Which meal to pay OOP?

[dpugrad03]

We're going in two weeks for seven days - my parents are meeting us for the last four. It is DH and I, our 3 yr old, and our almost 1 yr old. We're all on Dining plan. What meal do you think would be cheapest so we shoudl pay oop? Credits used following restaurant name.

Crystal Palace Breakfast (2 adults, 1 child)
Le Cellier Lunch (4 adults, 1 child)
'Ohana Dinner (4 adults, 1 child)
Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch (3 adults, 1 child)
Kona (2 adults 1 child)
Whispering Canyon Dinner(4 adults 1 child)
Cape May Cafe Breakfast (4 adults 1 child)
Garden Grill (2 adults 1 child)
Hollywood and Vine Lunch (2 adults 1 child)

Any suggestions? My DH won't use all of his table credits if we use DDP on Liberty Tree and he'll have extra counter services because he is at a conference the second half of the trip during the day. My calculations show we are 5 adult meals over what we have budgeted.

 

[RocketEAR99]

Anything with a breakfast buffet is usually best for paying OOP. Mainly because it's a fixed rate for all involved and Breakfast in general on DDP is only bevarage and entree, no dessert. So I would say Crystal Palace or Cape May Cafe are your best bet.

 

[stayhomemom77]

I apologize if I am wrong but I sort of got the impression that you were planning on having your parents use up your husband's unused credits.

That's not allowed. Your key to the world card will say 2 Adults, 1 Child and that is the maximum amount you will be allowed to charge to the dining plan on your card. You can do LESS (i.e. just you and the kids when DH is at his conference) but never more.

So your parents will always have to pay OOP. You can always find you way over to allears.net and look up the menus for an idea of prices but I agree with PP that usually the best option to do OOP is breakfast.

HTH!!

 

[dpugrad03]

Nope, not planning for mom and dad to use DH's credits. They are on the dining plan too. It seems that we will all have to pay for one meal oop, and then dh and I will for one other meal. Just trying to figure out if dh and I should pay for one oop early rather than wait and pay our last two meals oop. Does that make sense? Maybe I was confusing.

 

[mb_uh]

if Kona is breakfast then I would pay that oop. Otherwise use kids credit for CP and pay oop for adults then pay oop at another place for kid that is not buffet or just share.

 

[minniebeth]

Well, Le Cellier, LTT and Kona are your only non-price fixed meals. I think it's best to use your DDP credits for those. I think your oop meals should be the a la carte menus, so you can have the flexibility of either sharing meals or having just an appetizer/dessert, etc. I think the meals come out less expensive that way. LC is the most expensive of the 3, so cross that one off the list and either do LTT or Kona oop. The portions are large at both and are easily shared. We've done this before, have run the numbers and that is what I personally think will work best.

Good luck!

 

[sharonabe]

I would check out the menus for LTT, Kona, and Whispering Canyon (you don't have to order the all-you-can-eat skillet). Figure out what you think you will order including any drinks and desserts. If the cost is more than one of your breakfast buffets, then pay the buffet OOP. If you're happy with just an entree and water or an app and dessert combo, or as the PP said with sharing, and that cost is less, then you know you want to pay for these OOP. AND since you will definitely want to pay OOP for your child at two of these three, you can also figure in if you can share some of your adult entrees with her/him and save buying a kids meal.

 

[minniebeth]

I would check out the menus for LTT, Kona, and Whispering Canyon (you don't have to order the all-you-can-eat skillet).

Oh so true! I "forgot" about Whispering Canyon having other things on the menu. I'm one-track-skillet-minded at WCC, lol!

 

[dskib]

Have you thought about just switching 1 or 2 meals over to a CS restaurant? There are some really good ones out there and they take up far less time. Why pay out of pocket when you'll probably end up with extra counter service credits?

Other than that, I agree with those who said to put breakfasts out of pocket. They're generally less expensive.

 

[tower_of_terror_luvr]

I would pay out of pocket for LTT. Lunch there isn't very expensive.

 

[christine*]

if Kona is breakfast then I would pay that oop. Otherwise use kids credit for CP and pay oop for adults then pay oop at another place for kid that is not buffet or just share.

I second paying for Kona oop if it's breakfast.