Solo Diners ONLY on the DDP

[Rantybaby]

Solo diners on the DDP how did the plan work out for you? Going in 28 days let me hear your experiences!! And what did you do with leftover credits?

 

[msteddom]

I was solo for free dining last summer. Here's what I thought:

I loved:

not thinking about how much things cost when I ordered them
planning all of my reservations in advance
getting to try new things

I did not love:

feeling stuffed after every TS meal
feeling "tied down" to my ADRs
worrying about getting the best value for my credits



Overall the dining plan did work for me. I am paying for the dining plan for my Dec. trip.

Melissa

 

[Rantybaby]

I live Los Angeles!! Small World

 

[jennib5426]

I used the DDP for my solo trip in March and I thought it worked well.
I ended up using all my credits for 4 night over 5 days. I used the snack for breakfast items.

I eat half my TS as lunches which helped with not feeling so full around bed time.

I don't do a lot of buffets so I thought the plan was a good deal.

I am going again in Sept solo with free DDP, should be great.

 

[aubriee]

I was traveling solo this past May when I bought the DDP. I didn't necessarily try to max out the plan. I just ate whatever I was in the mood for at the time. I did order appetizers, entrees, and desserts at each TS not worrying about eating everything. Sometimes I took just a bite or two of a dessert. I kept up with how much my meals and snacks would have been. Anyway, I would have spent $31.70 for my snacks, $121.25 for my CS meals, and $405.11 for my TS meals. I spent $311.92 for the DDP and had $558.15 worth of food, so saved $246.23. Again this was for a solo traveler for an eight night stay. When I'm on vacation I tend to eat whatever I want to, so my spending habits and food choices would not be much different if I'm on or not on the DDP.

For CS I ate at: La Kringla Bakeri, Wolfgang Puck Express x2, Pepper Market at CSR, Starring Rolls Cafe, Tusker House, All Star Sports Food Court, and Earl of Sandwich

For TS I ate at: Le Cellier, Cape May Buffet, Konas, Spoodles, Wolfgang Pucks, Turf Club, Chef's de France, and Rose & Crown

For snacks I either ate or took home: Figaro Fries, Doh Bar (fried Snickers), Milk Chocolate Mint Smoothie candy slabs x2, hot caramel sundae, Jumbo haystack, and two pieces of fudge from Goofy's.

Using my DDE card I paid $68.99 OOP for Bomas, LTT (lunch), and a refillable resort mug. I could have easily not paid anything OOP, by simply rearranging my credits. Oh yeah, by paying for the two meals OOP I had two CS credits left on my last day and ate breakfast at WGP Express and grabbed a sandwich from Earl of Sandwich to take to the airport.

I'll be there solo again Sept 29th-Oct 7th, thanks to the Bounce Back Free Dining Program.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I had the free dining plan for my last solo trip 15 days holiday. I ate at the following ts service places

Planet Hollywood
Sci Fi Cafe
Jiko
Concourse Steakhouse
California Grill
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
Spoodles
Grand Floridian
Crystal Palace
Narcoossee's
Alfreado
Le Cellier
Cant rememember all the cs places but did
Wolfgang Puck Express
Sunshine Seasons
Yorkshire Fish and Chip company
Flame tree barbeque
Earl of Sandwich
Food court at Pop Century


I loved the diing plan so am doing it again free in September for 21 days my ts meals are
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
Le Cellier twice
Sci fi cafe
Hollywood and Vine (meating several dissers for this one, paying OOP)
Jiko
Tonys (to be in magic kingdom for MNSSHP)
Narcoossee's
Concourse Steak house
Rose and Crown
Kona Cafe (Not to drink coffee I hate the stuff)
Coral Reef
Yaughtsman Steakhouse
Ohanas
Spoodles
Whispering Canan Cafe
Flying Fish
Boatwrights
with Victoria and Alberts very much OOP

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've used the DDP on 3 solo trips so far, and just reserved another today. Obviously, I've loved it (that's why I keep using it!). On the first trip, I set out to maximize my savings and REALLY saved quite a bit. On my second trip (on the DDP), I gave up worrying about savings (sort of), ate what I wanted/when I wanted-that meant sometimes ordering the less expensive entree because that's the one I really wanted, sometimes I ate TS at lunchtime. But at the end, I couldn't resist figuring out my savings and I did save and more importantly, I loved it. On the DDP, I've eaten solo at Chef's de France, Rose and Crown , Coral Reef, Spoodles, California Grill, Cape May character breakfast, and Teppenyaki (several resturaunts multiple times).

 

[Rantybaby]

I was traveling solo this past May when I bought the DDP. I didn't necessarily try to max out the plan. I just ate whatever I was in the mood for at the time. I did order appetizers, entrees, and desserts at each TS not worrying about eating everything. Sometimes I took just a bite or two of a dessert. I kept up with how much my meals and snacks would have been. Anyway, I would have spent $31.70 for my snacks, $121.25 for my CS meals, and $405.11 for my TS meals. I spent $311.92 for the DDP and had $558.15 worth of food, so saved $246.23. Again this was for a solo traveler for an eight night stay. When I'm on vacation I tend to eat whatever I want to, so my spending habits and food choices would not be much different if I'm on or not on the DDP.

For CS I ate at: La Kringla Bakeri, Wolfgang Puck Express x2, Pepper Market at CSR, Starring Rolls Cafe, Tusker House, All Star Sports Food Court, and Earl of Sandwich

For TS I ate at: Le Cellier, Cape May Buffet, Konas, Spoodles, Wolfgang Pucks, Turf Club, Chef's de France, and Rose & Crown

For snacks I either ate or took home: Figaro Fries, Doh Bar (fried Snickers), Milk Chocolate Mint Smoothie candy slabs x2, hot caramel sundae, Jumbo haystack, and two pieces of fudge from Goofy's.

Using my DDE card I paid $68.99 OOP for Bomas, LTT (lunch), and a refillable resort mug. I could have easily not paid anything OOP, by simply rearranging my credits. Oh yeah, by paying for the two meals OOP I had two CS credits left on my last day and ate breakfast at WGP Express and grabbed a sandwich from Earl of Sandwich to take to the airport.

I'll be there solo again Sept 29th-Oct 7th, thanks to the Bounce Back Free Dining Program.

THANKS EVERYONE!! for your comments. Aubriee gave me exactly what I want to know regarding SAVINGS, tell me about that and PORTIONS.

Also, Aubriee tell me what you had at: Pepper Market at CSR (this will be home Aug 9-19), Tusker House, Cape May Buffet (I understand it is a buffet, but what items did you enjoy?) and Earl of Sandwich.

Where did you get:Figaro Fries, Doh Bar (fried Snickers), and hot caramel sundae (I'll get hot fudge.) I though Figaro Fries were no longer available with snack credits?

 

[Rantybaby]

I've used the DDP on 3 solo trips so far, and just reserved another today. Obviously, I've loved it (that's why I keep using it!). On the first trip, I set out to maximize my savings and REALLY saved quite a bit. On my second trip (on the DDP), I gave up worrying about savings (sort of), ate what I wanted/when I wanted-that meant sometimes ordering the less expensive entree because that's the one I really wanted, sometimes I ate TS at lunchtime. But at the end, I couldn't resist figuring out my savings and I did save and more importantly, I loved it. On the DDP, I've eaten solo at Chef's de France, Rose and Crown , Coral Reef, Spoodles, California Grill, Cape May character breakfast, and Teppenyaki (several resturaunts multiple times).

Hey Simba's Mom, what did you have at Rose and Crown?

 

[Rantybaby]

I used the DDP for my solo trip in March and I thought it worked well.
I ended up using all my credits for 4 night over 5 days. I used the snack for breakfast items.

I eat half my TS as lunches which helped with not feeling so full around bed time.

I don't do a lot of buffets so I thought the plan was a good deal.

I am going again in Sept solo with free DDP, should be great.

jennib5426, what breakfast items did you get using a snack credit?

 

[Rantybaby]

I had the free dining plan for my last solo trip 15 days holiday. I ate at the following ts service places

Planet Hollywood
Sci Fi Cafe
Jiko
Concourse Steakhouse
California Grill
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
Spoodles
Grand Floridian
Crystal Palace
Narcoossee's
Alfreado
Le Cellier
Cant rememember all the cs places but did
Wolfgang Puck Express
Sunshine Seasons
Yorkshire Fish and Chip company
Flame tree barbeque
Earl of Sandwich
Food court at Pop Century


I loved the diing plan so am doing it again free in September for 21 days my ts meals are
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
Le Cellier twice
Sci fi cafe
Hollywood and Vine (meating several dissers for this one, paying OOP)
Jiko
Tonys (to be in magic kingdom for MNSSHP)
Narcoossee's
Concourse Steak house
Rose and Crown
Kona Cafe (Not to drink coffee I hate the stuff)
Coral Reef
Yaughtsman Steakhouse
Ohanas
Spoodles
Whispering Canan Cafe
Flying Fish
Boatwrights
with Victoria and Alberts very much OOP

PaulaSB12, what did you have at Yorkshire Fish and Chip company, Flame tree barbeque and Earl of Sandwich? I'm going to Boatwrights on Tues., Aug 14, I'll let you know how it was.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Hey Simba's Mom, what did you have at Rose and Crown?

Last time I ate there was for lunch. I had the Lamb and Barley soup (sadly not on the menu anymore I hear), the chicken pasty, and the bread pudding for dessert. Come to think of it, the time before that was for lunch also. That time my entree was something that's also no longer on the menu (Boy, I bring bad luck, don't I?) Both times, I had excellent service. One time, it really started storming out so the server came over, served my tea (whcih I'd asked for), then said "I'm just going to leave you to take your time for a while-I'm sure you don't want to go out in that weather." I'll bet she'd gotten my check if I'd asked, but I really liked having some time to rest-I was in a small dining area, few other diners around.

 

[aubriee]

THANKS EVERYONE!! for your comments. Aubriee gave me exactly what I want to know regarding SAVINGS, tell me about that and PORTIONS.

Also, Aubriee tell me what you had at: Pepper Market at CSR (this will be home Aug 9-19), Tusker House, Cape May Buffet (I understand it is a buffet, but what items did you enjoy?) and Earl of Sandwich.

Where did you get:Figaro Fries, Doh Bar (fried Snickers), and hot caramel sundae (I'll get hot fudge.) I though Figaro Fries were no longer available with snack credits?

I ran over to the Pepper Market on my second AK day, because I wasn't in the mood for anything at AK. I was sure glad I did. For a CS credit I was able to get a ribeye steak and grilled vegetables (it also came with a potato, but I didn't want it, so they just added more grilled veggies). That platter was full of food. I also got a soda and a dessert sampler which included a churro, a brownie, and a chocolate chip cookie. The lady at the dessert area told me the sampler counted as one dessert and I could have any combo of three. I wish I had chosen three churros, because the cookie was overdone and the brownie was dry. The steak was delicious though. It was a little thin, but very tender and very large. This was a great deal for just a CS credit.

I ran into Pinocchio Haus one day and asked if Figaro Fries was a snack and was told yes. They were sooo good!

I ran into Cookes of Dublin in DTD one day and asked if the Doh Bar was considered a snack and was again told yes. They were very nice. He also gave me a cup of ice without me even asking and told me to get some water (self service) because I was going to need it with that rich Doh Bar.

At Tusker House I got the 1/2 rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, a soda, and a chocolate cake. I wasn't able to eat it all and gave the cake to a neighboring table. Of course you know Tusker House is closing soon to make way for the new Donald's character breakfast. I'm not sure when they're closing though.

All the resort CS areas have the sundaes I believe. I've had them at POP and at AS Sports. They are really big.

I've never gotten a sandwich at EOS that I didn't like, but this time I got a full Montagu. Even cold at the airport it was still good. After all the desserts I'd had all week, I was tired of sweets. They allowed me to get a bag of chips in place of dessert.

Because I was tired, I arrived almost an hour early for my Cape May ADR (just as they were getting ready to open). I was one of the first ones seated. I love their oreo bons bons and flan with fresh fruit. From the main buffet, if you arrive early the clams and mussels are really good. I've eaten there in the past where alot of the shells were empty and the mussels and clams were all down in the bottom of the pots. I also liked their salmon, sausage and peppers, boiled shrimp, broccolini, and potatoes in jackets. Their corn on the cob and ribs were both a little dry.

You didn't ask me, but Rose and Crown is always good for a solo. Their CMs are so friendly. I love their mushroom appetizer and sticky toffee pudding. I had their cheese appetizer this time and it was not as big and not as good as in the past. I tried a new entree this time (pork loin with mushrooms and barley). I would not recommend that either. It was very dry and tasteless. I have had their steak and fish combo in the past though and it was very good. If you schedule your ADR for around 7:15-7:30pm and are able to get a patio table they will usually schedule your dessert to come out just as Illuminations starts. I've done this a few times. Of course, there is no guarantee you'll be able to get a patio table though.

One of the best meals I ate was surprisingly at the Turf Club. I had blackberry lemonade, steak with crab topping and turf potatoes, and hot apple pie with ice cream. Service was outstanding and I had a nice table overlooking the patio and river toward DTD. It's not listed on the All Ears menu, but they had lamb chops on the menu. Chef Pucks was also very good. I arrived just after they opened, asked for and received avery nice table by the windows overlooking the river. I was able to get mango tea, artichoke dip and the Wolf's Steak. I was too full for dessert, but the waiter suggested I take it to go and I got key lime pie. Again service was great.

 

[PaulaSB12]

PaulaSB12, what did you have at Yorkshire Fish and Chip company, Flame tree barbeque and Earl of Sandwich? I'm going to Boatwrights on Tues., Aug 14, I'll let you know how it was.

At the yorkshire I had fish and chips (fries) with shortbread
lovely
Flame tree barbeque
1/2 chicken, water and chocolate cake (cant get enough chocolate but cant bear the idea of carrot in cake!)
Earl of Sandwich (oop, donlt you love the way that it looks like they are selling roast beef smoothies!)
The Original 1762
Chocolate pudding and a smoothie (had the pudding for breakfast)

 

[Rantybaby]

I ran over to the Pepper Market on my second AK day, because I wasn't in the mood for anything at AK. I was sure glad I did. For a CS credit I was able to get a ribeye steak and grilled vegetables (it also came with a potato, but I didn't want it, so they just added more grilled veggies). That platter was full of food. I also got a soda and a dessert sampler which included a churro, a brownie, and a chocolate chip cookie. The lady at the dessert area told me the sampler counted as one dessert and I could have any combo of three. I wish I had chosen three churros, because the cookie was overdone and the brownie was dry. The steak was delicious though. It was a little thin, but very tender and very large. This was a great deal for just a CS credit.

I ran into Pinocchio Haus one day and asked if Figaro Fries was a snack and was told yes. They were sooo good!

I ran into Cookes of Dublin in DTD one day and asked if the Doh Bar was considered a snack and was again told yes. They were very nice. He also gave me a cup of ice without me even asking and told me to get some water (self service) because I was going to need it with that rich Doh Bar.

At Tuskers House I got the 1/2 rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, a soda, and a chocolate cake. I wasn't able to eat it all and gave the cake to a neighboring table. Of course you know Tusker House is closing soon to make way for the new Donald's character breakfast. I'm not sure when they're closing though.

All the resort CS areas have the sundaes I believe. I've had them at POP and at AS Sports. They are really big.

I've never gotten a sandwich at EOS that I didn't like, but this time I got a full Montagu. Even cold at the airport it was still good. After all the desserts I'd had all week, I was tired of sweets. They allowed me to get a bag of chips in place of dessert.

Because I was tired, I arrived almost an hour early for my Cape May ADR (just as they were getting ready to open). I was one of the first ones seated. I love their oreo bons bons and flan with fresh fruit. From the main buffet, if you arrive early the clams and mussels are really good. I've eaten there in the past where alot of the shells were empty and the mussels and clams were all down in the bottom of the pots. I also liked their salmon, sausage and peppers, boiled shrimp, broccolini, and potatoes in jackets. Their corn on the cob and ribs were both a little dry.

You didn't ask me, but Rose and Crown is always good for a solo. Their CMs are so friendly. I love their mushroom appetizer and sticky toffee pudding. I had their cheese appetizer this time and it was not as big and not as good as in the past. I tried a new entree this time (pork loin with mushrooms and barley). I would not recommend that either. It was very dry and tasteless. I have had their steak and fish combo in the past though and it was very good. If you schedule your ADR for around 7:15-7:30pm and are able to get a patio table they will usually schedule your dessert to come out just as Illuminations starts. I've done this a few times. Of course, there is no guarantee you'll be able to get a patio table though.

One of the best meals I ate was surprisingly at the Turf Club. I had blackberry lemonade, steak with crab topping and turf potatoes, and hot apple pie with ice cream. Service was outstanding and I had a nice table overlooking the patio and river toward DTD. It's not listed on the All Ears menu, but they had lamb chops on the menu. Chef Pucks was also very good. I arrived just after they opened, asked for and received avery nice table by the windows overlooking the river. I was able to get mango tea, artichoke dip and the Wolf's Steak. I was too full for dessert, but the waiter suggested I take it to go and I got key lime pie. Again service was great.

Thanks again Aubriee!! I love all the details. I'm going to AK on Tues. 8/14 & Thurs. 8/16 I'll try Tuskers House & Flame Tree while I'm there. I'm also interested in the 1/2 rotisserie chicken.

 

[Rantybaby]

At the yorkshire I had fish and chips (fries) with shortbread
lovely
Flame tree barbeque
1/2 chicken, water and chocolate cake (cant get enough chocolate but cant bear the idea of carrot in cake!)
Earl of Sandwich (oop, donlt you love the way that it looks like they are selling roast beef smoothies!)
The Original 1762
Chocolate pudding and a smoothie (had the pudding for breakfast)

Thanks PaulaSB12, I"ll have to check out these CS.