Pre-Trip DELUXE Dining Plan Report -Changes - FINAL Itinerary post 33!

[scanne]

Well, I hope it's okay to start a pre-trip report for my DELUXE DINING PACKAGE stay that begins in 29 days. If not, well, I'll certainly post a full-blown, full-color, food and photo report upon my return!

So, here are the details.
Change #1We are no longer a "Grand Gathering." My elderly grandmother has decided not to go due to the extremem heat of Florida in late June and she just doesn't feel "up" to it. Plus she said she doesn't want to hinder us in any way. But we'll all miss her on this trip!!!

Our gang NOWconsists of:

Me - age 34 and obsessive-compulsive Disney planner.
- DH - age 39 - supports my habit (Disney, that is).
- DS6 - loves Disney, Pokemon and Star Wars
- DD4 - loves Princesses and all things "girly"
- Grandmom (my mom) - loves to go on our trips because I plan it all!
- Grandpop "Dude" (don't ask) - likes the trips but loves the grandkids more!
- My aunt (we call her "AK") who is the most laid back of everyone

So we're down to 7 - and check out the lineup because I've been making some dining changes.

Originally we were booked with the basic dining plan, but after re-visiting DISboards, I became obsessive (once again) about planning my trip. I realized that I love my Disney food and wanted to eat at many more places than the regular DP would allow. So, I did a lot of math. I hate math. BUT, it appeared that we would be spending a lot of money out of pocket for additional meals, snacks and Mickey bars! So I checked the cost to upgrade to the DxDP and found that it was LESS to do the DxDP than to pay OOP for extraneous meals/snacks!

So I ran it by DH and my mom and it was basically an instant "LET'S DO IT!!!"

Yay!!!!!! More planning for me!

Change #2So, we will have a staggering 192 - 24 = 168 meal credits between the 7 of us for the 8 nights/9 days we will be in WDW.

168 - that's still a heck of a lot of dining credits!!!!!!!!!

That is not a typo!!! (I did that math a lot).

Change #3So, as of now, I have 17 TS dining credits booked - I think...I've lost track with calling WDW-DINE almost every day.

And here they are.....

June 23rd - Teppan Edo - lunch My kids loved this last year, so of course, we're doing it again. I will take lots of pictures...hopefully my DD won't hold her nose with her chopsticks....
I'm hoping we get into Beaches and Cream for a late dinner. If not, maybe we'll venture to the Boardwalk area or to MK.

June 24th - Chefs de France! I LOVE french onion soup, so I already know that I'll be ordering that. I'm going to try to convince my dad to get the escargot . He's adventurous....I might be able to make that happen...

June 25th - TODAY IS MY 9TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WITH DH! We have a bunch of meals planned for this day.
1. Chef Mickey's for breakfast
2. Kona Cafe for the kiddies, grandparents, aunt and great-grandmom
3. Citricos for DH and myself. Ah, l'amour!

June 26th - I'm really looking forward to these...
1. Tusker House for lunch with seating to the Finding Nemo show.
2. Dinner at Narcoosee's at 8:15pm. Hopefully we can get a window seat and watch Wishes....

June 27th - This is our down-day. We'll still visit MK, but only briefly. The rest is food-related!
1. Breakfast at Cape May Cafe
2. Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Lounge (this is girls only! The boys are going on a fishing excursion!)
Change #43. Just cancelled the HDDR and booked the Flying Fish at the Boardwalk!
I think we will be super sleepy after this day - and FULL!

June 28th - breakfast at 1900 Park Faire because my aunt really loves Alice in Wonderland!!!
Dinner tonight is at 'Ohana - we LOVE it there!

Change #5 June 29th - We will be spending the early morning at HS, hopping to Downtown for lunch at Wolfgang Puck Cafe and some shopping then dinner is at Akershus at 7:10pm. I noted that it was my DD's 5th birthady. She's going to be so happy!
June 30th - two buffets in one day! YIKES!
1. Boma for breakfast - first time here for breakfast and I'm super excited!
2. Cape May Cafe for dinner. We're hanging out at the hotel tonight (Beach Club) so I thought it would be nice to have our last dinner here.

July 1st - our last day....
Lunch at Crystal Palace

So that's it for booked meals. Here are some counter service places I hope we get to...
1. Tangierine Cafe
2. Yak n Yeti
3. Seasons
4. Pecos Bills (a must-do!)
5. Yorkshire County Fish n Chips

Snacks (mmmmmm, snacks) we are hoping for/planning for....
1. Funnel cake!
2. Dole whip!
3. Mickey Bars (lots of these!)
4. Frozen Latte (heaven in a cup...)
5. Make your own stuff at Goofy's - personally, I want to do the marshmallows on a stick....the kids keep changing their minds.
6. An ice cream cone from the ice cream shop on Main Street. I love to get a mint chocolate chip and walk out of the park at the end of a long day.
7. Ice Cream sandwich at Sleepy Hollow.

I'm sure there's more....lots more....but, well, this pre-dining report is making me hungry! I think I still have some Disney candy stashed away from my last trip....I'm going to go and check.

Hope you're enjoying the anticipation of this gluttony as much as I am!!!

Thanks for reading....

I'm hoping for a couple more changes - particularly, I've been trying to get Crystal Palace for dinner for the kids, my parents and my aunt on June 25th. I will NOT give up. If I am - no, WHEN I am successful, I'll be cancelling Kona for that night and booking a late lunch at Kona for all of us on July 1st. My DH loves it there and has requested it. But little does he know that his birthday trip in September (free dining!) has us staying at the Polynesian NOT Coronado Springs, like he thinks....yeah, I haven't even started thinking about that one yet!

So, I can't wait to GET to WDW. I even started packing already. We're getting closer....

 

[Uncle Remus]

No, thank you for takin' on this endeavor.

192 meal credits, my gosh, it'll take you a half year to write about it 'n of course, we expect pictures.

 

[scanne]

192 meal credits, my gosh, it'll take you a half year to write about it 'n of course, we expect pictures.

Well, yes, but I'm a teacher and have my summers off. My kids will be in camp and I am teaching a theatre program 3 days a week. You know what that leaves me with? LOTS of time to write a dining report complete with pictures! So, I'll wager that I should be able to finish the report within 2 months.

 

[tink1957]

Wow, 192 credits, I am so in for this...can't wait to read all about it.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Wow what a great bunch of places you have lined up! I am so in for this one! Take lots of pictures, lots of notes and have a wonderful trip!

 

[scanne]

So I was doing some more planning today. OK, I was supposed to be working but I was working on my itinerary. LOL! Please don't tell....

So I was doing some math (which I really hate) and was figuring out the snack credits for our DxDP adventure.

SOOOOOOOOOOO....

If my math is correct, then we're going to have 128 snack credits between the 8 of us!



What in the WORLD are we going to do with 128 snacks? Is it really possible to consume 128 Dole Whips?

I will actually consider getting some fruit with the credits this trip....

So, let's have some input, ok? I'd like YOU to list what YOU would do with so many snack credits. I need ideas, friends, as I know there are snacks out in the world that I have not tried. So, convince me to sample new things...

Who's going to start???

 

[cammie810]

We used alot of our snack credits for breakfast items at our hotel. Bagels are a snack as are bowls of fruit and little boxes of cereal. Maybe not the best or most delicious use of credits but my kids like a little something in the morning before we hit the parks. I just like coffee but that is not what is served at Disney.

 

[natalielongstaff]

Wow !! this is going to be good

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I'll be having breakfast at Cape May on June 27th as well (It's my Birthday breakfast!)

It looks like you have some really great plans.

 

[scanne]

Come on, friends! Share YOUR favorite snacks. There is so much I haven't sampled and I'm looking for your suggestions!

THANKS!!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Um snacks, were should I start? We do not use the dining plan so I dont know what the credits would be but we love:

Popcorn from anywhere
Caramel Corn from HS
Kakigori from Japan
Eggrolls from Adventureland
Corn Dogs from Frontierland
Mickey Ice Cream Bars from anywhere
Frozen Chai from AK
Rice Krispie Treat from Main Street Bakery
Rice Cream from Norway


Oh man now I am starving!

 

[jeffdalon]

Hey there Scanne. I'm also a teacher who also works with a summer theater program, only mine is in California. I'm doing the DxDP for the first time this August (10-16) and here is what I have as possibilities for dining:

CREDITS, RESTAURANT, LOCATION
2 Sanaa AK Lodge
2 Boma AK Lodge
4 Jiko AK Lodge
2 Beach Club Buffet Beach Club Resort
2 Beaches and Cream Beach Club Resort
2 Market Street Food Court Caribbean Beach Resort
2 Shutters Caribbean Beach Resort
4 Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue Fort Wilderness Campground
2 Supercalifragilistic Breakfast Grand Floridian
4 Citricos or Narcoossee's Grand Floridian
4 Disney's Spirit of Aloha Show Polynesian Resort
2 Ohana Dinner (+Wishes) Polynesian Resort
2 Whispering Canyon Café Wilderness Lodge
2 Tusker House Buffet Animal Kingdom
2 50's Prime-Time Café Disney Studios
4 The Hollywood Brown Derby Disney Studios
2 Mama Melrose's Ristorante Disney Studios
2 Les Chefs de France Epcot
2 Le Cellier Steakhouse Epcot
2 Chip n' Dale's Harvest Feast Epcot
2 Rose and Crown Pub Epcot
2 Teppan Edo Epcot
2 The Crystal Palace Buffet Magic Kingdom
2 Liberty Tree Tavern Magic Kingdom
2 Raglan Road Downtown Disney

I'll need to bail on about 10 of these reservations, but it is hard to pull some off my list. The DH and I want to have a couple of character meals (no kids), and Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree, and Chip n' Dale's were fun a few years ago. We'll probably drop Liberty Tree because I love the Winnie the Pooh characters (childhood memories..."I'm just a little black rain-cloud...")

We have a lot of Epcot food planned because the food is great there and it is our favorite park. I want to see Illuminations from the Rose and Crown, but is the food any good there (reading mixed reviews)?

We have Boma planned because we love the food, but I'm thinking of doing Jiko one night and also trying the new Sanaa restaurant.

I've never tried the Brown Derby, but I am thinking of splurging on the 2TS charge and picking it over Mama Melrose's.

We plan to be at the parks for rope drop after an early breakfast (my DH NEEDS his breakfast and coffee to function so we'll be up at dawn to make it to the parks for rope drop). I'll breakfast on fruit and oatmeal (snacks) to save up our TS points for the Signature dining we'll be doing.

We'll do the rides and see sites until a 1 pm lunch in the park we're at (a snack will get us from the 7:30 breakfast to the 1pm lunch). We'll then leave the August heat behind to dip in the pool at the resort, nap in our air conditioned CBR room, and then step out for a new park at 4pm or so. We'll get a few fast-passes and have dinner around 7 pm. Then fireworks, parade, rides, or back to the hotel to get ready for the next day. We're thinking of Hoop Dee Doo or Aloha. Is the Polynesian show worth it?

Are we crazy? What restaurants should we NOT miss? Should we do Citricos or Narcoossee's? Is Supercalifragilisitic a good breakfast for adults with no kids (I like theater and watching them work with the kids). Is the food good and is it a buffet?

I like the way you plan ahead. I think that Disney's greater focus on dining is great but it demands commitment to PCRs and planning each day more than I usually do.

 

[scanne]

Hi jeffdalon!

You have a lot of places on your list! Wow!

I have eaten at Rose and Crown twice (more than 5 years ago, though) and I really enjoyed my meals there. If you're hoping to see Illuminations from there, ask for a patio/porch seat, but know that those are first-come, first served and a lot of people stake out those seats.

We love Teppan Edo! So I would keep that.
We're doing both Citricos and Narcoosee's (I was finally able to get a ressie at Narcoosees) and I'm really looking forward to both.
We love the breakfast at the Beach Club - my DH is NOT a breakfast person, but he loved it!!!
50's Prime Time is awesome for atmosphere and food - the portions are huge! Ask for "Aunt Claire" if you can - she's a great server!!!
We're doing Les Chefs de France in June, so I'll be posting a review for that.
We LOVE Boma and have done dinner there many times. We're trying breakfast there on this coming trip.

We have to swap notes and ideas! Have fun researching and deciding where to use all those credits!!!

 

[hill6]

The frozen Minute Maid lemonades are great on a hot day. Nice and refreshing to eat as you stroll along. Will have a few of them along with the delicious popcorn and the Dole Whip.

We have 56 snack credits when we go next week between the four of us. We are deluxe too.

I have 14 of our 21 meal credits booked: (No breakfasts are booked nor is lunch the day we arrive since we will get to Disney property around noon)

- Sunday: Lunch: Grand Floridian Cafe (?): Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse (Mother's Day Dinner)
- Monday: Lunch: Tony's Town Square, Dinner: Planet Hollywood
- Tuesday: Dinner: Teppan Edo - We are doing the Backstage Magic Tour that includes lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe
- Wednesday: SeaWorld, Dinner: The Wave
- Thursday: Lunch: Yak and Yeti, Dinner: Spirit of Aloha
- Friday: Lunch: 50s Primetime Cafe, Dinner: Narcoossees (wanting a Wishes view)
- Saturday: Lunch: Coral Reef, Dinner: Kona Cafe
- Sunday: Room Service Breakfast most likely due to departure time (Not included in credit count)

I figure for the remaining credits we will do breakfast at the GF and maybe one or two room service breakfasts - Probably will use some snack credits for breakfast a few days too. These meals were based on restaurants we haven't been to but we are trying because we are deluxe, plus each of us had our input as to our wish restaurant.

 

[Colleen27]

Chocolate covered strawberries and fudge from Main Street Confectionary.

I'll be reading everyone else's suggestions with interest... We'll have 90 snack credits to use on our next trip!

 

[scanne]

Yummy - chocolate covered strawberries. Thanks!!!

 

[Magic2000]

We'll be on the Deluxe Plan for a week (staying at Yacht Club), and then the regular plan for a week (Staying at Coronado Springs)!

Some of our ADRs include: Whispering Canyon (L), Artist Point (D), Marrakesh (L), Chef de France (D), Brown Derby (L), Cape May (B), Captains Grill (L), Yachtsman (D-twice), Yak & Yeti (L), Narcoose's (D), LeCellier (L-twice), Kona (B & D), California Grill (D), Plaza (L), Sci Fi (L), Ohanas (B).

DD's absolute favorite place to eat is Beaches & Cream!!! Since we're staying at the Yacht Club, we'll eat there a few times so she can get her fill (if that's possible!)! And we have a few CS meals too for the regular plan.

For our snacks, we'll probably have a few Dole Whips; DD also loves funnel cakes, so I'm sure she'll have quite a few of those too! Our other snack credits will probably be used for maybe some fruit for breakfast, and definitely some popcorn for the fireworks! I'll have to try some chocolate covered strawberries!!!

I LOVE planning ADRs!!!!! Helps me get excited for the trip!!!
Have a great trip!!!

 

[skellingtonfreak]

Wow. That is a lot of credits for meals and snacks...and here I thought 30 was a lot. I love your line-up and I can't wait to see pics and hear how great the places were.

Snacks...

Dole Whip - duh
Make your own treats at Goofy's
The fudge at Main Street Confectionary
The toffee slabs at Main Street Confectionary
The muffins at the Writer's Stop at DHS
Rice Krispie treats anywhere...my breakfast of choice while at WDW.
Egg Rolls at Yak and Yeti CS in AK
The fruit and cheese plate at the stand over by the safari at AK

the possibilities are endless...go with what sounds and looks good!

 

[scanne]

skellingtonfreak,

What is the toffee slab???

And are the muffins at Writer's Stop really good? I love blueberry muffins, but they can't be too sweet. I don't like when they sprinkle the tops with sugar.

I hope we get to DD to make yummy treats at Goofy's!

Thanks for the tips!

~Anne

 

[skellingtonfreak]

The toffee slab is this huge piece of chocolate/nut covered english toffee...it is melt in your mouth good...you have to try it. Don't get the stuff in the tins...that is nasty.

And the Writer's Stop has all sorts of pastries with a coffee bar. We hang out there and eat either cookies or muffins and have an iced coffee on a hot day. I, personally don't think the muffins are too sweet, as I am not a huge sweet fan when it comes to muffins either. They are definitely not as sweet as the Otis Spunkmeyer muffins. I don't remember there being sugar on top of them, but I couldn't say for sure.