BWV and counter service meals

[bangzoom6877]

OK, so our trip is still far away (July 2010), but we will be staying at BWV, our home resort. This is our first time staying there, and our first trip as DVC members. DH and I love the basic DDP, as it is a great fit for our family. We will be staying 10 nights, and have 7 days at the parks. We plan to arrive earlier than check-in, maybe around 2:00, and wait for our room and explore the Boardwalk area, maybe go in the pool, etc. So we will have a couple of full days that will be for more relaxing things, like lounging by the pool, doing some shopping in Downtown Disney, and just enjoying the Boardwalk area.

So on these "off" days, we are wondering where we would end up for lunch. Our style is usually to have a counter service lunch and a table service dinner, and we do this at Disney which works out well for us. The only counter service lunch at BWV is the Boardwalk Bakery, which we would like to try, but we may not want to eat there more than once.

Is it worth it to walk over to Beach Club/Yacht Club and try out Hurricane Hanna's or Beach Club Marketplace? I know Hurricane Hanna's is by the pool so we may feel awkward just going there for lunch since you cannot pool hop to that resort anyway. So it may not be the best fit for us. How about the BC Marketplace? Is that any good? Or should we just plan to venture out to a different resort? We would probably want to avoid that though if we could since DH will probably want to spend a day or 2 just relaxing, taking the kids to Community Hall, go to the pool, and not have to drive anywhere or take a bus anywhere.

And one more thing...what about the breakfast at the Belle Vue Room at BWV? I notice in the DDP brochure that it is considered a CS credit. What is breakfast there like, and is it worth a try if we have a CS credit left to use on breakfast? The BW Bakery seems limited for breakfast, only 2 sandwiches and some pastries...and pastries would be snack credits anyway.

So what do you think?

 

[hakepb]

Did they change the snack/breakfast rule? I think you can get 2 pastrys (Or 2 large cinnamon rolls!!!) and a drink for 1 CS. (The old rule was you got 3 snacks + drink, thinking 2 snacks=entree + 1 more for desert, but you could pretty much feed a young family on those 3 rolls! then Disney had to remove one snack...)

I think we once got cold subs at the marketplace to use up credits one stay, and they were good, but I'm not sure if a middle of the day trip for those is truely worth it.

just an idea... do 2 CS meals on one of your park days (there are some decent sized CS meals in the parks like a 1/2 rack of ribs at DAK or tons of EPCOT choices..) to have 2 TS meals at BWV? Otherwise DTD has more TS choices...

I still think the belle vue room breakfast is imaginary :lol When I was there, I saw signs, but never saw any food in there (during stated breakfast hours)

 

[bangzoom6877]

Did they change the snack/breakfast rule? I think you can get 2 pastrys (Or 2 large cinnamon rolls!!!) and a drink for 1 CS. (The old rule was you got 3 snacks + drink, thinking 2 snacks=entree + 1 more for desert, but you could pretty much feed a young family on those 3 rolls! then Disney had to remove one snack...)

I think we once got cold subs at the marketplace to use up credits one stay, and they were good, but I'm not sure if a middle of the day trip for those is truely worth it.

just an idea... do 2 CS meals on one of your park days (there are some decent sized CS meals in the parks like a 1/2 rack of ribs at DAK or tons of EPCOT choices..) to have 2 TS meals at BWV? Otherwise DTD has more TS choices...

I still think the belle vue room breakfast is imaginary :lol When I was there, I saw signs, but never saw any food in there (during stated breakfast hours)

Thanks for the tips! I was wondering if the food at BC/YC would be worth the walk over there. I guess on the days we are at BWV, we could get lunch at BW Bakery. How are the panini sandwiches there? I notice they do not have a children's menu listed, so then my children would get any panini from the regular menu for the DDP CS credit, right? And could we get any dessert they serve there as our dessert? LOL, this all just may be enough!!

I like your idea of 2 CS in one day, one for lunch and one for dinner, but I am still hesitant. We really do prefer to do a TS dinner every night on vacation. It just feels more relaxing that way, after a long day at the parks to sit down in an air-conditioned restaurant and be waited on, not having to wait in line and find a table.

I still debate about the whole dining plan thing. The most economical way for us to go is to get the basic DDP and pay OOP for a few character breakfasts. I really wanted to indulge in the deluxe plan, but it would cost us a few hundred dollars more than doing the basic DDP and paying OOP for some things (including if we decide to pay OOP for an appetizer at every TS that is not all you can eat). I would like to try a few of the signature restaurants, but DH thinks we should wait until the boys are older (they will be 3 and 5 when we go). They could definitely handle it, but he thinks we should wait and do more of the *whimsical* meals at this point. I wanted more of a mix of everything, but we have lots of future trips to look forward to so we have time to explore and enjoy everything.

Then I also make up plans for how we would eat if we paid everything OOP and it comes out to the same price as the deluxe plan for 10 nights for all 4 of us, and there were not even any snacks in the plan. DH is right about one thing though...4 of us on the deluxe plan for 10 nights would mean we would have a total of 80 snack credits, and I can't even begin to think about what we would do with 80 snack credits! I know we could use them for bottled water at the parks and stuff like that, but we could get a 35-bottle case of water at BJ's for less than $5 and bring the water into the parks, which was what we did last year. Even on the basic DDP for 10 nights, it may be difficult for us to use up 40 snack credits, but it is definitely more manageable than 80 of them!!

So, most likely we will be going with the regular DDP. It would still save us a minimum of $100 over a 10-night trip, if we order the cheapest items on each menu. I always look at the lowest priced items because it is not realistic that we will eat NY Strip steak every night for dinner! I just want to make sure the DDP does not cost MORE than paying OOP for everything, and no matter what I put in as our plans for restaurants, we always would come out ahead with the basic DDP vs. OOP. But I'm gonna wait until all ADRs are in place to add the DDP. I want to make sure we get everything and that it will be worth it to have the DDP!

Another thing I have considered with the CS credits is to have lunch at Beaches and Cream one afternoon that we spend at the hotel (or ESPN Club or Big River), pay OOP for that, and use the extra CS credit on breakfast one morning at the Polynesian's CS restaurant to get some Tonga Toast. Now, would that be worth the trip? I never had it at WDW, but I made it from the recipe on the All Ears site and it came out awesome and DH loved it too!

Thanks again, and any other suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Another thing I have considered with the CS credits is to have lunch at Beaches and Cream one afternoon that we spend at the hotel (or ESPN Club or Big River), pay OOP for that, and use the extra CS credit on breakfast one morning at the Polynesian's CS restaurant to get some Tonga Toast. Now, would that be worth the trip? I never had it at WDW, but I made it from the recipe on the All Ears site and it came out awesome and DH loved it too!

Thanks again, and any other suggestions would be much appreciated!

There aren't any CS offering at Beaches and Cream. You have to use TS credits to eat there. Unless I misunderstood and you meant you are paying OOP for B&C.

 

[Tink6]

Beaches and Cream at the BC is a table services credit on the Dining plan.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I meant to pay OOP for either Beaches & Cream, ESPN Club, or Big River Grill for lunch one day, and use the extra CS credit for breakfast at Captain Cook's at the Poly for Tonga Toast. I know B & C is a TS credit, but it is not a good value for TS, and we have a couple of extra TS meals anyway so this is one I would pay OOP for. We would probably just get a burger and share one of their amazing desserts.

 

[hakepb]

I liked the panini sandwich, the rest of my family are more plain eaters, and did not (they are pre-made including the "fancy" sauces. i.e. to the rest of my family a ham and cheese should be only bread, ham and cheese, with a mustard packet on the side) but the bakery is one of the few places left on property that actually has good deserts (everything they make, there!)
I understand "relaxing" with a TS, but with boys 3 and 5, a lot of "fancy" TS experiences are not too relaxing (I wish servers understood with young children they need to 1) always have food at the table, at least give us crackers when we sit down. 2) get us our check ASAP Have a check ready when you ask about desert, and if we order one, give us our new check before the desert arrives.., I hate bothering other guests for 15 minutes with anxious kids after our meal, waiting for a check...

I find dining is more enjoyable when boys have a bit of whimsy to see. (and some signatures may have that, like looking at fish at the Coral Reef

Snacks really depends on your snacking habits. a Coke and a Mickey ear = 2 credits each person, but sharing a bag of popcorn while you bring your BJ's bottled water= 1 credit...

 

[bangzoom6877]

I liked the panini sandwich, the rest of my family are more plain eaters, and did not (they are pre-made including the "fancy" sauces. i.e. to the rest of my family a ham and cheese should be only bread, ham and cheese, with a mustard packet on the side) but the bakery is one of the few places left on property that actually has good deserts (everything they make, there!)
I understand "relaxing" with a TS, but with boys 3 and 5, a lot of "fancy" TS experiences are not too relaxing (I wish servers understood with young children they need to 1) always have food at the table, at least give us crackers when we sit down. 2) get us our check ASAP Have a check ready when you ask about desert, and if we order one, give us our new check before the desert arrives.., I hate bothering other guests for 15 minutes with anxious kids after our meal, waiting for a check...

I find dining is more enjoyable when boys have a bit of whimsy to see. (and some signatures may have that, like looking at fish at the Coral Reef

Snacks really depends on your snacking habits. a Coke and a Mickey ear = 2 credits each person, but sharing a bag of popcorn while you bring your BJ's bottled water= 1 credit...

You do have a good point about the signatures with little boys. The restaurants we would go to without doing signatures would cater more to the boys and also to our taste. They are :

1. Biergarten dinner
2. Cinderella's Royal Table dinner
3. Captain's Grille dinner
4. Chefs de France dinner
5. Cape May Cafe dinner
6. Whispering Canyon Cafe dinner
7. Crystal Palace dinner
8. Tutto Italia dinner OR Le Cellier dinner OR Garden Grill dinner (not sure yet)
9. Hollywood & Vine character breakfast
10. Chef Mickey's character breakfast
11. Cape May Cafe character breakfast

There would also be an additional TS dinner in there, CS lunches, and one CS dinner on the night of arrival, at Pop Century food court because my parents and sister are staying there. Other breakfasts would be in the villa.

Another good point is the snack credits. We do tend to share different snacks. We did this with a few things last summer...we shared chocolate mousse in France, schoolbread in Norway, Dole Whip at MK (though I ate most of it...they weren't as into it!), rice krispie treats, huge cinnamon roll at Main Street Bakery, etc. I think the only things we did not share were yogurt parfaits, Mickey ice cream bars and fruit.

So we will 99% be going with the basic DDP even though there is now a seasonal increase in price (during the time we will be going).

Getting back to the original topic of this thread, now I am not so sure about BW Bakery for lunch...not because of DH and me, but the kids. If they do not make the sandwich to order without the sauces, I don't know how the kids would like eating there. We'll see.

 

[minster22]

I am a BWV owner and truly love my resort but you have asked about something that is really a weakness of the resort....counter service food. We go to WDW often so many trips are spend poolside during the day and eating lunch is almost always a hassle and as many times as we have gone, still don't have the right plan for either convenience or having good food.
It is true that the premade sandwiches at the Bakery cannot be ordered "plain" and often either the sauce or raw onions or something on it is not to someone's liking. I have walked to the Marketplace @ Beach Club, Hurricane Hanna's,takeout from Picabo @ Dolphin,called Big River Brewing Co for takeout food. One thing that has worked occasionally is we take food from Wolfgang's Express (sandwich or pizza ) and have it for lunch the next day. There are sandwiches available at the pool bar, cannot remember what they are, also have gotten pizza from the pizza window @ Spoodles (awful!). I know this sounds so negative.....would love if there was a great counter service option but there really are not enough people around during the day on the Boardwalk to make ita viable option so we make do. Our next trip we are probably going to make our own lunches and take them to the pool. This is one of the reasons we have not opted for the dining plan the last couple of trips also.

 

[Disneypubgal]

How long are you staying for? Are you annual passholders? Did you every consider utilizing TIW card for meals?? When we stay at WDW we usually order lunch and breakfast foods from gardengrocer.com and use TIW card for 20% off TS meals for dinner... it is a much more relaxed approach for us and we bring lunch down to the pool on resort days... plus we end of saving a bunch of $$. Just a thought...

 

[MissMet]

Personally, I would head to the WS for CS. I LOVE eating in the WS & always feel like I don't have enough time to eat in all of them. You will be supried with how relaxed the walk is from BW into Epcot.

Also, like a pp mentioned. We liked the dining plan, but really didn't like being told what we could eat. So we use the TIW card... it saves us the same & sometimes more than the DDP. So if you qualify, I would look into that.

 

[CarolMN]

If you are willing to pay OOP, check out the restaurants in the Swan/Dolphin. Most (not all) of them give DVC members a 20% discount. We especially like the Fountain (similar to Beaches & Cream, but never as busy,lol) and Fresh (great breakfast choices).

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are willing to pay OOP, check out the restaurants in the Swan/Dolphin. Most (not all) of them give DVC members a 20% discount. We especially like the Fountain (similar to Beaches & Cream, but never as busy,lol) and Fresh (great breakfast choices).

Great advice, Carol. Most people forget all about the S/D for dining. And DVC members do get a discount there.

 

[brp]

may feel awkward just going there for lunch since you cannot pool hop to that resort anyway.

I thought I had read that DVC members could pool hop between BWV and BCV...but I don't recall where I read it...

(Just did my research, and pool hopping is allowed, but BCV is excluded from this )

Cheers.

 

[bangzoom6877]

How long are you staying for? Are you annual passholders? Did you every consider utilizing TIW card for meals?? When we stay at WDW we usually order lunch and breakfast foods from gardengrocer.com and use TIW card for 20% off TS meals for dinner... it is a much more relaxed approach for us and we bring lunch down to the pool on resort days... plus we end of saving a bunch of $$. Just a thought...

No, we are not AP holders. We are going for 10 nights, and we bought a 7-day base ticket through Undercover Tourist. It was a lot less than the AP would have cost, and suits our needs just fine. We go to one park per day. And we plan to go to WDW every other year for one long trip, so we would not be able to take advantage of an AP for a second trip. After July 2010, our next WDW trip will be in July 2012. So we do not qualify for the TIW card. I have no problem having breakfast in the room, but I would rather have lunch out someplace.

Personally, I would head to the WS for CS. I LOVE eating in the WS & always feel like I don't have enough time to eat in all of them. You will be supried with how relaxed the walk is from BW into Epcot.

Also, like a pp mentioned. We liked the dining plan, but really didn't like being told what we could eat. So we use the TIW card... it saves us the same & sometimes more than the DDP. So if you qualify, I would look into that.

As I stated above, we do not qualify for the TIW card. Also, we have 7-day base tickets, not APs or park hoppers, so we can't walk into Epcot's WS unless it is an Epcot day for us. Actually, we were going to get a 6-day ticket and spend 2 days each at MK, DHS and Epcot, but Undercover Tourist had a 7-day ticket for the same price (it was actually buy 4 days, get 3 free on the base tickets), so we are doing a third day at Epcot as a relaxing World Showcase only day. We will sleep a little later because WS opens at 11, we are only a short walk from there, and we are going to enjoy the food, shopping and some of the entertainment in the WS and not go to Future World at all. We should be able to hit everything we want to see in FW the other 2 days.

Someone also mentioned the Swan and Dolphin. It's a good thought, but they are not on the DDP. I suppose we could always pay OOP for that (20% discount is very good), and use the extra CS credit on a breakfast (same as we would have done if we decide to go to B&C for lunch and pay OOP there).

I think the BWV is almost perfect...the only thing is the lack of CS options. But we knew this when we bought there...everything else about it outweighed that!

 

[kim_d]

I would definitely head over to BC for some counter service meals. The Marketplace offers some good options- my kids love the Uncrustable meal (i.e uncrustable, grapes and a cookie)- nothing fancy but makes them happy.

My mom and I love the make your own salad option at the Marketplace and the Clam Chowder is decent.

 

[Marymom]

We just got back, stayed at OKW and BC, my favorite counter service was at Saratoga Springs. We ate there twice. Flatbread pizzas, salads, paninis and they had an entree plate. It was meatloaf, mashed potatos and corn one day. It was a nice change from the standard fare at Goods to Go and Hurricane Hannahs. If you take a trip to Downtown Disney, I would hop over there.

Mary

 

[bangzoom6877]

We just got back, stayed at OKW and BC, my favorite counter service was at Saratoga Springs. We ate there twice. Flatbread pizzas, salads, paninis and they had an entree plate. It was meatloaf, mashed potatos and corn one day. It was a nice change from the standard fare at Goods to Go and Hurricane Hannahs. If you take a trip to Downtown Disney, I would hop over there.

Mary

In DTD, we would most likely either try Wolfgang Puck Express or Earl of Sandwich, as I have heard great things about them both, and they are right there.

 

[PKWallaby]

So we will 99% be going with the basic DDP even though there is now a seasonal increase in price (during the time we will be going).

Getting back to the original topic of this thread, now I am not so sure about BW Bakery for lunch...not because of DH and me, but the kids. If they do not make the sandwich to order without the sauces, I don't know how the kids would like eating there. We'll see.

Off the original topic (but rather important): Regarding 2010 DP, I was discussing the seasonal price difference with DVC member services earlier this week and was told this would not apply to DVC members adding the Dining Plan while staying on points (since we do not have to purchase with a package and had different "seasons" than those applicable to the rack rates and packages through WDW guest services)...the individual I spoke with pulled the memo on the 2010 pricing and quoted a section stating the increase would not apply to DVC members. As always, your mileage may vary, but I thought this was interesting.

OK, back to the original question: on your "no park days" I would definitely consider walking over to BC/YC to try either Hurricane Hannah's (you do not have to enter SAB to eat there since it's actually on the edge of the pool area) or paying OOP at Beaches and Cream (YUM!). Your kids would enjoy getting their lunch at Hurricane Hannah's since it comes in a little plastic pail with a shovel (very cute, at least I think they still come that way?). You may even want to wander into BC Marketplace to check our their menu. It really is not that far and might be a fun way to explore (and take care of feeding the family )

BTW, I have enjoyed following along your updates as you get closer to your first stay as a DVC member...I remember reading your entries last fall after your resale purchase...can you believe you finally are able to make your first reservation!!!? Congrats on finally getting there!!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

How is the food in the food cart with the funnel cakes and corn dogs and such? What all can you get? Can you use CS credits?

We are usually in the parks during the day while staying at BWV.

As for Epcot...The Fish & Chips in the UK as well as the France and Morocco pavillions are very convenient. I've went to BC Marketplace, and it wasn't my favorite. I'd rather go into Epcot or pay OOP for Beaches & Cream.