Posh Noshing: the big 4-0 and the DXDP Update x 3 and completed 4.14

[OasterP]

Great and fun report! It sounds like your friend was over tired and hangry. I know those signs well. So proud of you for not snapping!

 

[jhoannam]

Was this a lot of money? Yes. Was it worth it? In MY eyes, YES.

OMG! I can’t believe how much food you get though. And thanks for sharing the price, yes I can look it up but it’s easier when it’s posted.

 

[elsbit]

OMG! I can’t believe how much food you get though. And thanks for sharing the price, yes I can look it up but it’s easier when it’s posted.

Thank you for reading! I am glad you liked seeing the price. I had decided to share the prices because I have searched for DXDP reviews in the past in an effort to determine if it was "worth it," so I hope that it helps someone out in their vacation planning process. Or at the very least, enjoy looking at the food p@rn pictures. ;0)

 

[TeresaNJ]

Loved your dining report! I started out reading when you first started it, then got busy with my own trip coming up, and have now just gotten back to reading reports. I'm sure with three children, and working full time, you know how real life has the nerve to get it the way of our DIS dining reports reading time! Sorry Mr J got so grumpy towards the end of the trip!

 

[elsbit]

@TeresaNJ Thanks for reading Teresa! I've enjoyed your reports and your updates on Dom. Looking forward to your newest one!

 

[pepperandchips]

I loved this report so much and am sad I was away from the boards while you were actively writing it. I hope you will write about your next trip also! Your posts made me laugh (and drool, of course). It sounds like you and Mr. J had an absolute blast!

Just reading about V&A’s has me dying to go back but it really is a bucket list experience, as you say. If your family ever makes it out to Disneyland, arrange something for your children to do and take the opportunity to do Napa Rose chef’s counter with the wine pairing. It’s the closest Disney meal I’ve had to V&A’s but at a fraction of the price (and obviously much more casual but still fancy for a date).

Even Paddlefish looks great through your eyes and I’m not all that into seafood either. I’m proud of you for branching out!

I had such a good time binging on this report and really appreciate you taking the time to share

(As an aside Mr. J’s name slips through in one of your posts in case you are trying to keep it private I thought you might want to know)

 

[elsbit]

@pepperandchips Aww, thank you for such a nice comment! It made me feel good about taking the time to write it (sometimes you feel like you are writing to no one). It encourages me to write one for our upcoming two trips, one small (3 days) and one long (10 days). I have never been to DisneyLand, but I will keep that recommendation in mind shall I ever journey west.

So a funny thing about V&A. I had thought to myself how nice it would be for my husband and I to go to V&A, one day. But I thought it would be many years since we have small kids and it is expensive. Well, I turn 40 in September and decided that I wanted to take a kids free vacation with my DH, something we had not done in 10 years (since we had kids, sad I know). I have this whole idea of making my 40th year about doing new experiences and fun things, maybe like a 40 things bucket list. I booked a cheap weekend cruise (never been on one or to the Caribbean) and decided that the day before the cruise I wanted to be at Disney ON my birthday and they were offering Disney after Hours (never been). Then I added on two more days to fit in a Halloween party and Star Wars for DH. This was last minute in terms of planning as I booked dining this month for early September. On a whim, I put in V&A in a reservation finder. About a week or so later it popped one up! I decided since it took us 10+ years for a no kids vacation, it would be a long time before we would have this opportunity again so I booked it. I was also able to get California Grill for dinner, which we have never been for dinner. We are trying to decide what we want to do during the day on the DAH day, HS for Star Wars again (if the 1st day was a wash or if we loved it), or Animal Kingdom. So for now, I have Sci-Fi Diner or Tiffins planned, with either QS at Galaxy's Edge and QS at our new to us resort the Caribbean for our other credits. Due to time constraints, I am going to do the regular dining plan rather than the Deluxe for this trip, but obviously have some posh noshing planned again.

 

[pepperandchips]

I booked a cheap weekend cruise (never been on one or to the Caribbean)

Ooooh what ports are you visiting??? Such a great way to celebrate your milestone birthday!

I decided since it took us 10+ years for a no kids vacation, it would be a long time before we would have this opportunity again so I booked it. I was also able to get California Grill for dinner, which we have never been for dinner.

YOLO! (I never say that but it’s popular in the Royal Caribbean community to say “I yolo booked a cruise” so that made me think to say it haha)

California Grill is also such a special event-style dinner. Hopefully the regular dining works out great with those fun special events you have up your sleeve and that your husband doesn’t get too tired of eating only steak and lobster like Mr. J I can’t decide if I’m excited or terrified by Star Wars opening so we don’t have a trip booked for the fall yet. I might just be living vicariously through yours!

 

[elsbit]

Royal Caribbean ports Naussa and Perfect Day at Coco Bay. I'm a little nervous to cruise. And a little scared of Star Wars. Lol. My husband is worried he will get tired of Disney with 2 trips planned. Blasphemy!!!! I am determined to make him a fan!

 

[GardenDesigner]

What a lovely dining review--well written and informative: I very much enjoyed reading it! My DH and I haven't been on an adults only trip since before the arrival of our first grandchild (now 13) and I am afraid I would miss them terribly if we went without them. (Plus they'd be utterly flabbergasted, lol.) But PARENTS--never stop dating your spouse! Adults only trips are practically a necessity! So good for you in taking them!

I am going to try to talk my DH into doing brunch at CG on our upcoming December trip. You talked me into it!

I am so glad you enjoyed V&A! It's definitely an experience, and I am so happy that you went! Please let us know how you like it the second time around.

I think we are all a little scared of Star Wars! But don't be nervous to cruise--it will be great!

Mr. J and his "...and another thing! I am sick of eating steak and lobster all the time!" lololol--if he was part of *this* family we would NEVER let him live that one down! And I do mean....nevah evah. We practically LIVE to torture one another for acting like Mr. J did on the last night of the trip!

 

[TinkTank01]

The Wrap Up

Cost Breakdown:

Cost of the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan at $116.25 a day X 5 days X 2 Adults= $1162.50

Bear in mind, that for a few of the meals that I mentioned, I did not have Mr. J.’s receipts, but knew what he ordered from the photographs and was able to come up with the pre-tax amount. Therefore, my calculation of the total amount spent will actually be a little lower than what it actually cost, since the tax is missing (and I am too lazy to calculate the Florida tax).

Meals: $1304.24 (missing some tax$$)

Mugs: $37.98 (w/o tax)

Snacks: To make this easy, I am just going to say $5 a snack X 20 snacks, even though, I believe most of our snacks were over $5= $100 (w/o tax)

Our Total: $1,442.22

Savings: $280 (not counting some taxes and higher snack costs)


This was my 2nd time doing the Deluxe Dining Plan and the 2nd time I have come out ahead. Mr. J had never stayed on property before, so this was his first time using a plan at all. He was very impressed by what we were allowed to order, how much it saved us, and the quality of food.

Now I will say this, we did opt to pay for some things out of pocket. This was by choice, not by necessity. I could have easily used my snack credits at the Festival of Arts instead of opting to pay with a gift card. Also, we chose to stack our credits to eat at 2 TS restaurants, which typically resulted in 2 meals a day with some snacks thrown in. We preferred this way of eating. We used some breakfast meals simply as a fast pass tool to ride 7 Dwarves and Frozen. There were a couple of meals that we did not order any alcohol, but for the most part, took advantage of that being included.

For those who say it is too much food, I have found that at most of the 2 TS restaurants, portions are smaller, which make it easier to have an app, entrée, and dessert. I also stopped when I was full and we did take dessert with us a couple of times. While we were not wasteful, we did not always clean our plates (I’m talking about you Rice Pudding!). We did share a couple of meals, like at BOG and 50s Prime Time.

Realistically, we did not get all the value out of the mugs, as we did not hang at the resorts. We used them a few times. That said, the mug gets used at home, so I feel like I get worth out of the mug itself, rather than the beverages.

We did not purposely choose to eat more expensive items. For example, one may argue that my vegetarian/vegan dish at Jiko was not a wise option at $30 when I could have gotten something much more costly. However, we ate what we felt like and were not tethered to trying to eat the most expensive items. Mr. J was really excited that he could order Surf and Turf and the largest portion of King Crab legs and it be covered by the plan.

I enjoyed this experience because it allowed me try foods without worrying that I would dislike them and feel I wasted my money. I am an inexperienced seafood eater, so I enjoyed trying new things and finding that I like seafood. I enjoyed eating at nicer places because I prefer that type of food more than at quick service places. I work full-time and have 3 kids, one of which is a 1.5 year old who is constantly into everything. For me to have 5 days where I did not need to cook anything, got to be catered to, and did not have to tend to children during mealtime made it all the more worthwhile using the indulgent Deluxe Dining plan. Also, I know myself, if I were paying out of pocket, I would feel way too guilty spending $70 on crab or steak. I would talk myself out of eating a lot of food because of the cost. Using the plan makes me feel more comfortable doing that (I know that does not make sense to some, but it works for me).

We are planning a December family trip, in which my oldest child will now be a Disney adult, but my littlest one will be free. It is a split stay, so we will likely do the DxDP for the first half and then pay out of pocket the 2nd half because we are trying Club Level. and plan to eat at less places, and possibly off property. I am working on the math involved before I commit to the plan, as well as which restaurants to eat at on plan vs off plan. It is likely that my oldest and I will share many meals to stretch the credits. When my other kids become Disney Adults, I will have to continue to do the math to make sure it is a good price point for us and that the food amounts make sense, as I fully recognize that one day it likely will not if I have all Disney adults. But for now it works and I enjoy it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first food report and a big thanks to those who took the time to comment because it encouraged me to continue to write it.

I really enjoyed reading your reviews! Very helpful!