Just one meal

tzolkin

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 3, 2008
If you were to only plan ONE (1 credit) TS meal what would it be?

Looking for suggestions that take into account both the experience/quality of the meal and the value for the cost of the Dining Plan. (Meeting characters is not a priority, so that's not an added value for us.)


Additional info... group is DH & I, my parents, and our three kids: 19, 14, 12. My parents ALWAYS get the dining plan, but my family does not like to eat/plan that way. (We tried it once and it was a pretty unpleasant 10 days.) We are traveling together and I'm considering getting the DP just for our first night. (We booked a separate reservation for arrival day and I think you can purchase the dining plan with a 1 night DVC booking, right?)

We could, of course, just pay OOP for the one or two TS meals we want to get, but I'm thinking it might be a better value to get the dining plan to cover the one meal. It's really not practical to get the dining plan for the way my family likes to eat at Disney (appetizers and drinks at lounges, festival booths at Epcot, sharing a QS here or there, etc.) so we definitely won't get it for the duration of the trip.
 
Well, if I was planning one meal special meal I would not even worry if it was a dining plan credit worthy meal or not, and I would not go to the trouble of making two resort reservations in order to do so. There can be a savings on teh dining plan, but in my experience, the savings is spread over the course of time, and cannot be guaranteed in one meal unless you choose an expensive one.

If I was trying to get the biggest bang for my buck I would choose a meal like 'Ohana, which is pretty darn pricy.


My family likes Tratorria al Forno on the Boardwalk for dinner. It is good food and stellar service, and for credit value, I think it is pretty good.
 
Well, if I was planning one meal special meal I would not even worry if it was a dining plan credit worthy meal or not, and I would not go to the trouble of making two resort reservations in order to do so. There can be a savings on teh dining plan, but in my experience, the savings is spread over the course of time, and cannot be guaranteed in one meal unless you choose an expensive one.

If I was trying to get the biggest bang for my buck I would choose a meal like 'Ohana, which is pretty darn pricy.


My family likes Tratorria al Forno on the Boardwalk for dinner. It is good food and stellar service, and for credit value, I think it is pretty good.

Yes, I should have clarified... we are staying DVC and wound up with multiple reservations including a one night stay our first night (my parents are flying and will arrive in the morning, us in the late afternoon/evening) so that's where the idea came from. I definitely would not have split the trip up for this purpose.

We also have 3 nights at Poly and 4 at AKL (waitlist for Beach Club).

We were considering doing Ohana anyway, so I was going to do the math to figure out if the one night DP is more economical that just paying OOP since we would also get the snacks and mug. But, we have gone to Ohana multiple times before, so I created this thread to see if there were any better "bang for your buck" options or if we should stick to what we know.

My parents' favorite is Boma and that would also be a good use of the credits, but it would seem ridiculous to me to go there to eat our first day if we're going to be staying there later in the trip.

We have not tried Tratorria, so I'll check out their menu.
 


Yes, I should have clarified... we are staying DVC and wound up with multiple reservations including a one night stay our first night (my parents are flying and will arrive in the morning, us in the late afternoon/evening) so that's where the idea came from. I definitely would not have split the trip up for this purpose.

We also have 3 nights at Poly and 4 at AKL (waitlist for Beach Club).

We were considering doing Ohana anyway, so I was going to do the math to figure out if the one night DP is more economical that just paying OOP since we would also get the snacks and mug. But, we have gone to Ohana multiple times before, so I created this thread to see if there were any better "bang for your buck" options or if we should stick to what we know.

My parents' favorite is Boma and that would also be a good use of the credits, but it would seem ridiculous to me to go there to eat our first day if we're going to be staying there later in the trip.

We have not tried Tratorria, so I'll check out their menu.


What you could do is buy the DxDDP for your first night. This credits will take you to midnight on your second night, and then your options would open up. Instead of having to use a CS credit, now you have three credits to us any way you desire, so you could book Le Cellier, Narcoossee or California Grill, etc and have a signature meal one night complete with appetizer and then graze like you normally do the rest of the day, and also book another TS meal the following night, using your snack credits as food kiosks like you normally like to eat. You could share the appetizers with your parents.

There will be about $160 difference between the two plans, however you would have a different experience fo rthose first two days. And then be done with the dining and be able to get back to the "eating." LOL!
 
Looking for suggestions that take into account both the experience/quality of the meal and the value for the cost of the Dining Plan. (Meeting characters is not a priority, so that's not an added value for us.)

I don't have any specific recommendations; I suggest you look at the menus of some places you'd like to dine to see if what you might order would meet the following:

Adult TS credit is roughly worth $44
Adult QS credit is roughly worth $21

Don't forget to add in your alcoholic or specialty drink of choice on both QS and TS meals and the tax of 6.5%.
 
I'd book Sanaa if you have semi-adventurous eaters. We loved the food and ambiance there. If you're willing to eat a bit outside "traditional" meal hours you'd be able to ask for a window seat to see the animals and should get the request fairly easily.
 


In my opinion the character meals tend to more pricey.

Yes, I think that's a major reason my parents always push for getting the DP. Most of their trips have been with my siblings' families and they like to do a lot of the character meals. They feel they are getting a good value for the cost of the DP since they are receiving food plus character interaction without lines, but all my nieces and nephews are ages 0-9.

We did get the DP when my kids were younger and hit all the character meals they were interested in.

What you could do is buy the DxDDP for your first night. This credits will take you to midnight on your second night, and then your options would open up. Instead of having to use a CS credit, now you have three credits to us any way you desire, so you could book Le Cellier, Narcoossee or California Grill, etc and have a signature meal one night complete with appetizer and then graze like you normally do the rest of the day, and also book another TS meal the following night, using your snack credits as food kiosks like you normally like to eat. You could share the appetizers with your parents.

There will be about $160 difference between the two plans, however you would have a different experience fo rthose first two days. And then be done with the dining and be able to get back to the "eating." LOL!

Yes, I was considering the DxDP as well. Are you still allowed to use/share the credits however you like?

I'd book Sanaa if you have semi-adventurous eaters. We loved the food and ambiance there. If you're willing to eat a bit outside "traditional" meal hours you'd be able to ask for a window seat to see the animals and should get the request fairly easily.

This place has been on my to-do list for years, but we have never made it over to AKL. Will definitely be checking it out while we're staying there this trip.
 
Yes, I was considering the DxDP as well. Are you still allowed to use/share the credits however you like?

To my knowledge you are. I would not try at Via Napoli, however I have not heard reports that this policy has changed for Disney owned restaurants.
 
I like the idea of going DxDDP and going to a signature restaurant. If Boma is your parents favorite, you might try Jiko with the Dx plan. Sanaa is a great choice, keep in mind that you can get the Disney Visa discount if you have that and are paying OOP. You have to ask for it. Yachtsman's is pretty pricy and yummy, that might also be a good use of credits.
 
If you were to only plan ONE (1 credit) TS meal what would it be?

Looking for suggestions that take into account both the experience/quality of the meal and the value for the cost of the Dining Plan. (Meeting characters is not a priority, so that's not an added value for us.)


Additional info... group is DH & I, my parents, and our three kids: 19, 14, 12. My parents ALWAYS get the dining plan, but my family does not like to eat/plan that way. (We tried it once and it was a pretty unpleasant 10 days.) We are traveling together and I'm considering getting the DP just for our first night. (We booked a separate reservation for arrival day and I think you can purchase the dining plan with a 1 night DVC booking, right?)

We could, of course, just pay OOP for the one or two TS meals we want to get, but I'm thinking it might be a better value to get the dining plan to cover the one meal. It's really not practical to get the dining plan for the way my family likes to eat at Disney (appetizers and drinks at lounges, festival booths at Epcot, sharing a QS here or there, etc.) so we definitely won't get it for the duration of the trip.
Our favorite restaurant and a "must" to go to each trip is Sanaa. The food is excellent and you cannot beat the atmosphere. The wait staff have always been very attentive.
 

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