8 nights on deluxe--what I learned [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

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Tam1067

08-17-2009, 01:13 PM

We returned home last night from 8 nights at the Grand Floridian, on the deluxe plan. It was DH, 3 kids and me.

We've used the regular DDP three times before, but this was the first time with deluxe. Here's what I learned--

1. Yes, we saved money. By my calculations, it was about $480 less to do the deluxe than to pay OOP for all the meals and snacks we got.

2. We would have come out even more ahead financially if DD had not gotten sick one day and spent that entire day sleeping. That was supposed to be an EPCOT day when we had Chefs for lunch, so instead, we ended up eating CS at the resort. The next day was messed up too, so we had to cancel a total of 3 TS meals as a result.

3. It's not that simple though because I'm not sure we would have ordered all those appetizers and desserts or grabbed all those snacks if we'd just been paying as we went. I'm sure Disney knows this :laughing:

3. It was fun going to the signature places and not worrying about the cost of each item. My kids have become fans of Citricos and California Grill, and I'm not sure I'd have tried those without the deluxe plan. They'll be on our list next time, too.

4. Tips do add up.

5. It was a lot of food. Our last meal, lunch at Kona, we skipped both the appetizers and dessert because it was hot and we were sick of all that food. Plus, we'd spent the morning snacking our way through MK (Dole Whips and ice cream in the a.m. certainly made my kids happy though!) because we had so many snacks to use up before we left.

Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I think for DH and me, it would be great. We're not huge fans of Disney CS meals, and the TS options are a lot better. Signature meals each night would be wonderful for us.

I also would schedule a bit differently. I underestimated how much of a hassle it is to hop over to Epcot World Showcase for dinner in the evenings from the Grand Floridian. In the summer, it's not fun to stay in the parks all day, so we would almost always head back to the hotel in the afternoons; our most relaxed evenings were those we spent dining near our resort.

I'm happy to answer more questions.

inkedupmomma

08-17-2009, 03:00 PM

This is the most fair review of the Dxdp I have ever read! good job! I myself am a huge fan of it, but do agree with everything you have written!:thumbsup2

kandemom

08-17-2009, 07:34 PM

Thanks for this. Well only do deluxe if its my DH and I. Itll be too much with my 3 kiddos

sherry8253

08-17-2009, 07:35 PM

Thanks for you review of the deluxe dining plan. It is just DH and me, and we are trying to figure out if the cost is worth it. We usually have breakfast and 1 TS (usually at a signature restaurant) each day. We very rarely order both appetizers and dessert, and often we split one instead of each ordering our own. Guess I will look at some menus and crunch some numbers.

swift

08-18-2009, 05:07 AM

If you have an Annual Pass it is worth looking at the Tables in Wonderland card as an alternative to the dining plans. It costs $75 and gives you 20% off table service (and a limited number of counter service) for a year, including alcoholic drinks. It might be a better option if the way you like to eat does not exactly fit with the dining plan. I find it is better for me because I don't eat a lot of snacks or CS.

2manypets

08-18-2009, 06:10 AM

At 25 days out, I'm still debating the DxDP. At the beginning of your trip did you feel the need to order all three courses just to maximize? I can imagine doing this and feeling bloated and weighted down. I'm still wondering if it would be better to pay OOP and eat the way we usually do or go all out? BTW, we're eating Signature meals every night so quite expensive anyways.

LittleStinkerbelle

08-18-2009, 07:53 AM

Thanks for the review! Someday DH and I are going to make it back there for an adults-only trip and I think the deluxe plan would be perfect for that.

christianweecare

08-18-2009, 07:15 PM

DH & I did the DXDP for the first time this past Dec. It worked out wonderfully for us. We got to do several signature restaurants as a special treat. We have a 2010 Dec. trip planned with all of our children and grandchildren. We will stick to the basic dining plan for that trip. By next Dec. our grandchildren will range from age 11 to age 2. We will probably be doing more buffets and character meals for that trip. You have to weigh each trip differently to decide what the best plan will be for all those involved.

WETWHISTLE

08-19-2009, 09:39 AM

We are 1 month out and I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade to Deluxe. We usually pay out of pocket for appetizers and then we usually pay for 2 - 3 character meals out of pocket. I'm guessing that comes to about $300??? It would cost us $512 to upgrade to Deluxe. If we did that, I'm guessing that we'd just add on some breakfast foods at the Resort, use for a late night snack/meal, etc. I doubt we'd do any Signature Dining.

Having said that, it probably wouldn't be worth it to upgrade. We could pay out of pocket and still spend less.

Aggie

08-19-2009, 02:10 PM

This will be my first experience with the dining plan. I just booked a last minute trip ( 5 weeks out) and took the deluxe plan because we prefer TS to CS for 2 meals a day (usually). If you haven't made your ADRs yet, you're in trouble! I spent 3 hours saturday and still don't have all the ADRs
we wanted. It's just my (grown) daughter and I so we do enjoy the TS meals but I'm dissappointed at the fact that all restaurants are booked. We can't even get into a TS meal at our resort! Oh well, I know we'll love the trip as we always do.:guilty:

Terk-1

08-19-2009, 02:17 PM

Thanks for your review. I originally had upgraded to the DxDDP for my upcoming trip, but after looking at all of the ADR's I had (several were signature), I decided to go back to the free dining plan, as it was just going to be too much food & too much time waisted dining.

DLW8

08-20-2009, 07:18 AM