Which plan should i get?

[LovelyMouse22]

This is my first post here! I've been lurking for a few days, but now i need some help. My DH, DS (will be 2 when we go) and myself are going to the world September 29-October 7 next year. We will get free dining. Here are the restaurants I want to eat at:

1900 Park fare
Chef Mickey's
Cape May Cafe
Crystal Palace
Restaurantosaurus
ESPN Club
Boardwalk Bakery
Tusker’s House
Garden Grill
Hollywood&vine
Liberty Tree Tavern
Main Street Bakery
Mrs. Potts
Ohana
Pepper Market
Planet Hollywood
Sci fi dine-in
Toluca legs Turkey
Wolfgang Puck Express

Long list.. But i've figured started making my list so i know where we would eat which day to fit it all in.. So my question is would the deluxe upgrade be worth it? It will be right around $500 to upgrade. I've looked at menu's ect and i'm just not sure if it's worth it. I do like the idea of being able to eat at a TS or QS place and not have to worry about what credits i'm using. At the same time i don't want to get there and be rushing around for our reservations. I really do want a nice relaxed vacation. This is our first trip to Disney ever! I'm so excited, but a little overwhelmed with all of the planning!

 

[mjp12831]

We've done both the last 2 years, imo:

DXdp is great when you want to use multiple 2 ts restaurants.

The downside of Dx is that you end up making at least 2 if not 3 ts adr's per day, and you start getting tied to being in certain parks and certain restaurants at certain times. It's hard enough to navigate the parks without figuring what you have time to do around multiple adr's.

If you really want to do CRT or HDD or the BackyardBBQ, Yachtsman, ... then consider the DxDP - otherwise, my advice is to trim your list down to 8 places for your 1 ts per day and start scouting out some CS places you might want to hit for lunch.

DxDP was great the first year we did it because we hit a 2 ts each day - we'd do it again, but not for a while.

 

[LovelyMouse22]

Thanks, I'm just not sure how well we will do with the deluxe with a 2 year old. I don't want to wear him out by rushing around to make sure we make it to our reservations. What would be the "must eat" places for a 2 year old who LOVES mickey mouse? ( well he's 14 months now, but boy does he love his "kickey mouse")

 

[crabbygal902]

I'd stick with the regular dining plan.

I think that the deluxe plan would be too restrictive for a toddler, and the deluxe plan means that you spend a LOT of your time in restaurants. You are also tied to a plan that isn't easily changed if your little one needs an extra nap or you find that it would be better to go back to the resort for a swim, etc.

I found that when my kids were that age, it was best to schedule 1 early TS dinner per day at a place that had something interesting for little kids. Our favorites for that age were: Chef Mickey's, Cape May breakfast, 'Ohana breakfast and dinner, Crystal Palace, Teppan Edo for the chefs cooking at the table, and Coral Reef for the aquarium. The other meal was a QS lunch close to wherever we are spending our time. For breakfast, we use our snack credits and bring some things from home. We always feel like we have too much food on the regular plan, and we are big eaters...no bird-like appetites here!

If you don't hit everything on your list this time, that just means you'll have to visit again soon, right? We go to WDW about once a year, and we still haven't visited everything on our list.

About Sci-Fi...the movies monsters might scare your little guy, just a heads up. My oldest son was scared when he was little and I hadn't even considered that before we went.

 

[LovelyMouse22]

Good to know about sci fi! Thank you! Well, i'm thinking now i will just go with the regular plan. I can always buy snacks that i want. Yes! that does mean we have to go back soon! I already want to go for christmas in 2012! I would love to disney every year. It's going to be a different experience every year since DS will like different things. Thank you both for your help! Now i need to convice DH it's a good idea. I made a list to show him how much the plans were alike. (I've made a million lists since i started planning! ) I'm stoked for my very first vacation ever!

 

[ArthurIhde]

regular dining plan is nice