Disney Deluxe Dining Plan Selections

[The Adventurer]

I am in the early planning stages of my next Walt Disney World Vacation. I haven't decided whether or not to go in October of 2009 or May of 2010. (The decision rests on whether or not I'll still be in school.) Anyway, I am going with my aunt who last took were in the mid 90s (alone!) and the late 70s (with my mother and grandparents). Both trips were to the Magic Kingdom. This trip will be the mother of all Disney trips. We are hoping to stay for ten days and we will be utilizing the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan. Here is a list of our selections thus far. We have left a lot of choices still because I figured you guys could shed some light on some of our decisions. Here is the full Itinerary:

Magic Kingdom One-Day Dining Itinerary

Magic Kingdom Day One:
Breakfast: A Buffet with Character at The Crystal Palace or the Once Upon A Time Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table
Lunch: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe or Columbia Harbour House
Dinner: The Plaza Restaurant or Tony's Town Square Restaurant

Magic Kingdom Day Two:
Breakfast: A Buffet with Character at The Crystal Palace or the Once Upon A Time Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table
Lunch: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe or Columbia Harbour House
Dinner: Goofy's Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern or Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare

Notes: I figured that breakfast at The Crystal Palace would be best for day one since my lunch and dinner selections are pre-fixed meals as oppossed to buffet style and the same reasoning can be applied to why I think it would be best to have Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast on day two. Am I Right? Also, of the quick-service meals at MK, Columbia Harbour House and Pecos Bill Cafe are my favorites. I would rather hit both instead of going to either Cosmic Ray's or Pinocchio's Village Haus mainly because the burgers are so good at Bill's and the atmosphere at Columbia Harbour House is more serene then at Ray's or Pinocchio's

Epcot One-Day Dining Itinerary

Day One:
Breakfast: Everything POP Shopping and Dining or a small breakfast in the room (i.e a granola bar and a banana, cereal, etc.)
Lunch: Sunshine Seasons, Chip 'N' Dale's Harvest Feast at The Garden Grill or the Coral Reef Restaurant
Dinner: Any one of the World Showcase Table-Service Restaurants

Day Two:
Breakfast: Everything POP Shopping and Dining or a small breakfast in the room (i.e. a granola bar and a banana, cereal, etc.)
Lunch: Any one of the World Showcase Table-Service Restaurants
Dinner: Sunshine Seasons, Chip 'N' Dale's Harvest Feast at The Garden Grill or the Coral Reef Restaurant

Note: I am having trouble deciding which three WS restaurants to eat at. If you had to choose three, which would you choose?

Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Dining Itinerary

Day One:
Breakfast: Everything POP Shopping and Dining or Starring Rolls Cafe
Lunch: 50's Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater or Hollywood & Vine
Dinner: Any one of the World Showcase Table-Service Restaurants

Day Two:
Breakfast: Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's Fun Time Buffet at Chef Mickey's or 'Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch.
Lunch: 50's Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater or Hollywood & Vine
Dinner: Sunset Ranch Market, Planet Hollywood, or Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant

Note: We are saving Fantasmic for our last night at the Studios and I do not plan to utilize the Fantasmic Dinner Package, which after two years of using it hasn't proven itself worth the money. I also do not plan on taking my business to Hollywood & Vine unless a major overhaul of the restaurant happens between now and the time I get there. If we choose to do a third table-service meal on day two at either Planet Hollywood or Raglan Road it would definately have to be a late dinner for sure and the character breakfast would have to be schedule way early.

Disney's Animal Kingdom One-Day Dining Itinerary

Day One:
Breakfast: Everything POP Shopping and Dining
Lunch: Yak & Yeti or Tusker House Restaurant
Dinner: Boma - Flavors of Africa or Whispering Canyon Cafe

Day Two:
Breakfast: Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House Restaurant
Lunch: Boma - Flavors of Africa or Whispering Canyon Cafe
Dinner: Flame Tree Barbecue or Rainforest Cafe

Note: Like the day before, if I did a third table-service meal on this day, it would definately be a late meal. I am also away that Rainforest Cafe is not on the DDP, but it is a tradition for me and even if that meant paying seperate it would be worth it.

Downtown Disney/Other One-Day Dining Itinerary

Day One:
Breakfast: Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's Fun Time Buffet at Chef Mickey's or 'Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch.
Lunch: FoodQuest, Wolfgang Puck Express or Earl of Sandwich
Dinner: Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue

Day Two:
Breakfast:Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's Fun Time Buffet at Chef Mickey's or 'Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch
Lunch: Earl of Sandwich, Wolfgang Puck Express, or Cap'n Jack's Restaurant
Dinner: Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare

Note: Ran out of options on that last one. Is the Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner good enough to warrant a return trip to 1900 Park Fare or is there another dining selection I missed? I also realize that I would have to give four meals up (since we are doing breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table and the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue). One of those meals would be on whichever day we choose to go to Rainforest Cafe and the other three would most likely be on the days we chose our resort's food court over outside dining. Please feel free to leave any advice. I have used the DP once, but I am still no expert. Most of these restaurants I have never been to myself. :king:

 

[abbeysmom]

Sounds like you are going to be doing so yummy eating!!! As for the WS choices I would definately get my reservations in early for Le Cellier in Canada. (I might even pick it twice) This place is awesome and fills up so quick it's crazy. Right now they are completely booked for lunch and dinner through October. My other choice would be San Angel Inn. I know some people hate this place but hubby and I have never had a bad experience or meal here. But of course you would have to like Mexican fare to enjoy it. Other than that the only place we have eaten in the WS is Germany and Japan and they were just OK to us.... None of them are bad, just some are better than others but it is all what people like. Enjoy!!!

 

[tomm4004]

If I was going to spend $70 per day on food (isn't that about what the Deluxe plan costs?), I would eat at nice places such as Jiko, Citricos, Brown Derby, Artist Point, etc.

Breakfast at Crystal Palace - $19
Lunch at Pecos Bill - Burger - $8, Dessert - $4, Beverage - $2 - Total: $14
Dinner at Tony's - Soup - $6, Seafood - $23, Dessert - $6, Drink - $2 - Total: $37

Total: $70

Same cost, except maybe for tax. ( I can't imagine two snacks on top of this). I guess you can get the steak and come out ahead, but do DDP users have steak every night? That's the impression I get since so many say that they order the most expensive thing on the menu.

For me, for example:

Dinner at Jiko: Flatbread: $9, Scallops: $29, Dessert: $8. Total: $46
Breakfast: Mickey waffle at the Captain's Grille: $9

This leaves me $15 for lunch, which is easy since we usually split something at a counter service because the portions are so huge.

And we don't want to eat a big meal every night, but I guess some people do. But it's a shame to spend that much money on food (much more than we do over the course of a trip) and never eat at the really good places.

But eating is such an individual thing that in the end it's impossible to comment on other peoples' choices. Just go and eat where you like and enjoy.

 

[dandaman]

I guess you can get the steak and come out ahead, but do DDP users have steak every night? That's the impression I get since so many say that they order the most expensive thing on the menu.

I ordered it at almost every table service we had... in 2006, our Concourse Steakhouse bill for 4 people (for free) was $202. :lookaroun

Because almost every time no one could eat a full meal for themselves in my family (i.e. using 4 credits), we usually used 2 or 3 credits and split the meals. Worked wonders, still filled us up every time, and we still got to eat at every place we wanted.

Regarding the OP: The only issue that some people might have with your choices is spending two days at Animal Kingdom.

 

[tomm4004]

Because almost every time no one could eat a full meal for themselves in my family (i.e. using 4 credits), we usually used 2 or 3 credits and split the meals. Worked wonders, still filled us up every time, and we still got to eat at every place we wanted.

So you're allowed to go in with four people, order two entrees, two desserts, share, and only use two credits?

 

[PoohBear119]

As for World Showcase Rest.: I would go with Le Ceiler (Canada), Japan (Hibachi) and Rose and Crown.

As a few others have said, make sure you take full advantage of your dining plan or else it won't be worth while... try California Grill with a view of Wishes!

 

[Mickey&Minnie]

I hate to say this but some of your restaurants aren't even going to exist after the first of this year.

And I agree with tomm4004, if you are going to pay for the ddp treat yourself with some spectacular restaurants. Eat as many two as you can fit in and ditch the counter service. You are paying for it so eat big.

 

[dandaman]

So you're allowed to go in with four people, order two entrees, two desserts, share, and only use two credits?

Indeed. Our usual sit-down meal was a 3-credit deal; usually it's my dad that has the Li'l Bit O' Each Special. :lol:

One time, for example, we went to ESPN Club at the Boardwalk and we used two credits for two full platters, one creme brulee (Dulce de leche? Cheesecake? Whatever they serve)... and I got a Superbowl Sundae all to myself. Still counted as the dessert portion of one meal, even though it cost twice as much as either of their entrees. :drevil: