Planning for 2018

[mdsouth]

So, I haven't been on for a while but my planning is still ongoing. We have settled on late August into early September, getting home ideally a couple of days before the new school year so we have some time to recover.

I just need to wait a little while longer now to see if a free dining offer comes up again for the UK. Historically it has appeared around Easter time over here for bookings made for the next year, so I have my deposit waiting and we're ready to go. If we get a good price we're hoping for BC or YC. If not then back to POR. We've decided not to tell the kids this time until just before we go. They know where we are thinking of but don't think we will be able to do it for 2018 so we are hoping it will be a nice surprise rather than a shock.

Nicola,

Hi! Happy 2017! I was happy to see your post. Now that it is 2017, your 2018 trip is closer now. I would love to go this summer 2017 but I am now pushing it back to summer 2018. I have not settled on any dates yet but most likely it will be early to mid June 2018. I have a feeling we will be staying at a moderate again. So we can help each other plan for 2018.

On the plus side, Rivers of Light should definitely be ready by then and there might be other new things open too. I really haven't been paying much attention to when the new things will be open but I guess I will now.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Hi Michele. Happy 2017 to you too! Our plans have moved all over the place these past few months and currently we are looking at 16 nights for all four of us in YC or BC if there is a significant price difference between the two. My husband has sensibly set an upper limit on the overall cost of the trip so if we are priced out of these I think we will be back at POR but will upgrade the dining plan to a full plan. The kids want to go back there anyway as they know what to expect and are happy with that.

Pricing is strange when looking from over here. We've even priced up staying in a value resort. But once we add the full dining plan, as it's never free in the value resorts, the most you get is a free breakfast, the price approaches the more expensive resorts when they have free dining included. We don't get big room discounts over here and when free dining is on offer it really is a big price difference. I'm always suspicious of sales and offers in general but having watched and compared for a long time now, it really is a good offer. When staying for a long time, knowing your biggest expense is taken care of is reassuring.

I'm rather frustratedly waiting to see 2018 offers appear at the moment. I am nursing a prolapsed disc in my lower back so have mainly my own company and the dogs of course during the day.

My DD has settled into senior school after an initially difficult transition during the first term but seems to be getting into the flow now. My DS is also finding his way and moving closer to a diagnosis. The process is a slow and convoluted one.

Booking and not telling them is going to be really difficult. I've almost told my daughter already. And my husband is enjoying telling them we can't afford to go again until 2022. I think she'll twig as he says it in far to cheerful a way.

If you have any questions about POR let me know.

Bring on the mouse

 

[mdsouth]

I'm always suspicious of sales and offers in general but having watched and compared for a long time now, it really is a good offer. When staying for a long time, knowing your biggest expense is taken care of is reassuring.

I am like you in that I am suspicious of sales and offers. It just seems like there is always some type of catch to it. I also understand how just knowing you have already paid for your resort and the dining ahead of time helps you relax on the actual vacation. I am one who typically is always looking at the cost of items on the menu and often do not go to restaurants or select the food that I would really like to try because I am on a budget. When we had the regular dining plan, I really loved knowing that it was all paid for and I could chose the restaurants and food items I really wanted.

I agree with you too in that when you are deciding between a value with the quick service plan or a moderate or deluxe resort that offers the full dining plan it just seems to make more sense for my family to pay a bit more for the resort in order to get the full service plan.

I also like how if you really want, you can chose to put two of your table service credits together and go to a nicer restaurant or go to one of the dinner shows. It is this option that really appeals to me. Typically, when my family does go out to dinner we go to your average restaurants and do not spend a lot of money. We also do not spend money on entertainment experiences. There are lots of times I would love to try something like that but we don't because we cannot justify the cost for just a few hours of entertainment. But when we were on the dining plan at WDW we were able go and experience the Luau without any added cost to the regular dining plan. The show was okay but now that we have done it once I don't need to do it again.

But I am looking forward to trying a new experience the next time we go. What about you? Do you think you will combine your table service credits to do one of the dinner shows or go to one of the nicer restaurants?

What ones are on you potential list for now?

I am nursing a prolapsed disc in my lower back so have mainly my own company and the dogs of course during the day.

I am sorry to hear that you are having back issues. I hope you are not in too much pain.
So how many dogs do you have? I would love to see a photo of them. I love dogs! In September my own dog died from complications of cancer. We miss him terribly!

My DD has settled into senior school after an initially difficult transition during the first term but seems to be getting into the flow now. My DS is also finding his way and moving closer to a diagnosis. The process is a slow and convoluted one.

I am sorry that you daughter had a rough transition. But I am happy to hear that she is having an easier time now. You are so right in that the road to a diagnosis is a long, hard process at times.

Booking and not telling them is going to be really difficult. I've almost told my daughter already. And my husband is enjoying telling them we can't afford to go again until 2022. I think she'll twig as he says it in far to cheerful a way.

I just had to laugh at this comment. Your husband sounds a lot like mine. They both seems to be . My hubby loves to tease the kids and me. Like you said, when your hubby teases the kids is such a jovial manner your daughter probably will figure it out soon. (On a side note: I was unfamiliar with the term twig. But I figured it out within the context of your sentence. I also looked it up online too to just make sure I was right. That is one reason, I really love to correspond with people all around the world - it gives you wonderful opportunities to learn new things.

Take care of yourself!

While we are both waiting (tee hee) for time to pass, let's make a list and share the restaurants we want to try.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

I had to laugh when you said that about twig. As I typed it I wondered if it had the same meaning over there. Yes it means to catch on or figure it out.

I have 2 rescue dogs. We lost our beloved dog a few years ago, who was also a rescue. He was with us since before we married, pre kids etc. He had a life long heart murmur and passed from what we assumed was a heart attack, right next to us. It was so sad. I couldn't get over it and we decided to rescue again in his honour. We found 2 that they wanted to keep together and knowing how hard it is for shelters to home a pair we took them on. They are hard work as they are both terriers but they love us very much as we do them. I have one either side of me know. I am recovering. Had a good slow walk around my village today. Not too far and all on the flat so a good step in getting me mobile. I would post a photo if I can work it out.

My husband tends to say no to ice cream or snacks etc for himself if we are out as we always seem to be watching the pennies so what I like about the dining plan is even he doesn't think about it too much. He has a reputation in our house so it works out really well for us. Because it was such a huge gap between us going as a newly married couple and then going with the kids, the dining plan was a complete novelty and we really weren't that sure about it before we went. But even on the QSDP we were really happy.

We paid for 4 table service meals on top of our QS plan when we were there. We paid separately for breakfast at Crystal Palace. It was nice but not worth actually paying for, at least for us. It was our first full day and jet lag had still affected our appetites. None of us are big breakfast fans anyway so there was no way that we would eat enough to justify the cost of that one. I'm glad we did it because I love Winnie the Pooh, especially but maybe any special breakfast is not for us.

We also paid extra for Sci-if Diner which was not good. Such a shame, all those years earlier we had loved it as a couple but as a family none of us enjoyed the food and the kids didn't appreciate the theming at all. So even with a DP we won't do that again but that's just us.

We also paid for House of Blues and BOG in the evening. BOG was really good and great value in our opinion. We didn't have alcohol, or dessert for us grown ups but that's not that unusual. We don't like to be so full we can't then go off and enjoy the rides comfortably. We will definitely be going there again. We asked for the West Wing and we all really enjoyed that. Naively I thought that eating in the restaurant at House of Blues would be atmospheric as I like traditional blues but of course it wasn't what I was imagining at all. The food was fine but not the atmosphere I was hoping for. Failed in my planning on that one.

If we go for the full DP we do plan to double up the credits a couple of times. DD would like to give Tusker House a go and we'd also like to go to the Poly but not sure about any dinner shows. They aren't really a thing over here so don't know what or if we'd like one. We'd also like to try the Boathouse. But I'm sure there are others.

There's plenty of places on our list for table service. We want to go to Beaches and Cream, Rainforest
Cafe and a few places in World Showcase. Which is why we want to stay near Epcot. We want a really good pizza place for the kids too.

How about you? How's your list looking?

 

[mdsouth]

None of us are big breakfast fans anyway so there was no way that we would eat enough to justify the cost of that one. I'm glad we did it because I love Winnie the Pooh, especially but maybe any special breakfast is not for us.

Like your family, my family are not big breakfast eaters so we tend to use our table service credit for dinners.

We also paid extra for Sci-if Diner which was not good. Such a shame, all those years earlier we had loved it as a couple but as a family none of us enjoyed the food and the kids didn't appreciate the theming at all. So even with a DP we won't do that again but that's just us.

Another thing we have in common! Sci-Fi was a big let down. Eating in the cars was a novelty but the food was very bland and disappointing. Even the milk shakes were blah.

DD would like to give Tusker House a go and we'd also like to go to the Poly but not sure about any dinner shows. They aren't really a thing over here so don't know what or if we'd like one. We'd also like to try the Boathouse. But I'm sure there are others.

Our top family dinner was at Ohana at the Poly. We loved the food and we enjoyed watching and participating in the activities. So, it is on our list for next time. I hope it is as good as it was last time.

I keep reading great reviews about the Boathouse so it would be a nice place to try. Isn't it on the boardwalk. We only get to go to WDW every three or four years and have not made it over to the boardwalk yet. So, perhaps it might be a good place for us to try out. We shall see.

One place that I think my son and daughter would have fun at is Whispering Canyon at Fort Wilderness. I think they would really love all the jokes and antics. But of course that is not guaranteed. Plus, again with our limited amount of time, I don't know if I want to commit to so much of our evening being used to travel to Wilderness Lodge, eat, and then travel back to the parks.

My dog and our previous dog were both rescue dogs too! They are the best. Max, our latest dog was so sweet but he was very difficult to potty train. He was a year old when we got him and he would have accidents every day for over a year. I tried everything I could think of. It was close to two full years before he was able to control it.
I can't figure out how to include a photo. I thought I had before directly from my computer files but I can't figure out how now.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Our top family dinner was at Ohana at the Poly. We loved the food and we enjoyed watching and participating in the activities

Ohana is the one that caught our eye at the Poly. So I think we will be giving that a try.

We do seem to have such a lot in common. Even the doggy toilet training.

The Boathouse is in DS. It was new when we were last there but as we were only on QS that one was too much for us but we've seen a lot on blogs about it so it's on the list.

I agree with you, even though we are going for a lot longer we do always think do we want to spend our evenings travelling around resorts to eat. So to be honest, we haven't made the most of the resorts at all and never visited the Boardwalk. For us it was always the parks and Downtown Disney. I need to write a list of must do's.

Our daughter wants to visit the Cheesecake Factory so we will need to venture out to the Mall at Millenia at some point.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

[GALLERY=] [/GALLERY]

Don't know if I've been successful but here they are. Trixie is a Jack Russell. Dudley is a Springer Spaniel crossed with what the rescue thought was probably a Jack Russell but I think maybe he's not terrier at all. He has short little legs and a barrel body like a Corgi.

 

[mdsouth]

[GALLERY=]View attachment 216781 View attachment 216782 [/GALLERY]

Don't know if I've been successful but here they are. Trixie is a Jack Russell. Dudley is a Springer Spaniel crossed with what the rescue thought was probably a Jack Russell but I think maybe he's not terrier at all. He has short little legs and a barrel body like a Corgi.

Yes, the photos came through fine. They are both so cute and look like wonderful dogs to snuggle up with. I love how you captured the peaceful sleep.

 

[mdsouth]

The Cheesecake Factory is another restaurant that I have never eaten at either but I expect there is one about three hours from my home in either Chicago, IL or St. Louis, Mo the two big metropolises that are the closest to my home. I live in what is known as Central Illinois. It is a town of about 100,000 people. So we have a lot of things here that smaller communities do not but not as much as a larger city. There are two four year universities in my town and two two year ones so there are lots to see and do.

Just for fun, I checked a map app and it would take me 17 hours to drive to WDW from my house. This is without any stops. I am curious, how long is your travel time to WDW from where you live? How long is the plane ride itself? I expect you probably have to change planes at least once before you arrive.

If you can't tell, I really have the Disney bug today! I am enjoying our correspondence. I know that here on the DIS, I can fine like minded souls who love to talk and dream about a Disney trip. While others just scratch their heads about our love of Disney.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

We live about an hour from Manchester airport, near to the small historic city of Chester. If you google it you will see it has lots of Roman and Medieval architecture. Though where we live is a village a few miles out of the city. There are some older buildings here that date back a long way but we're not in one of those.

So for us it's an hour car journey to the airport long stay car park, Then a shuttle bus, then at least 3 hours in the airport for a long haul flight, we don't want any stress though so we always make sure we leave in plenty of time. So we were there with more like 4 hours to spare I think. The plane journey itself is about 9 hours. We were also delayed last time by about 1.5 hours. You can get cheaper flights if you go indirect but that again leaves too much to chance for us and makes it even longer, so we fly direct. Then there's the travel time through the airport and on the ME. By the time we got to the room I worked out I'd been awake for about 21 hours.

You forget that though pretty much straight away once you put the bags down. How long is your flight?

Some friends of ours have just booked their first trip for this July, a fly drive booking so far. They are staying with family in a villa for their first week then they are on their own. They've asked me for tips regarding where to book for their second week. I couldn't be that laid back about not having booked my accommodation yet. I did warn them that they will regret asking for my help as I'll be more excited than they are. I have to introduce then to The My Disney Experience app and booking restaurants and fast pssses. You either get it or you don't. What can I say. I said make a list of what you all want from your resort and I can point you to a few to consider but I don't want to make their choice for them. Too much responsibility

 

[mdsouth]

Wow! 21 hours just for travel -- I would be so brain dead by then and probably have a royal headache too.

The last time I flew it was from my own home airport and a direct flight to MCO. So, with added time to be there before boarding until we touched down at MCO would be around four hours total. But the airline no longer comes to my airport so now if we fly we will have to fly out of St. Louis or Chicago and since they are huge airports and the car drive there it will add at least another five hours to the trip. But still that would be around nine hours total.

Like you, I will offer friends suggestions on resorts but do not want to direct them to one resort over the other because if they do not like it for some reason, I don't want that issue between us. I think it would definitely be fun to help them plan a few ADRs and maybe even help with Fastpasses just so that they have plans for a few places. But I would not want the responsibility of planning out their entire trip.

I would highly recommend to your friends that they at least try to have three ADRs lined up for dinner and/or character meals if they plan to do those. Just because I know how frustrating and how much stress it can add to a trip if you are constantly being turned away from places for dinner because of no room - especially since they are traveling in June.

I live in Bloomington, Illinois - in case you want to Google it. Being in Central Illinois we are surrounded by flat, flat, flat farm land. The soil is the best quality for farming but there isn't much in the way of scenery. The town dates back to the 1830's. It is why I would love to travel to the UK and the rest of Europe someday just to experience the history of it all. Of course, I teaching history is my job - so I have an obvious interest in it.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Yes they are 'wingin' it' kind of people and don't quite get the need to make ADRs etc. They have taken my word for it but until they are there themselves they won't truly get it.

I'd happily talk for hours with them about it but I'm sure I'd bore them stupid.

I can plan and plan, not really making any actual progress, but it gives me my fix and keeps me going. Had a rough night with my back last night and my MRI results should be through so my mission for today is to attempt to get a doctors appointment. No easy feat. It means hitting redial constantly from 8am until I get through. By which time I'll be lucky if they have anything and the receptionist will do her gatekeeping job of is it urgent, do you really need an appointment. I wouldn't mind but this is the first time since my last pregnancy that I have needed time off work and the doctors haven't sent my sick note through, even though they confirmed on friday that it was being done. And moan over....

Anyway, once the doctor stuff is sorted either way, I think I will do a little dining browsing

 

[mdsouth]

Yes they are 'wingin' it' kind of people and don't quite get the need to make ADRs etc. They have taken my word for it but until they are there themselves they won't truly get it.

You are exactly right! People who go for the first time now days, really do not understand how much of a difference even a small amount of planning ahead of time will make. I know in the past I have tried to share that bit of wisdom with a few people but like you I share my experience and then they have to decide what they want to do for themselves in the amount of planning. I for one am on the side that you can always plan ahead and then just modify or even drop your plans all together later when you are there if you so choose.

I'd happily talk for hours with them about it but I'm sure I'd bore them stupid.

This is me totally! I would love to find someone that I could sit down with and talk Disney planning non-stop for hours. But I haven't yet found anyone that I think really is as a fanatic about that as I am except for the DIS. That is why

I can plan and plan, not really making any actual progress, but it gives me my fix and keeps me going.

YES! YES! YES! I TOTALLY GET YOU! The DIS and Disney planning really does kept me sane and going some days! It is my way to destress from the trials of my job as a teacher of teenagers and from the daily chores of home. Who but such like minded people here would understand that Disney planning and Disney dreaming (virtual trip planning, fantasy trips, etc) is our way of DESTRESSING! Crazy!

Had a rough night with my back last night and my MRI results should be through so my mission for today is to attempt to get a doctors appointment. No easy feat. It means hitting redial constantly from 8am until I get through. By which time I'll be lucky if they have anything and the receptionist will do her gatekeeping job of is it urgent, do you really need an appointment. I wouldn't mind but this is the first time since my last pregnancy that I have needed time off work and the doctors haven't sent my sick note through, even though they confirmed on friday that it was being done. And moan over....

I am sorry to hear that you are having a rough go of it and to top it off you are have such a hard time getting through to the doctor - Just for an appointment! Ugg. I am sending you special pixie dust and prayers for you

Anyway, once the doctor stuff is sorted either way, I think I will do a little dining browsing

I will try to do a little dining browsing today too and we can compare notes and thoughts on our dining options tomorrow.

Thanks for being here to share our love of !

Have a good day, my friend! or I should say, I will check in with you later today during my lunch break! I am just starting my day today as I post this. Now, I have to get started on my actual work. I hate it when real life comes between me and

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

I got an appointment and have the go ahead to start physio so that's progress. Sick note sorted and prescription refilled. So hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.

I've been going through the menus today. My problem is I'm easy to please but the rest of them aren't. The Coral Reef is a maybe. As are a few in World Showcase. There are a few options for Italian restaurants. The only thing I'm not a fan of is pasta but everyone else likes it and there's plenty of other things that I'd have on the menu. If you have tried any of them I'd be interested to hear what your opinion was. There are mixed reviews about them but again the Workd Showcase ones cone out well.

It always makes me laugh when I read the Rose and Crown menu and Irish pubs in DS. Not sure that some of the combinations are typically British or Irish fare but I think we might add one or two to the list.

I love the atmosphere as you walk round DS and the boat ride from POR has always been a major pull for us. I love seeing the lights appear as you ride up in the evening. It truly is magical.

Do you watch any vlogs on YouTube? I like watching people arrive at their resorts. I'm always most interested in their travel day reports for some reason and like the resort tours that people do.

Still window shopping but I have a theory that the offers will be released over here at the end of March. Let's see if I'm right. If they're pushed back to later in the year, I'm going to be disappointed.

 

[mdsouth]

I got an appointment and have the go ahead to start physio so that's progress. Sick note sorted and prescription refilled. So hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.

I am glad you were able to get an appointment and also get the doctor's note squared away.

I've been going through the menus today. My problem is I'm easy to please but the rest of them aren't. The Coral Reef is a maybe. As are a few in World Showcase. There are a few options for Italian restaurants. The only thing I'm not a fan of is pasta but everyone else likes it and there's plenty of other things that I'd have on the menu. If you have tried any of them I'd be interested to hear what your opinion was. There are mixed reviews about them but again the Workd Showcase ones cone out well.

Like you, I have to choose restaurants that will have items on the menu that I know my kids will eat. Neither one are too adventurous in what they will eat.

In EPCOT, we tend to eat at the Mexican restaurant. We have also eaten at Le Celliers Garden Grill, Les Chefs of France and Marrakesh. The kids liked Le Celliers the best out of all of those.
My daughter and I also did the lunch with the princesses at Akershus. She discovered that she liked hard salami then but only ate a few pieces of it and some cheese. It was a good experience for seeing the princesses but limited in food choices so we will try a new place this time.

We have not eaten at the Italian places in EPCOT nor the one at MK so I cannot help you there.

It always makes me laugh when I read the Rose and Crown menu and Irish pubs in DS. Not sure that some of the combinations are typically British or Irish fare but I think we might add one or two to the list.

I have to smile at this one because I always have wondered if the food tastes authentic for someone from the UK. On that same idea, have you eaten at the counter service in EPCOT, Yorkshire County Fish Shop? I am a bit surprised that the name of the restaurant does not spell shop as shoppe.

I am leaning more towards just paying out of pocket or having the quick service plan if there is no discount for us for dining. Plus, for this coming trip (whenever it will be) I foresee us eating more counter service meals than table service ones. So, I have been spending more time reading reviews and looking at menus for counter service places.

Counter Service places I am thinking of trying:
Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Liberty Inn

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

I have to smile at this one because I always have wondered if the food tastes authentic for someone from the UK. On that same idea, have you eaten at the counter service in EPCOT, Yorkshire County Fish Shop? I am a bit surprised that the name of the restaurant does not spell shop as shoppe.

Actually the fish and chips do taste pretty close to our fish and chip shops over here. We had them, they are much smaller in quantity than we get from our 'chippy' but they were good. The chips were almost there. 'Ye olde shoppe' would be very quaint and in keeping with Epcot's representation of England. I think I'll be getting something from there myself.

Not sure what's changed with the Rose and Crown. It is only showing a lounge menu so what used to be there isn't at the moment. There were some strange combinations featuring Yorkshire puddings. Just things with them that we wouldn't normally have. Yorkshire puddings tend to be served either with sausages or as part of a roast dinner but when I looked previously they were loaded and combined with other things. There seems to be a fascination with 'battered bangers'. Maybe it varies from region to region, and I know that chip shops do sell battered and non battered sausages. However, it's not a staple British food unless I'm missing something and no one in my family would appreciate batter on their sausage The Irish pubs in DS seem to do battered burgers too. Not sure what that's about but I'm not Irish so maybe I am just not aware of that one.

I am leaning more towards just paying out of pocket or having the quick service plan if there is no discount for us for dining. Plus, for this coming trip (whenever it will be) I foresee us eating more counter service meals than table service ones. So, I have been spending more time reading reviews and looking at menus for counter service places.

Counter Service places I am thinking of trying:
Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Liberty Inn

We were perfectly happy with our QSDP for our fortnight - do you say that, fortnight? - our two week stay. However it did consist of mainly pizza for our son. Three square meals a day. As he did also have it cold from the fridge in our room the next day a couple of times. A good healthy diet. But hey, we were on holiday. The pizza counter at POR did a large cheese pizza for 2 QS credits and it was enough to feed all of us. Sometimes with a little left over, hence the breakfast the next day. After two weeks though, pizza, burger or chicken sandwich ... they weren't very adventurous. And now I realise that if we do upgrade to YC we may have the DDP then we may as well take advantage.

I have an idea in my head about buying food from a 'street vendor' as I just wouldn't do it really over here and as we walked passed a lot of that style in WDW we didn't really stop to look and we really should as they are very different to the idea I have in my head. They are designed to look like street vendors, not actual street vendors.

I had the steak at Liberty Inn with fries and broccoli as I was desperate for something green. For QS it was actually a pretty good steak.

I've looked at Lotus Blossom Cafe and I think the boys may have to get something else while us girls try that one out.

Was wondering about Garden Grill myself. Also Teppan Edo but sharing your table with strangers will feel a little odd to my two.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Ok. So I looked at disneys website this morning and you can now book for 2018. No offers yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a dining offer will be coming as we can't book deluxe at the prices they are showing without the dining being included. One step closer. Yey

 

[mdsouth]

Thanks for your feedback about the UK offerings for food in EPCOT. It sounds like Disney got an idea for the battered versions of the food and ran away with it. I can see both the Rose and Crown restaurant and the Rose and Crown Tavern when I look at the Disney site. I think this would definitely be confusing for many visitors.

Based on your reply and after looking at the menus, I think I will just stick with trying out the Yorkshire Country Shop for a counter service option and save my table service credit for something else.

Haley and I ate at the Garden Grill. We enjoyed it but I don't think we will do it again. The seats revolve very slowly and you can catch glimpses of the ride but it is not something super exciting. The characters do come around to the tables but on the level that we were sitting we were in a booth and there wasn't much room to get up and get a photo with a character. If your kids are the type that need to get up from time to time to walk around the room - there isn't a lot of space to do that.

Haley and I like the food okay but it was just so-so. It is similar to what you can get at Liberty Tree Tavern. Actually, we prefer the food at the Liberty Tree Tavern.

 

[mdsouth]

Ok. So I looked at disneys website this morning and you can now book for 2018. No offers yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a dining offer will be coming as we can't book deluxe at the prices they are showing without the dining being included. One step closer. Yey

WOO HOO! 2018 is getting closer!

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Thanks for your feedback about the UK offerings for food in EPCOT. It sounds like Disney got an idea for the battered versions of the food and ran away with it. I can see both the Rose and Crown restaurant and the Rose and Crown Tavern when I look at the Disney site. I think this would definitely be confusing for many visitors.

Yes. The time I looked the other day, it was only showing the Rose and Crown Pub with its lounge menu and the restaurant wasn't there. Perhaps they just happened to be updating it when I looked on the website because it is back now as I was expecting to see it the other night.

Anyway, I have friends over here who always make a booking in the restaurant when they go. They love it and now I can see it again, I think we still will. I'm glad it's reappeared. We wouldn't bother with the lounge only menu, nothing on it for us really. I also have to find out what the Yorkshire pudding is loaded with Not that I eat them anyway, but I need to know The chicken masala would be what the kids would want. No batter on the sausages at the Rose and Crown. So maybe that is an Irish thing as it's on the Cookes of Dublin menu at DS. Battered fish is very good though, imho. I'm sounding very anti batter I do apologise. English trifle is made with dried sponge fingers rather than crackers over here, which absorb the moisture of the fruit and/or sherry depending on the recipe. But I can see why crackers would be used instead.

Thanks for your feedback on Garden Grill, I wasn't 100% sold on the menu but thought the experience would be good, but for 2 dining credits, maybe I could put then to better use. We also would like to try Yak and Yeti at AK.
We struggle for QS there.

After looking at the newly released 2018 prices they are a big step up on 2017 and the dining plan, if we paid for it, is nearly £1000 more than this year. I'm hoping that is an initial thing for some reason, as also not all resorts are showing. If not, and that's the price, unless a really good offer comes out there would be no advantage to booking early. I could book for this August now and the price would be cheaper. We just can't go this year.

How far in advance do US bookings need to be made? Can you get a better price leaving it late?