Deluxe Dining Dilemna...to do it or not?

[skellingtonfreak]

Now, I just got back from a deluxe dining adventure where we ate three meals a day for 4 days. Holy crikey it was too much food, and after we figured out the costs, we actually would have saved money by paying out of pocket. Live and learn. Well, we are going back for a major 10 day break in September, and the more we think about it, the more we may want to do the deluxe yet again, but very differently from this last one.

So here is the tentative list before one of my friends who is going along with us this trip gets hold of it and makes changes (but I don't think she will).

Thursday
Dinner - Cali Grill

Friday
Breakfast - CRT
Dinner - Artist Point

Saturday
Breakfast - Donald's Safari Breakfast
Dinner - Narcoosee's

Sunday
Breakfast - Boma
Lunch - Sansaa
Dinner - Boma

Monday
Lunch - The Wave
Dinner - 1900 Park Fare (I know the food is awful but J really wants to meet the Stepmother and stepsisters more than anything on this trip)

Tuesday
Breakfast - Crystal Palace
Lunch - The Plaza
Dinner - Yachtsman Steakhouse

Wednesday
Breakfast - Boma
Dinner - Jiko

Thursday
Lunch - Afternoon Tea and the GF
Dinner - Citrico's

Friday
Lunch - Biergarten
Dinner - Le Cellier

Saturday
Lunch - Brown Derby
Dinner - Flying Fish

Sunday
Lunch - Sansaa

So I don't know. I figured out the dollars, and even if we only share one appy and don't have any dessert, we come out ahead. Add more food and drink, and we come out way ahead. I guess it is all of the signature dining that makes it all add up.

So help me out. What does everyone think of this?

 

[princess lovers mom]

if those are restaurants youhave always wanted to try and you figured prices then I guess go for it - it is still ALOT of food (with the snacks too ) if you are only choosing those restaurants to try and get your money's worth - then price out what a reasonable day would be....

we could NEVER eat 3 meals in disney - too much time spents at a table and not inthe parks !!

 

[skellingtonfreak]

That is what we did on our last trip. We couldn't eat for days when we got home! We had a good time, and we knocked a lot of restaurants out of the way, but we couldn't ever do that again.

We have always wanted to go to the signature dining restaurants and we figured if we were going to absolutely do Jiko and Cali Grill anyway, why not try to do every one I could think of?

We go so often (this will actually be our 3rd trip of this year), so it isn't about spending time out of the parks for us. It is about creating new experiences.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

We did the Platimun Plan cause it was our 25th Ann. and it came with alot of things to do. But the food 3 tbs a day was a lot of food. BUT if another sepcial occasion comes up I probably would do it again.
Have fun on your trip.

 

[disneystacy]

IMO way to much food. We are doing the regular DDP and then paying out of pocket for the few extra meals we REALLY want to try that don't fit into our plans. We still come out way ahead money wise. You also said that it was way to much food after 4 days, not sure why you would want to do it for 10 days.

 

[skellingtonfreak]

Yeah...I guess so. I am just trying to figure it all out. But like I said...last time we did 3 TS a day, this time I think I only have two days of that just for the experience of what some things were.

I just don't know what to do at this point. Trying to make 2 other people happy in this process is not easy. it is so much easier when it is just the two of us and I can do whatever I want.

 

[ready4mouse]

I'm on the fence for this trip... we've done it both ways and I'll never do deluxe w/ 3meals a day again, but...
this trip we're doing a few of the grand gathering meals which take up two credits (and aren't cheap for OOP) and a few character breakfasts, so I'm thinking deluxe may be the way to go...

yikes! more Disney Math!

 

[skellingtonfreak]

I HATE Disney math. I came up with 4 different plans and no one was happy with any of them so far. Ugh. I have to speculate because I will be going with one picky eater, one adventurous eater (me), and one normal eater (as long as there is nothing weird on the food).

I thought maybe throwing all of the signature dining in there might appease the masses that I am going with and they can get expensive pretty quickly from what I am seeing. But who knows?

 

[darkcrystal]

We're doing the DxDP more for the convenience than anything. You can't go nuts but it's much more "all inclusive" than the regular DDP. I've got all our meals figured out (some as "CS wherever we are") and then I don't have to worry about things like saving our snack credits for breakfast, or having to choose between a breakfast buffet and a nice TS dinner. To us it's not so much about the money savings so much as having the ability to not count pennies while we're there (I've figured out a tip budget, 20% of of best-guess meal costs OOP)

 

[JLS]

This is a fantastic restaurant itinerary, albeit a lot of food. I think the best way to use the deluxe DP is to eat at TS lunch and a 2 credit dinner most days, like you have planned to do.

While you would definitely save money over paying OOP for the same itinerary, and you will eat some great food, you have to keep in mind that your days will be planned almost entirely around your ADRs. 3 sit-downs per day, plus transportation to and from each, leaves little time for park/swimming and other activities. So it comes down to how you want to spend your time. I would like to do this type of itinerary, but we have a 4 year old and its just too hard to have him in that many sit down places every day.


BTW, the new AK restaurant is "Sanaa" not "Sansaa."

 

[skellingtonfreak]

We're doing the DxDP more for the convenience than anything. You can't go nuts but it's much more "all inclusive" than the regular DDP. I've got all our meals figured out (some as "CS wherever we are") and then I don't have to worry about things like saving our snack credits for breakfast, or having to choose between a breakfast buffet and a nice TS dinner. To us it's not so much about the money savings so much as having the ability to not count pennies while we're there (I've figured out a tip budget, 20% of of best-guess meal costs OOP)

That was our friend's thought more than anything else on this trip. We truly don't care one way or another. It is nice to have everything paid for except for tip and alcohol, and if we don't feel like having dessert, then it is no big deal. We are definitely appy people more than dessert people, so until the DDP let's us pick between the two, it is going to be like this for awhile. Unfortunately.

This is a fantastic restaurant itinerary, albeit a lot of food. I think the best way to use the deluxe DP is to eat at TS lunch and a 2 credit dinner most days, like you have planned to do.

While you would definitely save money over paying OOP for the same itinerary, and you will eat some great food, you have to keep in mind that your days will be planned almost entirely around your ADRs. 3 sit-downs per day, plus transportation to and from each, leaves little time for park/swimming and other activities. So it comes down to how you want to spend your time. I would like to do this type of itinerary, but we have a 4 year old and its just too hard to have him in that many sit down places every day.


BTW, the new AK restaurant is "Sanaa" not "Sansaa."

Thanks. I keep getting it wrong. That is the perk of not having any kids on the trip. We can do a lot of eating at a lot of different places. I am just really torn about how much I truly want to eat on this trip for some bizarre reason.

 

[Tara922c]

I did the math, and we decided on the basic dining plan, and we are going to pay for 2 meals out of pocket. I figured after all is said, and done, we will be spending about $250 less on food than if we did the deluxe plan. If we didn't have a two year old, I would be all about going to the signature places, and would get the deluxe plan. I looked at the menus of the places we are going, and there is only one that I would want an appitizer, so I am just going to pay for it out of pocket. SO wont even listen to me about the deluxe plan. He said he doesn't want his vacation to revolve around our ADRs.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

I don't get to WDW as often so I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to snack and try new things. We did the plan in August and I felt like I was being forced to eat when I wasn't even hungry. So, while planning for this trip I asked myself if I really would make all of those reservations if I wasn't on the plan, or if I was doing it because it was part of the plan and I wanted to get my money's worth.

If you'd be eating at all of those places normally, then I think it is to your benefit. Otherwise, I'd just pay OOP, book a few TS meals and snack your way around WDW!!

PS I expect reviews of all the places you end up deciding to go to! I just loved your last ones!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We are planning a trip in Sept and I have been going back and forth between the reg. dining or deluxe...It is DH, myself, DD7 & DS6 - Rather than 3 meals I day I was considering some sign. meals, dinner show(s) like the Luau or Mickeys BBQ, breakfast at Cinderellas Table etc...BUT..I am leaning towards not doing the deluxe because....

1.Our kids do need one sit down meal a day to cool down and rest (DS6 has special needs so it is essential for our family)...But even by doing the above 'plan' it is still a LOT of vacation time dedicated to meals.
2. In addition to the extra expense to upgrade to the deluxe plan, I now have to factor in the increase in OOP for all those tips! Especially for the signature meals.
3. September is HOT. We dined at LeCellier for dinner last year after a LONG HOT day in the park. What should have been a fabulous meal, was lost on us because of the heat . So I must factor the 'heat' issue in planning our trips. While a meal may sound fabulous sitting here at my computer with 3 feet of snow outside, it may not be as appealing after spending a day in a HOT HUMID park in Sept.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

You've seen my DDDP report so obviously know my opinion.

I think with the places you want to eat, using just a rough estimate for one person (provided you are interested in the higher end choices) you have surpassed your cost by at least $150.00 and that is not including the mug and the snacks...but as has been said, you will have that already paid, not have to worry about ordering whatever you want issue. Convienence and the ability to eat places and items you might not be willing to if you were actually seeing the money change hands is wonderful.

We love the DDDP and will have a difficult time going without it...even with a 10 year old who eats like a 4 year old.

Hey, are you going in early September? If you are you can always cross your fingers and hope for free dining to cross into your stay time and then the DDDP is a no brainer!

 

[skellingtonfreak]

You've seen my DDDP report so obviously know my opinion.

I think with the places you want to eat, using just a rough estimate for one person (provided you are interested in the higher end choices) you have surpassed your cost by at least $150.00 and that is not including the mug and the snacks...but as has been said, you will have that already paid, not have to worry about ordering whatever you want issue. Convienence and the ability to eat places and items you might not be willing to if you were actually seeing the money change hands is wonderful.

We love the DDDP and will have a difficult time going without it...even with a 10 year old who eats like a 4 year old.

Hey, are you going in early September? If you are you can always cross your fingers and hope for free dining to cross into your stay time and then the DDDP is a no brainer!

If we weren't staying on points that would be the coolest thing ever! But, alas...we are DVC, so no free dining for us.

We are planning a trip in Sept and I have been going back and forth between the reg. dining or deluxe...It is DH, myself, DD7 & DS6 - Rather than 3 meals I day I was considering some sign. meals, dinner show(s) like the Luau or Mickeys BBQ, breakfast at Cinderellas Table etc...BUT..I am leaning towards not doing the deluxe because....

1.Our kids do need one sit down meal a day to cool down and rest (DS6 has special needs so it is essential for our family)...But even by doing the above 'plan' it is still a LOT of vacation time dedicated to meals.
2. In addition to the extra expense to upgrade to the deluxe plan, I now have to factor in the increase in OOP for all those tips! Especially for the signature meals.
3. September is HOT. We dined at LeCellier for dinner last year after a LONG HOT day in the park. What should have been a fabulous meal, was lost on us because of the heat . So I must factor the 'heat' issue in planning our trips. While a meal may sound fabulous sitting here at my computer with 3 feet of snow outside, it may not be as appealing after spending a day in a HOT HUMID park in Sept.

I totally understand. We like the break in the middle of the day and we like the break at the end of the day. Being from Houston, I find Florida's heat to not be half as bad as what I am normally used to. I am quite comfortable in 90 degree heat with 80-85% humidity. Took 13 years to get that way, but I am there, nonetheless. Heat is not an issue with our group. If I had children, this would be a moot point. We would go regular, but since the three of us that are going go somewhat often as we all have no children and decent jobs, we truly want to think about living it up.

I don't get to WDW as often so I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to snack and try new things. We did the plan in August and I felt like I was being forced to eat when I wasn't even hungry. So, while planning for this trip I asked myself if I really would make all of those reservations if I wasn't on the plan, or if I was doing it because it was part of the plan and I wanted to get my money's worth.

If you'd be eating at all of those places normally, then I think it is to your benefit. Otherwise, I'd just pay OOP, book a few TS meals and snack your way around WDW!!

PS I expect reviews of all the places you end up deciding to go to! I just loved your last ones!

Isn't that a given? Hence the reasoning behind going deluxe again. And this time you would get 3 (maybe 4 different meals and reviews). And my friends are food lovers...this was kind of their idea.

I did the math, and we decided on the basic dining plan, and we are going to pay for 2 meals out of pocket. I figured after all is said, and done, we will be spending about $250 less on food than if we did the deluxe plan. If we didn't have a two year old, I would be all about going to the signature places, and would get the deluxe plan. I looked at the menus of the places we are going, and there is only one that I would want an appitizer, so I am just going to pay for it out of pocket. SO wont even listen to me about the deluxe plan. He said he doesn't want his vacation to revolve around our ADRs.

Yeah...we have officially done that. It is kind of hard. Our last trip, we just ended up sitting around because we didn't want to be late for our ADR's. Makes for a very boring trip.

 

[ocdisney08]

I think you should go for it. I don't have any experience with the DxDDP, but plan on trying it in March. I think the plan is good if you do one regular and one signature restaurant per day. And, you have to like to eat, like I do, so it seems like a good plan . Three meals a day seems like a bit much to me. You seem to be getting a lot of Disney time this year, and you say park touring isn't your main goal, so you should totally do it in my opinion!

 

[wezee]

Last year with FD bounceback, DH and I upgraded to DxDDP. We planned a TS and Signature for each day and enjoyed lots and lots of fantastic meals. This Oct. we are lucky enough to have booked another FD trip with the DxDDP upgrade. I agree with the OP, I would upgrade to deluxe with free dining in a heartbeat..........but not so sure it is cost effective to pay for the full price for DxDDP.

PS..... believe it or not...one of the biggest reasons we decided to upgrade again, besides the fact I want to go to Narcoosees 2 times, FF, Artist Pt. and Yachtsman, etc.........my DH got me addicted to those yummy mickey bars, so now we both have to have those extra snacks to pay for our daily mickey bar fix.

 

[Justsyd2]

When we started planning our trip, we, (DH and I) agreed on the DxDP, then changed our minds when it became clear that we'd be spending over 9 hours a day for transportation and meals.

We switched to the DDP, and realized that we'd still have to deal with at least 1 TS per day, (about 3 hours).

We settled on the QSDP so that we'll actually have time to spend in the parks, which is the reason we chose to vacation at WDW. We have ressies at CRT one day in which we are paying OOP with the money we've saved.

I think it's all a matter of preference. Do you want to see the parks, or the restaurants? It's all up to what you want out of your trip.

 

[msujroot]

As many posters have mentioned, it depends on what you want. If being in the parks every second of the day is critical, then it may not be such a good plan. However, DW and I have done the Deluxe plan twice, and are doing it again in April. We love it...

First of all, the Deluxe plan helps it to feel like a vacation for us, because we get to eat at the nicer restaurants. We love the decor and the food, and we enjoy a break from the parks, especially when times are busy.

Secondly, it is a matter of food preference for us. We would rather sit down in a beautiful restaurant and eat steak or seafood than waiting in long lines for corn dogs.

We have never felt like it was too much food. if you are worried about that, my recommendation would be to schedule a late breakfast/early lunch and then a Signature Dinner. That uses up your 3 credits per day, and allows you to have more rest time in between meals.

Since it's Disney, I'm not sure you can go wrong. Have fun, and good luck!