Deluxe DP with a 4 year old?

[melifeld]

We are planning a trip to WDW in January. Am I totally crazy to be thinking about DxDP with a 4 year old?

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

No, it depends on your child -- every family has different needs. I now know through "trial and error" that we cannot do more than one TS a day and just one signature each trip. Deluxe didn't work for us and I am still having issues with fully utilizing the regular DDP.

 

[havoc315]

I did dxdp with a 4 year old (actually, she turned 4 during the trip) and 6 year old. Remember, all Disney restaurants are child friendly.
My kids were only really whiny during 1 dinner, when we booked a reservation too late and were too tired.
As long as you schedule well, it should be fine.

 

[mcbj]

We did it once when DS was four (actually it was called the Silver Plan back then and you used Magical Wishes for meal, but same concept) and it actally worked out well, gave him a chance to sit down and rest/relax/cool off. We did several character meals. We haven't done it since, for me it is just too much food

 

[hannahdrewmom]

We've done it the last two trips, most recently with a 4 and 2 year old. We loved it! It gave them a chance for character meals, we got our signatures, and we did some shows. Plus we had the ability to do ROOM SERVICE! Such a huge bonus on the nights that we just couldn't get to a restaurant and wanted to chill out in the room.

We never did more than 2 meals a day though. We planned a early lunch and normal dinner. (one meal was almost always a 2ts credit... but we also got there really early day 1 and left really late the last day giving us another day to use it.) We'd do snacks for quick breakfasts.

 

[minniebride]

I've read and known people who have done Deluxe DDP with children that young and overall, it has seemed to work out, with the exception of signature restaurants.

Signature restaurants do not offer a separate kids menu, so you may have a hard time finding typical kid meals at those restaurants if your 4 year old will only eat those common "kid meals." They will, of course, alter dishes at your request (i.e. ask for sauce on the side or the pasta dish with a plain sauce or what not). So, if you are planning to eat at a signature restaurant, be sure to check out the menu before you book to ensure that there will be something to eat for your 4 year old.

 

[CajunMomof3]

We love the DxDP. We have been using it since our boys were 5 & 6. We find that having a break scheduled worked really well for us. I really enjoy having something other than fast food. It is a LOT of food, but we like trying new things (and occassionly get the kids to as well!)

My boys love the HDD and SOA which I don't think I want to would pay OOP for, but we do one each trip since we have the credits. (I know that doesn't make alot of sense, but...)

 

[vinotinto]

I've read and known people who have done Deluxe DDP with children that young and overall, it has seemed to work out, with the exception of signature restaurants.

Signature restaurants do not offer a separate kids menu, so you may have a hard time finding typical kid meals at those restaurants if your 4 year old will only eat those common "kid meals." They will, of course, alter dishes at your request (i.e. ask for sauce on the side or the pasta dish with a plain sauce or what not). So, if you are planning to eat at a signature restaurant, be sure to check out the menu before you book to ensure that there will be something to eat for your 4 year old.

This is not correct. The Signature restaurants that accept children and the DDP (that is, all except Bistro and V&A), have children's menus that are very, very good. Some of the menu options I've seen include: mac n cheese (made from scratch), chicken breast, steak, fish, etc.

We've done the DxDP twice (when kids were 3 & 5 and 3 & 6). I find that it is an easy way to give them a break and have them eat a better meal than what is available at the CS restaurants. But, we eat out at home all the time in table restaurants (twice a week with the kids), so my kids are really used to sitting down 1-2 hours for a meal. The only possible downside is you will spend more time eating than if you did not have the DxDP, but for us the time eating is as valuable as the time touring the parks.

 

[minniebride]

This is not correct. The Signature restaurants that accept children and the DDP (that is, all except Bistro and V&A), have children's menus that are very, very good. Some of the menu options I've seen include: mac n cheese (made from scratch), chicken breast, steak, fish, etc.

We've done the DxDP twice (when kids were 3 & 5 and 3 & 6). I find that it is an easy way to give them a break and have them eat a better meal than what is available at the CS restaurants. But, we eat out at home all the time in table restaurants (twice a week with the kids), so my kids are really used to sitting down 1-2 hours for a meal. The only possible downside is you will spend more time eating than if you did not have the DxDP, but for us the time eating is as valuable as the time touring the parks.

Sorry for the mistake. I've never seen, heard, or read about traditional WDW kid meals being on the menu's of signature restaurants (i.e. hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc...). I've been to sig., restaurants with kids who were offered smaller portions of some of the regular adult meals (grilled chicken or fancy mac and cheese if it was elsewhere on their menu), but not "kid type meals" like they offer at regular TS restaurants. I have definitely talked to families who had a hard time accommodating their children on these menus.

 

[MSLRAC]

Sorry for the mistake. I've never seen, heard, or read about traditional WDW kid meals being on the menu's of signature restaurants (i.e. hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc...). I've been to sig., restaurants with kids who were offered smaller portions of some of the regular adult meals (grilled chicken or fancy mac and cheese if it was elsewhere on their menu), but not "kid type meals" like they offer at regular TS restaurants. I have definitely talked to families who had a hard time accommodating their children on these menus.

My kids had no problems at signature meals but like previously stated, the offerings are more along the lines of grilled hot dogs, fish, steak, chicken, fresh pasta dishes and pizzas, etc. But my kids like that stuff because they prefer "regular" food as opposed to "kid" foods.

OP, we did the DxDP with our two oldest kids last trip who were 3 and 5 and will be doing it next trip with all three kids who will be turning 4, 6 and 8 during our trip. We enjoyed the DxDP because it allowed our kids to eat more like they normally do at home and they even got to try a few new things. I think it takes a bit more planning to go with the DxDP but if you do it right, I think it is the only way to go to WDW...at least for our family.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

The kids menus at the signatures are actually much better than the normal restaurants. Instead of mickey soup or salad, they often have fresh fruit at most of them. They have alot of kid friendly foods: FF has grilled cheese and mickey pasta, Jikos has pizza, CG has pizza and mac and cheese, Narcossees has mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pasta, Cirtricos has pb&j and pasta....
but the bonus is they all also have steak, chicken, and fish.... real food!

The desserts on the kids menu are also to die for at signatures. (My daughter will ask to go to the signatures because at the ripe old age of 4 she has figured this out! ) Like the white chocolate puzzle that they can paint with colored sugar or the nemo cupcake or the rice crispy sushi roll!

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Did deluxe dining plan with DS at age 4 and 5. Worked out good. Best at age 4 when we were at the Polynesian because we had access to so many restaurants not far from the resort. We did LOTS of character meals. Was fun. Also signature restaurants worked out great... at the end of a busy day, DS was ready to sit down and relax...

Most of the signature restaurants have something nearby to interest children -- in between courses... at California Grill, you can walk outside or look out the window at the sunset. At Narcoosees, you can look out at the water and the castle in the distance.. if timed right, the lighted boat parade passes by about 9pm and you can see MK fireworks from there too. At Citricos, the chairs are very comfy for kids, and the orchestra plays in the lobby right outside the restaurant. At Flying Fish Cafe, the boardwalk entertainers were right outside.

As far as food.... really all of the restaurants were accomodating our picky eater... but the signatures were the best with timing the delivery of food to our table (making sure kids had something when the adult appetizers came), substituting bowls of delicious FL strawberries for mixed fruit, giving Mickey straws, and the fun desserts like paint a puzzle, fondue, or the "sushi" dessert at California Grill.

 

[sydneysmom]

when we went last Sept, our DD was 4 1/2.... we chose to do the DxDpl for a few reasons:

1. we wanted to do a character breakfast every morning (so there's 1 TS right there.... 2 TS when we did CRT)

2. we wanted to do at least 2 signature dinners + CRT for dinner. (we did Flying Fish and Narcoosee's with her and she LOVED both of them... just bring crayons and a coloring book so your kids have something to keep them occupied)

3. we wanted the routine of breakfast / lunch / dinner on a few of the days

4. DH liked the snack options, so we weren't pulling out our wallet everytime we wanted a drink or a snack

5. To us, it felt "more inclusive" a vacation having everything basically pre-paid.

6. We felt that the kids menus offered healthier options than the counter service menus.

7. We actually liked taking a break from the parks to sit down and have a family meal. We're used to that at home and it was nice to get out of the heat.

SO for us, it worked fantastic. Even when you include the tips, we still saved $ 480.00 on the deluxe dining plan. So we will do this again for sure. You have to determine HOW your family likes to eat, how much time do you want to spend at restaurants, and will the menus suit your families needs.....

 

[Colleen27]

I've read and known people who have done Deluxe DDP with children that young and overall, it has seemed to work out, with the exception of signature restaurants.

Signature restaurants do not offer a separate kids menu, so you may have a hard time finding typical kid meals at those restaurants if your 4 year old will only eat those common "kid meals." They will, of course, alter dishes at your request (i.e. ask for sauce on the side or the pasta dish with a plain sauce or what not). So, if you are planning to eat at a signature restaurant, be sure to check out the menu before you book to ensure that there will be something to eat for your 4 year old.

Actually, the kids menus at the signature restaurants are generally much better than the one-credit restaurants, with simple but tasty "real" foods like grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak with better sides and appetizers as well (fresh fruit, green salads, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, etc.). That's one of the reasons my kids all enjoy signature dining so much - they could eat much more like they're used to eating at home. And the kids' desserts at the signatures are more fun/creative, chocolate "cauldron" fondue at Flying Fish, rice crispy treat sushi at California Grill, paint-your-own chocolate puzzle at Yachtsman, smores at Jiko.

We have done the DxDDP twice so far with our youngest, once at 16mo and once at 2.5, and will be on it again in Nov. It is really nice to have that all-inclusive feel, especially with a young child who wants to snack frequently, and sit-down meals make for a nice mini-break for some time to decompress without having to trek back to our own resort. DD3 has been to every DDP-participating signature restaurant except Citricos, and particularly enjoyed California Grill and Flying Fish.

 

[vinotinto]

Sorry for the mistake. I've never seen, heard, or read about traditional WDW kid meals being on the menu's of signature restaurants (i.e. hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc...). I've been to sig., restaurants with kids who were offered smaller portions of some of the regular adult meals (grilled chicken or fancy mac and cheese if it was elsewhere on their menu), but not "kid type meals" like they offer at regular TS restaurants. I have definitely talked to families who had a hard time accommodating their children on these menus.

Oh, I see now what you mean. You are sort of right, the kid's menu items do tend to be more 'real food' as opposed to more processed. But there's plenty of kid friendly stuff on the sig kid's menus. There's usually a pizza option (at Cali Grill it's allegedly made on multi-grain dough, whatever that means). HBD had a grilled hot dog and grilled cheese on whole wheat. I've seen the mac n cheese (tried it at a couple of signatures - delicious - made with real cheese). Some of them have chicken strips made from real chicken breasts (not the sad little processed ones). And even the 'real' food (fish, steaks, chicken breast) tend to be very kid friendly - plainer, without sauces. I would imagine most kids would find something to eat at the Signatures.

 

[Mikey'swife]

We have done dxdp with a 4 and 6 year old and with a 2,5. And 7 year old. It makes it possible to do character meals for the kids and not feel guilty about signatures. We have also done a show each time and the fantasmic package. If you do prepark opening breakfast you are there for ropedrop and by lunch time kids are happy with a relaxing ts instead of a rrushed cs but since credits can be either you can change plans