We Cried “Uncle” in Less than 24 Hours a Deluxe Dining Report With Pictures

[AggieTexan]

We are a couple of 51-year old DINKs who were greatly looking forward to our short visit to WDW on Deluxe Dining.


This is us at the Flying Fish.


Let me say up front, we can eat. A lot. I love food and wine. As a matter of fact, the main reason I exercise is so I can eat. A lot. Much to our surprise, and despite the warnings of others, the DDxDP kicked our tails. By the last day of our trip, we had no interest in our last ADR (breakfast at Kouzzina). Neither one of us was remotely hungry. Oh, and we were getting on a cruise ship for another seven days of wining and dining. Anyway, about our meals…

DAY 1 DINNER -- Our first meal was Dinner at Citrico's. We both loved this meal, and were very pleased with both the food and the service. Things didn’t start out well…it took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get there from BWI on Disney transportation. Once we arrived, almost everything was perfect. Our server, Malek, was attentive without hovering. He brought out our basket of bread with sea salted butter, and allowed us time to select our meals and our wine. We chose a bottle of Fransiscan Magnificat and sat back to let the feasting begin!


Citrico's Menu


Citrico's Bread and Butter Sprinkled with Sea Salt


Wine at Citrico's


I started with the Sautéed Shrimp, which was delicious! The sauce was an interesting combination of lemon, white wine, tomatoes, and feta. I was hesitant, but the flavors really worked together. DH began his meal with Artisanal Greens and Fresh Peach Salad, which he enjoyed very much.


Sauteed Shrimp


Fresh Peach Salad


For my entrée, I had the filet, and DH had the veal shank…both were excellent.


Filet


Veal Shank


For dessert I chose Seasonal Berry Gratin with a Champagne-Grand Marnier Sabayon and DH had Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte with Vanilla Ice Cream and Handcrafted Belgium Couverture Chocolate Crown. We thoroughly enjoyed both desserts, but DH struggled with the crown…he thought it was too pretty to be edible!


Chocolate Banana Torte


Berries Gratin


I got a pressed pot, and we probably would have lingered longer than we did, but towards the end of dinner, a very large group came in and seated all the very loud and active kids at one end of the table and proceeded to ignore them. They were disruptive enough that the manager actually came over and apologized!

Dining Plan -- $150.47 Out of Pocket -- $111.34 (wine, tax, and tip)

Up next...Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern

 

[AggieTexan]

DAY 2 LUNCH – We were at MK for our first full day, and had a great lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern.



It was towards the end of lunch that we realized there was no way we were going to be able to do the deluxe dining plan justice. The portion sizes were just enormous! Even though we skipped breakfast, we were still fairly full from dinner the night before.

Lunch at LTT was Declaration Salads and Bacon Cheeseburgers for both of us. Everything was great, but it was just too much food, especially with the heat. Nevertheless, because it was included we felt compelled to have dessert. DH had the peach crisp, and I had the raspberry sorbet with fruit. If we weren’t on the dining plan we probably would have skipped the appetizers and possibly shared a dessert.


Declaration Salad


Bacon Cheeseburger


Berries & Sorbet


Peach Crisp


That’s where I can look at the DDxDP two ways. Yes, we did save money over what our OOP costs would have been for what we ordered, but we also ordered things we might not have gotten under normal circumstances, just because it was included.

Dining Plan -- $56.26 Out of Pocket -- $10.56 (tip)

Up next...will we be hungry when it's time to go to dinner at the Yachtsman?

 

[AggieTexan]

DAY 2 DINNER – We took the boat over to the Yacht Club for dinner at the Yachtsman.


Yachtsman Menu


Even though we were early there was no wait for our table. This meal started out well, but turned into a big disappointment. DH had a Tropical Ginger Lemonade and I had a Pomegranate Splash...both were wonderful.


Tropical Ginger Lemonade


Pomegranate Splash


Our appetizers were also very good. DH had a shrimp cocktail (not on the menu) and I had the tomato salad. We loved the bread they served here, especially the onion rolls.


Yummy Bread


Shrimp Cocktail


Beefsteak Tomato


For entrees my husband had a filet which was very good, and I had the NY strip and subbed truffle macaroni for the potatoes. DH's steak was great, but mine had no flavor at all. I actually tried the sauce with my steak thinking it might help, but it didn’t. Truthfully, good meat shouldn’t need anything poured over it to give it flavor. A $42 steak DEFINITELY shouldn’t need something poured over it to give it flavor.


Filet


NY Strip with Truffle Macaroni & Cheese


We also tried to get a half bottle of Whitehall Lane Cab, but they were sold out so we got a half bottle of Estancia Meritage, which we didn't care for at all. I wondered at the time if it had started to turn, because it’s unusual for us to both have a unanimously negative opinion of a wine. It obviously hadn’t been cellared and it was way too warm, which didn’t help. By that time I was getting grumpy. I don’t like it when I get served tasteless meat and I don’t like questionable wine!


Wine


I also wasn’t overly impressed with our server at the Yachtsman. In my opinion, an observant waiter would ask if there was something wrong with the food or the wine when it goes virtually untouched. It took so long for our waiter to return that by that time I had lost interest in dinner, and truthfully I wasn’t all that hungry. As it was, the only thing we were asked was if we were done! No dessert for us...just a pressed pot of decaf. Like I said, we had lost interest, and it wasn’t like we hadn’t eaten anything all day!

I would give the Yachtsman another chance, but I would probably order a different steak next time.

Dining Plan -- $119.78 Out of Pocket -- $83.32 (drinks, wine, tax, and tip)

Up next...Rose and Crown Lunch

 

[AggieTexan]

DAY 3 LUNCH – We had a noon ADR at the Rose & Crown for our Epcot lunch. After a short wait they tried to seat us out on the patio, but we requested to be moved inside. The heat was really unbearable to us by this time, and it was starting to wear us out.


Epcot's Rose & Crown


Rose & Crown Lunch Menu


We had a wonderful waiter, Dan, from Sheffield. DH started with the Scotch Egg, then he had Fish & Chips, and a lemon tart for dessert.


Scotch Egg


Fish & Chips


Lemon Tart



I had the Apple Frissee Salad, Shepherd's Pie, and berry trifle.


Salad


Shepherd's Pie


Trifle


It’s funny how these things work…my husband thought the Scotch Egg sounded gross, but for some reason he wanted to try it, and it was delicious! Overall this was a very pleasant meal, with reasonably authentic pub food, and a welcome respite from the heat.

Dining Plan -- $71.70 Out of Pocket -- $14.00 (tip)

Coming up...an excellent meal at The Flying Fish!

 

[eroilersgal]

Subbing!!

My husband and I are planning an anniversary trip this fall and have upgraded to deluxe dining followed by a cruise. Can't wait for Rose and Crown review, it was my husband's favorite meal ( beer flight ) from our last trip.

 

[okw19]

Mmm your pictures look great! Can't wait to read more.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Sorry your meal at Yachtsman was disappointing. A few nights ago we had an absolutely amazing meal there.

And Rose n' Crown looks delicious. I haven't been there in a few years, but I might need to add a booking so I can try the scotch egg and trifle!

 

[AggieTexan]

DAY 3 DINNER -- We loved Flying Fish!






I had a Boardwalk Bay Breeze, the Pinot Noir flight, “Jonah Crab Cake,” Oak-grilled Maine Diver Scallops over risotto, and the trio of house-made sorbets. The appetizer and entree were excellent, but the sorbets were just plain weird. Don’t ask me what they were, because I’ve kind of erased them from my memory. I just thought they were strange.


Boardwalk Bay Breeze


Pinot Noir Flight


Jonah Crab Cake


Scallops and Risotto


Sorbets and Fruit


My husband had a Bull Shark (pomegranate drink) the Pinot Grigio flight, “Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala,” and the Potato Wrapped Red Snapper. For dessert he had the Carmelized Banana Napoleon. He also liked everything very much, although he thought the snapper was a bit confusing…DH thought there was a bit too much going on with that dish.


Bull Shark


Pinot Grigio Flight


Tomato Salad


Potato Wrapped Snapper


Banana Napoleon


Overall we really enjoyed this restaurant. Our service was excellent and attentive, the food was very good, and we didn’t have to rely on Disney Transportation to get there!

Dining Plan -- $138.95 Out of Pocket -- $90.38 (drinks, wine flights, tax, and tip)

Only two more meals...will we make it, or will we explode? Up next is lunch at HS.

 

[AggieTexan]

DAY 4 LUNCH – I will admit that by Friday we were pretty much done before the day even got started. We had gotten dehydrated (our own fault) at Epcot the day before, and DH wasn’t feeling great. I threw the touring plan out the window and we decided to just take it easy and go over to HS for our lunch ADR at 50’s Prime Time Café.






Our waitress, Lisa was pleasant, but didn't really get into character. That was fine with us, and we enjoyed just watching and listening to the events at other tables. We shared onion rings, and both ordered sandwiches (turkey for me and ham for DH) which ended up being the most ridiculously huge things I've ever seen.


50's Menu


Onion Rings


Turkey Sandwich...DH had a Ham Sandwich, but it looked the same, so I didn't take a picture.


The amount of food we’ve been served at every meal is just obscene. We each ate half, and I think Lisa knew better than to reprimand us for leaving food on our plates. Neither one of us had much of an appetite, and if we’d tried to finish the huge sandwiches we would have been miserable. This is another example of the DDxDP making me order differently than I would have if I was paying OOP. Splitting one sandwich would have been more than enough food!

Dining Plan -- $39.75 Out of Pocket -- $7.00 (tip)

There's only one meal left...dinner at California Grill. We'd been looking forward to it for a long time...

 

[chocolateMinnie]

loving these reviews - the only trip I ever put weight on was our last trip on the dxdp. We definitely ordered three courses because they were included and would only usually have had one or two. Also brought almost all our snacks home in the form of rice krispie treats
Great pictures

 

[AggieTexan]

DAY 4 DINNER – We had made plans to meet friends at the California Grill on our last night, but unfortunately they got their dates mixed up and didn’t make it to dinner. That was our only disappointment of the evening, because dinner was phenomenal. Our waiter, Daniel, was great. He also reminded me a lot of a former co-worker, so I was looking at him funny all night…he probably thought I was a kook!


California Grill Menu


Bread and Sea-Salted Butter


Everything we had was delicious and beautifully presented. DH started with fried zucchini, and had the Oak-Fired Filet as his entrée.


Fried Zucchini


Filet


I had the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli for my appetizer and the Cast Iron-seared Veal Tenderloin for my main course. Both were wonderful…simple, flavorful, and perfectly prepared.


Goat Cheese Ravioli


Veal Tenderloin


We had a bottle of BV Tapestry which complemented both meals nicely and was a huge step up from the wine we had at the Yachtsman.


Wine


For dessert I had the Bananas and Caramel and DH had the Buckwheat Crepes. We lingered over dessert and coffee, then watched fireworks in the rain, and ended the evening with a taxi back to BWI. Dining plan or no dining plan, this meal was worth every penny.


Bananas and Caramel


Buckwheat Crepes


Dining Plan -- $164.72 Out of Pocket -- $140.78 (wine, tax, and tip)


So what about the rest of it? The snack credits? The mugs? We did use the mugs, which would have cost us $27.98 if we weren’t on the DDxDP. They were primarily used for morning coffee (if you can call it that!), but we did get a couple sodas on the day we arrived. The snack credits are another story. My intention had been to use the snack credits for breakfast foods, but we were never hungry enough to eat anything in the mornings before we headed out. I ended up using most of our 16 snack credits on 9 bottles of water, I bought 4 big lollipops for my nieces and nephews, and wasted 3 snack credits along with the TS meal we skipped on departure day.

Most of the food was great, with the Yachtsman being the exception, but I don’t think we’d do the Deluxe plan again. As much as I liked the “all inclusive” feel, it was just way too much food for us and I wasted a lot of food by not finishing it. I also ordered more than I should have, because I fell into the “it’s already paid for” trap. Having the plan did help with “sticker shock,” but that’s probably not a valid reason to purchase the dining plan…I just need to tell the waiter/waitress to give my husband a menu without prices!

In total, the dining plan cost us $631.92 for four nights, and the value of the food/drinks that were included was $808.10. If that’s all you look at, the plan definitely saved us money…$176.18 to be exact. However, we spent an additional $457.38 out of pocket, for a grand total of $1,089.30 for two people/four nights. I know this probably sounds like I hated the plan, and I didn’t…I just thought it was too much food. Truthfully, I know we would have eaten a little differently if we weren’t on the plan, I just don’t know how differently. We eat dinner out quite a bit, and almost always order soup or salad, an entrée, and split a dessert. I do know we wouldn’t have had the appetizers at lunch if we weren’t on the plan. When I really think about it, we probably would have ended up within $100 dollars which ever way we did it!

Nevertheless, I loved most of the restaurants we chose. We had some fantastic meals, great drinks, wonderful service, and made priceless memories!

 

[sjs314]

Totally enjoyed your reviews. Your pictures were excellent. DH & I are on the DxDP for our October trip and usually he never gets filled up so it should be interesting to say the least since I normally give him part of my meal when we go out. Even on our last Disney trip I found myself cutting most entrees in half and passing them off to DH so he would get his fill.

 

[mamaboogie]

Wonderful photos!

I'm really enjoying your reviews

 

[Tinker12]

I really enjoyed your reviews! The pictures were great! Thank you for sharing.

 

[jacksmom]

Great reviews!

 

[Uncle Remus]

Great review, thanks for takin' the time to post it.
I agree with you that the DxDP is a ton of food, we get it just to try out foods we can't get out here in the boonies of Texas.

 

[FirstMagic]

Trifle

Did you enjoy that berry Trifle? I was considering the Sticky Toffee Pudding for my next visit to Rose and Crown, but that sounds quite heavy and this Trifle looks light and refreshing!

Enjoyed your reviews and photos - glad you posted pictures of the menus too!
Thank you for sharing these with us.

 

[vinotinto]

Good pics and I think an excellent and honest assessment.

We've done the DxDP twice and I think it's almost impossible for my DH and I to get app, entree and dessert at every meal. We share an app (especially at lunch), or instead of lunch and dinner we'll do a breakfast buffet and either snacks at lunch or share lunch. On our last trip, we went to Citricos, after having had a huge lunch at Raglan Road, and when I saw that veal shank come my way, I wanted to just lift the white flag and say: "I give up! Have mercy!"

I also think the DxDP does not save adults that much. I think the real savings are for families with children younger than 10. That is because the price of one buffet per day and a couple of snacks will pay for the DxDP child price per day, and they'll still have two credits leftover. Also, it seems by the time you pay for your wine and tip, you've paid a sizeable amount.

 

[AggieTexan]

Did you enjoy that berry Trifle? I was considering the Sticky Toffee Pudding for my next visit to Rose and Crown, but that sounds quite heavy and this Trifle looks light and refreshing!

Enjoyed your reviews and photos - glad you posted pictures of the menus too!
Thank you for sharing these with us.

I really enjoyed the trifle...it was very refreshing!

Good pics and I think an excellent and honest assessment.

We've done the DxDP twice and I think it's almost impossible for my DH and I to get app, entree and dessert at every meal. We share an app (especially at lunch), or instead of lunch and dinner we'll do a breakfast buffet and either snacks at lunch or share lunch. On our last trip, we went to Citricos, after having had a huge lunch at Raglan Road, and when I saw that veal shank come my way, I wanted to just lift the white flag and say: "I give up! Have mercy!"

I also think the DxDP does not save adults that much. I think the real savings are for families with children younger than 10. That is because the price of one buffet per day and a couple of snacks will pay for the DxDP child price per day, and they'll still have two credits leftover. Also, it seems by the time you pay for your wine and tip, you've paid a sizeable amount.

I totally agree with you! Interestingly enough, I had put some Disney Reward Dollars and a gift card on my account when we checked in. I must have estimated pretty accurately, because the grand total billed to my credit card when we checked out was $8.77!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Awesome reviews and pictures! I have read many reviews where the DDxP is way too much food for people...I could not imagine eating that much stuff in one day, especially in that heat! When we were there in May it was so hot, 94-97 every single day, and all I wanted to do was just drink water and the thought of food had me spinning!

Most of your dishes are what I would have ordered..you have me very excited about Rose & Crown...we have not been there before but we are going to try it in Oct.