best value on meal plan

[PIESHOPS]

We are doing deluxe dining for 7 days with a 4 year old and a 9 year old, we may downgrade to regular didning but that is for another conversation.

which restaurants would you recomend to get the best value out of the plan, the only restriction is that we do not want to get dressed up, maybe one night for my wife and i while kiddies have a sitter but other then that no dress up

 

[musicmama]

If you keep the Deluxe plan, spend your 2 TS at Narcoosees. You could take the kiddies also or go with the sitter idea. We saw several very well-behaved young children and pre-pre-teens there.

Otherwise, here are some great 1 TS restaurants where kids are not a problem, food is good and value is pretty high:
Le Cellier
Teppan Edo
Whispering Canyon Cafe
1900 Park Fare (buffet, but good food and fun for kids)
Crystal Palace (buffet, but good food and fun for kids)

 

[d1gitman]

We have two boys, DS8 & DS4. Our last trip was Sept 08, 13n at POP on Free DDP. Our family has been to WDW 7x since 2000.

Our vote for best value TS on DDP

Hollywood Studios
Sci-Fi Dine In (lots of fun for kids and family, good food)
Brown Derby w/Fantasmic (2 TS points, great food, no line for fantasmic)
50's Prime Time Cafe (good home style food, lots of fun)

Epcot
Teppan Edo in Japan (good food, fun for family, although we prefered menu prior to renovation)
Coral Reef (fantastic food, again lots of fun for family with dive tank/aquarium)

Magic Kingdom
Cinderella's Royal Table 2 TS points (Castle) - Huge steak, fun show, it's the Castle!
Liberty Tree Tavern (family style, all you can eat, good eats - character option)
Crystal Palace (characters, buffet - if you like buffet)
Tony's Town Square (okay food)

Downtown Disney
Wolfgang Puck or Wolfgang Puck Cafe

Boardwalk
The Boardwalk is a lot of fun at night with street performers, artists, food, candy, icecream. An evening walk around the boardwalk loop is nice.
Spoodles (DS8 loved the lemon butter fettucine!)
Big River Grille (great food and value, noisy micro brew/bar environment)

We have no opinions on Animal Kingdom as we have yet to eat at their new restaurants. They also have Rainforest Cafe, but to us, that is no treat since we have them locally.

 

[d1gitman]

We are doing deluxe dining for 7 days with a 4 year old and a 9 year old, we may downgrade to regular didning but that is for another conversation.

Our opinion is to not go deluxe. Apart from cost issues for us. Table service meals are not a fast moving event. Expect to spend anywhere from 60-90 min. at each Table Service sitting. Our 60 min. TS experiences were primarily at TS lunches we had at various resorts from our Sept 08 trip. At the parks, they are more like 75-90 min affairs. This means for 2 TS meals per day, you could be spending 3 hrs. at restaurants.

 

[lissiesmum]

I decided on the DDP and am looking for ideas on restaurants to make it worth the extra money spent. I'm not interested in the signature restaurants, just some character meals and good restaurants that I probably wouldn't choose off the DDP because it might be a little pricey. What TS and CS ideas can you throw out there for me? I"ve started so far with Chef Mickey's dinner and Le Cellier and the Princess Akershuh lunch at Epcot. I've never had dinner at O'Hana's...how would that be? Park Fare at the GF? Thanks in advance for your help. I would think too that there are some CS places that are a little better than others???

 

[Princess_Jo]

There are three Wolfgang Puck's at DTD and the Express Cafe in the West Side is considered a quick service. Entrees here range from $10-20 and in my opinion is the best CS deal at WDW.

Another good CS is Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland at MK. You get a lot of food for the price.

Chef Mickey's and O'Hana's are two great choices. They are both around $30 a person (dinner) and all you can eat. I recommend sticking to dinners with the dining plan because you'll get more bang for your buck. We usually end up doing two character breakfasts each trip and pay OOP for at least one of them.

 

[dassjs]

Hi,

We were in Disney in November and decided to try the Dining Plan for the first time (after we signed on, we found out it would be free as Disney Credit Card holders-yeah!). We had 2 adults and 2 six yr old twins. We tried some old favorites (Chef Mickeys and Prime Time) and tried some new places (Hollywood and Vine, Liberty Tree Tavern and Le Celier). I'd have to tell you, I loved all of them and would recommend them all. Le Celier was expensive so not sure I'd due if I hate to pay for the meal. Chef Mickey's was a character breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Goofy and Donald and have good food and a HUGE variety. We all found many things we liked. Hollywoof and Vine gets a bad rap. We thought the selection was great for adults and kids alike and again the food was very good. Liberty Tree was Stouffers food (turkey, ham, mac and cheese, etc.). It was good but expensive especially since my kids only ate small portions here.
My sister and her family also did Crystal Palace for breakfast. Although not a huge Pooh fan, she said the food was some of the best in the park and being able to get into MK prior to the crowds was totally worth it. She also loved O'Hana's for breakfast (we missed this as my kids overslept). Hope this helps. Have fun!!
Deb

 

[MaryKatesMom]

You'll find plenty of experts and information on the DDP board.

Maybe one of the Mod's will move it for you.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=116

 

[Hopefully]

The best way to get the most for your $ is to eat where and what you like, not necessarily the most expensive items.
Take a look at the menus here on the DIS and also at allearsnet.com. Look at the menus and decide what food you will like. Be sure to include restaurants in the resorts near the parks as well. Many of these are great and easy to experience.
The Poly, CR, and the GF are a short monorail ride away from the MK; The YC, BC and Boardwalk are a short walk through the International Gateway at Epcot; and the AKL is a short bus ride from AK
To eat something just because it is expensive, if you don't like that food is not the way to get the best value for the DDP.
Have a Great Trip.

 

[WiscMomof2]

Any of the dinner buffets would be a good choice especially if you're going during one of the dining surcharge periods. I agree with another poster about using your TS credits for mostly dinners as they are a better value on the plan. What about Boma or Teppan Edo? For CS we thought Sunshine Seasons, Flame Tree BBQ, and the Pepper Market at CSR were good values in addition to what others have mentioned.

 

[beroh2253]

TS-Le Cellier, Coral Reef, Teppen Edo, Spoodles and Kona Cafe
CS- Flame Tree BBQ, Columbia Harbor House, Wolfgang Puck Exptess

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The short answer is where you'll most enjoy the food. Preferences vary widely.

It also matters the make up of your group. Kids change values, as do very young kids (under three) since they get free food at buffets. Otherwise, if you order food for them off a menu, you pay for what you order. If you have a big eater, it is possible to get the DDP for them, but you have to buy a park ticket for that can be used later.
If you strictly consider price, one of the best QS is Pepper Market. Food quality is better, and you get partial table service. Part ofthe 'value' is that PM charges slightly more than other food courts for same items, but as I said, the quality is slightly better. If you aren't staying there, getting there will take time. what is the value of your time? It's a pretty resort.

Breakfast buffets are generally NOT a great use of credits (maybe during holiday pricing, but not so much the rest of the time) Adult =$18 value there, and kids=$11. It is almost worth paying oop. Unless you consider a late breakfast, so buffet can take the place of two meals.

Other buffets can be a good value, since you can eat as much as you like. But again, compared to what you'd PAY - true TS places are better deal. Anothe factor is WHAT you order. If you are a vegetarian, the 'value' of paying for DDP is questionable. Mousesavers has a breakdown of potential values.(may need updating with current prices).

Another factor in my opinion, is the idea of getting the most expensive menu item. It may not be the best value. In one sense, paying oop, you'd pay that much. On ther other, Disney expects most DDP to use that strategy. The 'most expensive' item on the menu, in many cases, may well be something that is flat out overpriced.(to attract DDP users) Read each menu carefully and decide for yourself, especially after you see the item! Often when ordering the most expensive items you get a steak - but minimal sides. Sure the menu says it comes with a veggie - but at the table the veggie turns out be nothing more than a garnish, or the meat portion is small - or both. (there are lots of tricks in plating to make a small meat portion look bigger than it is). I discovered this past year ordering something in the middle price range was often a more satisfying portion of meat that even came with a real portion of veggies! Plus, who can eat steak for seven nights in a row?

Another inexpensive, I'm guessing, dessert that shows up frequently is creme brulee. A pain to make, but I really think the ingredients for it must be fairly inexpensive, since it shows up on SO MANY WDW menus. Fruit is a more expensive ingredient, so you won't see it as often. I will say the maple creme brulee at Le Cellier was one of the better versions offered. Still, how much creme brulele can you eat? Choose wisely.

 

[coastiewifern]

How do you qualify for free Dining plan as a disney credit card holder? So if you are not staying at a WDW property you cannot get the DDP is that correct? If so any other suggestions on discounts for eating in the parks? I am a new DVC member.....
Thanks

Hi,

We were in Disney in November and decided to try the Dining Plan for the first time (after we signed on, we found out it would be free as Disney Credit Card holders-yeah!). We had 2 adults and 2 six yr old twins. We tried some old favorites (Chef Mickeys and Prime Time) and tried some new places (Hollywood and Vine, Liberty Tree Tavern and Le Celier). I'd have to tell you, I loved all of them and would recommend them all. Le Celier was expensive so not sure I'd due if I hate to pay for the meal. Chef Mickey's was a character breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Goofy and Donald and have good food and a HUGE variety. We all found many things we liked. Hollywoof and Vine gets a bad rap. We thought the selection was great for adults and kids alike and again the food was very good. Liberty Tree was Stouffers food (turkey, ham, mac and cheese, etc.). It was good but expensive especially since my kids only ate small portions here.
My sister and her family also did Crystal Palace for breakfast. Although not a huge Pooh fan, she said the food was some of the best in the park and being able to get into MK prior to the crowds was totally worth it. She also loved O'Hana's for breakfast (we missed this as my kids overslept). Hope this helps. Have fun!!
Deb

 

[prncess674]

which restaurants would you recomend to get the best value out of the plan, the only restriction is that we do not want to get dressed up, maybe one night for my wife and i while kiddies have a sitter but other then that no dress up

You really don't have to dress up to go anywhere in WDW. If going to a signature restaurant and I have time to stop by the room I would brush my teeth and hair and put on a clean shirt, but unless you are wearing a bathing suit with cut off jeans you can get in anywhere but V&A's

 

[Faldred]

I may be in the minority, but I think the "best value" in the meal plan comes from the simple advantages of having everything being pre-paid and not worrying about whether or not item X costs "too much".

In that vein, if you enjoy the meals you select, you've had the best possible value in my book.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

How do you qualify for free Dining plan as a disney credit card holder? So if you are not staying at a WDW property you cannot get the DDP is that correct? If so any other suggestions on discounts for eating in the parks? I am a new DVC member.....
Thanks

Disney offered a promo this past fall. It is over now. You can find out about deals on this site, Mousesavers.com, and the Disney Visa website (log into your account). DDP is limited to onsite guests. Not only that, but almost always you have to buy tickets as well. As a new DVC member, though you may be able to get DDP without a ticket...not sure of the details.

As an Annual passholder, you can get the Disney Dining Experience which was recently renamed "Tables in Wonderland" (after last year's Epcot festival). It costs Also, if you have an AP, youcan get limited discounts with just an AP. It costs $60 to join if you are an AP holder, and it gives you 20% off at most TS locations in WDW. The discout doesn't apply on most holidays, but it is good for a party of up to ten people, so long as everyone is on the same bill. Also an 18% gratuity will be automatically added to the bill.

Look over in budget Board (or at least that's wher they used to be) there are other tips on cost saving methods. Like eating breakfast in the room You can even use the coffee maker for hot water to make things like Ramen noodles or oatmeal, if youare so inclined. (Generally, I'll stick to cereal and fruit if I do it.) With DVC, you get a whole kitchen to use!

Another tip is that you can join the Safari Club at Rainforest CAfe. It costs $15 to join, but it gives you priority seating, and either %10 off your meal or a free appetizer (only certian ones apply, you have to ask each time). It also works (though not near as well) at other Landry restaurants - Like Joe's Crab Shack. plus you get a coupon for joining and birthday coupons ($5), so long as you use the card once each year. PLanet Hollywoon and Levy dinng also have similar programs.

My biggest tip though is to share! Oh, and drink water.

 

[Colleen27]

Don't worry about dressing up. Even at the signature resaurants, the dress code is very casual - jeans, shorts and t-shirts are fine, just no swimwear, cover-ups, flip-flops or things of that nature.

We did the delue plan last January and loved it. My advice would be not to worry over value. If you're using most of your credits for sitdown meals. it doesn't much matter which meals you choose. You'll get your money's worth and then some. Just enjoy the freedom to eat in all those yummy restaurants without ever having to look at a price on the menus, and the convenience of having it all pre-paid.

We most enjoyed the food at California Grill, Narcoosees, Kona Cafe, Teppan Edo, The Plaza, and Tutto Italia. We loved the characters at Chef Mickey's, Cinderella's Royal Table, and 'Ohana. The best value in terms of dollars per credit were Kona, Teppan Edo, Le Cellier, and surprisingly enough, Planet Hollywood.

ETA: If you are going to leave the kids for an evening, Artist Point has a wonderful, quiet atmosphere. We didn't feel out of place bringing our kids, but it certainly would be a lovely setting for an adults-only evening.

 

[lissiesmum]

mickeyluv'r, thanks for all the interesting info...food for thought for sure!

 

[Tracyplus5]

Hi,

We were in Disney in November and decided to try the Dining Plan for the first time (after we signed on, we found out it would be free as Disney Credit Card holders-yeah!).

Say what now?

Never mind...I read the rest.

 

[coastiewifern]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful info!