Deluxe vs. Standard DDP

[nklooz]

We'll go during free dining. Considering upgrading to Deluxe Dining. Can people tell me what their experience w/it has been? Their reasons for choosing it?
Thanks!

 

[havoc315]

My reason is simple -- we don't like CS meals, and we do like signature meals.
If we stuck with the regular ddp, we would probably do a couple CS lunches and a couple CS breakfasts, and then paying for several "extra" TS meals OOP.
With the deluxe, it basically allows us to do TS for every lunch, and a 2-credit dinner almost every night. Which is more similar to how we would dine OOP.

 

[Cafeen]

As with any dining plan (QSDP included!) the best test to see which is right for you is to take a hard look at what you are expecting and desiring out of the trip.

If you would prefer to dine in the way DxDDP suggests (at least 2TS per night, several signatures, and 3 courses at most meals), then it should work out for you.

In my experience...

2010 - It was great. I never left restaurants too stuffed to move, and I saved ~$200 or so (solo). I was never too concerned about maximizing the plan either, as I had known what I was looking at ahead of time.

2011 - A bit less great. The food and such was still good, but my appetite lessened over the past year. I left many entrees and apps half-eaten, and flat out skipped dessert twice. There wasn't much different from the planning side either between the trips. I also picked up a cold for a few days of the trip, which really shot my desire to eat way down. (I even skipped Citrico's due to this!).

Would I do it again? Probably. If I go with Mom for F&W after she retires, I'd likely spring for it, but I'll have to space the meals out much better than I did this year.

Reasoning? I prefer TS to CS and like to have 2 sit downs per day (most commonly lunch & dinner). I prefer to try several signature restaurants during the trip, and since I'm touring alone, the downtime for the meals isn't a bother (in fact, it's pretty nice). I also can plan it all out pretty far ahead of time to help tweak the schedule and improve potential savings. All of which are my key pieces of advice for others doing the same.

I also have a firm grasp on how it works, which really helps in the planning and dining stages. For instance, I know that skipping dessert at two meals isn't going to wreck my bottom line, so I don't feel I have to order them all. I also typically use the snack credits for drinks (SmartWater works well, at $3.50 a pop) and a couple of the higher priced snacks.

 

[willowsnn3]

If you've never done deluxe then try it. We have upgraded to deluxe a few times because we really like to have breakfast at CRT & the kiddos love MBYBBQ which take 2 credits. Have done HDDR & want to try the Luau, both take 2 credits. Then try a signature. If you don't do a lot of 2 credit meals you have to be real careful about spacing your meals as it is a lot of food. We ususally do a late breakfast or super early lunch then a late dinner. Once we did Cape May for an early bkfst, WCC for lunch & Biergarten for late dinner, lol. 3 TS is one day, never again, lol.

 

[nklooz]

Ok, thanks. Helpful. Brings up another question, does the Standard vs. Deluxe have other differences between 1 CS and 1 TS for Standard vs. 3 TS for Deluxe. Does what you get included at each meal differ? Apps, desserts, etc.? Thanks!

 

[willowsnn3]

Currently deluxe gives you 3 TS with apps & desserts, 2 snacks & a mug.

 

[havoc315]

Ok, thanks. Helpful. Brings up another question, does the Standard vs. Deluxe have other differences between 1 CS and 1 TS for Standard vs. 3 TS for Deluxe. Does what you get included at each meal differ? Apps, desserts, etc.? Thanks!

At buffets, etc, there is no difference.
As regular TS restaurants, standard gets beverage, dessert and entree. The deluxe plan gets those things, plus an appetizer.
Standard gets 1 snack, deluxe gets 2 snacks per night.
For 2011, deluxe includes the mug and the standard doesn't. In 2012, they both get the mug.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

We got the Deluxe 2 yrs ago, we ATE and we ATE and we ATE, there were several times we cancelled ADR's because we simply were not hungry,
We did several 2 credit resturants during the week and on the las night we still had 3 credit lefts.

This last time we did the Basic and it was perfect. Even still on the last day we had 13 snack credits to use in one day, it was perfect since we were going to Epcot Food and Wine, so by the end of the night we used most credits and then hopped over to the Mara and got packs of Zebra domes to go

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We have done the Basis/Plus Dining Plan many, many times and love it - actually can't image ever going back to WDW without it. We upgraded to the Deluxe Dining one time and won't ever do it again. My kids and husband hated all the time it took away from the parks. Overall, I found it to be a huge waste of time and money.

 

[nklooz]

Thanks for all of the perspective. We would likey not ever eat 3 TS meals/day. We would probably never do a breakfast, we just aren't breakfast people. Unless we should for some reason that makes one of the character dining experiences better at breakfast??

Anyway, my primary reason for doing the deluxe plan would be to ensure we could eat at the various 2 credit restaurants to which we'd like to go. MBYBBQ, Cinderella's Castle, California Grill, maybe the Luau @ the Poly, maybe Le Cellier. And, for the option to be able to have Chef Mickey's for a character lunch as often as DD 2 1/2 would like when we go back to CR for our break.

Are there a lot of people who use the plan this way? Has it worked out better for you to do Deluxe dining vs. paying OOP for a few of the 2 credit meals?

Thanks!

 

[havoc315]

Chef Mickeys doesn't serve lunch.

It works pretty well to get the deluxe for 2-credit dinners, as long as you are also mostly doing TS lunches.
If you combine 2-credit dinners with cs lunches (or super cheap ts lunches), then you will probably lose money.
But a 2 credit dinner is usually a better value than a 1 credit breakfast plus 1 credit dinner.

 

[Colleen27]

We use the plan much in the way you're describing. We aren't breakfast people - at most we might have a strategic pre-park-opening character breakfast one morning. Most mornings, breakfast is coffee/tea in our mugs and a pastry or fruit cup (snack credits) for the kids. We plan TS lunches as a break/rest during our park days, and two credit dinners most evenings. We save some money with the deluxe plan and get to relax and enjoy Disney dining without thinking about the menu prices.

As Havoc said, however, your thinking with regard to Chef Mickey won't work out because they aren't open for lunch.

 

[jedi jen]

I like a break during the day for lunch and then a nice signature dinner. The DxDDP works best for me. My kids like it too. We enjoy not having to wait in yet another line for a QS meal. It is nice to eat on real plates with AC for lunch and dinner. Keeps us getting along and humming those great Disney tunes.

 

[jcmaro]

If it was just DH and I we would do the Deluxe. With our kids the age the are we do the Regular.

 

[DisDann]

I have went with both Standard and Deluxe, and found that when we went with our children Deluxe was always to much. Using Deluxe dining cuts into play time a lot. Now that it is just the 2 of us going I prefer deluxe, I enjoy TS for lunch it breaks up the day, and lets you relax for an hour. We also enjoy dinner shows and Signature dining so the extra credits work out great.

I have not done the math this year but in the past the break even point for deluxe was always around 70%, so having a couple credits left at the end did not mean we lost money. With Standard the break even percentage was always much higher around 90-95% , so you really need to use your credits up with standard to be getting a good deal. Unless of course it was free dining. Like I said these figures might be off now it's been awhile since I did the math.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

If you are getting FREE DDP then upgrading to Deluxe it might be worth it. But even for us getting the QSDP for free, it would cost almost TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS to upgrade us from QSDP to DLXDP for 10 days for 5 ppl. So we'll never know how great the DkxDp is. =)

 

[toddlermickey]

We always go during free dining and upgrade to Deluxe. We just got back on Sunday and we were there for 12 days. It was just DH and I. We did breakfast OOP at the hotel. I used snack credit for a fruit cup and DH got coffee and a small breakfast. We had TS for a late lunch around 1 or 2 then dinner at 8 or 9. Lunch was around 100.00 to $130.00 a meal. Dinner $150 and up. We paid around $44.00 each a day to upgrade. So worth it. We went to the Luau HDDR and all the other signature meals. We had 14 snack credits left over and got $60.00 worth of candy to bring home for gifts.

We are going during free dining in March and will do the same thing.

Sylvia in MN

 

[canopynut66]

We'll go during free dining. Considering upgrading to Deluxe Dining. Can people tell me what their experience w/it has been? Their reasons for choosing it?
Thanks!

we upgrade from QS to MYWD as we tried the deluxe and was way to much food for us. we eat all over with CS and not in food courts like wold gangs in DTD or Earl of sandwich or Flame tree in AK and seasons in Epcot at the land as were not sandwich people. so it works for us. you no longer get appetizer on MYWD this year or last year so do miss the salad if having a steak. then use TS for dinner for signatures and character meals.

 

[uncspin]

My reason is simple -- we don't like CS meals, and we do like signature meals.
If we stuck with the regular ddp, we would probably do a couple CS lunches and a couple CS breakfasts, and then paying for several "extra" TS meals OOP.
With the deluxe, it basically allows us to do TS for every lunch, and a 2-credit dinner almost every night. Which is more similar to how we would dine OOP.

This is almost the exact same reason we do the DxDP. The hubs and I tend to book a TS for a late breakfast OR lunch. If we need to eat before/after we use snack credits. We love the opportunity to eat signatures almost every night.

 

[nklooz]

Thanks for all of the advice. It seems like those who have done what I think will be best for us - TS brunch / late lunch and 2 credit dinners - have enjoyed it and thought it was worth it.