Buffets - Best Bang for Buck

[Albytaps]

Hey all. I have 6 restaurants booked for our 7 days at WDW. With the exception of Le Cellier, they are all 1 credit. They are as follows:

Le Cellier
Biergarten
Tusker House
Crystal Palace
Ohana's
Sci-Fi

So lately I took a look at how much some of these places cost, and most of them cost around $40 per adult for dinner. However, Ohana's and Tusker House cost around $30... Tusker being the lowest at $29.

So then I got interested in Cape May Cafe and saw the price is a wopping $42.59. It made me rethink about our choice of using a Table Service credit on Tusker House while I could get more bang for my buck at Cape May Cafe. So I will most likely try to reserve dinner there and pay OOP at Tusker House.

Are there any other buffets that are a good bang for your DDP credit? With non-buffets it's hard to judge sine the prices vary depending on what you order. But buffets seems as clear as day as to what would be a better use of the TS credit.

 

[havoc315]

Careful with "bang for your buck." If you love crab legs, then Cape May is a great bang for your buck, but if you're allergic to shellfish (for example), then you might rather eat a $10 sandwich then go to Cape May. Personally, I wouldn't return to Chef Mickey if it was free.

Anyway... Your prices sound a bit off, if you're talking about dinner. Dinner buffets are the most expensive, and therefore best "bang for your buck."
Most recent pricing I see for Ohana -- $33 off peak, and $37 peak.
I can't find updated pricing for Tusker house, but Disney's webpage also says "up to $36.99" suggesting it is also $33/37 now. Also be careful on that pricing -- some websites include tax, others exclude the tax. Those are basically break-even prices on the DDP.

In terms of pure $$$ value, the character dinner buffets tend to run more. But while Chef Mickey's might cost significantly more, I think most people would greatly prefer the food at 'Ohana.

I'd suggest -- just book reservations based on where you think you will enjoy, regardless of price. If you are getting free dining, then don't worry about the price. If you are paying for the DDP, then cancel it if it's not going to save you money. And keep it if it will save you money.

 

[Albytaps]

I think the price of $36.99 you are seeing for Tusker House might be a special package that comes with seating for the Finding Nemo Show:

http://allears.net/menu/menu_tus.htm

And I understand what you're saying about likes and dislikes. Fortunately it seems Cape May has something my Wife would like too... because while I might be all about the seafood, she likes meat and potatoes:

http://allears.net/menu/menu_cmc.htm

To me the price difference is enough to make the switch....

 

[sgrabin]

If you're really looking for the most "bang for you buck", then why drop 2 TS credits for dinner at LeCellier? The only reason they doubled the price is because it is small and hard to secure a reservation, not so much that it's a special experience. Drop LeCellier dinner, go during lunch instead for 1 credit, then you can add an entire other $40 dinner somewhere else.

 

[Albytaps]

Yea I was thinking about switching Le Cellier to lunch...

However, that was my wife's only request. She wanted Le Cellier no matter what. Maybe we'll just switch that to OOP and free up 2 TS credits.

 

[havoc315]

Personally, I wouldn't go to Cape May for the "meat and potatoes." Haven't heard good things about those dishes. If not into shellfish, it can be a waste of credits. Again, depends on your preferences -- Would you rather eat a bad meal that gets "$42 of value" or a good meal that costs "$30 of value."
And Tusker House is obviously a very very different type of food.


As to Tusker House, I don't think there is any extra charge for the Nemo seating. I'm pretty sure that higher price is just the peak pricing.

Le Cellier -- Lunch and dinner menus are similar, not identical. To be getting "fair value" under the DDP, you need to get approximately $35 per credit. (Those $33 dinners just barely hit the mark once you apply tax)

At Le Cellier dinner -- if you got the most expensive steak -- $44, plus a $3 beverage, plus $8 dessert, plus tax -- You would be at about $61. Or about $30.50 per credit. A pretty poor use of credits. (And obviously, if you got something cheaper than the most expensive item, you lose even more value).

I've seen this often around here -- and I've sometimes erred from the same thinking myself. You will regret it, if you make your plans around the most expensive items, instead of what you enjoy the most.
I'm using the dining plan myself next week, and have reservations at Narcoose's. They have lots of delicious sounded entrees, but it's going to be psychologically hard for me to not order the lobster -- because I feel like I'm "losing $30" if I get a $35 entree, instead of the $65 lobster... but I know I'll regret it, if I don't pick based on what I'm most in the mood to eat.
Last year, while it was 1-credit, I ate at Le Cellier for "value." Personally, it was one of the worst meals of the trip. Not trying to discourage you from going to le Cellier -- lots of people love it. Just pointing out that you will regret it if you focus on "value" when making your choices.

 

[sharonabe]

That $42 price at Cape May you see at allearsnet reflects the summer holiday upcharge. If you're not going during peak season, the cost is around $38.

Tusker House dinner is still around $30. They no longer offer the Nemo pkg as they have changed to a character lunch.

So is Cape May's menu worth the $8 value to you or does the Tusker House menu appeal more?

If you're still looking for "bang for your buck", Sci-Fi will probably come out cheaper than your buffets, so maybe you should skip that one.

By the way, you currently have 7 TS credits alloted. Are you staying 7 nights or 6 nights. Your credits are tied to the nights you stay, not the days you play.

 

[Albytaps]

I guess that's the hard thing about asking for advice. While you may hate Le Cellier, we actually love the place. It's a sad thing that they changed the dinner to 2 table credits. However, if I regret it if I focus on "value" when making my choices, then that would lead me to definitely go to Le Cellier.

I was never going to cancel any of the ADR's we have made, but to just add Cape May and then pick the cheapest place to pay OOP since Cape May is more expensive than some of the others.

While seeing the value of the choices we've made, I've wondered what other buffets would be the best value for using a TS credit.

 

[Albytaps]

We are staying 7 nights so yea, we have 7 TS credits which are being used on 6 TS restaurants so far. Also, we are going during Easter/Spring break so all the prices will be at their highest I'm sure.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

We love CM, because we love crablegs. If anyone wants meat & potatoes, do NOT go to CM - they don't have any such items that are fit to eat - my opinion only, of course. But here's some facts -

We go to WDW twice year.
We go to CM about 3-4 times per trip. (Why, we love crablegs)
We try the other foods every time - the carved meat is ALWAYS dry & tough.
The ribs are tough.
The white fish has always been dry, except 1 time (I keep trying).
They offer various "casserole" type dishes - junk, IMO.
The fried shrimp (offered 2 or 3 times wk) are the small shrimp, so more breading than anything. The other fried food offerings are the same.
That's about it except for the children's bar (some adults eat the mac & cheese).
The desserts are nothing special - little appetizer size snacks, not pies & cakes, etc. They do have a few that are very tasty, but not anything I would pay for.

The only items we enjoy are the crablegs, clam chowder, salad bar, peel & eat shrimp, and some of the bread items are really good. We don't eat clams, but the fresh clams seem to be very popular so I'm assuming they are good.

We will continue to eat at CM. Have it scheduled for 3 times during our 11 nite trip in March. Did I say, we love crablegs? Unlike other Disney area buffets, CM crablegs are always good size, crack easily (as should be), & the buffet is keep stocked with them.