseshoe, Friar’s Nook, and Golden Oak Outpost are formally included. Tortuga Tavern replaces El Pirata y el Perico (same location, similar menu).
At Blizzard Beach, the Cooling Hut is included.
At Typhoon Lagoon, Lowtide Lou’s, Snack Shack, and Surf Doggies are included.
At Downtown Disney, Bongo’s Cuban Cafe Sandwich Window and Marketplace Snacks are included.
Commentary:
It’s nice to see that Disney finally strong-armed the last of the table service restaurants into joining the Disney Dining Plan. The formal addition of some of the quick services that participated in the Dining Plan, but weren’t actually on the list, should cut down on confusion as well.
While you’re eating a $37 steak at Portobello on the Dining Plan, you can yell across the room at me in the bar as I stuff my face with 3/$5 Meatball Sliders and guzzle Orlando Brewing Partners beer.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice to see T-Rex finally a part of the ddp.
rfc added YAY!!
Meh. Unless its free its no longer a deal for me.
Rainforest and T-Rex are my 6 year old’s favorite restaurants down there. I guess this is good news for us, although the food is normally terrible. At least I won’t be paying extra to eat it.
I’m glad RFC and T-Rex are part of the plan now. Haven’t tried T-Rex yet but we enjoy RFC. Hey, the refreshment place at Epcot at the start of World Showcase….I don’t know the name of it but it sold snacks and soft drinks and didn’t participate in the Dining Plan when we were there in October. It’s a counter-booth place (permanent) that’s in front of where the wheelchaired guests sit to watch “Illuminations” – do they now participate in the Dining Plan then? I had to pay for a couple Cokes for Mom and me when we were there to see the show.
Fulton’s Crab House is 2 TS credits??? In my book, that place is nowhere near a signature dining experience!
I don’t think it was strong-arming so much as raising the price (and lowering the value) of the DDP far enough that the reimbursement to those third-party operators made sense economically.
Also, yeah, I’m never going to buy the Dining Plan but I’ll always get it if it’s offered for “free.” Josh (or anyone), could you tell me the name of the refreshment counter I described in my previous comment (Epcot, World Showcase side but close to the whole area in between the two “worlds”) – then I could look it up on the DP brochure.
Refreshment Port? http://www.easywdw.com/menus-and-seating/refreshment-port-showcase-plaza-minor-quick-service/ Or Promenade Refreshments? http://www.easywdw.com/menus-and-seating/promenade-refreshments-showcase-plaza-minor-quick-service/
All those new TS at DTD are a nice addition. Hmm, does that mean we should stay at a moderate next time to get the free TS? But then what about my fridge swap at POP? Decisions, decisions! I kind of want to stay at Art of Animation since we watched some of the work going on there in October.
Josh, no, I don’t think it was either of those places but thanks. The place I mentioned was more open (no walls going around the place, maybe just on one side and it had pillars) and is just behind the handicapped seating section for Illuminations, to the right of Mexico and just behind some trees when you’re facing the lagoon. They sold bottled soft drinks and maybe pretzels or muffins (I didn’t notice what food they had since I was just getting sodas).
I dont know if Rainforest Cafe is a new edition or what, but I’m glad to see it on there. When we went in 2010 my family was dying to eat there and it was not part of the dining plan. Burnt up spending money, and then we had to scramble to use up credits for the next day or so.
Rainforest Cafe is new to being on the Dining Plan. We had dinner there in May 2010 and weren’t on the DP (nor was RFC) but we had a Disney Gift Card that they let us use at RFC – they said as long as it didn’t have Stitch on it (some certain type of gift card, I guess) it was good to use there….which was great because it was a special $750 gift card for staying at a deluxe Disney resort and we paid for all our meals and snacks with it for three people. That trip we only had two ADRs anyway and ate quick service meals the rest of the time.
I am glad to see RFC and TRex. We always do one or the other out of pocket. No need for that anymore.