Lengthy Stay and Deluxe Dining

[melidy]

It seems any time I see someone saying the deluxe dining works out well for them they are typically on a short stay.

We got an amazing deal on Wilderness Lodge and free standard dining plan (UK offer) for 2016. So I went ahead and added the deluxe dining plan, it still worked out cheaper than the deal we got this year for OKW without the upgrade, so I figured why not try it?

Thing is we'll be there for 15 nights... Will that be way too much food? We are likely going to be trying lots of signatures (heck, all of them if we can manage it) and we thought about maybe trying the dinner shows too this time, and then having either a table service meal for breakfast/ lunch, (we'll likely have a few QS but we MUCH prefer TS, so since the credits are interchangeable I can't see us doing too many QS). But I don't know if 15 days of apps, desserts and entrees with most meals would be too much.

So, has anyone had a longer stay on the deluxe plan and felt it worked out well? And not came back double their body weight lol.

 

[sharonabe]

Since you're planning on doing signatures and dinner shows, you'll probably be okay. It will still be a lot of food, but since you're going with an upgrade from free dining, you can forego a dessert or an app here or there and not lose value.

With all the dining, however, I imagine you'll have more trouble using up all those snack credits. Start looking now for what you want to take home in your suitcase!

 

[jenjersnap]

We did dxddp for 12 days in November 2014 and it was a fantastic experience. Most days, we had a character breakfast or lunch then a signature dinner. You learn quickly not to over-eat at the buffets. Portions at signature restaurants are not huge. We had no trouble using every one of our SC. We were at BCV, so would usually pop into Les Halles, the bakery in France, or the Boardwalk Bakery for either sweet or savory pastries for breakfast. It worked great! Have an amazing trip!

 

[Accident]

So, has anyone had a longer stay on the deluxe plan and felt it worked out well? And not came back double their body weight lol.

Last year I did an 11 day OOP trip and a 9 day Deluxe plan(paid full price, not an upgrade), the OOP was cheaper per day once we factored in the gratuity on the cost. The main reason was the extra food we didn't eat on the plan raised the gratuity amount, when we went out of pocket we just didn't order that stuff and the cost per day was lower. We are going back in a couple weeks also on the free meal plan. We put in our reservations, figured out both the oop and dining plan versions of what we would order with gratuity for both and the deluxe plan is saving us money so we upgraded it. We are going a little more table service this time around since it's a summer trip and hotter out, we're basically buying a break from the heat for lunch and dinner almost every day.

 

[Nancyg56]

Last year I did an 11 day OOP trip and a 9 day Deluxe plan(paid full price, not an upgrade), the OOP was cheaper per day once we factored in the gratuity on the cost. The main reason was the extra food we didn't eat on the plan raised the gratuity amount, when we went out of pocket we just didn't order that stuff and the cost per day was lower. We are going back in a couple weeks also on the free meal plan. We put in our reservations, figured out both the oop and dining plan versions of what we would order with gratuity for both and the deluxe plan is saving us money so we upgraded it. We are going a little more table service this time around since it's a summer trip and hotter out, we're basically buying a break from the heat for lunch and dinner almost every day.

WE rarely purchase the DxDDP but this August we did. We are booking more TS lunches than we normally do because we know that we now have a predetermined break in a comfortable airconditioned restaurant. It is worth the cost for us. We usually just get a quick CS meal, but I know that with the heat we will want a more leisurely break.

 

[LovesTimone]

There are a lot of different ways to use your dinning and snack credits, Signature meals are a good way to use them, along with character breakfast, and other sit downs. Just so you know credits are good through midnight on the day of check out. So when planning make sure to have some for breakfast and lunch depending on what time you fly out. Make sure to spend your left over snack credits, we always hit the bakeries, or you can get some packaged snack items to take home to make the magic last longer as suggestion do this the night before your departure day. Some friends live in Germany and they always get packed the night before, so that they can hit MK one more time before the have to say goodbye. They try to plan a character breakfast, hit some rides, and QS for lunch, depending on flight time, Her DH will head for DTD, and Earl of sandwich and get some sandwiches and goodies for the airport, or flight. They prefer a later flight to New York or where ever they are leaving from for the international portion of the trip, then make the international connection the next day.

I for one love DDXDP I love the options it gives you. DH loves the fact he doesn't have to worry about what everyone is ordering so that makes him happy.

 

[melidy]

This has made me feel much better and made me feel like I made the right call upgrading - thank you.

We've done the regular plan a couple of times but since we've never been to many signatures I thought this would be a great chance to try them out. However the threads I read with longer stays made out like it was impossible to enjoy that much food, so it's good to hear some positive feedback!

I'm thinking there will be no worries about the snack credits, we'll be there during the Food and Wine Festival so there's a chance the snacks will be first to go lol.

 

[jenjersnap]

This has made me feel much better and made me feel like I made the right call upgrading - thank you.

We've done the regular plan a couple of times but since we've never been to many signatures I thought this would be a great chance to try them out. However the threads I read with longer stays made out like it was impossible to enjoy that much food, so it's good to hear some positive feedback!

I'm thinking there will be no worries about the snack credits, we'll be there during the Food and Wine Festival so there's a chance the snacks will be first to go lol.

Yes, F&W tends to make the SCs disappear! We are doing the regular DDP for the first time in forever this upcoming F&W trip and I am already missing those extra SCs. I wish I could make deluxe work but it is just me and my newly Disney adult DS who has serious health issues that compromise his appetite, so it would be a waste. Sigh.

 

[Accident]

We've done the regular plan a couple of times but since we've never been to many signatures I thought this would be a great chance to try them out. However the threads I read with longer stays made out like it was impossible to enjoy that much food, so it's good to hear some positive feedback!

There is still some challenges but after you get the initial run around out of the way, not being in the parks between lunch and dinner isn't a big deal and you can start to explore some of the previous skipped resturants that you've wondered about.

I'm thinking there will be no worries about the snack credits, we'll be there during the Food and Wine Festival so there's a chance the snacks will be first to go lol.

A florida local that I met last year who was doing their yearly stay for F&W mentioned something about converting some meals into snack credits. I never looked into this but they made it sound like it wasn't a big deal and since everything non-alcoholic is considered a snack even if priced over $5 it would make a lot of sense to look into it and try everything! I do plan to inquire but unfortunately I will be leaving before F&W starts, I'm crossing my fingers the soft launch is a couple days early so I can sneak in and try part of it.

 

[jenjersnap]

There is still some challenges but after you get the initial run around out of the way, not being in the parks between lunch and dinner isn't a big deal and you can start to explore some of the previous skipped resturants that you've wondered about.



A florida local that I met last year who was doing their yearly stay for F&W mentioned something about converting some meals into snack credits. I never looked into this but they made it sound like it wasn't a big deal and since everything non-alcoholic is considered a snack even if priced over $5 it would make a lot of sense to look into it and try everything! I do plan to inquire but unfortunately I will be leaving before F&W starts, I'm crossing my fingers the soft launch is a couple days early so I can sneak in and try part of it.

You will be able to convert a QS or DXDDP credit to 3 snacks at limited stores/restaurants, mostly at the resorts and they added a few in park options, but the F&W booths is 99% not going to be an option for doing that exchange, unfortunately. I wish it were, I have lots of QS to burn.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

we did a 7 night stay with deluxe and structured it so we had a buffet breakfast and either a dinner show or signature meal per day. We didn't find the volume of food over much (although it is the only trip where we basically brought every snack credit home). What we did find was that because we had meals booked for twice a day every day the travel between meals and parks and the structure being tied up before we left home left us very irritated by about half way through the week. Personally wouldn't do it again but it did give us the opportunity of trying lots of different meals we wouldn't have paid for oop.

 

[Accident]

You will be able to convert a QS or DXDDP credit to 3 snacks at limited stores/restaurants, mostly at the resorts and they added a few in park options, but the F&W booths is 99% not going to be an option for doing that exchange, unfortunately. I wish it were, I have lots of QS to burn.

Doesn't seem unreasonable to be prepared and convert a few at the hotel before you head over. What about guest relations where you get the F&W passports? they can't convert anything?

Do you happen to know if you can convert a TS to a QS+something? I hate having the deluxe dining and grabbing QS meals, that's where the plans always feel like a waste of money to me. I would love to take a few TS meals and make them QS and a couple snacks.

 

[jenjersnap]

Doesn't seem unreasonable to be prepared and convert a few at the hotel before you head over. What about guest relations where you get the F&W passports? they can't convert anything?

Do you happen to know if you can convert a TS to a QS+something? I hate having the deluxe dining and grabbing QS meals, that's where the plans always feel like a waste of money to me. I would love to take a few TS meals and make them QS and a couple snacks.

It doesn't work the way you are describing. You need to exchange your QS for 3 snacks in the same transaction in an applicable store or QS. The store's register needs to be able to redeem a QS credit...which F&W registers do not.

You can convert TS to a single QS, nothing more, and they won't do it until you are out of QS credits on the regular DDP.

Sorry, I don't have more positive answers for you.

 

[PoohsHunnyBee]

You will be able to convert a QS or DXDDP credit to 3 snacks at limited stores/restaurants, mostly at the resorts and they added a few in park options, but the F&W booths is 99% not going to be an option for doing that exchange, unfortunately. I wish it were, I have lots of QS to burn.

Multiple people, myself included, have been told this is an option at any location that accepts snack credits including F&W booths. You know already that it must be in one transaction. Obviously, CMs have given bad information before and there are no guarantees that whoever is working the register will be trained to do this...but I think there's a better than 1% chance that this is true.

 

[jenjersnap]

Multiple people, myself included, have been told this is an option at any location that accepts snack credits including F&W booths. You know already that it must be in one transaction. Obviously, CMs have given bad information before and there are no guarantees that whoever is working the register will be trained to do this...but I think there's a better than 1% chance that this is true.

Ok. I have heard the opposite from multiple people. Hope you are right.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The truth is that nobody really knows. Disney phone CMS are not reliable. We won't know until somebody actually tries to make the exchange at a F&W booth.

 

[ErinsMommy]

We go for 10 days and always do DxDP and wouldn't have it any other way. =)

 

[jenjersnap]

The truth is that nobody really knows. Disney phone CMS are not reliable. We won't know until somebody actually tries to make the exchange at a F&W booth.

Yep, I still have a voicemail on my phone from a guest communications CM very adamantly asserting that Dxddp was dropping appetizers in 2016...she called me the very day the brochure was changed. You can't know until there are multiple sightings of any particular change, IMO.