For Deluxe DP, how many ADR/day?

[nat8199]

Hello!

This is my first question here, though I am sure I will have many more.

I am planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip for my family for Oct 2013. This will most likely be the only time we go to Disney, so I want to do it right.

I looking at getting the Deluxe Plan. We will have 5 adults and 3 kids (4, 2, and 2). Our kids go to bed early (6pm) so one adult will stay in the hotel (Beach Club) while the other 4 go out to dinner. With the Deluxe plan the adult staying home can order the room service.

Anyways... My real question is that with the Deluxe Plan, how many ADRs do you make. I am looking at 2 a day (breakfast and dinner). Is that too many? Not enough? What do you do?

 

[abdgeek]

ADRs for two meals a day will be fine if you only plan on eating 2 TS meals each day. Just make sure your dinner meal is at a signature restaurant. That way you will use your 3 meals a day and you still have 2 snacks each day. Your 2 yr olds will eat off the adult plates unless you want to pay OOP for their meals. The 4 yr old will order off the kid's menu. Remember that room service is 2 TS meals. If you don't want to eat at signature restaurants for dinner, you will have to weigh whether having a QS lunch is cost effective given the price of the plan.

If you decide that you want to have 3 TS meals each day, you will need to make 3 ADRs for each day of your trip.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

food for thought (so to speak)... if this is your once in a lifetime trip are you going for the food or for the Disney experience (rides, characters etc)? Eating at 3 table service meals per day really takes up a lot of park time - there's transportation, waiting to be seated, actually eating then going back (out to a park or where ever).

We used to use the regular dining plan and fitting in one ADR per day felt like plenty. Just something to think about.

 

[catne]

another food-for-thought...why go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disney World when the kids are sooooo little. Frankly, none of my four ( now adult) kids actually remember any details from any family vacations they've been on before the age of 5 or 6. Sure they see the pictures, and kind-of sort-of-maybe "remember" exactly what's in the picture. But no other details. And those included some memorable vacations...like Grand Canyon, Atlantic Ocean & yes, even Disney World (our first family trip there was when our oldest was 14...figured it might be the last really big family vacation for him due to high school, jobs, etc.) Our youngest was 4 1/2 at the time...and she really doesn't remember any of it, even the character meals didn't stick in the memory. Children just don't form memories well at those early ages.

I would wait a few years before doing a once-in-a-lifetime- trip.

 

[meredith1]

Or you can do a QS for breakfast, snack for lunch and a nice signature for dinner.

We like the deluxe plan for a nice breakfast or dinner everyday. The other meals of the day take a backseat.

 

[havoc315]

With 5 adults and only 1 child on the plan, you will need to really eat a ton of expensive places in order to get your money worth. It's over $100 per night per adult --- It's not always easy to spend $100 per day.

We just got back from a trip -- we ate "deluxe style" -- Did a TS lunch and signature dinner most nights. We spent about $65-75 per night, per adult. So we would have lost $25-$35 per night.

So assuming you are using the plan to save money and not just for convenience---
To get "your money worth"
You will want an ADR a signature/2-credit meal for dinner almost every night (approximate value of $50-85 per adult) plus a TS lunch/or/breakfast ADR (approximate value of $20-45 per adult).

For the most part, if you skip any of your credits or many of your credits for QS, then it becomes less and less likely that the plan will save any money.

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

If this is your first time (and perhaps last time at Disney for a while) I'd skip the Deluxe plan. We've been many times and enjoy Disney for the rides and food. However in planning trips for non-frequent visitors I steer them towards the regular plan.

The deluxe plan can be time intensive. I plan on 1 hour and 15 mins for lunch and 1 hour and 45 mins for dinner.

I alternate between 3 TS and 2 TS per day for my family. Eating 3 TS per day each day will get old fast! We use the snacks for either breakfast or lunch (whichever we don't have planned ADRs). We do early breakfasts-around 7:30 to 7:45am and 7:30 pm signature dinners. It works out best for us this way.

 

[gtpoohbear]

We always do 3 meals / day, but I think we are in the minority there. It's just what we do at home, so it makes sense to keep our eating routine similar on vacation. And the ADRs being scheduled help give our day some much needed structure.

One thing to think about though - if you aren't going for over a year still, are you sure that the kids will still be on the same schedule? 6pm is a pretty early bedtime - it's possible that they will have outgrown that by then, and you will have some more flexibility in the evenings.

 

[Masonmj84]

I recently did the DxDP on my first trip to the World since having a family.

We never did more than two TS meals a day (usually breakfast and dinner). Almost all of our breakfast were pre-park opening character buffets. Almost all of our dinners were of the signature variety.

Some days we did a TS lunch and dinner. On those days, we used snack credits for breakfast items and tried not to snack at all between lunch and dinner.

Three TS meals a day would have been too much for us (in terms of both food and time). But two TS a day worked out well, provided we were disciplined about not eating too much at the character breakfast buffets (on breakfast days), spaced lunch and dinner at least 6 hours apart (on lunch days), and stayed away from snacks at least 3-4 hours prior to dinner.

In fact, we liked it so much that we're doing a return DxDP trip this December.

 

[BuffaloJim]

With a party composed largely of adults, there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't do the deluxe dining plan. We're also doing a "once in a lifetime" trip to Disney this October. And by once in a lifetime, I mean it will be the best trip we ever take as a family, but hopefully not the last. The kids are all at great ages for Disney, and this will be a trip they'll undoubtedly remember for the rest of the lives.

Eating in Disney can be fun. And that's especially true during October because the Food & Wine Fest is going on in Epcot. But it does take time, so make sure you have your plans set regarding your ADRs.

I've included our plans below. We have 4 adults and 5 kids, aged 8 to 16. I've tried to make the meals fun for both adults and kids - you'll primarily be concerned with adults. Don't spend too much time traveling to meals, or if you do, make the travels exciting. Although we'll have a car at WDW, some of our meals include traveling by boat or monorail to our destination, adding to the kids' (and the adults') enjoyment of the meal time.

You've got a lot of time to plan a fantastic vacation. I think the DxDP would make it even better.

Do the Deluxe! Do it Right! And really enjoy yourself!


Magic Kingdom (Arrival Day)
Lunch – Crystal Palace (Character) No ADR for this one as I’m not sure of arrival time yet
Dinner – Take monorail to ‘Ohana & watch Wishes from the beach there

Hollywood Studios
Breakfast – Cape May, take boat to HS (Character)
Lunch – Sci-Fi Dine-In Café
Dinner – Kids will be eating a counter service meal. The adults will have a late dinner at Jiko.

Epcot
Breakfast – on our balcony at the AKL
Lunch – Coral Reef
Dinner – Teppan Edo

Animal Kingdom
Breakfast – Tusker House (Character)
Lunch – Yak & Yeti
Dinner – Boma for the Kids, Victoria Falls for adult drinks, then swimming. The adults will be going to Fulton’s Crab House for a late dinner and then to Raglan Road for late night merriment

Magic Kingdom
Breakfast – 1900 Park Fare (GF), monorail to MK (Character)
Lunch – boat to Whispering Canyon Café (WL)
Dinner – Cinderella’s Royal Table for girls, Chef Mickey’s for boys (Character)

Epcot (Final Day)
Breakfast – Boma
Lunch – Les Chefs de France (Character, sort of)
Dinner – Walk to the Boardwalk and eat at Kouzzina’s

 

[KimberlyE]

We go in September/October each time and always use the Deluxe DP. We also eat 3 TS meals a day with ADR's. Frankly, unless you are going during a busy time of year and/or you plan ADR's outside of the park you are touring that day, I have never experienced the "takes too much time" issue that is often cited as a reason to forgo 3 TS meals a day. We have never missed out on a ride/show/attraction because of a TS meal. We also don't feel any rush to get to an ADR either. But we only plan breakfast and lunch at the park we are touring that day. Sometimes dinner may be elsewhere.

We plan an ADR every morning for a character meal inside the park before rope drop. This allows us to eat and be inside before the park opens. We love seeing the park "wake up", so nice to get pictures without crowds and best of all - you're closer to getting on the most popular attractions.

We have an ADR for a TS at lunch - it's a wonderful way to relax and recharge from the morning's touring. Sometimes we go back to the hotel for a swim/nap afterwards. I've thought about CS at lunch but the idea of standing in line, jostling for seating, etc. just doesn't seem as relaxing as sitting at a table, being waited on and soaking up some atmosphere. Many of the TS places have wonderful decor, ambiance and are mini attractions themselves. So we are combining a break with a meal - time saver!

Our evening meal is usually later and also a TS. I was worried about bedtime for my son but I can tell you that your kids may surprise you. A swim/nap midday has a way of refreshing them. They also tend to go right to sleep after an action packed day - equaling a great night's sleep. Combine those things and just the magic of being at Disney and you may find that your kids can stay up later and enjoy evening park hours as well as meals.