Magic Happens, and Then You EAT: Our Gluttonous *Year of the Dragon* COMPLETE!!

What a great finish! We love Tambu lounge too and enjoyed the Island Sunset and Pina Colava during our last trip. That Malibu Macaw looks amazing, I think that will be on my "must try" list next visit! :thumbsup2

I really enjoyed reading about your family's dining adventures and I love your writing style and fairness in your ratings. Looking forward to reading about your next trip, congrats on the new ticker! :cool1:
 
Before offering specific comments about our meals, I have some general comments about the DDP and DxDP.

The first time that we used the DDP, it was part of free dining. Of course, free is a great value. However, I kept our receipts anyway. After analyzing what we would have paid, I concluded that we ran a small profit in that we ate more $ than we would have paid. This was done with almost no focusing on picking "higher-priced" entrees.

The next time we went, we bought the DDP. This time, you no longer had starters and the tip covered. However, we still managed once again to eat more than we paid. I must add that this required us to focus more on the cost of each entree than we had the last time. It was still a good experience, but it required more work.

This time, after multiple trips to WDW, and with unlimited FastPass times no longer the norm, we figured that we might have more time for more sit-down meals. So, we decided to try DxDP. We figured that, snce we didn't usually eat breakfast, we could get 2 good TS a day from an early lunch and a later dinner.

While we did get to have more Signature dining experiences than ever before, it was just too much. The combination of the time required to enjoy a sit-down meal, and the lack of time between said meals to become hungry enough for the next meal was just too much. Did we get our "money's worth"? Yes. Was it a quality experience? For us -- not as much as it should have been.

In order to maximize the financial cost of the plan, we had just about the most extensive (and most expensive) meal on every menu. Of course, this also added to the hidden total cost (by adding to our OOP, since we are NEVER cheap to our service staff.). But, as alluded to earlier, the sheer amount of the food was just too much.

Later in her report, iloveeeyore mentioned that the overall amount of food might have affected our ratings in a negative way. I could not agree more. While everyone needs to find their own happy place; ours is a clearly a place with much less food than we might have consumed a number of years ago. What can I say? I guess that we are getting older.

In the end, it was a great trip, with some great new foods, and returning to some "must-dos" for us. But, as I have said on a different thread about OOP vs. DDP spending, this doesn't mean that I will not eat too much pretzel bread next time we go to Biergarten. It just means that I will do so without eating another big meal that day, and I will do so OOP.

That being said, if free dining were to be offered in the future, I would probably compare the cost at 75% (an estimate of the cost of the amount of food we would actually eat) versus whatever room discount we could find. In the end, it is more about the overall experience my family has together in our special place than any individual meal or attraction.
 
In no particular order, here are some of my dining observations on this trip:

VIA NAPOLI -- Cannot believe how much I loved this place. As a native New York City boy, I have had more than my share of excellent pizza. Since moving to the suburbs, I find the pizza to be generally bland and simply a lazy food to save the work of shopping and prep. So, to say that I was less than ecstatic about pizza in WDW would be an understatement. Wow. I could not have been more wrong. The pizza here was comparable to some of the best thin-crust NYC pizza that I have ever had.

LE CELLIER -- My DS had been talking for months about wanting to try "Poutine", a native Canadian dish supposedly comprised of chipped potatoes with cheese curds and, sometimes, served with tomato sauce. So, when we asked if it was authentic, told it was, and ordered it here, we were both disappointed to get fries with yellow cheese and gravy. Back home, we call these "Disco Fries" or "Brooklyn Fries". I know it sounds like a small deal, but it was big to us.

YACHTSMAN -- After having water literally dumped on us in a deluge at Illuminations, I was pretty much ready to call it a night. The fact that I shivered through this meal while my tastebuds danced is a testament to how great this meal was. Incredible.

TAMBU LOUNGE -- Since our DKs were younger during last trips to the Poly, the DW & I never spent any time at Tambu. Besides, we could get the same drinks at our regular trip to Ohana, right? Well, yes,,,and no. There is such a different vibe at the bar. The bartenders are top-notch. And, even for a destination location, the prices were not crazy. We will never miss a opportunity to spend time at Tambu on future trips.

CRYSTAL PALACE -- As you may have read, the DW has a bit of a crush on Eeyore. So, I promised a return to CP after not being there for almost a decade. Last time was dinner at MNSSHP. This time was breakfast. Well, not only was breakfast great (we were there at opening, it should be noted), but the character interactions were too (even for us older folk). On top of everything else, we still got into the park just as the gates were opening to the MK. A great breakfast and I don't lose time to have a commando morning? That's a win-win for me.

KONA CAFE -- Seemingly always in the shadow of Ohana, this just might be the gem of the Poly, as well as the entire property. Great dishes at breakfast and lunch. Great service. If I lived in the area, this would be a regular for me and our family. More time needs to be spent here by us in the future.

That's about it from me. Enough other specifics can be found in this dining report, as well as DW's "live" trip report. Can't wait to start planning our next trip, even if it is a bit far our there. Maybe it just seems far away since it's snowing here...
 


I enjoyed reading your reviews! It does look like on the deluxe dining plan, you have to order so much food to feel like you are getting your money's worth. I'm glad you had a chance to try it and figure out what works best for your family. We almost tried the deluxe dining plan once but realized in advance it would be too much for us. But when you are at home, hungry and reading the disboards, it sounds like such a great idea! :lmao:
 
What a great finish! We love Tambu lounge too and enjoyed the Island Sunset and Pina Colava during our last trip. That Malibu Macaw looks amazing, I think that will be on my "must try" list next visit! :thumbsup2

I really enjoyed reading about your family's dining adventures and I love your writing style and fairness in your ratings. Looking forward to reading about your next trip, congrats on the new ticker! :cool1:

Oh yes, the Malibu Macaw is fantastic, and so, so pretty! I would say the predominant flavor is the melon, which is good for us, but I know some people don't like melon. I believe that green on the bottom is solid melon liquor. So delicious!

Thanks for the compliments on my writing style. I really don't enjoy writing (I'm a perpetual student, or so it seems, and I am forced to do it constantly...it tortures me!) EXCEPT on DIS reports. I use DIS writing as a happy diversion from all the yucky writing I'm obligated to do. I can't wait to do another!

It's over already!!! Enjoyed reading your reviews, as always! Thanks!

You're welcome! I am so thrilled that you found my report enjoyable! Wish I had more to writie for you right now! Already counting down the days, so excited we are under 1 year, 5 months and 4 weeks!

Before offering specific comments about our meals, I have some general comments about the DDP and DxDP.

The first time that we used the DDP, it was part of free dining. Of course, free is a great value. However, I kept our receipts anyway. After analyzing what we would have paid, I concluded that we ran a small profit in that we ate more $ than we would have paid. This was done with almost no focusing on picking "higher-priced" entrees.

The next time we went, we bought the DDP. This time, you no longer had starters and the tip covered. However, we still managed once again to eat more than we paid. I must add that this required us to focus more on the cost of each entree than we had the last time. It was still a good experience, but it required more work.

This time, after multiple trips to WDW, and with unlimited FastPass times no longer the norm, we figured that we might have more time for more sit-down meals. So, we decided to try DxDP. We figured that, snce we didn't usually eat breakfast, we could get 2 good TS a day from an early lunch and a later dinner.

While we did get to have more Signature dining experiences than ever before, it was just too much. The combination of the time required to enjoy a sit-down meal, and the lack of time between said meals to become hungry enough for the next meal was just too much. Did we get our "money's worth"? Yes. Was it a quality experience? For us -- not as much as it sould have been.

In order to maximize the financial cost of the plan, we had just about the most extensive (and most expensive) meal on every menu. Of course, this also added to the hidden total cost (by adding to our OOP, since we are NEVER cheap to our service staff.). But, as alluded to earlier, the sheer amount of the food was just too much.

Later in her report, iloveeeyore mentioned that the overall amount of food might have affected our ratings in a negative way. I could not agree more. While everyone needs to find their own happy place; ours is a clearly a place with much less food than we might have consumed a number of years ago. What can I say? I guess that we are getting older.

In the end, it was a great trip, with some great new foods, and returning to some "must-dos" for us. But, as I have said on a different thread about OOP vs. DDP spending, this doesn't mean that I will not eat too much pretzel bread next time we go to Biergarten. It just means that I will do so without eating another big meal that day, and I will do so OOP.

That being said, if free dining were to be offered in the future, I would probably compare the cost at 75% (an estimate of the cost of the amount of food we would actually eat) versus whatever room discount we could find. In the end, it is more about the overall experience my family has together in our special place than any individual meal or attraction.

I agree with everything MSF said above, EXCEPT the part about ordering the most expensive thing to get our money's worth. I don't think we did that (perhaps he did), BUT, we DID select 4 appetizers even when we weren't that hungry and took the 4 desserts even when we already felt like we couldn't fit another thing in!

In no particular order, here are some of my dining observations on this trip:

VIA NAPOLI -- Cannot believe how much I loved this place. As a native New York City boy, I have had more than my share of excellent pizza. Since moving to the suburbs, I find the pizza to be generally bland and simply a lazy food to save the work of shopping and prep. So, to say that I was less than ecstatic about pizza in WDW would be an understatement. Wow. I could not have been more wrong. The pizza here was comparable to some of the best thin-crust NYC pizza that I have ever had.

LE CELLIER -- My DS had been talking for months about wanting to try "Poutine", a native Canadian dish supposedly comprised of chipped potatoes with cheese curds and, sometimes, served with tomato sauce. So, when we asked if it was authentic, told it was, and ordered it here, we were both disappointed to get fries with yellow cheese and gravy. Back home, we call these "Disco Fries" or "Brooklyn Fries". I know it sounds like a small deal, but it was big to us.

YACHTSMAN -- After having water literally dumped on us in a deluge at Illuminations, I was pretty much ready to call it a night. The fact that I shivered through this meal while my tastebuds danced is a testament to how great this meal was. Incredible.

TAMBU LOUNGE -- Since our DKs were younger during last trips to the Poly, the DW & I never spent any time at Tambu. Besides, we could get the same drinks at our regular trip to Ohana, right? Well, yes,,,and no. There is such a different vibe at the bar. The bartenders are top-notch. And, even for a destination location, the prices were not crazy. We will never miss a opportunity to spend time at Tambu on future trips.

CRYSTAL PALACE -- As you may have read, the DW has a bit of a crush on Eeyore. So, I promised a return to CP after not being there for almost a decade. Last time was dinner at MNSSHP. This time was breakfast. Well, not only was breakfast great (we were there at opening, it should be noted), but the character interactions were too (even for us older folk). On top of everything else, we still got into the park just as the gates were opening to the MK. A great breakfast and I don't lose time to have a commando morning? That's a win-win for me.

KONA CAFE -- Seemingly always in the shadow of Ohana, this just might be the gem of the Poly, as well as the entire property. Great dishes at breakfast and lunch. Great service. If I lived in the area, this would be a regular for me and our family. More time needs to be spent here by us in the future.

That's about it from me. Enough other specifics can be found in this dining report, as well as DW's "live" trip report. Can't wait to start planning our next trip, even if it is a bit far our there. Maybe it just seems far away since it's snowing here...

EXACTLY!

I enjoyed reading your reviews! It does look like on the deluxe dining plan, you have to order so much food to feel like you are getting your money's worth. I'm glad you had a chance to try it and figure out what works best for your family. We almost tried the deluxe dining plan once but realized in advance it would be too much for us. But when you are at home, hungry and reading the disboards, it sounds like such a great idea! :lmao:

We did realize how much food it would be, but we thought that doing signature dining most nights, we'd "only" have 2 meals per day. Well we have had 2 meals on some days before and it didn't seem like too much...but that was one or two days during a trip when we wanted to try something for lunch and didn't want to forfeit dinner...it wasn't every day over a week! That was just way too much and we didn't necessarily realize this until the 3rd or 4th day. I'm looking forward to paying for food OOP next time and eating what, where and when we want! My dream: V&A!
 



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