What do you all think of my Deluxe Dining Plan itinerary choices? REVISED & UPDATED!

[Linus Van Pelt]

There will be two of us, both adults, traveling to the World from May 4th to May 18, 2008. We will be staying at the AKL 5/4-5/11, and staying at the Poly 5/11-5/18. None of these choices are necessarily set in stone, as I don't even know what the park hours will be yet (though I kind of took inspiration from the park hours from this past May), and I am aware that we're four TS/CS credits over our alloted 45 for the whole stay (considering we're doing several signature restaurants), so we might take care of that by either skipping breakfast or lunch a few days, or we might pay OOP for a couple of the non-signature meals.

*=we're wavering, and are open to any other suggestions

5/4 cheer2: Arrival Day): Lunch-Earl of Sandwich, Dinner-Boma
5/5 (MGM Day): Breakfast-Boma, Lunch-Snack, Dinner-Yachtsman Steakhouse
5/6 (Typhoon Lagoon/DTD/Illuminations): Lunch-Raglan Road, Dinner-Jiko
5/7 (Epcot Day): Lunch-Sunshine Seasons, Dinner-Flying Fish
5/8 (Animal Kingdom Day): Breakfast-Tusker House*, Lunch-Snack, Dinner-Citrico's
5/9 (Sea World or Kennedy Space Center or Universal or Whatever other off-property attraction Day): Breakfast-Boma*, Dinner-Narcoossee's
5/10 (Magic Kingdom/Epcot Day): Breakfast-Crystal Palace*, Dinner-Coral Reef
5/11 (Check out AKL early/Check in Poly/Magic Kingdom Day): Breakfast-Kona Cafe, Dinner-O'Hana
5/12 (Resort touring/DTD Day): Lunch-Olivia's Cafe, Dinner-Spoodle's
5/13 (Park hopping Day): Breakfast-O'Hana, Dinner-California Grill
5/14 (MGM/DTD Day): Breakfast-1900 Park Fare*, Dinner-Brown Derby
5/15 (Epcot Day): Lunch-Les Chefs de France or Rose and Crown, Dinner-Kona Cafe
5/16 (Animal Kingdom/Epcot/Whatever else Day): Lunch-San Angel Inn, Dinner-Artist Point
5/17 (Whatever floats our boat at this point Day): Lunch-Le Cellier, Dinner-Jiko
5/18 sad1: Departure Day): Breakfast-Kona Cafe or Chef Mickey's*, Lunch-Rose and Crown or Biergarten or Restaurant Marrakesh or Les Chefs de France or Akershus Royal Banquet Hall... and, yes, still eating through a veil of tears.

Now, again, this is just very preliminary at this stage, but I wanted to get something down on paper. And we definitely plan to do an Illuminations or Wishes cruise, and we might take in La Nouba and/or take the very expensive plunge and spring for a Wanyama Safari, so... like I said, this is pretty much subject to change. So what do you all think? Any and all opinions, even pointedly critical ones, are very much welcome and appreciated. TIA!

So, what are your thoughts on the updated list? Were the changes mostly good? Any suggested alternatives to the asterisked choices? What do you think? I'm very anxious to hear! (I feel like if someone like Jerry Bruckheimer was making a movie chronicling my life, and it featured a montage of different scenes of me planning out our dining choices, the soundtrack to that montage would be The Style Council's "My Ever Changing Moods". )

 

[WETWHISTLE]

I would think that you could afford to skip a few lunches since you have a lot of breakfast buffets planned - that way you won't have to spend anything OOP (besides gratuity). JMO!

We've toyed with the idea of getting the Deluxe DDP but I don't want to have to make ADRs for every single meal and have everything planned down to the minute!

 

[lynninpa]

While I like your choices, I could never eat 3 meals a day-especially 3 TS meals!-even though dining is a big part of every trip for us. Not only could I not eat that much food, to me it would mean too much time revolving around getting to the restaurants, etc. JMHO, of course! No matter what you end up doing, have a fabulous adventure!

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

Thanks, WETWHISTLE and lynninpa! And I do hear you, lynninpa, about the bloat factor, which will be considerable, I'm sure ... but I plan on hitting the gym pretty hard every day I'm there, both at AKL and at the GF. And as far as the eating superceding the park touring and everything else, I figure we'll be there for just over two weeks (five days longer than either of us has ever stayed before), so that should provide some fairly ample "breathing room". Oh, I can't wait!

 

[Forevryoung]

This is how I figured out how to plan my meals:

1) pick a typically busy weekend (so you aren't tied to a meal schedule)
2) eat breakfast
3) When is the next time that you are hungry?

When I'm with DBF and we eat breakfast together, we both aren't hungry until much later in the day- typically closer to dinner time. I made an ADR for breakfast (or time for CS breakfast) and then a normal time dinner ADR (7:30-8pm). Originally I was going to make lunch ADRs as well but realized it would be excessive and we definitely wouldn't be hungry.

My mom on the other hand needs a small breakfast and a small lunch or else she can't eat/enjoy a larger dinner.

 

[WETWHISTLE]

Don't forget, you can also use TS credits for Resort Pizza Delivery (if your resort offers that). If I got the Deluxe Plan I'd probably do that a few times - especially for lunch if I was at the hotel then.

I really want to do the Deluxe Plan but I don't want to have every single meal planned out. What if we don't feel like going to _____ on Tuesday at Noon? Ya know what I mean?

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

I really want to do the Deluxe Plan but I don't want to have every single meal planned out. What if we don't feel like going to _____ on Tuesday at Noon? Ya know what I mean?

I know what you're saying. But I feel that, if we change our minds, we can either attempt to procure an ADR at some other TS location, we can choose to be a little less regimented and go with CS, or we could take a (relatively) minor hit to the wallet and just choose to skip that particular meal, if we're not at all hungry at that point in time. Any way you slice it, it's all gravy, because we're just able to vacation at WDW while staying at not one, but two deluxe hotels for two weeks! Now, we'll se if my attitude is still this laissez-faire after I've actually experienced the whole thing.

 

[WETWHISTLE]

I thought about splitting up our room reservation into two and getting the Deluxe Plan for part of that, but it sounds like too much trouble to me, LOL!

 

[Colleen27]

Something that you don't have in your plans, but which might help with the going over the credits - there are many, many good breakfast options that an be had for a snack credit. Quite a few of our deluxe plan breakfasts will be snacks, assuming the offerings don't change too drastically. We'll stop at Main Street Bakery at the end of an MK day to pick up turnovers to have in the morning with our coffee/tea, or grab yogurt parfaits from the food court, or something like that.

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

Something that you don't have in your plans, but which might help with the going over the credits - there are many, many good breakfast options that an be had for a snack credit. Quite a few of our deluxe plan breakfasts will be snacks, assuming the offerings don't change too drastically. We'll stop at Main Street Bakery at the end of an MK day to pick up turnovers to have in the morning with our coffee/tea, or grab yogurt parfaits from the food court, or something like that.

See, that's why I decided to start this new thread, asking for all opinions... I never even thought of that! Thanks, Colleen27! We just may do that!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Couple of observations: First, as far as I know Bongo's has never participated in the DDP. Second, nine of your meals are counter service, and one is Beaches & Cream. These are all less-than-desirable usages of dining credits. I would just pay for some of those meals or, as you mention, do snacks instead of some of them.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Sounds like a good list.
2) Also sounds like a lot of extra pounds.

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

kaytieeldr, you make a couple of good points, and we'll most likely end up changing the Bongo's meal to something else, especially since I just read AllEarsNet's list of the participating restaurants and noticed that not too many DTD restaurants participate in the DDP.

And, TheRustyScupper, I am only TOO aware of just how much havoc those two weeks on the Deluxe DDP will wreak on my waistline (not to mention my arteries), so, like I said, I'll be doing my daily penance on the elliptical and Cybex machines, and, hopefully, won't keel over with a coronary while doing so.

 

[roselark]

I think your list looks awesome! For DH and I, part of the fun is the food! I am really looking forward to getting the Deluxe Dining Plan on a future trip (hopefully next year).

One of the best features of the Deluxe plan is that you can take advantage of those signature places without deeply cutting into your TS credits. Personally, I would just eat doughnuts or oatmeal a couple of mornings and plan to have an early lunch on those days.

The planning doesn't bother DH or I. I like a little structure

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

The planning doesn't bother DH or I. I like a little structure

So do I.

And in all honesty, when we last went down in 2005, we pretty much planned our days around our meals, though we weren't on the DDP at the time. And there was a time or two (or three) when we changed our minds and some ADR or other that we had made months previously just didn't sound all that appealing after we'd been vacationing a few days, and we just went to Lobby Concierge and were able to change our ADRs with no problem (and I'm aware that, with restaurants such as Le Cellier and CRT, this is pretty much an impossibility). I know that probably the majority of the people on these boards don't find this type of trip all that enjoyable; they're there primarily for the rides and shows. And while the prime draw for us, too, is the parks, SO and I are both incurable foodies, and so the eating is definitely part of the fun for us, as well!

 

[WETWHISTLE]

Oh part of the reason I go is for the food! Don't get me wrong, I love the parks, but I love to cook and bake, etc...so trying out restaurants, new food, etc is one of my hobbies!

And I am a planner. But I just know how we were on the go so much on our last trip (for 7 nights) that I want to take it a little easier on this next trip (10 nights). I just don't want to get up very early every morning and be on the go until midnight every night. That's part of the reason that we are staying longer this next trip - so we have more time to get everything done!

I'm a picky eater (in some respects) so many of the items on the menus of Signature Restaurants don't sound great to me. If I didn't have to make so many reservations, and if we could walk up to restaurants that we felt like going to that day, I'd definitely upgrade to the Deluxe Plan.

I love that they offer it now!

 

[SandraVB79]

In theory, I love your eating itinerary.
In practice... are you sure you can eat that much??? I would feel so bad being at Citrico's and not being able to eat a lot/ really enjoy the food because I am still stuffed from BF/ lunch... But that's just me of course
I'd rather eat less often, but be able to full enjoy every single bite than just stuff-stuff-stuff myself.
But in theory... mmmmm

 

[gogo65]

There is no way we could afford to do the deluxe plan as both my kids are counted as adults, BUT I'm jealous.

Go and enjoy, you don't have to eat everything you are served at each meal, but at least you will have that option.

There is also plenty of healthy choices on the menu's,
At least you won't have to eat burger and fries every day.

Your restaurant choices look fantastic.
ENJOY

 

[Booknut]

Have you actually worked out that the deluxe dining plan is worth it for you guys? By work out I mean actually go through the menus and get a rough idea of what you'd order? I only say this because you have a few meals that you will either have to pay out of pocket for or are CS meals which are really a waste on the deluxe plan. And you will be so full you won't have room for the snacks anyway. And since tips and alcohol aren't included, it's a heck of a lot of money to pay on top of the deluxe dining plan.

It sounds like a delicious itinerary but i'd try to work the numbers to see if you are actually saving by having the plan. It might work out cheaper for instance to get the normal dining plan and pay out of pocket for the rest or not to get it at all.

Whatever you do, have fun and walk like the Dickens to walk off all those yummy calories!!

 

[Colleen27]

I know that probably the majority of the people on these boards don't find this type of trip all that enjoyable; they're there primarily for the rides and shows. And while the prime draw for us, too, is the parks, SO and I are both incurable foodies, and so the eating is definitely part of the fun for us, as well!

That's us too. I refer to myself, DH & DS as frustrated foodies - we only get to indulge on vacation and daytrips, because we live in a small town where dining options are pretty much fast food, bar food, or coney island. So when we go to Disney, we EAT! We're going for 11 nights this time, even though we were happy with the amount of rides/shows we fit in to much shorter trips, because we wanted more time for nice meals. I figure if we were happy with how much we got to see and do in 5 days, we'll be thrilled with how much we get to see and do in 12, even with two sit-down meals each day!