Need a bit of help here...

[claytonj]

First off I would like to say this site is awesome, a lot of great information but i have a few questions.

This is my families first trip down to disney world and I booked the DxDP plan for my family and now I am having 2nd thoughts. There are only 3 of us and the difference from the DxDP for the 3 of us is 518 so I am not sure if I should keep that or not (i have 8 Booked resturants already so we would have to pay for 1 if we go down to the DDP).

My big question, which i think i know the answer (but got confused reading a few posts). Can a TS be switched to a CS/QS meals/snacks?

What all can you use your left over snacks on if you dont use them all by your last day?

and lastly, do you think 518 is worth keeping the DxDP or would i save money by going down to the DDP?

thanks in advance,

Clayton

 

[Faldred]

On deluxe, there are no "TS' and "CS" credits. It's 3 "meal credits" per person per night; each meal credit can be used for either TS or CS.

Regarding cost, the general rule of thumb is you'll at least break even on DxDP if you use 2/3 of the credits for TS meals. If you're staying 7 nights, that means 14 TS meals (or fewer, if some are 2 credit meals) is roughly the "break even point".

Extra snacks -- the best bet is to stop by Goofy's in DTD, or some other candy store, and get a bunch of goodies to take home. We spent 9 credits there on our way out of town a few weeks ago.

 

[claytonj]

On deluxe, there are no "TS' and "CS" credits. It's 3 "meal credits" per person per night; each meal credit can be used for either TS or CS.

Regarding cost, the general rule of thumb is you'll at least break even on DxDP if you use 2/3 of the credits for TS meals. If you're staying 7 nights, that means 14 TS meals (or fewer, if some are 2 credit meals) is roughly the "break even point".

Extra snacks -- the best bet is to stop by Goofy's in DTD, or some other candy store, and get a bunch of goodies to take home. We spent 9 credits there on our way out of town a few weeks ago.

ok so it might be best for me to call and scale it back then as I doubt we will get in 14 TS meals. We have 8 or 9 booked already but I dont know if we are going to do any more sit downs, the rest will probably be QS/CS/Snacks.

Also i see you just stayed at Riverside, thats where we are staying as well. I cant wait!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

First off I would like to say this site is awesome, a lot of great information but i have a few questions.

This is my families first trip down to disney world and I booked the DxDP plan for my family and now I am having 2nd thoughts. There are only 3 of us and the difference from the DxDP for the 3 of us is 518 so I am not sure if I should keep that or not (i have 8 Booked resturants already so we would have to pay for 1 if we go down to the DDP).

My big question, which i think i know the answer (but got confused reading a few posts). Can a TS be switched to a CS/QS meals/snacks?

What all can you use your left over snacks on if you dont use them all by your last day?

and lastly, do you think 518 is worth keeping the DxDP or would i save money by going down to the DDP?

thanks in advance,

Clayton

There is just no way I would get the DxDP for a first time trip, especially, if you are planning on doing a lot of character meals, since most of them are only 1 credit on the dining plan. There are 6 of us and we always get the Basic DDP and it is plenty of food. My husband and kids would totally freak out if I tried to make tour around 3 sit-down meals per day - wow, that's a lot of time and a lot of food.

 

[Faldred]

ok so it might be best for me to call and scale it back then as I doubt we will get in 14 TS meals. We have 8 or 9 booked already but I dont know if we are going to do any more sit downs, the rest will probably be QS/CS/Snacks.

Also i see you just stayed at Riverside, thats where we are staying as well. I cant wait!

Yeah, it sounds like Basic plus a couple of meals OOP might be the best bet for you. To maximize your savings, pick the least expensive meals to pay OOP.

Riverside was really nice -- I wish we had planned for a "resort day" to enjoy it more, but I think the critters preferred the parks rather than "downtime" (although the pool was a big hit).

 

[Colleen27]

For the most part I don't think the deluxe plan is good for first-timers, unless you have a long stay planned and really enjoy dining as a part of your vacation. It could work if you're planning on a character meal every morning and still want sitdown dinners, but it is a fair bit of time away from the parks. And getting the most out of the plan takes a certain level of planning, both in terms of which parks you're going to be in each day and in becoming familiar with Disney transportation to try resort restaurants without travel hassles.

We love the deluxe plan now, but I'm glad we started with the basic dining plan and had a couple trips under our belt to figure out want we wanted from our Disney dining experience before trying the upgraded plan.

 

[claytonj]

i think i asked this question to late... i just read on another post that you cant change your plan within 45 days... we leave in less then that so am i stuck? i havent called yet, i am still at work.

 

[claytonj]

i think i asked this question to late... i just read on another post that you cant change your plan within 45 days... we leave in less then that so am i stuck? i havent called yet, i am still at work.

ok so i called and its $50 to down grade since we are within the 45 days period. (they said its $60 within 14)

we added a few more/different places and now this is our scheduled meals..



Dinner @ sci-fi dine in theater


breakfast @ chef mickey's Fun time buffet (character meal)
dinner @ ohana

breakfast @ Donald's Safari Breakfast Tusker House (character meal)
Dinner @ Yak & Yeti

Lunch @ Coral Reef
Dinner @ Princess Storybook Dinning at akershus Royal Banquet Hall (character meal)

Lunch @ planet hollywood

Breakfast @ ohana breakfast (character meal)
Dinner @ hoop dee do musical category 3 seating (show)


we are going to be there 8 days 7 nights..

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

You may want to add a breakfast at Boma!

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

Oh, and we have had wonderful meals at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe in Downtown Disney. The food has been perfect in both August 2006 and December 2008.

Typically, it's easy to get an ADR there, and it is so good! You may want to check out the menu at allears.

 

[claytonj]

thanks for the advice

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

If I counted right, it looks like you only have 6 of your seven nights planned for dinner. You could still add on a signature restaurant for 2 credits and another character breakfast/lunch, depending on where you plan to be. The ones you don't have planned to use can easily be used for QS at your resort or in the parks for whenever you need them. Not sure of your arrival time, but I'm assuming the Sci Fi dinner is on your arrival day. If you're getting there early, you can add on a lunch somewhere.

If you are looking for suggestions on how to plan your meals, you could post your "rough" itinerary and I'm sure there are plenty who could help you fill in good choices on restaurants. Or are you looking to see if it's still worth cancelling with the charge and downgrading to DDP?