Dining, dining...so many questions

[badinnplaid]

Well...I've finally locked in my dates for a trip next March to OKW. Now it's time to figure out dining.

First...ADRs. The size of our group is not locked down yet. We KNOW 6 will be going, but it's possible that there will be up to 10 of us on any given day. Taking that into consideration, if I make ADRs to accommodate 10, and then figure out later that we will only need seats for 6 or 8, will it be easy for me to make that change in the system, or will it screw anything up? I'm hoping to get definitive word before our 180 day mark on our counts for each day, but it will be good to know just in case.

Next...restaurants. Some of us are Disney veterans, some have never been, so we're trying to try some new restaurants while also taking the newbies to some of our old favorites. Here's our list of possibilities right now: Ohana, Whispering Canyon, Crystal Palace, Coral Reef, Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Tutto Italia, Via Napoli, 50s Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine In.

The veterans would like to try Ohana and Whispering Canyon, as we've never been there, but we'd also like to take the newbies to 50s Prime Time and Sci-Fi Dine In (some of our family's favorites...I guess we're into gimmicks). That still leaves 3 more meals. I would bet money that will end up at Crystal Palace for breakfast which just leaves us choosing our 2 Epcot meals. The only sit down restaurant we've been to at Epcot is Coral Reef and while the food wasn't great, we really did enjoy the atmosphere. I'm interested to hear people's opinions and tips on the other ones I've listed.

Lastly, dining plan. As the master planner of this trip, I initially told our group that we probably shouldn't get the dining plan as it would probably be wasted on us...we'd come out ahead just paying out of pocket. However, now that I'm looking at the restaurants we want to book, I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea. I went through myself and chose the food I would get at a sample 7 day itinerary. Doing that, I ended up coming out 52.51 ahead. That sounds great, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get desserts at every meal if I paid out of pocket (especially with CS) and we probably would eat more lunches to save money if paying out of pocket. But the more I'm thinking about how cheap I am, I have the very definite fear that I will start eating cheap once I am paying out of pocket. It doesn't make sense, but it's just something psychological. What should we do!?!?

Woo..that was long.

 

[pilferk]

Well...I've finally locked in my dates for a trip next March to OKW. Now it's time to figure out dining.

First...ADRs. The size of our group is not locked down yet. We KNOW 6 will be going, but it's possible that there will be up to 10 of us on any given day. Taking that into consideration, if I make ADRs to accommodate 10, and then figure out later that we will only need seats for 6 or 8, will it be easy for me to make that change in the system, or will it screw anything up? I'm hoping to get definitive word before our 180 day mark on our counts for each day, but it will be good to know just in case.

Next...restaurants. Some of us are Disney veterans, some have never been, so we're trying to try some new restaurants while also taking the newbies to some of our old favorites. Here's our list of possibilities right now: Ohana, Whispering Canyon, Crystal Palace, Coral Reef, Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Tutto Italia, Via Napoli, 50s Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine In.

The veterans would like to try Ohana and Whispering Canyon, as we've never been there, but we'd also like to take the newbies to 50s Prime Time and Sci-Fi Dine In (some of our family's favorites...I guess we're into gimmicks). That still leaves 3 more meals. I would bet money that will end up at Crystal Palace for breakfast which just leaves us choosing our 2 Epcot meals. The only sit down restaurant we've been to at Epcot is Coral Reef and while the food wasn't great, we really did enjoy the atmosphere. I'm interested to hear people's opinions and tips on the other ones I've listed.

Lastly, dining plan. As the master planner of this trip, I initially told our group that we probably shouldn't get the dining plan as it would probably be wasted on us...we'd come out ahead just paying out of pocket. However, now that I'm looking at the restaurants we want to book, I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea. I went through myself and chose the food I would get at a sample 7 day itinerary. Doing that, I ended up coming out 52.51 ahead. That sounds great, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get desserts at every meal if I paid out of pocket (especially with CS) and we probably would eat more lunches to save money if paying out of pocket. But the more I'm thinking about how cheap I am, I have the very definite fear that I will start eating cheap once I am paying out of pocket. It doesn't make sense, but it's just something psychological. What should we do!?!?

Woo..that was long.

1) For a person (or maybe 2) at a couple of meals..it's not a problem for them to adjust on site (as in, when you arrive and walk up to the podium). For the difference between a party of 6 and a party of 10...they're probably going to have to rebook the ADR in the system, prior. Nobody can tell you for sure how that will go..because it's going to depend on how each restaurant is configured and what availability there is.

Maybe book 2 ADR's? One for your party of 6 "sure things" and one for a party of 4 "maybes"...both for around the same time. Then, during the trip, go and check in together and ASK if you could be seated at the same table or near each other (provided your full group of 10 make it). You can "adjust" dining parties (who is in which group) when you arrive...too.

2) Ohanas and Le Cellier are going to be VERY tough tickets (they always are), especially for large groups (10). Possible, but tough. But I think your choices sound great. I've "done" all of them except Via Napoli and Tutto Italia....and most of them (with Sci Fi being the only exception) being on our "repeat" list for just about every trip. And Sci Fi only gets "nixed" because we only do one day at DHS....and 50's prime time wins that battle for us.

3) Are you figuring in the snacks you get, too? DDP tends to work REALLY well for some (especially families with young kids) and not so great for others (parties of mostly adults)....largely because of the flexibility. Are any of you AP holders? Could you GET an AP and then buy a Tables in Wonderland card? Might be counter to the "split ADR" idea above, since it would only apply to the table the TIW card holder was at....but the nice thing about TIW is the discount it provides is for EVERYTHING (including booze) you order. Might be worth it to check out.

 

[TacoBaco]

I feel your pain, I have agonized over our dinning reservations for the past 130 days. I finally decided that on the two days we're in Epcot, that we are NOT making ADR's. Epcot has so many choices that I just can't choose, I've decided that we will just go to whatever suits our fancy on those days, and if we have to wait,,, well then we'll just have to wait.

I too also stressed over whether or not to get the dinning plan, I did the same thing you did, and looked at all the menus and tried to decided, what would I get and is it worth it? I finally decided yes, YES it's worth it! Its vacation,,, I'm going to get an appetizer,,, and a dessert,,, and I'm going to try new things and treat myself to foods that I normally wouldn't!

and that's my two cents

 

[pilferk]

I finally decided yes, YES it's worth it! Its vacation,,, I'm going to get an appetizer,,, and a dessert,,, and I'm going to try new things and treat myself to foods that I normally wouldn't!

Not to add to the stress ....

Just remember, the appetizer isn't included with the standard DDP (only the Deluxe DDP) any more. Entree, drink, and desert.

 

[badinnplaid]

Thanks a lot for the quick responses so far. I should clarify: list of possibilities is not the list of places we plan on booking, but is our list of restaurants to choose from. We plan on eating 7 TS meals on the trip. Any guidance on the best bets between Coral Reef, Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Tutto Italia and Via Napoli is welcomed and appreciated.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced DDP will IMPROVE our trip, especially based on our plans already. However, I think right now I'm just going to bring it up to the group and see how it's received. I don't want to have to convince people that it's a good idea because then I'll feel the pressure of expectations. But if people think it's a good idea from the start, then I guess that's a sign.

 

[pilferk]

Thanks a lot for the quick responses so far. I should clarify: list of possibilities is not the list of places we plan on booking, but is our list of restaurants to choose from. We plan on eating 7 TS meals on the trip. Any guidance on the best bets between Coral Reef, Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Tutto Italia and Via Napoli is welcomed and appreciated.

Ranking the ones I've actually eaten in:
1) Le Cellier
2) Le Chefs de France
3) Coral Reef (though the "Wow" factor, especially for newbies, is high)

Again, can't comment on the 2 Italian options....I was never a fan of "Alfredo's"...but I don't think that helps you much.

 

[TacoBaco]

Not to add to the stress ....

Just remember, the appetizer isn't included with the standard DDP (only the Deluxe DDP) any more. Entree, drink, and desert.

FOR LUNCH/DINNER
e Appetizer (Guest ages 3-9 only)
e Entrée
e Dessert
e Non-alcoholic beverage

ARE YOU KIDDING ME, HOW DID I MISS THAT?

I pulled out my handy dandy PDF copy of "the plan" and sure enough it says,,, ages 3-9 only... I can't believe that my brain inadvertently looked over that teeny tiny, minor detail right their in parenthesis.... oh, wait till I tell the DH,,, he is going to be sooo mad at me!

 

[pilferk]

]FOR LUNCH/DINNER
e Appetizer (Guest ages 3-9 only)
e Entrée
e Dessert
e Non-alcoholic beverage
ARE YOU KIDDING ME, HOW DID I MISS THAT?

I pulled out my handy dandy PDF copy of "the plan" and sure enough it says,,, ages 3-9 only... I can't believe that my brain inadvertently looked over that teeny tiny, minor detail right their in parenthesis.... oh, wait till I tell the DH,,, he is going to be sooo mad at me!

Not that it will make you feel better (sorry!) but you're not not the first (and, I daresay, won't be the last) to make that mistake.

When the DDP first came out, it included BOTH app and dessert. They changed it awhile back (maybe for 2009?) to ONLY include dessert. Stinks, I know.

 

[JimmyV]

I went through myself and chose the food I would get at a sample 7 day itinerary. Doing that, I ended up coming out 52.51 ahead. That sounds great, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get desserts at every meal if I paid out of pocket (especially with CS) and we probably would eat more lunches to save money if paying out of pocket.

I reeeeaaaaallllly don't want to turn this into a DDP vs. OOP smackdown because there is no one single best approach. Instead, I will simply respond to your individual plea for advice. So please, everyone else, don't take this as me preaching to you. I don't want to hear from you how you did so much better. This is for the OP and the OP only. Fair enough?

badinnplaid: If you think that you will only save around $50 on the DDP, then don't bother with it. The DDP does not open any doors for you or provide you with any opportunities that paying OOP won't provide. There is no debating the point that paying OOP offers more dining freedom. If one day you feel like having an appetizer and a main, and the next day you feel like having a main and a dessert, you can do that OOP. You can't on the DDP unless you pay extra for the appetizer. Maybe there are two appetizers that catch your eye, and you order both and don't order a main at all. We do that all the time. The DDP doesn't allow for this. You can be so much more flexible paying OOP.

Now, for people who project a savings of hundreds of dollars, it is fair to weigh that savings against the loss of freedom. But if you think that your savings will be around $50 (and maybe less, if, as you say, you wouldn't eat all of the desserts that the DDP provides), then I can't see any reason why one wold trade freedom for $50 bucks. And if "pre-paying" your meals is an important feature of the plan, just buy yourself a prepaid debit card or a Disney Gift Card and use that piece of pre-paid plastic for all of your food.

As for the size of your group, I would highly suggest trying to make two ADRs at several of the places you think you will want to go to. One would be a table for 6 and the other a table for 4. There is no penalty for cancelling except at a few places where a credit card has to be held. Even then, you are only charged if you are a no-show. Just be diligent in cancelling the ADRs that you do not intend to keep. And I think going to a few "gimmick" places is a must if you are going with some first-timers. Disney dining is more about the experience and less about the food at 75% of the restaurants, so make sure that you have a good mix of "experience" thrown in there.

 

[pilferk]

Hmmmm....maybe I can make it a little better.

Do you know that Disney is offering Free Dining right around your upcoming trip dates? From your siggie, looks like you're checking in on Oct 1st..which is technically a blackout date.

HOWEVER, if you do a room only ressie for 1 night (Oct 1st - Oct 2nd) and then change your PACKAGE check in date to Oct 2nd...you'd qualify for free dining (and yes, you can do that). Value's only get the Counter Service Free dining (QSDP) BUT they will allow you to pay $10 per person to upgrade to the "regular" DDP. In other words, instead of paying $45.99 per day for dining (per adult), you're paying $10 a day.

If you made your ressie through WDW..CALL them and see if you can get free dining applied by making the above change. They're super helpful and will know exactly what you're doing. The one caveat is you'll probably have to pay for the hotel room (1 night deposit) up front...but you'll likely save more than the price of that deposit through the changes you make to your package.

Check out THIS thread for more info on some of the specifics on how people do the split stay (like picking up their package tickets a couple days early):
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2768442

It is a LONG thread, with lots of info, but check out THIS post from Princess Tiffany which has lots of good info:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42062980&postcount=666

I sent you a PM with all this info, too...but wanted to post this in a more "public" place, too. Looks like you're a newbie, around here, and I don't want you to be "nervous" that someone is trying to scam you or take advantage! This is all legit...and I don't work for anyone, get anything, or whatever. Just saw your trip dates and thought you might be able to save yourself some $$.

 

[badinnplaid]

I reeeeaaaaallllly don't want to turn this into a DDP vs. OOP smackdown because there is no one single best approach. Instead, I will simply respond to your individual plea for advice. So please, everyone else, don't take this as me preaching to you. I don't want to hear from you how you did so much better. This is for the OP and the OP only. Fair enough?

badinnplaid: If you think that you will only save around $50 on the DDP, then don't bother with it. The DDP does not open any doors for you or provide you with any opportunities that paying OOP won't provide. There is no debating the point that paying OOP offers more dining freedom. If one day you feel like having an appetizer and a main, and the next day you feel like having a main and a dessert, you can do that OOP. You can't on the DDP unless you pay extra for the appetizer. Maybe there are two appetizers that catch your eye, and you order both and don't order a main at all. We do that all the time. The DDP doesn't allow for this. You can be so much more flexible paying OOP.

Now, for people who project a savings of hundreds of dollars, it is fair to weigh that savings against the loss of freedom. But if you think that your savings will be around $50 (and maybe less, if, as you say, you wouldn't eat all of the desserts that the DDP provides), then I can't see any reason why one wold trade freedom for $50 bucks. And if "pre-paying" your meals is an important feature of the plan, just buy yourself a prepaid debit card or a Disney Gift Card and use that piece of pre-paid plastic for all of your food.

As for the size of your group, I would highly suggest trying to make two ADRs at several of the places you think you will want to go to. One would be a table for 6 and the other a table for 4. There is no penalty for cancelling except at a few places where a credit card has to be held. Even then, you are only charged if you are a no-show. Just be diligent in cancelling the ADRs that you do not intend to keep. And I think going to a few "gimmick" places is a must if you are going with some first-timers. Disney dining is more about the experience and less about the food at 75% of the restaurants, so make sure that you have a good mix of "experience" thrown in there.

I guess I see what you're saying but it still doesn't change the psychological aspect of it. It's just so EASY. And the way I look at it, 50 bucks is still 50 bucks. Would I order desserts at all of these places on my own? Probably not. Would I really enjoy ordering and eating the desserts? Absolutely.

Disney's DDP marketing scam seems to be working on me, right?

Also, TacoBaco...I'm so sorry about your situation! Even without the appetizer...it's still a vacation so you can still splurge a little!

 

[JimmyV]

Would I order desserts at all of these places on my own? Probably not. Would I really enjoy ordering and eating the desserts? Absolutely.

And here is where there can be no "right" answers. For some, desserts are the Holy Grail, and they look forward to splurging while at WDW. For me, appetizers are the Holy Grail. I love the originality and uniqueness of appetizers as opposed to seeing some iteration of "molten chocolate lava cake" and creme brulee on every menu. So for folks like me, the "ease" of ordering dessert does not compare to the freedom to pick and choose from the appetizer menu. And as I said before, if you go OOP, you can order either Holy Grail (or both). If you opt for the DDP, you are limited to only the dessert Holy Grail.

Disney's DDP marketing scam seems to be working on me, right?

Winner winner, chicken dinner..........With dessert, but no appetizer!

 

[pilferk]

And here is where there can be no "right" answers. For some, desserts are the Holy Grail, and they look forward to splurging while at WDW. For me, appetizers are the Holy Grail. I love the originality and uniqueness of appetizers as opposed to seeing some iteration of "molten chocolate lava cake" and creme brulee on every menu. So for folks like me, the "ease" of ordering dessert does not compare to the freedom to pick and choose from the appetizer menu. And as I said before, if you go OOP, you can order either Holy Grail (or both). If you opt for the DDP, you are limited to only the dessert Holy Grail.

Just for the sake of clarity:

With the DDP, you can do both, too. You just have to pay for the app OOP. You just can't choose app OR dessert...you have to have dessert.