Feed Back on our 1st WDW trip & DxDP!

[PrincessTiannaLove]

Background: We are a family of four, myself, DH DD(turning 5 at WDW) & DS2.5.
We are doing our first WDW trip for DD's 5th birthday after our first ever cruise, 3 days on the Dream.

We arrive at the YC on a Sunday morning for 4 nights. I have done the math & out of convenience of meals prepaid & the fact that DS is free, so he can share most of his meals with us, we have decided to do DxDP. I like the 6 snacks per day, figure if we fill our mugs 2xper day & do the plan of attack below, I will be getting a pretty fair deal. DH wants/has to have 3 squares a day, plus have a break which for us is sitting down & relaxing during our meals. I love to snack, get goodies & try any and everything, so snack credits won't be wasted. Plus, again, we are only paying for 3, but really getting food for 4. So, please tell me what you think. I am starting to doubt my ressies, and know that I am overthinking much of the trip. (Becoming addicted to DIS isn't helping either! )

Sunday (EMH for HS)
Breakfast: On the Dream!
Lunch: Beaches N Cream
Dinner: Mama Melrose's, Priority Seating for FANTASMIC!

Monday (EMH MK)
Breakfast: Buffet at Captains Grille 7:30am
Lunch: CS at Columbia House OR The Plaza
Dinner: Cape May Café Seafood Buffet
Back to MK until 12am.

Tuesday DD 5th BIRTHDAY ! ! ! (EMH Epcot, which we will probably skip )
Breakfast: CRT 8:20am
BBB @ 12pm
Lunch: Cosmic Rays OR LTT
Dinner: BOG 8:20pm

Wednesday: (EMH AK again, we will probably skip AK completely)
Breakfast; Crystal Palace
Lunch: ? ? ? CS or The Plaza
Dinner: Whispering Canyon Café

Thursday: Go Home (eat a quick something in Lobby and then at MCO. Have to be on ME at 7am)

Anything you would change? Do different? Or tell me that it is perfect?!
We aren't sure how "tired" we are going to be after getting off the cruise, but figured lunch at YC, maybe a quick swim & naps & then HS for the evening. We really probably won't do much at Epcot, except walk around a bit one day, and will probably skip AK, just because I figure we will have plenty to do at MK. Am I wrong? We also got PH, but am worried that might be a waste? Esp, because people say it is harder to take the monorail from Epcot to MK, which I thought would be a good plan.
Also, I know CS isn't a great use of credits, but even using a couple I still save a few dollars & just the off chance we decide against sitting down for an hour for lunch. I also picked so many buffets bc DS is free & bc we can get out quicker, but still have a good variety.
Thoughts are welcome!
Greatly appreciated!
And many thanks to you all!

 

[Spunky946]

We just did the deluxe dining plan and it's a lot of food and a lot of time in restaurants. Just as a warning you will probably feel like all you are doing is running from restaurant to restaurant.

We did not even do three meals a day, we did a lot of sigintures and it was still a lot. We had some instances where I wished that we did not have that last dinner reservation because we were either not able to take a break, or had to run to dinner.

That being said we had amazing food. We did eat at restaurants that I normally would not have paid out of pocket for, so that part was great.

I'm not sure that we would ever do it again, but it was nice to do it once.

 

[buzzrelly]

Background: We are a family of four, myself, DH DD(turning 5 at WDW) & DS2.5.
We are doing our first WDW trip for DD's 5th birthday after our first ever cruise, 3 days on the Dream.

We arrive at the YC on a Sunday morning for 4 nights. I have done the math & out of convenience of meals prepaid & the fact that DS is free, so he can share most of his meals with us, we have decided to do DxDP. I like the 6 snacks per day, figure if we fill our mugs 2xper day & do the plan of attack below, I will be getting a pretty fair deal. DH wants/has to have 3 squares a day, plus have a break which for us is sitting down & relaxing during our meals. I love to snack, get goodies & try any and everything, so snack credits won't be wasted. Plus, again, we are only paying for 3, but really getting food for 4. So, please tell me what you think. I am starting to doubt my ressies, and know that I am overthinking much of the trip. (Becoming addicted to DIS isn't helping either! )

Sunday (EMH for HS)
Breakfast: On the Dream!
Lunch: Beaches N Cream
Dinner: Mama Melrose's, Priority Seating for FANTASMIC!

Monday (EMH MK)
Breakfast: Buffet at Captains Grille 7:30am
Lunch: CS at Columbia House OR The Plaza
Dinner: Cape May Café Seafood Buffet
Back to MK until 12am.

Tuesday DD 5th BIRTHDAY ! ! ! (EMH Epcot, which we will probably skip )
Breakfast: CRT 8:20am
BBB @ 12pm
Lunch: Cosmic Rays OR LTT
Dinner: BOG 8:20pm

Wednesday: (EMH AK again, we will probably skip AK completely)
Breakfast; Crystal Palace
Lunch: ? ? ? CS or The Plaza
Dinner: Whispering Canyon Café

Thursday: Go Home (eat a quick something in Lobby and then at MCO. Have to be on ME at 7am)

Anything you would change? Do different? Or tell me that it is perfect?!
We aren't sure how "tired" we are going to be after getting off the cruise, but figured lunch at YC, maybe a quick swim & naps & then HS for the evening. We really probably won't do much at Epcot, except walk around a bit one day, and will probably skip AK, just because I figure we will have plenty to do at MK. Am I wrong? We also got PH, but am worried that might be a waste? Esp, because people say it is harder to take the monorail from Epcot to MK, which I thought would be a good plan.
Also, I know CS isn't a great use of credits, but even using a couple I still save a few dollars & just the off chance we decide against sitting down for an hour for lunch. I also picked so many buffets bc DS is free & bc we can get out quicker, but still have a good variety.
Thoughts are welcome!
Greatly appreciated!
And many thanks to you all!

I've never done the DxDP so I can't comment on that. But one thing that sticks out to me is that Monday you have a 7:30 am ADR and the you are planning on staying at the MK until midnight and THEN getting up the next am for an 8:20 ADR at CRT. You didn't say if you are renting a car or using Disney transportation, but either way you'd have to be getting up REALLY early after getting home REALLY late the night before. You know your family best, but my family wouldn't be able to burn the candle at both ends like that.

Something to think about.

 

[POOHsie]

As PP stated, late nights and early mornings might make for very cranky kids. Your Tuesday plan starts early with CRT, then BBB at noon, lunch at MK and BOG dinner at MK. If this is your Epcot day, I don't see where it fits in. Looks to me like you're spending 1/2 day Sunday at DHS, Mon-Tue-Wed at MK. If you plan to see Epcot or AK, you need to plan differently. With travel back and forth, plus your meal plans interspersed at MK, you'll just get started at the other parks when you'll have to turn around and head back to MK.

I would make Monday your Epcot day. Plan to skip MK EMH after Epcot unless you leave before IllumiNations and the kids are still in good moods. Tuesday would be your MK day. Wednesday, if you exchanged Crystal Palace for Tusker House, you could have a day at AK. Kids love the animals. It's worth it.