Four days, four parks, all the food! Mixing it up with the DxDDP and DDP - 9/22 update, FOTLK Tier 1 lunch at Tiffins

Mich123

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Hi I'm Michelle, I started this when we were just back from a great 4 day, 3 night trip to WDW with friends, 4 adults, no kids, but I've waited to post until I was sure I could finish the report. We went to WDW the week before Memorial Day to celebrate my birthday and our friends' 25th Wedding Anniversary. I love to plan and read trip reports, I will do my best to finish this--I confess I've started two reports in the past that I didn't finish. I do not have food pics, but I do have a lot of information if you're panning a trip. DH and I are AP this year, we are trying to go to at least one new restaurant each trip. This time, we stuck with some sure things because our friends were with us.

We shared all dining plan credits. DH and I had the DxDDP and our friends had the DDP. Sharing worked really well, if we were all on the DxDDP we would have had too many credits, if we’d all been on the DDP we would not have had enough. Our only struggle was using the QS meals efficiently, my idea of a perfect plan includes TS for lunch and dinner. That’s just how we roll, we like midday breaks in the A/C. We’ve done the DxDDP several times now and we generally like this plan. It IS too much food, but because we like to have restaurant lunches, it works out best for us when we can get a deal.

Here’s where we ate:
Skipper Canteen
Narcoossee’s
Les Halles
Flower & Garden snacks
Biergarten
The Mara
Tiffins
Sanaa
Cape May Café
Backlot Express

We had some amazing meals and lots of drinks, hope you’ll come along for the ride!
 
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We left our house in upstate NY at 3:55 a.m. for our 5:15 a.m. flight—eeks! Picked up friends at 4:03, got to the airport at 4:20, checked in at 4:31, we know that because we were warned our luggage might not make it (it did) because we were within the 45 minute mark of our flight. My first vacation meal was an apple I brought from home, I was saving myself for Disney! Cheers to the people in front of me who drank two bloody Marys—I didn’t think I’d make it with a pre-breakfast cocktail.

Once at MCO, we sent our luggage on DME to AKL-Jambo House and took Lyft to the Contemporary. After a quick pit stop and coffee purchase at the Joffrey’s stand at the Contemporary, we walked to MK. Pro tip: the security check along the path to MK is super quick in the morning. We passed through the gates at about 9:05 a.m. and headed to Starbucks for breakfast sandwiches—the usual breakfast sandwiches, lines were reasonable. After Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, POTC, BTM, TTA, Space Mountain, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid, we were ready for some lunch! I will note that it was HOT! We didn’t drink enough water. Next time I'm in Orlando with temps in the 90s, I will definitely be sending a case of water to our room.
 
First lunch: Skipper Canteen! Skipper Emma was excellent and we had lots of fun with our friends who hadn't been to Disney for about 10 years. They didn’t expect the antics and they also didn’t expect really good food. It was fun to see their surprise. We all loved that drinks were included. We started with a round of beers: The Tusker beer and Spaten lager, both were perfectly yummy and refreshing on a hot day. We used our DxDDP credits and saved DDP credits for AYCTE meals to maximize the appetizer options. So, for Skipper Canteen, we started our meals with great apps: the S.E.A. shumai, the Falls Family Falafel, and Orinoco Ida’s Cachapas. The shumai were good, a big portion of 5 for an appetizer. Actually, all the appetizer portions were large and could easily make a meal with a side salad or soup. The falafels were light and fluffy, not too dense as falafels sometimes are. DH remarked that they were the second best falafels he’d had at WDW, the first were at The Mara on our last trip. The falafel were served on a generous helping of hummus. DH had the Cachapas and loved them. He later declared that they were his favorite item of the trip and said it could have been a meal.

Since we were on the DxDDP, this was just the start! For entrees, M. had the “A Lot of Steak” Salad, cooked medium, which she much enjoyed. P. had Sankuru Sadie’s Seafood Stew, which he said was good, he at almost all of it. DH had the Char Siu Pork which was disappointing. The pork was overcooked and a little bouncy (not a great quality in pork), the bok choy was kind of limp. I would not recommend this. I do think DH has had this before, and it wasn’t nearly as tough. I had the Whole Fried Fish which was delicious. The fish was cooked nicely and the portion wasn’t as overwhelming as I worried it would be. I liked the kimchi, which went nicely with the fried fish. I have also had the whole fried fish at Tiffins and I think it was pretty much the same and a good deal considering that Skipper Canteen is 1 DDP credit and Tiffins is 2 DDP credits.

With little room in our tummies left, we forged on and ordered dessert. M. and DH ordered Quick Sand, the rice pudding dessert. They liked it, but I don’t think it was their favorite rice pudding. DH would prefer a creamier rice pudding, M. commented that it was savory and reminded her of our aunt’s rice pudding. P. had the Coconut Bar with Pineapple Basil compote and he liked it. The portion was the right size and it looked nice and light. I had my favorite, the Kungaloosh. It was a chocolaty and perfectly dense cake with a lovely cashew ice cream and bruleed bananas that are crunchy and nicely sweet. I’d like more ice cream with this, but otherwise it is perfect.

One meal down, 9 to go! Next up, check in and the Uzima pool!
 


We checked in at AKL, reunited with our luggage, and headed to the pool. For the purposes of reporting, we all had drinks at the Uzima pool, M. and P. had beer, DH had a cocktail, and I had a Mai Tai. All were good! I didn’t notice poolside service while we were there, we went to the pool bar and ordered. One nice touch during our stay was a lifeguard who offered us a chilled towel, folded into a rosette. Very refreshing!

We cleaned up and headed to Narcoossee’s by Lyft. Lyft worked well, we were at the GF in about 18 minutes, no traffic, dropped off at the front door. We had no idea where Narcoossee’s was, this was a new restaurant for us, but I did know it was on the Seven Seas Lagoon. After asking for directions, we headed there, admiring the GF along the way. I’d like to stay at all the hotels, but the GF does not call to me in the way the Poly or AKL or Beach Club does. I think it’s just too nice for me. Is it stuffy? Let me know!

We found our way to Narcoossee’s, checked in and waited about 15 minutes for a table. This gave M. a chance to check in with her kids (shhh, don’t let them know we’re in Disney!). We were finally shown our table at the corner of the first level, near the bar pit. I found the bar pit a little odd, I’m wondering what the thinking behind that was--mini orchestra? Small pool? At any rate, the bar tenders did make some very nice cocktails, which we started with. DH ordered a Manhattan and I ordered a Mojito. M. ordered an IPA and P. ordered a Bloody Mary. We used the DxDDP again, to maximize the drink and appetizer options at a fairly pricey location.

Our apps were so well done! DH had the Caesar Salad, which was a deconstructed salad—it looked good, just be prepared that it’s not your usual Caesar. M. and I shared appetizers, M. had the cheese plate and I ordered the calamari. The cheese plate was very fun. As others here have mentioned, the pairings really make the cheese. The prosciutto was thinly sliced, not chewy and not fatty. The calamari were good, not rubbery at all (for all rings) and crisp—M. and P. really liked this dish. I’d note that our server, Chevy, who was excellent by the way, suggested that we have the tomato coulis on the side and that was a great recommendation. P. had the lobster bisque and said it was very good.

For our mains, everyone except DH had the 2 lb. steamed lobster, which was so nicely prepared, sliced and cracked and super easy to eat. The lobster was very tender and simply seasoned, which is how I like my lobster. Our group has spent years vacationing in Maine and we all agreed that this presentation has us spoiled after many, many experiences where a shower was needed after eating lobster because it can be such a mess. The lobster was accompanied by one of my favorite things this trip: the fallen corn soufflé. It was not eggy at all, so soufflé seems like the wrong descriptor, but it was like a cornbread that was super moist with a swipe of butter on top. I was getting full, but I had to eat all of this, it was just so good. The meal was also served with asparagus that was crisp enough and a nice accompaniment.

DH had the filet. He does not care for seafood, which is one reason it took us such a long time to try this restaurant. DH is a very good sport and always likes a filet, so he was happy with his meal. Thank you, Disney, for always having a choice like that! I would note, as I look at the menu online, that there are no vegetarian or Chicken dishes listed for adults, but there is a kid’s menu.

As we were eating our lobsters, our friend P. remarked, “We are eating like kings!” several times. I know that he and M. had no food expectations for this trip and were pretty amazed at all the great restaurants. We were out yesterday night and they are still talking about all of the delicious meals.

For dessert, we had the Coconut and Chocolate Crème Brulee, the Almond Crusted Cheesecake, and the Narocoossee’s Candy Bar. The Candy Bar was boxed up and died in the fridge at AKL. The Almond Crusted Cheesecake was as delicious as reported here on the DIS. Very creamy and the lambert cherry sauce is a slightly tart accompaniment. I liked that overall it didn’t seem too sweet. The fail was the Coconut and Chocolate Crème Brulee. M. took one bite and declared, “This tastes like Bain de Soleil!” We were quoting her for the rest of the trip! Everytime something coconut appeared, we just had to say that. M. thought it tasted artificial, needless to say, she really didn't like it. We also had coffee with our dessert, this was included with the dining plan.

When the bill arrived, I was relieved to see that the dining plan credits were maximized, reaffirming the choice to do DxDDP. For 4 people, without the DxDDP our bill would have been just over $500, including tip. It was about $100 per person, we tipped our excellent waiter a little extra. That’s a more expensive meal for us and not our usual, but with cocktails on the dining plan, it was great to see that everything was covered.

Next up, we have a discombobulated day at Epcot and Magic Kingdom and use our snack credits!
 
Excellent start! You are so descriptive that I'm not missing the pics at all!
 


On our second day in the parks, we went to Epcot. DH and I are AP for 2019, M. and P. purchased the one park per day pass at a great rate. Knowing this, we did not plan to park hop with M. and P. Somehow, miraculously, we rope dropped Epcot! This is not my family’s usual way, but we all woke up early, so we decided to head out quickly. Our first stop was a trip around the world, we followed the rope and then race walked to The Land. After Soarin’, we headed to Les Halles in France for some excellent pastries and bubbly! Our plan was to use snack credits, but we ended up using a couple of P. and M.’s quick service credits, which worked out fine. DH and I had the quiche, heated up, which was very delicious and very rich. For my breakfast dessert (hey, it’s vacation!) I had the frangipane, based on AJ’s recommendations on Disney Food Blog. It was good, but not my favorite. I would have liked the pastry to be a little crisper, the puff seemed weighed down by the almond filling. We all had two very lovely glasses of Prosecco with our meal (again, vacation!). The staff at Les Halles did a nice job of pouring and carefully gave us some pretty full glasses. I much appreciate that!

After riding LWTL, we stopped by the popcorn cart between The Land and Figment. This popcorn is as yummy as everyone says it is. I had the mix of plain, buffalo chicken, and cheesy chive. I like cheesy chive the best, but they were all good. Next time, I will mix the two flavors only, because I can always get plain popcorn.

After riding Frozen, and failing to get on Test Track, we decided to check out the Flower and Garden Booths. This was our planned lunch with the goal of using snack credits and in my opinion, this was the weakest of my planning. I’m not good with random and as a group we struggled to make a decision. After wandering and not finding food that appealed to us, we drifted to Mexico to see if there was a table at La Cava del Tequila. We were able to get a standing table, but one of us wanted to sit, so that didn’t work. We then drifted out and I snagged a fiesta margarita from Choza de Margarita. This was refreshing, and not too sweet! The lime layer was tasty and a little tart, I think this helped stop the mango and strawberry flavors from turning into a dessert. We then headed over to Refreshment Port, we shared a traditional poutine and P. had a loaded Bloody Mary, I believe beers were also purchased along the way by DH and M. I really like the poutine at Refreshment Port and it was a satisfying lunch. The loaded Bloody Marys are fantastic, if I hadn’t already had Prosecco and a Margarita, I would have indulged.

Reviewing the plan for today, if I had to do it over, I would have made an ADR for lunch. Wandering around on the verge of hangry is not a good experience at WDW and can easily be avoided.

At this point, P. and M. decided they wanted to hang out by the pool. DH and I decided to go to MK to ride Splash Mountain—we’d tried to get on this ride the day before, but the ride shut down before we could (and after we waited in line for about 20 minutes).

Next up: A snack adventure!
 
Great report so far. Loving your idea to share dining plan credits and mixing the regular plan with the deluxe. Makes a ton of sense for a group of adults.

You have me so excited for Narcoossee's. We're back in the world next week and its been way too long since we've been there.
 
Great report so far. Loving your idea to share dining plan credits and mixing the regular plan with the deluxe. Makes a ton of sense for a group of adults.

You have me so excited for Narcoossee's. We're back in the world next week and its been way too long since we've been there.
Thank you! Sharing the credits totally worked everywhere we went.

I hope you enjoy Narcoossee's as much as we did!
 
When I left off, we were headed to MK...MK was packed! Wait times were awful, we rode POTC and then headed to Splash Mountain where the wait was an hour…that turned into two hours.

After waiting in line for 2 hours, I was a little hungry. Waiting in line is hard work! We were heading to Epcot, a little soggy and a little sweaty, to our reservation at Biergarten. As we walked through Adventureland, I had a brainstorm: egg rolls! DH was shocked that I wanted to eat on our way to our ADR, which I found funny because it’s totally a DH move to eat immediately before a meal. We stopped and luckily, there were just a few egg rolls left. I ordered one cheeseburger egg roll and one Cuban egg roll. I enjoyed both, I’d give the edge to the cheeseburger egg roll because it’s a classic. Can I even say that? I’m mean, it’s a cheeseburger egg roll! At any rate, a fun idea and a great treat! I can't wait to see what they come up with next. I'd love to see a s'mores egg roll...

On to Epcot…
 
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Following along! We "accidentally" did the deluxe plan years ago before I was Disney savvy lol. We ate well but the kids were young and it was lots of sitting! We no longer do any dining plan but sharing credits is a great idea!

egg rolls! DH was shocked that I wanted to eat on our way to our ADR, which I found funny because it’s totally a DH move to eat immediately before a meal. We stopped and luckily, there were just a few egg rolls left. I ordered one cheeseburger egg roll and one Cuban egg roll. I enjoyed both, I’d give the edge to the cheeseburger egg roll because it’s a classic. Can I even say that? I’m mean, it’s a cheeseburger egg roll! At any rate, a fun idea and a great treat! I can't wait to see what they come up with next
I keep wanting to try these and always forget! Glad you liked them and going to try to remember them when we're there later this month
I'd love to see a s'mores egg roll...
Um...... 🤔
 
I swear I'm getting one of those egg rolls on my upcoming trip! Every time we tried to get one the cart was either closed, or the line was too long, or something. I agree about the Bloody Mary at the Refreshment Port. It is ah-maz-ing!!! Love Les Halles! We got some of their amazing sandwiches on a trip in December 2017. So so good! Why have we skipped it on our most recent trips, I wonder? Too many great things to eat at WDW! I need a month long trip!
 
Love your report. We only managed DXDP once and it was a lot of food but does allow you to go those 2ts and shows.

Thank you! We had fun and sharing the credits worked really well!

Following along! We "accidentally" did the deluxe plan years ago before I was Disney savvy lol. We ate well but the kids were young and it was lots of sitting! We no longer do any dining plan but sharing credits is a great idea!

We are going dining plan free our next two trips. I'm a little nervous about the unknown expense, but I know that's kind of silly as we eat out all the time as it is. I like not having to think about the expense in an "all inclusive" kind of way. We've been lucky to have free dining a few times, which is how we got hooked.

I've been enjoying your report! Thanks for all the info, it's helped my planning!

I swear I'm getting one of those egg rolls on my upcoming trip! Every time we tried to get one the cart was either closed, or the line was too long, or something. I agree about the Bloody Mary at the Refreshment Port. It is ah-maz-ing!!! Love Les Halles! We got some of their amazing sandwiches on a trip in December 2017. So so good! Why have we skipped it on our most recent trips, I wonder? Too many great things to eat at WDW! I need a month long trip!

I need more room to eat it all! It's a challenge to plan so that you're hungry at the exact moment you pass a snack cart. Sometimes you just have to eat anyway!
 
Next stops: Rose and Crown and Biergarten!

As we were heading to Epcot, M. and P. texted to ask if we’d like to get a drink along the way—of course! We met up with them at Rose and Crown, M. and P. were sitting on the curb observing life at the U.K. Pavillion, they’d witnessed a woman get injured when the door to Rose and Crown was pushed open into her leg, giving her a bloody cut, and a bachelorette party that was getting wild. DH and I went in to a super crowded Rose and Crown bar and sidled up, I had a Smithwick’s and DH had a gin martini. Both standard and good!

We then walked over to Biergarten for our ADR, waited about 10 minutes before being seated. We were seated in the far right corner of the restaurant, with a grandmother and her adult granddaughter. I am a fan of communal seating, probably because I talk to everyone. The grandma told us about prior trips with her granddaughter, she was in her late 80’s, and said she wasn’t sure she’d be making another trip to the world. We encouraged her to keep going!

I am a fan of Biergarten for the band. I love the oompah music and this band is so much fun! Over the years, though, my love of Biergarten food has waned. It’s been a “must do” restaurant for us and the atmosphere keeps us going, but I’m disappointed that the food value is not what it used to be. The food is well prepared, but the offerings have become basic with inexpensive offerings replacing complicated and pricier items. A few years ago, they removed rouladen from the menu, which was my favorite—thinly pounded beef wrapped around sautéed onions and bacon in a rich gravy. Difficult to make at home, wonderful at this restaurant. In addition, there had been hand carved meats in the past: roast pork, roast turkey, roast beef. On the day that we went, there was hand carved…meatloaf. There was also a hand carved turkey breast, but really, meatloaf?

So, we ordered beer to start. Our lovely waitress, Michelle (yes, my name, which is why I remember it), asked if we were celebrating anything. We shared that it was P. and M.’s 25th wedding anniversary and that my birthday was the following week. She congratulated us and got a note to the band, the band leader later made announcements to wish us well! We ordered beers to start, DH ordered the 1 liter beer and the rest of us ordered ½ liter beers. DH loves the big mug and almost always gets a 1L when he has the chance. DH asked if the DDP would cover a 1L beer and Michelle told him she’d check. She came back before getting the beer to let him know there’d be a small upcharge, DH agreed to it.

I did enjoy the salads and the sides. I think sausage salad is an oxymoron, and was my least favorite. I liked the cucumber salad, the cabbage salad, the warm potato salad, the wursts, the meatloaf, the sauerkraut, the braised cabbage, and the potato dumplings—the dumplings were especially good. We also all enjoyed the desserts, the apple strudel and vanilla sauce is one of my favorites on property.

We finished up and asked for the check. When we got the check, we noticed that there wasn’t an additional charge for the 1L beer. DH asked about it and Michelle sweetly said, “Since you were the only person in your group not celebrating anything, I thought you should have the bigger beer without charge.” We all loved that!

We used P. and M.’s DDP credits for this meal because beer was included and there were no appetizers involved. Thanks to Michelle, the only OOP expense was the tip.

We left just as Illuminations was getting started. The rest of the park was emptying out, it seemed like a good time to head back to the resort. On our way, we checked out Test Track. We’d tried to go on it earlier in the day, but at first the wait was over an hour and then it was temporarily closed. When we go to the entrance, it was still open and there was no one in line! We walked and walked and walked through the queue to the design center, made our cars, then walked to the pick up zone and into our car. Easy peasy! P. is still talking about this experience because we walked on to Test Track. So much fun.

After TT, we headed to the buses and waited about a minute. Side bar on bus service to AKL: This was surprising because there were about 5 people in line ahead of us, no one behind us, and other bus stops were completely full. We stayed at AKL in January and I had been hesitant to stay there because it’s remote and I didn’t want to spend all of my time waiting for buses. After January’s trip, my concerns vanished. We have had great bus service to and from AKL on both of our AKL trips. I think that Disney plans this, so that AKL really is deluxe in every way.

We thought our night was ending, but it turns out we were headed to a party…
 
We arrived at AKL and went to our rooms, which were next door to each other, but not connected, and considered checking out Victoria Falls. When we entered the room, I noticed a room service tray with a note. I have to admit my first thought was that mousekeeping had left someone else’s tray in the room. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the note was for me! It said, “Happy Birthday from your friends at Animal Kingdom Lodge!” Since there was a cake server on the tray, I figured the cake had to be nearby---I checked the fridge and there was a beautiful Mickey Ears cake!


IMG_6025.jpg
See what I just did there, I stuck a photo into the photoless trip report! This cake was big! It would have easily served 10 people and there were only 4 of us. We decided to head to The Mara to have a little party. Refillable mugs in hand, with cake and cake server we headed downstairs. A sweet CM got us some plates and my friends sang Happy Birthday to me. The cake was filled with chocolate mousse—it was a chocolate lovers dream, ok, my dream! After serving four pieces of cake and realizing that we had a lot of cake left, I decided to see if others at The Mara would like dessert. This for me was the most fun, I love to share food. I walked around to nearby tables and served cake to my new friends. It was a delicious treat and a great birthday celebration.

Next up: A wild day at Animal Kingdom featuring the Festival of the Lion King Signature Dining Package.
 
Great report so far. Loving your idea to share dining plan credits and mixing the regular plan with the deluxe. Makes a ton of sense for a group of adults.

You have me so excited for Narcoossee's. We're back in the world next week and its been way too long since we've been there.

We are doing the same--sharing DxDDP and DDP with our daughter and son-in-law in late-February/early-March. DH and I are there for eight nights on DxDDP and they will arrive for the last five nights of the trip on the DDP. We're doing a couple of signature meals, but mostly having two 1TS sit-down meals a day. Using the QS credits and Satuli and BOG. and they'll use the other two on arrival day. I priced it out, as I knew we would not order as extravagantly on a cash-pay plan, and I still came out ahead. Nice to see someone else who did this and had it work well!
 
Following along a little late .. looking forward to reading more. That cake looks amazing. What a nice surprise .
 

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