deluxe dining program

[Mickey_Man]

Le Cellier after a buffet breakfast and a TS lunch might be too much in one day. Consider either making the dinner later, the lunch earlier, or skip lunch entirely that day!

 

[leahjade]

It is a good deal for you BigBabyBlues since you have younger children. For me with 2 adults and 3 teens, it adds up to $350 a day so that's quite a difference. But any time Disney wants to add in the tips, I'll upgrade!

 

[toocherie]

We are leaning toward the DDP too--with the intent of having one TS regular meal and one signature/character meal a day (which for the most part would take two credits). My 78-year old Mom will be with me so we cannot do the "commando" thing and I think have TS meals planned in advance will be a good idea.

 

[angelmav]

It is a good deal for you BigBabyBlues since you have younger children. For me with 2 adults and 3 teens, it adds up to $350 a day so that's quite a difference. But any time Disney wants to add in the tips, I'll upgrade!

I hear ya, with five disney adults and two about to join those ranks, that would run us close to $500 a day!!! If the tip were figured in we could probably make that number work, but add another $100-$150 a day in tips to that total and there is just no way. That 10 yr barrier really makes a huge difference on weather or not any of the dining plans work. Heck, I would be happy with having it on one room, but disney wont let you share the credits either! Ah well, happy for those that it works well for!

 

[Deb & Bill]

if it fits your eating (& vacationing) style, it can be a great deal since the additional cost ($32A $10C over DDP) includes substantially more. the DxDP covers your 3 TS meals (appy, entree, dessert, beverage) & 2 snacks per night, as well one refillable mug per person per stay, so OOP would be tip & any alcohol (i cannot see anyone wanting more food than what it offers so doubt there would be much more OOP).....

They took the tip and appetizer off the DDP. Is the appetizer still on the Deluxe DDP? Isn't the tip based on what the price would actually be and NOT what you are paying for the meal via the dining plan? You could easily pay another $150 a day in tips and appetizers and non-standard beverages (alcoholic beverages, smoothies, etc). So you (one person) order a $70 meal (that costs you $25 via DDDP), you pay $13 for the tip. If you add in the extras, you also pay tip on that. I could see where you could easily be paying nearly as much in tips as you pay for the daily plan.

 

[angelmav]

They took the tip and appetizer off the DDP. Is the appetizer still on the Deluxe DDP? Isn't the tip based on what the price would actually be and NOT what you are paying for the meal via the dining plan? You could easily pay another $150 a day in tips and appetizers and non-standard beverages (alcoholic beverages, smoothies, etc). So you (one person) order a $70 meal (that costs you $25 via DDDP), you pay $13 for the tip. If you add in the extras, you also pay tip on that. I could see where you could easily be paying nearly as much in tips as you pay for the daily plan.

Yep this is why it doesnt work for us. Appetizer is included in Deluxe, but when you figure 3 TS or a 2TS and 1 TS meal each day at the menu price, add the tip off of that and thats where the train goes off the tracks for our family. We would just order/nibble/sample which would be fine if it were all included, (meaning tips), but thats an expensive way to eat and not anything like what we would do normally.

This is where they get all the obsessive compulsive planner types though, because I know many people that enjoy the planning part of a vacation about as much as the vacation itself.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I hear ya, with five disney adults and two about to join those ranks, that would run us close to $500 a day!!! If the tip were figured in we could probably make that number work, but add another $100-$150 a day in tips to that total and there is just no way. That 10 yr barrier really makes a huge difference on weather or not any of the dining plans work. Heck, I would be happy with having it on one room, but disney wont let you share the credits either! Ah well, happy for those that it works well for!

I think with your crowd we would have a meal or two in the villa! (a day)

 

[angelmav]

I think with your crowd we would have a meal or two in the villa! (a day)

You got that right! Thats why we are looking at DVC!!!

 

[LSchrow]

They took the tip and appetizer off the DDP. Is the appetizer still on the Deluxe DDP? Isn't the tip based on what the price would actually be and NOT what you are paying for the meal via the dining plan? You could easily pay another $150 a day in tips and appetizers and non-standard beverages (alcoholic beverages, smoothies, etc). So you (one person) order a $70 meal (that costs you $25 via DDDP), you pay $13 for the tip. If you add in the extras, you also pay tip on that. I could see where you could easily be paying nearly as much in tips as you pay for the daily plan.

yup, the appy is included with the DxDP.
& absolutely agreed, tip is based on amt meal would have cost OOP (& no, i've never been a server ~ just grew up frequenting restaurants .

the DxDP definately is not for us. however, i can see where it makes sense for some others, as the OP who planned on eating the same meals anyway. since the gratuity should be the identical amount whether using DxDP (or DDP & DDE, for that matter ) or paying OOP, i normally just leave it out of calculations.

 

[tejasranger]

Okay, we finally made our decision. We are going deluxe for all 4 nights (I have two separate ressies AKV/BWV) so I could have done basic/deluxe - one on each ressie. But we decided to go for it and see how it works out.
Being a mom that cooks alot, eating three meals a day at a sit down table service meal, not having to cook it or do the dishes is worth it right there to me!

These are our ADR's (I got every single one I asked for!) If there is something on here any of you would absolutely NOT do, please let me know - TIA.

Sunday April 20th - arrival day - won't be there for breakfast:

Tusker House Buffet - lunch AK Park 3:00 P.M.
Jiko - dinner AKL 8:30 p.m. (two TS credits)

Monday April 21st

Spoodles for breakfast - didn't make ressie yet
Beirgarten - lunch - Epcot 2:40 p.m.
Coral Reef - dinner - Epcot 8:40 p.m.

Tuesday April 22nd - non park day

Ohana Character Breakfast @ Poly 9:40 a.m.
Whispering Canyon Cafe @ WL 2:20 p.m.
Kona Cafe @ Poly 7:10 p.m.

Wednesday April 23rd

Cape May Cafe Breakfast @ Y&BC 9:30 a.m.
50's Prime Time Cafe (or Big River Grille) 2:00 p.m.
Le Cellier in Epcot (SAVING BEST FOR LAST ) 6:40 p.m.

You will like Biergarten at Epcot. It is a buffet and they also have singing and entertainment. My husband loved the big mug of beer. I was dumb and got tea and should have tried the beer. You will also like Kona Cafe. We went there for lunch very good and huge sandwiches. I could not eat all of mine. I had creme brulee for dessert. It was excellant. We like the deluxe dining plan because everything was prepaid.

 

[NMW]

I think the deluxe plan is a great plan and perfect for a lot of families. I have been BEGGING Disney for a plan like the Deluxe plan for like 3 years. Every time I did a survey I mentioned it, I emailed them a few times, and I wrote one letter. We wanted a premium plan with just the food and without all the stuff we wouldn't use-child care/boat rentals/cirque tickets, etc. I am so happy they finally have a plan that is perfect for our family.

We eat a character/resort TS breakfast every day at Disney, that is what we like to do. It's the perfedct start for us. We eat a TS dinner every night-also what we like to do. We also like a couple TS lunches every trip, not every day, but a couple.

The old basic dining plan was not a great fit for us. We hate most CS meals and it was a pain using those credits. We spent so much money OOP using the Basic plan-all our breakfasts, some TS lunches, extra sodas and waters in the parks. Just not a great fit for our family.

We are going in May with the Deluxe dining plan. With the Deluxe plan we can have breakfast and dinner every day and a some TS lunches. We are doing 4 signature dinners. We will have the 2 snack credits per person/per day so plenty for sodas and waters. We keep the appetizers which we love, oh, and we even get refillable mugs. The best part-no CS meals! What's not to love about this plan?? The only thing we are paying OOP for is our lunch our arrival day at ESPN. It's sort of a tradition for us. Oh, and alcohol and tips are obviously OOP too. We really can't wait.

Please don't let some posters scare you about it being "way too much food" or the best are the ones about needing bigger clothing . That's totally ridiculous. We have been eating this way every trip since we first went to Disney and none of us have gained weight during our trips, much less not fit into our clothing. On many days we do 2 meals a day-breakfast and dinner (breakfast is early 8-8:30, dinner is late 7-7:30). I can't even begin to understand how that would possibly be too much food for people. Unless these people only eat once a day at home??? My family would be starving. Even on the couple days we do 3 meals a day at Disney, I still don't see that as strange. I mean you don't have to clear your plate. If your not hungry, don't eat something!

That's just our family's opinions. Of course every family is different.

 

[crazykids]

We're doing the deluxe DP for 12 nights in August. We have 3 little ones ages 2, 4, & 5 so we don't even have to pay for the little one! We did the regular DP last year & I can't tell you how aggravating it was using those CS credits w/ little kids. Between finding a table & waiting in line to order, it sometimes took us 1 1/2 hours to eat that crappy CS food and by the time we were finished everyone just seemed aggravated. We too paid for quite a few additional character meals OOP. I agree that this is a lot of food & a lot of reservations, but like OP have said, you don't need to stuff yourself at every meal. Plus I look forward to having reservations for every meal & being served by a waitress - to us, that's what a vacation is all about! To each his own, but I'm looking forward to using the Deluxe DP!

 

[wezee]

The deluxe DP would cost DH and I just a few dollars over $1100.00 for 8 nights. We went over the menus and figured we would spend at least about $1450.00...and we did not figure in the refillable mugs or the 32 snacks. We will get our yummy appies back, and probably eat muc healthier by avoiding CS as much as possible. We will be going in Sept. so the extra snacks and sitdown air conditioned TS will be nice.

 

[Tricia1972]

Please don't let some posters scare you about it being "way too much food" or the best are the ones about needing bigger clothing . That's totally ridiculous. We have been eating this way every trip since we first went to Disney and none of us have gained weight during our trips, much less not fit into our clothing. On many days we do 2 meals a day-breakfast and dinner (breakfast is early 8-8:30, dinner is late 7-7:30). I can't even begin to understand how that would possibly be too much food for people. Unless these people only eat once a day at home??? My family would be starving. Even on the couple days we do 3 meals a day at Disney, I still don't see that as strange. I mean you don't have to clear your plate. If your not hungry, don't eat something!

That's just our family's opinions. Of course every family is different.

We don't do the DxDDp because it would be too much food for us, but in our defense in a day we'd normally eat:

Breakfast - Bowl of Cereal and Orange Juice

Snack - Fruit or Fruit with Peanut butter

Lunch - Lean Cuisine or similar for myself at work. Kids have a sandwich, leftovers, pizza, etc.

Supper - Bigger meal of the day. Spaghetti, Chili, Chicken, Fish, etc with veggies and a small dessert (cookie)

Snack - Few slices of cheese or similar

So yes we (and our children) eat three meals a day.

For us if we are going to eat smaller portions like we do at home, we can do that OOP for less than the DxDDP would cost us. I think it's great that it works for so many, but am glad it's not mandatory because it wouldn't work well for us.
Have a fantastic vacation! I am glad you finally got your wish!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We don't do the DxDDp because it would be too much food for us, but in our defense in a day we'd normally eat:

Breakfast - Bowl of Cereal and Orange Juice

Snack - Fruit or Fruit with Peanut butter

Lunch - Lean Cuisine or similar for myself at work. Kids have a sandwich, leftovers, pizza, etc.

Supper - Bigger meal of the day. Spaghetti, Chili, Chicken, Fish, etc with veggies and a small dessert (cookie)

Snack - Few slices of cheese or similar

So yes we (and our children) eat three meals a day.

For us if we are going to eat smaller portions like we do at home, we can do that OOP for less than the DxDDP would cost us. I think it's great that it works for so many, but am glad it's not mandatory because it wouldn't work well for us.
Have a fantastic vacation! I am glad you finally got your wish!

We eat similarly to you, Tricia. I'm just not up to dining for three or more hours a day. When am I going to get in my Disney Daily Nap (DDN)?

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

When considering whether the Deluxe plan is a good deal, you must factor in the new clothes you will have to buy since your old ones won't fit you.

Advice would be to walk from park to park or resort to resort. Burn some calories.

We thought the old plan was too much food. Deluxe just overwhelms me.

Are you forgetting that you can do signature meals and character meals in the same day - essentially 2 meals per day? CS meals get to be a lot of food, yes, but with Delux you don't have to do any CS if you choose not to. Plus, we can go to the nicer places we would normally skip. It always seemed like so much work to use up the CS credits, but now we can do a character breakfast early, then a signature TS for dinner, usng snacks for the lunch meal. How much better is that than the regular DP?

I don't think new clothes will be necessary!! But if I can use that as a reason to go shopping when I return home, that is just another bonus of the deluxe plan for me...

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

We eat similarly to you, Tricia. I'm just not up to dining for three or more hours a day. When am I going to get in my Disney Daily Nap (DDN)?

Before you go to your evening signature TS where you have made your ressie for later in the evening, of course!!

 

[Tricia1972]

We eat similarly to you, Tricia. I'm just not up to dining for three or more hours a day. When am I going to get in my Disney Daily Nap (DDN)?

We would travel well together I think...

Disney Schedule

6am Breakfast in Villa (Showers, etc)
8am Head to park for 9am Rope Drop
11-11:30am CS Lunch
11:30-12 Leave park for DDN
5-5:30pm ADR for Dinner
6:30-7pm Back to park for evening entertainment

 

[accountingbabe08]

I only gained 1 lb. I have a spreadsheet that I got from another DISer. I figured out avg of what each meal would cost and budgeted my tips. for us if we go back just me and my little girl the regular plan would work for us. for the whole family deluxe is the way to go for us. if you would like the spreadsheet just let me know I can email it to you. Just PM me.

 

[kimis]

As I mentioned on a another site--my dh and I just got back from 12 days on the DxDDP and we loved it. We ate at great resturants with great food. We have used DDP since they started it and loved it. This year we were a little concerned about the tip issue. However it was easy. They bring you a receipt with the suggested tip,. We would write the word "cash" in the tip slot and than leave the cash. Very simple really. We used extra snacks for rice krispy treats and small containers of cotton candy for our grandkids. They loved it. Enjoy