My ADR's. Seeking opinions from experts.

[Disney Padawan]

OK gals and guys I'm looking for opinions here, all are welcomed.

This is my DGF first trip and this is the first time I'll be eating anything that's not CS! It's a 13 night trip BTW. (We've been saving for this trip for years.)

I'm on the DDP and I'm going over my TS credits by 6. I have 2 CS credits left over and was hoping I didn't have to pay anything OOP.

It seems no matter how I slice it, I'm going to have to pay some meals OOP. Now, I've been thinking that I may get rid of some of my lunch ADR's, since I don't know how busy the parks will be on those days. I wouldn't feel comfortable being waited on if there's long waits at the attractions. Both of us are not picky eaters and we both clean our plates. She eats about 5 times a day anyway, she's a workout freak.

Well, here are my ADR's. Please tell me what you would change or take out. I know all opinions are different but I'd like to hear them anyway. Thanks everyone.

Arrival: no ADR's
MK day1: no ADR's
MK day2: Dinner @ Kona
MK day3: Breakfast @ Crystal Palace
Epcot day1: no ADR's
Epcot day2: early lunch @ Coral Reef. Dinner @ Chefs de France
Epcot day3: early lunch @ Garden Grill. Dinner @ Tutto Italia
Resort Day: Breakfast @ Ohanas'. Dinner @ California Grill
DHS day1: no ADR's
DHS day2: early lunch @ Sci-Fi Dine-inn theater. Dinner @ Hollywood Brown Derby
AK day1: Dinner @ Jiko
AK day2: Breakfast @ Tusker house. Dinner @ Boma
DTD day1: Breakfast @ Chef Mickey's. Dinner @ Planet Hollywood
DTD day2: no ADR's (yet?)

There you have it. Please feel free to tell me what you think or will change. Thank you again.

 

[j_lehr]

I would try to eliminate two table service restaurants in one day...besides missing a lot of time in the parks, it's A LOT of food. Of course, only you can decide how much you guys can eat in one day...but we usually eat a light breakfast, a counter service lunch and a sit down dinner and we always have that too full to move feeling. And we are also big eaters.

Also, I would skip Sci-Fi. IMO, not worth the TS credits for counter service type food. Esp. at lunch time.

I am by no means an expert though!

HTH,
Jes

 

[joenan88]

OK gals and guys I'm looking for opinions here, all are welcomed.

This is my DGF first trip and this is the first time I'll be eating anything that's not CS! It's a 13 night trip BTW. (We've been saving for this trip for years.)

I'm on the DDP and I'm going over my TS credits by 6. I have 2 CS credits left over and was hoping I didn't have to pay anything OOP.

It seems no matter how I slice it, I'm going to have to pay some meals OOP. Now, I've been thinking that I may get rid of some of my lunch ADR's, since I don't know how busy the parks will be on those days. I wouldn't feel comfortable being waited on if there's long waits at the attractions. Both of us are not picky eaters and we both clean our plates. She eats about 5 times a day anyway, she's a workout freak.

Well, here are my ADR's. Please tell me what you would change or take out. I know all opinions are different but I'd like to hear them anyway. Thanks everyone.

Arrival: no ADR's
MK day1: no ADR's
MK day2: Dinner @ Kona
MK day3: Breakfast @ Crystal Palace
Epcot day1: no ADR's
Epcot day2: early lunch @ Coral Reef. Dinner @ Chefs de France
Epcot day3: early lunch @ Garden Grill. Dinner @ Tutto Italia
Resort Day: Breakfast @ Ohanas'. Dinner @ California Grill
DHS day1: no ADR's
DHS day2: early lunch @ Sci-Fi Dine-inn theater. Dinner @ Hollywood Brown Derby
AK day1: Breakfast @ Tusker house. Dinner @ Jiko
AK day2: Dinner @ Boma
DTD day1: Breakfast @ Chef Mickey's. Dinner @ Planet Hollywood
DTD day2: no ADR's (yet?)

There you have it. Please feel free to tell me what you think or will change. Thank you again.

The Sci-fi and Kona Cafe are great choices but not cost efficient on the dining plan..meaning those are two meals you may either want to eliminate or pay out of pocket..and I am doing Brown derby(2 credits) but I am on the deluxe dining so I get three credits per day instead of 1 sit down and 1 CS. You may want to consider that because of all the sit down's you are doing.

 

[Tricia1972]

OK gals and guys I'm looking for opinions here, all are welcomed.

This is my DGF first trip and this is the first time I'll be eating anything that's not CS! It's a 13 night trip BTW. (We've been saving for this trip for years.)

I'm on the DDP and I'm going over my TS credits by 6. I have 2 CS credits left over and was hoping I didn't have to pay anything OOP.

It seems no matter how I slice it, I'm going to have to pay some meals OOP. Now, I've been thinking that I may get rid of some of my lunch ADR's, since I don't know how busy the parks will be on those days. I wouldn't feel comfortable being waited on if there's long waits at the attractions. Both of us are not picky eaters and we both clean our plates. She eats about 5 times a day anyway, she's a workout freak.

Well, here are my ADR's. Please tell me what you would change or take out. I know all opinions are different but I'd like to hear them anyway. Thanks everyone.

Arrival: no ADR's
MK day1: no ADR's
MK day2: Dinner @ Kona
MK day3: Breakfast @ Crystal Palace
Epcot day1: no ADR's
Epcot day2: early lunch @ Coral Reef. Dinner @ Chefs de France
Epcot day3: early lunch @ Garden Grill. Dinner @ Tutto Italia
Resort Day: Breakfast @ Ohanas'. Dinner @ California Grill
DHS day1: no ADR's
DHS day2: early lunch @ Sci-Fi Dine-inn theater. Dinner @ Hollywood Brown Derby
AK day1: Breakfast @ Tusker house. Dinner @ Jiko
AK day2: Dinner @ Boma
DTD day1: Breakfast @ Chef Mickey's. Dinner @ Planet Hollywood
DTD day2: no ADR's (yet?)

There you have it. Please feel free to tell me what you think or will change. Thank you again.

'Ohana's Breakfast - $18.99
Sci Fi Lunch - Approximately $20.00 (Sandwich, Dessert, Beverage) - $28.00 (Entree, Dessert, Beverage)
Total Value for two Credits $38.99-$46.99

Hollywood Brown Derby - $33.00 (Chicken) -$43.00 (Fillet) (Entree, Dessert, Beverage)
Total Value for two Credits $33.00 - $43.00

You'd be better off paying OOP for HBD rather than dropping Ohana's and Sci-Fi.


The only days that have me concerned are your early lunch and dinner TS days. That's a lot of food, and you may fell a bit over full those days. Plus those days are kind of all in a row for you. If you want to keep two reservations for one day, I'd split them up over the trip so you have a full day followed by a 'normal' day.

 

[Smile4Me]

my advice is also cut down to one table service per day. Especially if you don't want to cut into your park time. Dont forget to save $$ for tips since they aren't included in the dining plan anymore!

 

[iloveeeyore]

When we do the DDP, we are always paying attention to maximizing the value of the DDP. To that end, it's "best" to eat a snack for breakfast (muffin, bagel, yogurt parfait), CS for lunch, and TS for dinner. (Coincidentally, this schedule fits best with our touring style anyway, so it works for us).

Your dining plan doesn't reflect that strategy, but perhaps maximizing your value is not a concern for you, and you just want to eat the meals that sound good to you. If you keep your TS breakfasts, these are (probably) the lowest priced meals on your list, and it would probably work out best to pay for those OOP. As previous posters have mentioned, you have some days with no ADRs and some with 2; if it were me, I'd spread them out. Maybe on those no ADR days, you'll be off-site? You can still dine at a Disney resort for dinner without going into a park...

All of your meal choices look YUMMY! Happy dining!

 

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Remember you don't have to have a full meal at lunch time

We like lunch at Sci-Fi, and we pay out of pocket for a burger and a shake only... we just like the atmosphere. We've booked this for this year also. Another lunch ADR we have is Yak & Yeti, and we're planning on just getting something simple like lo mein and sharing dessert, as we just want to experience the new restaurant. You could do the same, just get a main and pay OOP.

I agree with the PP about 2TS... sometimes it is cheaper, or rather better value to pay OOP for the 2TS rather than OOP for 2x1TS. This is what we're doing with Hollywood Brown Derby in fact.

We also have a lot of TS's as we're staying for 17 nights and doing a lot of 2TS, so we're paying quite a bit OOP. I would pay for some the breakfasts OOP personally.

 

[Harambe]

Okay - I don't know ANYTHING about DDP, so I'll bow to the masters on that.

Now - you have MK day 1, then MK day 2, etc. Are you going to the parks in that order? Or are you doing say MK one day then AK the next, then Epcot, etc?

It only makes a difference for your AK days, because the beauty of eating/trying the African-inspired foods is that they are so different - unless you plan to eat that type of food three days in a row!! LOL!

Other than that - I think you did a FANTASTIC job as far as restaurants go. Some of my favorites!

Others are saying give some ADRs up - but please keep (for quality and "romance") Jiko, Kona, Coral Reef, Chefs de France.

 

[Hopefully]

I second (or third ) the thought that 2 TS meals in one day is a lot, especially if they are lunch and dinner. You have several days with no ADR's I might spread my ADR's out more. When are you planning on eating your CS meals and your snacks?
You have done a good job with your choices though.
Have a fun trip.

 

[goldenears]

I am in total agreement with iloveeeyore. We have used the DDP on two diff. trips and in order to maximize your value, it is best to either use a snack credit to get a muffin, etc... for breakfast or bring granola bars, etc... from home to eat for breakfast. We usually always use our CS for lunch and TS for dinner and have never been hungry following this plan. There are exceptions to this rule (i.e., we love CP and will eat there for breakfast and use a CS for dinner later).
For our next trip, I have printed out the info. on the thread that robinb created (2008 Top Disney Restaurants Value per Credit for Disney Dining Plan). I can't seem to locate this thread...does anyone have it?????
Since the DDP isn't as good of a deal as it used to be, I plan on booking TS meals that will give us the most bang for our buck.
With that being said, I would go back and limit your TS meals to one/day.

 

[minniekissedme]

I agree with the others about bailing on the twin TS meal days. Way too much food (IMHO). And the snack, QS lunch, TS dinner is how we manage the DDP...gives the most bang for the buck.

Something that works for our family of five is sharing QS meals. Many of them provide ample quantities and still have more than enough food. The backpack always ends up with an extra dessert that goes uneaten. The biggest mistake we made the first time we were on the plan was everyone always ordering a meal. We threw away food regularly.

Wish I were joining you for 13 days...!

 

[Disney Padawan]

Thank you so much for all of your opinions, you guys are wonderful.

I really have to go right now but I promise to be back and comment on what has been said, I do agree with a lot of it. TTFN.

 

[Disney Padawan]

Hello everyone, I'm back.

Let me start off by saying thank you to everyone that's posted.

Well, I've read all the posts and I guess I need to explain some things.

First off, I goofed up and never noticed that the Hollywood Brown Derby is a 2credit TS, that makes my TS over by eight now.

I would change it but that was one of my DGF's choices so I'll probably just pay that OOP.

To answer Harambe's question, Yes, I'll be going in the order that I wrote it in. 3 days at MK, 3 at Epcot, 2 at DHS, 2 at AK, 2 at DTD, plus 2 resort days. (One arrival and one to visit different ones.)

The days I have no ADR's are the days I'll mainly be using snacks and of course CS credits.

Now, I've been thinking about what you guys mainly agree on but which TS would you give up (when there's 2 in one day) if you were me?

Guess I'll narrow it down to the ones I'm confused about:

Epcot day2: Lunch-12:10pm @ Coral Reef or Dinner-6:50 @ Chefs De France
Epcot day3: Lunch-12:00pm @ Garden Grill or Dinner-7:00 @ Tutto Italia
DHS day2: Lunch-12:10pm @ Sci-Fi Drive inn or Dinner-9:00pm @ Hollywood Brown Derby

Like I mentioned before, I think I'll keep HBD but I've read many bad reviews on Sci-Fi. I also agree that it's a lot of food but thought 6 hours between meals would be good, no?

I've also considered dumping CR and GG and just sampling around world showcase but I'm torn because those 2 seem like such fun atmospheres.

Well, sorry for such a long post. Guess you can tell that I'm not 100% sure I've done this "right." I would love to hear more opinions or suggestions on what you would change or do. Thank you for reading.

 

[Tricia1972]

Now, I've been thinking about what you guys mainly agree on but which TS would you give up (when there's 2 in one day) if you were me?

Guess I'll narrow it down to the ones I'm confused about:

Epcot day2: Lunch-12:10pm @ Coral Reef or Dinner-6:50 @ Chefs De France
Epcot day3: Lunch-12:00pm @ Garden Grill or Dinner-7:00 @ Tutto Italia
DHS day2: Lunch-12:10pm @ Sci-Fi Drive inn or Dinner-9:00pm @ Hollywood Brown Derby

If I were you I'd give up:

Les Chefs de France - we had our one horrible dining experience here so I may be a bit jaded. Food wasn't special, service was horrible - even rude. (Refusal to bring us a highchair that wasn't broken rude). Les Chefs gets pretty mixed reviews here, and Coral Reef seems to get slightly more positive reviews. Also Coral Reef has a really neat ambiance.

I'd give up Garden Grill. I have heard great things about Tutto Italia, and I know that it's great 'use' of your credit (bang for your buck) Garden Grill gets good reviews, but their reviews are much more mixed than Tutto Italia.

I'd give up Sci-Fi. OR just go really early - grab a burger and skip your dessert. Maybe even see if one can order a burger ala carte without the fries, and then you can share fries - making the meal even more of what you'd find at a CS location portion wise. That way it'd be pretty equivalent to a CS meal for the day, but you'd be in the AC at a TS location.

 

[goldenears]

Disney Padawan,
After reading your most recent post, I have a few suggestions...
Depending on what time you are arriving to Orlando, you might not need both your CS and TS that day. We typically only use our CS on the first day we are in Orlando. That would leave you an extra TS that you could use with another table service for Brown Derby. Then, if you stick to just one TS a day, you wouldn't need to pay out of pocket for any TS meal.
Have you checked out this thread about Coral Reef?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1494565
You may want to keep that ressie and surprise your DGF with a diver.
The only restaurant that I have experience with that you mentioned giving up is Les Chefs De France, which I think is good, but since it is scheduled for the same day as Coral Reef, I would give that up and try to get the diver at Coral Reef.
Good luck with everything!

 

[Disney Padawan]

Disney Padawan,
After reading your most recent post, I have a few suggestions...
Depending on what time you are arriving to Orlando, you might not need both your CS and TS that day. We typically only use our CS on the first day we are in Orlando. That would leave you an extra TS that you could use with another table service for Brown Derby. Then, if you stick to just one TS a day, you wouldn't need to pay out of pocket for any TS meal.
Have you checked out this thread about Coral Reef?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1494565
You may want to keep that ressie and surprise your DGF with a diver.
The only restaurant that I have experience with that you mentioned giving up is Les Chefs De France, which I think is good, but since it is scheduled for the same day as Coral Reef, I would give that up and try to get the diver at Coral Reef.
Good luck with everything!

Thank you for the tip Tricia1972. I've also heard mixed reviews on the places you mentioned.

goldenears, as for your suggestions, I really like them too.

I'll be arriving (hopefully) around 2:00 pm, and planned on just eating at the resort, so I'll be using 2 CS credits. I don't plan to eat at a TS until my 3rd day.

I may just pay HBD OOP so I can save those credits for something else, if I do that, I think I'll still be over by 2. As for the diver, I've thought of it, but my DGF is a little shy and she wouldn't like all the attention.

Some of my choices may change (if I can get an ADR) because I also want to try to get the most out of the DDP, like my friends and some of you have suggested. Plus, there are some restaurants that look so good like, Artist Point, Flying Fish, Spoodles, Narcoossee's, Citricos, but I guess you can't do it all on one trip. If anyone thinks that I should make a switch, please let me know and why.

Well, thanks again for the tips. I'll be posting another thread real soon about my Character meal ADR's. (Just had some second thoughts about some of those.) Please feel free comment or advice me on anything you think you'd change. Thanks for reading.

 

[Disney Padawan]

 

[pooch]

but that has already been said by many others. The 1 day we did 2 TS, we all felt semi-sick. Of course we were getting appetizers too at that point so this year might be better for that.

I would suggest dropping Garden Grill - really nothing special IMHO - eat at Sunshine Seasons, a CS also in the Land Pavillion instead.

I would drop Planet Hollywood in favor of Wolfgang Puck Cafe. Again Planet Hollywood is nothing special IMHO. You could even do Wolfgang Puck Express which serves fabulous CS dinners that are huge and delicious, not your ordinary CS. Check the menus here and on allreasnet.com.

Promise to keep my thinking cap on for you!

 

[Disney Padawan]

but that has already been said by many others. The 1 day we did 2 TS, we all felt semi-sick. Of course we were getting appetizers too at that point so this year might be better for that.

I would suggest dropping Garden Grill - really nothing special IMHO - eat at Sunshine Seasons, a CS also in the Land Pavillion instead.

I would drop Planet Hollywood in favor of Wolfgang Puck Cafe. Again Planet Hollywood is nothing special IMHO. You could even do Wolfgang Puck Express which serves fabulous CS dinners that are huge and delicious, not your ordinary CS. Check the menus here and on allreasnet.com.

Promise to keep my thinking cap on for you!

Thanks for the post. I've been considering dropping GG for some time. The menu didn't seem appealing to me but I did hear it's fun to eat there so right now it's a toss up. I will be eating at Sunshine Seasons for sure.

Thanks for keeping your thinking cap on. I can't seem to find mine lately.

 

[Disney Padawan]