Please help with DDP, need a couple CS suggestions

[maslex]

Just trying to get a rough idea on how we are going to use our DDP credits. (this is our first time using it)

We are a family of 4 (DH36, ME, DS10 & DS11) We will be down there for 8 nights/9days in July. Now, I will try most anything (within reason of course) DH is picky (meat/potato or burger/fries) DS10 is obsessed with mac/cheese but will also eat chicken nuggets, pizza, hot dogs and the OCCASSIONAL burger and I do mean occassional, DS11 is pretty good, eats burgers, nuggets, sometimes mac/cheese, chicken/mashed taters, pizza, hot dogs and will probably be willing to try whatever I eat.

ANYHOW---I am using a couple of our CS for breakfast in our hotel but still have a few to use up. Now I've read many times how using the DDP will give you a LOT of food, so I might not even use all these credits, who knows BUT I'd like to get an idea of where to go to use them if need be. I will also include the rest of our day's restaurant choices to give you a better idea. But I need a CS restaurant idea in the following.
Animal Kingdom (was thinking either Pizzafari or Tusker House)
MGM (was thinking Rosies for them & Toluca turkey leg for me) never tried a turkey leg!!!!
Magick Kingdom--I need 2 lunch choices & 1 CS dinner choice)
I was thinking for the dinner choice--Cosmic Rays and for the lunch choices--Casey's Corner)

Here is what my restaurant itinerary looks like (all ADR's have been made) Like I said, there are days that have a big breakfast/big dinner so I didn't plan a CS lunch for that day, figured we might just pick up a snack, but JUST IN CASE someone gets hungry.......And I'm sure if we don't need them for lunch, we could use them on the 2 days that I have pop tarts down for breakfast


Sunday July 8th Lego Place
Lunch---McDonalds (OOP) $25.00
Dinner---POP (OOP) $40.00

Monday July 9th EPCOT
Breakfast---POP Century (4CS)
Lunch---grab a snack (4snack credits)
Dinner---Le Cellier (4TS) 4:30pm

Tuesday July 10th TYPHOON LAGOON
Breakfast---pop tarts/donuts/milk/fruit???
Lunch---Leaning Palms (4CS)
Dinner---Chef Mickeys (4TS) 6:30pm


Wednesday July 11th MAGIC KINGDOM
Breakfast---Crystal Palace (4TS) 8:05am
Lunch--- 1:00 lunch (4CS)
Dinner---grab a counter service meal (4CS)

Thursday July 12th MGM Studios
Breakfast---Chef Mickeys (4TS) 8:00am
Lunch--- 1:00 lunch (4CS)
Dinner---Sci Fi Diner 6:00 (4TS) (push two cars together)

Friday July 13th UNIVERSAL
Breakfast---POP Century (4CS)
Late lunch/early dinner---Margaritaville’s (OOP) $50.00

Saturday July 14th MAGIC KINGDOM
Breakfast---pop tarts/donuts/milk/fruit???
Lunch--- 11:30 lunch (4CS)
Dinner--- Crystal Palace (4TS) 5:35pm

Sunday July 15thANIMAL KINGDOM
Breakfast---Breakfastasaurus (4TS) 8:00am
Lunch--- 1:00 lunch (4CS)
Dinner---Rainforest Café (OOP) $70.00 6:00pm

Monday July 16th
WHISPERING CANYON CAFÉ (4 TS) 9:00am

 

[patsal]

A few comments--4CS breakfasts at POP are a ton of food--I would consider using 2 CS here or just paying OOP for the breakfast and using the CS credits for Dinner on the first day. BTW some portions are huge depending upon what you choose and again you may be able to share.

At MK I would consider Pinochhio's they have decent Pizza and salad combinations and my family loves them--we easily share three CS Pizza salad combos between the four of us.
Caseys has great hotdogs so I wouldn't miss that --it is our fourth of July plan!
To give the kids the variety that they like I'd stick with Cosmic Rays there are burgers there, but your non burger eater would have not issues finding something to feed DS 10
Pizzafari has good pizza, Tusker House has a nice variety and I think they have mac and cheese as well.
Remember you can use your snack credits to get the boxed Entenmanns doughnuts at Everything POP store 1 credit will get you a whole box for everyone to share.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

In MGM Rosies and Catalina Eddies are right next to each other (I kid you not - about 2 feet away from each other) so if one of your kids wants pizza and one wants a hamburger, it's no problem.

I second the "4 cs credits is too much food". I would suggest splitting at most 3 between the four of you. We were four good eaters last trip (trust me, I am one chunk of a woman), and we split 2 pizzas, 2 salads, 2 desserts and 2 drinks (2 counter service credits) at Catalina Eddies and we were all full.

On your MK day - If you son is okay with a burger, you can head to Peco's Bills but if not, I would try either Casey's (hot dogs) or Cosmic Ray's (you could order him a kid's meal of chicken nuggest or mac and cheese) while the rest of you enjoy chicken and ribs with mashed potatoes and veggies (two would easily feed the remaining 3 people).

By sharing (and yes, there is lots of food) you could easily cover off any of the meals you have ?????.

 

[CaperatDisney]

Can I just add? The CS credits are not broken down into Adult and Children like the TS credits. Breakfasts at the value uses a lot of valuable park time and they are very very very crowded during the early morning.
The CS restaurants throughout the resorts and the parks are incredible. The Pepper Market at Coronado Sprigs is incredible, loads of food and you actually have semi-table service. Great value on the dining plan.
Cosmic Rays is also good food, and loads of choices. We were there for nine nights and the only meal we paid for was at Rainforest Cafe, and that was only because my wife really wanted to eat there. We did score some great bargains in their gift shop on the way out though!!
A soft cooler filled with free ice from the machines saves the $10 a day charge for a fridge in the value resorts. Half a gallon of milk from the gift shop for one snack credit, and some cereal from home saves alot of time and CS credits

 

[maslex]

PrincessTrisha---that cracked me up about being one chunk of a women. Me too!!! Now my DH and I can put away some food also. I do remember when we ate at the food court in ASMovies we each had the breakfast plate combo (I think it was eggs, bacon or sausage, toast & homefries) We could easily finish this off ourselves (yep...piglets!!) My DH would also sometimes get a muffin on top of that. And I remember my boys getting either the waffle/bacon or pancake/bacon plate and they "pretty much" finished it. Some days more than others.

Maybe I just don't get the whole dining plan yet since we've never used it. So once we get down there I'll see how this whole sharing thing works. Hopefully we'll be able to share a few things here and there and things will work out for the best. I'm just trying not to spend too much OOP (want to prove to DH that the DDP is really worth it)

Thanks!!!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

There are some meals that are better for sharing than others. When you enter a cs restaurant, take a quick look around it will give you an idea of what looks the best (and the largest portion sizes).

For breakfasts you might want to order 3 adult breakfast platters and then use a snack credit for a box of 8 donuts - that gets you your protein and then it's like a treat and you will certainly be full.

At the water park, you will probably need the 4 meals as the portions are average, and they will generally give you a token so you can go back and get your dessert (ice cream) a little later.

This is what I would do (following your basic pattern and not changing any of your ts meals - and you would still have 6 extra snacks).

Sunday July 8th Lego Place
Lunch---McDonalds (OOP) $25.00
Dinner--- Pop (4 CS)

Monday July 9th EPCOT
Breakfast---POP Century (3CS + 1 SN)
Lunch---grab a snack (4snack credits)
Dinner---Le Cellier (4TS) 4:30pm

Tuesday July 10th TYPHOON LAGOON
Breakfast--- 1 box of donut holes + 2 fruit bowls (3 SN) + 2 CS - especially because you don't want to be too full when you are going swimming
Lunch---Leaning Palms (4CS)
Dinner---Chef Mickeys (4TS) 6:30pm

Wednesday July 11th MAGIC KINGDOM
Breakfast---Crystal Palace (4TS) 8:05am
Lunch--- 1:00 lunch (3 CS) - maybe Pinnochios (pizza and salad combo) + 1 SN to try figaro fries - trust me Dinner---grab a counter service meal at cosmic rays (chicken and rib combos (2 CS) + $4 OOP for kids meal

Thursday July 12th MGM Studios
Breakfast---Chef Mickeys (4TS) 8:00am
Lunch--- 1:00 lunch (2 CS + 4 SN) with a buffet breakfast and a ts dinner, I'd be surpised if you guys were overly hungry (been there done that last trip)
Dinner---Sci Fi Diner 6:00 (4TS) (push two cars together)

Friday July 13th UNIVERSAL
Breakfast---POP Century (3 CS + 1 SN) same as before
Late lunch/early dinner---Margaritaville’s (OOP) $50.00
Late night snack - 2 CS to share

Saturday July 14th MAGIC KINGDOM
Breakfast--- 12 SN credits at the Main street bakery (2 things + a drink each)
Lunch--- 11:30 lunch (3 CS) + $4 for a kids meal
Dinner--- Crystal Palace (4TS) 5:35pm

Sunday July 15thANIMAL KINGDOM
Breakfast---Breakfastasaurus (4TS) 8:00am
Lunch--- 1:00 lunch (4 CS)
Dinner---Rainforest Café (OOP) $70.00 6:00pm

Monday July 16th
WHISPERING CANYON CAFÉ (4 TS) 9:00am

 

[MaeDaisy]

All of that sharing and counting up points and keeping track is just way too much work for me when I'm on vacation. We brought breakfast food, and the only reason we paid OOP for anything else was because we did a 2TS dinner show, and wanted an extra character breakfast. We never shared a meal. I mean, we all tasted each others if we wanted to, but we each ordered our own meal. It's plenty of food, but not an obscene amount. And it's not necessarily even "plenty" at every place. Sure, Cosmic Ray's combo plate is big, but what if you don't want chicken and ribs? Picking one particular item or place just because it's big enough to share, doesn't seem worth it to me.

A big part of the fun for all of us was each picking out exactly what we wanted. I'm all for sharing and togetherness, but I don't think it's selfish or unreasonable to each have your own meal. A big part of the convenience was not having to worry about cash and how much everything was costing. When you start splitting everything up, getting 2 CSs plus a snack as breakfast for 4, then sharing 3 CSs as lunch for 4, you're still counting and figuring, just points instead of dollars. We never gave it a thought - we each had one CS, one TS, and one snack per day.

I suppose we might have saved a few bucks by sharing or redistributing, but it would not have been worth the extra effort in keeping track or the loss of ability to each make our own selection.

 

[SnowWhite]

I would use your CS at Pecos Bill or Cosmic Ray's, both should cater to what your family wants or likes. Just my suggestion. Just another suggestion, if your hubby is a meat and potatoes guy (LIKE ME!!!!!) then you have to try Ohana's for dinner. It is my wifes and my new favourite restaurant at disney now!!! I like all the meat and potatoes you can eat, and the bread pudding is just simply amazing! My wife loves the salad, veggies and I am still shocked that she even enjoyed the steak and pork and still talks about it! Just my two cents.....

 

[mt mommy]

If you go to DTD, Wolfgang Puck Express is GREAT for CS. I loved my salad and my DH BBQ Chicken was great!! DD had the pizza and it was delish! My DS got the Chicken strips. It was an AWESOME CS!!

We were just there last week. This was one of our best CS!!!

 

[Sparkie]

We will be at the POP on 7/6 - 7/16. Me, DH, DD1(age 11), DD2(age 15) and her boyfriend (age 18) and DGmom. (wish me luck with the boyfriend!- he is really a nice kid- but the sleeping arrangements are very tricky- HA!)

I am wanting to try Pecos Bills, Pinocchio Village Haus, TuskerHouse,&FlameTree BBQ. We have eaten at Rosie's and Catalina Eddies before at MGM-a lot of food. Last time we paid oop and I would order a double cheese burger meal and a plain bun. (the bun was about $1)
Split the burger buy putting one meat patty on the plain bun and now you have 2 and some fries. My daughter1 got chickenfingers and daughter2
got pizza from there one time. All the meals are huge. That turkey leg- DGmom got that and it looked like it came off a 40 pound turkey. She literally could have eaten off it most of the day. My past experience with going to Disney in July is that it is hot. So you dont really want that much food during the middle of the day but we could never get enough to drink or icecream to cool us off. We plan on eating breakfast in the room from food court items or things I bring from home, a light lunch with snacks during the day and then a big dinner- my reservations are all at 8:30- I wanted it to cool off some before having a big meal plus since I am a night shift worker my family is used to eating late. Anyway- Hope you have a good time and maybe we will see ya!

 

[maslex]

Hey sparkie, pretty neat how you'll be there the same time as us. What building are you in? We're in the 60's.

 

[Sparkie]

I dont know what building. We requested a preferred room. How did you find out what building you are in?

 

[maslex]

When hubby called for a ressie, he asked to be sorta of close to the main building and bus stops. So they gave us the 60's building. I'm not sure where it's located though, I've never been there.

 

[Sparkie]

From the resort maps I've looked at online, the 60 building is right in the middle of the resort. In between the two buildings is the pool and in front of the pool and between the buildings is the foodcourt and the registration area and the bus stop. I also asked to be close to the bus stop so maybe we will be close by. This is our first resort stay also. We have stayed in the campground twice (I guess that qualifies as a resort) and once at a friend's timeshare. This is our first hotel stay on property and our first time to use a dining plan. In the past we have pinched and scraped, so I'm looking forward to some good meals without the worry of the bill- at least not at the time we ordered- there is a bill it's just prepaid this time. lol. Maybe I'll give reservations a call a little closer to time to go to find out our exact location.

 

[dwaddict]

That cracks me up "one chunck of a woman", me too!!
SnowWhite we will be at POP at the same time!!!!
Caseys Corner is a great one at MK, Tusker House @ AK, and gosh anywhere at Epcot!!!! If you do breakfast at the resort you can do a box of doughnuts and milk and just use 2 snack credits!! Or try the bakery at the MK for breakfast!! DELISH!!! and that can be done with snack credits also!!!
Good luck, it was a bit confusing for us the first time we used, but know we hardly buy anyfood OOP!!! Also be sure to check out the list that shows all the places you can use your snack credits at, you may find that some of those can sub. for a CS!!! Just remember that it is cheaper to pay for a drink than use a credit!!! Have a great time!!!
Lydia