One table credit short.....help!!

[slissemouse]

Okay, I'm trying to get our meals mapped out, so I can be ready for my ADR's once March 24th gets here (my 90 days). We are on the Dining Plan (basic with one cs, one ts and one snack per person per day), and I am going to end up one ts credit short. We are tentatively doing:
1. Yak and Yeti (AK late EMH)
2. La Cellier (Epcot late EMH)
3. Les Chefs de France (before boating over to DHS late EMH)
4. Fantasmic Dinner package (DHS---have to do this evening b/c it's when Fantasmic is being performed).
5. Ohanas (MK late EMH)
6. Tutto Italia
7. California Grill (on our last night: also MK late EMH)---this takes 2 ts

This puts us at 8 table service credits and we only have 7.

My question is this: should I give up Tutto Italia or Yak and Yetti and do a counter service on one of those nights? Or should we just pay out of pocket for one of our table service meals? If so, I'm assuming Yak and Yeti would be our cheapest bet to pay out of pocket?

Thanks!

 

[justamy27]

We ran one short for ts for the last 2 years. Last year I made an adr for Planet Hollywood since we had the $15 voucher. Everyone loved their food so we are doing the same next month. When all was said and done we paid about the same at PH as we would have on a cs meal but we enjoyed our meal and it gave a little extra time in downtown for my dw to shop.

 

[daisygirl902]

I would drop Yak and Yeti - the food is like veyr generic chinese food that you could pick up in the local grocery store....we went with a family of 5 and all of the food was the same caliber...

 

[maraki527]

I wouldnt drop any I would just pay out of pocket for Ohana's since you already know the price is set.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I wouldnt drop any I would just pay out of pocket for Ohana's since you already know the price is set.

I was thinking the same thing.

Depending upon what you will be ordering, Yak & Yeti and Tutto Italia could be some of your most expensive dining adventures so those most likely would not be one of the ones I would pay for OOP.

 

[Leanne1977]

I would drop either Chefs De France or Tutto Italia.

Chefs was just ok for us. The food wasn't great and the service was worse! We wouldn't go back.

I also had Tutto on my DDP list but I cancelled it a couple of days ago. I have been hearing the same story over and over from this place. Food coming out within minutes of ordering. Theres no way I'm wasting a credit on food that is pre made and warmed up!

 

[slissemouse]

Thanks so much for all of the advice so far...it is giving me 'food for thought' HA!

I am going to think about some of the options you all have listed.......and I need to look up the set price for Ohanas! I also did forget about the $15 voucher for Planet Hollywood and we are going to Disney Quest one day. I'll have to look up those prices as well to figure out what would be more cost effective. I briefly considered getting the DDX plan so we wouldn't have to worry, but I decided we'd be paying a thousand dollars more for our group and we're only one TS short. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper to pay out of pocket for one meal vs spending a thousand dollars more for the upgrade. We are in a club level room at BWI, so we can supplement the kids' hunger with the snacks in there!

 

[catne]

I know it's blasphemy but I would keep everything except drop the 2 TS California Grille and do a one TS restaurant that night instead at one of the monorail resorts (The Wave at the Contemporary, or Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, or Grand Floridian Cafe at the Grand Flor.) After a good meal, hop the monorail to the MK & enjoy your last night.

We just were not that impressed with the Cali Grille...service was very nice, but the meal took 2 full hours -- and that was with no waiting to be seated, either, and no appetizer course. Everything is just paced out for very leisurely dining, which is not really what we wanted to do, but there you are in a signature restaurant- they're not going to rush you! The "view" didn't exist, because they had the blinds down "until the sun goes down" which in the summer was going to be way after the time we were there. The food was good, but not worth 2 TS (we figure each TS is worth at least $28 so that 2 TS meal is "costing" you at least $56.)

 

[disney4us2002]

How many of you are traveling and is it at all possible to share a few of the meals? We are planning a few of the same restaurants and we'll order an appetizer (pay OOP) and then split the entree. We may or may not order an extra dessert depending upon our level of fullness. Another option is getting the CS option at Yak and Yeti rather than the TS.

 

[staceyeileen]

I would also drop Cali Grill and instead dine twice at 1TS restaurants.

 

[Pakey]

I would also drop CG as I don't think it's a good value to use dining plan credits at 2TS restaurants. Entrees are not huge and they are certainly not twice the price of a 1TS restaurant so you are not getting as much value for your credits.

If your heart is set on CG, then I'd consider sharing your credits at Yak n Yeti. I thought those entrees were huge there. None of us finished ours and could have easily split them.

 

[aubriee]

I would drop either Chefs De France or Tutto Italia.

Chefs was just ok for us. The food wasn't great and the service was worse! We wouldn't go back.

I also had Tutto on my DDP list but I cancelled it a couple of days ago. I have been hearing the same story over and over from this place. Food coming out within minutes of ordering. Theres no way I'm wasting a credit on food that is pre made and warmed up!

I don't know where you read that Tutto Italia wasn't good. I ate there in Dec '07 shortly after they reopened and it the best meal of my entire trip (including the meals I had at Le Cellier and Jiko, just a few nights later). Service was wonderful and the food was great. I ate there again in May '08 and Sept '08 and again it was one of the best meals of my trip. I already have an ADR to eat there May 15th and plan on getting ADRs to eat there during my Sept '09 and Dec '09 trips. Most of the reviews I have read have been glowing reviews and on the DDP it is a great deal. My meals there have never appeared to be 'premade and warmed up'. Their salmon with lemon sauce and capers appetizer, fish and clams entree, and zabiglione dessert are just wonderful.

To the OP: I'd probably just pay OOP for 'Ohana or else trade California Grill for two one credit restaurant. No way would I waste 2 TS credits on it. I've eaten there and while the atmosphere is nice if you get a window table at fireworks time, it is not worth getting just an entree and dessert for 2 TS credits.