Debating upgrade to deluxe dining..

[minnie56]

When is it worth it?
Staying at a moderate. Already have 3 signature dining venues for dinner so figure we will pay for a few nights dinner at lower $$ to save them for the signatures. But maybe we should upgrade?

Any tips appreciated.

 

[HollenAngi]

We love the deluxe dining plan. We usually spread it out to include our arrival and departure day. We have always come out ahead but we eat the more expensive restaurants.

 

[hddanis]

The best way to find out of it will be worth it is to look at the menus for everywhere you plan to eat and get an idea of what you'd likely order. Don't forget appetizers, drinks and desserts.. Then add in tax (6.5% most places). Add that up. Also remember you get resort mugs and 2 snacks per day per person

Compare that to the price of the deluxe dining plan.. Which one do you pay less?

For us, the Deluxe dining plan works great. We come out ahead and love the convienece of having everything already paid for (except the tip, you still need to factor that into your budget) For others, it's too much food or they wind up paying more for the dining plan than they would have if they paid OOP.

 

[shanejoseph]

Other posts made great points, one more though! I find the deluxe dining plan works "best" during off peak times, if there are any now a days! Reasons being, ADR's are easier to get, and walk ups / day of ADR's are a possibility! So, if you're going during a slow time and the extra cost is not an issue, go for it! The mere convenience is great! Just my $0.02!

 

[minnie56]

Going in January ( arrive Jan 22 )
We have our ADRs booked for dinners ..

Thanks for the tips!
Room for thought.

 

[nanhol]

Have you played with this tool yet? It's not quite as accurate as going through the menus & estimating what you'd order & how much it would cost, but it's a lot easier to use. If you decide to stick with the regular dining plan, it also recommends which restaurants to pay OOP for:

http://www.distripplanner.com/

We upgraded to deluxe dining during stay, play & dine last year. In my excessive over-planning I went through the menus and made a guess about what we'd order & decided that the upgrade price was worth it for the experience. We only did it for 4 days of our trip, as we had a split stay and it was easy to do that. We enjoyed some signature dining, as well as some other great restaurants--all table service, as we were trying to get our money's worth from the plan. We loved having appetizers as well as desserts, though of course it was a crazy amount of food.

It was a lot of fun to have the deluxe dining plan, but we won't do it again until I go back with just my husband or with a friend who wants to spend that much time eating. We ended up not using most of our snack credits as we'd planned (we got a bunch of candy on the last morning), as we just weren't hungry enough to eat snacks during the day. On our next trip we're not doing any meal plan (our fantastic magical travel agent deal doesn't allow it to be added on), so I'll get a chance to try all of the yummy snacks I'd planned to eat on that trip!

 

[sharonabe]

Your upgrade cost is a little under $50 per night per adult. Will you spend that much OOP with the ADRs you really want? You also need to be ready for the additional tip $$ needed for the extras the DxDDP entitlements give you. How many adults are in your party? For us, there are four Disney adults, and the thought of FOUR apps, FOUR entrees, and FOUR desserts on that table is just a little much for us.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Have you played with this tool yet? It's not quite as accurate as going through the menus & estimating what you'd order & how much it would cost, but it's a lot easier to use. If you decide to stick with the regular dining plan, it also recommends which restaurants to pay OOP for:

http://www.distripplanner.com/

This looks like a great little calculator, but in reality, it misses a lot.

Some of us are thinking that they either miss adding dessert or they use the cheapest thing on the menu.

Either way, it seems to always come out that you lose money on the plan.

 

[emldrl]

I was interested in it at first too, but when I looked at the price, it stopped me cold. For our family of 4 Disney adults, it would be $3000!!!! No way we would spend that much in a week on food. So definitely compare prices, but if you only have the 3 signatures, I would say, stick with the plan you have and pay OOP for the extra dinners.

 

[sherri810]

When we do deluxe, we do include arrival and departure days and usually eat just two meals each day(one signature and one TS). It works well for us because I like appetizers and my kids love dessert. We get to try different things because we always share. My kids always find room for the snacks and we take a bunch home to enjoy later. The mugs are nice but rarely used. We always save money, but usually because this is similar to the way we eat out and home.

 

[GillianP1301]

If you're talking about worth it strictly from a $ perspective, then going through menus and calculating your costs is the best way to figure that out.

Generally speaking though, if you have Disney kids (under 9) and you have some character meals planned, then it's generally worth it. If you have a child who is over 9 and a picky eater, then likely not worth it.

It really depends on how you plan to eat, if you want a lot of TS meals and you want appetizers and desserts, then usually worth it. If you have a lot of QS planned and/or you don't like apps or desserts, then not worth it.

And just a tip, if you do stay with regular DDP and are over credits and looking for something to pay OOP, don't always assume that your credits are best used on the signature. For example, Akershus will run you about $50 for dinner and it's 1 credit, where CRT will cost you about $70, but it's 2 credits (or $35/credit). Paying the CRT OOP in that example saves you $15.

We did DxDP our last trip and I loved it. Loved having a lot of TS booked, it was our build in breaks and cool down periods. We love doing lots of character meals and enjoy a few signature meals as well. It is a lot of food and next time I will likely break things up a bit with the odd QS so we aren't over eating quite as much. But overall, love it and will definitely do it again.

 

[JZCubed]

When is it worth it?
Staying at a moderate. Already have 3 signature dining venues for dinner so figure we will pay for a few nights dinner at lower $$ to save them for the signatures. But maybe we should upgrade?

Any tips appreciated.

Sorry, but you have to do the math for yourself. Having Signatures for most dinners is fine, but you still need to eat Table Service breakfast & lunch (with Characters to really benefit $$) to make the math work in your favor.....even with Signatures for dinner.

I just did the math for my family because we are considering a few Character meals more than typical for us and we always do a few Signatures too.

Once I factor in tax + gratuity for DxDP, the added value becomes tenuous - unless I am willing to make both Character + Signature reservations each day....or enjoy room service....in addition to eating snacks and a Qwik Service to get the math to work.

This is a large amount of food (or expense to see Characters or do Dinner Packages), but the math does work. And if you drink a few mugs of soda pop and coffee each day, the savings can be a bit more substantial.

The math does not work for the way my family dines at Disney, but it might work for you and your family.

 

[aaarcher86]

Sorry, but you have to do the math for yourself. Having Signatures for most dinners is fine, but you still need to eat Table Service breakfast & lunch (with Characters to really benefit $$) to make the math work in your favor.....even with Signatures for dinner. I just did the math for my family because we are considering a few Character meals more than typical for us and we always do a few Signatures too. Once I factor in tax + gratuity for DxDP, the added value becomes tenuous - unless I am willing to make both Character + Signature reservations each day....or enjoy room service....in addition to eating snacks and a Qwik Service to get the math to work. This is a large amount of food (or expense to see Characters or do Dinner Packages), but the math does work. And if you drink a few mugs of soda pop and coffee each day, the savings can be a bit more substantial. The math does not work for the way my family dines at Disney, but it might work for you and your family.

Just as an aside, the tax is included in the credit. You don't pay that separately. Just gratuity.

 

[JZCubed]

Just as an aside, the tax is included in the credit. You don't pay that separately. Just gratuity.

Thank you. I understand.

$250/day for 2 adult + 1 child
$17 - tax on $250
$38 - gratuity (low estimate)
-------
$305/day using DxDP.

versus

OOP Budget:
Breakfast (room service for 2x)- $45
Lunch (Table Service or QS) - $55
Dinner (Signature) - $180
Snacks - (6x$4) - $25
-------
$305/day OOP

The only way I can get the math to work is to change my current Breakfast/Lunch OOP into a Character or Signature experience. We would never eat so much, nor see that many Characters/Princesses in one trip.

Miss one meal or a few snacks on DxDP and then entire monetary savings can be lost. On the other hand, paying OOP means not being compelled eat a meal simply to get what you paid for.

But if you and your family can enjoy having all those ADR's, then DxDP can save you money.

Character Breakfast (for 3) - $110
Char/Sig Lunch (for 3) - $125
Signature Dinner - $180
Snacks - $25
+ Gratuity - $75 (18% of $110+$125+$180)
---------------
Cost of $340/day for $515 of value.

 

[aaarcher86]

Thank you. I understand. $250/day for 2 adult + 1 child $17 - tax on $250 $38 - gratuity (low estimate) ------- $305/day using DxDP. versus OOP Budget: Breakfast (room service for 2x)- $45 Lunch (Table Service or QS) - $55 Dinner (Signature) - $180 Snacks - (6x$4) - $25 ------- $305/day OOP The only way I can get the math to work is to change my current Breakfast/Lunch OOP into a Character or Signature experience. We would never eat so much, nor see that many Characters/Princesses in one trip. Miss one meal or a few snacks on DxDP and then entire monetary savings can be lost. On the other hand, paying OOP means not being compelled eat a meal simply to get what you paid for. But if you and your family can enjoy having all those ADR's, then DxDP can save you money. Character Breakfast (for 3) - $110 Char/Sig Lunch (for 3) - $125 Signature Dinner - $180 Snacks - $25 + Gratuity - $75 (18% of $110+$125+$180) --------------- Cost of $340/day for $515 of value.

We always get it by upgrading a dining discount, so we end up saving a bunch since we do a lot of,character meals. I don't think I could make it work if I was paying full price.

 

[JZCubed]

We always get it by upgrading a dining discount, so we end up saving a bunch since we do a lot of,character meals. I don't think I could make it work if I was paying full price.

Once a family is planning on enjoying enough Character Meals and/or Signatures, then the financial math can certainly work for enrolling in the DxDP.

But when asked by others for our opinions, I always let them know that the Disney Dining Plans can offer some saving to some families, but it is not going to save every family money just for signing on.....like it should be.

My family is a classic example of what Disney does wrong. We'd spend a bit extra for dining (at Character Meals more often) and prepay for a Dining Plan if the saving to us were a slam-dunk. But as I've mentioned, it takes work for me to get the math to reconcile for the way we dine at Disney.

So then what do we do? Since we're not using Disney Dining Plan, we now avoid Disney dining. We go to Swan & Dolphin establishments because, quite frankly, we get a far better deal (and better food). Not only do they take TiW at Swan & Dolphin Signatures, but these places also have a rewards program that pays back over 16% after spending $1,200.....and a bit more if you charge it to a Starwood American Express.

And an added bonus for us - since Swan & Dolphin do not charge a fee for their Camp Dolphin for people who purchase on entree at their Signatures, I will gladly take a cab to eat here. The out-of-pocket for taking a cab and having free childcare is a better deal than Disney charging $15/hr for their Camps.

Here's what I'm saying - I would gladly give Disney my prepaid dining budget if I knew it was going to save money. But if I cannot save money, then I am going to see how I can. In our case, avoiding Disney Dining is the best way to save money and eat well while at Disney. This would likely remain true even of we did not have a TiW discount.

 

[aaarcher86]

Once a family is planning on enjoying enough Character Meals and/or Signatures, then the financial math can certainly work for enrolling in the DxDP. But when asked by others for our opinions, I always let them know that the Disney Dining Plans can offer some saving to some families, but it is not going to save every family money just for signing on.....like it should be. My family is a classic example of what Disney does wrong. We'd spend a bit extra for dining (at Character Meals more often) and prepay for a Dining Plan if the saving to us were a slam-dunk. But as I've mentioned, it takes work for me to get the math to reconcile for the way we dine at Disney. So then what do we do? Since we're not using Disney Dining Plan, we now avoid Disney dining. We go to Swan & Dolphin establishments because, quite frankly, we get a far better deal (and better food). Not only do they take TiW at Swan & Dolphin Signatures, but these places also have a rewards program that pays back over 16% after spending $1,200.....and a bit more if you charge it to a Starwood American Express. And an added bonus for us - since Swan & Dolphin do not charge a fee for their Camp Dolphin for people who purchase on entree at their Signatures, I will gladly take a cab to eat here. The out-of-pocket for taking a cab and having free childcare is a better deal than Disney charging $15/hr for their Camps. Here's what I'm saying - I would gladly give Disney my prepaid dining budget if I knew it was going to save money. But if I cannot save money, then I am going to see how I can. In our case, avoiding Disney Dining is the best way to save money and eat well while at Disney. This would likely remain true even of we did not have a TiW discount.

Th only appropriate answer to DDP savings questions, IMO, is for the family to do the math for themselves.

We ended up using the TIW card in September since we are now DVC members and it was a huge savings over anything else we've done. Really enjoyed it.

 

[jltdone]

our family was in the boat what dining plan do we get and things like that. We are going in june and since we don't do Disney a whole lot in fact it is our sons 5th birthday gift. We went with the deluxe dining a peace of mind for one thing. since once again we are new to the Disney thing. didn't want to see a restaurant we liked and said oh we don't have enough credits or do the math that day to figure out what was best for us to pay for or to use.
We booked all of our ADR's and everyday we are doing a character dining breakfast since we are travelling with a 5 year old. We are also doing a lot of 2 credits dinners like CRT and mickeys BBQ. The only thing was that we did have 2 credits left over at the end of all the planning. So what we did since our flight is leaving at 5pm I booked a reso at CRT for 8am which uses 2 credits and we get to eat in the castle before park open. Im planning on doing 3 fast passes of rides 1st thing then head back to resort to come home. problem solved.
as for everyone who has told me the same thing it is a ton of food. We have breakfast 1st thing in morning and dinner at around 6pm everyday. so we do have 2 snacks everyday which I think is going to be perfect for a snack for lunch.
Have a great trip. we have been planning our trip for 2 years now and saving like crazy.

 

[nat8199]

We are planning on upgrading to the DxDDP. My kids wake up early, even at Disney, so we will do a character breakfast almost every morning before parks open, use a TS lunch as our break mid-day, and then have 3 signature dinners in addition to other TS dinners.

Yes, it is a lot of food. No, we don't eat that way at home. While we are at Disney, though, we eat a lot of food and love it. With all that walking I am always hungry. My kids eat constantly, despite being small for their ages, so they need the constant calories.

 

[nkereina]

The dining plan isn't mean to be a big savings. I believe the ads for it say it CAN save you up to 20% or something like that... which is entirely true IF you eat dessert at every meal (and apps for DxDP), order a non-alcholic beverage, etc. If you'd eat the same way the dining plan allows for, you could end up with a savings depending on the foods and entrees you order.

Many people, myself include, do the dining plan regardless because I like that it's prepaid and it's convenient. I don't bat an eye at ordering an expensive steak or stopping for a snack. It's already been paid for so my spending money doesn't turn into a food budget.

We did DxDP once and it was not for us (two adults). Everyone is different, but here's the reasons we didn't like it:

1. We did it in September when it was very hot. We didn't anticipate how much the heat would take out of us, and very rarely did we feel like eating large meals.

2. Everyone always says it's a lot of food, and we're pretty big eaters, so that didn't scare us. But it is A LOT of food. When I stopped to think about, there's never an instance in real life when EACH of us would order an app, entree AND dessert. Most of the time, we picked at the app and/or dessert so a lot of food was wasted - and it's food you pay for. The cost is included in the DxDP, nothing is "thrown in".

3. We did not space our ADRs far enough apart. For example, I had breakfast around 8am, lunch around 12pm, and dinner around 6pm. Sounds logical, and it aligned with how we eat in our daily lives. But the size of the meals was not accounted for here. This was before the ADR cancellation policy was in effect, so we ended up canceling a few lunches and dinners last minute simply because we weren't hungry. Wasted a few credits as a result. Knowing what I know now, I would do 8am breakfast, 1pm lunch, and 9pm dinner. That's about the times we became hungry again.

I do think the DxDP is best suited for someone doing a TS breakfast OR TS lunch with a later signature dinner. Three TS meals in one day ate up a lot of valuable park time and as I mentioned, we weren't hungry. Using these credits on signature meals (or dinner show) is a good value and makes the planning easier too.