Our Slo-Mo, Freezing Cold Thanksgiving Family Reunion 2012 - Updated 4/21/2013 - Complete!! - Page 2 - PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel
Our Slo-Mo, Freezing Cold Thanksgiving Family Reunion 2012 - Updated 4/21/2013 - Complete!!
About This Page: This is a discussion on Our Slo-Mo, Freezing Cold Thanksgiving Family Reunion 2012 - Updated 4/21/2013 - Complete!! within the Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; I love the idea of doing more things at the resort. AKL has so many great programs and just wandering ...
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So as with our other trips, a lot of our trip planning revolves around food It's funny because while we're talking about the food budget, Dh always says, "it not all about the food". Then we start talking about all the places we want to eat
Is there a place you really want to get to or try, but for some reason you just can't get there? For me, that place is Tokyo Dining. I've been trying to eat at this place since our first trip in 2009. I had to cancel our ADR then because everyone was just too tired to go back to Epcot. Last year we didn't go because Titus got a wierd spontaneous fever and we ended up canceling again and ordering pizza from the room. I really want to go there for a few reasons. I love sushi, I think it'd be nice to have dinner there and try to catch Illuminations, I was born in Japan, and the boys and I are kind of Japanophiles. I love making Japanese food and I make bento for their lunch for group class once a week. Max loves animé (Japanese cartoons), and Titus loves manga (Japanese graphic novels "comics"). They're taking Korean karate - go figure
This year we won't make it to Tokyo Dining because we decided not to do the dining plan. Instead we're going to eat at 4 buffets, cook meals in the room and take sandwiches to the parks for lunch. Tokyo Dining will have to wait until next year We spent weeks going over dining options and budget. It came down to a difference of about $500 between the dining plan and our final idea. For the 5 of us, the DDP ends up being $1400, not including tips - whew! We thought at one point, the Quick Service DP would work, but we had planned for eating at two buffets with the family, and that took us out of the range we wanted to be in. We even thought about cooking most of our meals and splurging on the two buffets, but Dh didn't want to cook and clean up too much on vacation. Although he wouldn't be actually doing any cooking, lol. We're still crunching the numbers for Tables in Wonderland, but we keep coming under the amount we needed to make it work - the blackout for Thanksgiving doesn't help and I only drink an occassional glass of wine for dinner. We're planning on a cruise for next year, so we can't find a reason to justify it.
Here's my work. Both sides are filled with numbers...
So this is our final answer: (I think)
The Biergarten for Thanksgiving dinner, 'Ohana and Boma for breakfast, and Cape May Cafe on our final night. I'm going to make tacos, spaghetti and frozen pizza on the other nights. Not all at one time - although that could be our own ad hoc buffet in the room right? Breakfast will be pastries, eggs, bacon and waffles, and fruit, depending on the day. Lunch will be sandwiches and fruit/veggies, and chips or crackers. Groceries will be delivered by Garden Grocer - they've always been great. While in the parks, we can get water from the counter service and bring packets of tea or Crystal Light. I've also budgeted for a snack from the park each day - the kids have seen the Disney Food Blog mini guides for snacks on my iPad. I really think the snacks will compete for rides as the highlight of the day Oh! And we'll have to fit Beaches and Cream in there somewhere for dessert
I'm okay with this plan because although I like the DDP, it may be wasted at some times. When the kids get tired, they just want to drink instead of eat. MiL isn't really a big eater and may not want a sit-down meal all the time. Plus there's always the ADR time hanging over our heads. I don't mind it, but Dh doesn't really like to be on a "schedule" and I have a feeling MiL may want to just relax on the balcony or "chill" by the fire. (see what I did there?)
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Sounds like a well-thought-out plan for budget eating. I like that you've budgeted for park snacks every day. That'll keep everyone still thinking they're on a food vacation. So often I plan meals and then am too full to eat what I really want-- the snacks! It really will be nice not to have an ADR looming in the schedule every day, too. Leaves more room for spontaneity.
Plans look great so far. I always play with the fly or drive idea and the to DDP or not DDP. My girls are both over 10 now, but neither one of them eat more than a kids meal. So unless we get free dining on our next trip, I think we will skip it and the girls will split some meals.
Sounds like a well-thought-out plan for budget eating. I like that you've budgeted for park snacks every day. That'll keep everyone still thinking they're on a food vacation. So often I plan meals and then am too full to eat what I really want-- the snacks! It really will be nice not to have an ADR looming in the schedule every day, too. Leaves more room for spontaneity.
Thanks! The kids have been talking about WDW snacks ever since last year We had to use most of our snack credits on the plan for breakfast, so they didn't get a chance to sample some of the really cool stuff...
Plans look great so far. I always play with the fly or drive idea and the to DDP or not DDP. My girls are both over 10 now, but neither one of them eat more than a kids meal. So unless we get free dining on our next trip, I think we will skip it and the girls will split some meals.
About This Page: This is a discussion on Our Slo-Mo, Freezing Cold Thanksgiving Family Reunion 2012 - Updated 4/21/2013 - Complete!! within the Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; I love the idea of doing more things at the resort. AKL has so many great programs and just wandering ...
It's funny because while we're talking about the food budget, Dh always says, "it not all about the food". Then we start talking about all the places we want to eat 
We spent weeks going over dining options and budget. It came down to a difference of about $500 between the dining plan and our final idea. For the 5 of us, the DDP ends up being $1400, not including tips - 
whew! We thought at one point, the Quick Service DP would work, but we had planned for eating at two buffets with the family, and that took us out of the range we wanted to be in. We even thought about cooking most of our meals and splurging on the two buffets, but Dh didn't want to cook and clean up too much on vacation. Although he wouldn't be actually doing any cooking, lol. We're still crunching the numbers for Tables in Wonderland, but we keep coming under the amount we needed to make it work - the blackout for Thanksgiving doesn't help and I only drink an occassional glass of wine for dinner. We're planning on a cruise for next year, so we can't find a reason to justify it.
Breakfast will be pastries, eggs, bacon and waffles, and fruit, depending on the day. Lunch will be sandwiches and fruit/veggies, and chips or crackers. Groceries will be delivered by Garden Grocer - they've always been great. While in the parks, we can get water from the counter service and bring packets of tea or Crystal Light. I've also budgeted for a snack from the park each day - the kids have seen the Disney Food Blog mini guides for snacks on my iPad. I really think the snacks will compete for rides as the highlight of the day 
We had to use most of our snack credits on the plan for breakfast, so they didn't get a chance to sample some of the really cool stuff...
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