CRT - pay it OOP for use double credits

[hellokittiemama]

What have you done, do you plan to do?

If you were going to CRT would you use the double credits on your dining plan (we do not have deluxe, just standard dining) or pay it OOP?

Would it matter if you went for Breakfast, Lunch or the more expensive dinner?
We were thinking of lunch?

This is for a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 children.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We are debating this one as well, but we have a while to decide (going in July 2010!).

If we end up there for breakfast, we would definitely pay OOP. For lunch or dinner I am still not sure. Dinner is only $5 more per adult than lunch, from the unofficial menu I have seen on All Ears.

There is definite value for a child who is 9 years old or under to use the DDP credits for the dinner. It costs $26.99 per child, which is like $13.49 per DDP credit used. A child currently costs $11 per day on the basic DDP, making this meal save you money on your child's DDP for that particular day, without even factoring in the one CS meal and the one snack credit that is also included. Between the extra CS meal and snack credit, it would run between $7 and $9 more, depending on the snack price. That would make the child's total for one TS credit, 1 CS credit and 1 snack credit between $20.49 and $22.49 if you do the math. This is a great value. For the adult, the dinner costs $42.99. If you divide that in half since the meal is 2 TS, it costs $21.49 per TS credit for the adult. An adult on the basic DDP costs $40 per day. Add in a CS meal for an adult, let's say a minimum of $10 (but it could be more, depending on the meal, but let's say $10 for talk's sake), then a snack credit which would be between $1 for a piece of fruit and $4 for something more elaborate. So you are talking about a total cost between $32.49 and $35.49 for 1TS, 1CS and 1 snack credit for the adult on the DDP. That means it would be better to pay OOP for an adult for CRT.

Does this make sense or did I just confuse you completely? I don't think I would use the DDP for some of us and not for others for one meal. It would just confuse me (how many child TS credits do we have left vs. how many adult credits?). Although, if it can be done, it may be beneficial to do that and to pay OOP at a different TS restaurant for my sons, maybe a place like Captain's Grille where the child's meal is less than $10 anyway.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this they care to share?

 

[PrincessMonkey]

Do you have a Tables in Wonderland card? We usually pay OOP for CRT at Lunch and Dinner, but we have Annual Passes, so we paid an extra fee to get a "Tables in Wonderland" dining card that offers us what comes out to be a 2% discount off all our meals.

(Someone correct me if I'm wrong about the discount amount! It automatically adds tip to our bills too, which is why I'm estimating the discount to be so low.)

 

[hellokittiemama]

No, we don't have the TIW card.

We are going for lunch time.

My other concern is that my son is gluten free/dairy free and it doesn't like there is much he can eat.

But this is a MUST do for my daughter. Do you know, can you bring in a party of 4 and then have only 3 order/eat????

 

[lady_hlh]

I tookd my DD there for breakfast when we were on the DDP and just paid OP. It was something every little girl should experience but definitely not worth 2 TS credits. I have read that the chefs will make special meals for people with any food allergies/issues so I don't think that you would be limited to the set menu for your DS.

 

[spokanemom]

I had the same issue. I had to decide if it was worth it OOP or DDP. I did the math. For us it worked out that OOP was the better option.

For lunch it is currently 37.99 for adults & 24.99 for children. Using the DDP, it is 2 credits. It works out to $17 per adult per credit & 12.50 per child per credit.

If you are going to go to 2 more Full Service locations during your trip, will they be more than $17/12.50 each? If so, then pay OOP. If you are not planning on two more FS restaurants, then use the DDP.

It will really depend of if you are going to go to more places than what credits you would have. Good luck in your planning and have a wonderful vacation!

 

[ohiodisneydad2]

We are going in September and have free DDP. Our plan is to use 2 credits on CRT because our first night at WDW we spend with Family in Downtown Disney and we eat at Rainforest Cafe. So I guess it actually balances out since Rainforest is so pricey.

 

[Dizneydaz]

We are going in September and have free DDP. Our plan is to use 2 credits on CRT because our first night at WDW we spend with Family in Downtown Disney and we eat at Rainforest Cafe. So I guess it actually balances out since Rainforest is so pricey.

But RC isn't on the DDP so I'm confused about balancing out?

I don't think I would use the DDP for some of us and not for others for one meal. It would just confuse me (how many child TS credits do we have left vs. how many adult credits?). Although, if it can be done, it may be beneficial to do that and to pay OOP at a different TS restaurant for my sons, maybe a place like Captain's Grille where the child's meal is less than $10 anyway.

Each time you use your TS you'll get a receipt back with a total of how many A & K credits you used for that meal and your balance-broken down into A & K. It's not really that hard to keep track.

If I had some other restaurants I wanted to eat at I would pay OOP, or at least pay for the adults OOP. If you're all set for your ADRs then go ahead and use your 2 TS.

 

[musical2]

We are only going to use our DDP 2 credits because we are planning on spending a day on the Space Coast. That day we will be eating OOP while on the Space Coast, thus we will have an extra credit. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be doing CRT.

 

[clanmcculloch]

My other concern is that my son is gluten free/dairy free and it doesn't like there is much he can eat.

But this is a MUST do for my daughter. Do you know, can you bring in a party of 4 and then have only 3 order/eat????

I'm thinking of my first CRT ADR for our upcoming trip and we're also GFCF (and yeast free). I'm nervous as CRT consistently gets one of the less favourable GFCF reviews. I think it's an issue of preplated meals. I'm going to request a chef call me ahead of time (Brenda's arranged that for me on past trips at other restaurants). If she doesn't end up being able to get much of a meal even with preplanning with the chef then I'm going to have to cancel. My daughter's also autistic on top of having food intollerances so potential meltdowns just aren't worth the risk.

If you're just wanting a princess meal, we had a GREAT GFCF princess meal in Norway. The chef had called us at home to discuss our needs. For an appetizer, he had baked a batch of chocolate chip muffins for my daughter which he brought out with a huge fruit platter (he brought one muffin; he baked the batch on her behalf and I got talking with another GF person the next day who said he was shocked that the chef had a GF muffin available for his son). There was so much food with the appetizer that my daughter ended up getting the majority of her dinner packaged up and we brought it back to the hotel for another time (the chicken fingers that he made were amazing as were the hand cut potato strips. She insisted on a picture with the chef when he brought out her brownie sundae.

If you haven't read up on Special Diets at WDW, go over to the disABILITIES board and read through the stickies. It's also a great place to ask questions about special dining needs.

At WDW I'm quite strange and take lots of pictures of food, my daughter with food, my daughter with chefs, etc. How many places can we go where she can get such amazing foods though? Any without having to worry on top of knowing about such a great selection? I've got so many pictures of her eating ice cream brownie sundaes and chicken fingers and mac & cheese that people must think I'm nuts. LOL Oh, the chocolate covered bananas are GFCF. They're my daughter's favourite treat around the parks, next to the popcorn (yup, also GFCF). Both are snack credits.