Maximizing the Deluxe Dining Plan

[Masonmj84]

Disney rookie here, who received the following advice from a friend who is a Disney veteran about the DxDP:

1. Book a signature restaurant for dinner every day. If you try to eat at 3 TS a day, it will be way too much food (especially if at least one is a buffet) and waste too much time.

2. From a quality of food perspective, all of the best signature restaurants are in the resorts. In that regard, at least California Grill, Flying Fish, Jiko, Citricos, and Artist Point are far better than any restaurant (signature or otherwise) in a park. If you don't hit several of these, you've missed out.

3. Book signature dinners early if you will be dining with little kids (unless they're trained to take naps in exchange for staying up late). It will make life easier for you, your kids, and other diners.

4. If Cinderella's Royal Table is a must-do, eat there before any other 2 TS dining experience. The food will be less of a let down (besides, it's a good way to get the family in the Disney mood). Alternatively, eat there for your last breakfast before going home.

5. If you have young kids and eating at Disney is more about pleasing them than pleasing you, the DDP is a much better deal than the DxDP. It's much more difficult to get your money's worth doing multiple character buffets under the DxDP than under the DDP.

6. If your goal is to hit all the popular buffets and all the best signature restaurants, consider doing so on separate trips. Do the buffets under the DDP and the signatures under the DxDP. And do the DDP trip first. The food will be less of a let down and you'll have an entirely different experience to look forward to.

Disagree with any of these (and/or any additional advice)?

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Agree with it all.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

It all sounds spot on to me!

 

[TDC Nala]

Looks pretty substantial to me.

I don't know if it's so much taking issue with the signatures in the parks thing - but yes, the best signatures are probably in resorts. There are really only two signature restaurants inside theme parks and one is CRT, which, as noted, is not signature because of anything having to do with the food.

The other is Brown Derby. Personally I've always liked the food at Brown Derby and it's a good bit better than a lot of park restaurants. But then I see a lot of guests say they'd never pay two credits for it. I've never been there on the dining plan so I don't know about the credit count and whether it's worth it. But I wouldn't put it in a "shouldn't be signature" or a "don't eat at this restaurant" category. In fact, I think if I had any interest in the Fantasmic package, I'd pick it before the other participating restaurants.

 

[Masonmj84]

on two separate trips for our family of 4 with 2 adults and two kids (in 3 to 9 age range):

First trip on DDP (Feb. 2012):
Arrival day – Chef Mickey's (dinner)
Day 1 – Magic Kingdom – Pecos Bill's (lunch); 1900 Park Fare (dinner)
Day 2 – Hollywood Studios – Pizza Planet (lunch); Ohana (dinner)
Day 3 – Animal Kingdom – Flame Tree (lunch); Boma (dinner)
Day 4 – Epcot – Sunshine Seasons (lunch); Akershus (dinner)
Day 5 – Magic Kingdom – Cosmic Ray’s (lunch); Crystal Palace (dinner)
Departure Day – Main Street Bakery (breakfast)

Second trip on DxDP (April 2013):
Arrival Day – Cinderella's Royal Table (dinner)
Day 1 – Hollywood Studios – 50’s Prime Time (lunch); Flying Fish (dinner)
Day 2 – Animal Kingdom – Yak & Yeti (lunch); Jiko (dinner)
Day 3 – Magic Kingdom – Liberty Tree (lunch); Artist Point (dinner)
Day 4 – Epcot – Coral Reef (lunch); Citricos (dinner)
Day 5 – Magic Kingdom – Grand Floridian Café (lunch); California Grill (dinner)
Departure Day – Tusker House (breakfast)

Obviously, the first trip is more kid friendly than the second (4 character meals as opposed to 2). But the second one still has a lot of kid friendly stuff (CRT, 50’s Prime Time, Coral Reef, and Tusker House). For example, I'd prefer LeCellier over Coral Reef for lunch at Epcot. But I have no doubt the kids would prefer Coral Reef. So, I'll probably make the sacrifice.

The other thing I like about these plans is that they both start out with a character meal (to get us in a Disney frame of mind) that is likely to be the weakest dinner on either trip from a food perspective. On each trip, we should be hungriest for this meal and won't have anything to compare it against.

Finally, we never eat at the same restaurant twice.

 

[Colleen27]

I second Nala's thoughts about Brown Derby. Our experience there was not so great but that was 90% the fault of a single bad (slow & inattentive) server so I wouldn't hesitate to try it again, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I have had dreams that featured their Cobb salad. It isn't quite on the same level as the resort signatures but it is a clear and significant step above the one credit park restaurants so I do think it deserves its status.

I haven't ever been to Le Cellier so I can't comment on its new signature status, and CRT is certainly not signature for the food.

Regarding #5, I think the deluxe plan gives a better balance of pleasing both the kids and the parents. I know some people go for the "all about the kids" approach but I cringe when I see the "review my ADRs" threads listing character meals as all their ADRs for an entire week. If you wouldn't be happy at Golden Corral every night you aren't going to be happy with that, and after a long day in the parks there's a very good chance that Mom will want someone bringing the food to the table so she can relax instead of herding the kids around a buffet! With the deluxe plan you can book character meals for breakfast every day, when everyone is rested and fresh, and still have a sitdown meal later when getting off your feet and being waited on in air-conditioned comfort is likely to have immense appeal.

 

[havoc315]

I mostly agree, except the last couple points. With the deluxe plan, you absolutely do have the flexibility to do the character buffets for the kids, and signature dining for the grownups. Very easy to schedule a character breakfast or lunch, (CRT, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey, etc) along with several signature dinners.

Doing so will still give you great value on the deluxe plan. Yes, character meals are a better value on the ddp, but they aren't a bad value on the DxDP. The DxDP has so many credits, that you certainly arent going to get $40+ out of every credit, with or without character meals.

 

[canoe86]

We have 4 kids........14, 9 5 and 3. We have used deluxe dining on every trip except our first. (when we had only 2 kids) So, I have a good perspective for you.

FIRST. Take naps every single day. Build it into the plan and if you need to miss out on something to get the nap....DO IT. We require EVERYONE to lay down in the afternoon every single day. It accomplishes many things......we are from the north, so it is a good time to get out of the heat. Also, the kids are much better behaved at meals. As a rule, we don't have any problems at restaurants, but it doesn't make sense to bring any kids into a dinner who has been on the go for hours on end. WE book early at signatures to allow for adults to have the later dining options. WE also get to bed early and get going early.

SECOND. Build the meals around your days. If you think it may be a stretch to make a meal because of travel distance, guaranteed it will be. Also, you can eat 3 a day, but those days work best with a character breakfast, and eating in moderation.

Do we squeeze every penny out of the dxdp? Probably not, but we like the fact that everything is paid for up front and we can order what we want and eat pretty much where we want.

 

[MSLRAC]

Disney rookie here, who received the following advice from a friend who is a Disney veteran about the DxDP:

1. Book a signature restaurant for dinner every day. If you try to eat at 3 TS a day, it will be way too much food (especially if at least one is a buffet) and waste too much time.

I think this depends on your family's eating style, eating habits and scheduling. We are used to 3 meals a day and home and that does not change when we are on vacation. We did 3 TS meals a day last trip and we are doing the same next trip. It is a good amount of food but no one forced you to eat it all and never once did we feel as if we had over eaten. We also only lost 60-90 minutes of park time for lunch because we did breakfast before park opening and dinner after park closing (between 7-9 when we went).

Also, you need to consider that signature meals are usually about 2 hours long. So if your kids can't handle sitting nicely for that long then you could be setting yourself up for a lot of long and painful meals.

2. From a quality of food perspective, all of the best signature restaurants are in the resorts. In that regard, at least California Grill, Flying Fish, Jiko, Citricos, and Artist Point are far better than any restaurant (signature or otherwise) in a park. If you don't hit several of these, you've missed out.

I tend to agree with this one.

3. Book signature dinners early if you will be dining with little kids (unless they're trained to take naps in exchange for staying up late). It will make life easier for you, your kids, and other diners.

I think that all depends on your kids. You need to take into account schedule changes when you go. We were starting our days anywhere from 1-2 hours later than we do at home normally so I had to shift all of our meal times which meant dinner at 8 worked well for us. My kids did great at all of our dinners including the signature meals we did (and they didn't nap at all during our trip).

4. If Cinderella's Royal Table is a must-do, eat there before any other 2 TS dining experience. The food will be less of a let down (besides, it's a good way to get the family in the Disney mood). Alternatively, eat there for your last breakfast before going home.

We've yet to eat at CRT but from what I've read, I tend to agree.

5. If you have young kids and eating at Disney is more about pleasing them than pleasing you, the DDP is a much better deal than the DxDP. It's much more difficult to get your money's worth doing multiple character buffets under the DxDP than under the DDP.

I don't know about this one. We started each day with a character buffet and our cheapest bill was $90 (2 adults, 2 kids). The DxDP still saved us over $1000 in food not counting the mugs and snacks. Another consideration for us was that the included CS meals on the DDP held no appeal at all to our family. So I think you would need to crunch the numbers on that one.

6. If your goal is to hit all the popular buffets and all the best signature restaurants, consider doing so on separate trips. Do the buffets under the DDP and the signatures under the DxDP. And do the DDP trip first. The food will be less of a let down and you'll have an entirely different experience to look forward to.

We were able to do a happy mix last time and have the same planned for next time. It was nice starting each day with a character buffet to get us into a great mood for the parks and then finishing up each night with a wonderful dinner. It truly worked great for us and like I said before, the DxDP saved us a ton on food.

Disagree with any of these (and/or any additional advice)?
But all that is just my opinion and what worked for us. I think for anyone to decide if the dining plan works for you and which plan you should get, that you need to look at your family's eating habits, plan out your meals and crunch the numbers.

 

[ford91exploder]

Disney rookie here, who received the following advice from a friend who is a Disney veteran about the DxDP:

1. Book a signature restaurant for dinner every day. If you try to eat at 3 TS a day, it will be way too much food (especially if at least one is a buffet) and waste too much time.

Agree with with this - but also remember that things like "Sprit of Aloha" and the "Hoop-dee-Doo" also are two credits so you have additional options

2. From a quality of food perspective, all of the best signature restaurants are in the resorts. In that regard, at least California Grill, Flying Fish, Jiko, Citricos, and Artist Point are far better than any restaurant (signature or otherwise) in a park. If you don't hit several of these, you've missed out.

Definitely Agree Brown Derby is best park restaurant but one needs a sophisticated palate to enjoy many of the meals, Definitely not a mac-n-cheese place.

LeCeller is for the dedicated Carnivores and Piscavores very good and the cheese soup is to die for... But once again not for kids who are picky eaters

3. Book signature dinners early if you will be dining with little kids (unless they're trained to take naps in exchange for staying up late). It will make life easier for you, your kids, and other diners.

Quite agree!

4. If Cinderella's Royal Table is a must-do, eat there before any other 2 TS dining experience. The food will be less of a let down (besides, it's a good way to get the family in the Disney mood). Alternatively, eat there for your last breakfast before going home.

CRT is fun if you or a DD are into the Princesses, Food is good but uninspired but that is more of a reflection of the intended dining audience than a failure of the restaurant. Think of this as a enhanced character experience with food rather than a Dining Experience. BTW DMIL's favorite character is the Fairy Godmother.

5. If you have young kids and eating at Disney is more about pleasing them than pleasing you, the DDP is a much better deal than the DxDP. It's much more difficult to get your money's worth doing multiple character buffets under the DxDP than under the DDP.

Agree especially if kids have a limited tolerance for new and different foods.

6. If your goal is to hit all the popular buffets and all the best signature restaurants, consider doing so on separate trips. Do the buffets under the DDP and the signatures under the DxDP. And do the DDP trip first. The food will be less of a let down and you'll have an entirely different experience to look forward to.

Never thought of this that way but it's a great idea!


Disagree with any of these (and/or any additional advice)?

1. Book a signature restaurant for dinner every day. If you try to eat at 3 TS a day, it will be way too much food (especially if at least one is a buffet) and waste too much time.

Agree with with this - but also remember that things like "Sprit of Aloha" and the "Hoop-dee-Doo" also are two credits so you have additional options

2. From a quality of food perspective, all of the best signature restaurants are in the resorts. In that regard, at least California Grill, Flying Fish, Jiko, Citricos, and Artist Point are far better than any restaurant (signature or otherwise) in a park. If you don't hit several of these, you've missed out.

Definitely Agree Brown Derby is best park restaurant but one needs a sophisticated palate to enjoy many of the meals, Definitely not a mac-n-cheese place.

LeCeller is for the dedicated Carnivores and Piscavores very good and the cheese soup is to die for... But once again not for kids who are picky eaters

3. Book signature dinners early if you will be dining with little kids (unless they're trained to take naps in exchange for staying up late). It will make life easier for you, your kids, and other diners.

Quite agree!

4. If Cinderella's Royal Table is a must-do, eat there before any other 2 TS dining experience. The food will be less of a let down (besides, it's a good way to get the family in the Disney mood). Alternatively, eat there for your last breakfast before going home.

CRT is fun if you or a DD are into the Princesses, Food is good but uninspired but that is more of a reflection of the intended dining audience than a failure of the restaurant. Think of this as a enhanced character experience with food rather than a Dining Experience. BTW DMIL's favorite character is the Fairy Godmother.

5. If you have young kids and eating at Disney is more about pleasing them than pleasing you, the DDP is a much better deal than the DxDP. It's much more difficult to get your money's worth doing multiple character buffets under the DxDP than under the DDP.

Agree especially if kids have a limited tolerance for new and different foods.

6. If your goal is to hit all the popular buffets and all the best signature restaurants, consider doing so on separate trips. Do the buffets under the DDP and the signatures under the DxDP. And do the DDP trip first. The food will be less of a let down and you'll have an entirely different experience to look forward to.

Never thought of this that way but it's a great idea!

 

[TDC Nala]

I forgot about Le Cellier dinner being signature now. And the food is good, I think it was signature quality. However, it's the same crowded, noisy restaurant with the guests at the next table sitting practically on top of you , so I don't consider that a signature experience. And the cheese soup is nine bucks at dinner. Good grief.

 

[3pletprincesses]

The only point I don't agree is 5 and 6. We do a character meals every breakfast for our DDS and signature for us. It's an happy balance. The girls get to see their people and mommy and daddy get to eat food the like. We saved over $400 after paying for tips during our trip in May. I can't imagine not doing characters meals during one trip and only doing gornw up stuff. My Dds would be bored to tears. We love the DxDDP especially because both age group get the better of both worlds. We use our 3 credits while eating 2 meals a day and are stuff and have no need for a third meal. Our snacks hold us over to our dinner. We usually do early character breakfast and early signature dinner. Our girls nap everyday from 1-4 and it makes it for a easy time when we have dinner around 5-6pm.

I agree with the others about Brown Derby. I really like that restaurant, love the food and there's something for everyone

 

[disneybex]

Finally, we never eat at the same restaurant twice.

This is the problem that we have had with our scheduling. As we are there for 3 weeks on DxDDP we have booked all the signature and dinner shows (excluding Mickey's BBQ) and we still have a lot of 3 meals a day - especially as we have a few days off site for shopping.

We did consider doubling up on the signatures but we really enjoy trying new places.

I think if it came down to $$ DxDDP might not work for us but as we got DDDP for free and we only had to pay to upgrade we won't be stressing about having a few credits left over if we don't need a lunch here or there. Especially as most of our breakfasts are buffet meals.