Wallskm
05-10-2008, 09:46 AM
Dates - April 21-29, 2008
Travel Method - Flying
Resort – Port Orleans Riverside
Accommodations – King-size room in Magnolia Terrace
Ages – Adults (25 and 26)
Experience – Last trip for me was at age 11, first time for the wife
This is a brief recounting of our 9 day trip to Disney World. We stayed at Magnolia Terrace in Port Orleans Riverside. We purchased the Deluxe Dining Plan, and the purpose of this report is to determine how much we would have spent if we had not had the plan.
Day 1 – 4/21 – Magic Kingdom
Arrived in Orlando at 11:45. A very short line for the Magical Express and off to the resort. Lunch for 2 at Port Orleans Riverside food court. Approximately $30. Arrived at Magic Kingdom at approximately 1:45. Fast passes on Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise. Also rode Carousel of Progress, Astro Orbiters, Peter Pan’s Flight, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion. Longest wait was 60 minutes at Splash Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight. Shortest wait time without fast pass was about 10 minutes. Dinner for 2 at Liberty Tavern: Salad, rolls, family style steak, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and vegetables. Yum. Dessert available but too full to get it. $61.75 without tip. Snacks today: Large drink, Frozen lemonade: about $6.00.
Day 2 – 4/22 – Hollywood Studios
Arrived at the studios 40 minutes before opening and was about 7 rows back for the rope drop. Rockin’ Roller Coaster first followed by Tower of Terror. Fast passes for Tower of Terror, Rockin’ Roller Coaster x2, StarTours. Was able to ride most everything with minimal waits. Longest wait was 30 minutes for Tower of Terror as second ride of the day. Rode Tower twice and Rockin’ Roller Coaster 3 times. Breakfast at Riverside. Accidentally used snacks instead of meals (Yikes!): $13.85. Lunch at Sci-Fi Drive-In- Shared one meal as we weren’t hungry enough to both eat full meals: $28.53. Supper reservations for Hollywood Brown Derby but not hungry enough for them. Two counter meals for supper: $17.76. Snacks: one large coke for $2.93.
Day 3 – 4/23 – Animal Kingdom
Arrived 30 minutes before opening to a huge line to get in. Went through the Rainforest Café to be the first in line at the back entrance. Ended up being in the front row for the rope drop! What a fun rope drop show! Fast passes on Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Kali River Rapids. Longest wait was 40 minutes at the bus to leave the park. Longest wait time in the park was 20 minutes at Finding Nemo. Breakfast at Riverside about $18.50. Lunch at Yak & Yeti Café $21.01. Dinner at Tusker House Restaurant $57.42 (an awesome buffet). Snacks: one large coke - $2.93, one ice-cream sandwich - $2.50.
Day 4 – 4/24 – Epcot
Arrived 30 minutes before opening. Against the rope for the rope drop. Fast passes for Soarin’, Test Track, and Maelstrom. Longest wait time approximately 30 minutes for Soarin’ on fast pass. Breakfast at hotel $16.00, lunch at Coral Reef $94.07, Dinner at Rose and Crown on patio for Illuminations (awesome) $67.97. Snacks: 2 bottled cokes $4.00.
Day 5 – 4/25 – Magic Kingdom
Slept in and arrived to the park at about 10:00. Able to ride all rides with minimal wait. Average wait time 10 minutes. Fast passes on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain. Breakfast at Riverside $18.00. Lunch at the Crystal Palace $44.71. Supper at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney (Amazing food and ambience) $90.88. Snacks today were ice creams at the park $5.00 and desserts at the hotel food court $7.36.
Day 6 – 4/26 – Blizzard Beach/Downtown Disney/California Grill
Slept in nice and late. Arrived at Blizzard Beach around noon. Longest waits of the entire trip! Sit down breakfast at the hotel $29.51. Lunch at Blizzard Beach $20.51. Dinner at California Grill $125.01 (only charged one meal per person for some reason). Grad Nite at Disney so no night-time Wishes . Snacks were 2 cokes at Downtown Disney $5.86.
Day 7 – 4/27 – Epcot/Magic Kingdom
Arrived at Epcot at 11:45. Fast-passed Soarin’ and finished up what we had not done the first day. Then on to Magic Kingdom around 9:00 via monorail for one last hurrah during extra magic hours. Fast pass for Space Mountain. No long waits today. Breakfast at the hotel $19.47. Lunch at San Angel Inn $65.92. Dinner at Garden Grill $61.75. Snacks today were 2 large cokes, 1 regular coke $7.95. Back to the resort at an exhausting 1:15am.
Day 8 – 4/28 – Typhoon Lagoon/Hollywood Studios
Slept in too late for breakfast (whoops). Arrived at Typhoon Lagoon at around 12:30 and stayed til about 4:00. Over to Downtown Disney to pick up our wood-carved sign and then down to Hollywood Studios to finish the day. There were minimal wait times at the studios and we were able to do Tower of Terror three times in a row. Lunch at Typhoon Lagoon $25.00, Supper at Earl of Sandwich for the wife $15.00, ABC Commissary for me $13.00. Snacks for the day were a cupcake $3.00 and apple juice about $2.00.
Day 9 – 4/29 – Animal Kingdom/Home
Up at 6:00 to go check our luggage before the long lines. Grabbed a quick breakfast and back to bed until 8:15. Arrived at Animal Kingdom just as the rope drop show was finishing. Straight to Expedition Everest for Fast Passes, then on to Kilimanjaro Safari for some amazing shots of the male lion! Over to EE for the ride and another Fast Pass, down to Dinosaur, then It’s Tough to be a Bug, and finally to EE again for our last ride. Breakfast at the hotel for $18.50, Lunch at Restaurantosaurus for about $26.00. Snacks today were chocolate milk, orange juice, and a coke for about $6.50.
Comments:
Two meals left over at the end of the trip because we accidentally slept through breakfast. 3 snacks left over. Total for all meals and snacks spent this trip if I did my math correctly: $1026.15. Although I don’t have the exact cost of the deluxe plan, it seems we paid between $1000 and $1100. Considering that we had our trip paid in full over a month before we even went to Disney, it felt as if we really were eating for free. For a couple who has the ability to take advantage of sitting down to eat for most meals, it seems the deluxe plan is worth the price. I would absolutely do the deluxe plan again if it were only me and my wife. If I had kids, I don’t think this would have been worth it as I’m sure they would not want to spend the time it takes to have a good meal at a sit-down restaurant as much as you need to make this plan worth it. Hopefully this report helps you determine if the deluxe plan is right for you and your family. Enjoy your trips. I’m still bummed that I’m not there anymore!
Travel Method - Flying
Resort – Port Orleans Riverside
Accommodations – King-size room in Magnolia Terrace
Ages – Adults (25 and 26)
Experience – Last trip for me was at age 11, first time for the wife
This is a brief recounting of our 9 day trip to Disney World. We stayed at Magnolia Terrace in Port Orleans Riverside. We purchased the Deluxe Dining Plan, and the purpose of this report is to determine how much we would have spent if we had not had the plan.
Day 1 – 4/21 – Magic Kingdom
Arrived in Orlando at 11:45. A very short line for the Magical Express and off to the resort. Lunch for 2 at Port Orleans Riverside food court. Approximately $30. Arrived at Magic Kingdom at approximately 1:45. Fast passes on Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise. Also rode Carousel of Progress, Astro Orbiters, Peter Pan’s Flight, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion. Longest wait was 60 minutes at Splash Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight. Shortest wait time without fast pass was about 10 minutes. Dinner for 2 at Liberty Tavern: Salad, rolls, family style steak, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and vegetables. Yum. Dessert available but too full to get it. $61.75 without tip. Snacks today: Large drink, Frozen lemonade: about $6.00.
Day 2 – 4/22 – Hollywood Studios
Arrived at the studios 40 minutes before opening and was about 7 rows back for the rope drop. Rockin’ Roller Coaster first followed by Tower of Terror. Fast passes for Tower of Terror, Rockin’ Roller Coaster x2, StarTours. Was able to ride most everything with minimal waits. Longest wait was 30 minutes for Tower of Terror as second ride of the day. Rode Tower twice and Rockin’ Roller Coaster 3 times. Breakfast at Riverside. Accidentally used snacks instead of meals (Yikes!): $13.85. Lunch at Sci-Fi Drive-In- Shared one meal as we weren’t hungry enough to both eat full meals: $28.53. Supper reservations for Hollywood Brown Derby but not hungry enough for them. Two counter meals for supper: $17.76. Snacks: one large coke for $2.93.
Day 3 – 4/23 – Animal Kingdom
Arrived 30 minutes before opening to a huge line to get in. Went through the Rainforest Café to be the first in line at the back entrance. Ended up being in the front row for the rope drop! What a fun rope drop show! Fast passes on Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Kali River Rapids. Longest wait was 40 minutes at the bus to leave the park. Longest wait time in the park was 20 minutes at Finding Nemo. Breakfast at Riverside about $18.50. Lunch at Yak & Yeti Café $21.01. Dinner at Tusker House Restaurant $57.42 (an awesome buffet). Snacks: one large coke - $2.93, one ice-cream sandwich - $2.50.
Day 4 – 4/24 – Epcot
Arrived 30 minutes before opening. Against the rope for the rope drop. Fast passes for Soarin’, Test Track, and Maelstrom. Longest wait time approximately 30 minutes for Soarin’ on fast pass. Breakfast at hotel $16.00, lunch at Coral Reef $94.07, Dinner at Rose and Crown on patio for Illuminations (awesome) $67.97. Snacks: 2 bottled cokes $4.00.
Day 5 – 4/25 – Magic Kingdom
Slept in and arrived to the park at about 10:00. Able to ride all rides with minimal wait. Average wait time 10 minutes. Fast passes on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain. Breakfast at Riverside $18.00. Lunch at the Crystal Palace $44.71. Supper at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney (Amazing food and ambience) $90.88. Snacks today were ice creams at the park $5.00 and desserts at the hotel food court $7.36.
Day 6 – 4/26 – Blizzard Beach/Downtown Disney/California Grill
Slept in nice and late. Arrived at Blizzard Beach around noon. Longest waits of the entire trip! Sit down breakfast at the hotel $29.51. Lunch at Blizzard Beach $20.51. Dinner at California Grill $125.01 (only charged one meal per person for some reason). Grad Nite at Disney so no night-time Wishes . Snacks were 2 cokes at Downtown Disney $5.86.
Day 7 – 4/27 – Epcot/Magic Kingdom
Arrived at Epcot at 11:45. Fast-passed Soarin’ and finished up what we had not done the first day. Then on to Magic Kingdom around 9:00 via monorail for one last hurrah during extra magic hours. Fast pass for Space Mountain. No long waits today. Breakfast at the hotel $19.47. Lunch at San Angel Inn $65.92. Dinner at Garden Grill $61.75. Snacks today were 2 large cokes, 1 regular coke $7.95. Back to the resort at an exhausting 1:15am.
Day 8 – 4/28 – Typhoon Lagoon/Hollywood Studios
Slept in too late for breakfast (whoops). Arrived at Typhoon Lagoon at around 12:30 and stayed til about 4:00. Over to Downtown Disney to pick up our wood-carved sign and then down to Hollywood Studios to finish the day. There were minimal wait times at the studios and we were able to do Tower of Terror three times in a row. Lunch at Typhoon Lagoon $25.00, Supper at Earl of Sandwich for the wife $15.00, ABC Commissary for me $13.00. Snacks for the day were a cupcake $3.00 and apple juice about $2.00.
Day 9 – 4/29 – Animal Kingdom/Home
Up at 6:00 to go check our luggage before the long lines. Grabbed a quick breakfast and back to bed until 8:15. Arrived at Animal Kingdom just as the rope drop show was finishing. Straight to Expedition Everest for Fast Passes, then on to Kilimanjaro Safari for some amazing shots of the male lion! Over to EE for the ride and another Fast Pass, down to Dinosaur, then It’s Tough to be a Bug, and finally to EE again for our last ride. Breakfast at the hotel for $18.50, Lunch at Restaurantosaurus for about $26.00. Snacks today were chocolate milk, orange juice, and a coke for about $6.50.
Comments:
Two meals left over at the end of the trip because we accidentally slept through breakfast. 3 snacks left over. Total for all meals and snacks spent this trip if I did my math correctly: $1026.15. Although I don’t have the exact cost of the deluxe plan, it seems we paid between $1000 and $1100. Considering that we had our trip paid in full over a month before we even went to Disney, it felt as if we really were eating for free. For a couple who has the ability to take advantage of sitting down to eat for most meals, it seems the deluxe plan is worth the price. I would absolutely do the deluxe plan again if it were only me and my wife. If I had kids, I don’t think this would have been worth it as I’m sure they would not want to spend the time it takes to have a good meal at a sit-down restaurant as much as you need to make this plan worth it. Hopefully this report helps you determine if the deluxe plan is right for you and your family. Enjoy your trips. I’m still bummed that I’m not there anymore!