What is the best Dining Plan to get

[mickeyjh79]

It will be my first time and I want to eat at all the different World resturants which is the best dining plan to get. There will be 2 adults and no kids. I am planning on doing it as a vacation package. I would also like one with the refillable mug. Huge Disney Fan here hehehe.

Thanks
JH

 

[blessedby3]

The regular dining plan does not come with the mug. Just the deluxe and counter service. If you are going to be doing lots of sit down meals or want dinner shows or signature meals, the deluxe may be your best option.
We do the counter service plan, because we dont want to spend too much time in the sit downs.

 

[lin7]

Depends on how much you eat, how your touring plans are. We used to do the regular dining plan, but it doesn't include appetizers anymore, and our family love our appetizers. So now we do the deluxe plan, we usually arrive early and leave late, so our credits stretch out til our last day, which helps us out since it is so much food. .We usually do early lunch and late dinner, since we're not breakfast people at all. People say deluxe takes up alot of time, but the counter service sometimes have horrendous lines, takes up alot of time as well. I love the deluxe plan, and would also totally recommend the regular plan as well.

 

[Colleen27]

It really depends on what you want out of your trip, how long you plan to be there, and how you like to eat on vacation.

My personal preference is the deluxe plan, which includes 3 meals and 2 snacks per night as well as the refillable mugs. But we have been on many Disney trips with many still to come, and consider two nice meals per day part of the experience rather than distraction from rides/attractions. We like appetizers, which aren't included on the basic plan, and don't care for counter service in the parks. But the DxDDP does take quite a bit of planning and that gets much easier if you know your way around Disney transportation, and it is too much of a time commitment for families who want to try to do it all (or as much as possible) in each trip.

 

[sanapp]

I would say the same as others. How are you planning on touring. I would suggest that if you are going to be touring commando style then perhaps just QSDP or Regular DP.

You state that you are a huge Disney fan, so perhaps you plan on trying quite a few Character meals. Not the best food, but a much better way to see characters than waiting in line. If this is the plan then perhaps DlxDP.

I have stayed off site and paid OOP for a mix of QS and TS and have stayed on site with the regular DP. Next trip it will just be me and DD8 and we are planning on Dlx, but we want a smell the roses type of trip and want to enjoy dining as part of the experience. This means quite a few character breakfasts and signature dinners. We are only going to have 3 meals one day and all other days will only be 2 meals with snacks in between.

You might want to consider where you are staying and what time of year you are going in this as well. If you are going during the heat of the summer you may not feel like eating as much. If you are staying at a value you have to think about transportation. Mods might have a little better transportation, but still not convenient. If you are staying at a monorail resort it will be very convenient to do Dlx.

Have you picked and dining choices yet? Also consider how you eat at home when making this decision.

 

[idoeyes1]

My husband and I are going in Sept for 10 days. We got the delux plan because we want to eat at a lot of signature places and almost all the ones that require two credits. So we will end up eating two meals and a snack on the days we are using a 2 credit meal. Doesn't seem like it will be too much food for us, but we like to eat. Did the delux plan back in 2006 and loved not having to worry about what we ordered because it was paid for. Then, the tips were included so now all we have to worry about it alchohol and tips!

 

[Cafeen]

The "best" plan to get is the one that fits what you're looking to experience (which, in some cases, is no plan at all!). Go through the lists of restaurants and the menus and try to come up with a very basic outline places you're interested in (don't worry about credits, or anything like that just yet). Go through that list and prioritize "must-dos", "really-want-to-dos", and "may-as-well-dos". See what you come up with and then follow the basic narrowing down of the plans below.

Are you looking for at least 2 sit-down meals per day? Each with Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert? Will you be looking at doing several signature restaurants as well? If so, then the Deluxe Plan (DxDDP) will likely work out for you.

Are you looking for 1 table service (Entree and Dessert) and 1 counter service meal per day? Are you limiting any two credit places (or planning to pay OOP for them)? If so, then the "regular" DDP may work out for you.

Are you just looking to dine mostly on counter service food? If so, then the Quick Service plan (QSDP) may work out for you.

So, now that we got the basics down... we dig deeper (obviously, if none of the above interest you, then you're probably not a good candidate).

• Do you and your family tend to share meals more often than not?
• Do you and your family tend to order and eat light while traveling? (Especially adults ordering kids meals)
• Are you interested in several restaurants that are not included in the plans?
• Are you AP holders or FL residents?

If you answered yes to those questions above (or some of them), then you'll want to take a much closer, mathematical look via one of the several different spreadsheet tools available.

The biggest key is experience, and what you want out of the trip. Since it's your first trip, it makes it more difficult to know what to expect and thus, properly distill the experience you are looking for. From your post, it sounds like the food will certainly be a focus, which is not a problem at all (heck, it's my focus down there too ).

 

[slider44641]

just to throw my 2 cents in we just returned from our vacation and i sprung for the deluxe plan, lots of food, we were stuffed every day but well worth it! i will be getting the deluxe plan on every return trip from now on!

 

[TandLMommy28]

Keep in mind that if you do regular instead of deluxe, you can still BUY the mug. The mugs aren't limited to only those who have that dining plan. You can pick one up in the hotel any time you want, even if you aren't on a plan at all.