Diet? What diet? A countdown: 18 TS restaurants on TIW card...#1 on pg. 18!

[bangzoom6877]

So sorry to hear about your sisters dog. Since my husband and I never had any children my dogs have always been my kids. I only have dj left.
Your reviews are the best I have ever read. I cant tell you how much I enjoyed them. The pictures are awesome. We leave in 12 days and have chosen a couple of the same places to eat and now after your reviews I am glad I picked them. We are try mostly places this year that we have never eaten at before. I have to tell you that I am returning to weight watchers when we come home. Once again thanks for the great reviews.

Thanks for the kind words regarding my sister's dog. My sister is doing better, and we all went back to work today (kids come back to school tomorrow), so she is more occupied now which is good for her.

Thanks for the compliments about my reviews! And I completely understand about returning to Weight Watchers! Your trip is so close, you must be so excited!

Just found your Review yesterday and I have been glued to the computer to finish it last night and this evening. I was glad to see your #1 ranking of the Biergarten!! DH and I love that place too, we had gone there for the first time on our last trip in 2004 (DH's 1st trip) it was all he could talk about whenever we talked about planning and making our ADR's for the trip we just took in May. His Mom is Pennsylvania Dutch and German, and his Dad was German too so he is used to a lot of that type of food. His mom apparently makes a pretty good Sauerbraten (which I will never taste because she uses Venison and I just can't do it! LOL) and even though it is different meat he says the Sauerbraten there is very close.

So sorry about your sister's Dog, I know how you feel, My brother had to put his (15 year old) yellow lab down in May (the day after we got home from our trip) and I was a wreck! Pets become such a part of the family, it's hard when we have to let them go.

Glad you finished reading my reviews, and it's very nice that you enjoyed them! Yes...we absolutely LOVE Biergarten. I can't imagine a trip to WDW without going there! My mom still talks about that place...she said she can't wait to eat there again. They're planning to come back to WDW with us again in July 2012, and she is already talking about planning to eat dinner there again!

Wow, your DH's mom is German AND PA Dutch? So lucky!! What a great combo of foods! I love going to Lancaster, PA mainly for the food there. It is so amazing!!! And those people sure know how to bake better than anyone!

Thanks for the kind words about my sister's dog. I agree that they become a very important part of the family. I felt like she was my niece and I really miss her. When my sister first got her, I was in my senior year of college. Every time I would come home on break, once I left to go back to school, I would think about the dog all the time and I missed her so much!

 

[jmm476]

Just got back from my trip late Monday night, and as promised I ordered the same meal at Kouzzina that you had. That Kouzzina trio is amazing!!! I couldn't even come close to finishing it though and I had no room for dessert. My friend ordered the baklava but I didn't try it. I couldn't even take a bite of my birthday cupcake! I think my stomach has shrunk.

I also loved Biergarten, although I was feeling very sick when we showed up to the reservation. The potato leek soup was sooo good and it made my stomach feel a little bit better. I wish I hadn't been sick, because I would have enjoyed it that much more! There was a lot on the buffet I didn't try though, so I'll have to go back on a future trip!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Just got back from my trip late Monday night, and as promised I ordered the same meal at Kouzzina that you had. That Kouzzina trio is amazing!!! I couldn't even come close to finishing it though and I had no room for dessert. My friend ordered the baklava but I didn't try it. I couldn't even take a bite of my birthday cupcake! I think my stomach has shrunk.

I also loved Biergarten, although I was feeling very sick when we showed up to the reservation. The potato leek soup was sooo good and it made my stomach feel a little bit better. I wish I hadn't been sick, because I would have enjoyed it that much more! There was a lot on the buffet I didn't try though, so I'll have to go back on a future trip!

Hi!! I'm so glad that you enjoyed Kouzzina too! Aren't all the flavors in the trio just wonderful? It is a lot of food though! Glad you enjoyed Kouzzina. I personally think it is a gem and it will now become a tradition for us to eat there on every trip...it helps that BWV is our home resort so Kouzzina is convenient!

I'm so sorry that you felt so sick on the day you went to Biergarten. It's definitely no fun being sick on vacation. But, I'm glad the potato soup helped you. I never tried the soup there, I guess that is something I will have to do on our next trip! The thing is, we go during the summer and it is so hot that soup is not the first thing on my mind (except the cold strawberry soup at 1900 PF of course! ). They definitely have a ton of food there, still plenty of things I haven't even tried yet even though we ate there twice already. I can't help it...when it comes to German food, I have my old favorites I just can't pass up! Then I have just enough room for dessert and I HAVE to make sure I have some of that!

 

[jmm476]

Hi!! I'm so glad that you enjoyed Kouzzina too! Aren't all the flavors in the trio just wonderful? It is a lot of food though! Glad you enjoyed Kouzzina. I personally think it is a gem and it will now become a tradition for us to eat there on every trip...it helps that BWV is our home resort so Kouzzina is convenient!

I'm so sorry that you felt so sick on the day you went to Biergarten. It's definitely no fun being sick on vacation. But, I'm glad the potato soup helped you. I never tried the soup there, I guess that is something I will have to do on our next trip! The thing is, we go during the summer and it is so hot that soup is not the first thing on my mind (except the cold strawberry soup at 1900 PF of course! ). They definitely have a ton of food there, still plenty of things I haven't even tried yet even though we ate there twice already. I can't help it...when it comes to German food, I have my old favorites I just can't pass up! Then I have just enough room for dessert and I HAVE to make sure I have some of that!

Yes, that Greek lasagna is amazing, I'd never had anything like it, but I could eat it everyday it's so good! My DBFF mentioned she was nervous about eating there because they have such great Greek food in New York City where she lives. I told her about your review and it made her feel better as we were walking in, and then once we started eating, she was very happy! I will definitely be returning to Kouzzina. I'm kind of jealous that it's so convenient from your "home" - we had to transfer at Downtown Disney to get home that night because all the parks were closed. But it worked out well, since our Pop bus was right next to the Boardwalk bus dropping us off and we didn't have to wait at all!

It was really hot the day we were at Biergarten, which was part of why I was sick. It was so hot, I didn't want to eat all day and I had dehydrated myself because I was too excited on arrival day to remember to drink liquids (except a margarita from Mexico of course, which didn't help! ). I guess it turned out to be a good thing that my stomach was bothering me, otherwise I never would have reached for that soup. And I'm so glad I did because I'm still thinking about how good it was! My friend really enjoyed the desserts there, I was sorry I didn't try any.

 

[Simba22]

just subbing so i can go back and catch up! I started reading yesterday and got to #13 so I'm looking forward to reading the rest! Love your reviews!

 

[Mickeyfollowers]

I have been reading your trip report then got behind on it and started reading and then read your post about your sister's dog. This made me cry like a baby because I know how you and she feel about this lost.

I have had pugs in my family since I was a teenager. Our First pug past away at the age of 14 of old age. Second Pug we got from a rescue shealter and she passed away from some medical issues that she got from where she was negleted. Then before I got married my parents and I got two black pugs from the same litter. My Mom was going through kemo for Non-Hopkins lyphomia and her dog got sick and found out she had cancer and they had to put her to sleep, this broke my Mom's heart. Eight months later Oct 2009 my Mom lost her battle with cancer, to this day it is still not easy. My Pug, Bandit who was 12 yrs old had cancer and got really bad three months ago and I had to put him to sleep. So you see why I say I can relate to your lose and I am very sorry for that and will keep your Sister in my thoughts.

By the way your trip report is great.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Yes, that Greek lasagna is amazing, I'd never had anything like it, but I could eat it everyday it's so good! My DBFF mentioned she was nervous about eating there because they have such great Greek food in New York City where she lives. I told her about your review and it made her feel better as we were walking in, and then once we started eating, she was very happy! I will definitely be returning to Kouzzina. I'm kind of jealous that it's so convenient from your "home" - we had to transfer at Downtown Disney to get home that night because all the parks were closed. But it worked out well, since our Pop bus was right next to the Boardwalk bus dropping us off and we didn't have to wait at all!

It was really hot the day we were at Biergarten, which was part of why I was sick. It was so hot, I didn't want to eat all day and I had dehydrated myself because I was too excited on arrival day to remember to drink liquids (except a margarita from Mexico of course, which didn't help! ). I guess it turned out to be a good thing that my stomach was bothering me, otherwise I never would have reached for that soup. And I'm so glad I did because I'm still thinking about how good it was! My friend really enjoyed the desserts there, I was sorry I didn't try any.

Yes, that Greek lasagna is wonderful!! They have it available as a solo entree too, as well as the cinnamon stewed chicken. But, I like having the variety of both of those plus the lamb burger. I thought all these had excellent flavors and complemented each other quite nicely. And yes, I know we are lucky to have it right at our DVC home! I would like to try breakfast there someday, but right now whenever we go out to breakfast at Disney, we go to character buffets for the kids. Next trip we want to venture out a little and have breakfast at Kona one morning because of their unique offerings and because of how much we love their coffee. So I don't know if we will get to Kouzzina for breakfast just yet, because most mornings we just eat in the villa.

I can definitely relate to very hot days at WDW. We go in the summer, and it is very hot, and I am always nervous about the boys staying hydrated. Lucky for us, they both drink lots of water anyway, so it is not a problem getting them to drink when we know they need it. So, they drink water throughout the day and juice at the restaurants. DH and I also drink lots of water normally at home, and we continue to do that at WDW. The heat can really get to you, and yes that can make you feel sick. But definitely try Biergarten again...the desserts are awesome, just like your friend said!

just subbing so i can go back and catch up! I started reading yesterday and got to #13 so I'm looking forward to reading the rest! Love your reviews!

Thank you!! Let me know what you think of the rest of them!

I have been reading your trip report then got behind on it and started reading and then read your post about your sister's dog. This made me cry like a baby because I know how you and she feel about this lost.

I have had pugs in my family since I was a teenager. Our First pug past away at the age of 14 of old age. Second Pug we got from a rescue shealter and she passed away from some medical issues that she got from where she was negleted. Then before I got married my parents and I got two black pugs from the same litter. My Mom was going through kemo for Non-Hopkins lyphomia and her dog got sick and found out she had cancer and they had to put her to sleep, this broke my Mom's heart. Eight months later Oct 2009 my Mom lost her battle with cancer, to this day it is still not easy. My Pug, Bandit who was 12 yrs old had cancer and got really bad three months ago and I had to put him to sleep. So you see why I say I can relate to your lose and I am very sorry for that and will keep your Sister in my thoughts.

By the way your trip report is great.

Thank you so much for sharing all of that with me. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. She is not suffering though, and I am certain that she is in a better place. Thank you for keeping my sister in your thoughts. She is doing a little better each day, but it is very hard for her. Today was a week since the dog passed away. I was at my sister's house today for the first time since last week, and it felt strange without Pugsleigh there. I paid extra attention to her younger pug and made a big deal of her. It still felt weird to only see one pug there and not both of them. Thanks again for your concern, I really appreciate it.

 

[Simba22]

Just caught up and loved all of your reviews!

We have eaten at a few of the places you reviewed, a few we are trying this year for the first time (50's and Cape May breakfast) and I'm already looking forward to trying Sanaa, Kouzzina, and 1900 Park Fare on our return trip in 2011! Thanks for writing all of these!!

ETA:
My thoughts and prayers go out to your family I'm a big animal-person and I know how hard it is. We lost one of our babies in June and it still hurts.

 

[padawans]

I love your reviews. We are not DvC members but I have a 1bdr reserved at BWV for next spring. I've been debating about upgrading my pass to an Ap and buying a TIW. This year we did the dxdp so I'm anxious to see how this worked out for you financially.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Just caught up and loved all of your reviews!

We have eaten at a few of the places you reviewed, a few we are trying this year for the first time (50's and Cape May breakfast) and I'm already looking forward to trying Sanaa, Kouzzina, and 1900 Park Fare on our return trip in 2011! Thanks for writing all of these!!

ETA:
My thoughts and prayers go out to your family I'm a big animal-person and I know how hard it is. We lost one of our babies in June and it still hurts.

Thanks so much for your kind words. Animals are family members too and it is very hard to lose them. I'm sorry for your loss as well.

I love your reviews. We are not DvC members but I have a 1bdr reserved at BWV for next spring. I've been debating about upgrading my pass to an Ap and buying a TIW. This year we did the dxdp so I'm anxious to see how this worked out for you financially.

Let's just say that it worked out well for us! It all depends on your eating habits. I will go through it in detail though, and that might help you decide!

You are going to love the 1-BR at BWV! The resort is wonderful, it's great to have all the extra space, and it is very nice having a balcony!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi everyone! I feel like my posts are slowing down here on the DIS...I started work again on Tuesday, DS5 started Kindergarten on Wednesday, DS3 went back to nursery school Wednesday, then we had Thursday and Friday off for Rosh Hashana, and I have been busy doing family things ever since! Yesterday we went apple picking (upstate NY, about a 2-hour drive from Brooklyn), and we got some wonderful apples (honey crisp...yummo!!), pears, tomatoes and concord grapes! I tried the concord grapes this morning and I didn't really like them...a little sour, plus the seeds were hard to get out. A little bit of a disappointment because they smelled so sweet! But I had a pear too, and it was delicious!! Fresh and sweet! DH had a honey crisp apple yesterday...all of a sudden we noticed him eating one of the apples we had bought...he got this cute look on his face and said, "Oh my goodness...these are to die for!" Never in my life have I seen DH so excited over a piece of fruit! He is not as into food as I am...he LOVES to eat, but he wouldn't call himself a "foodie". It is very rare for me to see him react this way to any food, and a first for an apple!

Anyway...back to reviewing! I am going to talk about our lunch at Cosmic Rays, at MK. DH, the boys and I had been to Cosmic Ray's on our 2008 trip, and we remembered it being very good. Plus, it has plenty of indoor seating, which is a bonus on a hot day! After arriving at MK for EMH that morning, and after going to all the attractions we had planned (the rest of the family was with us too...so there were 10 of us), we were ready for lunch right after we took the kids on Big Thunder Mountain. So we walked back into Tomorrowland, and got to Cosmic Ray's at about 11:15am. There were plenty of tables, very short lines, this was great!! They have some entertainment (audio animatronic, very cute!), so we took some tables facing that, but close to the food area as well for convenience.

Everyone enjoyed their food at Cosmic Ray's! They have quite a nice variety there. DH and I both felt like eating something light, since we had been walking around for over 3 hours already at that point. So, he got the grilled chicken sandwich with fries. He said it was very good, a basic chicken sandwich, and good quality. The boys got their usual kids' meals (can't remember exactly what right now ), and I got a kids' meal as well! Hey, I said I wanted something light! I ended up getting the kids' turkey sandwich, with french fries and grapes. The turkey was very fresh, and I added some lettuce, tomato and mustard to it from the topping bar. It was on a wheat bun, and was actually the perfect size sandwich for me! It satisfied me, but I was not overly full, and this was the exact goal! The fries were good, and nice and hot. The grapes were very sweet and delicious, very refreshing!

My mom got a wrap sandwich, which we discovered that we could have easily shared...we will do this next time we are there together! She was only able to eat half of it, but she said it was delicious. My dad got a burger and he loved it. He was happy about the wheat bun because he is diabetic and prefers to eat wheat bread whenever he can. I know it's probably not 100% whole wheat, but it is still better than white bread. Lucky for him, he follows everything the doctor always told him...he eats the way the doctor said to (no refined sugar except a tiny amount on occasion, very limited alcohol, very little white flour, whole grains whenever he can, lean protein, etc.), and he walks every day for exercise. He brought his sugar down to normal without any medication or insulin! We're very proud of him! And...he continues to go to the doctor every 3 months for check-ups! November will be 3 years since he was diagnosed, and he is doing great!

My sister and BIL got burgers as well, and my nieces got kids' meals. I'm pretty sure that at least one of the 4 kids got an Uncrustable for their lunch.

Overall, Cosmic Ray's was a nice break from the heat, and it was a good thing we went early. By the time we were almost done eating, my sister and I took the kids to the bathroom, and they were directing people around some ropes they had set up...you had to take a certain path to go to the rest room! What a difference 40 minutes can make! This is why we try to eat lunch as early as possible when going to a CS place...it's just so much less stressful to go early and not have to worry about finding a table...especially for 10 people!

I would love to go back to Cosmic Ray's for lunch again. However, I am inclined to try either Liberty Tree Tavern or Plaza for lunch next time. I really enjoy having a TS lunch around noon, it is also a nice break from the park, and really only takes minutes more than a CS lunch. Actually, now that I think about it...the ideal thing would be to go to LTT for lunch one day, and Plaza for lunch another day, since we do 2 days at MK!

Before Cosmic Ray's, I had gotten fast passes for all of us for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The time came up shortly after we finished lunch. We went to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor before going on Buzz, and it was so much fun. Actually, it was really hilarious for us because they got us involved! I will preface this by saying....my dad, my mom, my sister, my nieces, my sons and I were all wearing our Mickey Ears (variety of styles!), DH was wearing his Goofy hat, and DBIL was wearing his Pluto hat! OK...so they put this little boy's face on the screen and he is wearing the Toy Story Mickey Ears...they say, "Look how cool that kid is...he has 4 ears!" Then, they say that he looks sad, and it must be because he got separated from the rest of his family...so they turn the cameras on all of us! Then they zoom in on DH and say, "especially this guy...he's just a little goofy!" It was too funny...my nieces and my sons still talk about this!!

We left MK at 1pm, but not without heading into the Main Street Bakery for some tasty treats to bring back to the resort! DH and I got one of those HUGE cinnamon rolls to share (delicious...definitely try one of these!!!), and the boys got a big brownie to share. Everything was delicious!!! Then we went back to BWV for an afternoon break, and we returned to MK for our dinner at CRT.

Anyway...sorry to go off on so many tangents...I do that a lot! I definitely recommend Cosmic Ray's as a very good CS place to have lunch! Just take my advice and get there early if you can...it will be much less stressful!

 

[stefsko]

thanks for the advice

 

[mstmp]

Hey, I guess my colleagues at work are right...I'm good at convincing people to do things!! I know I can be very persuasive at times, but San Angel really was great. And yes, the margarita was strong! Hey, like my mom says, why have weak drinks? Just GET THE JOB DONE QUICKLY!!

Your mom is one very wise lady
Sounds like my family is a lot like yours. We always travel with a large group.
Our Disney trip is in a year and there are 18 of us going, my parents, sisters' all the kids and of course our husbands! It will be all the kids first time and we are busting at the seams now with excitment, I can't even imagine what we will be like a year from now when I trip will only be a week away!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hey, I guess my colleagues at work are right...I'm good at convincing people to do things!! I know I can be very persuasive at times, but San Angel really was great. And yes, the margarita was strong! Hey, like my mom says, why have weak drinks? Just GET THE JOB DONE QUICKLY!!

Your mom is one very wise lady
Sounds like my family is a lot like yours. We always travel with a large group.
Our Disney trip is in a year and there are 18 of us going, my parents, sisters' all the kids and of course our husbands! It will be all the kids first time and we are busting at the seams now with excitment, I can't even imagine what we will be like a year from now when I trip will only be a week away!

Oh, you will all be ecstatic when the trip is like a couple of months away...and then when it gets even closer, you will really "feel" the trip coming!!! It will be terrific and you will all have a great time together!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi everyone! It was a long week, with classes beginning this past Monday, but it was also a very good week at work and at home! My students are wonderful, and I know this is going to be a very good school year!

DS5 started Kindergarten, and he is already doing very well! He got a sticker for behaving during the fire drill on Wednesday. On Thursday, the literacy coach at his school informed us that his reading is very advanced, and that his teacher will be working with him on 1st grade books, because the Kindergarten books are not advanced enough for him! We have been feeling like this since then: !! We're very proud of him! He is also very proud of himself and that makes us feel terrific too! DS3 is back in nursery school, this year 5 full days a week (last year he went 3 days a week). He has the same teacher as last year and he is very happy!

OK, so enough chit-chat, and on to more CS reviews!!! I will review the CS options at the Boardwalk. The day we had gone to 1900 Park Fare for breakfast, we didn't have a lunch scheduled because we knew we would be too full for a complete TS lunch. So we figured that if we got hungry, we would grab something wherever we were. Well...we were at the resort, and the kids wanted something for lunch. I said to DH, "Why don't we pick up something quick at the Boardwalk Bakery, bring it up to the villa, then relax the rest of the afternoon before dinner?" He thought that was a great idea, so we headed there. It was very small in there, but they had a nice selection. They had a few different sandwiches, and salad available, as well as children's options. Kids' choices were turkey sandwich, or ham sandwich, or PB & J. They got a drink and some fruit with their meal as well, and it cost $4.99. One got a turkey sandwich, and the other got a ham sandwich. DH and I saw the size of the adult sandwiches, and we decided it would be a good idea to share one. We got the turkey, bacon and swiss sandwich, on multi-grain bread with lettuce, tomato and cranberry mayo. I told DH we should share something sweet also...after all, this was a BAKERY! I told him to choose something, and of course he chose the tiramisu...his favorite dessert! We decided we would not get sodas, and we would drink the water bottles we had in the villa since we were going to eat in there anyway. We also picked up a small Mickey cake for the kids to share.

The turkey, bacon and swiss sandwich was delicious! This was the perfect size for sharing if you are not terribly starving, or if you are not a really big eater. We had a big breakfast that day so sharing it was perfect for us! Even though the sandwich was pre-made, it tasted very fresh and the combination was fantastic, especially with the cranberry mayo...this added a nice unique touch! The tiramisu was also delicious. DH was very happy, and ate most of it. I only wanted a few bites, and it was very good. The boys were happy with their sandwiches and Mickey cake. We enjoyed lunch from the BW Bakery, and I'm sure we will be back there for lunch on future trips! Only thing is...no indoor seating (VERY small inside)...but there are a few tables outdoors, and for us it was fine because we took the food back up to the villa to eat lunch and relax.

The second CS meal we had at the resort was breakfast from the Belle Vue Lounge, right off the lobby of the Boardwalk Resort. This was convenient because I didn't have to go out to the Boardwalk to get breakfast. I knew they served continental breakfast every morning at the lounge, and one morning I felt like having a danish for breakfast. The pastries served at the Belle Vue Lounge breakfast are made at the Boardwalk Bakery, so I knew they would be good. I got a cinnamon roll for breakfast and brought it back to the villa, and I picked up a chocolate chip muffin for DH, and a chocolate chip Mickey-shaped muffin for the boya to share (they were already eating cereal bars, so I got them something to share). I warmed up the cinnamon roll in the microwave, and it was very good! Not the same type of cinnamon roll you get at the Main Street Bakery, but still very good. I do like the ones at Main St. Bakery better though. The major difference is that at Main St. Bakery, the cinnamon rolls are HUGE, gooey, and have lots of icing on top...definitely a "knife-and-forker"! The one I had for breakfast from Belle Vue was more like a cinnamon danish, drizzled with a little icing, but not gooey...this would be a great portable breakfast actually. It would be good to get one of these to eat on the walk over to Epcot or DHS from the Boardwalk. DH enjoyed his muffin. DS5 liked his half of the Mickey muffin, and DS3 didn't touch it. So of course I had to eat it! It was delicious, moist and very fresh!

Although limited in comparison to other resorts, the CS options at the Boardwalk Resort were very enjoyable, fresh and delicious! We eat more TS meals anyway, but it was nice having these options for something quick and good to eat!

 

[princesspeach]

Love your report. I'm anxious to see the final results. I'm debating upgrading my ticket to an AP to buy the TIW. I'm not DVC so it would cost around $300for upgrade plus TIW. I've decided against the dxdp since were staying club level,and don't realy want all those desserts. We will be there 10 days 2 adults and 2 kids. We eat at a lot of signatures no counter service so it might be worth it. I wish I had a crystal ball that would tell me if I will be able to return before my AP expires that would make my descision easier. Anxiously waiting for your results.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Love your report. I'm anxious to see the final results. I'm debating upgrading my ticket to an AP to buy the TIW. I'm not DVC so it would cost around $300for upgrade plus TIW. I've decided against the dxdp since were staying club level,and don't realy want all those desserts. We will be there 10 days 2 adults and 2 kids. We eat at a lot of signatures no counter service so it might be worth it. I wish I had a crystal ball that would tell me if I will be able to return before my AP expires that would make my descision easier. Anxiously waiting for your results.

Hi! I think it would be worth it for you to get the TIW card and upgrade to an AP. Since you go to a lot of signatures, you would save a lot with TIW. The "break-even" point to cover the $75 fee for the TIW card is to spend $375 on food, and with 4 of you eating at signatures, on a 10-night trip, you would be spending way over that. Do you eat on property every day, or do you venture off property? That could make a big difference too. We stayed on property the whole time, except when we drove over to Wal-Mart to buy a case of water when we ran out (this was on a day we didn't go to a theme park). A signature dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids could easily go for $150 or more ($150 really is underestimating the cost, really if you only each ordered an entree and a soft drink). Remember, if you get wine or any other alcohol with your meal, you get 20% off of those too, with the TIW card! Plus, you get a lot of shopping discounts as an AP holder. With the regular AP, I got 10% off of most things I bought, even at stores that were not listed as giving a discount. I just asked wherever I happened to buy something, and most of the time, sure enough there was a discount!

I will tell you this...for all the meals we ate on the TIW card, we still would have paid less than the DxDDP altogether even if we didn't have the DVC discount on the AP. When adding up the regular price of an AP, plus the price of the TIW card for an AP holder, plus the money WE spent on food...it still comes out to less money that the DxDDP would have cost us for our trip! And we would have saved even more if we had gone to signature restaurants. We plan to try a couple of them on our next trip. I think my kids could have handled them 2 months ago, but there were so many non-signatures we wanted to try and we figured we could go to signatures on future trips. By the time we go back to WDW, our boys will be 5 and 7. We are definitely going to try Yachtsman Steakhouse with the boys, and possibly another signature with them. And DH and I are planning to put the boys into the kids' club one night over at the Beach Club resort, and go to a nice dinner just the 2 of us. Since we go back the summer after our 10th anniversary, it seems like perfect timing to start doing that! We could even sit at a regular table at V&A's and use the TIW card there if we decide to eat there!

 

[princesspeach]

Hi! I think it would be worth it for you to get the TIW card and upgrade to an AP. Since you go to a lot of signatures, you would save a lot with TIW. The "break-even" point to cover the $75 fee for the TIW card is to spend $375 on food, and with 4 of you eating at signatures, on a 10-night trip, you would be spending way over that. Do you eat on property every day, or do you venture off property? That could make a big difference too. We stayed on property the whole time, except when we drove over to Wal-Mart to buy a case of water when we ran out (this was on a day we didn't go to a theme park). A signature dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids could easily go for $150 or more ($150 really is underestimating the cost, really if you only each ordered an entree and a soft drink). Remember, if you get wine or any other alcohol with your meal, you get 20% off of those too, with the TIW card! Plus, you get a lot of shopping discounts as an AP holder. With the regular AP, I got 10% off of most things I bought, even at stores that were not listed as giving a discount. I just asked wherever I happened to buy something, and most of the time, sure enough there was a discount!

I will tell you this...for all the meals we ate on the TIW card, we still would have paid less than the DxDDP altogether even if we didn't have the DVC discount on the AP. When adding up the regular price of an AP, plus the price of the TIW card for an AP holder, plus the money WE spent on food...it still comes out to less money that the DxDDP would have cost us for our trip! And we would have saved even more if we had gone to signature restaurants. We plan to try a couple of them on our next trip. I think my kids could have handled them 2 months ago, but there were so many non-signatures we wanted to try and we figured we could go to signatures on future trips. By the time we go back to WDW, our boys will be 5 and 7. We are definitely going to try Yachtsman Steakhouse with the boys, and possibly another signature with them. And DH and I are planning to put the boys into the kids' club one night over at the Beach Club resort, and go to a nice dinner just the 2 of us. Since we go back the summer after our 10th anniversary, it seems like perfect timing to start doing that! We could even sit at a regular table at V&A's and use the TIW card there if we decide to eat there!

Thank you for the advice. The dlxdp is about 2000 for 10 days. We did it this year and enjoyed having everything prepaid, but they raised the cost about 10% for next year and my dh is diabetic so we don't eat the desserts. The only reason we got our money out of it was because we ate at 8 signatures and did a lot of charechter breakfasts. Were not going to do the charechter breakfast next year. My kids have outgrown them and the foods not that great for the price. Were definetly not getting the dxddp again so I will give some careful consideration to the TIW especially since we like to order bottles of wine. Thanks again.

 

[franandaj]

IMHO, the dining plans are just not worth it. With TIW you can order what you want, if you only want appetizers and no main, you still get the discount. All the dining plans peg you into having to order a certain amount of food and for us we usually split everything between two, appetizer (sometimes two), main and dessert, there is no way the Dining Plan would work for us. We always order 1-4 adult beverages so the TIW works out there as well.

 

[bangzoom6877]

IMHO, the dining plans are just not worth it. With TIW you can order what you want, if you only want appetizers and no main, you still get the discount. All the dining plans peg you into having to order a certain amount of food and for us we usually split everything between two, appetizer (sometimes two), main and dessert, there is no way the Dining Plan would work for us. We always order 1-4 adult beverages so the TIW works out there as well.

Exactly the way we feel now! Back in 2008, we had the basic DDP for a 5-night trip, and it worked out really well for us. Our little one was only a year old, so we didn't have to pay for him, all our dinners were all-you-can-eat (children under 3 are free at those so it was great for us), and we sure had plenty of CS food to share with our little one. Among the 4 of us, we had 15 snack credits to share (my older one was 3 at the time). By the end of the 5 nights, we had 2 snack credits leftover...no big deal, I took some fruit and a rice krispie treat for the road. We also had planned on eating all our lunches at CS. So it fit right into our plans. We paid OOP for 2 character breakfasts, and we still paid way less than if we had gotten the deluxe plan. We thought we would never do Disney any other way, and that we would always want the dining plan.

But 2 years later, the boys got older and that made a difference. We also knew we had plenty of park time (2 days each at MK and DHS; 3 days at Epcot), so we didn't feel we had to rush through lunch all the time. We also bought the DVC membership shortly after that 2008 trip, and we knew we would be back every other year so we decided to take things more slowly at the parks. Our best option was upgrading my ticket to an AP and buying the TIW card. We originally added the basic DDP to our reservation, but then once we finalized our restaurants, we realized that we would have WAY too many CS credits leftover, and the deluxe plan was still too many meals...neither dining plan fit what we wanted to do.

After experiencing the TIW card, I completely agree that I prefer the freedom to choose anything I want off the menu, big or small, as many courses as I want, and have everything automatically discounted by 20%. DH and I like to have a drink sometimes at restaurants, and it was an added bonus that this was discounted too. At one lunch, I got an appetizer as my entree. No worrying as to whether or not my dining plan would cover it...I just ordered it, told the server that I wanted that as my entree, and I was served exactly what I wanted. And got 20% off of that with my card.

DH and I also feel we would overeat way too much on the deluxe plan. We love to eat, but an appetizer, entree and dessert at every meal seems like way too much for us. Sometimes, we share an app and/or a dessert. Sometimes we only get an entree each. Sometimes we know we would like dessert (we ARE dessert people and love our sweets!), but we are too full right after dinner for it...so it was nice to decline on the dessert and get a nice treat at the Boardwalk Bakery instead some nights. Depending on how we felt, we could order just what we wanted and not feel like we were overdoing it or wasting part of a meal credit by not ordering a certain course.

As long as we eat in enough Disney restaurants during the course of one vacation, we will get the AP upgrade and the TIW card. If we find ourselves venturing off property more and more, we will reassess...although I don't think that would happen all that much!