2 Credits! Yay or Nay.

[real mad hatter]

Good Morning Folks..Now we love our " best bang for our bucks " so when it comes to fine dining I don't have any problem using two credits for a gastronomic adventure where my taste buds are going into orgasmic overdrive ( think Ive swallowed a dictionary for breakfast ) So where in WDW is your favourite 2 credit and where has been your worse ? Opinions please.

 

[zurgandfriend]

I have eaten at all of the following signature restaurants on or off the dinning plan.

Best,Yachtsman, Jiko, California Grill and Citrico's and Shula's (not on the plan)
Worst , well I have eaten at le Cellier and Brown Derby that are okay but not "signature" IMHO.

 

[real mad hatter]

Yeh,loved Jiko & Cali Grill,both awesome,but my experience at Le Cellier was disappointing

 

[Phonedave]

In my opinion, nothing at WDW is "worth" 2 credits. Allow me to explain. When you are on the DDP you are stuck using "credits" as your means of payment (as opposed to cents with real money). Lets say the average non-signature table service costs $50 per person. Then a credit is "worth" $50. Now you go to a signature. Is the meal there double the cost of the non-signature? Is it $100 per person, no it is more on the order of $75. But, you canoot pay 1.5 credits for it, you need to pay 2. You are wasting the value of the credits.

In my opinion there is no signature restaruant on property in the DDP that is worth twice what a not-signature is worth.

I also don't agree with any of them being a "gastronomic adventure where my taste buds are going into orgasmic overdrive " but I will say California Grill and Artist Point and two of my favorites. (AP has slipped a bit though)


-dave

 

[Allygator]

We only had Narccoossee's which was delicious. Yeah we did CRT and HDDR but I think you're paying more for the entertainment than the food. Next year we are going to try Yachtman's.

 

[jlsHouston]

I have only done 2 meals that required 2 credits.. Flying Fish and the Mickeys BBQ which might not qualify since it is a dinner show. I liked it the least, but not because I didn't like the meal, which was all you could eat barbeque. It was extremely crowded, and it was in July and it is in an outside pavillion and it was hot. Sweating while eating is just not my thing... and I love Flying Fish, ate their paying cash and ate there on the deluxe dining plan.

 

[awesomeinabox]

If we are talking about what is a great meal then by all means choose anywhere... but if you are asking what is monetarily worth 2 table service credits then @Phonedave has given me an idea... what does one TS credit really "cost". If it's $55 a day for the dining plan, and on average you get a QS and snack, let's say the QS is $15 (chicken sandwich and fries with some pop and a dessert) and then there is another $2.50 for your snack during the day. That leaves ABOUT $38 for your TS meal. $3 would be your drink, and $5 would be your dessert so your entree itself would be $30. (Of course this changes if you always get ribs for lunch or whatnot, I just picked a middle of the road meal) The question you should ask is what restaurant would you be willing to pay $76 for. I looked at all of the menus and here is what I came up with. I am not saying you should base your double dining credit on the cost but it is really interesting to look at.

DISCLAIMER: There were no prix fix menus on file so I didn't check those, there is a chance that a prix fix meal MAY break $76


Narcoossees. Several meals break $76, but if you are used to eating lobster and fish it isn't much of a culinary stretch for you.
Citricos. Few meals break $76, when given the choice Narcoossees is a better place with a more sophisticated menu
Yachtsman Steakhouse. Few meals break $76, namely the surf and turf and porterhouse.

Cali Grill. Although great tasting there is no way you can break $76.
Artists Point. No meal will break $76. If you are looking for "American" style food this is very west coast american. (I enjoyed the Scallops)
Jiko. No meal will break $76. Everything looks really interesting though.
Brown Derby. Nothing breaks $76... here's my thing with the Brown Derby, if you want to eat there then go to Dine with an Imagineer, it's about $110 per person but is an amazing experience.
Le Cellier. Nothing breaks $76. I've never had a bad dish there and love it.
Flying Fish. No meal breaks $76. If you like fish, then I'd hit this up, if not pass.


After doing this I actually think I am going to change my Cellier reservation to Narcoosses, the menu is fantastic.

 

[real mad hatter]

Hmmm.Interesting views here..And I can accept people's tastes are all different,and also dave's view on 2 credits.But what if its Free dining plan? Anyway my taste buds were orgasmic when I tasted my " spicy Kazan sushi " at Cali Grill.The combination of salmon & ginger was a revelation,then again my father in law was eating a chicken dish at a restaurant in our town and replied over the table." This fish is superb "

 

[sgtmgd]

Good Morning Folks..Now we love our " best bang for our bucks " so when it comes to fine dining I don't have any problem using two credits for a gastronomic adventure where my taste buds are going into orgasmic overdrive ( think Ive swallowed a dictionary for breakfast ) So where in WDW is your favourite 2 credit and where has been your worse ? Opinions please.

BIG SURPRISE here "Yachtsman Steakhouse" Absolute favorite! The Luau at Poly...Im not sure Id pay 2 credits for this again..Ive seen the show twice but the food is served "family style" and the menu is limited..and while good...NOT great by any means..I like the Luau as a once every several year type of thing...but Id probaly not use the 2 credits again...also the seating using the Dining plan is not Ideal

 

[disney magic 06]

When I have DDP it's always free dining and I don't really consider the monetary value to be important. So what if certain dishes are a few dollars cheaper- I have whatever appeals to me most. As for the 2 credit meals, I see it as an opportunity to try places I'm not sure about and wouldn't want to risk spending many dollars on "blind". Also it's a chance to try new dishes - if they're not to my taste, no worries, I'll fill the gap with ice cream

 

[Tinkerbell 8]

We just got back from free dining, I upgraded it to the deluxe plan so we could eat at a signature every night and it was well worth it, every night our bill was over $200 and we love food so it was the way to go for us. On that note, my favorite signatures are: Jiko, California Grill, Yachtsman, Artist Point, Narcossee's.

 

[rufio]

The only 2 credit meal I've been to was Brown Derby and in my opinion, it was totally worth it. We did the Fantasmic package so we got appetizer to. My fiance LOVED the steak! I loved everything about my meal

 

[Mukta]

Artist Point has my favorite appetizer, the smoky portobello soup.
Jiko had the best theme and wine pairing.
Cali Grill has the best view. Food is delicious also, but the fireworks from that vantage give me goosebumps
Citricos had the best food and service.
Narcoossee's had great food, but it didn't appeal to me overall
Yachtsman Steakhouse had the most incredible dessert and great ambiance.
Brown Derby was a great in park restaurant, but not the best signature.
Le Cellier was not 2 points when I ate there, but I enjoyed it. I wouldn't spend 2 points on it though.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

In my opinion, nothing at WDW is "worth" 2 credits. Allow me to explain. When you are on the DDP you are stuck using "credits" as your means of payment (as opposed to cents with real money). Lets say the average non-signature table service costs $50 per person. Then a credit is "worth" $50. Now you go to a signature. Is the meal there double the cost of the non-signature? Is it $100 per person, no it is more on the order of $75. But, you canoot pay 1.5 credits for it, you need to pay 2. You are wasting the value of the credits.

In my opinion there is no signature restaruant on property in the DDP that is worth twice what a not-signature is worth.

I also don't agree with any of them being a "gastronomic adventure where my taste buds are going into orgasmic overdrive " but I will say California Grill and Artist Point and two of my favorites. (AP has slipped a bit though)


-dave

I totally agree, and it's one of the reasons we never use a dining plan. Another is that even with two credits to use, the standard plan would still exclude much of what we would want to eat. I couldn't recommend that Hatter spend two credits on going to Jiko, my favorite WDW restaurant, for instance. When we go there, we ignore the entrée and dessert sections of the menu, but split a few appetizers between us. The dining plan wouldn't let us do that.

Tonight we're having our second "progressive dinner" of the trip. We'll start with some kind of appetizer or salad at the Cabana Bar at the Dolphin, then go to Shula's lounge for another appetizer, then finish up at Bluezoo's lounge with something from their pub menu. That's another thing we could never do on the dining plan.

 

[PhilharMagician]

I agree with Phonedave. The value is not there in the DDP when used on 2 credit meals. If you want to go to a signature restaurant, then I would advise that you pay cash for the meal and maybe use the the credits to have a TS breakfast and dinner in the same day during your trip.

 

[ShookieJones]

Alright let me grab my calculator and spread sheet....

No offense to the analytic minds around here, but I'm guessing Hatter isn't here to discuss the merit's of the dining plan, but rather have a 'fun' topic about what's 'worth' using your dining credits for based on a pure deliciousness factor. If my guess is right, I'll play along:

Yachtsman and Cali Grill - Definitely Worth it, and I'd do these both again in a NY minute.

Narcoossee's - we only sampled the filet and lobster at our table - although by no stretch of the imagination a bad meal, not that much better than any surf and turf I can get around here. So I wouldn't do that one again.

 

[tracyandalex]

We have never used the dining plan, but here is my opinion on the signatures we have eaten. Thumbs up to Jiko, Yachtsman, and CRT dinner. The ones that were over rated - Le Cellier and CRT breakfast

 

[real mad hatter]

Alright let me grab my calculator and spread sheet....

No offense to the analytic minds around here, but I'm guessing Hatter isn't here to discuss the merit's of the dining plan, but rather have a 'fun' topic about what's 'worth' using your dining credits for based on a pure deliciousness factor. If my guess is right, I'll play along:

Yachtsman and Cali Grill - Definitely Worth it, and I'd do these both again in a NY minute.

Narcoossee's - we only sampled the filet and lobster at our table - although by no stretch of the imagination a bad meal, not that much better than any surf and turf I can get around here. So I wouldn't do that one again.

Spot on Shookie. Iam just asking what people think when it comes to the 2 credit experience.

 

[real mad hatter]

I totally agree, and it's one of the reasons we never use a dining plan. Another is that even with two credits to use, the standard plan would still exclude much of what we would want to eat. I couldn't recommend that Hatter spend two credits on going to Jiko, my favorite WDW restaurant, for instance. When we go there, we ignore the entrée and dessert sections of the menu, but split a few appetizers between us. The dining plan wouldn't let us do that.

Tonight we're having our second "progressive dinner" of the trip. We'll start with some kind of appetizer or salad at the Cabana Bar at the Dolphin, then go to Shula's lounge for another appetizer, then finish up at Bluezoo's lounge with something from their pub menu. That's another thing we could never do on the dining plan.

Jiko was awesome,we payed cash because we were on the QS free dining plan.

 

[Phonedave]

I totally agree, and it's one of the reasons we never use a dining plan. Another is that even with two credits to use, the standard plan would still exclude much of what we would want to eat. I couldn't recommend that Hatter spend two credits on going to Jiko, my favorite WDW restaurant, for instance. When we go there, we ignore the entrée and dessert sections of the menu, but split a few appetizers between us. The dining plan wouldn't let us do that.

Tonight we're having our second "progressive dinner" of the trip. We'll start with some kind of appetizer or salad at the Cabana Bar at the Dolphin, then go to Shula's lounge for another appetizer, then finish up at Bluezoo's lounge with something from their pub menu. That's another thing we could never do on the dining plan.

I never use them either because the lack of flexibility does not work with me either. But even if the DDP is a perfect fir for you, I am still of the opinion that no restaruant in the plan is worth 2 credits.

-dave