That is such a good point! I have been on the fence for a while wondering if I made the right decision about the dxddp. But we love foox and trying new things and so we are gonna take advantage of this chance. I think if we get the chance to visit wdw again, we may not do the plan and just be a bit more fruggle. I budgeted quite a bit for this trip and added a lot of extras because it is DDs bday celebration and an way for me not to worry too kuch about the bill. But in thinking about it now....the dxddp is over $2k for the 3 of us and has we wondering are we really gonna spend over two thousand dollars on food in 9 days? And my answer is I just dont know so do I wanna risk it? Yep...the struggle is real! Lol!

Best values on the plan are the character meals, without character meals, it is hard to break even with the plan.
 
Best values on the plan are the character meals, without character meals, it is hard to break even with the plan.
She isnt too big on character meals...though we will be at crt, bog and akershus. But people have said the same thing and their kids get to disney and go crazy for characters so who knows? But I waz thinking about about trading Tiffins for Sanaa for Tuesday so we dont have to leave the park ...and its 2 table service credits...and doing Boma instead of Ohana on Wednesday and going with Sanaa on Saturday for late lunch.

But then I am thinking isnt Sanaa, Boma and Tiffins kind of the same style of food? I dont know anymore....my mind is mush....

In reality I just really want everyone to have a great time in a great place with great food and its kind of stresses me to thinking I may be missing something. I wish the whole early reservation thing wasnt a thing so we could be more spontaneous with our days.
 
That is such a good point! I have been on the fence for a while wondering if I made the right decision about the dxddp. But we love foox and trying new things and so we are gonna take advantage of this chance. I think if we get the chance to visit wdw again, we may not do the plan and just be a bit more fruggle. I budgeted quite a bit for this trip and added a lot of extras because it is DDs bday celebration and an way for me not to worry too kuch about the bill. But in thinking about it now....the dxddp is over $2k for the 3 of us and has we wondering are we really gonna spend over two thousand dollars on food in 9 days? And my answer is I just dont know so do I wanna risk it? Yep...the struggle is real! Lol!

Don't forget to budget for the meal tips. You're likely going to rack up $2000-$3000 in comped meals, so plan on spending another $400-$600 for tips. :-)

To make you feel a little better, that $2000 you're spending on the DxDDP also covers almost all of the meals for the GPs as well...so you're spending $2000 on 5 people for 9 days of eating...which is $400 per person for the trip -- or about $45 per person per day. When you think of it that way, so long as you would spend that much per person per day -- you're better off going with the DxDDP. So no need to cram Biergarten or Kona breakfast if it doesn't fit into the itinerary. Rest assured knowing you're already killing it on the value.
 


How long do the crt dinners usually last?
breakfast took probably 1.5 to 2 hours when factoring in waiting to be seated. Dinner is probably a tad longer. I want to say it was about 30 minutes from the time we checked in until we were seated at the table. The line for cinderella pictures took a decent amount of time. No worries though, it's a cute room and there is a lot of hidden things to look for (like gus gus).
 
The challenge with Deluxe Dining is you may be having a great time at the park or swimming, and you have to stop to get ready for a scheduled sit down meal. Your time is more restricted with Deluxe plan. At a previous poster said, you find yourself scheduling activities around the meals.

With regular dining, you have 1 sit down, 1 counter meal,they have places to sit,( my newbies thought you had to stand up for those meals!), and 2 snacks.

And if you still want Deluxe, you can do it on your next trip!:tink:

One thing you may know about is start walking at home, up to 2 miles a day. That way your legs and feet will be use to it by the time you get to WDW.
 
Last edited:


I think you're going to have an amazing trip no matter what you do! But I would never be wasting my party time at a sit down dinner even if it was CRT. You're spending a ton of money for the opportunity to go to this party if you want to waste 2 hours on a meal ? The food isn't even that good to be perfectly blunt ... but the atmosphere can't be beat ... I would sign up for touring plans reservation finder and try to get CRT for one of your non-party days ../
 
She isnt too big on character meals...though we will be at crt, bog and akershus. But people have said the same thing and their kids get to disney and go crazy for characters so who knows? But I waz thinking about about trading Tiffins for Sanaa for Tuesday so we dont have to leave the park ...and its 2 table service credits...and doing Boma instead of Ohana on Wednesday and going with Sanaa on Saturday for late lunch.

But then I am thinking isnt Sanaa, Boma and Tiffins kind of the same style of food? I dont know anymore....my mind is mush....

I would do Tiffins instead of Sanaa just for the logistics of it all. You're looking at 20-40 minutes to get to Sanaa from DAK, depending on how long the buses take. Not to mention, if your plan was to go back to POR after dinner -- you're going to have to call up a Minnie van or go AKL to a park and then a park to POR. That could take another hour+. Of course, if you're dying to get to AKL to look around -- then Sanaa isn't a bad choice...just do yourself a favor a call a minnie van to go back home (use the lyft app).

Do not substitute Boma for O'hanna. I know people love Boma, but I didn't think it was all that special. It's a good buffet -- but it's not a can't miss thing.

In reality I just really want everyone to have a great time in a great place with great food and its kind of stresses me to thinking I may be missing something. I wish the whole early reservation thing wasnt a thing so we could be more spontaneous with our days

You're going to miss a lot of things -- don't stress out over it. Look forward to your next trip where you'll get to knock a few more off the list.
 
How long do the crt dinners usually last?

CRT depends, you may have to wait a bit to get in. Sometimes can be 30 minutes before you are seated at some restaurants. Then the CRT meal is probably at least 1.5 hours. Biggest point was 3 hours can be gone in a second between waiting for rides and going on rides. I don't think you are budgeting enough time. I think I read on here you have the deluxe dining plan. I don't know if that can be changed, but I'd probably think of doing the regular one. One sit down meal a day wastes enough time.
 
How long do the crt dinners usually last?

My family went there on a party night last year and had a reservation at 6pm and by the time they got out it was 10pm and they missed almost the whole party. I would 100% get rid of it or try to get it on another day or you could potentially miss the party you paid extra for. I'm also another vote for changing to the normal plan for food. You will realize once you get there that all you are doing is sitting and eating and will barely have time for anything else. By the 4th day you might not even be hungry anymore. I know you said you like food and want to try a ton of restaurants but it's going to take away from the parks and the rest of your vacation because like others have said you are planning your activities around dining now instead of your dining around park plans
 
CRT depends, you may have to wait a bit to get in. Sometimes can be 30 minutes before you are seated at some restaurants. Then the CRT meal is probably at least 1.5 hours. Biggest point was 3 hours can be gone in a second between waiting for rides and going on rides. I don't think you are budgeting enough time. I think I read on here you have the deluxe dining plan. I don't know if that can be changed, but I'd probably think of doing the regular one. One sit down meal a day wastes enough time.
We do hve the dxddp but for only 3 of us. We are splitting the credits between 5 of us so on most days we will have 1 sit down dinner. The ddp just wasnt going to work for all 5 of us with just 3 of us on it to split the credits. But since i saw the list of snack credit options I was overjoyed to see we could do a pretty decent breakfast oj snack credits and save the rest of dinners.

I think no matter which way I plan, I have to give and take here and there. I am definitely going to look at moving crt up to about 4 or 5 if we can because you are so right...we payed a lot fod the tickets to mnsshp and want to take advantage of our time there.
 
Thank you everyone who replied. You have given me a lot to think about. I still plan on keeping the dxddp just because it makes sense for what we want to do....but i think I may nix the breakfasts I have scheduled except maybe the bon voyage because of the character experince...but we will see. I looked at dinners as an exciting celebration time and also rest time between all the chaotic fun...epecially with the GPs being there too. I am so thankful for this site and all your help!!
 
If your daughter loves pirates, you may want to consider Pirate's League. My DD, who will be 10 in December, loved it both times she did it (1st time dressed as a pirate and got pirate package and 2nd time she got the mermaid package). There's also the Pirate's Adventure where you can get maps that give you clues to find-very fun!! She also LOVES to eat at CRT because of the castle! I hope you have a wonderful trip. Surprise trips are the best!!
 
I have been on the fence about KONA because we really wanna see the shore. And I dont wanna blow 2 hours at breakfast. Maybe njxing that would work better. Thank you for the tips!
I've had breakfast MANY times at Kona (as has one of my best buds), and I've never blown 2 hours. I *heart* my Tonga Toast!! Also, IMO, a big breakfast is the perfect way to start s beach day, so I'm not starving for lunch so early. There's really nothing "on the way" if you take the BeachLine, although you could always grab something in Cocoa Beach before hitting the beach. In a trip this busy, I'd take a resort day. But if I'd never set foot on a beach, I'd do it.

If your DD is more into Descendants than princesses, have you thought about Pirates League? It's on my Disney bucket list! :)

Don't stress over your plans too much, because something (or things) won't go according to plan. You'll get stuck on a monorail and be late for a FP. Or someone will be too tired and cranky to go back out for dinner. Or whatever!!! But just enjoy everything you DO get to do, and you'll have a blast!
 
I've had breakfast MANY times at Kona (as has one of my best buds), and I've never blown 2 hours. I *heart* my Tonga Toast!! Also, IMO, a big breakfast is the perfect way to start s beach day, so I'm not starving for lunch so early. There's really nothing "on the way" if you take the BeachLine, although you could always grab something in Cocoa Beach before hitting the beach. In a trip this busy, I'd take a resort day. But if I'd never set foot on a beach, I'd do it.

If your DD is more into Descendants than princesses, have you thought about Pirates League? It's on my Disney bucket list! :)

Don't stress over your plans too much, because something (or things) won't go according to plan. You'll get stuck on a monorail and be late for a FP. Or someone will be too tired and cranky to go back out for dinner. Or whatever!!! But just enjoy everything you DO get to do, and you'll have a blast!
I had a few people mention the Pirates League. I think she would like but not sure. We have a BBB res set up on her bday...she turns 10 while we r there. But I love the Pirate League Idea too. I also heard of the Pirate Dessert Cruise...have you or anyone else experienced that? Is it worth it? Is that something maybd we can book when we get there or are they pretty booked up? I would hate to book all thess extras and find out she isnt really into it. Thank you for your help too!
 
One more "must-do" each trip for us is getting a Pick-a-Pearl in the Japan pavilion in Epcot. I order a Pick-a-Pearl cage from Etsy before we go (around $10). They teach you to count down in Japanese and play drums after they measure the pearl. It's a fun experience and only around $17.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top