BriarRose0708
11-01-2012, 04:20 PM
I love Disney and I love eating, so no matter what happened on this trip I still came out a winner. Here are some final thoughts:
Food Quality In general, a huge thumbs up. Aside from one tough piece of steak at 'Ohana (I think our table just got a bad skewer) I had fabulous food from counter service to table service. Portion sizes were on the larger side for me. I've adjusted my "real life" diet to smaller portions and more snacks during the day so this change was a little tough on my routine. Although, I didn't have as many "digestive issues" on this trip as in the past, which is always a good thing. I ate so though that if I walked away from any meal hungry it was my own fault.
Service As stated in my reviews, I do not have hugely high expectations for service. So that being said, I think I had excellent service on this trip. I tipped all my servers 20% and then some (when it was warranted). Even when I was dining by myself at table service, I never felt neglected. Cast Members in general were extremely friendly and happy to help (especially when I *thought* I lost my ID) so I have absolutely no complaints. It was actually other guests that were the grumpy and rude ones, I noticed.
The Dining Plan Note to self: NO MORE DINING PLAN OF ANY KIND AND THIS TIME I MEAN IT
There, I said it. I used to be a die hard Dining Plan believer, and I still think it can be a good idea for some travelers. But it just doesn't work for me anymore. It's not even the planning ADR part that's the problem, most of you know I LOVE planning and will still make lots of ADRs when not on DDP. There was just too much food and I walked away with one counter service credit left on the table. That has never happened to me on the Plan before.
I hate to think that not only did I spend the money on hotel rack rate and the $12 a day or so it cost to upgrade from QS to Basic, I didn't use an entire meal. Now, a mistake can explain this. While at F&W fest I wanted to use a counter service credit for three items. I didn't pay attention to the receipt and didn't notice the CM had charged me three snacks instead. I'd planned for leftover snacks, which are easier to use up at the end of a trip than a whole counter service meal. So I also ran out of snacks really early and had to pay oop for some treats. I noticed the error too late to fix it, so I just had to deal.
Some meals, I just wanted an appetizer, side salad and dessert. Can't do that on DDP. Sometimes I wanted an appetizer, entree and no dessert. Can't do that on DDP either. Cost wise it would end up being similar for me when I compare OOP to DDP (OOP coming out slightly ahead, by maybe $20), it's more that I'm not a fan of the inflexibility when using DDP.
Moral of the story is, Wendy at MJ please do NOT let me book a stay with DDP. Even if I insist. Even if I beg and plead. Because if I book it, I'll remember why I don't like it after it's too late!
So thanks everyone for reading along with my reviews! Hope I have an opportunity to go again soon and report back on more deliciousness.:marg:
Food Quality In general, a huge thumbs up. Aside from one tough piece of steak at 'Ohana (I think our table just got a bad skewer) I had fabulous food from counter service to table service. Portion sizes were on the larger side for me. I've adjusted my "real life" diet to smaller portions and more snacks during the day so this change was a little tough on my routine. Although, I didn't have as many "digestive issues" on this trip as in the past, which is always a good thing. I ate so though that if I walked away from any meal hungry it was my own fault.
Service As stated in my reviews, I do not have hugely high expectations for service. So that being said, I think I had excellent service on this trip. I tipped all my servers 20% and then some (when it was warranted). Even when I was dining by myself at table service, I never felt neglected. Cast Members in general were extremely friendly and happy to help (especially when I *thought* I lost my ID) so I have absolutely no complaints. It was actually other guests that were the grumpy and rude ones, I noticed.
The Dining Plan Note to self: NO MORE DINING PLAN OF ANY KIND AND THIS TIME I MEAN IT
There, I said it. I used to be a die hard Dining Plan believer, and I still think it can be a good idea for some travelers. But it just doesn't work for me anymore. It's not even the planning ADR part that's the problem, most of you know I LOVE planning and will still make lots of ADRs when not on DDP. There was just too much food and I walked away with one counter service credit left on the table. That has never happened to me on the Plan before.
I hate to think that not only did I spend the money on hotel rack rate and the $12 a day or so it cost to upgrade from QS to Basic, I didn't use an entire meal. Now, a mistake can explain this. While at F&W fest I wanted to use a counter service credit for three items. I didn't pay attention to the receipt and didn't notice the CM had charged me three snacks instead. I'd planned for leftover snacks, which are easier to use up at the end of a trip than a whole counter service meal. So I also ran out of snacks really early and had to pay oop for some treats. I noticed the error too late to fix it, so I just had to deal.
Some meals, I just wanted an appetizer, side salad and dessert. Can't do that on DDP. Sometimes I wanted an appetizer, entree and no dessert. Can't do that on DDP either. Cost wise it would end up being similar for me when I compare OOP to DDP (OOP coming out slightly ahead, by maybe $20), it's more that I'm not a fan of the inflexibility when using DDP.
Moral of the story is, Wendy at MJ please do NOT let me book a stay with DDP. Even if I insist. Even if I beg and plead. Because if I book it, I'll remember why I don't like it after it's too late!
So thanks everyone for reading along with my reviews! Hope I have an opportunity to go again soon and report back on more deliciousness.:marg: