Weighing in on Deluxe

[Masonmj84]

Here are my 10 commandments for making the DxDP work (at least for me):

1. Thou shalt only use DxDP meal credits for table service meals.

2. Thou shalt not book more than 2 meals per day, one of which being a 2 TS (e.g., signature) meal.

3. Thou shalt only book breakfasts for pre-park opening times (unless it's a non-park day) so as not to miss prime touring time.

4. When booking a lunch and dinner on the same day, thou shalt not eat a buffet lunch and thou shalt allow at least 6 hours between lunch and dinner.

5. Thou shalt not eat any snacks within 4 hours of dinner.

6. Thou shalt not park hop for the sake of dining (i.e., stick to eating in the park you're visiting that day).

7. Thou shalt appreciate that MK and AK are generally better breakfast parks whereas EP and HS are generally better lunch parks.

8. Thou shalt eat dinner in a restaurant that's convenient to the park you're visiting on a particular day (i.e., at a MK resort when visiting MK, EP resort when visiting EP/HS, AKL when visiting AK, etc.).

9. When visiting deluxe resorts for dinner, thou shalt allow some time to enjoy the ambiance of the resort either before or after dinner.

10. Thou shalt not feel compelled to use every meal and snack entitlement (the idea is to enjoy your vacation, not eat yourself sick).

(FWIW, this December will likely be our last time using the DxDP unless we're on an upgrade from FD - $100 per adult per day is insane and, in any event, DS will soon be turning 10 - we'll probably use the same 10 commandments, just with TIW).

 

[Nancyg56]

I I'd love to be able to tell my friends that Disney actually has a good way to save money, but in reality they offer a lot of good ways to spend money.
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Isn't that the truth Don't get me started on fast pass fro an attraction straight into a gift shop

We looked at the cost to upgrade from the DDP into the deluxe and decided we would never spend that much on additions to our meals. We decided to pay OOP for extra meals and appetizers if we want them. We always share appetizers when we dine out.

We did opt to pay for CL instead. While we would never use it to compensate for meals we have enjoyed having the option to nibble a bit to hold us til dinner and I am never adverse to a glass of wine before a meal............well I mean before we get to dinner.

On our first time back to Disney 6 years ago we stayed in AKL CL. There was this magnificent coffee machine and I swear DS and DDIL paid for the cost just in cappuccino. They did not touch the alcohol and barely touched the food but the coffee

 

[LillsnJills]

My partner and I are about a month out now from our 8 day/7 night trip. We were offered the free DP and opted to upgrade to DxDP for $425. It's just the two of us, and we're both foodies, so there are a lot of signature places we wanted to try. Our ADRs are:

Fri: Boma for dinner

Sat: Jiko for dinner

Sun: Citricos for dinner

Mon: Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner

Tues: Biergarten for lunch

Le Cellier for dinner

Wed: Hollywood Brown Derby for dinner (Fantasmic pkg)

Thurs: Boma for breakfast

Fulton's for dinner

Taking a look at the menus for just the signature dining we'll be doing and calculating what we would have ordered if we were paying out of pocket (typically one app, two entrees and one or two desserts depending on if there was something we wanted to share), the cost of those five meals alone were more than what we paid for the upgrade. So for us, even if we forgo an entitlement here and there and just do one app and one dessert so as not to be too wasteful, the cost is still worth it for us, and if we want to use the remaining meal credits for counter service breakfasts or lunches, then we won't feel like they're being wasted. Or at least that's the theory we're working on at this point The reality of it may prove to be otherwise.