As we had a split stay the first part was booked directly on the US Disney site and the second through Complete Orlando. This meant that we got free dining for both parts. With a party of 5 (all Disney adults) this was a saving of approx $60 per person per night, so $4800. Out of curiosity and for information for others, I kept a record of what we ate and the bills we would have received. I have only included what was covered by the dining plan, so no appetizers, alcoholic drinks or tips are included here. We ate normally, we did not try to max out our plan or choose anything we normally wouldn't. About the only thing different was that we always got the dessert, whereas sometimes we might not have, or more likely we would have shared. So how did it work out.
Boardwalk Inn stay. 7 nights, total dining 'spend' $2,044 or approx $58 per person per night
Beach Club Stay. 9 nights, total dining 'spend' $2,747 or approx $61 per person per night
So including the fact that we had the refillable mugs, we did better than break even. We also didn't use 4 QS and 6 Snack credits during the Boardwalk stay.
However some points to note for those that are interested.
Le Cellier at 2 credits each, is a 'bad' use of credits. Cost of the dinner here was $282
Cape Cafe May breakfast is also a 'bad' use of credits. Cost of breakfast was $144
Hoop Dee Doo, also a 'bad' use of credits. Cost of the show for us was $325
Some comments on where we ate:
Hoop Dee Doo, first visit for us, was brilliant fun and food was pretty good and plentiful. Our waiter was a bit surly but very attentive, we never waited long for any refills.
Biergarten. Felt the choices here seemed to be less than previous years. Waitress was terrible, could never find her, even when it came time to pay.
Cape Cafe May breakfast was very good, great character interaction.
Captains Grille, was a last minute choice but proved to be a good one. Had an excellent waitress and all the family agreed was their best Disney meal ever.
50's Prime Time. Has always been a family favourite, but we were unlucky and got a poor waitress. The one serving the table next to us was excellent, we had better interaction with her than with our own.
Sci Fi DineIn. Nice themeing but the food was very poor. Will not be returning here.
BOG lunch, absolutely excellent. A definite must do for us next time. Only issue was that if you don't pre-order it can take quite a while to get your order in. No joking, the family in front of us took a full 15 minutes to process theirs.
Rose & Crown. Another first for us this trip. Food was ok and reasonable by Disney standards, nothing special. However the view of Illuminations made it worthwhile
Tepan Edo. Food was good and excellent Chef at our table. Very entertaining.
Chef Mickeys. Well it's Chef Mickeys, more about the characters and ambiance than the food. Generally we do this as a first and last meal. Will probably cut it down to once a vist from now on.
Chef De France. Food was very good and had an excellent waiter. Value wise, from the dining plan, it's a great use of credits.
Boma. A family favourite and it remains so.
Tipping. I don't want to start one of those tipping discussions, but we felt that a suggested tip of 18%-20% is high, expecially for a buffet. We generally tip well, but only for service that we feel is above and beyond. Whilst we personally don't have an issue with leaving less that the recommended tip, I think some might feel that they are being mean by doing so, especially when the recommendation is so high. $45-$50 for something like Chef Mickeys is a bit strong I think.