Questions about dining at WDW

[kevin75]

Man, there is so much information to wade through here, it's nuts! I need some advice from all of the experts out there on the disboards please.

My GF and I are planning a May 07 trip and are trying to figure out how to eat. We keep going back and forth as to whether we should get the dining plan or not. She can eat but many times she doesn't eat a whole lot, so with that in mind I am thinking that we can save money by not doing the DDP and sharing meals whenver we can, plus that would let us try many more different foods.

Between the two of us, we have come up with a partial list of place that want to eat so that we can plan things out. If anyone can provide some insight on them, i would be appreciative.
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Crystal Palace - i have heard great reviews on this, but is it buffet only or can you order from a menu?

Mama Mia - we are definitely doing this one with the fantasmic package even though it might be a tad expensive as we each have to buy dinner.

Liberty Tree Tavern - same thing as Crystal Palace above. sounds good, but is it buffet only?

Coral Reef - she really wants to see the big fish tank here. is it the same tank that can be seen normally or is it different? from looking at the menu it looks like we could share a meal, right?

Le Cellier/San Angel inn - also available to share a meal?

Also, does anyone know of a good steak place or chinese restaurant?

Thanks everyone.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I will try to answer some of your questions, at least! =)

As far as value of the DDP, it depends on how much you normally eat. I would go through the menu's and add up the prices you would typically spend. We were on the DDP last week because we went during the free dining promotion and it was way too much food for us but others have found it to be enough. We got to try a lot of food but it's not worth it for us to actually pay for the plan. DH and I split many meals and I still left behind food.

Crystal Palace is buffet only - no sharing allowed.

Liberty Tree Tavern is all you can eat family style - no sharing allowed. Price is per person.

Coral Reef - you could just go into the Living Seas and see the fish though I will say that we didn't see as many cool fish all together as we did when dining at Coral Reef, it seems. The entree portions aren't huge there but I could have easily shared with someone - esp if you also get an appetizer.

Yes, you can share at both LeCellier and San Angel.

For steak, we found the best exp to be at Concourse. The service was great and food was excellent. We were very disappointed in LeCellier steak quality. The very best steaks we've had were at signature spots, Jiko and Citricos had excellent filets. Yachtsman Steakhouse was also great.

Nine Dragons is 'the' chinese table service at WDW and it's okay but no different then your local chinese spot and fairly expensive. They gave a ton of food, though, so it'd be easy to share there. I think they also have a dinner/lunch for 2, which we ordered, that is lots of food at a fixed price.

 

[karebear1]

For steak- I would say Le Cellier is a GREAT place, but Yachtsman tops it for sure.

If you're going to do Mama's, CP & LTT- then you should really reconsider the DDP. AS advised go and look at the menus for each place and add the cost of what you think you would spend together. If it's close- then do DDP. Don't forget- DDP includes a counter service meal, table service meal (all above would qualify for TS) and a snack. It also includes tax and tip. So- when figuring what you'd spend without DDP - add those things in!