should I get the deluxe dinning plan ?

[mish2378]

is it worth it in terms of cost?

 

[Harvestmooner]

is it worth it in terms of cost?

I had wondered the same thing. It seems like ALOT of food!!!

 

[disneyfansx5]

I had wondered the same thing. It seems like ALOT of food!!!

Ditto

I have made up several different plans trying to get all of the meals in. It seems like we are constantly eating. I am wondering when we would ever get to the 2 snacks/day.

Hopefully someone will give their opinion after using it.

 

[willis37862]

We are going to try it this trip. There are several signature restaurants that we want to try that take 2 credits each. Plus there are 2 snacks instead of 1 and the resort mugs included. For us I think it will work better to do the deluxe dining but I think you have to figure out what will work best for your family. I think the deluxe plan is a better value if you use them all at sit down restaurants instead of using a couple of them for counter service. So I would think if your family uses counter service more than sit down it might not be as good a savings for you.

 

[Melissa_E]

We're going to do it, mainly because there are a number of signature restaurants I'd like to try (like the previous poster mentioned). I'd be hard pressed to try to figure it all out on the regular plan, but I think we'll be fine with the deluxe.

 

[Colleen27]

It really depends on your personality and eating habits. We want to try a lot of the signature restaurants, so we're using the plan to have 2 sitdown meals each day. We're not concerned with using every credit, though - I figure as long as we break even, it is worth it to have everything pre-paid. On the ADRs I've made, we'll see about an 18% savings without taking into account any CS or snacks we might use or figuring in the cost of the mugs.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I would sit down and price your meals day by day and see how the math works out. I did this and came out approximately $380 ahead using the DxDP.

 

[hddanis]

Even if we were to only break even, I like the convenience of having everything paid up front and not having to tell my 13 yr old that no she can't have prime rib 3 nights in a row (she can and is planning on it!)...She can eat whatever she wants, apps included, dessert included...My 9 year old is perfectly happy eating chicken nuggets and hot dogs the entire time

We coming early on arrival and late on departure day so we can stretch it out and make those 4 days worth of credits last 5 full days. We're only doing 1 signature dinner (CRT). This is how we're using it:

Day 1 (arrive around noon)
Lunch: Sci Fi
Dinner: Primetime Cafe

Day 2
Breakfast: Crystal Palace
Dinner:??? (Don't know where we'll be..I think DD is competing at Wide World of Sports this night)

Day 3
Breakfast: Chef Mickey's
Dinner: Cinderella's Royal Table

Day 4
Breakfast: Kona Cafe
Dinner: Le Cellier

Day 5 (depart for airport around 6:30-7:00PM)
Lunch: Yak and Yeti
Dinner: 1900 Park Fare

At the moment, I only have 2 credits unaccounted for but I'm sure we'll use them for the missing dinner, lunch around the world showcase or breakfast on our last day (although it will probably be the resort food court..can't take the time for a sit down meal and mess with our EE time..going to ride it as many times as we can during the EMH)...snack credits will be used to keep my 13 yr old from starving between breakfast and dinner (and maybe to bring back some treats for Dad and little brother and sister who can't come on this trip)

I have to admit, if I were trying to use these all in 4 days instead of 5, I'd have to find more signature meals to try...

The cost for us for the deluxe dining plan for 4 nights is $639.88. The cost of the meals/snacks I have planned at the moment is $809.03 (I assumed $4 per snack). It doesn't include the cost of the 3 mugs we'll be getting as well...so add another $40..Looks like we're already saving about $210 and I still have 2 credits left to play with!

So is it worth it in terms of cost? It appears that way. Worth it in terms of convenience..you betcha!

 

[wezee]

DH and I upgraded to deluxe for our Sept. trip, since we did the bounceback and are already getting the DP free. So at an extra charge of only $32 per person, per day........I think we will win out. We are planning 2 meals a day with one being a 2TS. We will be able to go to Jiko, Cinderellas Castle, Yachtsman, Artist pt., Narcosees, LeCellier, Hoop de Do, etc. Plus we will be able to have a TS lunch or breakfast everyday. Not sure how we will use all the snacks, but I can always load up the suitcase with treats for everyone back home.

 

[praline3001]

For our family it is soooo worth it!
I have a DH and 2 sons that are BOTTOMLESS PITTS!!!!
They can eat the appi, entree and dessert and still look to my plate for leftovers

Also with the plan we do Sig. meals. My boys have already gotten excited about trying lobster at Narcoosses this trip
Living in New Orleans, they don't get lobster for dinner!
As another poster said, with this plan I can allow the boys to order whatever they want on the menu without worrying that a huge bill will follow.
My oldest son has great plans in trying the steaks in every place we eat at (steak is his fav food).
Also, we throw in a room service breakfast once or twice while we are there. This helps us get to the parks faster as we can eat and get ready in the room at the same time. I know some people bring pop tarts for the kids but my teenagers want REAL food for breakfast

The 2 snacks a day are helpful with hungry teenage boys! DH and I usually end up using our snack points for them

If your not big eaters or don't have teenagers in your party, it might not be worth doing but it works out REALLY well for our family!
Of course our grocery bill each month rivals our mortgage

Even with all that food, my boys and DH are still considered underweight! I sooo don't get it!

 

[Tricia1972]

If you have used the DDP in the past and weren't overwhelmed by the food, or the amount of time you spent eating each day - then I think that the DDDP could work for you.

You're best to look at the menus and see what you think your family would order. Add up a few days worth of meals and see if you're spending more than what the plan will cost.

I also think it'd work better for a shorter trip than a longer trip. We used the DDP on a 4 day and on a 14 day trip last year. It worked well on the 4 day but not so well on the 14 day (for us YMMV)

 

[Colleen27]

I also think it'd work better for a shorter trip than a longer trip. We used the DDP on a 4 day and on a 14 day trip last year. It worked well on the 4 day but not so well on the 14 day (for us YMMV)

We've found just the opposite to hold true for us - on shorter trips, we're more concerned with making the most of the park time we have, so we're less inclined to take time out for signature meals or multiple TS meals each day. We've enjoyed the standard dining plan on short trips, but the deluxe wouldn't work at all. On longer trips we keep a slower pace, and 2 sitdown meals fit in much better when we have more than one day for each park.

 

[wezee]

I totally agree with OP......on a short trip we are too rushed. But having 8-9 days to spread out the deluxe and extra snacks is much easier since we are on a more relaxed pace.

 

[Tricia1972]

I can see your point about the DDDP being too much time on a shorter trip. I was thinking about the food aspect and how the standard plan didn't mesh with our eating habits. Doing that many larger meals for a prolonged period of time got to be too much for us. My line of thinking was that the DDDP is even more food than the standard.

I do agree though, if the DDP works well for you on a longer trip, I think that the DDDP will also work for you.

Just in our case it didn't work, but that does not mean that it doesn't work for everyone.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We are doing the Deluxe plan the summer - we are going to be doing more b-fasts in the parks - this way we get in before anyone else, and a nearly empty main street is magical. This is something that we wouldn't do if we weren't on any DDP. This year, I have Crystal Palace planned. We really aren't that great of fans of Pooh and Friends, but if they'll get us into the MK early, we're all for it.

We are also going to do more Signature and dinner shows. We are able to make our reservations on Dec 12th and to tell you the truth - I don't have enough credits for what I want to do.....

The snack will be a problem for us. We had a hard enough time using one a day, now we will have 2?

What we do with the extras is....after our WDW we spend a week on South Florida, so I just use the snacks credits to buy all our chips, snacks, and junk food for the 2nd part of our trip.