Deluxe Dining Plan - Did You Like It?

[Diana or Di]

I hear what you're saying, but do keep in mind that the DxDP is priced so that EACH of you receive that app, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic drink. If you are not consuming that, you are still paying for it. The plan is not necessarily discounted, but some people can come out ahead on it if that's how they eat when they vacation. If you're skipping parts of the meal or leaving it on the plate, you're likely losing money on it.

Sure but that's my point. I don't mind paying for what I'm not consuming because the value for me is also in ambiance and peace of mind. I'm not only motivated by ensuring I swallow every calorie included in the meal. I eat some of everything, get to try some bites of other dishes, and enjoy the entire experience. That is the value for me. So when you ask, are you getting your money's worth, I don't only calculate the volume I consume, and still consider it a good value. Again, this is with the caveats listed above. For shorter stays, it's great. For longer stays, the expense would certainly be something I'd be concerned with.

 

[nkereina]

Sure but that's my point. I don't mind paying for what I'm not consuming because the value for me is also in ambiance and peace of mind. I'm not only motivated by ensuring I swallow every calorie included in the meal. I eat some of everything, get to try some bites of other dishes, and enjoy the entire experience. That is the value for me. So when you ask, are you getting your money's worth, I don't only calculate the volume I consume, and still consider it a good value. Again, this is with the caveats listed above. For shorter stays, it's great. For longer stays, the expense would certainly be something I'd be concerned with.

Fair enough. As long as people understand they are paying more for this, then to each their own. I think sometimes, generally speaking, the dining plan is misconstrued as a way to save money on food when that is not at all the case. Sometimes people overlook the fact that they are actually paying for all the components included in the plan, and they are actually losing money if they don't want those things. Disney prices it in such a way that nothing comes for free!

 

[Diana or Di]

Fair enough. As long as people understand they are paying more for this, then to each their own. I think sometimes, generally speaking, the dining plan is misconstrued as a way to save money on food when that is not at all the case. Sometimes people overlook the fact that they are actually paying for all the components included in the plan, and they are actually losing money if they don't want those things. Disney prices it in such a way that nothing comes for free!

Absolutely true! If you want to stick it to the man (or mouse) get out the spreadsheets and meal plan the heck out of it. And then choose to take the stairs after eating all that food.

 

[xsarachireex]

I am trying to decide if doing the deluxe will be a good option for me and my under 3 daughter. We did the regular dining plan last year and still ended up spending about $200 in extra food and snacks because we only have credits for me and we are splitting. With that being said, if for some reason we don't use all the meal credits how many snacks can one be traded in for?

 

[Mikka]

I like it for short stays. Four days or so. Any longer and I start feeling annoyed at having to plan every step and not being able to eat at the good non-dp places. The amount of food doesn't bother me, but the lack of being able to say "I'm hungry, where is the nearest bar?" Does. TIW makes more sense for us.

 

[Nancyg56]

I hear what you're saying, but do keep in mind that the DxDP is priced so that EACH of you receive that app, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic drink. If you are not consuming that, you are still paying for it. The plan is not necessarily discounted, but some people can come out ahead on it if that's how they eat when they vacation. If you're skipping parts of the meal or leaving it on the plate, you're likely losing money on it.

Maybe, but it depends on how folks use it. WE do need two rooms generally, so when that happens, with the new language, it pays for us to book it on one room, regular on the other. We then can choose TD lunch if we want, and signature dining, adn stiull have CS for days we want that. I wont lie, I plan it out so we use it to our advantage, but we do not lose money.

Agree with PP - gratuities do add up. If you are the type who tips 15-20% at a restaurant, which is the norm, that will be 15-20% of your bill - which includes however many apps, entrees, desserts, and non-alcoholic drinks per person. Assuming you maximize the dining plan and order those items. And these are at Disney prices, so it could easily be a $50+ tip per TS meal.

WE tip, and we eat. I always keep money set aside for gratuities. WE do nto maximize the plan, but use it to make sure al of us order what we want.

I am trying to decide if doing the deluxe will be a good option for me and my under 3 daughter. We did the regular dining plan last year and still ended up spending about $200 in extra food and snacks because we only have credits for me and we are splitting. With that being said, if for some reason we don't use all the meal credits how many snacks can one be traded in for?

In this case, if you were going to order her meals, you may be able to order her meals off of yuour plan. YOu neeed to do the math

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

Thinking about upgrading to the deluxe plan if free dining is offered when we go in the fall. Plan of attack would be one signature a day for dinner plus a table service breakfast/lunch. Hesitant because it seems like a TON of food and a TON of time eating. Any thoughts from those who have done this in the past? We've been to Disney a number of times and have older kids (all Disney adults), always leave the parks around midday for a break, and will have park hoppers, so spending some time away from the park isn't a problem. We will do at least one TS a day in any event. I think that if we did the approach I'm considering (1 signature plus either a character breakfast or table service lunch) then it would be a plus financially.

We did the Deluxe Dining Plan for 4 years until DD became a Disney Adult. We loved it. We had a character breakfast every morning and a signature supper. We don't care for counter service (DD won't eat it) so we wanted table service. We mostly used the snack credits for drinks. We usually go during the slower times of the year. Always eat an 8am breakfast and 5:30pm supper. The DxDDP forced us to stop and take a break twice a day for meals. Now we pay OOP and I find we skip meals and get over hungry because we're so focused on one-more ride! We definitely eat less now, we're not big fans of dessert so now that it's not included we almost always skip it. Now we often share meals with DD so a lot less food gets wasted. So I guess there are good and bad points but I kind of miss it.

 

[JackOfHearts]

We are thinking of upgrading for our trip in December. We have free dining so we would just pay the difference. I would like to do some of the shows. The regular plan doesn't have quite enough credits for everything I want to do and the Deluxe has a few too many.

 

[nkereina]

Maybe, but it depends on how folks use it. WE do need two rooms generally, so when that happens, with the new language, it pays for us to book it on one room, regular on the other. We then can choose TD lunch if we want, and signature dining, adn stiull have CS for days we want that. I wont lie, I plan it out so we use it to our advantage, but we do not lose money.

WE tip, and we eat. I always keep money set aside for gratuities. WE do nto maximize the plan, but use it to make sure al of us order what we want.

You don't really know whether or not you are saving money on the dining plan - deluxe or otherwise - unless you do a true comparison. Consider the restaurants you would book if paying OOP, consider what you'd order on those menus, and add up the totals. Compare that to what the dining plan costs. If the difference is negligible, then I understand why someone may want to book the dining plan so that the cost is prepaid and its convenient. If there is a savings by paying OOP, then those folks would be better off paying OOP and looking for a room discount to save money. I only mention this because a lot of people are under the impression the dining plan is a deal or a means to save money, but it's just not.

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

I used to do the Deluxe plan when it was cheaper. (2010-2013) I prefer table service so it worked out nicely.
I never ate 3 TS meals in 1 day...too much time spent eating & too much food.
I always did TS breakfast & Signature dinner. Most of the TS breakfasts were character buffets.
The signature dinners I would eat at Cali Grill, Citrico's, Flying Fish, Narcoosee's, Artist Point, Fulton's...occasionally a dinner show, not every trip.
you do get alot of food ordering off a menu (app, entree, dessert) a big meal, so I made sure I didn't eat too late in the evening.
Usually not past 7, so I had time to walk off all of that food before bed.

I would use a snack credit for a middle of the day bite...Mickey Bar, Dole whip, or for
Food Kiosks at Epcot during food/wine or flower/garden these are great uses of snack credits!
I always took snacks home (Mickey krispy rice treats)
They have raised the price of the Dining plans alot over the last 3-4 years, so now that I have an AP,
I use AP discount and TiW instead.

 

[frannn]

We upgraded FD a few times when DD14 was under 10, and enjoyed it. We are Disney foodies, and don't usually order apps at home, so they are a luxury on vacation. We may upgrade our FD BB this summer because we like our TS and the more expensive menu items. We stretched our TS credits on the regular plan the past 5 years by having DD order kid's meals OOP at certain places, but lately at home she wants to order steak and sushi over chicken tenders. So, this will allow us to try a bunch of new signatures, plus keep our favorite 1 credit meals. There will be a few days where we'll have 3 TS meals, but will try to bring desert back to the room for snack or breakfast. We will likely use snack credits for drinks and treats to take home.

 

[chinarider]

We have upgraded to Deluxe with free dining for Dec ( we had a bounce back offer)- this will be the first time doing deluxe. We have done the regular dining plan and gone OOP. It is myself (DM) and my DD22- I know it will be a lot of food and that tips will add up but, we are both really looking forward to it. There are appetizers that we want to try, signature restaurants that we want to try , CP package etc. This gives us to opportunity to not worry about it and splurge. Since we are just paying for the upgrade... if we do a CS ( out of convenience ) or 2 TS ( and no sig) only for a day or two, we still are coming out cheaper than if we we went with RegDP and paid for the differences OOP-
My only concern is figuring out the timing for everything. I do not like eating dinner late so, it will take some planning but, I am excited to figure it all out.....

 

[Nancyg56]

You don't really know whether or not you are saving money on the dining plan - deluxe or otherwise - unless you do a true comparison. Consider the restaurants you would book if paying OOP, consider what you'd order on those menus, and add up the totals. Compare that to what the dining plan costs. If the difference is negligible, then I understand why someone may want to book the dining plan so that the cost is prepaid and its convenient. If there is a savings by paying OOP, then those folks would be better off paying OOP and looking for a room discount to save money. I only mention this because a lot of people are under the impression the dining plan is a deal or a means to save money, but it's just not.

We book pretty much the same restaurants each trip, and honestly I bet we order about the same things each time.

I do agree though, that you really need to do the math, and then make you decision.

 

[melana]

i have only done the regular dining plan but will be on deluxe for my trip in October. Mostly because I do want to try a few signature places while having plenty of credits for non-signature places. I may end up not liking it but with this being a solo trip, I figure I would go all out. Have no idea when I will be able to go back.

 

[ScubaCat]

DxDP is almost never financially beneficial. But it sure is fun 3-4 days MAX though. Any longer and its just an overwhelming amount of food. And beware the new "enhancements" items on the menu that are not included in the dining plan. Pretty cheap of them IMHO but it doesn't seem to hurt sales any.

 

[Matoskah Poodle]

We did the Deluxe Dining for our honeymoon. It was great, but we were very relaxed and spent more time eating and enjoying the view. The next time we went we did not eat near enough to justify the deluxe dining plan. Different agenda. It was not as important to do the character meals or signature dining. Just grab a burger and continue the fun. We have ditched the dining plan on our next trip, but we are also planing to eat off site several times throughout the trip.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Something to remember with the DxDDP, the $35 per meal is the entire cost of the plan. That includes -0- for the snacks. Which means if you want a bottle of water, because you don't want to carry a cup around, go for it. Same with a soda. In other words, you don't have to be concerned about how much each snack is worth.

I actually try to do this on the regular dining plan. That way, when I want a snack, I just buy what I want.

 

[Mdsleiman]

We had free dining in December and loved the experience but the TIPS added up FAST.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We were treated to the Deluxe Plan by my in-laws following four years of annual trips on the regular plan.

The biggest thrill of going Deluxe for me was that it opened up the possibility of dining at 2 credit restaurants. After four years of the regular plan, there were few 1 credit TS we hadn’t been to and many we’d gone to multiple times.

Every day on Deluxe, we had a late breakfast or early lunch and a 2 credit dinner. We dined at Artist Point, Flying Fish, California Grill, the Yachtsman and Spirit of Aloha. I loved it! It was really luxurious and fun to experience all those new-to-us places.

We had no trouble using our snack credits either. Most days, we used a couple of them on a quick bite early in the morning and something mid-afternoon.

 

[quandrea]

Something to remember with the DxDDP, the $35 per meal is the entire cost of the plan. That includes -0- for the snacks. Which means if you want a bottle of water, because you don't want to carry a cup around, go for it. Same with a soda. In other words, you don't have to be concerned about how much each snack is worth.

I actually try to do this on the regular dining plan. That way, when I want a snack, I just buy what I want.

This was a real benefit to the Deluxe plan. We used many of our snacks for fun beverages last August during the heat.

We were treated to the Deluxe Plan by my in-laws following four years of annual trips on the regular plan.

The biggest thrill of going Deluxe for me was that it opened up the possibility of dining at 2 credit restaurants. After four years of the regular plan, there were few 1 credit TS we hadn’t been to and many we’d gone to multiple times.

Every day on Deluxe, we had a late breakfast or early lunch and a 2 credit dinner. We dined at Artist Point, Flying Fish, California Grill, the Yachtsman and Spirit of Aloha. I loved it! It was really luxurious and fun to experience all those new-to-us places.

We had no trouble using our snack credits either. Most days, we used a couple of them on a quick bite early in the morning and something mid-afternoon.

We used thecplan for the first two nights of a split stay. We spread our credits out over a Friday, Saturday and until midnight on Sunday. We actually ate from lunch on Friday until breakfast on Monday using only the plan. That trip was four full days and I only bought one $20 QS meal OOP. This made the plan a very good financial benefit.

We loved California Grill brunch—something I wouldn’t pay OOP for.

We shared quite a few meals, so there wasn’t too much food. Used desserts for breakfasts the following morning. Even brought fruit that was an appetiser back to the room for later.

We used many snacks for beverages, as mentioned above. Other snack credits went to fruit and breakfast items. We had no desire for fun snacks but were more focused on good nutrition.

I couldn’t do the meal plan for any longer than we did though—two nights, spread over four days.