MYW Dining Report

[ellenbenny]

Here is a list of where we ate and the value of each meal. We were on MYW dining from 4/15 - 4/20 (5 nights). We arrived at PO Riverside at about 5pm.

It was me(42), DH(50) and DS(16).

We paid $525 for 3 adults for 5 nights for a total of 15 Table Service, 15 Counter Service and 15 Snacks.

We did a lot of meal sharing at Counter Service and Table service with no problem at all.

Day 1: 4/15
Dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.
Used 2 TS credits
Appetizers: Sticky Wings $6.99, Crab Cakes $9.99
Entrees: Filet Mignon with shrimp add on $31.99, Mahi Mahi with shrimp add on $26.99
Desserts: Kiddie Kone $5.99, KoKo Puffs $5.99
Drinks: Virgin Strawberry Daquiri $4.00, Virgin Pina Colada $4.00
Total with Tax and Tip: $116.57

Day 2: 4/16
Breakfast at Food Court at POR
Used 2 CS credits
Breakfast Platter $5.69, Western Omelette $6.09
2 Cinnamon Buns $2.59 each
2 Orange Juice $2.39 each
Total with Tax: $23.05

Snacks at Columbia Harbour House
Used 3 Snack credits
Large bottled water $2.00
2 12 oz coffees $1.69 each
Total with Tax: $5.73

Lunch at Cosmic Ray's
Used 2 CS credits
2 Chicken and Rib Combos $13.89 each
2 Chocolate cake $2.29 each
2 Large water $2.00 each
Total with tax $38.47

Dinner at Sci-Fi Dine In
Used 2 TS credits
Appetizers: Onion Rings $6.99, Spinach Artichoke Dip $5.99
Entrees: Rib Plate $15.99, Chicken Sandwich $13.99
Desserts: Vanilla Shake $3.29, Cookie Monster $4.99
Drinks: Diet Coke $2.19, Root Beer $2.19
Total with Tax and Tip: $67.58

Day 3: 4/17
Breakfast at Pepper Market at Coronado Springs
Used 2 CS credits
I didn't get the detailed cost breakdown for this one but we had:
Breakfast burrito, Biscuits and Gravy, Fruit Bowl, Cinnamon Roll, Juice, Coffee
Total with tax and Tip: $26.81

Lunch at Sommerfest(Shared with my mother as well)
Used 2 CS credits
2 Apple Strudel $3.69 each
2 Bratwurst $5.99 each
2 Water $2.00 each
Total $23.41

Dinner at Spoodles (Shared with my mother again)
Used 3 TS credits
Appetizers: Lamb Skewers $6.99, Cheese flatbread $6.99, Shrimp $9.99
Entrees: Paella $24.99, Strip steaks (2) $27.99 each
Add-ons: 3 shrimp add ons $5.99 each
Desserts: Creme Brulee $6.99, Choc Cake $6.99, Ice Cream sundae $5.29
Drinks: Coke/Diet Coke $1.99 each
Total with tax and Tip: $180.00

Day 4: 4/18
Skipped breakfast, used leftover quick and casual vouchers for lunch

Snacks at Food Court
Used 3 Snack credits
Got 1 can Dr. Pepper, 2 large waters
(They charged the can of soda as if it were bottled water)
Total $6.00

Dinner at Boma
Used 3 TS credits
3 adult buffet
Total with Tax and Tip $91.10

Day 5: 4/19
Breakfast at Tusker House
Used 3 CS Credits
Apple Danish
Biscuits with Gravy
Blueberry Muffin
Cinnamono Roll
Scrambled Eggs w/bacon
Scrambled Eggs w/sausage
2 Orange Juice
Large coffee
Total with tax: $29.30

Snacks at Animal Kingdom
Used 3 snack credits
2 Mickey Bars $2.50 each
1 Nutty cone $3.50
Total $8.50

Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table
Used 3 TS Credits
Appetizers: 2 seafood eggroll $8.00 each, Caesar Salad $5.00
Entrees: 3 Filet of Beef $28 each
Desserts: 2 Chocolate Cake $6.00 each, Creme Brulee $6.00
Drinks: 3 Sodas $2.19 each
Total with Tax and tip: $157.44

Day 6: 4/20
Breakfast at Kona Cafe
Used 2 TS Credits
Breakfast Calabash $9.99
Big Kahuna $9.99
Half Grapefruit $2.29
Press Pot of coffee $6.99
Orange Juice $2.29
2 coffees to go $2.59 each
Total with tax and tip: $44.63

Snacks to go from Captain Cooks
Used 6 snack credits
6 waters $2.00 each
Total $12.00

We had 4 Counter service meals left. I paid for one family's breakfast to use 3 of them and left with 1 counter service meal unused.

Our total value on the meal plan (not counting the meal for the other family) was $830.46

If you have any questions let me know.

 

[goodferry]

Did you enjoy all your dining experiences, it sounds like you got a great deal!

 

[ellenbenny]

We definitely enjoyed all of our meals. My favorites were dinner at Kona Cafe and Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table.

I took a lot of food pictures as well, and hope to post them under the food picture thread when I get some time.

My family thought I was a little crazy with taking pictures of food....

 

[hookedondizney]

So, by looking at what you spent on the plan and what the total "real" cost was looks like you made out very well-what do you think about this plan? I am debating wheter or not to add this plan to my current room only ressie. What would you recommend?
Thanks,
Hookedondizney

 

[golfgal]

Thanks for all the breakdowns. We are staying 5 nights and having 6 park days as well so this was great for me. I am guessing the kids will share some meals, probably 2 meals between the three of them since it sounds like the portions are generous and they will be ordering off the adult menus (12, 10 and 10). You "spent" about the same amount on food that our plan costs us, so I feel better about getting the meal plan and there are 5 of us.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Good job on the reviews! Sounds like you had some great meals with plenty even after sharing.
One thing that would be a big plus for MYW dining is being able to order the most expensive thing and feeling good about it.

 

[MICKEEP]

ellenbenny,

I noticed you had breakfast at the Pepper Market. Did they consider the fruit bowl and cinnamon roll as dessert?

 

[CBear]

Thanks so much for reporting back on your meals, these first hand experiences with the Dining Plan are so encouraging for those of us who have booked, but are still a little apprehensive.

I noticed you often added on shrimp to your meals - was this included as part of your MYW Dining plan or were you ever charged extra? Has anyone else been adding shrimp or other 'add ons' (lobster tails?) using the MYW Dining plan?

 

[tigertam]

I would sure appreciate your response. Thank you in advance!

The dinning plan sounds good for our family. My questions are:

1. Do you feel like you are eating alot?
2. Do you feel like you take alot of time eating (especially the sit down meals-how much of a chunk of time does it take by the time you leave to go and stand there and then finish your meal?
3. I have no problems with the restaurant choices. I do have questions about the drinks and snacks you can choose from.
a. I am not a soda drinker.
It looks like you can order virgin drinks from your list?

Can you order smoothies?

What about milkshakes can that be a drink or does it have to be a dessert?

Say in Epcot at the snack places can you order the smoothie or exotic drinks for a snack?

Can you have a pretzle for a snack?

What are the icecream selections for a snack?

It looks like so far I have seen a mickey bar and a nutty cone, are there other selections?

Can you have some of those delicious sounding pastries in Epcot for a snack?

Have you asked if you can pay the differance on something that was not on the plan? Do you think they would?

The few reviews I have read they said no one knew exactly what they were doing. How was your experience?

I realize that is a lot of questions, but I think there are others who would like to know. I would really appreciate your response to all of them.(maybe you can cut and paste with the answers to the questions)
Thank you!

We are going in September and I haven't made any reservations yet!?! Soo many questions?!?

 

[tigertam]

Three of the restaurants you went to we were planning on going to. Could you tell me if what you thought?

Sci-Fi- did you have reservations? How long did it take for you once you first arrived until you walked out? We are deciding between that or Mama Melroses.

Cinderella's Royal Table- my daughter wants to see Sleeping Beauty(princess Aurora) was she there? How was the food? How was your wait, did you feel rushed, could you stay and wait for more than one visit each from them? Were they friendly and spend much time with you?

Cosmic Rays- How was the food?

What was your top favorite restaurants?
We were thinking about staying at POR, how was it? What was the transportation like?(we will have strollers)

 

[jjohnson]

We had 4 Counter service meals left. I paid for one family's breakfast to use 3 of them and left with 1 counter service meal unused.

What a nice thing to do! Thank you for the detailed post.

 

[ellenbenny]

I will try to answer as many of your questions as I can.

MICKEEP
"Did they consider the fruit bowl and cinnamon roll as dessert?" --Yes, those counted as our desserts.

CBear
"I noticed you often added on shrimp to your meals - was this included as part of your MYW Dining plan or were you ever charged extra? Has anyone else been adding shrimp or other 'add ons' (lobster tails?) using the MYW Dining plan?"
--At Kona Cafe the waitress suggested the shrimp. At Spoodles we asked for it. It was included in the meal plan in both places and we did not have to pay extra.

Tigertam
1. Do you feel like you are eating alot?--Yes, definitely.
2. Do you feel like you take alot of time eating (especially the sit down meals-how much of a chunk of time does it take by the time you leave to go and stand there and then finish your meal? -- We had to wait anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to be seated after we checked in. We felt that our food was brought out very quickly at all of the sit down restaurants. It does however take a little while to eat all that food if you want to take your time and enjoy it. We felt that the breaks were worth it and enjoy our meals as much as our park touring, but it may be different for others.
3. I have no problems with the restaurant choices. I do have questions about the drinks and snacks you can choose from.
a. I am not a soda drinker.
It looks like you can order virgin drinks from your list?-- Kona Cafe offered the virgin drinks. Sci Fi indicated that a milkshake would count as your dessert, not as a drink. We didn't ask anywhere else. It is so much food that we really didn't need milkshakes or smoothies on top of everything else we were getting.

Say in Epcot at the snack places can you order the smoothie or exotic drinks for a snack?-- Didn't try but I don't think so. The only snacks we got that weren't on the list were the can of soda and the coffees. I think it may depend on the CM.

Can you have a pretzle for a snack?-- Didn't try so I don't know. Actually, again we were so full from our meals that we really didn't need snacks. The only reason we got ice cream one day was because I was determined to eat a Mickey bar at least once. I really wasn't that hungry.

What are the icecream selections for a snack? It looks like so far I have seen a mickey bar and a nutty cone, are there other selections? --There were also toll house ice cream sandwich, itzakadoozie (Popsicle type thing), Frozen Banana, and some other ice cream bar at the snack carts.

Can you have some of those delicious sounding pastries in Epcot for a snack?
-- I doubt it.

Have you asked if you can pay the differance on something that was not on the plan? Do you think they would? --I didn't ask, but I doubt it

The few reviews I have read they said no one knew exactly what they were doing. How was your experience?--The only place we ran in to trouble was when we asked to charge our coffees and water as snacks at Columbia Harbour house. The CM had to call someone else over to do it. No other problems.

Sci-Fi- did you have reservations?--Yes How long did it take for you once you first arrived until you walked out?--Our Priority Seating was for 5pm, the time on our receipt is 6:25pm, so I am guessing that is the time we finished.

Cinderella's Royal Table- my daughter wants to see Sleeping Beauty(princess Aurora) was she there? How was the food? How was your wait, did you feel rushed, could you stay and wait for more than one visit each from them? Were they friendly and spend much time with you? -- We had dinner there and there were no characters there for dinner. Sorry I can't help with this one.

Cosmic Rays- How was the food? --We really enjoyed the rotisserie chicken, and it was a lot of food. 2 meals easily fed the 3 of us, and my DS16 is a very big eater.

What was your top favorite restaurants?--My favorites were Kona cafe for dinner and CRT for dinner. The food was excellent at both, service was friendlier at Kona cafe.

We were thinking about staying at POR, how was it?
--POR is my favorite resort when looking at value for my money (In other words I am too cheap to pay for a deluxe). I love the atmosphere there, the foliage and the wildlife. I could spend a day just walking around the paths and be happy. I like the boat ride to DTD.
Unfortunately our room was dirty from the previous guest when we checked in, and after we called to have it corrected we returned from dinner to find it still not cleaned. After another phone call we were able to get the room cleaned and a credit for our first night's stay. So although not my best experience, they did apologize and take care of things eventually. The rest of our stay was fine.

What was the transportation like?(we will have strollers)--The buses were fine, never waited too long, I saw lots of strollers...but thankfully cannot offer any first hand experience.

Hookedondizney --I can't really tell whether the meal plan would be a value for others, it depends on a lot of factors. For me, making my meal plans and trying different restaurants is a big part of the experience. So to be able to eat at new restaurants and not worry about the cost was a great deal. We have been to Disney several times, so taking time out to relax and enjoy a meal is no problem. We saved money on the meal plan, but we never would have ordered that much food without it. Again, I think there are a lot of factors that make this difficult for me to offer advice. For us it was great, and I would do it again if I had the opportunity.

I hope this helps..

Ellen

 

[jenr812]

THank you so much for taking the time to write a wonderfully detailed report and answer ?S I can't wait to make a report of my own

 

[tigertam]

Ellenbenny,

Thank you for taking the time to post the answers to all those questions, I really appreciate it!! I sat down last night and figured it out for us(after pondering it for a long time) and it is definately a bargain. Given our situation I figured it was and my husband said yes from the beginning, but I had to know a few more answers and had to see it on paper, so that when I got there I wouldn't be wondering about it. Now that I have it all worked out and even realize that we don't have to use all the meals to still make it a deal I can just go have fun! I have to know that I am doing the best deal for our family before I can let it go.

For anyone who is interested in our situation that makes it really a no brainer is: We have 6 kids and my parents are going, so there will be two rooms. My parents don't want to be on the plan, so that makes only all in one room that will be on the plan. That room will be My husband and I and two teenage boys(17, 15) and a baby of 1. The second room that will not be on the plan will be my parents and three daughters. (12, 10, 2) My daughters don't eat much and didn't care to eat off the adult menu, so paying $35/day wasn't saving as much when they want the kids meals. By the way the 12 is turning 12 on the last day there, so she will be ll and eating off the kids menu. When I compared it on paper it looked like this:

If we were on the plan and paying out of pocket for the girls it would cost
$35/4 people for 4 days =$560 plus $80 tax =$640 plus $20/day for 2 girls x 4days =$80 =grand total of $720 4 on the plan and adding girls allowance
(this is not including breakfast snacks I will be bringing)
Off the plan: a very mediocre plan of two character meals for girls and parents boys eating counter service somewhere else and one birthday meal celebration comes to $368 and then being quite conservative only allowing 5 more meals at counter service for all of us figuring $15/ meal for the parents and teenage boys and $5/kids meal for the two girls comes to $350. Grand total off plan price $708. So it was eat like kings on the plan for
$720 or eat just to survive with a few extras for $708. Like my husband said from the beginning it was a no brainer, but I needed to know the ins and outs of it before I made a decision. The kids are looking forward to snacks and all that goes with it. I told the girls we would share our food that they liked and would buy them some snacks or just give ours up.(I know I will be full, I am full everytime I just think about it. We never eat like this!! This will be an experience for our family, they will remember it as a real treat. Also from everyones reviews it sounds like we could get away with not even buying the girls food.(the lady from Disney reserv. said that also. That would be more savings, I'll take it!)

Thanks again Ellenbenny

 

[lillygator]

How was Spoodles?

 

[jjohnson]

Ellenbenny,

Thank you for taking the time to post the answers to all those questions, I really appreciate it!! I sat down last night and figured it out for us(after pondering it for a long time) and it is definately a bargain. Given our situation I figured it was and my husband said yes from the beginning, but I had to know a few more answers and had to see it on paper, so that when I got there I wouldn't be wondering about it. Now that I have it all worked out and even realize that we don't have to use all the meals to still make it a deal I can just go have fun! I have to know that I am doing the best deal for our family before I can let it go.

For anyone who is interested in our situation that makes it really a no brainer is: We have 6 kids and my parents are going, so there will be two rooms. My parents don't want to be on the plan, so that makes only all in one room that will be on the plan. That room will be My husband and I and two teenage boys(17, 15) and a baby of 1. The second room that will not be on the plan will be my parents and three daughters. (12, 10, 2) My daughters don't eat much and didn't care to eat off the adult menu, so paying $35/day wasn't saving as much when they want the kids meals. By the way the 12 is turning 12 on the last day there, so she will be ll and eating off the kids menu. When I compared it on paper it looked like this:

If we were on the plan and paying out of pocket for the girls it would cost
$35/4 people for 4 days =$560 plus $80 tax =$640 plus $20/day for 2 girls x 4days =$80 =grand total of $720 4 on the plan and adding girls allowance
(this is not including breakfast snacks I will be bringing)
Off the plan: a very mediocre plan of two character meals for girls and parents boys eating counter service somewhere else and one birthday meal celebration comes to $368 and then being quite conservative only allowing 5 more meals at counter service for all of us figuring $15/ meal for the parents and teenage boys and $5/kids meal for the two girls comes to $350. Grand total off plan price $708. So it was eat like kings on the plan for
$720 or eat just to survive with a few extras for $708. Like my husband said from the beginning it was a no brainer, but I needed to know the ins and outs of it before I made a decision. The kids are looking forward to snacks and all that goes with it. I told the girls we would share our food that they liked and would buy them some snacks or just give ours up.(I know I will be full, I am full everytime I just think about it. We never eat like this!! This will be an experience for our family, they will remember it as a real treat. Also from everyones reviews it sounds like we could get away with not even buying the girls food.(the lady from Disney reserv. said that also. That would be more savings, I'll take it!)

Thanks again Ellenbenny

The problem with all of this is getting connecting rooms on your 2 reservations.

I also would figure more than $5.00 for the girls meals. Most places do not include a beverage or dessert with the kids meal. If you do buffets they are going to be charged the adult price.

 

[tigertam]

I guess I didn't think there would be a problem with connecting two rooms- one being on the dining pland and one not. The lady from Disney said no problem w/ my parents not wanting to be on the plan, but we would be still connected as a grandparty? or something because we were a party of 8 or more. She said it was important to connect us together for restaurants and other stuff.

 

[ceecee]

They have added some additional snacks as options. Fruit or Lay's chips. My thought is after having dessert for lunch and dinner having another snack that is high in sugar!

 

[Nini]

Hi Everyone,

I DO have the MYW Plan (so does extended family of 12 people)...I just thought I would interject that the price for children is only around $10 per day (can't remember exact price, but it is definately in the $10 ballpark...very reasonable) on the plan! Definately NOT the adult pricing for young children.

 

[ellenbenny]

lillygator, we enjoyed Spoodles, but it wasn't our best meal. The appetizers were all very good. The Paella was very tasty, lots of seafood in it. The steaks were good but not excellent, definitely not as good as the filet at Kona or CRT, but they were not filet at Spoodles. The shrimp addon with the steaks at Spoodles were not cooked enough. We didn't send them back because I didn't feel like making a fuss, and because with appetizers and desserts we had plenty of food to split 3 meals for 4 people. All in all I would say it was a good meal, but not my favorite, it really didn't wow me like the other dinners we had.

tigertam, Just so you know, there is no tax added on to the price of the mealplan. It is $35 per adult per night and this includes tax and tips on meals, and there is no tax added to the $35 in the package. If you price it out room plus tickets, and then add meal plan, the difference is only $35/adult/night, not $35 plus tax per person per night. I know there are some websites indicating that there is tax added to the meal plan, but that is not the case. Something else to consider when looking at your savings. Also, I agree that you will probably have enough food to share with your girls, without spending a whole lot extra on them.

Ellen