Any comments before I make reservations?

[likesilver]

My husband and I are taking our baby daughter to DLP in December. We're staying at the Sequoia Lodge and we've booked the Full-Board Plus Dining Plan.

After a bit of research, I'm planning to make reservations for:

Sunday dinner - Inventions
Monday breakfast - Sequoia Lodge
Monday lunch - Walt's
Monday dinner - The Steakhouse
Tuesday breakfast - Sequoia Lodge
Tuesday lunch - Manhattan Restaurant
Tuesday dinner - Hunter's Grill
Wednesday breakfast - Cafe Mickey
Wednesday lunch - Annette's Diner

Any comments/suggestions from more experienced visitors?  

[SVioletS]

I'm not sooo experienced, but i went full board plus last time, and going next week again full board.

Here's the thing, each meal voucher has a value in euros: around 31€ for dinner and 12€ for lunch (of course you can use cheapest voucher for dinner and most expensive for lunch).

So if you don't mind paying for the difference your restaurant choice is great, if you don't want to over spend you should choose quick service restaurants.

Also when booking, confirm if you can pay for breakfast at cafe mickey with the vouchers (i don't think you can).

Last thing: you get vouchers for the number of nights you'll stay, meaning if you stay 3 nights, you get 3 dinner vouchers+3 lunch vouchers per person.

Baby daughter won't receive any - only older than 3y.

I hope i was helpfull! Have fun!!

[glenn]

Make sure that walts are open,when i was there in september only the plaza garden was open.

[likesilver]

Thank you for the comments.

I think I have misunderstood the Plus dining plan option completely then. My understanding was with the Plus option we can have either a buffet or set menu at a table service restaurant at lunch and dinner - is that totally wrong?

Also just to clarify I pre-booked breakfast at Cafe Mickey when booking the package

[SVioletS]

Thank you for the comments.

I think I have misunderstood the Plus dining plan option completely then. My understanding was with the Plus option we can have either a buffet or set menu at a table service restaurant at lunch and dinner - is that totally wrong?
quote]

I was checking and maybe i'm wrong. We last stayed at NPB with full board meal vouchers, wich should be a Plus option. However it was as i described 1 voucher 31.50€ and 1 voucher 11.99€... Since this was a "free meals" promotion (same as we're going next week) maybe they gave us standard vouchers... or a mix of standard + plus...

anyway, you can eat wherever you want to (few exceptions, such as Macdonalds, Earls Sandwiches...) if the menu price exceeds the vouchers value, or if you choose a la carte, you will deliver the vouchers for their face value and pay the difference in €.
Now i'm curious to see what i'll get... EDIT: so i checked and i get a mix of both standard / Plus: I get 1 fast food voucher + 1 half board Plus voucher.

Having seen that, i supose both your vouchers value will be around 31.50€, which is great for going to the nicer restaurants.

[never2old]

Have you had a look at the meal plans description in DLRP Magic? It gives you a list of all the restaurants where you can eat using the Plus dining plan.

For example from your list, Inventions is not included (but you can still use your vouchers there at their vace value)

You have some great choices there!

How old is your little girl? If you're going to Inventions, I would first make sure she's not scared with the characters!! Make sure you go and see some characters before... When we took our niece a few years ago (she was 5), we started with lunch at Cafe Mickey, as soon as she saw Mickey Mouse coming to see us at our table, my niece was hiding under the table!! And she spent the whole meal there... So try to see how she is with the characters before... You can always do Inventions later in the week!

One day you want to have lunch at the Manhattan restaurant, you may find when you call and book that not all restaurants in the hotels open for lunch! You can always have Monday dinner at Manhattan and Tuesday lunch at the Steakhouse (for example).  Or if you want to have lunch in the park, the Blue Lagoon is also a good place to go!!

In any case, hope you have a wonderful time

[julesk]

Sorry Can I repeat 'sviolets' question? If you get full board, plus. Can you still use the buffett at lunch time? Sorry really confused now. Thinking of changing our half board to full board but cant decide. We have always done half board but now that my daughter is older I though it might be a nice relaxing lunchtime break to sit down to a meal. Thanks

[kate87]

I think full board is a little too much to be honest. bearing in mind how long a restaurant meal can actually take & if you're having a biggish breakfast plus a 3 course or buffet in the evening will you really make use of the lunch voucher?
I know it would be too much food for us!
I also think the lunch vouchers are very resrtictive as to where you can eat & if you use them as face value then theres no saving.
Unless you have big appetites & want to use them for budgetting i wouldnt go full board.

[julesk]

Thanks Kate87. We do tend to skip breakfast as hate the queues but think your right, not sure a big lunch and big evening meal is a good idea. But cant help but think less euros to take is the up side still. So hard to decide?? We are going to HNY this year, any idea if its better at breakfast there to Santa Fe and Cheyenne? Thanks

[kate87]

Can only go by the million trip reports & reviews ive read but yes i'd say far better. A better selection including hot food on the buffet. Ive been advised to go for an earlier time to avoid the busiest times.

[julesk]

We have done 7am breakfast at Cheyenne before and no queues but with dreams on now, early mornings with little ones wont be so easy. I have to admit I hate booking times as you wont know till the day when your hungry.