which should I pay OOP for?

[LoriFromBama]

We are doing DxDP, but surprisingly ,may still need to pay OOP for some meals. I know that obviously any CS meals would be the cheapest, but which of these TS should we pay for?
Here's my ADR's. Which ones will be they cheapest? We are 5 adults and 2 kids.

9/27
WCC-breakfast
CM- Lunch
TTC buffet- dinner

9/28
H&V-breakfast
Toy Story Pizza Planet-lunch
Ohana's-dinner

9/29
Tusker House-breakfast
CS in AK-lunch
Boma-dinner

9/30
Lilo and Stitch-breakfast
Biergarten-lunch
Garden Grill- dinner

10/1
Kona-breakfast
WCC-lunch
California Grill- dinner

10/2
Crystal Palace- breakfast
1900 Park Fare- dinner

10/3
CRT-breakfast
LTT-lunch

TIA!

 

[MouseMomx2]

Wow! That's a lot of table-service meals! That would be far too much time in restaurants for me, but everyone's different, right?

If you really want to do that many sit-downs then I'd pay for WCC breakfast and Kona breakfast. I'd also try to narrow down your ADRs into a more definite plan and release the extras to those still looking for ADRs. Disney will not reimburse you for OOP meals if you have TS credits left over so you'll definitely want to have a more formalized plan before you start paying for meals.

 

[LoriFromBama]

Wow! That's a lot of table-service meals! That would be far too much time in restaurants for me, but everyone's different, right?

If you really want to do that many sit-downs then I'd pay for WCC breakfast and Kona breakfast. I'd also try to narrow down your ADRs into a more definite plan and release the extras to those still looking for ADRs. Disney will not reimburse you for OOP meals if you have TS credits left over so you'll definitely want to have a more formalized plan before you start paying for meals.

Thanks for the suggestion on Kona and WCC. I know I could research the prices online for each to figure out the cheapest but I was hoping someone might know without me having to do that. I understand you think it's a lot of TS meals, but to us it's not and we fully plan on using them. We want to get the most out of the DxDP and with a 1, 5, an d 6 year old, we like having the break to sit down and cool off. I definitely do not have extras booked that we don't intend on using just for the sake of having the adr's. I wouldn't do that. Trust me. I've been "formalizing" and "formalizing" this plan for months! But just like any trip, things come up and there may be one we don't make, but it's not pre-planned that way.

 

[beroh2253]

H & V breakfast & Crystal palace breakfast. Buffets are the least expensive breakfast, lunch then dinner buffets should be the order of least to more expensive buffets.
Check them out
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

What part of Alabama are you from Lori? We live in Tuscaloosa?

 

[DisneyWisher]

I say pay OOP for CS. Most CS desserts aren't very good anyway. You could ask for water to help break down the costs (especially at AK, it feels so much hotter there than the other parks) Also snack credits can be used toward drinks. Here is the menu for Toy Story Pizza. There I would buy a few pizzas and share, if you need more you call always get more. http://allears.net/menu/men_tspp.htm (dessert is a cookie or rice crispy treat) Even if you ordered a large coke, pepperoni pizza with side salad, and rice crispy treat the most it comes to is $14.25 including tax, the kids pizza is $5.32 and it comes with the drink and with 2 choices of grapes, applesauce or cookie.

 

[Sandy321]

I'm not sure i understand why you want to pay OOP for a TS restaurant and not pay OOP for a CS?

also on the 28th and 29th you have the CS planned - in between a TS Breakfast and a TS Dinner - on DXDP dont you get 2 snacks a day? for your lunch you could do a snack -

good luck - it all works out!!

 

[pooch]

All those meals plus 2 snacks each per day!! I'd explode!!!!! Not to mention the time involved. You're easily giving up 3-4 hrs per day to eat. I get the DxDDP when you have a lot of 2 credit meals but 3 Disney sized meals per day is, well, a lot of food.

 

[LoriFromBama]

What part of Alabama are you from Lori? We live in Tuscaloosa?

About an hour east of bham- Oxford. Roll Tide

 

[LoriFromBama]

All those meals plus 2 snacks each per day!! I'd explode!!!!! Not to mention the time involved. You're easily giving up 3-4 hrs per day to eat. I get the DxDDP when you have a lot of 2 credit meals but 3 Disney sized meals per day is, well, a lot of food.

Just because we eat 3 meals a day doesn't mean we eat like pigs until we explode Like I said before, this works for us. If you look, we aren't eating 3 TS meals every day. One day is at Epcot where with our three little ones ages 5, 6, and 1, we don't need or want a full day to explore the park so we chose to do 3 TS meals. The other day, 10/1 is our "off" day where we will just spend a few hours in MK that morning and hang out at WL, our resort, the rest of the day. Regardless, I simply wanted to know if anyone could tell me which TS meal was the cheapest if we had to pay out of pocket.

 

[LoriFromBama]

I'm not sure i understand why you want to pay OOP for a TS restaurant and not pay OOP for a CS?

also on the 28th and 29th you have the CS planned - in between a TS Breakfast and a TS Dinner - on DXDP dont you get 2 snacks a day? for your lunch you could do a snack -

good luck - it all works out!!

It's not that we wouldn't pay OOP for the CS but rather a TS. If you add them up, we have 19 credits worth of TS meals scheduled not counting the CS meals and we get 18 per person for the week. And yes, you are correct, we will probably skip a CS meals or two and just use snacks. That's simply just a rough plan.

 

[LoriFromBama]

H & V breakfast & Crystal palace breakfast. Buffets are the least expensive breakfast, lunch then dinner buffets should be the order of least to more expensive buffets.
Check them out
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

Thank you! I checked out all the prices and it seems (apart from WCC and Kona which is hard to gauge the price without knowing what everyone will be ordering), CP, lilo and stitch breakfast, and biergarten lunch buffet are all the cheapest.

 

[Jeanieblue114]

If you , as you put it, don't eat like pigs, then I would pay OOP for the meals where you end up ordering just an entree or an appetizer and aren't interested in a dessert, etc.

You don't have to tell Disney that you are paying OOP until you are there and paying, so, when you sit down and if you plan on not ordering too much food for that meal, pay OOP for that meal.

If you always order apps, entree, and desserts regardless of your hunger level, then the buffet meals would be the cheapest as the pp said. Breakfast buffets the cheapest, then lunch buffets, then dinner buffets.

If you are only ordering an entree for each person or skipping desserts, etc. Then paying for that particular meal OOP might be cheaper than a buffet. I find it really hard to believe that everyone in your group is going to order an app, entree, and dessert 3 times a day plus eat 2 snacks. So, I'm certain you will have TS meals where people aren't really ordering much of anything....100% positive.

Btw, have you been to Disney before or tried the dining plan?
I have friends who went for the first time last fall, 2 Adults, 2 kids and they got the Deluxe. They enjoyed it, but they said they threw away an enormous amount of food and they even tossed in a couple of 2 Credit meals, ordered pizza to use credits, and bought meals for people who were next to them in line at CS places to use them up.

Just wondering if you have tried the plan before?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Kona for breakfast would be one of your lesser expensive meals. At breakfast you get an entree, juice and another beverage. Even ordering the most expensive entree, I'm doubting it would be as much as a breakfast buffet.

I'd also say LTT for lunch for the simple reason, it's your last meal. If for some reason you didn't make your reservation, you'd have a leftover credit that may go unused.

 

[LoriFromBama]

If you , as you put it, don't eat like pigs, then I would pay OOP for the meals where you end up ordering just an entree or an appetizer and aren't interested in a dessert, etc.

You don't have to tell Disney that you are paying OOP until you are there and paying, so, when you sit down and if you plan on not ordering too much food for that meal, pay OOP for that meal.

If you always order apps, entree, and desserts regardless of your hunger level, then the buffet meals would be the cheapest as the pp said. Breakfast buffets the cheapest, then lunch buffets, then dinner buffets.

If you are only ordering an entree for each person or skipping desserts, etc. Then paying for that particular meal OOP might be cheaper than a buffet. I find it really hard to believe that everyone in your group is going to order an app, entree, and dessert 3 times a day plus eat 2 snacks. So, I'm certain you will have TS meals where people aren't really ordering much of anything....100% positive.

Btw, have you been to Disney before or tried the dining plan?
I have friends who went for the first time last fall, 2 Adults, 2 kids and they got the Deluxe. They enjoyed it, but they said they threw away an enormous amount of food and they even tossed in a couple of 2 Credit meals, ordered pizza to use credits, and bought meals for people who were next to them in line at CS places to use them up.

Just wondering if you have tried the plan before?

We have been to Disney before (only once actually) and we did the DxDP. We did several signature dining experiences plus we were grand gathering and opted to do several grand gathering experiences that cost 2 TS credits as well. We simply enjoy the break of a TS meal and plus with our young ones, we liked packing in as many character meals as we could. We felt like we saved a lot of time from standing in character meet and greet lines. Anyway.. with that being said, thank you for you insight. I hadn't really thought of it that way. That really helps!

Oh, and my comment about "eating like pigs" was me being a little sarcastic, but hopefully not rude. I was a little taken back by the opinions on how many meals our family would be eating when I simply just wanted to know which TS meal would theoretically be the cheapest.

 

[beroh2253]

I would be very careful not to pay OOP for too many meals early in the week just in case you find that this is way too much food and end up sharing some meals and then you would end up not using all of your credits during the week. I think that is what happens to many people with the snack credits when you hold onto them instead of using them thinking you will find something of better value then at the end of the week you have many to use up at the last minute.

 

[DominicaAnne]

Hi Lori! I would say you've got it right, the breakfasts are going to be the cheapest, but that was a good idea pp had about planning to pay OOP for your last meal. I've read other threads where people paid OOP earlier in the vacay then ended up not using all their credits. They spoke to the front desk when they checked out and were able to be reimbursed money paid for those meals and instead used up the leftover credits. Just keep this in mind in case it happens to you, you should be able to fix it when you check out. Have a great time!

 

[LoriFromBama]

Hi Lori! I would say you've got it right, the breakfasts are going to be the cheapest, but that was a good idea pp had about planning to pay OOP for your last meal. I've read other threads where people paid OOP earlier in the vacay then ended up not using all their credits. They spoke to the front desk when they checked out and were able to be reimbursed money paid for those meals and instead used up the leftover credits. Just keep this in mind in case it happens to you, you should be able to fix it when you check out. Have a great time!

Thanks for that info. I was thinking I was told something similar by a CM at WL last year but couldn't remember. Like the pp said, one our last trip we hoarded our snack credits like there was no tomorrow, scared to use them, and then ended up buying out the gift shop at our resort before we left with junk! lol. We will not make that mistake this trip! But waiting until the last meal is a good idea.

Thanks for all the help and ideas everyone!

 

[jjohnson]

I would be very careful not to pay OOP for too many meals early in the week just in case you find that this is way too much food and end up sharing some meals and then you would end up not using all of your credits during the week. I think that is what happens to many people with the snack credits when you hold onto them instead of using them thinking you will find something of better value then at the end of the week you have many to use up at the last minute.

This is exactly what I planned on posting. I would keep using the credits thru the week and see what is left toward the end. I think you will end up with a few extra to cover at least part if not all of your last meal at LTT.