DadwhoLOVESDisney
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2009
- Messages
- 61
So bright and early Sunday morning we start packing up from our offsite condo and trudge down from the third floor with all of our stuff. Ate breakfast in the condo.
After a couple of false starts, we end up at Joes Crab Shack for lunch. While the food wasnt all that great, the kids enjoyed sitting outside and entertaining themselves on the playground while we waited for lunch.
Total OOP Cost: $46.17
Afternoon:
We checked into our hotel at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. We bought into Disney Vacation Club a year ago and this was our first time to stay on our own points (we had rented or traded into Disney with our time share before). We were excited! And the kids loved the animals. We were on the 5th floor and could see 4 or 5 different animals within the first 10 minutes. Made microwave popcorn and drank bottled water as a snack.
Total OOP Costs for first three days (not including food and drink items brought from Houston so not completely fair and we had a free dinner with friends).
Wednesday: $78
Thursday: $59 (but free dinner with friends)
Friday: $74.50
Saturday: $61.75
Sunday (half day): $46.17
Grand Total: $319
Average total OOP per day (4 days): $80
Average per person (didnt count the 2 year old) thats about $20 a day ($80/4 = $20)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that were onsite, frugal dad become Disney Dining Plan Dad! (but frugal dad never really goes away and all you frugal people know that!).
Dinner:
We had reservations at Boma for 7:15. We got there about 7 and they seated us in less than a minute. Great news. We sit down and the waiter takes our drink orders. The waiter outlines where things are located and we head to the lines. My kids go to one side and I go to the other. 30 seconds later, we meet at the kids meal station and both kids are filling up on meatballs, noodles, and are eyeing the mac-and-cheese. The horrors! Dont they realize that were experiencing the tastes of Africa? Dont they realize that this is a $35 dinner? Theyre loading up on $4.99 kids meal options!! I guide them to a few more unique food choices and we head back to the table.
At the table, everyones unhappy with their food. Wife reminds me that it might have been a good idea to share the plan to try out unique foods from Africa BEFORE we get to the food line. I think she has a good point. A very good point! I explain to the kids some of what we were trying to do (get small tastes of foods that we would never get in Houston). I also explain that they dont have to eat everything on their plate but they do have to get a lot of different thingswith very small portions and tell the rest of us about what they like and whats not theyre favorite (thats the phrase theyre allowed to use at home when they dont like something).
We go up to the food lines again and things go MUCH better. I ask my son to pick out a few things from each station to try. We all head back with our second plates and try out a variety of items.
Overall, the kids werent too wild about the exotic options. But since my goal was for them to try things, I wasnt too concerned. Son found that he really liked the pork. So he loaded up. And as long as it wasnt the standard meatballs or mystery chicken, I was fine with that. Daughter really liked the dessert bar. My wife and I found a lot of things we liked so it was definitely enjoyable.
Unfortunately, because of the poor planning from dad and the need for finding a new approach to menu selections before a complete family meltdown, no pictures. : (
My son really liked the pork at the meat station.
Soups were a family favorite. My wife and I really liked the Curried Coconut Seafood Stew.
And the desserts were awesome. Here are the caramel cheesecakes that my daughter and wife loved.
Overall, we were very satisfied with Boma's. It was a good value and we enjoyed the experience a great deal. And the service was one of our better experiences: our waiter was attentive and kept picking up the plates.
Total Disney Table Service Credits Used: 4
Cost w/o DDP: $140 + tip ($35 pp)
Total OOP: $26 for a tip.
After a couple of false starts, we end up at Joes Crab Shack for lunch. While the food wasnt all that great, the kids enjoyed sitting outside and entertaining themselves on the playground while we waited for lunch.
Total OOP Cost: $46.17
Afternoon:
We checked into our hotel at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. We bought into Disney Vacation Club a year ago and this was our first time to stay on our own points (we had rented or traded into Disney with our time share before). We were excited! And the kids loved the animals. We were on the 5th floor and could see 4 or 5 different animals within the first 10 minutes. Made microwave popcorn and drank bottled water as a snack.
Total OOP Costs for first three days (not including food and drink items brought from Houston so not completely fair and we had a free dinner with friends).
Wednesday: $78
Thursday: $59 (but free dinner with friends)
Friday: $74.50
Saturday: $61.75
Sunday (half day): $46.17
Grand Total: $319
Average total OOP per day (4 days): $80
Average per person (didnt count the 2 year old) thats about $20 a day ($80/4 = $20)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that were onsite, frugal dad become Disney Dining Plan Dad! (but frugal dad never really goes away and all you frugal people know that!).
Dinner:
We had reservations at Boma for 7:15. We got there about 7 and they seated us in less than a minute. Great news. We sit down and the waiter takes our drink orders. The waiter outlines where things are located and we head to the lines. My kids go to one side and I go to the other. 30 seconds later, we meet at the kids meal station and both kids are filling up on meatballs, noodles, and are eyeing the mac-and-cheese. The horrors! Dont they realize that were experiencing the tastes of Africa? Dont they realize that this is a $35 dinner? Theyre loading up on $4.99 kids meal options!! I guide them to a few more unique food choices and we head back to the table.
At the table, everyones unhappy with their food. Wife reminds me that it might have been a good idea to share the plan to try out unique foods from Africa BEFORE we get to the food line. I think she has a good point. A very good point! I explain to the kids some of what we were trying to do (get small tastes of foods that we would never get in Houston). I also explain that they dont have to eat everything on their plate but they do have to get a lot of different thingswith very small portions and tell the rest of us about what they like and whats not theyre favorite (thats the phrase theyre allowed to use at home when they dont like something).
We go up to the food lines again and things go MUCH better. I ask my son to pick out a few things from each station to try. We all head back with our second plates and try out a variety of items.
Overall, the kids werent too wild about the exotic options. But since my goal was for them to try things, I wasnt too concerned. Son found that he really liked the pork. So he loaded up. And as long as it wasnt the standard meatballs or mystery chicken, I was fine with that. Daughter really liked the dessert bar. My wife and I found a lot of things we liked so it was definitely enjoyable.
Unfortunately, because of the poor planning from dad and the need for finding a new approach to menu selections before a complete family meltdown, no pictures. : (
My son really liked the pork at the meat station.
Soups were a family favorite. My wife and I really liked the Curried Coconut Seafood Stew.
And the desserts were awesome. Here are the caramel cheesecakes that my daughter and wife loved.
Overall, we were very satisfied with Boma's. It was a good value and we enjoyed the experience a great deal. And the service was one of our better experiences: our waiter was attentive and kept picking up the plates.
Total Disney Table Service Credits Used: 4
Cost w/o DDP: $140 + tip ($35 pp)
Total OOP: $26 for a tip.
