DxDP~ What do you do?

[mommyof3princess27]

We ahve decided to go with the deluxe dining plan! Now my question is...what do YOU do? 3 sit down meals a day? signature? Dinner shows? We will wb there for 8days/7nights so Im guessing 21 credits and 42 snacks

 

[mom2maggie]

We like to begin our days with character breakfasts. It works good for us, since my kids are really early risers anyway. Then we either do a sit down lunch before we head back to the hotel for naps, or we do a counter service lunch when we have a signature dinner planned. This trip we have 3 signature dinners planned, so we have some days where we are paying out of pocket for our lunches (which we're fine with!). The snacks are a lot harder.

 

[mommyof3princess27]

We like to begin our days with character breakfasts. It works good for us, since my kids are really early risers anyway. Then we either do a sit down lunch before we head back to the hotel for naps, or we do a counter service lunch when we have a signature dinner planned. This trip we have 3 signature dinners planned, so we have some days where we are paying out of pocket for our lunches (which we're fine with!). The snacks are a lot harder.

Which signature places do you like? Esp with having young children? That worries me, mine are 12,7 and 3. I just think they are fancy smancy places lol maybe they arent but we dont wanna dress up for dinner

 

[mommyof3princess27]

double post sorry

 

[ldnoggle]

When we went last November for 5 nights we (3 adults) did Deluxe dining and loved it! We did either a dinner show or Signature every night for dinner. We either did a table service breakfast OR a table service lunch.

On the days we had breakfast scheduled, we ended up using snack credits for lunch and had an early dinner. On the days we had lunch ADRs, we used snack credits for breakfast and made later dinner ADRs. It suited us perfectly. Of course, we were there for Food and Wine, so it was really easy to get great value for our snack credits. It is a lot of food anyway you do it, but we loved the freedom of being able to try new things and not having to worry about prices, and don't mind the "down time" of sit-down meals.

The signatures we tried were California Grill, Flying Fish, Narcoossee's, and Hollywood Brown Derby. We also did the luau. I can't speak for the kid's meal selections, but there were definitely families with small children at all of these, and I wouldn't feel out of place at all being there with children! Have a great trip!

 

[shannonstar]

You will get the 21 credits. Since you don't get credits for your first day of arrival, you will use at least one/two there depending on where you start your dining journey.

My 21 credits looked something like this:

Arrival Night - California Grill (2) - Saw Wishes Fireworks - beautiful

1st Day - Akershus Princess Breakfast at 8am. (1) Easy FP for Soarin. Garden Grill Dinner first possible reservation (1)

2nd Day - Tusker House (1) at 8am. Easy FP for EE, 1st people on Safari, Boma (1) 5:00, left just after the parade

3rd Day - CRT (2) 8am. Beautiful empty park, no lines for Space Mountain. Dinner at Ohana (1) 7pm.

4th Day - H&V Breakfast 8am (1) Better than sitting in rope drop line for an hour. Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package (1) 5ish

5th Day - Crystal Palace 8am (1) no lines for Splash or Thunder. Hoop De Doo Musical Review (2) - DS9 laughed so hard he fell off his chair literally

6th Day - Went to Epcot for EMH, left for late breakfast at Cape May Cafe (1), Le Cellier Lunch latest possible reservation (1)

7th Day - This was leaving day for us. Breakfast at Ohana's 8am (1) Finished check out. DTD for last minute shopping, late lunch Raglan Road (1)

This left us with a few extras and we used them at QS. We usually split a meal for lunch if we were hungry. We did Columbia Harbour House once, Flame Tree another. By sharing them, we didn't end of paying OOP out of any meals.

 

[mom2maggie]

Which signature places do you like? Esp with having young children? That worries me, mine are 12,7 and 3. I just think they are fancy smancy places lol maybe they arent but we dont wanna dress up for dinner

On our last trip, we ate at the Yachtsman with a 4 year old and a 7 month old. I would have begged for kids the age that your children are at that point Seriously, though - the servers were very accommodating to my kids, we ate immediately after a break at the hotel, so it was a fairly early reservation. They did just fine.

This time we have Le Cellier, Narcoossee's, and Jiko booked as our signatures.

 

[ejrj]

debating an upgrade to dxdp next trip, so i'm subscribing

 

[mommyof3princess27]

You will get the 21 credits. Since you don't get credits for your first day of arrival, you will use at least one/two there depending on where you start your dining journey.

My 21 credits looked something like this:

Arrival Night - California Grill (2) - Saw Wishes Fireworks - beautiful

1st Day - Akershus Princess Breakfast at 8am. (1) Easy FP for Soarin. Garden Grill Dinner first possible reservation (1)

2nd Day - Tusker House (1) at 8am. Easy FP for EE, 1st people on Safari, Boma (1) 5:00, left just after the parade

3rd Day - CRT (2) 8am. Beautiful empty park, no lines for Space Mountain. Dinner at Ohana (1) 7pm.

4th Day - H&V Breakfast 8am (1) Better than sitting in rope drop line for an hour. Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package (1) 5ish

5th Day - Crystal Palace 8am (1) no lines for Splash or Thunder. Hoop De Doo Musical Review (2) - DS9 laughed so hard he fell off his chair literally

6th Day - Went to Epcot for EMH, left for late breakfast at Cape May Cafe (1), Le Cellier Lunch latest possible reservation (1)

7th Day - This was leaving day for us. Breakfast at Ohana's 8am (1) Finished check out. DTD for last minute shopping, late lunch Raglan Road (1)

This left us with a few extras and we used them at QS. We usually split a meal for lunch if we were hungry. We did Columbia Harbour House once, Flame Tree another. By sharing them, we didn't end of paying OOP out of any meals.

Thanks! That helped alot!!!

 

[shannonstar]

Glad I could help. We will be doing the DXDP again this year. I plan to stick in some different signatures and maybe drop H&V due to no rope drop. That being said, there are certain things that my son and husband will never let go of.

We love the DXDP, even if we feel Pooh sized by the last day. We just call it celebrating Thanksgiving for a whole week.

This year we are going for 10 days. We'll see what happens with 27 credits.

 

[3pletprincesses]

We always do a character breakfast or very early lunch and a signature dinner. we have done pretty much all the signature restaurants with our now 5yo triplets. If we go early in the evening for an early dinner (5-6pm) after our afternoon break,m they do really well and it gives us time to head back to the parks after.

 

[ChefMickey123]

We generally double up to a two credit dinner each night and try to spread out lunch and dinner as far as possible. We don't have kids and don't take a car, so we are dependent on the busses. We've now done Cinderella's Royal Table, Hoop de doo, and Spirit of Aloha. Until we have kids to take with us, we will probably not repeat them. These experiences were fun, but we prefer the better quality food to the shows with the 'less better' food. My favorite 'show food' was 'Hoop de doo'.

We arrived early on our first day and went to Universal to see Harry Potter and ate there for lunch and had dinner for cash at Narcoosee's. We ended our week at Cinderella Castle for Lunch (two credits). I hope you enjoy the Deluxe Plan and have a great trip

 

[mommyof3princess27]

I am stuck at what to eat for lunch on our Epcot day ...I dont want to resort back to Liberty Inn(which is good) I want a sit down place....thinking about Via Napoli, Chefs de France or Biergarten...thoughts?

 

[havoc315]

The signatures are not "fancy smancy."
To me -- Disney counterservice = fastfood. Some are better fastfood (like a Chipotle), some are worse.
1 credit TS= Most are approximately equivalent to your generic chain restaurants -- Applebee's quality.
2 credit TS, signature== Your half decent regular restaurants.
"Fancy" would apply to Victoria & Alberts. Not about about anyplace else. Possible the Bistro De Paris.

We do a ton of signatures with out 4yo and 7yo. Half the restaurant is always families, especially earlier in the evening. And signatures have the best kid's menus at Disney.

Finally, there are several 2-credit meals that are not "signature." CRT is a character meal, not truly a signature meal at all. Hoop De Doo Review, Spirit of Aloha Luau, are 2-credit dinner shows.

3 regular meals per day, would be too much food and too much time for us.
Further, if you don't use the vast majority of your credits as TS credits, then you will lose money under the plan.
So I advocate doing a signature/2-credit dinner, along with a 1-credit breakfast or lunch. A late breakfast/early lunch, along with some snacking, will easily get you through the day until dinner.
For our upcoming 6 night trip:
Arrival day -- late lunch.
Full day 1 -- Early lunch at Crystal Palace, dinner at California Grill.
Full day 2 -- Early lunch at Chefs De France, dinner at Narcoose's.
Full day 3 -- Early lunch at Brown Derby, dinner at Artist's Point (2 signatures in 1 day!)
Full day 4 -- Early lunch at Yak & Yeti, dinner at Luau (2 credits)
Full day 5 -- Early lunch at Tony's Town Square, dinner at CRT.
Departure day -- character breakfast.

For breakfast, we will use snack credits (including sometimes using them the night before and bringing back to the room), and probably keep milk and cereal in the room.

 

[havoc315]

I am stuck at what to eat for lunch on our Epcot day ...I dont want to resort back to Liberty Inn(which is good) I want a sit down place....thinking about Via Napoli, Chefs de France or Biergarten...thoughts?

Can't comment on Biergarten.
We did Via Napoli, which I found to be 1 of the best 1-credit restaurants at Disney World, especially if you are sticking to the pizza. It *might* be the best 1-credit restaurant, for quality, at Epcot.
We are doing Chefs De France on our next trip. From reading the menu, seeing the pictures, and reading reviews... I'm possibly dreading the food. I eat french food pretty often, and this looks like a cliche generic representation of supposedly french food. But we are going primarily at the request of my son -- so he can meet Chef Remy the Rat. If you time your meal right, and he is operating, you can meet Remy.

 

[ChefMickey123]

I agree with havoc, nothing pretentious in the signatures (except me when I am feeling that way.). Give chefs de France a try. I liked it.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Will will be using the DxDP for the first time this summer, and I am 16 days from making our ADRs, so I am looking for tips. For our 7 night trip, we plan to do mostly 2-credit dinners and one other meal, either breakfast or lunch per day. The third meal (either breakfast or lunch) will be "snack" credits. We will have a few "extra" meal credits from the nights we don't do signatures, and will use these for breakfast and lunch on departure day.

I am stuck at what to eat for lunch on our Epcot day ...I dont want to resort back to Liberty Inn(which is good) I want a sit down place....thinking about Via Napoli, Chefs de France or Biergarten...thoughts?

We love Les Chefs de France! From what I gather, it can be inconsistent, but we have had very good luck with the onion soup, the steak au poivre and the profiteroles! The chocolate cake was also surprisingly delicious (as I'm not usually a big fan). And Remy is absolutely adorable! We really enjoy the atmosphere in there. This trip on DxDP, we're looking forward to trying Bistro.

Biergarten is one of our favorite lunch treats and we can't wait to go back. DH and I are learning the Polka for the occasion.

We have never tried Via Napoli, but it is on the lunch list for this trip! I am a pizza fanatic!

 

[havoc315]

I agree with havoc, nothing pretentious in the signatures (except me when I am feeling that way.). Give chefs de France a try. I liked it.

Just read your 2009 review of Chefs De France. Knowing your CIA background and the detail of your review, it gives me hope of a good meal there.

 

[Faldred]

I think the classic suggestion is a late breakfast or early lunch followed by a signature dinner or a dinner show.

Personally, I don't have a problem with 3 TS meals a day, as long as they're spaced out, you don't over-do it (a danger with buffets, especially), and you do a LOT of walking during the day.

And, of course, you can always play mix-and-match: do some days 1TS/2TS and others 1TS/1TS/1TS, or even slip a couple of CS meals in there. If you stagger them so you're not doing 2-3 days in a row with 3 TS meals, it'd probably be easier.

In the end, it all comes down to your own habits and appetites, along with your schedules for activities.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

We are doing our 1st time with DxDP in Dec. We have 4 kids who will be 11, 10 (really she will be 9, but we listed her as 10 so she could eat grown up food), 4 & 3. We are opting for 3 meals most days as some down time for the little ones. We are doing lots of character meals, no signature meals this time around, and Spirit of Aloha.