Signature Meals worth it?

innoculation · Mar 1, 2015

My family and I will be heading back for another fantastic WDW vacation in September. We have a debate within the household on Signature Dining venues - worth it, or not?

My wife is very frugal and thinks that it would be wasteful to use 2 table service credits for a signature meal. I, however, appreciate fine dining and exploring various cuisines.

Part of my thought of adding a signature meal to our vacation is free dining (bounce back offer). Since it is free, I am thinking, why not? However, when I price compare, the difference in entree costs, mathematically, it doesn't make sense to use 2 credits for one meal.

What are your thoughts?

Brian Noble · Mar 1, 2015

I don't get the DDP, so I can't weigh in on the 1 credit vs. 2 credits question. But, while the Signatures are pricey in cash terms, they are also generally quite good.

mom2rtk · Mar 1, 2015

I have never used 2 dining credits on a meal. I just can't bring myself to do it. So if we do a signature meal, we pay OOP, and use the credits elsewhere.

NickEslick · Mar 1, 2015

I always have the dining plan that make them 1 credit, so I can't comment on if it is worth it to use 2. I will add however they are usually the best restaurants at WDW.

nat8199 · Mar 1, 2015

On our last trip we had some amazing meals at Signature Restaurants. Monsieur Paul, Cali Grill, and Narcoossee's were all amazing.

It is definitely worth it for us, but we really like fine dining.

Jbausch · Mar 1, 2015

When we go we are on the DDP. We can never eat all the food - 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks! (We usually have a huge breakfast and then dinner. Use the snack in between meals - we are never hungry) So I usually do a couple of signature meals - it uses up our extra credits and the food is awesome.

lauradis · Mar 1, 2015

I have use two credit on dinner before during "free" dinning, but then we normally upgrade from regular to deluxe if they offer "free"dinning.

We are foodies and have driven 2 plus hrs one way for my favorite sausages, so my advice doesn't count. lol

Nancyg56 · Mar 1, 2015

WE have at least two signature meals each trip, and find that two credits is usually worth it. I do check the prices and make sure that between the dessert becerage and entree, we choose wisely. On our next trip we have booked several extra meals as well as signature meals, so I need to do soem calculating to make sure we plan well.

I think if you can, it is worth dining at one of Disney signature dining restaurants. The food is very good, the atmosphere and service stellar.

JZCubed · Mar 1, 2015

Average/Above Average Cost of meals at CA Grill, Narcoossee's, Monsieur Paul, and Yachtsman can justify 2 credits if you are looking strictly at $dollars and $cents.

I believe you get an Appetizer at Brown Derby and a ticket to the show if you do Fantasmic! package.

But determining value is not the same for everyone.

Nancyg56 · Mar 1, 2015

JZCubed said:
Average/Above Average Cost of meals at CA Grill, Narcoossee's, Monsieur Paul, and Yachtsman can justify 2 credits if you are looking strictly at $dollars and $cents.

But determining value is not the same for everyone.

I agree. I don'tjust look at price, but at all that is included. WE do pay OPP fo soem meals, so we have to decide whaich ones make sense on the DDP and which do not. For instance, I know that since we are all on teh DDP, two of us can split th steak and lobster at Narcooses. THis is a good value for us becaus eit is a lot of food, and we will only be using one credit apiece. WE are going to order an apetizer to split, so this is going to be a good se of our credits. Maybe the OP can do this as well.

kimieko · Mar 1, 2015

We did dinner at Narccoosse's last year and will do it again this year. I wanted to try a signature meal, and because we are there during the food and wine, we typically have an extra table service to use up because we don't use one on the day we do the festival. We may end up doing 2 signatures this year because I am having a hard time fitting in a table service every day.

purple figment · Mar 1, 2015

We like the signature restaurants because the food, service and ambiance are better. If you are looking at worth from a $$ standpoint then it is not always the best option to use 2 TS credits for a sig. On the regular DDP the adult TS credit is worth approximately $38.50. You get an entree, dessert and non-alcoholic standard fountain beverage so it can be hard to reach the 2 credit value of $77.00. If you have the DxDDP, the appetizer makes it easier to reach $77.00 per adult. Depending on which 1 credit TS restaurants you will be dining at, sometimes it's better to use the credits there and pay OOP at the sig. Check the menus to figure out what you might order and compare:
http://allears.net/dining/menu
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/#/reservations-accepted

frannn · Mar 1, 2015

When it was a bit cheaper to upgrade free dining to deluxe we would do it every year. Before DD was considered a Disney adult we would think nothing of paying the upgrade fee and booking BD, FF, Narcoossees, CRT, and HDD. Now that we don't upgrade to the deluxe plan, the only 2 credit TS we do is HDD. We were tempted to do FF, since the food is amazing, but in the end the only one we put the $$ out for is HDD. Very worth it. If we have extra TS planned we pay OOP for this.

SadieDawn90 · Mar 1, 2015

We get the Deluxe Dining Plan, and it makes sense for us to do signatures because we don't need all the food that it comes with. It's not a frugal option, but it makes sense for us because we like having the convenience of just having all the food paid off ahead of time and not worrying about being limited. Also, we have a toddler, and 2 or 3 sit down meals a day really helps us to regulate our day and give DD some time to relax. Also, food is my husband's favorite attraction. We don't get to eat like that at home...the land of casseroles lol.

That being said, even without the DxDP, I would go back to California Grill any day. We had an amazing meal and wonderful experience there.

I say splurge. It's a big part of the vacation, and it's fun to treat yourself :]

JimmyV · Mar 1, 2015

It's actually pretty easy to do the math. And it will almost always show that if you enjoy Signature Dining, you should skip the DP and pay for your meals OOP. Here's a simple example using two days worth of credits:

Day One:
DP pays for Combo Meal Lunch
DP uses two credits to eat at Signature where entree costs $43 and dessert costs $9.

Day Two
DP pays for Combo Meal Lunch
Guest pays OOP for dinner because all TS credits are gone. Guest goes to a modest restaurant and pays $18 for an entree and $6 for dessert.

Total cost is (using round numbers) cost of the DP, ($57 x 2), + $24 for OOP dinner. Total = $$128

Paying OOP, diner would have spent:
2 Combo Lunches = $15 per day = $30
Signature Dinner = $43 + 9 = $52
Other Dinner = $18 + 6 = $24
Total = $106

This ignores tax and tip. But since tip needs to be paid in either instance, it is a wash. And tax doesn't move the meter much. We haven't added in Snacks either. They would be paid for under the DP. But by paying OOP, if you buy one $5 snack each day, you are still only up to $116. Still a savings. And we find that when we pay OOP, we do not eat a dessert at every meal plus get a snack every day.

innoculation · Mar 7, 2015

Thank you all for the feedback. This will help us make a decision for sure.

tasha99 · Mar 7, 2015

When we've done the dining plan, we've gone to some signature meals just to use up some credits. It's a lot of food, and we are really okay with some meals skipped or eaten in the room. That said, if I'd paid cash for the signature meals, I would have been disappointed. Actually some of my favorite Disney food has been the odd thing here and there at less noticed and cheaper restaurants. I recommend doing a signature meal just to try it out, but be prepared for it not really being worth the money printed on the menu. For us at least, it's about the atmosphere at WDW, so maybe planning a meal around the fireworks would maximize the value. Or that water electric parade--we watched that from Narcoossee once, and it was lovely.

loves to dive · Mar 7, 2015

I no longer use the DP, even when it's free since it's usually less for me to go with the room discount. I just can't eat as much is on the plan so I come out better with room discount. Having said that, when I did get the dining plan, back on the original plan when it came with 3 TS per day and those included app, entre, drink and tip and recently with the one that include one CS and one TS with dessert, no app and no tip, we always went to at least one signature and used the 2 credits. Even on the lesser plan we found there was always at least one night that we just didn't want a heavy TS meal so either ended up paying OP for a CS meal or just ate a bunch of snacks around the world at Epcot. More often than not, even now when paying OP and at a TS restaurant I tend to get an app and soup or salad and dessert, I eat kids meals most of the time at CS, good thing about getting older your appetite tends to fade so it's not a matter of money any more.

eliza61 · Mar 7, 2015

innoculation said:
My family and I will be heading back for another fantastic WDW vacation in September. We have a debate within the household on Signature Dining venues - worth it, or not?

My wife is very frugal and thinks that it would be wasteful to use 2 table service credits for a signature meal. I, however, appreciate fine dining and exploring various cuisines.

Part of my thought of adding a signature meal to our vacation is free dining (bounce back offer). Since it is free, I am thinking, why not? However, when I price compare, the difference in entree costs, mathematically, it doesn't make sense to use 2 credits for one meal.

What are your thoughts?

So this is one reason why i don't do the DDP, lol way to much time trying to figure out if a meal is "worth" the credits.

Find a restaurant that you want to try and go for it. i dont do the DDP anymore so I don't know the mathematics behind 2 credits.
Your wife is frugal, will she enjoy herself knowing the price?

finedice · Mar 7, 2015

I only used two credits once. We ate at Citrico's. We really liked it, BUT, IMHO, it was not worth it from the standpoint of you still don't get an app, and when we choose fine dining, we are big fans of multiple courses. So not only did we use two DDP credits, but also threw down $120, in food, drinks, and tip (for 2 adults and a 6yo). Overall, for the combination in price of the DDP and the extra, we feel we could have done better paying OOP.

As a pro chef myself, while the food and service are good overall, you might have a better meal off property for less... Now - if I could justify the price of V&A, I would certainly try that! The new Spanish Steakhouse at 4 Seasons also looks really good!

Signature Meals worth it?

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