Really needing to vent on my DDP choice. UPDATE: Feeling better today!

[Nancy for Disney]

As you can see by my ticker below my ADR day is just three days away. DH doesn't understand why I plan so much so he isn't going to offer me any comfort. As a matter of fact he is going to think I am crazy. Right now I signed up for the QSDP. I was going to do 1 TS meal and pay OOP. My rationale was :
A. I didn't want to be on a schedule. I wanted to go with the flow.
B. We are trying to do this the least expensive way we can.
C. We only have three park days. I don't want to have to be spending time in the parks waiting for a table.
D. There are a lot of good CS restaurants so I knew I wouldn't have to just eat burgers and fries. We didn't even make to all the CS restaurants I would love to try on our last trip such as Tangerine Cafe and Flame Tree. There are some CS I do want to eat again (Sunshine Seasons, WPE (yummy!), Columbia Harbor House and a turkey leg)
E. I think the two food items that DH was most impressed with on our trip were the ice cream cookie and the turkey leg. All readily available on the QSDP.


My problem is that I can't choose just one TS restaurant. See a previoius thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2266197


Also this is a trip for two how and often do we get to sit down and try new foods? There are too many things I want to try. My one concern is that DH wasn't completely impressed with our restaurant choices on our last trip but we also did a lot safe things that would appeal to our kids. There isn't one restaurant I feel the need to rush back to. However this time I can pick places that don't have to appeal to 3 picky eaters. However, even with 5 TS meals I still am having trouble making a choice. It is also going to be at least $106 more to do add the plan ($100 to add DDP + $50 tips + $26 for our mugs that are included in QSDP - $70 we would have spent on our OOP meal). I may have to add a couple of extra OOP CS meals too but won't know that until we get there. I will also be more tempted to have an alcoholic beverage at a TS restaurant.

This is what I am leaning towards regarding my TS restaurants:

Arrival night O'hanas (Kona as a back up)
Day 1 (Epcot) Marrakesh or Chefs
Day 2 (AK/ HS) Kouzzina @ 8:30 after HS closes. I am also considering doing Yak and Yeti lunch at AK.
Day 3 (free day) Sanaa
Day 4 (MK/ ?) I can't decide between the following Grand Floridain Café, The Wave or Whispering Canyon. The only reason why I want Whispering Canyon is to have an excuse to see WL. I would leave this day free if I do Yak and Yeti for lunch at AK. I am also having trouble deciding between AK and MK on Day 2 so I doubt I will do the Yak and Yeti option. Although having an ADR free day would be great.

I thought of doing a signature restaurant but I don't think I could do away with two of my choices. Even so I can't pick which 2 TS credit restaurants I want.

Another problem I have is that I have no idea when we will be arriving. I can't get our plane tickets until the end of Sept.

I like the idea of getting a chance to see more resorts than we saw last time although some of my choices would duplicate. We were in GF, Contempoaray and AKL on our last trip. I really want to go to the Poly. DH didn't see it last time and it is my favorite. I also want a Lapu Lapu (sp?).

I am just really stressed over this. Any advice, opinions or hugs are welcome. I think I feel a little better putting my thoughts in written form.

WHY DOES DISNEY MAKE IT SO COMPLICATED?????

 

[Nancy for Disney]

UGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Just tried to have a conversation with DH. The best I could get out of him was that he didn't like the idea of Sanaa and when I mentioned The Wave, I got "Isn't all food organic?". His final thought on the matter was "I really don't care where we eat.". This would be so much easier if I could have a conversation with someone about this. I may need a therapist to help me choose which DDP.

 

[Luv2Roam]

mmm.... Don't blame anyone else for making it complicated.
Since you only have three park days I would go with your original idea.
If you want one TS just choose one near where you plan on being that day.

DH and I have a QS stay coming up. I made one OOP ADR for breakfast at Kouzzina's. However we can go to the parks any weekend. So spending every moment inside a park is not our top priority.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I would take him at his word on this. He probably doesn't really care much. There are a lot of restaurants on our (my) list that we've never tried. DH leaves it up to me to set the itinerary and make the reservations. Our upcoming trip will also be just the two of us.

As for your choices, for what it's worth here's my input:

DD19 loved 'Ohana when she ate there in 2008. But she said that there were a lot of active children who crowded their table when the fireworks started (she had a window table). Since they were just finishing their dessert, she said that it wasn't a big deal to her but she did say that it would have been annoying if she was in the middle of her entree. And she loves kids, so it was surprising to hear her express this objection.

We've done Kona as a family and I found it to be a little too noisy. The area is open to the lobby area and you not only hear all the clattering plates, you also hear the noise of the lobby hubbub. We were also seated right next to the edge of the restaurant and I wasn't fond of the foot traffic on the walkway that passed by my seat constantly. The food was good but the atmosphere is lacking.

DD did Marrakesh and loved it because it was very different from anything she'd eaten before. I've done Chefs and would eat there again but it was nothing out of the ordinary for me. Good food and very good service. But if you're looking for something different, I'd go with Marrakesh.

I can't say anything about Kouzzina but I'm hoping to get there on our next visit. Y&Y is also on my list to try. I'm not sure that I would do both in the same day. Maybe move Koussina over to your off day since it doesn't require park admission?

We plan to do both GF Cafe and Wave this time, but I plan to try Wave for breakfast one morning. Their lunch & dinner menus look inviting but I just don't have enough hours in a day to try everything on this trip! We're planning to do the GF Cafe for lunch on our arrival day since we're staying there and our flight arrives at 9:50 am. If you think that you will be arriving in the mid- to late-morning, I'd suggest making an ADR at your resort or plan on grabbing a quick CS there. You can always cancel the ADR if you get a later flight and don't need it.

 

[Bete]

I think I would stick with food choices he likes back home. If he's a steak man than do steak places. If he likes fish, do fish places. You get the idea. There's so many choices you should be able to make yourself happy, too.

It appears to me he's not too willing to make any choices, either.

You might get away with Marrakesh if you time your meal with the belly dancing in the restaurant. It's a good distraction.

I think for a short stay QS is appealing and it would be cheaper. If you like park time more than go with QS.

If you are trying to relax more or be more romantic than I would go with TS.

 

[comicguy]

For a TS I would choose Grand Floridian Cafe (they have some of the best steaks on property, even better than Le Cellier, IMHO)

We ate there twice on our just completed trip last week(service is awesome, food is great, atmoshere is wonderful) plus a nice relaxing stroll around the resort after dinner is a nice way to let your food settle before you head back to the parks.

 

[Nancy for Disney]

mmm.... Don't blame anyone else for making it complicated.

I know I am indecisive. I shouldn't blame Disney for offering so many different choices. It does make it hard when you are trying to figure out what you want to eat 90 days in advance.

I have gone a whole 12 hours without changing my mind.

I have decided to go ahead and make ADR's for DDP but will probably wait to break the news to Disney which will add more money to what I owe.

I have also changed my touring plan a little. Here is what I my ADR goals are:

Arrival: O'hana's @ 8:00 pm
Day 1 (MK/HS): LTT Lunch @ first opening available (less chance I have to
wait for a table and we will be
hungry for dinner. )
Kouzinna @ 7:45 (HS closes at 7 that night for PW party)

Day 2 (Epcot) Chefs de France @ 7:00

Day 3 (Free) The Wave 7:00

Day 4 CS only unless we had to cancel something for some reason and then we will try for GF or Sanaa as a last minute thing.

I think it is a pretty good plan. For now anyway.

Thanks for giving me all the support and suggestions. I am feeling very comfortable in my ADR/ Dining Plan decisions at this moment. It is a little crazy, all this fuss over where you are going to eat but when you are spending this kind of money you really want to get it right.

Oh, yeah. The reason I picked LTT is that DH is going to love that Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. I was going to pick The Plaza but didn’t want ice cream for dessert. I am finding that as I make these dinning choices dessert seems to be my deciding factor in which restaurants I pick.

 

[CampingBandit]

I can relate - I have to share my story about how I stressed and stressed when I had the DP last year, and it's because of all the stress and the end result that I would not do the DP again.

We didn't mind the food at CS restaurants - in fact the ones we ate at were better than some of the TS restaurants we chose.

Not knowing about this board when I planned my trip, when I called ADRs # and starting requesting, nothing I wanted was available, or the restaurant I wanted didn't accept the DP. She said "make a list with your top 3 choices for each day and call back." She told me where to find the list of included restaurants.

That list literally took me 7 hours to prepare.

2 weeks before our trip I found Allears - and read the menus of my choices. I realized my very picky eaters (everyone but me) weren't going to like 5 of my 7 choices. With 2 weeks before our PEAK season trip, I had to call and try and change my ADRs. Talk about stress. But I was successful, for the most part. My DD lived on salad and cake for the entire week, being a 10 yo that didn't like anything on the "adult" menu....

One of the main reasons I wouldn't do the DP again is because I didn't like having to stick to an itinerary based on an ADR.

We also didn't like taking 2 hours to dine, when our family would rather be on a ride or seeing the sights.

Our most enjoyable meal was at Grand Floridan Cafe when we made no plans following dinner. It was restful and relaxing and the food was excellent. Runner up was Whispering Canyon, that's the only TS restaurant where I've made a reservation for this upcoming trip....

Enjoy your trip! And the food.....

 

[Nancy for Disney]

I can relate - I have to share my story about how I stressed and stressed when I had the DP last year, and it's because of all the stress and the end result that I would not do the DP again.

We didn't mind the food at CS restaurants - in fact the ones we ate at were better than some of the TS restaurants we chose.

Not knowing about this board when I planned my trip, when I called ADRs # and starting requesting, nothing I wanted was available, or the restaurant I wanted didn't accept the DP. She said "make a list with your top 3 choices for each day and call back." She told me where to find the list of included restaurants.

That list literally took me 7 hours to prepare.

2 weeks before our trip I found Allears - and read the menus of my choices. I realized my very picky eaters (everyone but me) weren't going to like 5 of my 7 choices. With 2 weeks before our PEAK season trip, I had to call and try and change my ADRs. Talk about stress. But I was successful, for the most part. My DD lived on salad and cake for the entire week, being a 10 yo that didn't like anything on the "adult" menu....

One of the main reasons I wouldn't do the DP again is because I didn't like having to stick to an itinerary based on an ADR.

We also didn't like taking 2 hours to dine, when our family would rather be on a ride or seeing the sights.

Our most enjoyable meal was at Grand Floridan Cafe when we made no plans following dinner. It was restful and relaxing and the food was excellent. Runner up was Whispering Canyon, that's the only TS restaurant where I've made a reservation for this upcoming trip....

Enjoy your trip! And the food.....

Thanks for your input. I feel about the same way about our first trip last summer. If I had my kids with me I wouldn't even consider doing the DDP. They also weren't impressed by the food. I thought for sure that they would love LTT mac and cheese since it is Stouffers and that is their favorite at home. Guess what? They hated the mac and cheese at LTT. They didn't like any of the buffets. Their favorite was Teppen Edo. I bet we spent an average 30 min per TS meal waiting for a table.


However since this is a trip for two I have decided that it would be nice to have slower meals and try some of the restaurants I know my kids wouldn't have liked. The only thing that will make or break my decision now is our flight time which I won't know about until the end of the month. If we can't get an early enough flight then I will scratch the whole thing and just pay OOP for two of the TS meals I have ADR's for. This would be Kouzinna and The Wave.

I did call yesterday and made my ADR. I got almost everything I wanted for the times I wanted. Here is what I got if anyone cares:

Arrival night: Whispering Canyon @ 7:45 (hoping we are done in time to watch fireworks from the bus stop during MVMCVP. Anyone know what time that is for sure? I think it is 9:30. I also plan to keep trying for O'hana which only had a 9:30)


Day 1 (MK/HS): LTT @ 12:00 (I wanted 11:00 but this is ok too. If they make me wait more than 15 min I will be out of there and schedule something for our final day)

Kouzinna @ 8:45 (after HS closes)

Day 2 (Epcot) Chefs de France (dinner)

Day 3 (no parks) The Wave (dinner)

Day 4 (AK/?) CS only unless I had to wait at LTT and then we will eat at whatever has an opening.


So far I have now had this plan for three days and haven't changed my mind. When I felt the need to waffle just a little I went back and looked at all the menus and knew I had made the right choice for us. I felt even better last night when I told DH that I made our ADR's and he seemed about as enthused as he could ever be about food. In other words I asked him if he wanted to know where we were eating and he nodded and then after I told him he slightly smiled and said "sounds good".

I must say I really enjoy the planning part despite my anxious moment the other day.

Here's hoping for a great trip.

 

[Microcell]

Well congrats on your choices!

DH and I were discussing just that, weather or not to do the QS or regular dining plan if any at all!

Disney does have their way to make us think about being there when we aren't!