Does anyone else think deluxe dining is a waste?

[megan722]

I think if you have toddlers - 1 to 3 year olds, it is worth it. 1. you don't have to carry around trays and worry about where the kids have run off to. 2. Often table service is healthier food. 3. You do not have to worry about finding a clean table, locating a high chair, etc... 4. When it's hot outside, last thing you want to do is go stand in line waiting with hoards of other people waiting for your fast food. This is just my two cents! Have fun!!!

PS - Reservations are a must, too!!!

 

[blondinkaya]

We've done it twice with good results. We wanted a leisurely vacation and couldn't decide which restaurants to pick, so we went with almost all of them! The last trip we ended up with a lot of snack credits left and hit up Goofy's. I don't remember exactly how many we had, but I remember adding it all up and everything totaled over $200. We bought stuff to put in the kids lunches. It was good.

This time, we're going to use the regular DDP because *hopefully* it will be free in Sep. Well ... Plus with it being so hot, I don't think we'll want to eat three courses each meal. Besides ... We'll have the lounge to grab something light to eat before heading out to the parks, so we wouldn't need three credits each day, anyway.

If free dining isn't available, we'll probably pay oop for meals and order what we want (maybe appie and dessert and skip the entree).

 

[ciera321]

It wouldn't work for us, just too much food! We tried the CS dining plan last year, paid for 3 TS meals and we had trouble using all the credits. For a family with hungry teenage boys, I'd think it would be great!

 

[TagsMissy]

We just got back from Poly 2/15 - 2/18. We got the deluxe dining because our group of 10 figured since we were doing luau and hoop de doo that would use 2 deluxe credits per day just for that and we wouldn't have enough. When I left yesterday I still had 6 deluxe credits and 14 snacks!

Maybe for some people it works and they can eat that much -- for us it's a waste. We can hardly use up the regular dining plan. LOL The last 2 trips we changed to the Counter Service plan and found that works the best for us and we can opt to pay for 1 or 2 sit downs if we want to.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Well I love the deluxe plan. I booked to go in august with the uk free dining plan I knew before I booked that I would upgrade it wouldn't think of not doing it.

 

[NikitaZee]

I think if you have toddlers - 1 to 3 year olds, it is worth it. 1. you don't have to carry around trays and worry about where the kids have run off to. 2. Often table service is healthier food. 3. You do not have to worry about finding a clean table, locating a high chair, etc... 4. When it's hot outside, last thing you want to do is go stand in line waiting with hoards of other people waiting for your fast food. This is just my two cents! Have fun!!!

PS - Reservations are a must, too!!!

I agree to all of the above. It worked out great for us - we're doing it again in April. The reasons we loved it:

- No leftover credits for us - we did signature dinners and room service breakfast. Room service is a great way to use up credits and helped our family have an early breakfast in our room.

- We have a 2 year old and a picky eater - our 2 year old was able to eat a full meal at each sitting by sharing from our adult meals, and with two appetizers for each meal, my older kids often had a healthy option and different choice than the standard kids' fare.

- Flexibility - it's not the most economical option to choose counter service over table service, but the choice is there if thats what fits the moment.

- Snacks - we used them up every day - on bottled water and coffee at the Kona coffee bar - with a few to spare.

I know it's not for everybody - but it was great for us because of our family dynamics.

 

[PrncessA]

For our family it it was wonderful! We loved it!

Was it too much food? Only if we forced ourselves to eat every bite of every meal!

Did we save money? Probably came out even, but the beauty was we didn't pay attention to the prices and that is what vacation is about for us.

Was it convienent? Heck YEAH! We loved being able to snack or eat whenever we wanted. We also loved sitting down to a TS breakfast every morning and having a relaxing dinner at a TS as well. We don't mind ADR's since they give us a timeline and nice breaks in the day.

For us it isn't about saving money (which it definatly will next trip with the ADR's we want) but more about convienence and feeling like we are on "vacation" and the DxDDP gave us that "all-inclusive" feeling.

 

[lojikal1]

We're doing DxDP for our trip at the end of the month. it's just me and DW (kids will be with grandma) so we will be taking some time for nice signature meals and a leisurely pace. i don't think I would go deluxe when travelling with the kids though... too much planning and sitting still involved for two bundles of energy... so it has its merits... shorter trips with less people...

 

[heatherandnick]

We LOVE the DxDP. We are using it on our next trip and we had so much fun planning our meals to schedule our ADRs. It really has us both excited. Since it will be our honeymoon, we are looking for a relaxing trip, so the sit-down meals are going to be very enjoyable for us.

I'm thinking that those who end up wasting meals did not plan very well (sorry!). We have planned out every meal credit so that we will be sure to get our money's worth.

I realize this much food and planning might not be for everyone, but for us it's perfect.

We also love that all of the meals are prepaid...we don't even need to look at the prices on the menu!

 

[my2disneyboys]

We love the deluxe dining. We have used it twice and will be using it again next year. We plan WAY ahead and use up more than what we have in TS credits on the dining plan! We usually schedule a pre park opening breakfast each morning and then we split our meal at lunch and schedule a 2 TS signature meal for dinner! It has worked great for us in the past. Especially because my little guy was under 3 and we all kind of shared with him. We love not having to think each day where are we eating and when. IMO It's so nice to have it all arranged ahead of time.

 

[mkacar24]

Our family of four (the boys are 8 and 6) did deluxe last June and really enjoyed it. We ate a quick breakfast every morning at the CS in Saratoga Springs and sat down for lunch and dinner.

We never had to wait longer than 15 minutes for an ADR and we really enjoyed being able to read the menu from left to right. Plus it is so hot in the summer and the plan gets us to sit down for a couple hours in some air conditioning. And we used the snack credits for six bottles of water and a couple snacks for the boys each day. Kept us real cool. It really worked out and I know we saved off what the meals would have been without the plan. We wouldn't have had appetizers and deserts with every meal without the plan though, so its hard to say how much we saved. We sure felt like we were on vacation though, no worries.

We are doing it again in April, though we have been thinking of changing just to save some money.

Oh, one more thing i remember about it. When eating the Quick Service breakfast they always let us get two drinks each. Something about the deluxe plan. Anyway we each got a drink for breakfast and then four bottle waters to take to the park that day. So in the end we ended up with about 10 bottles of water each day from breakfast and snack credits. Knowing the prices of bottled water on property that may have paid for the plan alone.

 

[gilsan]

We did DxDP last year and loved it. We mainly ate at character buffets in the morning before the parks opened for breakfast. For dinner we ate at 2 credit meals.

We did not lose park time seeking out characters and were ahead of the rope drop crowd. It was nice to unwind at the end of the day, and have quality family time, with a leisurely meal at a nice restaurant.

I would not say it was to much food. At the breakfast buffet you can eat as much or as little as you want. We would walk or swim all day so we were burning calories all day. I lost about 3lbs during the vacation. We did leave a meal credit behind because we had a late start the last day and didn't get a chance to use it.

We used some of our snack credits for drinks and didn't worry about getting the best value. a $2 bottle of water is better than not using the credit at all.

We don't like counter service and based on many posts they seem to take as much time as a TS by the time you stand in line and then search for a table, (too much aggravation imho). I will say we were lucky and only waited once for more than 5 minutes to be seated.

I also liked the inclusive feel of the package. DxDp worked for us and we are using it again in April.

 

[Figment1990]

I agree to all of the above. It worked out great for us - we're doing it again in April. The reasons we loved it:

- No leftover credits for us - we did signature dinners and room service breakfast. Room service is a great way to use up credits and helped our family have an early breakfast in our room.

- We have a 2 year old and a picky eater - our 2 year old was able to eat a full meal at each sitting by sharing from our adult meals, and with two appetizers for each meal, my older kids often had a healthy option and different choice than the standard kids' fare.

- Flexibility - it's not the most economical option to choose counter service over table service, but the choice is there if thats what fits the moment.

- Snacks - we used them up every day - on bottled water and coffee at the Kona coffee bar - with a few to spare.

I know it's not for everybody - but it was great for us because of our family dynamics.

You have some really good points here! I never thought about using it for room service breakfast, or the extra apps helping with food for the kids. Ill keep that in mind for the future. And I agree with you about the flexibility of choosing whichever type of dining service (counter/table).

We usually don't do the DDP or DxDP because we have AP's and thus, never get a package but I've worked out the numbers and can see how it could work for our vacation style.

When DH & I honeymooned in 2002, we were on the Discovery Magic Plan. You got a set number of points (I think 2) per night, per person and you could redeem them for more than just meals. We went to Cirque de Soleil, I had a massage and DH played golf, bought a few items, and the meals we did use the points for - you got an app, entree, dessert, and gratuity was included.... I miss that plan! It was perfect for us.

 

[Tri-Delta4Life]

We did DxDP on our honeymoon and really enjoyed it! I'm also doing DxDP next month on the trip I'm taking my mom and sister on. Our plan is to have a TS in the parks each day around noon and then a Signature TS each evening for dinner around 7:30 pm. We're going to use our snack credits for small breakfasts (fruit) and drinks throughout the day to stay hydrated! For me, the value in the DxDP is just being able to pre-pay for all of the meals. On our upcoming trip, I want my mom and sister to be able to choose whatever they want to eat without worrying about the price. We'll probably break even $$ wise on the DxDP compared to what we'd pay if we went to the same restaurants and just got 1 appetizer and a dessert or 2 to share (what we'd probably do if we weren't on the plan). Definitely not for everyone, but it works out well for some situations

 

[AMB1]

We like TS and Signature restaurants, so when planning last year I assumed the Deluxe plan would be good for us. I got a little carried away making an elaborate spread sheet (right down the the tips and taxes) and discovered that while the plan CAN save you money, it really depends on how you want to eat.

When I looked at my spread sheet I realized that you definitely save money if you select the most expensive entree at every restaurant (especially important at Signature locations) and have an appetizer and dessert. The problem is that you now have to pay a tip on that expensive meal. If, on the other hand, you want a less expensive entree or don't want an appetizer or dessert at every meal, you aren't really "saving".

I did two spreadsheets using our ADR's (lots of TS) and the Allears menus. On one spreadsheet I assumed we picked all the most expensive items, plus tax and tip. On the other I selected the food I actually thought my family would choose. The first spreadsheet showed us saving money on the plan, but spending WAY more money overall (mostly because of the tips) than if we ate according the the second spreadsheet and paid out-of-pocket.

For us, it is better to pay out-of-pocket. For example, a sandwhich lunch at the Plaza is a great break for us and less hassle than a CS location, but it would be considered a waste of a dining credit.

 

[equinoxman]

We generally do the Premium Plan but the last time and our next trip in Dec. we use the Deluxe Pland only because I can't get the Premium Plan with the 40% off pin. Remember if you have meal credit they may be cashed in for snacks. We drive to Disney so if we have any meal credits we cash them in for the ride home. Works great for us

 

[MrsLS]

No we like it but we are 2 adults no kids. We like having a TS for lunch & usually a signature dinner at night. We are out of the parks by 3pm everyday, usually earlier so it doesn't take away park time for us. We like to mix Disney trips with parks & relaxing & we get everything we want to do done.
A TS lunch has never taken more than an hour with not much waiting time to be seated & non signature dinners aren't any longer. I hate CS food & waiting in line and having to find a seat and it still is about 1/2 hour or more with everything from waiting in line to eating (at least in my experience).
Depending on the restaurant, not all portions are huge & no one says to eat it all either!
For snacks we get a lot of water in the park & for the room, I don't like FL water, it has also made me sick & I also like to walk around with a water bottle for the ride lines, walking, etc. So for that aspect, its not more food for us.
We have saved a lot of money and haven't ordered or eaten everything provided.

 

[lustergirl]

Too much food, have a hard time with the basic DP

 

[Amy&Dan]

For us now, the Deluxe Dining would be a waste. I guess maybe someday dh and I could do it and just live high on the hog with two ts places but for now, I just can't see it. I have read dining reviews of people who have done this plan and honest to goodness, I have no idea how they eat that much. We can barely finish the food and credits on the regular DDP. Also, even though we do not do the parks commando, we do find on the regular ddp, we spend so much time going to and from our ADR's, I can't imagine having more to go to!

I have told my husband that someday, I'd like to do this plan for about three or four days when its just us. But I know by the end of that, we'll be ready to be off the plan because to me it looks like just more food, more planning and less time being flexible which we have come to value due to several trips on the DDP where we felt we had no flexibilty!

 

[Lynne M]

Moving this to the Dining Plan board...