Long time lurker here on the boards, but thought I would share my recent experience with the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan in late May, as well as some odd thoughts/observations on the restaurants and meals.
This trip was intended to be a short 3-day/2-night splurge for me, with a focus on dining and things I hadn’t done before. I am a middle-aged Disney fan, who has been to the World for at least a short visit every year for the last couple of decades. I was solo for most of this trip, although I was joined by a friend for a couple of the meals.
Note on solo travel: I never felt odd or out-of-place dining solo, and all of the servers and restaurants were great. I found the service to match my dining pace, so if I wanted to be in and out quickly, or if I wanted to linger, it was not a problem.
San Angel Inn Restaurante Lunch – 1 Credit
I’ve always loved this restaurant, and feel like it is one of the most beautiful settings. One odd thought, it was the only restaurant that I ate at that had actual table cloths – I liked this detail.
Appetizer - Coctel de Carmarón: I was not crazy about this. Shrimp were small and completely overwhelmed by the sauce.
Entrée - Combinación Mexicana: This was really good. This came with a couple of shrimp, and these were large and very well-seasoned, in contrast to the shrimp cocktail. This whole plate had great and interesting flavors.
Dessert - Crema Bavaria
Drink - Diet Coke
Value: $53.40
Yak & Yeti Restaurant Dinner– 1 Credit
First time at this restaurant. Large restaurant, but broken into smaller rooms, which was nice. Had a table on the second floor overlooking the walkway. Lots of good food at reasonable prices; definitely would recommend to others!
Appetizer – Pork Egg Rolls: Three large, very tasty egg rolls.
Entrée - Korean BBQ Ribs: These were incredible! Very tasty and juicy. And, the meat fell right off the bone, so they weren’t even that messy.
Dessert - Chocolate Pudding Cake: Not a pineapple fan, so did not have the famous Wontons.
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $45.47
Le Cellier Steakhouse Lunch – 2 Credits
Have been to almost all of the other World Showcase restaurants, so really wanted to check this out. It seems like there are a lot of mixed opinions on this place, but I really enjoyed it.
Appetizer – Charcuterie: Might be a little adventurous for some, but I enjoyed most of the selections.
Entrée - Le Cellier Filet Mignon: Verging on almost perfect, this was spectacular. The only flaw was that the cut was not completely flawless (being nit-picky here), but really very good. That said the taste was amazing, and it was perfectly cooked. One of best steaks I have ever had.
Dessert - Maple Crème Brûlée: Very tasty!
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $81.00
Kona Café Dinner – 1 Credit
The food here was pretty good, and the service was good, but not excellent. My biggest complaint is the lighting, which is so bright it seems more like a food court than a nice restaurant. Dimming some of the lighting would make the atmosphere so much better here. Definitely not romantic, if that is what you are looking for.
Appetizer - Shrimp Tempura Roll: Yes, you can order a sushi selection as your appetizer on the Deluxe DP. This roll was interesting, but very sweet, as the mango was very strong. I enjoyed this as something different, but won’t necessarily get again.
Entrée - Grilled Curry-crusted Lamb Chops: These were very tasty, and well cooked.
Dessert - Warm Apple Tart
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $54.99
Side note: I got to the Polynesian about an hour early and visited Trader Sams. I got there a little before 6:00 on a Wednesday evening, and there was no line and I took an open seat at the bar. This was a great place for a drink (well two) on my own. It brought back some of my memories of the Adventurer’s Club (Kunagloosh RIP). I tried two of the specialty cocktails, the Krakatoa Punch and the HippopotoMai-Tai. Both were strong, but sweet, and the “effects” were fun. Not a place for a quiet drink, but a fun atmosphere! Drinks were expensive, but you don’t have to buy the souvenir cup with the drink. I had the two drinks, but only one of the souvenir cups, for around $35.00 before tip.
50's Prime Time Café Lunch – 1 Credit
Food and service okay, but couldn’t recommend. I only went here because of meeting a friend at the Studios. Server antics were measured, and he really did seem to gauge this on how much the customers were getting into them. However, service was a little slow, and the restaurant loud.
Appetizer - Grandpa's Crab Cake: This was the best part of the meal; good size crab cake for an appetizer, and fairly tasty.
Entrée - A Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes: Bland, bland, bland…
Dessert - Traditional Warm Apple Crisp À la Mode
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $46.00
Snacks
Starbucks Frappuccino: $5.49
Starbucks Frappuccino: $5.49
Croissant Doughnut with Soft-serve Ice Cream: $6.29
Mickey Bar: $4.25
Also, if you haven’t noticed, I'm a Diet Coke fiend, so I used my refillable mug several times.
Summary
Value of meals and snacks consumed: $302
Price of Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: $230
As you can see, I came out ahead with the Plan for this trip. That said:
And the awards for my trip:
Best Meal (tie): Yak & Yeti and Le Cellier
Best Single Item: Fillet at Le Cellier
Best Service: Le Cellier
Best Value: Yak & Yeti
Best Atmosphere: San Angel Inn
No Need to Ever Go Back: 50's Prime Time Café
This trip was intended to be a short 3-day/2-night splurge for me, with a focus on dining and things I hadn’t done before. I am a middle-aged Disney fan, who has been to the World for at least a short visit every year for the last couple of decades. I was solo for most of this trip, although I was joined by a friend for a couple of the meals.
Note on solo travel: I never felt odd or out-of-place dining solo, and all of the servers and restaurants were great. I found the service to match my dining pace, so if I wanted to be in and out quickly, or if I wanted to linger, it was not a problem.
San Angel Inn Restaurante Lunch – 1 Credit
I’ve always loved this restaurant, and feel like it is one of the most beautiful settings. One odd thought, it was the only restaurant that I ate at that had actual table cloths – I liked this detail.
Appetizer - Coctel de Carmarón: I was not crazy about this. Shrimp were small and completely overwhelmed by the sauce.
Entrée - Combinación Mexicana: This was really good. This came with a couple of shrimp, and these were large and very well-seasoned, in contrast to the shrimp cocktail. This whole plate had great and interesting flavors.
Dessert - Crema Bavaria
Drink - Diet Coke
Value: $53.40
Yak & Yeti Restaurant Dinner– 1 Credit
First time at this restaurant. Large restaurant, but broken into smaller rooms, which was nice. Had a table on the second floor overlooking the walkway. Lots of good food at reasonable prices; definitely would recommend to others!
Appetizer – Pork Egg Rolls: Three large, very tasty egg rolls.
Entrée - Korean BBQ Ribs: These were incredible! Very tasty and juicy. And, the meat fell right off the bone, so they weren’t even that messy.
Dessert - Chocolate Pudding Cake: Not a pineapple fan, so did not have the famous Wontons.
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $45.47
Le Cellier Steakhouse Lunch – 2 Credits
Have been to almost all of the other World Showcase restaurants, so really wanted to check this out. It seems like there are a lot of mixed opinions on this place, but I really enjoyed it.
Appetizer – Charcuterie: Might be a little adventurous for some, but I enjoyed most of the selections.
Entrée - Le Cellier Filet Mignon: Verging on almost perfect, this was spectacular. The only flaw was that the cut was not completely flawless (being nit-picky here), but really very good. That said the taste was amazing, and it was perfectly cooked. One of best steaks I have ever had.
Dessert - Maple Crème Brûlée: Very tasty!
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $81.00
Kona Café Dinner – 1 Credit
The food here was pretty good, and the service was good, but not excellent. My biggest complaint is the lighting, which is so bright it seems more like a food court than a nice restaurant. Dimming some of the lighting would make the atmosphere so much better here. Definitely not romantic, if that is what you are looking for.
Appetizer - Shrimp Tempura Roll: Yes, you can order a sushi selection as your appetizer on the Deluxe DP. This roll was interesting, but very sweet, as the mango was very strong. I enjoyed this as something different, but won’t necessarily get again.
Entrée - Grilled Curry-crusted Lamb Chops: These were very tasty, and well cooked.
Dessert - Warm Apple Tart
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $54.99
Side note: I got to the Polynesian about an hour early and visited Trader Sams. I got there a little before 6:00 on a Wednesday evening, and there was no line and I took an open seat at the bar. This was a great place for a drink (well two) on my own. It brought back some of my memories of the Adventurer’s Club (Kunagloosh RIP). I tried two of the specialty cocktails, the Krakatoa Punch and the HippopotoMai-Tai. Both were strong, but sweet, and the “effects” were fun. Not a place for a quiet drink, but a fun atmosphere! Drinks were expensive, but you don’t have to buy the souvenir cup with the drink. I had the two drinks, but only one of the souvenir cups, for around $35.00 before tip.
50's Prime Time Café Lunch – 1 Credit
Food and service okay, but couldn’t recommend. I only went here because of meeting a friend at the Studios. Server antics were measured, and he really did seem to gauge this on how much the customers were getting into them. However, service was a little slow, and the restaurant loud.
Appetizer - Grandpa's Crab Cake: This was the best part of the meal; good size crab cake for an appetizer, and fairly tasty.
Entrée - A Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes: Bland, bland, bland…
Dessert - Traditional Warm Apple Crisp À la Mode
Drink – Diet Coke
Value: $46.00
Snacks
Starbucks Frappuccino: $5.49
Starbucks Frappuccino: $5.49
Croissant Doughnut with Soft-serve Ice Cream: $6.29
Mickey Bar: $4.25
Also, if you haven’t noticed, I'm a Diet Coke fiend, so I used my refillable mug several times.
Summary
Value of meals and snacks consumed: $302
Price of Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: $230
As you can see, I came out ahead with the Plan for this trip. That said:
- I am a big eater, and this was a lot of food. I would not have been able to keep up the pace for much longer.
- I would only do the Deluxe DP again for short trips (3-4 days at most).
- I would only do the Deluxe DP again if I knew that I wanted to eat two table service meals a day. In other words, dining would need to be a priority of my trip.
- I would only do the Deluxe DP again if I knew that I wanted to eat big meals at one or more Signature restaurants.
And the awards for my trip:
Best Meal (tie): Yak & Yeti and Le Cellier
Best Single Item: Fillet at Le Cellier
Best Service: Le Cellier
Best Value: Yak & Yeti
Best Atmosphere: San Angel Inn
No Need to Ever Go Back: 50's Prime Time Café
