Our Reservations--how do they look?

[Buntington]

Hi all! We're so excited to be going to Disney from August 9-15 and staying at the WL. We're celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary and expecting our first child at the same time. I made our ADRs a while ago, of course, but I've been second guessing them a bit. So please, tell me what you think. DH is a very picky eater, so I let him look at all of the menus and select places where he could at least find one or two things that were acceptable. We're both adults, of course, but I'm a kid at heart and love the character meals, so we tried to get a lot of those in as well. We have DxDP, but I'm not so much concerned with maximizing our money/stuffing ourselves as finding food that we both can eat and enjoy.

Tuesday 8/9 (arrival day!)
Artist Point dinner

Wednesday 8/10
Akershus princess breakfast
Rose & Crown lunch
Tokyo Dining dinner

Thursday 8/11
Whispering Canyon breakfast
Sci Fi Dine In lunch
Ohana dinner

Friday 8/12
Whispering Canyon breakfast (repetitive, I know, but we didn't want to have to rush out of WL every morning really early to get to ADRs elsewhere)
Yak & Yeti lunch
Aloha luau dinner (again, I know this is pretty similar to the Ohana's food we'll be having on Thursday night, but DH is picky and I think he'll probably like these two meals better than any of the fancy ones...)

Saturday 8/13 (our anniversary!)
1900 Park Fare breakfast
Crystal Palace lunch
Narcoossee's dinner

Sunday 8/14
Chef Mickey's breakfast
Coral Reef lunch
Yachtsman Steakhouse dinner

Monday (check out day )
Snacks @ Roaring Fork

So tell me--any huge mistakes? I know Coral Reef has gotten some mixed reviews, and a lot of people don't like Chef Mickey's, but I enjoyed both of those places the last time we were at Disney. However, that was back in 2003, and I've also read that a lot of the restaurants have gone downhill since then...

 

[curious788]

Its always fun to go for a Disney, specially when going with your family for at least a week or so. You are so lucky that you gonna have double excitement, one is your wedding anniversary and also child expectation. Have fun.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Sounds yummy but it would be to much food for me to eat. I could personally not eat 3 sit down meals at WDW in one day. If I were on the deluxe plan I would plan a sit down breakfast and a 2 credit dinner everyday.

 

[thepartyplanner]

Looks like a lot of fun! That is a ton of food...I guess eating is the one of the best parts of a vacation though. Enjoy!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Are you paying OOP for anything? It looks like you are 2 credits over.

 

[Buntington]

Yup, I know it's a lot of food...but DH is 6'6", skinny, and I think he normally eats 4000-5000 calories a day without gaining any weight (yes, I'm jealous!). So I figure he can eat all of the appetizers and extra stuff that I can't. Also, I'll be pregnant while we're there, so it won't be a horrible thing if I gain a bit of weight while we're at the parks...although I'm not the type to finish everything on my plate and I don't feel compelled to order dessert at every single meal just because we're on DxDP. I'm thinking that's what happens to a lot of people on the dining plan--they want to make sure they get their money's worth, so they end up eating tons of food that they wouldn't have ordered otherwise?

We'll see how stuffed I am when I get home and post my trip report...

 

[Buntington]

You're right, we would be two credits over if we used our dining credits for all of those meals. We're paying OOP for the two Whispering Canyon breakfasts because those are the cheapest. I'll probably end up getting oatmeal to make up for all of the other breakfast feasts...

 

[OhThePain]

Some of my personal opinion may differ depending on how spaced out your meals are. As a PP said, you are also 2 credits over (I didn't know it was possible for someone to actually go over the amount of credits being used on the DxDP). On somewhat short notice the changes I would try to make would be to change your WCC that you have on your AK day and see if you can get a Donald's Safari Breakfast ADR (it's tough to get but you never know, plus it would reduce the repetativeness) since you'd already be heading to AK. I would also cancel the Y&Y lunch for that day... it's pretty bad and you might be happier just grabbing something at Flame Tree BBQ. Also, we HATED SoA. If you wanted to try a dinner show, go with HDDR (ribs, chicken, corn bread, sides, all good stuff). The other meal I would cancel is Coral Reef. This dropped from our must-do list to our not for a loooooong time list, not to mention you may not want to go to YS on a 1/2 full tummy. If you get hungry there are lots of places in EC to have a bite to eat or use snack credits.

These are the changes I would personally try to make to not only eliminate some sub-par dining expereinces but will also get you under the amount of TS credits you have.

 

[Buntington]

Thanks for the feedback, OhThePain. Where would you go instead of Coral Reef? We're going to be at Epcot that day, so we want to eat TS there and still use one of those credits. My mother and grandmother will be joining us and my grandmother really wants to eat "nice food" at sit-down restaurants for every meal. We don't mind paying for the Whispering Canyon breakfasts, so I think we'll stick with those.

What did you hate about SoA? I hadn't booked HDDR because it seemed to be more of a kid-themed show, but the food sounds very good. We both love cornbread. But DH does not like anything that is a "musical," so I wasn't sure how he'd react to it. What did you think of the show itself?

 

[OhThePain]

Thanks for the feedback, OhThePain. Where would you go instead of Coral Reef? We're going to be at Epcot that day, so we want to eat TS there and still use one of those credits. My mother and grandmother will be joining us and my grandmother really wants to eat "nice food" at sit-down restaurants for every meal. We don't mind paying for the Whispering Canyon breakfasts, so I think we'll stick with those.

What did you hate about SoA? I hadn't booked HDDR because it seemed to be more of a kid-themed show, but the food sounds very good. We both love cornbread. But DH does not like anything that is a "musical," so I wasn't sure how he'd react to it. What did you think of the show itself?

I have done HDDR on just about every trip since I was a kid (the only times were when I went with my school and when I went with my camp). We even had a convention right off property a couple of years ago and I took about 10 clients and their wives/husbands out to the HDDR and they all had a fantastic time. The show is a very cheesey and corny Vaudville type show with singing and dancing, but it is also very funny (tell your DH that the unlimited beer/wine/sangria helps). I don't think that it is really kiddie themed and that all generations can enjoy it. SoA we found to be painfully boring with the exception of a couple of minutes.

If you like Mexican food, San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavillion is a really nice atmosphere, one of the best in Disney. The food can be hit or miss but the feel in general is really nice, plus you can stop off at the taquilla bar after your meal. However, looking at your schedule it seems like your first day at EC will be spent more on WS while your second day more for FW. If you planned on being in FW that second day, keep your Coral Reef ADR. While we personally don't like it, it doesn't mean you won't like it. You may end up loving it, plus it is pretty nice inside which will make your grandmother happy. I have no problem voicing my opinion, but I always suggest that people form their own opinions by following their instincts. Plus it will eliminate all the extra walking to go from FW to Mexico and back to FW.

 

[MsPoppinsTX]

Your reservations look awesome...wish I could eat that many calories in a day and stay skinny, some people have all the genetic luck.

My family and I love Yak & Yeti (my mom said the ribs were some of the best she ever had)! We also really like 50's Prime Time Cafe in DHS for the food and the atmosphere. It has been a long while since I've eaten at Sci Fi so I can't really compare the two though.

The HDDR is a must do for us on our trips. We love the food and the show is fantastic. It would be fun for your whole family and really cool if someone in your party gets picked to be on stage.

Have a great time!

 

[nicki.momof3]

What did you hate about SoA? I hadn't booked HDDR because it seemed to be more of a kid-themed show, but the food sounds very good. We both love cornbread. But DH does not like anything that is a "musical," so I wasn't sure how he'd react to it. What did you think of the show itself?

I think you would be very happily surprised. HDDR is a great show for adults. We love it - it is corny funny and not "musical" in my opinion.

The food is yummy, the show is great - check it out.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

On AK day you could do breakfast at Tusker House safari breakfast. It is so good & I love the characters there.

We love Coral Reef. It is really good & if you get a table by the tanks it is even better.

 

[MHSweb79]

We find the regular DDP WAY too much food in August- the 98 degree heat & 100% humidity really saps your appetite. And we generally can't eat dessert at both lunch and dinner, so we're not eating the extra food to get our money's worth either. Not to mention appetizers aren't even included.

How far apart are your meals spaced? Did you allow 1.5 hours for each meal? Because if you have to wait for your table, and depending on the restaurant, it can certainly take at least that long. So if you get out of a buffet at 10am and your next meal is 1pm, that could be just too much. Not to mention all the park time lost sitting in restaurants.

Personally, if I had the DxDP, I would either allow for one daily counter-service meal or book on regular TS and one 2TS meal per day.

Just something to consider.

 

[Buntington]

I'm glad to hear that some people have had good experiences at Coral Reef. I think I will end up keeping that reservation, but the Tusker House safari breakfast does sound nice...is the food very different from the other character buffets, or is it pretty much similar fare across the board?

MHSweb79, I think our meals are spaced out pretty well--for us, anyway! Our breakfasts are all pretty early (~7:30), lunches at noon, dinners at 7 or 8. We aren't planning on having huge breakfasts--I usually just get eggs and fruit from the buffet. The buffets are mostly so that we can enjoy the characters, of course. I really don't mind spending a lot of time inside the restaurants waiting for food, especially during summer--the air conditioning will be really nice, and I always enjoy the decor. I can't go on a lot of the rides because I'm pregnant, so we won't have a ton of stuff to do at the parks in between, so it's not like it will be cutting into our wait times for roller coasters or anything.

You're right about the appetizers and dessert--I certainly won't be able to eat them! But DH can eat an entire pizza and still be hungry a few hours later, so I think he'll get his money's worth, and my dear grandmother really loves to get appetizers and desserts at nice restaurants, so I know she'll enjoy it too. We might change our minds after we go, though, if we're really stuffed...