Family of 5; First Time DDP - At WDW Now!!! 4/1/09 to 4/10/09

[5infam]

Wow!
Amazing reviews. You picked the bulk of the "Dis" favorites, and your photography and descriptions are great. You really should think about doing your own guide book or Disney blog. A cool thing is your children are a wide age range too, so you can really discuss how to have an awesome Disney vacation regardless of the age group of your kids.
I have to agree with many other posters as well, your children are darling. Hope you had a safe trip home. Before I make my next ADRs, I will come back to your thread. I'd love to try O'hana, Boma, and Tutto.

Thank you for the compliment - and I wish I had more time to do more Disney things. Fortunately we have the DIS, so between us all, we can keep each other informed.

Thank you so much for the time and effort you have put into this review. It sounds like your family had a wonderful vacation. Part of that for me is eating well. I think you may have convinced me to give the DDP another try. Disney should give you a kick back!

Hey - There is a good idea, I wish Disney would hit me with some of their magic. Any Disney people listening out there???

 

[5infam]

Thanks again for your DDP report!

I have a question for you. Have you ever been to Tony's Town Square at MK? If so how would you rate it compared to Epcot's Italy Restaurante? We enjoy Tony's but were wondering if we should try the one you did.

Anyone who has eaten at both , please feel free to chime in.

Thanks!

Good question - but unfortunately we have not been to Tony's. I was going to try it out this trip, but based on reviews I read, decided not to. It sounds like you enjoyed it, so I will probably check it out the next time we go.

If anyone has tried both, I would be interesting to get your take on the differences.

 

[medicgirl911]

I have really enjoyed your reviews!!!
For the cinammon nuts...in our area we have a lot of local outdoor fair type events and there are usually a couple of booths selling these yummy nutty bites of heaven!! At our mall at Christmas time there is even a booth that sells them. I prefer the almonds to the pecans. Here is a recipe you could try at home!!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole almonds
Instructions:
Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; add the almonds. Cook and stir the mixture until the liquid evaporates and leaves a syrup-like coating on the almonds. Pour the almonds onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Separate almonds using forks. Allow to cool about 15 minutes.

just saying..it might be good for when you are missing Disney!!
I totally agree with liking the dining plan for the budgeting aspects. I enjoy not having to worry if I have brought enough money for food, how much we are spending, I really like that one huge chunk of budgeting worry is already taken care of. The only money we need to bring or have available is basically for souveneirs and the occasional random snack not covered by the DDP. It just makes the vacation one less hassle for me!
Glad you had such a fabulous trip!!

 

[livinlife25]

I have really enjoyed your reviews!!!
For the cinammon nuts...in our area we have a lot of local outdoor fair type events and there are usually a couple of booths selling these yummy nutty bites of heaven!! At our mall at Christmas time there is even a booth that sells them. I prefer the almonds to the pecans. Here is a recipe you could try at home!!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole almonds
Instructions:
Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; add the almonds. Cook and stir the mixture until the liquid evaporates and leaves a syrup-like coating on the almonds. Pour the almonds onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Separate almonds using forks. Allow to cool about 15 minutes.

just saying..it might be good for when you are missing Disney!!
I totally agree with liking the dining plan for the budgeting aspects. I enjoy not having to worry if I have brought enough money for food, how much we are spending, I really like that one huge chunk of budgeting worry is already taken care of. The only money we need to bring or have available is basically for souveneirs and the occasional random snack not covered by the DDP. It just makes the vacation one less hassle for me!
Glad you had such a fabulous trip!!

As someone who is also from Illinois I was thinking...."People prolly think I'm silly for not knowing what a churro is, but they havent had the glazed nuts before!!" I get them @ the mall everytime I go during Christmas

 

[medicgirl911]

 

[onelilspark]

Happy Easter! I really enjoyed your reviews! I think your family would really like Kona Cafe for dinner. You should give it a try next time you're at WDW!

I loved seeing what you ordered at Tutto. I'm not overly adventurous, so it's neat to see the other things they have on their menu!

 

[5infam]

I have really enjoyed your reviews!!!
For the cinammon nuts...in our area we have a lot of local outdoor fair type events and there are usually a couple of booths selling these yummy nutty bites of heaven!! At our mall at Christmas time there is even a booth that sells them. I prefer the almonds to the pecans. Here is a recipe you could try at home!!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole almonds
Instructions:
Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; add the almonds. Cook and stir the mixture until the liquid evaporates and leaves a syrup-like coating on the almonds. Pour the almonds onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Separate almonds using forks. Allow to cool about 15 minutes.

just saying..it might be good for when you are missing Disney!!
I totally agree with liking the dining plan for the budgeting aspects. I enjoy not having to worry if I have brought enough money for food, how much we are spending, I really like that one huge chunk of budgeting worry is already taken care of. The only money we need to bring or have available is basically for souveneirs and the occasional random snack not covered by the DDP. It just makes the vacation one less hassle for me!
Glad you had such a fabulous trip!!

How cool is that - thank you so much!!! I will see if I can't get DW to try this out for us. If I did it, it would be a mess and the family would look at them like this Thanks for the recipe!!

As someone who is also from Illinois I was thinking...."People prolly think I'm silly for not knowing what a churro is, but they havent had the glazed nuts before!!" I get them @ the mall everytime I go during Christmas

Now that is funny See, it really depends on what part of the country you are from.

 

[5infam]

Happy Easter! I really enjoyed your reviews! I think your family would really like Kona Cafe for dinner. You should give it a try next time you're at WDW!

I loved seeing what you ordered at Tutto. I'm not overly adventurous, so it's neat to see the other things they have on their menu!

Kona was one that was on the list as a back up, as was The Wave. Do you have any favorites at Kona???

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Yes, we have the nut vendors all over festivals on other places here too, they are wonderful and I do make them at home from time to time. It is interesting how different parts of the USA vary.

At Kona, our favorite thing was the sticky chicken wings we added. They were very good. We all had different things, I had the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop, it was very unusual but good. DH had the Teriyaki-style New York Strip and liked it a lot. DD14 had Macadamia Nut and Chive-crusted Mahi-mahi and loved it. My grandma had the Shrimp and Scallops and was very impressed! My grandpa had a hamburger (he always does.)

Happy Easter!!!

 

[natsiswdw]

You did an awesome job just like everyone else said!!!!! I too loved the pictures of the food (of course) and of your family!!! It always makes it nice to put a face with the people you are living vicariously through Thank you again for the great review I look forward to your next one in 2-3 years. I think my Disney obsession isn't going away

 

[floydfamily4]

Thanks again for your thoughtful and thorough report. My DH is on the fence and I think if I put together a reasonable budget outline for food and then let him read your report he will really have a good amount of info to consider in making the decision. The hard part is of course "is it really worth it"? I have to really look at whether I will allow my 4 year olds to have dessert everyday or will my diabetic DH really eat a snack in the parks everyday. So, I still don't know but now I feel more confident in laying out the numbers. Thanks again and thank your family for us!!

Dawn

 

[TXMomof3boys]

Thanks so much for your amazing reviews. I felt like I was on vacation with your family! We are trying the DDP in June and after seeing your savings we are even more excited about using it.

We went to Italy in '06 and have to say we got really spoiled by their food. It is hard to eat just regular pasta anymore. Tutto's menu looks close to things we had in Italy. I so glad you all liked it so much! I am so looking forward to trying it!

Thanks again - you did an awesome job!!

 

[medicgirl911]

Thanks again for your thoughtful and thorough report. My DH is on the fence and I think if I put together a reasonable budget outline for food and then let him read your report he will really have a good amount of info to consider in making the decision. The hard part is of course "is it really worth it"? I have to really look at whether I will allow my 4 year olds to have dessert everyday or will my diabetic DH really eat a snack in the parks everyday. So, I still don't know but now I feel more confident in laying out the numbers. Thanks again and thank your family for us!!

Dawn

Just keep in mind that , especially with the kids menu there is a lot of fresh fruit and veggies offered..they dont get all the fat and sugar like the adults do. I would guess that you could sub a adult dessert for fruit as well (thinking of the counter service locations) Plus in the park there are many stands that sell fresh fruit for snack credits. With your hubby being a diabetic, he will be able to eat a bit more indulgently since he will be doing so much walking to help keep his blood sugar under control.

 

[iluvpluto27]

I really enjoyed reading your reviews. Thanks for taking the time to share them.

 

[rouyea]

I really enjoyed your reviews.

 

[onelilspark]

Kona was one that was on the list as a back up, as was The Wave. Do you have any favorites at Kona???

I had the Tuna Oscar. Seared Tuna, with a bit of a spicy(er) rub, fried green tomatoes, asparagus, tempura crab, & wasabi hollandaise. It was absolutely delicious. Cooked perfectly. My boyfriend had the Teryaki NY Strip and that was cooked perfectly too. Really enjoyed it!

Here's what the Tuna Oscar looked like:

 

[mommymeg]

BRAVO!!

Your reviews were awesome!

Not only were they entertaining, but very thorough and informative. Your breakdown of the costs and savings made it easy for anyone to understand.

Your reviews convinced me that we are going the right way with purchasing the plan...if we hadn't, I would be looking at every price...making everyone pick cheaper meals, and really, who wants to be a miser on vacation!

Thank you for taking some of your precious vacation time to keep us updated on a regular basis. I think you've grown a fan club and we're gonna miss our daily dose!

 

[5infam]

Thanks again for your thoughtful and thorough report. My DH is on the fence and I think if I put together a reasonable budget outline for food and then let him read your report he will really have a good amount of info to consider in making the decision. The hard part is of course "is it really worth it"? I have to really look at whether I will allow my 4 year olds to have dessert everyday or will my diabetic DH really eat a snack in the parks everyday. So, I still don't know but now I feel more confident in laying out the numbers. Thanks again and thank your family for us!!

Dawn

Just keep in mind that , especially with the kids menu there is a lot of fresh fruit and veggies offered..they dont get all the fat and sugar like the adults do. I would guess that you could sub a adult dessert for fruit as well (thinking of the counter service locations) Plus in the park there are many stands that sell fresh fruit for snack credits. With your hubby being a diabetic, he will be able to eat a bit more indulgently since he will be doing so much walking to help keep his blood sugar under control.

Yes, this is a great point. The kids meals don't really come with dessert for the CS meal. Pretty much you got 2 choices to go with their main entree. Usually, the choices were carrots, grapes, apples, apple sauce - and you could sub in chips, fries or soda if you want to. So the kids wouldn't get dessert at lunch if they didn't get some of yours. Also, the adults could get the fruit instead of a dessert, as was mentioned. As a snack, you can get drinks too. So for instance, I carried bottled water with me every day, but I could have used my snack credit for a bottle of water - so i didn't have to lug it around all day. Or, I could have grabbed some fruit for a snack. There was also a stand in EPCOT that was labeled as Kid's Choices or something like that. It was just a snack stand that offered healthy snacks - fruits and veggies, etc.

Also, maybe price out the DDP using the menus on Allears.net and see where you come out without ordering the desserts. I know if I skipped dessert and sodas at lunch (which is what I normally would do) I would have saved on the OOP numbers about $20 per day. However, my total savings was over $600, so even with the $160 difference ($20 per day times 8 days on the DDP) - I still would have come out ahead. Desserts at the TS locations can be fruit as well. Most offer fruit cup for kids, and they are willing to do fruit for adults as well - or just skip it. Or order some and share with the group. Many of the desserts you saw in my photos were never finished completely. Good luck

 

[5infam]

I had the Tuna Oscar. Seared Tuna, with a bit of a spicy(er) rub, fried green tomatoes, asparagus, tempura crab, & wasabi hollandaise. It was absolutely delicious. Cooked perfectly. My boyfriend had the Teryaki NY Strip and that was cooked perfectly too. Really enjoyed it!

Here's what the Tuna Oscar looked like:

Wow, I like tuna - looks good!!!

 

[5infam]

BRAVO!!

Your reviews were awesome!

Not only were they entertaining, but very thorough and informative. Your breakdown of the costs and savings made it easy for anyone to understand.

Your reviews convinced me that we are going the right way with purchasing the plan...if we hadn't, I would be looking at every price...making everyone pick cheaper meals, and really, who wants to be a miser on vacation!

Thank you for taking some of your precious vacation time to keep us updated on a regular basis. I think you've grown a fan club and we're gonna miss our daily dose!

Thank you for the nice comments - I am glad this was helpful to folks!!