What I would do differently. . .

[Laren]

I know we had about 7 CS meals left on our thingie when we came home after 9 days of free dining- but we were all not feeling well or else we likely would have finished them off at breakfast/lunch (there were four of us)

What I'd do differently next time. . .plan fewer dinners but do all 2 TS meals. Plan to eat breakfast with CS meals since we seemed to want to eat breakfast more than I thought we would and more than lunch.

What I did right: using snack credits for 3.00 bottles of Perrier, which we seemed to go thru a lot of in the heat!!!

What did you learn on the DDP/would you do differently next time???

Laren

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Just subscribing. I'm leaving in ten days for my first trip with the DDP, and I'll take all suggestions.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I know we had about 7 CS meals left on our thingie when we came home after 9 days of free dining- but we were all not feeling well or else we likely would have finished them off at breakfast/lunch (there were four of us)

What I'd do differently next time. . .plan fewer dinners but do all 2 TS meals. Plan to eat breakfast with CS meals since we seemed to want to eat breakfast more than I thought we would and more than lunch.

What I did right: using snack credits for 3.00 bottles of Perrier, which we seemed to go thru a lot of in the heat!!!

What did you learn on the DDP/would you do differently next time???

Laren

See, just goes to show that everybody's different and folks can have different experiences. Our family would do the opposite. We did a 2 TS restaurant for the first time on our trip last month and it was only the 2nd disappointing TS meal we've ever had at WDW. If we could've done it over, we would've just eaten at 1-TS restaurants the entire time. We're much less likely to try a 2 TS restaurant next time*.

Also, we never use our snack credits on water. There are too many other great snack options at the parks that we love to try. We bought filter bottles from Pure Water 2 Go before our 06 trip and still use them. They paid for themselves long ago.

There are pros and cons for so many of these choices--folks just have to try them and find what they like.







*--Assuming we do the DDP which, given the way the 08 DDP will look, we probably won't.

 

[beroh2253]

I agree with above 1 ts only. Would pay for the HDD or Luau oop and save the 2 credits for (2) 1 TS places and with oop get better seating at HDD. Also agree we oop for water and soda and save the SC for bakerys and ice cream places, would rather use 1 SC on a dole whip then a water.
And in 2 days and 18 hours we will be able to put this theory to work. 9 nights Sept 21-30. 9 ADR's are a waiting.

 

[Laren]

see with us we found we didn't have enough room for a lot of snacks- so the credits would've been wasted.

I have health issues and so drink bottled water at home as well as on vacaton and filter bottles wear me out to keep clean (again just personal preference) this will be great for people to see what worked for others on the DDP!

We paid OOP for Ohana but I would gladly have traded 1 TS for that and our very disppointing meal at Chefs for another night at Cali Grill. . .

thanks for weighing in everyone!
Laren

 

[Praying Colonel]

We almost did CG. We ended doing another Signature restaurant, instead. Maybe if we'd done CG like you did, we'd have a different opinion. Glad you had a great time.

 

[pooch]

we liked using our CS for a late (10-11AM) breakfast, SC mid afternoon - we usually split a food and a drink item between us - and a 1TS for dinner 7-8PM. Dessert was usually morning snack w/coffee!!! The days we were able to do this, we didn't feel so FULL!!!

 

[goofygoobers]

This will be our first time on DP and I am excited. Since it was free, I will not be so crazy and getting my money worth. This is neat to see what everyone else would do differently. I will keep watching for the next three days and will post my comments when we return. Thanks


3 days to POP

 

[disneyfav4ever]

This will be our first time on DP and I am excited. Since it was free, I will not be so crazy and getting my money worth. This is neat to see what everyone else would do differently. I will keep watching for the next three days and will post my comments when we return. Thanks


3 days to POP

I'm getting the plan for "free" as well. I have ten TS meals planned, but two are signatures, so I'll have to pay for two meals OOP, right now I think it's going to be Crystal Palace and Akershus. I have the DDE too though so I should spend less then $100 total OOP on meals. I know we're also hoping to use most of our snack credits on the Food and Wine Festival booths.

Actually, this is the plan for me and my mom for our trip.

CS Breakfast Every Day - We'll split one meal between the two of us, and we'll do this every morning except when we eat at Crystal Palace.

CS Lunch every day, splitting one meal.

TS dinner every day, we each'll get our own meal. (But we'll probably sample each other's food every night. )

I have Dole whip floats, onion rings, and Figaro fries that I want to get as snacks, and the rest we'll probably use for the booths.

 

[noahdove]

Can't wait to read your review as I am going in August and I did go with the dining plan..now, I am not so sure if I did the right thing or not..

 

[melomouse]

Hi Laren!

Interesting question - sorry you left with extra credits!

I don't know what exactly I might do differently, but now that you've got me thinking.... Carry a small cold pack to put next to the CS dessert I couldn't eat and use it for snacking or breakfast in the AM?

Never get a fountain drink at the resort CS - get a sealed bottle whenever possible for later use.

On 2008 plan, we will share an appy OOP if we want one.

Use more CS for breakfasts at the food court - for us - we are either early lunchers or late breakfasters, but not both. Then the ADR's for the TS are later.

I like your plan for more 2 TS meals -but for my family right now and DS having Asperger's, I never want to take the chance he will behave less than "adult" as a Signature restaurant. We did do Yachtsman and a full week of TS and he did fine, but I have decided against CS twice now because I never want to chance disrupting anyone else's dinner.

DS is very good, however, at finding the full $4 snacks and using the snack credit. In fact, he's a DDP credit whiz and probably should get on here and advise....

 

[beroh2253]

Above I noted we got a bakery snack or went to an ice cream place for a more tasty SC then water or soda.
We also for a few breakfasts got a box of Entenmann's donuts (there are different varities at the resort gift shops) but for 1 SC that was more then enough for breakfast for both of us.
And with all the food between the TS and CS each day some days we were so full we forgot about the SC and had 3 or 4 left the last day so we ran to the Resort shop ( last year being ASMu) and got a few boxes of Entenmanns (again) cookies for the trip home.
Get all these ideas in, we are leaving for POP in 2 days, this Friday Sept 21-30 ME and DW while DS and DD are off at college .
long 2 days can't wait.