Give me DDP advice!

[DisMomNCM]

I know there are specific DDP forums, but they aren't as active as these DVC ones

I am heading to WDW in April for a mother-daughter trip with my 6yo princess-loving daughter. She has gone many times before and has experienced many restaurants! I have never done any form of the dining plan before, but with the free kid's offer, it makes sense for us.

We have four TS credits to work with during our trip (doing a split stay and only purchasing the plan for the second half). So far, we have Ohana breakfast as a definite (she is a big Stitch fan, and we have only ever done dinner there) and will likely do Akershus breakfast too (we haven't done that one yet either).

For my remaining two credits, I can't decide if I should do CRT dinner with her (we have done breakfast before...I know it's not technically a good use of credits, but the food actually looks palatable for a character meal) or if I should do a Roundup Rodeo BBQ lunch and then book another place for another meal?

Is the Fantasmic! dining package worth it in the sense that it'll actually cut down on the time I need to wait to see the show? Are there any good restaurants for this package?

I am SO undecided. SOS!

 

[Brian Noble]

If there is only one showing of Fantasmic (or you don't want to stay out for the 2nd one with a younger kid) the package can be helpful. For me, it's a little less about cutting down the wait, and more about knowing I have a place with a reasonable wait without having to stress about how early to get there.

Personally, I think three character meals in 4-5 days is overkill. Even two is a lot---for me.

 

[DisMomNCM]

If there is only one showing of Fantasmic (or you don't want to stay out for the 2nd one with a younger kid) the package can be helpful. For me, it's a little less about cutting down the wait, and more about knowing I have a place with a reasonable wait without having to stress about how early to get there.

Personally, I think three character meals in 4-5 days is overkill. Even two is a lot---for me.

Trust me…I also think it’s a lot lol. I am trying to make this a special trip because we just had a baby this past year, so my daughter has had to adjust to splitting her quality time with us. I am definitely open to suggestions for other restaurants if you have them!

 

[Hubalorian]

Would your daughter enjoy the Hollywood and Vine characters with the DDP (Fantasmic Package)?

 

[Genie+]

My vote goes to the 2 character meals plus CRT.

There are circumstances when they are totally worth it. I like your strategy here! When we finally tried CRT for the first time a few years back I was quite impressed by the food. And an advantage with this plan is only needing to pay out of pocket tips for 2 table service meals, because CRT using 2 credits on DDP includes the 18% gratuity.

I say go for it! We love making each trip unique by building around an aspect we don’t do ordinarily. Your plan will no doubt help make it memorable.

 

[kilik64]

CRT is two table credits right? That's a waste of money for you. a TS credit is worth roughly 60-80 dollars, just paying for CRT for you is $89, so you are essentially "paying" $120 to $160 in value buy using 2 credits to eat there. Plus with doing Akershus, you're getting all the same characters at CRT minus Cindy.

I would do hollywood and vine, breakfast is great, we've done that a lot, its Disney Jr characters so she might be right on the cusp of that being a little young for her, but the food for breakfast is really good. Have not done the dinner yet but if she likes Minnie, should be good.

The bonus of the fantasmic dining package is the seating location. Its a big area right in the middle. Unless you want to be super close to the front, you can line up a little before the entry time (like 15-30 mins) and still get solid seats.

If you don't do CRT and have the 2 credits to spend and want another character meal, 1900 park fare is another good one as well and also includes meeting Cindy.