Hello all. I just registered to post this review. We had such a good time, and found the plan to be worth it. Mostly because I read this board before I went and knew what restaurants to eat at, what snacks to get, etc.
I thought I should return the favour, and pass what I learned on to the next people reading up on the plan. We did 7 days at WDW. Stayed at Pop Century, park hopper tickets, and were on the regular dining plan. I made all my ADRs 85 days in advance. I'm going to post prices (taxes included), as I think it helps people decide if the plan is a good deal or not. Sorry, no pictures. My wife has a 'do not film me while I eat (or I'll kill you)' rule.
Sunday: We got in around 8PM so it was too late to use TS credits so we just used 2 CS ones.
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
2 x Half Chicken & BBQ Rib Combo $27.98
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Carrot Cake $7.18
Total = $42.96
Pretty darn good. The chicken was nice, and the ribs were fantastic. Potatoes were powdered (according to my wife) but still good. Served with green beans.
Monday
Main Street Bakery - Magic Kingdom - 2 x Snacks
2 x Warm Banana Cake things $7.18
Total = $7.46
A nice choice for breakfast. These things were huge and easily kept us going until lunch.
Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn and Cafe - Magic Kingdom - 2 x CS
BBQ Pork Sandwich - Smoked pulled pork served with your choice of French fries or Apple Slices - $7.59
Chicken Wrap - Served chilled with seasoned chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese tossed with PECOS house dressing served with your choice of french fries or Apple Slices. Without Chicken $7.59
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Carrot Cake $7.18
Total = $29.33
The pork sandwich wasn't bad. Nothing to write home about though. The chicken wrap was pretty good and big enough to feed 2 people no problem. We should have just gone back to Cosmic Ray's though, it was better.
Chef Mickey's Buffet - Contemporary Resort - 2 x TS
2 x Adults 59.98
Total = $63.87
This is a must do imo. The food was probably the best I've ever had at a buffet and the desserts were perfect. Turkey, Roast Beef, prawns, something for everyone really. So much fun to have Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto come over to your table and mug for pictures. You could have rolled us out of there we were so full.
Tuesday
Stand by Entrance to World Showcase - Epcot - 2 x Snacks
2 x Mango Non-Fat Yogurt Smoothies $7.18
Total = $7.46
Nice sized smoothie for 'breakfast' as we were still pretty porked from the night before.
Tangierine Café - Epcot - 2 x CS
2 x Shawarma Chicken and Lamb Platter - Served with side of hummus, Tabouleh and a Tangierine Couscous salad with fresh Morrocan bread. - $27.90
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Baklava $5.00
Total = $40.55
Not what I would normally eat, but wow, it was good. The lamb and chicken is like what you would get in a falafel. Ground up and mixed with ... something. No idea what that is, but it was very good. The baklava was excellent. Again, more food than any one person should eat, but what the heck, we were on vacation!
Teppan Edo - Epcot - 2 x TS
2 x Nihonbashi - Sirloin steak and chicken breast with seasonal vegetables, Udon noodles, and steamed rice. - $28.00
2 x Large Iced Tea - $5.00
1 x Chocolate Ginger Cake - $5.50
1 x Green Tea Pudding - $5.50
Total = $76.68
Another great time. The chef cooks everything in front of you and does all sorts of tricks with the food and utensils. He did a steam train with a stack of onions that just killed us. Food was excellent and the desserts were very good.
Wenesday
Starring Rolls Cafe - Hollywood Studios - 2 x Snacks
2 x Banana Cream Cakes - $7.58
Total = $8.07
Another nice 'breakfast' alternative. Very good.
Everything Pop Century and Dining - Pop Century - 2 x CS
2 x Parmesan Crusted Chicken - comes with salad and breadsticks - $15.98
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Carrot Cake $7.18
Total = $30.18
No much appealed to us at Hollywood, so we ate at Pop when we were changing for the evening. Chicken was very nice and the salad was fresh. Yes we do like Carrot Cake.
Maya Grill - Coronado Springs - 2 x TS
2 x Shoulder Beef Tender - Served in a Cabernet and Balsamic reduction, includes choice of potato or yucca & mixed veggies. - $30.00
2 x Large Drinks - $5.90
2 x Desserts - 15.98
Total = 87.20
One of the best pieces of meat we had on our vacation. I had parmesan potatoes with mine, but the wife had yucca and to my surprise it was excellent, I should have got it was well, but who knew? Desserts were all new and I can't remember exactly what they were. Mine was some kind of hard caramel cup with tropical fruit sorbet in it, and a sponge cake soaked in some kind of milk chocolate sauce. The wife had something with fried plantains, coconut ice cream, and chocolate pipes. So good!
Thursday
Flame Tree BBQ - Animal Kingdom - 2 x CS
2 x Smoked 1/2 Chicken - Served with baked beans and a corn muffin. - $18.98
2 x Lemonade - $5.98
2 x Key Lime Pie - $7.18
Total = $34.22
The chicken was excellent, and the pie was pretty good as well. Nice place to eat as there are lots of quiet places to sit.
Boma: Tastes of Africa - Animal Kingdom Lodge - 2 x TS
2 x Adult - $51.98
2 x Iced Tea - $5.18
Total = $60.87
Well. Every time we ate we were like it can't get any better than this. Boma was better. Some of the best food I have ever had, and I've ate a lot of food. You have to be a little adventurous, as some of the stuff, especially the sides, sounds very odd, but trust me ... it's all worth trying. Desserts were pretty standard (not a bad thing at Disney) apart from a couple cake, but very good. The chocolate bomb things were delicious.
Friday
Pepper Market - Coronado Springs - 2 x CS
2 x Fajita Platter - Choice of chicken or beef Fajita platter from the Mexican Kitchen. Served with Rice and Beans - $25.90
2 x Fruit Smoothies - $7.90
2 x Strawberry Shortcakes - $9.50
Total = $46.11
Really good mexican food. Fajitas were excellent and the rice and beans were top notch. Lots of choices here if you don't like tex-mex though.
Chefs de France - Epcot - 2 x TS
2 x Soupe a l'oignon gratinee - The classic onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese. - $11.90
1 x Demi poulet fermier a la broche pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee - Half of an all natural rotisserie chicken, basil-flavored mashed potatoes and braised tomato. - $24.95
1 x Plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet et polenta de Savoie - Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet wine on a bed of polenta. - $26.95
2 x Assiette de Sorbets du jour et son palmier - Daily assortment of fresh sorbets served with an elephant ear. - $14.50
Total = $83.38
This was easily the worst place we ate at. The food was bland and cold. The chicken was basically just a half chicken with some gravy. The short ribs were poorly cooked and served with noodles with nothing but some parsley on them. The service was awful. Every other place we ate at the service was amazing, and I tipped over 20% because of it. At Chefs de France the waiter was snarky and disappeared for 20 minutes at a time. I read a few bad reviews of this place on here, but we couldn't get Le Cellier, and I thought, oh well, it's Disney how bad can it really be. It's bad all right. Avoid at all cost.
Saturday
Crystal Palace - Magic Kingdom - 2 TS
2 x Adult - 37.98
Total = $40.44
We had the extra TS meals from Sunday to we thought we would do another character meal. Great breakfast, pretty much anything you could think of. Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet some to your table for pics. Very fun and a must do if you love Pooh as much as we do!
Goofy's Candy Company - 8 x Snacks
4 x 3 handmade Pretzel + Candy Rods - $14
2 x Fudge - $7
2 x Handmade Mickey Rice Krispy + Candy - $7
Total = 29.32
We had 8 snack credits left so we hit Goofy's and brought most of it back for friends and family. Well half of it anyway.
The Rose and Crown - Epcot - 2 x TS
1 x Steak and Fish - Grilled steak with Black and Tan demi-glace, Harry Ramsden's battered fresh Cod, green beans and mashed potatoes. - $24.99
1 x Roasted Pork Loin - Mustard-crusted pork loin with mushrooms, barley, watercress, and mustard butter. - $20.99
2 x Iced Tea - $5.18
1 x Baileys Irish Coffee Trifle - $5.99
1 x Sticky Toffee Pudding - $4.99
Total = $66.17
Wow what a surprise here. I wasn't expecting much. I'm english and I know we aren't known for fine food, but it was amazing. All cooked perfectly and excellent service. The fish, steak, and pork were perfect. The Irish Coffee Trifle was drool worthy. Restored our faith in Disney dining after Le Chefs de Dogfood.
Wolfgang Puck Express - Downtown Disney - 2 x CS
1 x Macadamia Nut Crusted Breast of Chicken - Papaya marmalade and garlic mashed potatoes with sho yu cream sauce. - $15.95
1 x Asian BBQ Ribs - Served with crisp Asian slaw and spicy honey mustard sauce. - $14.95
2 x Iced Tea - $5.90
2 x Carrot Cake - $7.90
Total = $50.80
Our reservation at Rose and Crown was at 5 PM because we were going out clubbing and wanted to eat at WGP before we started. Always good to have a full stomach before drinking! We went in around 10:45 PM and the place was pretty much empty. So many posts said to eat here, and it lived up to the hype. The chicken was perfect, and the asian BBQ, though having some what odd flavours was very good.
So there is my review. The way I figure it, the DDP is an excellent value.
Cost of the food we ate = $805.07
Cost of DDP = $588
So we saved over $200. You could maximize the plan a lot better if you wanted to. You could eat at the most expensive CS and TS restaurants and order the most expensive stuff every time. We really didn't set out to max out what you could get on the plan. We just wanted to have fun and eat at a different place every time without worrying about cost. We did that and saved a few bucks, so we recommend the plan.
I thought I should return the favour, and pass what I learned on to the next people reading up on the plan. We did 7 days at WDW. Stayed at Pop Century, park hopper tickets, and were on the regular dining plan. I made all my ADRs 85 days in advance. I'm going to post prices (taxes included), as I think it helps people decide if the plan is a good deal or not. Sorry, no pictures. My wife has a 'do not film me while I eat (or I'll kill you)' rule.
Sunday: We got in around 8PM so it was too late to use TS credits so we just used 2 CS ones.
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
2 x Half Chicken & BBQ Rib Combo $27.98
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Carrot Cake $7.18
Total = $42.96
Pretty darn good. The chicken was nice, and the ribs were fantastic. Potatoes were powdered (according to my wife) but still good. Served with green beans.
Monday
Main Street Bakery - Magic Kingdom - 2 x Snacks
2 x Warm Banana Cake things $7.18
Total = $7.46
A nice choice for breakfast. These things were huge and easily kept us going until lunch.
Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn and Cafe - Magic Kingdom - 2 x CS
BBQ Pork Sandwich - Smoked pulled pork served with your choice of French fries or Apple Slices - $7.59
Chicken Wrap - Served chilled with seasoned chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese tossed with PECOS house dressing served with your choice of french fries or Apple Slices. Without Chicken $7.59
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Carrot Cake $7.18
Total = $29.33
The pork sandwich wasn't bad. Nothing to write home about though. The chicken wrap was pretty good and big enough to feed 2 people no problem. We should have just gone back to Cosmic Ray's though, it was better.
Chef Mickey's Buffet - Contemporary Resort - 2 x TS
2 x Adults 59.98
Total = $63.87
This is a must do imo. The food was probably the best I've ever had at a buffet and the desserts were perfect. Turkey, Roast Beef, prawns, something for everyone really. So much fun to have Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto come over to your table and mug for pictures. You could have rolled us out of there we were so full.
Tuesday
Stand by Entrance to World Showcase - Epcot - 2 x Snacks
2 x Mango Non-Fat Yogurt Smoothies $7.18
Total = $7.46
Nice sized smoothie for 'breakfast' as we were still pretty porked from the night before.
Tangierine Café - Epcot - 2 x CS
2 x Shawarma Chicken and Lamb Platter - Served with side of hummus, Tabouleh and a Tangierine Couscous salad with fresh Morrocan bread. - $27.90
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Baklava $5.00
Total = $40.55
Not what I would normally eat, but wow, it was good. The lamb and chicken is like what you would get in a falafel. Ground up and mixed with ... something. No idea what that is, but it was very good. The baklava was excellent. Again, more food than any one person should eat, but what the heck, we were on vacation!
Teppan Edo - Epcot - 2 x TS
2 x Nihonbashi - Sirloin steak and chicken breast with seasonal vegetables, Udon noodles, and steamed rice. - $28.00
2 x Large Iced Tea - $5.00
1 x Chocolate Ginger Cake - $5.50
1 x Green Tea Pudding - $5.50
Total = $76.68
Another great time. The chef cooks everything in front of you and does all sorts of tricks with the food and utensils. He did a steam train with a stack of onions that just killed us. Food was excellent and the desserts were very good.
Wenesday
Starring Rolls Cafe - Hollywood Studios - 2 x Snacks
2 x Banana Cream Cakes - $7.58
Total = $8.07
Another nice 'breakfast' alternative. Very good.
Everything Pop Century and Dining - Pop Century - 2 x CS
2 x Parmesan Crusted Chicken - comes with salad and breadsticks - $15.98
2 x Large drinks $5.18
2 x Carrot Cake $7.18
Total = $30.18
No much appealed to us at Hollywood, so we ate at Pop when we were changing for the evening. Chicken was very nice and the salad was fresh. Yes we do like Carrot Cake.
Maya Grill - Coronado Springs - 2 x TS
2 x Shoulder Beef Tender - Served in a Cabernet and Balsamic reduction, includes choice of potato or yucca & mixed veggies. - $30.00
2 x Large Drinks - $5.90
2 x Desserts - 15.98
Total = 87.20
One of the best pieces of meat we had on our vacation. I had parmesan potatoes with mine, but the wife had yucca and to my surprise it was excellent, I should have got it was well, but who knew? Desserts were all new and I can't remember exactly what they were. Mine was some kind of hard caramel cup with tropical fruit sorbet in it, and a sponge cake soaked in some kind of milk chocolate sauce. The wife had something with fried plantains, coconut ice cream, and chocolate pipes. So good!
Thursday
Flame Tree BBQ - Animal Kingdom - 2 x CS
2 x Smoked 1/2 Chicken - Served with baked beans and a corn muffin. - $18.98
2 x Lemonade - $5.98
2 x Key Lime Pie - $7.18
Total = $34.22
The chicken was excellent, and the pie was pretty good as well. Nice place to eat as there are lots of quiet places to sit.
Boma: Tastes of Africa - Animal Kingdom Lodge - 2 x TS
2 x Adult - $51.98
2 x Iced Tea - $5.18
Total = $60.87
Well. Every time we ate we were like it can't get any better than this. Boma was better. Some of the best food I have ever had, and I've ate a lot of food. You have to be a little adventurous, as some of the stuff, especially the sides, sounds very odd, but trust me ... it's all worth trying. Desserts were pretty standard (not a bad thing at Disney) apart from a couple cake, but very good. The chocolate bomb things were delicious.
Friday
Pepper Market - Coronado Springs - 2 x CS
2 x Fajita Platter - Choice of chicken or beef Fajita platter from the Mexican Kitchen. Served with Rice and Beans - $25.90
2 x Fruit Smoothies - $7.90
2 x Strawberry Shortcakes - $9.50
Total = $46.11
Really good mexican food. Fajitas were excellent and the rice and beans were top notch. Lots of choices here if you don't like tex-mex though.
Chefs de France - Epcot - 2 x TS
2 x Soupe a l'oignon gratinee - The classic onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese. - $11.90
1 x Demi poulet fermier a la broche pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee - Half of an all natural rotisserie chicken, basil-flavored mashed potatoes and braised tomato. - $24.95
1 x Plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet et polenta de Savoie - Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet wine on a bed of polenta. - $26.95
2 x Assiette de Sorbets du jour et son palmier - Daily assortment of fresh sorbets served with an elephant ear. - $14.50
Total = $83.38
This was easily the worst place we ate at. The food was bland and cold. The chicken was basically just a half chicken with some gravy. The short ribs were poorly cooked and served with noodles with nothing but some parsley on them. The service was awful. Every other place we ate at the service was amazing, and I tipped over 20% because of it. At Chefs de France the waiter was snarky and disappeared for 20 minutes at a time. I read a few bad reviews of this place on here, but we couldn't get Le Cellier, and I thought, oh well, it's Disney how bad can it really be. It's bad all right. Avoid at all cost.
Saturday
Crystal Palace - Magic Kingdom - 2 TS
2 x Adult - 37.98
Total = $40.44
We had the extra TS meals from Sunday to we thought we would do another character meal. Great breakfast, pretty much anything you could think of. Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet some to your table for pics. Very fun and a must do if you love Pooh as much as we do!
Goofy's Candy Company - 8 x Snacks
4 x 3 handmade Pretzel + Candy Rods - $14
2 x Fudge - $7
2 x Handmade Mickey Rice Krispy + Candy - $7
Total = 29.32
We had 8 snack credits left so we hit Goofy's and brought most of it back for friends and family. Well half of it anyway.
The Rose and Crown - Epcot - 2 x TS
1 x Steak and Fish - Grilled steak with Black and Tan demi-glace, Harry Ramsden's battered fresh Cod, green beans and mashed potatoes. - $24.99
1 x Roasted Pork Loin - Mustard-crusted pork loin with mushrooms, barley, watercress, and mustard butter. - $20.99
2 x Iced Tea - $5.18
1 x Baileys Irish Coffee Trifle - $5.99
1 x Sticky Toffee Pudding - $4.99
Total = $66.17
Wow what a surprise here. I wasn't expecting much. I'm english and I know we aren't known for fine food, but it was amazing. All cooked perfectly and excellent service. The fish, steak, and pork were perfect. The Irish Coffee Trifle was drool worthy. Restored our faith in Disney dining after Le Chefs de Dogfood.
Wolfgang Puck Express - Downtown Disney - 2 x CS
1 x Macadamia Nut Crusted Breast of Chicken - Papaya marmalade and garlic mashed potatoes with sho yu cream sauce. - $15.95
1 x Asian BBQ Ribs - Served with crisp Asian slaw and spicy honey mustard sauce. - $14.95
2 x Iced Tea - $5.90
2 x Carrot Cake - $7.90
Total = $50.80
Our reservation at Rose and Crown was at 5 PM because we were going out clubbing and wanted to eat at WGP before we started. Always good to have a full stomach before drinking! We went in around 10:45 PM and the place was pretty much empty. So many posts said to eat here, and it lived up to the hype. The chicken was perfect, and the asian BBQ, though having some what odd flavours was very good.
So there is my review. The way I figure it, the DDP is an excellent value.
Cost of the food we ate = $805.07
Cost of DDP = $588
So we saved over $200. You could maximize the plan a lot better if you wanted to. You could eat at the most expensive CS and TS restaurants and order the most expensive stuff every time. We really didn't set out to max out what you could get on the plan. We just wanted to have fun and eat at a different place every time without worrying about cost. We did that and saved a few bucks, so we recommend the plan.
) But very glad to hear about a couple of Rose & Crown choices -- they're going on my notes for our trip cuz we'll be there 2 weeks from Saturday! And the Wolfgang Puck - trying that for first time too. We loved that schwarma platter at Tangierine too & the Flametree dishes, yum. You made me hungry again!
