bumping up from dining plan to deluxe. are we nuts?

[Newliskeardfamily]

Hey all, with dble credit meals (Hoop Dee Doo, etc) we are thinking of doing the deluxe plan. Are we nuts? Anyone may this choice? feedback please.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Deluxe plan is the best choice if your plan is to have a late TS breakfast or early TS lunch, plus a signature dinner, each day of your trip. Or if you intend to have 3 1 credit TS meals per day.

 

[lnh'smom]

We loved having the deluxe plan. We did a couple signatures and usually ate TS breakfast, CS lunch, and mostly signatures for dinner. We went for our anniversary without kids and we really enjoyed it. We decided that it will be a slight disappointment when we go back in October with the kids and have to have the regular DDP. We love our appetizers

 

[GaBelle]

We get the DxDDP every time we go. My husband wont go without it.

 

[PictureJumpr]

I think I'm one of the few out there who have tried DxDDP (3 different times) and have decided NEVER AGAIN.

It's just too much time spent eating, and waaaaay too much food, if you use even one 1-TS and one signature each day, never mind trying to do three Disney-portioned meals.
By day 3, I don't care about appetizers - I don't even want to eat the entrée!
Also learned to hate planning park visits and fastpasses around the seemingly endless stream of ADRs.

I think our snack credit balance (4 adults) last time we tried it was 37 out of 40 remaining at the end of the trip. Never got hungry enough to think about snacks.

So.

We use DDP, regular kind, on a regular basis. Free and paid-for.
And for "signature night" (once or maybe twice in a trip) we just pay the difference (use 2 credits for one person, and pay cash for the other, rinse and repeat). Comes out way less expensive than the upgrade every time.

 

[aaarcher86]

Love the DXDP. We do a lot of character meals, so portions are really up to us. We do a TS breakfast, QS lunch, and TS dinner. Financially, we saved a few hundred by upgrading when we were getting a dining discount.

 

[Newliskeardfamily]

We did the regular plan last time and had to pay for a couple meals. With the Poly Luau and Hoop Dee Doo , we are concerned that the they will eat all of our table services, and we will be out of pocket alot of money.

 

[d3gauss]

We did the deluxe for our honeymoon and it was just way too much food, the DDP itself is too much food...adding on more is just...bad...

 

[aaarcher86]

We did the regular plan last time and had to pay for a couple meals. With the Poly Luau and Hoop Dee Doo , we are concerned that the they will eat all of our table services, and we will be out of pocket alot of money.

I'd do the math for paying OOP with the regular DDP vs upgrading.

The too much food reasoning has never made sense to me, but to each their own.

 

[BlondeAppetit]

Try it and see for yourself.

We planned a Sept. 2014 trip and had the regular dining plan. I found myself getting obsessed with getting the most value from it and actually considered just paying OOP. We were already paying OOP for Cinderella's Royal Table - $152 and considered apps and such at Cali Grill - maybe another $100 before drinks.

When free dining was announced, I decided to upgrade for $300-$400. Which wasn't much different than what were were pay OOP for on the standard dining plan.

It gave us completely flexibility. We are going to Cali Grill, Jiko, CRT, and HDDR for our 2 credit meals and the other are character breakfasts, etc.

Remember you can split meals too instead of having a big lunch. Once day we have an 8:30 Crystal Palace and a 7:15pm Cali Grill.

I decided to do a 2pm LTT. My husband and I will split a burger or something with lunch and it gives our five year old a chance to eat lunch. She couldn't go from 9am-7pm without something substantial.

Again, I agree with previous posters. Just because there is a ton of food at a buffet, doesn't mean you have to eat it all. For us, we are more going for the experience.

Maybe we will feel different after our trip, but I have really enjoyed the planning!

 

[salamander3]

We upgraded to deluxe. I am trying to do as many character meals as we can squeeze in. For me, as crazy as it may sound, it's worth it to not hear my DH ask constantly "How much is this costing me?" He'll know it's paid for (minus tips) and I can relax. I'm also not worried about missing time in the parks. I scheduled breakfasts late so we can do brunch instead. We can get some air conditioned downtime and get the princess rested up to go back out.

That being said I'm currently going crazy with ADRs. Trying to get the exact ones I want is proving somewhat impossible.

 

[disnikki08]

I think I'm going to upgrade to the deluxe plan as well. We're throwing in some characters meals, and TS breakfasts. I think it would cost more if we paid out of pocket for these. Plus, I'll know its paid for.

 

[quakechicago]

Hey all, with dble credit meals (Hoop Dee Doo, etc) we are thinking of doing the deluxe plan. Are we nuts? Anyone may this choice? feedback please.

We upgraded last time and are this time too. We do as many character meals as possible a day with our (now) 3 yo so instead of standing in line to see 1-2 characters we see in the same amount of time 4-5 plus get a decent meal in and the occasional show too.

My kiddo and I have food allergies as well, so this for us is the fastest, easiest, and safest way to eat without worrying something will make anyone sick.

The fact that it's also the most fun? Pure bonus. When you break it down to a character breakfast and a show it makes sense. When you break it down to three sit downs a day eating and seeing characters instead of standing in line, it makes sense too. For us, it's a nice break and chance to catch our breath all while making memories.

Have fun!

 

[RedskinFan]

We did the deluxe dining plan and absolutely loved it! We have two kids (DS8 and DD6) and did a lot of character meals. We crunched the numbers and the Deluxe Dining plan was cheaper then out of pocket. We like to have the meals prepaid when we get there and not having to worry about cost. It also helps that DH and I will pick steak as an entree by choice. At non-buffet places I let my son eat my appetizer which prevented me from eating too much and meant he had enough to eat as the kids meals were generally not large enough for his big appetite. He wanted to order his meals from the adult menu but was appeased by being able to order something off the adult menu. I also let him order my dessert of the same reasons.

 

[coriwis]

Hey all, with dble credit meals (Hoop Dee Doo, etc) we are thinking of doing the deluxe plan. Are we nuts? Anyone may this choice? feedback please.

I agree with what everyone else has said. We did the regular dining plan our first time around and found ourselves wishing we had upgraded. We have the deluxe plan our last 3 trips and really enjoyed it. It allows you the flexibility to do signature dining, shows and to not feel guilty ordering the $70 steak and lobster from Narcoosee's (our favorite signature spot)! The only thing I think we waste is our snack credits. With 3 meals a day, you really don't need much in the way of snacks. Like someone else said, we tend to do a good character breakfast in the morning, use snack credits for lunch and then have a nice dinner. Our kids are 6 and 8 and this works fine for us. Also, I can't overstate how nice it is to just relax and know that the meal (minus tips) is covered. My husband tends to suffer from the sticker shock that others have mentioned

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[ValarDisneyus]

I'm thinking about upgrading, too. I should really crunch the numbers. I am not currently aware of the details of the free dining bit, though, so I should look into that and make sure I know what I'm doing first. Either way, I know we want lots of Character dining, too, I only know so far that we *have* to stand in line or fast pass meeting Anna and Elsa (probably on day one, our daughter has her heart set on meeting them) and possibly Merida; I'm not sure she eats anywhere. We *might* have to see Ariel as a mermaid in her Grotto, too. I don't mind; I'm a princess fan, too. My husband, though, will be much happier if the princess meetings are combined with appetizers and cakes.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I have never had understood the it's too much food thing. No one is forcing you to order and eat everything that is included with the plan.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm thinking about upgrading, too. I should really crunch the numbers. I am not currently aware of the details of the free dining bit, though, so I should look into that and make sure I know what I'm doing first. Either way, I know we want lots of Character dining, too, I only know so far that we *have* to stand in line or fast pass meeting Anna and Elsa (probably on day one, our daughter has her heart set on meeting them) and possibly Merida; I'm not sure she eats anywhere. We *might* have to see Ariel as a mermaid in her Grotto, too. I don't mind; I'm a princess fan, too. My husband, though, will be much happier if the princess meetings are combined with appetizers and cakes.

No Merida at dining events.

You can see Ariel in her dress at Akershus or CRT.

 

[starousse]

I think I'm one of the few out there who have tried DxDDP (3 different times) and have decided NEVER AGAIN.

It's just too much time spent eating, and waaaaay too much food, if you use even one 1-TS and one signature each day, never mind trying to do three Disney-portioned meals.
By day 3, I don't care about appetizers - I don't even want to eat the entrée!
Also learned to hate planning park visits and fastpasses around the seemingly endless stream of ADRs.

I think our snack credit balance (4 adults) last time we tried it was 37 out of 40 remaining at the end of the trip. Never got hungry enough to think about snacks.

So.

We use DDP, regular kind, on a regular basis. Free and paid-for.
And for "signature night" (once or maybe twice in a trip) we just pay the difference (use 2 credits for one person, and pay cash for the other, rinse and repeat). Comes out way less expensive than the upgrade every time.

That sounds like a good idea. I didn't know that you can do half and half for the signature meals. I thought it was all people get charged the credit or pay oop.

 

[BDL]

It all comes down to math.

If you are having any meals that require 2TS credits (signature, Fantasmic dining combo, special events, etc...) then, it is my experience that the DxDP is the way to go. If you are not having any of those meals, look up the prices of the meals of your ADR's (can be found at allears.net), add them up, if the meals are more than the cost of the meal plan, stick with the meal plan. If the meals are less, don't forget that with the DxDP you get 2 snack credits per night (if you will do snacks, sodas, dole whips, turkey legs, etc...). Re-do the math and see which 1 comes out on top.