Deluxe Diners - Was it worth it?

[mpbest]

Thanks for the great reviews. Definitely making me rethink some of my ADRs. Your daughter is so cute!

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

January 30th – Saturday – Magic Kingdom

8:25am Breakfast ADR – Cinderella’s Castle (2 credits each)

Checked In: 8:15am
Seated: 8:20am
We waited for less than 5 minutes for a picture with Cinderella.
Left: 9:05am

We gave Cinderella’s Castle the following ratings:

4/5 Characters: In the dining room we saw; Jasmine, Belle in her blue dress, Sleeping Beauty and we finally got to see Snow White, my DD5 favourite princess for the day. DD5 even wore her Snow White t-shirt. We got pictures and had a pillowcase signed since we had gotten autographs at Norway. We were also able to get Snow White’s autograph. The princesses were fine but they were much more rushed than Norway.

4/5 Service: Not terrible, the server was an older woman who was not at all friendly. She never checked on us, we had to flag down other servers for drink and food refills. But the restaurant was full and I’m sure she had lots of tables. She took our DxDP card at the beginning of the meal so even though it took a couple of tries to catch her for the bill she brought it over promptly when asked. I did have the service at 3/5 but DH thinks that is too harsh. DH thinks it was just that most of our other servers were exceptional.

5/5 Atmosphere: It was the castle and it was magical of course. The general decor was very regal and touches like the stained glass and the suit of armour downstairs made it even more special. Because of our terrible camera our pictures of the dining room didn’t turn out. The tables seemed quite close together. We were seated in the center of the dining room.

3/5 Food: I knew from reading reviews that the food was not going to be wonderful. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great. The eggs were very runny, I actually wondered if they were safe to eat. The pastries and fruit looked great. But we never touched either; they were literally set on the table and then another server set our plates of hot food down in front of us at the same time.

DD5 had the children’s plate but never ate anything, literally. 3/5

DH had the Puffed French Toast and he thought it was great. 5/5

Neither adult choice appealed to me; Puffed French Toast or a Veggie Omelette so I asked for an adult sized portion of the children’s plate. I got the idea from another reviewer. The waitress wasn’t impressed but allowed me to 3/5. Once the hot food came we realized we had no sausages so we flagged a man down and asked. He promptly brought back a huge platter and they were great. We asked for more eggs because we thought maybe they would be cooked better but they weren’t.

Bottom Line: /

The bill said the meal would have been $119.68 but it cost us 6 meal credits. Definitely not worth it, but we will visit the castle next year. Next year I think we will try supper now that they have the princesses. IMHO Norway has better service, better food and better character interaction. I really do think that because it is the castle, Disney knows it doesn’t have to bother with decent food and good service.

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

January 30th – Saturday – Magic Kingdom

The bill said the meal would have been $119.68 but it cost us 6 meal credits. Definitely not worth it, but we will visit the castle next year. Next year I think we will try supper now that they have the princesses.

IMHO Norway has better service, better food and better character interaction. I really do think that because it is the castle, Disney knows it doesn’t have to bother with decent food and good service.

I don't know why the food at Akershus gets a bum rap sometimes
We love the food-even at dinner.
It's one of our favorite restaurants and the character interaction is great too!
You did not mention in your Akershus review (or I just didn't read carefully enough...)
but did you get a portrait with a princess?
When had dinner at Akershus last September,
we had a special portrait taken with Belle, and when they served our dessert,
we were also given an 8 x 10 and two 4 x 6 copies of the portrait- this is part of the dinner package.
It is such a nice souveneir of a special evening!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

11:30am Lunch ADR – Tony’s Town Square

Checked In: Well we arrived at 11:20am but it took 10min to check in because some annoying man was trying to make an ADR but didn’t like what was available (he eventually left unhappy). The host was not friendly but to be fair that man was annoying me and I only had to listen to him not try to help him.
Seated: 11:35am
Left: 12:25pm

We gave Tony’s the following ratings:

No Characters

5/5 Service: An excellent server, she was super friendly. She even offered to take our picture in front of the lady and tramp fountain.

3/5 Atmosphere: I found it kind of dark though we were seated at the very back of the restaurant. The tables around us we all empty. I thought the floor was filthy but DH claimed it was just very worn. Looked like dirt to me.

3/5 Food: Was not terrible, just not our taste.

For appetizers we ordered:

DD5 declined.

DH ordered the calamari and loved it. 5/5 He thought the olive relish made the dish. I never tried it so I can’t comment.

I ordered the Garlic Cheese Bread 4/5. It was nice but I like thinner bread. Weird I know.

For entrees we ordered:

DD5 had the kid’s pizza meal. She didn’t eat anything as usual. She usually loves pizza but said it didn’t taste good. DH tried it and said DD5 was right. 2/5 Sorry we didn't get a picture, but you're not missing much.

DH ordered the meatball sub. He found it bland and would have preferred a spicier sauce. DH also felt there should have been more meatballs. The salad was just ok. He said he wouldn’t order it again. 3/5

I ordered the chicken parmesan. It came with garlic toastini but it was hard as rock. The pasta was cooked perfectly but I didn’t care for the sauce at all. The chicken was excellent though, a huge piece. Because I didn’t like the sauce I wouldn’t ordered this again 3/5. I guess my family is used to my own spicier sauce.

For desserts we ordered:

Pistachio Creme Brulee – Much smaller than the other crème brulees we had tried during the trip but actually I thought it was the perfect size. It was ok but I don’t think I would order it again 3/5.

Raspberry Cheesecake was typical cheesecake. It was just alright 3/5. But remember we don’t really care for dessert.

Bottom Line:

We definitely will not be back. But that decision is based strictly on personal taste. The service was excellent and there was nothing wrong with the food we just basically didn’t like the sauce they use. But I would say this restaurant was the only one we felt was kind of run down, maybe it’s in need of a refurb.

 

[DLo]

enjoying your reviews. wonderful you got an upgrade to club level!
I appreciate you taking the time to say if you would return or not. We enjoyed our CM b'fast but my ds only wants to go for the Krispy Kreme donuts . Looking forward to the rest.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

5:15pm Supper ADR – Spirit of Aloha (2 credits each)

Checked In: 4:45pm
Check in for the dinner show was on the bottom floor of the main Poly building. They put pink and white lei around each of our necks. They told us they don’t start seating until 5pm and that they would lead the crowd down together when they were ready to begin. It had been cold and rainy all afternoon so we were worried that the show might be cancelled but the weather cleared so there was no problem. We chatted with other nice families with small children while we waited.
Seated: 5:17pm
Left: 7:30pm

We gave the dinner show the following ratings:

5/5 Show: It was a bit hokey throughout the meal but we liked it. DD5 actually went to the front when they showed the kids how to do the hula dance. She loved it and still puts on dance shows for us and company at home. We thought the dancers and fire juggler were great.

5/5 Service: Our server was an older lady who was very nice and super friendly. She brought drink refills without being asked. She was so efficient you didn’t even notice her clearing the table.

4/5 Atmosphere: We were seated at the 3rd row of tables from the far left of the dining room on the main floor. There was a post right in the view of my DH seat. From my seat I thought the view wasn’t too bad but when I switched with DH as my DD5 was falling asleep I discovered his view was terrible. I couldn’t see much at all. I could only see anything by leaning across the table. The tables were very close but the rows were well spaced. The kid sitting beside me during the meal at another table kept spinning her chair and kicking me. But luckily before I snapped her mother stopped her.

5/5 Food:

The food was served family style to the table. Sorry we didn’t get many pictures of the food I guess we were too busy eating.

The bread was excellent but I wish they had served butter with it. Next time I think I’ll ask. The fresh pineapple was great and DH and DD5 ate every bite. The salad was delicious; the dressing was a mango poppy seed. Yummm 5/5.

The chicken and ribs were excellent 5/5.

Rice and veggies were good 4/5. The veggies were mostly broccoli with a few carrots, pea pods and mushrooms. DD5 loved the food and ate lots since ribs, rice and broccoli is one of her favourite meals.

The portions were huge, it seemed like so much food was wasted. I wish they brought smaller servings and just offered refills (which they do as well).
The dessert was a chocolate mousse like thing. DH thought it was ok but DD5wouldn’t try it and I had a bite but I thought it was too chocolaty for me 2/5 I wish there was a choice of desserts because next year I’ll try to catch the server before she leaves it to say no thanks.

Bottom Line:

Unfortunately DD5 feel asleep right as the after dinner portion of the show started. We were worried about her being cold so we had brought a little blanket. It was chilly so we covered her up and DH held her. We will definitely go back next year and we hope that DD5 will stay awake for the actual show. I think we will pay OOP though so we can get Tier 1 seating. We thought the food and service was great but wished we had better seats.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

I don't know why the food at Akershus gets a bum rap sometimes
We love the food-even at dinner.
It's one of our favorite restaurants and the character interaction is great too!
You did not mention in your Akershus review (or I just didn't read carefully enough...)
but did you get a portrait with a princess?
When had dinner at Akershus last September,
we had a special portrait taken with Belle, and when they served our dessert,
we were also given an 8 x 10 and two 4 x 6 copies of the portrait- this is part of the dinner package.
It is such a nice souveneir of a special evening!

Sorry I forgot to mention it but we did get a lovely picture of DD5 with Belle. The package was included with the meal.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

January 31st – Sunday – AM Epcot & then hop to MK after lunch

8:10am Breakfast ADR – 1900 Park Fare
Checked In: 8:00am
Seated: We had our picture taken with no wait and were seated immediately.
Left: 9:10am
We were delayed a bit because DH decided at the last minute he couldn’t leave without another bowl of strawberry soup.

We gave 1900 Park Fare the following ratings:

5/5 Characters: We saw; Tigger, Pooh, Alice, the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins. They were awesome. We had pictures, autographs and a pillowcase signed. The Mad Hatter was very chatty and spent the most time at our table. Alice was very pretty and looked just I would imagine her to. This picture was taken just as Alice came back to our table to talk to the Mad Hatter; they had a rather odd verbal exchange.

Mary Poppins was so warm and friendly. They were all warm and friendly; not at all rushed. DD5 only really knew who Tigger and Pooh were but she enjoyed this meal very much. We saw all the characters by 9am and then they started coming again. Right before we left Tigger stopped by our table again.

5/5 Service: Our server was friendly and efficient. She offered juice refills and cleared plates quickly.

5/5 Atmosphere: The dining room had a lot of white wood and looked kind of Victorian. I don’t remember seeing the organ. The tables were spaced nicely. We were seated in the right center coming through the doors. So we saw everyone entering the restaurant, it was quite busy. I prefer when you don’t have to leave the restaurant to use the bathroom since we always have to visit the facilities during the meal. The washroom here is just past the check in desk. The dining room wasn’t completely full but it seemed very loud compared to the other breakfasts we attended.

5/5 Food: The buffet set up made it the most crowded buffet. The food was hot and fresh. There was lots of choice; much more variety than Chef Mickey’s.

Bottom Line:

We would definitely recommend this breakfast. The food, service and characters were great. But I’m not sure it will be a must do for us next year. Only because we hope to go to Crystal Palace (it was closed during our visit) to see Pooh and friends. Mary Poppins, Alice and the Mad Hatter aren’t characters that are must see for us because DD5 is not familiar with them. But if our schedule allows I would visit because the food was great. Actually DH will probably insist just so he can get more strawberry soup. The total on the bill was $68.48 but we used 3 meal credits.

 

[2manypets]

I agree with you about Tony's Town Square. We ate there in 2005 for the first time and I can't get DH to ever go back. The food was bad, so bad my calamari stunk up the place so much that the neighboring tables were sniffing wondering where that smell came from.

I would love to go to the Aloha dinner one of these days. A lot of people rave about the bread and salad. It all looks delicious!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

11:35am Lunch ADR – Le Cellier

Checked In: 11:30am
Seated: 11:35am
Left: 12:45pm

We gave Le Cellier the following ratings:

No Characters

5/5 Service: Our server was a young man named Cale. He was attentive and friendly. He also brought pop refills without being asked. He was so great we actually filled out a card when we left to commend him for his terrific service. He just went above and beyond. We love when servers bring the bill with dessert so we can leave as soon as we’re finished and we don’t have to wait around. Maybe that’s just because families with kids are usually want to be ready to make a quick getaway. Well at least we do.

5/5 Atmosphere: As Canadians we loved how all of the servers opened the restaurant by singing O Canada. We sang along. We were the last family to be seated from the opening crowd but still we only waited a minute. We were seated at a booth at the very back of the restaurant behind the server’s station, by the washrooms. We didn’t mind, the table beside us was empty until right before we left. This was good since the other table was entertained by DD5 singing “It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”. It was two older couples and once DD5 started singing I tried to shush her but they encouraged her. Luckily the rest of tables nearby were empty.

5/5 Food:
DD5 and I ordered root beer which was very refreshing. DH ordered a mango smoothie since our server pointed out that they were included in the meal plan and highly recommended. We loved the pretzel bread but I didn’t try the other types. They brought 3 huge pieces which seemed like way too much.

For appetizers we ordered:
DH ordered the Spicy chicken sausage with polenta and he loved it. I tried it and it was delicious. DH thought the polenta was better than Coral Reef’s. He would definitely order it again. DH thought it was his best appetizer of the trip.

DD5 and I both ordered the Cheddar soup. DD5 loved it and ate it right up.5/5

However, it wasn’t what I expected. I wouldn’t order it again but DH tried it and thought it was great. I guess I thought it would be smooth and cheesy but it had tons of bits of bacon in the bottom of the bowl and I just didn’t like the taste. It was only lukewarm so maybe that was part of it. 2/5 Next time I will try something else.

For entrees we ordered:

DD5 ordered the kid’s steak 5/5.

DH ordered the NY steak med/rare; he said it was cooked perfectly. He thought the potato was very good too. He would definitely order it again 5/5

I ordered the Mushroom Fillet and it was melt in your mouth 5/5. I almost never order steak in a restaurant because I’m scared it won’t be cooked good. I ordered it well done, the server asked if I wanted it filleted and I said, “Whatever you need to do to cook it well done”. It was perfect, not dried out at all. I ate every bite; it was the perfect portion for lunch. It was definitely my favourite entree of the trip. I’ve never had risotto before but I thought it was good.

For dessert we ordered:

DD5 got the kid’s ice cream which she didn’t eat.

DH ordered the Maple Creme Brulee, it was very mapley. We would definitely order it again 5/5.

I ordered the Chocolate Moose, which we would order again just for the presentation 5/5. I don’t really like chocolate desserts but I wanted DD5 to see it. DD5 thought it was funny. DH thought it tasted good but I didn’t try it.

Bottom Line:

This was definitely the best meal of our trip. Honestly it actually lived up to the hype for us. DH wants to make sure we book at least 2 ADRs for our next trip and I agree. I will try to book a lunch and supper. The bill said the meal was $115.02 but for us, 3 meal credits. I can’t believe it is only a 1 credit meal.

 

[vinotinto]

11:35am Lunch ADR – Le Cellier

This was definitely the best meal of our trip. Honestly it actually lived up to the hype for us.

I did most of my ADRs today and booked dinner there on our last night. Wow, awesome to hear it lived up to your expectations!

I think it's great your DD sang the anthem!

Keep up the excellent reviews!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We cancelled our 5:10pm Supper ADR at the Garden Grill. It was freezing that day. One of the CM’s dressed in a parka on the way out of Epcot said it was a high of 47C. We just wanted to go back to the hotel and warm up. We checked out the Lounge at about 5:45pm to see what food they had. There was a veggie tray, fruit tray, buns, cheese/crackers and couple of hot items that we must not have been interested in because we went down to the Contempo Cafe for supper. (I think we might have just wanted to use up our credits but we were too tired for TS) I didn’t write down what was in the lounge for food. I just found this picture; sorry it’s not that great. I think the CM was just putting the hot food out, it looks like maybe a flat bread pizza type thing. I can't remember what the other hot item was.

Contempo Cafe

We ordered 2 adult meals; burgers with cheese and bacon and homemade potato chips. We got a cookie and huge brownie for dessert. We thought everything was great. But the best part was the service! We forgot our refillable mugs in the room but we didn’t bother to go get them. We figured the meals came with a drink. We never used the mugs once, but if we hadn’t been upgraded to the 12th floor I’m sure we would have. Well we didn’t really know what we were doing since it was our first visit to the Contempo Cafe. When we went through the cashier he asked us why we didn’t have our refillable mugs. When we said we had forgotten them in the room; he gave us cups to use “as our mugs” and told us to go get drinks for later out of the cooler. I thought that was so nice of him, just another example of kindness that he was not “required” to do. Such a little thing that cost Disney nothing made a huge impression on us. We went away thinking “what wonderful service”. Nice little things like that just seemed to keep happening on this trip. Then he explained about dessert and we ran and got those. Luckily it wasn’t busy so we didn’t create a line since there was no one around. When I went to the condiment station a lady was loudly complaining that there was no ketchup. I just mentioned it to one of the CM’s clearing tables and he apologized and refilled them immediately, no big deal. The way this woman was carrying on you would have thought it was the end of the world. I mean really, all she had to do is politely mention it to one of the CMs. It must have been busy earlier because the tables and condiment area was quite messy when we first sat down but it was all tidy by the time we left. We thought this was a great choice for a quick meal.

The burgers were hot and fresh and the homemade potato chips were a nice change. DD5 and DH thought the desserts were tasty. 4/5 for a CS meal, better than Pecos Bill except not as big a fixin bar. We would definitely eat there next year if the opportunity arose.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

February 1st – Monday – MK

Check out day, we left our luggage with bell services before we headed to the park.

We cancelled our 8:10am Breakfast – ADR at Chef Mickey’s. Given our earlier meals at Chef Mickey’s there was no way we could face that place again this trip so we cancelled and ate breakfast in the club lounge. There was plenty of fresh fruit and pastries. There were also cold cereals, juice, milk and tea and coffee. There might have been other items but I didn’t write it down. Sorry, we tried to take pictures of the food in the lounge a few times but our terrible camera meant the pictures never turned out. We are definitely getting a new camera this summer. We loved getting a free upgrade to the 12th floor but we wouldn’t pay extra for club level. DH didn’t think it was worth it but if there was a good deal I might try to talk him into for next year. Either way we will definitely stay in a MK view room at the Contemporary.

Since we knew we had one meal credit left we decided to use it in MK that day for lunch before we left the park. We had a ton of snack credits left and we didn’t know how we were going to use them all up. So at 10:35am we stopped at Scuttles Landing in Fantasy Land and used 4 snack credits and got a bottle of water, a frozen coke (only 2nd one of the trip), nachos and cheese and a cream cheese pretzel. I thought the pretzel was just ok, it might sound weird but maybe other Canadians can tell me if they think that the cream cheese is as good in the states. We thought US cream cheese wasn’t as cheesy. I know that sounds weird but we eat a lot of cream cheese so we noticed. We now had 12 snack credits left.

My parents were supposed to pick us up in the hotel lobby at 1pm. But it started pouring at 11:30am so we headed for the exit. We stopped at Casey’s and got one adult hot dog meal with fries and a soda, we also used a snack credit to get an extra order of fries. There is almost no seating inside the restaurant. It was pouring outside so people were standing eating their food crammed into the dining area. DD5 was able to squeeze onto the little stadium seating to watch cartoons while we shared the food. None of us were hungry but the food was fine. We would probably return for a quick snack. But I don’t know if I would waste a meal credit on such an inexpensive meal. We just wanted to use the meal credit.

After our light lunch we found that we had 11 snack credits left. So on the way out of the park we got DD5 a box of popcorn and we stopped at the Confectionary Store and bought five little boxes of cookies to bring home as treats for my daycare kids and five rice crispy mickey heads which DH and DD5 ate at my parents over the next 2 weeks.

Just a side note, we had one day left on our park tickets when we checked out of our hotel. We drove back over for the day a week later to use the day up. That day we went to Pecos Bill’s again. The food was great again except for the buns. On this visit the buns were dry and stale and fell apart. I guess the Disers weren’t crazy after all.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

People asked for our favourites. So here they are:

For me:
#1 – Le Cellier
#2 – Narcoossee’s
#3 – Yak & Yeti

For DH (loves meat):
#1 – Le Cellier
#2 – Yak & Yeti
#3 – Spirit of the Aloha Dinner Show

For DD5:
#1 - Norway Storybook Breakfast (because she was the first one to see Belle)
#2 - Spirit of the Aloha Dinner Show (because she learned to dance the hula)
#3 - She didn't have a 3rd but said she like everywhere we went

 

[vinotinto]

Thanks for the awesome reviews! It was great to read a deluxe dining report from someone with children.

So, was it worth it?

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

To sum everything up:

We had a terrific trip. We loved the Contemporary and got a free upgrade to 12th floor. We love to eat and since we only leave the arctic a max of 2x a year eating on vacation is a big part of our trips. We have to get our fill of fast food and fresh food. I loved being on the Deluxe plan, meals were prepaid so all we had to do is pay for tips OOP which was around $350.00. We don’t generally drink alcohol so we only had a couple of smoothies and a Tinkerbell cup for additional OOP. Overall we had great service everywhere we went really and we didn’t have any terrible food. Some restaurants were definitely better than others.

We shared our favourites. Most of the restaurants we tried we would return to. We would not repeat the following next year: Cape May Buffet (supper), Coral Reef, Chef Mickey’s (supper), Tony’s Town Square and Breakfast at Cinderella’s Castle. We will return to the castle if we can see the princesses for supper next January.

I am already planning ADRs for our trip next January. I know, I’m addicted but I have to be ready for that 180 mark.

Next year we will do things a bit differently. Most days we will probably eat a character breakfast, use snack credits for lunch and eat an early 5:30pm meal at a signature restaurant or dinner show. With all of our sit down meals we had a hard time using our snack credits because we were rarely hungry or thirsty. If we hadn’t been upgraded to club level I’m sure we would have used more snack credits as well. We always eat early and we will always want to be back in our room to watch the fireworks and head to bed early.
I think the excitement made DD5 appetite even less than normal. So if we plan to eat 2 sit down meals a day I will try to encourage her to have fruit, cheese and nuts at lunch/snacks between meals.

Another note of interest; we were stopped at least 6 times to complete a “short” survey about attractions and restaurants. Every time someone asked we took the time to answer their questions. I’m glad that Disney is trying to gather comments and opinions from guests. I was able to officially “complain” about the buns at Pecos Bill’s. I must say what a terrible job to have, I saw many people push past the surveyors without answering at all, not even a simple “Sorry, no” or just snarling at them on the way by. Yikes, I understand not wanting to take part but people could at least have common courtesy. I even got a $25 gift certificate (maybe it was $20 I didn’t write it down) for completing a “My Adventure Journal” while at Epcot about our park experience. It was a rather large booklet where I answered questions and rated every attraction, meal, service, fast passes, park appearance, etc... we experienced that day. I enjoyed doing it and agreed before I knew there was a small reward. We just dropped it off on our way out of the park and they gave me the gift card.

The answer to the big question is up next. Stay tuned.....

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

SO the answer to the big question......

Was the Deluxe Dining Plan worth it?

For us....... yes! and not just because of the convenience:

7 nights Deluxe Plan cost –$1154.79 for 2 adults and 1 child

Actual Meal/snack cost – $1660.06

I used the following to arrive at the actual total:

Will return next year
Not returning next year
Maybe

Chef Mickey’s (Dinner) = $75.00 approx from allears - 3 meal credits
Chef Mickey’s (Breakfast) = $59.00 approx from allears- 3 meal credits
Liberty Tree Tavern = $75.00 approx from allears - 3 meal credits
Narcoossee’s = $185.00 approx from allears - 6 meal credits
50’s Prime Time Cafe = $78.03 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Cape May Buffet = $67.00 approx from allears - 3 meal credits
Norway Princess Breakfast = $86.24 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Coral Reef = $116.94 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Pecos Bill’s = $16.18 approx from allears - 2 meal credits
Donald’s Safari Breakfast = $69.48 used Park Fare bill total - 3 meal credits
Yak & Yeti = $106.39 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Room Service = $100.00 I can’t find a menu to do an estimate - 4 meal credits
Cinderella’s Castle (Breakfast) = $119.68 actual bill total - 6 meal credits
Tony’s Town Square = $78.39 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show = $137.00 approx from allears - 6 meal credits
1900 Park Fare (Breakfast) = $69.48 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Le Cellier = $115.02 actual bill total - 3 meal credits
Contempo Cafe = $16.18 used the estimate from Pecos Bill’s since I can’t find a menu - 2 meal credits
Casey’s = $6.59 approx from allears - 1 meal credit
Snacks = $84.00 (42 x $2.00) I don’t have the actual cost of the snacks so I used $2.00 each which is a conservative estimate I think.
Total = $1660.60 I think this is a low estimate as it doesn’t include the tax on the meals where I used allears to estimate. Next year I will try to keep better accounting.

Before I did the math DH argued that we should consider that if paying OOP we would rarely order dessert and probably would share an appetizer. Also, right now we would probably rarely order DD5 her own meal at TS restaurants. Because DD5 is such a small eater we can easily feed her from our plates. But perhaps next year DD5 will eat more (hopefully). But since we eat at so many character meals that factor is not a huge cost difference. Since you pay for everyone at buffets even if they eat very llittle.

But even factoring in these considerations I think we would still save money on the DxDP. After showing DH my rough maths he has agreed that we will try the DxDP again next January! That makes me super happy. I am working on my potential January 2011 ADR list already.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

I'm all finished

Thanks to all who followed my Dining Report. I enjoyed sharing our dining experiences with you. We plan to visit Disney again during the last week of January 2011. We will stay at the Contemporary again in a MK view room. I am not foolish enough to think we will be lucky enough to get another free upgrade to the 12th floor We will definately do the Deluxe Dining Plan again. I will try to keep better track of the bill totals and I will do another report. We will try some new restaurants to spice things up a bit.

My Disney addiction lives on, so I'll continue to be a regular on the Disboards So, if you have any questions I'll be happy to answer the best I can.

 

[vinotinto]

So, I think my ADRs look petty good, based on your reviews

Chef Mickey’s (Dinner) - No ADR
Chef Mickey’s (Breakfast) - No ADR
Liberty Tree Tavern - ADR!
Narcoossee’s - ADR!
50’s Prime Time Cafe - ADR!
Cape May Buffet No ADR
Norway Princess Breakfast ADR!
Coral Reef ADR! - Only one that perhaps not be worth the ADR
Donald’s Safari Breakfast - ADR!
Yak & Yeti - ADR!
Cinderella’s Castle (Breakfast) - No ADR
Tony’s Town Square No ADR
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show No ADR - we're staying at Poly and debating whether to keep HDDR or switch to Luau
1900 Park Fare (Breakfast) - ADR!
Le Cellier ADR!


Loved all the detail on your reports - the food, the number of credits, the time it took to get seated and eat! Thanks again!

 

[goldielocksraj]

Thank you so much for all of your reviews!!! That's awesome that your hubby agreed to DxDDP for next year! Your idea of sit-down breakfast and dinner with "snack" lunch sounds like a very smart idea.

I hope you're almost done with ADR planning-the 180-day window is almost here! (It's less than two months for my December trip!)