DxDP 10 days - Running Out of Restaurants!

[tzeitel]

My FIL is taking the family to WDW for 10 nights next April goodvibes) and he wants to do DxDP - we have done DDP before but we are doing a bunch of dinner shows and he figured DxDP would work out better.

Anyway, after SIL and I went through the restaurants we HAD to go to and all the shows we still have 5 tickets left. My math is right and it is 30 dining tickets right?

I have over 5 months until I have to make ADRs but I am overwhelmed with the amount of meals! I know I don't have to make all meals TS but we really like TS restaurants

DH and I would be happy w/o the dinner shows - been there, done that - so we would be fine with just the DDP but since FIL is paying I don't like to argue too much. I told him I would do the math and all that but he is really set on DxDP.

I guess my question is - with DxDP do you book everything or just a few and wing the rest? We will be there in April which means Spring Break (crazy I know but nothing I can do about it) so I want to have ADRs since I hate waiting too long for meals

So far I have a list of -

2 Cinderella's Royal Table
2 Spirit of Aloha
2 Hoop Dee Doo
2 Brown Derby (F! package)
2 California Grill
2 Le Cellier
2 Narcoosee's
1 Chefs de France
1 Yak & Yeti
1 Tutto Italia
1 Sci Fi
1 Coral Reef
1 Wolfgang Puck Cafe
1 Tusker House
1 Ohana
1 Tony's - Grand Gathering
1 Raglan Road
1 Earl of Sandwich yep the one CS I have to have!

Are there other CS that are really good? I kinda blank out when it comes to the CS so I don't remember any of those meals.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We always do the DxDP. I don't really like CS either. But we do usually plan a day to share various CS meals throughout EPCOT. Fish & Chips in England, Tangierine Cafe in Morrocco, something at the Cantina. It's a fun day for us.

But going Spring Break, you may want ADRs due to the crowds. Which restaurants (if any) are you planning for breakfast? What about H&V to get into DHS early? Same with Crystal Palace in the MK.

We love the Plaza for lunch in the MK. Many think it is not the best use of credits but with the Deluxe plan, that really doesn't matter for us.

 

[tjs198]

My FIL is taking the family to WDW for 10 days next April goodvibes) and he wants to do DxDP - we have done DDP before but we are doing a bunch of dinner shows and he figured DxDP would work out better.

Anyway, after SIL and I went through the restaurants we HAD to go to and all the shows we still have 5 tickets left. My math is right and it is 30 dining tickets right?

I have over 5 months until I have to make ADRs but I am overwhelmed with the amount of meals! I know I don't have to make all meals TS but we really like TS restaurants

DH and I would be happy w/o the dinner shows - been there, done that - so we would be fine with just the DDP but since FIL is paying I don't like to argue too much. I told him I would do the math and all that but he is really set on DxDP.

I guess my question is - with DxDP do you book everything or just a few and wing the rest? We will be there in April which means Spring Break (crazy I know but nothing I can do about it) so I want to have ADRs since I hate waiting too long for meals

So far I have a list of -

2 Cinderella's Royal Table
2 Spirit of Aloha
2 Hoop Dee Doo
2 Brown Derby (F! package)
2 California Grill
2 Le Cellier
2 Narcoosee's
1 Chefs de France
1 Yak & Yeti
1 Tutto Italia
1 Sci Fi
1 Coral Reef
1 Wolfgang Puck Cafe
1 Tusker House
1 Ohana
1 Tony's - Grand Gathering
1 Raglan Road
1 Earl of Sandwich yep the one CS I have to have!

Are there other CS that are really good? I kinda blank out when it comes to the CS so I don't remember any of those meals.

I think you may only have 27 credits - they go by the # of nights, not days. so a 10 day trip includes only 9 nights.

I hear Kona, Kouzzinna, and Cape May have good breakfasts. I say it's better to have a dining reservation and to cancel it than trying to walk up and wait. We're trying Via Napoli for the pizza in epcot on our Sept trip. You could also eat around the world - hacienda, rose and crown.

The only CS I like is Flame Tree BBQ - love the food and eating down by the water away from the crowds.

good luck

 

[hannahdrewmom]

I always plan all our credits knowing that I will probably drop some and do cs instead. I just don't like to risk not having someplace if I need to. It also helps me to make sure I space out my meals enough.

 

[momtoejanda]

So jealous..you are doing my favorite breakfast Tony's Grand Gathering! Enjoy!

What about Crystal Palace for breakfast? I like Cape May breakfast too.

 

[Trinityloo]

You must add Citricos to your list! That is our favorite restaurant at WDW; so much so that we went twice during our last trip! I think a good way to spend those credits would be to splurge on more of the Signature restaurants. They are worth the extra credit in my opinion.

 

[MSLRAC]

You must add Citricos to your list! That is our favorite restaurant at WDW; so much so that we went twice during our last trip! I think a good way to spend those credits would be to splurge on more of the Signature restaurants. They are worth the extra credit in my opinion.

I agree to add Citricos and maybe even Flying Fish and/or Yachtsman.

 

[squirrel]

Kona Cafe

Tusker House-what meal are you planning already? Breakfast has the characters, lunch and dinner are different from breakfast. Lunch you can get reserved seating for Nemo, if you book ADR's at certain times. I wouldn't hesitate to book a breakfast one day and then lunch or dinner another day.

 

[tzeitel]

We always do the DxDP. I don't really like CS either. But we do usually plan a day to share various CS meals throughout EPCOT. Fish & Chips in England, Tangierine Cafe in Morrocco, something at the Cantina. It's a fun day for us.

But going Spring Break, you may want ADRs due to the crowds. Which restaurants (if any) are you planning for breakfast? What about H&V to get into DHS early? Same with Crystal Palace in the MK.

We love the Plaza for lunch in the MK. Many think it is not the best use of credits but with the Deluxe plan, that really doesn't matter for us.

Morocco is my favorite restaurant at Epcot - followed closely by Chefs de France - and I think I will try to sneak it in there even though SIL said it did not look like everyone would enjoy it. And she said she will never go back to Crystal Palace, guess they had a bad experience but we LOVED it

I think you may only have 27 credits - they go by the # of nights, not days. so a 10 day trip includes only 9 nights.

I hear Kona, Kouzzinna, and Cape May have good breakfasts. I say it's better to have a dining reservation and to cancel it than trying to walk up and wait. We're trying Via Napoli for the pizza in epcot on our Sept trip. You could also eat around the world - hacienda, rose and crown.

The only CS I like is Flame Tree BBQ - love the food and eating down by the water away from the crowds.

good luck

Oops I said 10 days but it is actually 10 nights. I was thinking Kona but since we are doing Ohana I was not sure everyone would want to go back to the Poly - I would, since I looove everything about that resort! Cape May is a big possibility, I was a front desk CM at the Beach Club and love going back to visit.

Kona Cafe

Tusker House-what meal are you planning already? Breakfast has the characters, lunch and dinner are different from breakfast. Lunch you can get reserved seating for Nemo, if you book ADR's at certain times. I wouldn't hesitate to book a breakfast one day and then lunch or dinner another day.

Oooh did not know about the Nemo reserved seating with lunch. I was planning a breakfast - last time we went I could not get an ADR no matter how many times I called!

Thanks all for the suggestions! I will add Citrico's, we are trying to do all the restaurants we have not tried and Citrico's is one of them. Not really looking at Flying Fish since DH worked there many years and we had our fill

I guess I want to have enough ADRs so that if it is super crazy we are not just standing around trying to decide where to go for dinner and then waiting forever for a table

 

[NJDisneymom]

is your trip 10 days or 10 nights?? difference of 3 credits if it is 9 nights/10 days. But you also only have 18 meals there for 10 days, that's only 1 meal at least 2 days (well depends on how you have them placed but comes to 1.8 meals a day, LOL!) - so I imagine you will use all your credits - even if some are on counter service - there may be times you may need a small CS meal between your 2 big TS's. Although you do have all those snack credits too. Guess it really depends on how those 18 meals are spaced out.

oops, sorry, posted before I read your reply!

 

[tzeitel]

is your trip 10 days or 10 nights?? difference of 3 credits if it is 9 nights/10 days. But you also only have 18 meals there for 10 days, that's only 1 meal at least 2 days (well depends on how you have them placed but comes to 1.8 meals a day, LOL!) - so I imagine you will use all your credits - even if some are on counter service - there may be times you may need a small CS meal between your 2 big TS's. Although you do have all those snack credits too. Guess it really depends on how those 18 meals are spaced out.

oops, sorry, posted before I read your reply!

I think the best way is to do a big breakfast and a big dinner with a snack in between (all those snack credits) But the problem is that we are not big breakfast people. So in my list are a bunch of places that are great for lunch and just 3 I am planning on for breakfast. Also SIL does not want to micro manage the trip - but I think we kinda have to since we are going during peak season.

I am torn between my love of lists and ADRs and not having a super strict schedule

 

[squirrel]

I like the breakfasts.

I think for Tusker House, do breakfast if you want to see characters. Do lunch or dinner if you want to try some African type food (don't worry there's American food also). Breakfast might have a few different African things-I'm picky so I wouldn't remember. It's one of my favorite buffets! Don't forget to get Jungle Juice.

 

[tzeitel]

I like the breakfasts.

I think for Tusker House, do breakfast if you want to see characters. Do lunch or dinner if you want to try some African type food (don't worry there's American food also). Breakfast might have a few different African things-I'm picky so I wouldn't remember. It's one of my favorite buffets! Don't forget to get Jungle Juice.

I'll have to check out their lunch/dinner menu. I was thinking of adding Jiko or Boma but hate all the bus changes so maybe Tusker House is a good compromise. Also love Artist Point and Whispering Canyon but the bus thing just turns me off.

 

[Colleen27]

We generally book two ADRs per day on our deluxe plan trips, usually lunch and dinner, and leave 2-3 credits per person unaccounted for to use on CS, late night pizza delivery/room service, or sandwiches to take to the airport on our check-out day.

 

[tzeitel]

We generally book two ADRs per day on our deluxe plan trips, usually lunch and dinner, and leave 2-3 credits per person unaccounted for to use on CS, late night pizza delivery/room service, or sandwiches to take to the airport on our check-out day.

That sounds like a great idea. We are not really breakfast people - although will book a couple of character ones for the kids. And the late night pizza idea is brilliant I do have planned Earl of Sandwich as our "plane food" - gotta go there ever trip at least once!

I am working on a schedule to see how everything would fit but it is not easy - we have a birthday girl and she WILL have CRT! But that throws the dinner shows/grand gathering off a few days. Good thing I have months to figure it out (and the back-ups).

 

[juliebean]

We had dinner at Kona a couple of weeks ago and it was really good. Don't know if you have many kids going, but they let the kids get "Kona Kones" - waffle cones surrounded by candy and cotton candy - crazy kid dream dessert - for their dessert, since we were on the dlxdp. My husband had a very good ribeye and I liked the shrimp noodle bowl a lot. Also, had the best kid's meals of the places we tried.

We had dinner at CRT, but it was a huge, disorganized, rushed mess w/bad food. We were much happier with the princess breakfast at Ashkershus.

And although there are lots of bad reviews of it, we had a very good lunch at Tony's. I also wanted to try 50 PTC for the experience, but we ended up skipping that reservation because of show times, but your FIL might enjoy it.

We also loved Boma for dinner, I'd consider it worth it enough to pay a taxi... I would absolutely have reservations for each meal, we went last week - spring break - and it was hard to find tables at the CS. In spite of the crowds, and maybe because there is no free dining when we went...the table service (except CRT) were great about seating us almost immediately and, did not require a lot mroe time than CS.

Have fun!

 

[tzeitel]

We had dinner at Kona a couple of weeks ago and it was really good. Don't know if you have many kids going, but they let the kids get "Kona Kones" - waffle cones surrounded by candy and cotton candy - crazy kid dream dessert - for their dessert, since we were on the dlxdp. My husband had a very good ribeye and I liked the shrimp noodle bowl a lot. Also, had the best kid's meals of the places we tried.

We had dinner at CRT, but it was a huge, disorganized, rushed mess w/bad food. We were much happier with the princess breakfast at Ashkershus.

We also loved Boma, I'd consider it worth it enough to pay a taxi...

Have fun!

Ashkershus is our backup if CRT is not available. We've never been to either but my niece (whose bday it will be) so wants to eat in the castle - what can you do, right? I have already put Kona in the schedule I love the menu, the atmosphere, the monorail...

I do have to talk to everyone and see if they want to eat together every meal or if they might want to have some less hectic dining experiences But I think I am the only one who loves to plan every meal - I like being in the parks and knowing where (and most of the time what) I am going to have for lunch or dinner. So they might not think about it until it is too late to get good ADRs - did I mention it will be spring break?

 

[juliebean]

I totally get the wanting to eat in the castle deal - BUT it actually is not particularly nice in the dining room, it felt very worn. I cannot imagine us doing it again. Too bad, they could do so much better with it.

Of, course you could do what we did and do CRT for dinner and Asherskus for breakfast! It was a very good breakfast - buffet of bagels w/lox, cream cheese, and other things, sweet rolls and gorgeous berries plus a platter of potato casserole, bacon, eggs and sausage at your table. My youngest is a Belle girl, so the included picture with her was a big factor for us too. They do a princess parade that is very sweet, even my older daughter liked it.

Kona was great - I'm sure you'll enjoy it!