pjupton
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 3, 2005
- Messages
- 361
Table Service Dining Plan Reviews
Our family is me & DH, both WDW veterans and twin boys who will be two in November. My plan was for DH and I to share our meals with the boys and limit the times we ordered separate items just for them. They are both typically good eaters and try a wide variety of foods. It turns out they were both sick during our trip and didn't eat much at all. They didn't eat at meals and they didn't really eat the snacks I brought that they consume in vast quantities at home.
I made all our ADRs at 90 days out by calling each day since it was before the 90+10 deal started. We had several meals with other families vacationing at the same time as us. It seems like we were usually charged 15% gratuity unless there were more than 8 people dining and then it was 18% added automatically to both our dining plan and our extras.
Spoodles (Saturday 10/1)
This and the California Grill were by far our best meals. It was definitely our best (highest priced meal) use of the dining plan, with Le Cellier a close second. Neither of us had been here before.
Our server encouraged us to add on the shrimp skewers and allowed us to order milk for the kids with the plan.
We dined with three non-dining plan people and shared the appetizers and desserts with them as well as our boys.
We had:
Mediterranean dips
Four cheese flatbread
2 Oak fired New York strips with shrimp
2 vanilla bean crème brulee
2 milk
TOTAL with tax & tip = $126.49 for 2 TS credits
Extra:
bottle of chardonnay (on our friends ticket, so I dont have the total)
Ohana (Sunday 10/2)
This was a breakfast planned for 33 people. We ended up with 29 a mix of adults and kids under age 5. Lilo and Stitch were there for the first time. Good character interaction. We werent sure how our kids would do close up with the characters, but it went well.
We had:
2 adult breakfast (Mickey waffles, fresh fruit, coffee, juice, eggs, bacon, hash browns, bread basket, etc)
TOTAL with tax & tip = $45.00 we paid cash and yes, they added 18% gratuity since we were such a large group
Extra:
Company of good friends = PRICELESS
Mama Melrose (Sunday 10/2)
We had both dining plan and non-dining plan people with us for this meal and shared the apps and desserts with them. I was quoted a 30 minute wait when I checked in (table of 10) but it was only about 10 minutes) The food was good but not outstanding. The server again allowed milk for the boys. Neither of us had ever been here before and I wasnt even sure where it was located.
We had:
Crispy Calamari Mamas Way
Brick Oven Baked Caprino Cheese
Veal Osso Buco
Wood-fired Chicken Pipette
Coffee Tarufo
Tiramisu
TOTAL with tax & tip = $86.07 for 2 TS credits
Extras:
Carafe of Sangria = $20.55 including automatic 18% gratuity
Garden Grill (Monday 10/3)
I was planning to cancel this meal but decided to go after the menu changed back. DH and I have eaten here twice, once in 1998 and once in 2001. The characters were good with our boys and the food was good. The service was a bit slow for a preplated meal. Our ADR was for 11:40 AM and we asked to be seated even earlier so the place was not packed. The Land pavilion however, was FULL of people. I watched several parents try to send their children up into the restaurant for character autographs but all were stopped by the hostesses. The best part? Our boys got a plate with mac & cheese, chicken fingers, and fries AND the whole make your own cupcake dessert at no charge. That cupcake kept them entertain for nearly 30 minutes! Smoothies were NOT allowed with the dining plan.
We had:
2 adult platters (fish, beef, pork, vegetables, potato casserole, etc plus dessert sampler)
TOTAL with tax & tip = $48.58 for 2 TS credits
California Grill (Monday 10/3)
Our friends kept our boys while DH and I took a quick stroll around Food and Wine Festival then went to dinner at California Grill. I have been here before but DH had not. I did not care for the whole second floor check-in procedure. It felt very pretentious to me. Also, we came via monorail and had to go down and wander around to find the desk.
Our ADR was for 7:10 PM and we checked in around 6:45. We were seated it what used to be the bar area. Just back from the balcony overlooking the MK there is a set of banquette tables and we were next to those, one table away from the window. The view was spectacular, although we were too close to the server station for my tastes.
We were allowed to order any sushi on the menu as an appetizer. Also, we ordered both a bottle of wine with dinner and dessert wines. They were out of the dessert wine I chose, so our server subbed a more expensive wine at the same price. He did an excellent job, letting us taste 3 different wines before choosing one to go with dinner. We were celebrating our sixth anniversary (September 18) but I dont think we told him that. DH was disappointed with the view of the fireworks from inside the restaurant (wrong angle, he says) and we really couldnt hear the music.
This was the first meal we didnt share at least appetizers and desserts with other adults, so we definitely had too much food! In retrospect, we should have ordered one meal with the dining plan and added just a second entrée. The sushi alone was enough for me!
We had:
Spicy Sensation sushi
Snake in the Grass sushi
Wild king salmon
Oak-fired filet
Warm valrhona chocolate cake
Banana custard
TOTAL with tax & tip = $153.09 for 4 TS credits
Extras:
Bottle of Havens merlot and 2 glasses of dessert wines (paired as suggested on dessert menu) = $76.88 with tax + DH tipped extra here
Liberty Tree Tavern (10/6)
This was originally planned as meal for 13 but we ended up with only one extra person in addition to our family. Neither of us had ever been here before and I was looking forward to the turkey and dressing. The server was very on the ball and realized that we needed to get in and out ASAP to keep the kids happy. We drank sodas and ordered milk separately for the kids.
We had:
Maryland crab cake
New England clam chowder
2 Pilgrims feasts (turkey, dressing, mashed potato, green beans)
Liberty shortcake
Butter griddled pound cake
TOTAL with tax & tip = $65.15 for 2 TS credits
Extras:
2 milks for the boys and DH tipped a bit extra
Le Cellier (10/8)
Another place neither one of us had been before. I was really looking forward to trying it. We ended up with all 13 people making this meal since everyone but our family was Canadian and celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving. There were 5 kids in the group one set of almost 3 y/o twins and our set of almost 2 y/o twins. We were a small three-ring circus and I apologize to anyone whose meal we disturbed! DH ended up taking our boys outside while I crammed the rest of my steak in my mouth and ordered our desserts to go. The chocolate cake was pretty much my only option since the other choices were all served in tart dishes or had ice cream. We ate the cake much later on our balcony. The server was adamant that we could NOT order milk for the boys as part of the dining plan and the smoothies were not included either. However, the one child in the group that had dining plan credits (5 y/o) was allowed to order an adult appetizer. Im not sure about his dessert because my family had already left by then.
We had:
2 shrimp cocktail
New York strip
Mushroom filet mignon
2 Canadian club cake
TOTAL with tax & tip = $113.16 for 2 TS credits
Extras:
Moosehead pale ale for him and a glass of merlot for me = $15.57 including automatic 18% gratuity and I added a bit since she packed our dessert to go.
Cape May Breakfast Buffet (10/9)
I booked this one just in case we had to bail on another TS meal earlier in the week. I planned to just pay cash if we were out of credits. We decided to skip Marrakesh in favor of using snack credits to snack around the world at F&WF, so we used our last credits for this meal. Our boys had decided they REALLY liked Goofy by the end of the week and were thrilled to meet him close up. The food was pretty good, especially considering that I dont really like breakfast food. Our ADR was for 8 AM and when I called at 7:30 to see if we could come later I was told no. The place did seem packed when I went down to check out around 10:30.
We had:
2 adult breakfast buffets
TOTAL with tax & tip = $43.85 for 2 TS credits
Giordanos pizza
This is an off-site pizza place that we just LOVE! There is on location on 535 just north of Crossroads and there is another on 192 out close to Hwy 27.
TOTAL with tax & tip = $39.07
TOTAL VALUE OF 16 TS CREDITS = $636.39
TOTAL COST OF EXTRAS AT TS = IM GUESSING AROUND $200.00
Our family is me & DH, both WDW veterans and twin boys who will be two in November. My plan was for DH and I to share our meals with the boys and limit the times we ordered separate items just for them. They are both typically good eaters and try a wide variety of foods. It turns out they were both sick during our trip and didn't eat much at all. They didn't eat at meals and they didn't really eat the snacks I brought that they consume in vast quantities at home.
I made all our ADRs at 90 days out by calling each day since it was before the 90+10 deal started. We had several meals with other families vacationing at the same time as us. It seems like we were usually charged 15% gratuity unless there were more than 8 people dining and then it was 18% added automatically to both our dining plan and our extras.
Spoodles (Saturday 10/1)
This and the California Grill were by far our best meals. It was definitely our best (highest priced meal) use of the dining plan, with Le Cellier a close second. Neither of us had been here before.
Our server encouraged us to add on the shrimp skewers and allowed us to order milk for the kids with the plan.
We dined with three non-dining plan people and shared the appetizers and desserts with them as well as our boys.
We had:
Mediterranean dips
Four cheese flatbread
2 Oak fired New York strips with shrimp
2 vanilla bean crème brulee
2 milk
TOTAL with tax & tip = $126.49 for 2 TS credits
Extra:
bottle of chardonnay (on our friends ticket, so I dont have the total)
Ohana (Sunday 10/2)
This was a breakfast planned for 33 people. We ended up with 29 a mix of adults and kids under age 5. Lilo and Stitch were there for the first time. Good character interaction. We werent sure how our kids would do close up with the characters, but it went well.
We had:
2 adult breakfast (Mickey waffles, fresh fruit, coffee, juice, eggs, bacon, hash browns, bread basket, etc)
TOTAL with tax & tip = $45.00 we paid cash and yes, they added 18% gratuity since we were such a large group
Extra:
Company of good friends = PRICELESS
Mama Melrose (Sunday 10/2)
We had both dining plan and non-dining plan people with us for this meal and shared the apps and desserts with them. I was quoted a 30 minute wait when I checked in (table of 10) but it was only about 10 minutes) The food was good but not outstanding. The server again allowed milk for the boys. Neither of us had ever been here before and I wasnt even sure where it was located.
We had:
Crispy Calamari Mamas Way
Brick Oven Baked Caprino Cheese
Veal Osso Buco
Wood-fired Chicken Pipette
Coffee Tarufo
Tiramisu
TOTAL with tax & tip = $86.07 for 2 TS credits
Extras:
Carafe of Sangria = $20.55 including automatic 18% gratuity
Garden Grill (Monday 10/3)
I was planning to cancel this meal but decided to go after the menu changed back. DH and I have eaten here twice, once in 1998 and once in 2001. The characters were good with our boys and the food was good. The service was a bit slow for a preplated meal. Our ADR was for 11:40 AM and we asked to be seated even earlier so the place was not packed. The Land pavilion however, was FULL of people. I watched several parents try to send their children up into the restaurant for character autographs but all were stopped by the hostesses. The best part? Our boys got a plate with mac & cheese, chicken fingers, and fries AND the whole make your own cupcake dessert at no charge. That cupcake kept them entertain for nearly 30 minutes! Smoothies were NOT allowed with the dining plan.
We had:
2 adult platters (fish, beef, pork, vegetables, potato casserole, etc plus dessert sampler)
TOTAL with tax & tip = $48.58 for 2 TS credits
California Grill (Monday 10/3)
Our friends kept our boys while DH and I took a quick stroll around Food and Wine Festival then went to dinner at California Grill. I have been here before but DH had not. I did not care for the whole second floor check-in procedure. It felt very pretentious to me. Also, we came via monorail and had to go down and wander around to find the desk.
Our ADR was for 7:10 PM and we checked in around 6:45. We were seated it what used to be the bar area. Just back from the balcony overlooking the MK there is a set of banquette tables and we were next to those, one table away from the window. The view was spectacular, although we were too close to the server station for my tastes.
We were allowed to order any sushi on the menu as an appetizer. Also, we ordered both a bottle of wine with dinner and dessert wines. They were out of the dessert wine I chose, so our server subbed a more expensive wine at the same price. He did an excellent job, letting us taste 3 different wines before choosing one to go with dinner. We were celebrating our sixth anniversary (September 18) but I dont think we told him that. DH was disappointed with the view of the fireworks from inside the restaurant (wrong angle, he says) and we really couldnt hear the music.
This was the first meal we didnt share at least appetizers and desserts with other adults, so we definitely had too much food! In retrospect, we should have ordered one meal with the dining plan and added just a second entrée. The sushi alone was enough for me!
We had:
Spicy Sensation sushi
Snake in the Grass sushi
Wild king salmon
Oak-fired filet
Warm valrhona chocolate cake
Banana custard
TOTAL with tax & tip = $153.09 for 4 TS credits
Extras:
Bottle of Havens merlot and 2 glasses of dessert wines (paired as suggested on dessert menu) = $76.88 with tax + DH tipped extra here
Liberty Tree Tavern (10/6)
This was originally planned as meal for 13 but we ended up with only one extra person in addition to our family. Neither of us had ever been here before and I was looking forward to the turkey and dressing. The server was very on the ball and realized that we needed to get in and out ASAP to keep the kids happy. We drank sodas and ordered milk separately for the kids.
We had:
Maryland crab cake
New England clam chowder
2 Pilgrims feasts (turkey, dressing, mashed potato, green beans)
Liberty shortcake
Butter griddled pound cake
TOTAL with tax & tip = $65.15 for 2 TS credits
Extras:
2 milks for the boys and DH tipped a bit extra
Le Cellier (10/8)
Another place neither one of us had been before. I was really looking forward to trying it. We ended up with all 13 people making this meal since everyone but our family was Canadian and celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving. There were 5 kids in the group one set of almost 3 y/o twins and our set of almost 2 y/o twins. We were a small three-ring circus and I apologize to anyone whose meal we disturbed! DH ended up taking our boys outside while I crammed the rest of my steak in my mouth and ordered our desserts to go. The chocolate cake was pretty much my only option since the other choices were all served in tart dishes or had ice cream. We ate the cake much later on our balcony. The server was adamant that we could NOT order milk for the boys as part of the dining plan and the smoothies were not included either. However, the one child in the group that had dining plan credits (5 y/o) was allowed to order an adult appetizer. Im not sure about his dessert because my family had already left by then.
We had:
2 shrimp cocktail
New York strip
Mushroom filet mignon
2 Canadian club cake
TOTAL with tax & tip = $113.16 for 2 TS credits
Extras:
Moosehead pale ale for him and a glass of merlot for me = $15.57 including automatic 18% gratuity and I added a bit since she packed our dessert to go.
Cape May Breakfast Buffet (10/9)
I booked this one just in case we had to bail on another TS meal earlier in the week. I planned to just pay cash if we were out of credits. We decided to skip Marrakesh in favor of using snack credits to snack around the world at F&WF, so we used our last credits for this meal. Our boys had decided they REALLY liked Goofy by the end of the week and were thrilled to meet him close up. The food was pretty good, especially considering that I dont really like breakfast food. Our ADR was for 8 AM and when I called at 7:30 to see if we could come later I was told no. The place did seem packed when I went down to check out around 10:30.
We had:
2 adult breakfast buffets
TOTAL with tax & tip = $43.85 for 2 TS credits
Giordanos pizza
This is an off-site pizza place that we just LOVE! There is on location on 535 just north of Crossroads and there is another on 192 out close to Hwy 27.
TOTAL with tax & tip = $39.07
TOTAL VALUE OF 16 TS CREDITS = $636.39
TOTAL COST OF EXTRAS AT TS = IM GUESSING AROUND $200.00
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