Which Resort? Which Dining Plan?....UGH! I can't decide!

[Nicole276]

I would love to stay at a POFQ and could make the Free Reg. DP work, but would have to pay out of pocket for two meals (cs or ts, which ever we decide) and we also would pay OOP for Hoop Dee Doo Review.

The cost of the dinner show and aprox our two meals if they are CS would be around $220 OOP. The cost to upgrade from Reg. DP to DXDP is $306. Although it would allow a little more flexibility and food (like snacks, I have a two yr old that we will share with, etc.) Although, other than the dinner show, I don't know that I would add anymore TS's than what I had planned with the Reg. Dining. I would consider changing our Crystal Palace to CRT breakfast maybe. So for our 4day trip if I changed to CRT, we would use 7 as TS credits and 5 as CS credits probably.

I just know they say the DXDP can be worth it as long as you don't use it for too many CS meals. We just don't want to be bogged down with too many ADR's and always feeling like we are on a schedule, that is why I mostly just have one scheduled a day, but most of them are breakfast to get into the parks early.

So then I think about downgrading to a value, which I have never stayed in to offset the cost of the DXDP. Thoughts?

 

[Emiems20]

I have used both the regular plan and the deluxe plan before and I have to say I prefer the deluxe plan. Everything is covered, and you can combine credits and do a signature for dinner or you can have whatever combination of TS/CS that you want. You also get two snacks a day. I like it because I know all of the food I could possibly want is paid for, and if you have a someone in your family who eats like my husband, it is so worth it. I feel like when I'm on the regular dinning plan, I am always buying extra food/drink at least once a day, for my husband its like four times a day (that man can drink soda like no one I have ever met). With the deluxe plan I can get him breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two snacks. The only extra drinks I pay for are of the alcoholic nature (which you would pay for on the regular plan as well).

A tip for snacks (either plan) if you have any left over, you can get Disney themed pretzels or candy and they make great gifts, my mom brought them back to everyone in her office, they loved it.

However, if you do not think you would fully use the deluxe plan, it is better to get the regular and pay out of pocket for the extra meals.

 

[Tara922c]

I say for less than the 100 bucks it is going to cost to upgrade, make the upgrade. You can make a couple more TS instead of doing quick service, and even get an extra QS here or there for your two year old.

 

[kerplop]

I think what you need to decide is if the difference in rack rate from a moderate to a value is more than the cost to upgrade from quick service to deluxe dining. If, for example, the rack rate at a value is $95 and moderate is $170 then you'd save $75 a day just by downgrading accommodations. The cost to upgrade from QSDP to DxDP is $44 a person a day. So you'd end up needing to spend approximately $13 a day to eat deluxe. Now you have to decide if that's what's best for your family and if that saves you money as far as eating TS instead of CS. Personally it'd be worth it to me since DP and I are big eaters who enjoy table service and would make use of 3 TS meals and 2 snacks a day. But if you want to stay at a mod too much, it wouldn't be worth the upgrade since you'd be paying $75 more a day just to stay there AND another $33 a night per person to upgrade to deluxe and for $66 you could eat CS or TS just fine.

 

[canopynut66]

I would love to stay at a POFQ and could make the Free Reg. DP work, but would have to pay out of pocket for two meals (cs or ts, which ever we decide) and we also would pay OOP for Hoop Dee Doo Review.

The cost of the dinner show and aprox our two meals if they are CS would be around $220 OOP. The cost to upgrade from Reg. DP to DXDP is $306. Although it would allow a little more flexibility and food (like snacks, I have a two yr old that we will share with, etc.) Although, other than the dinner show, I don't know that I would add anymore TS's than what I had planned with the Reg. Dining. I would consider changing our Crystal Palace to CRT breakfast maybe. So for our 4day trip if I changed to CRT, we would use 7 as TS credits and 5 as CS credits probably.

I just know they say the DXDP can be worth it as long as you don't use it for too many CS meals. We just don't want to be bogged down with too many ADR's and always feeling like we are on a schedule, that is why I mostly just have one scheduled a day, but most of them are breakfast to get into the parks early.

So then I think about downgrading to a value, which I have never stayed in to offset the cost of the DXDP. Thoughts?

We went to POP four years ago had been staying at POR or other moderates for years and we really like POP as service great and bus service best on any property. we upgrade to the MYWD as we like the TS meal and we use some for character breakfast and this year using 2 TS for hoop de Do and also a signature so that takes 2 TS. If we was going to do more signatures dining then would go to the deluxe but we have more than enough food and my brother in law is a big eater. we will be there 12 days this trip (in 45 days) we have found so many steak places that are only 1 TS that we have more than enough.

 

[Disney Dreamer Mommy]

I would love to stay at a POFQ and could make the Free Reg. DP work, but would have to pay out of pocket for two meals (cs or ts, which ever we decide) and we also would pay OOP for Hoop Dee Doo Review.

The cost of the dinner show and aprox our two meals if they are CS would be around $220 OOP. The cost to upgrade from Reg. DP to DXDP is $306. Although it would allow a little more flexibility and food (like snacks, I have a two yr old that we will share with, etc.) Although, other than the dinner show, I don't know that I would add anymore TS's than what I had planned with the Reg. Dining. I would consider changing our Crystal Palace to CRT breakfast maybe. So for our 4day trip if I changed to CRT, we would use 7 as TS credits and 5 as CS credits probably.

I just know they say the DXDP can be worth it as long as you don't use it for too many CS meals. We just don't want to be bogged down with too many ADR's and always feeling like we are on a schedule, that is why I mostly just have one scheduled a day, but most of them are breakfast to get into the parks early.

So then I think about downgrading to a value, which I have never stayed in to offset the cost of the DXDP. Thoughts?

I am a newbie to this forum. I have JUST STARTED researching Disney World for a trip in August, and I have NO IDEA what DXDP, ADR, CRT, POFQ, CS, CT,OOP, (any of those short forms actually), or what a Hoop Dee Doo Review is! Can someone translate for me?

 

[connie1042]

Go to the top of the first main thread. There is a sticky that says abbreviations. They are all listed there. Once you get in the swing of things you will be talking just like everyone else who are planning trips. It drives non- disney planners crazy.
oop out of pocket
CRT- Cinderella's Royal Table
ADR- Advanced Dinning reservaion
DxDDP Deluxe dinning plan
DDP Regular dinning plan
QSDP- Quick service dinning plan
POFQ- Port Orleans French Quarter
CS- Counter Service
Hoop De Do Revue- A musical dinner show at Fort Wilderness
Have fun planning

Have fun planning.

 

[Disney Dreamer Mommy]

What does rack rate mean??

 

[Nicole276]

We actually did the DxDDP last year and stayed at POR. We loved it, but we did almost all TS meals becuase I was so worried about us getting our money worth. And, that about burned us out. That is DH's condition to our trip this year is that we are not that busy. I didn't think it would turn out that way, but it seemed like evertime we had a chance to rest and relax it got cut short because we needed to head off to our next ADR.

 

[kerplop]

What does rack rate mean??

Rack rate is full price, no discounts.

 

[kerplop]

We actually did the DxDDP last year and stayed at POR. We loved it, but we did almost all TS meals becuase I was so worried about us getting our money worth. And, that about burned us out. That is DH's condition to our trip this year is that we are not that busy. I didn't think it would turn out that way, but it seemed like evertime we had a chance to rest and relax it got cut short because we needed to head off to our next ADR.

If that's the case I would honestly stick with the regular dining plan and a moderate. Yes you have one table service meal a day to get to but everything else is on your own time, your own way. But keep in mind that if you don't make ADRs for any additional TS meals you probably won't be able to add them on a whim.

 

[irishdadx4]

I am a newbie to this forum. I have JUST STARTED researching Disney World for a trip in August, and I have NO IDEA what DXDP, ADR, CRT, POFQ, CS, CT,OOP, (any of those short forms actually), or what a Hoop Dee Doo Review is! Can someone translate for me?

I hope your Aug trip is Aug 2012 not 2011. While a year to wait till you go is a torture in itself, planning a trip to go this month is really cutting it too short, unless you have been to WDW before. Good luck and enjoy all the new things you will learn i here on the Disboards. Don't feel scared to explore any and all forums on this board, they are all filled with wonderful people who love to share their accumulated knowledge of Disney World, and each forum has wonderful tidbits that help make any trip magical.

 

[Disney Dreamer Mommy]

Yes, I am planning for a trip in Aug. 2012. I thought I would start early and I am glad that I did since there is a lot of information to sort through and a lot of decisions to make.

Thanks for answering my questions and cracking the codes for me. I have just started researching for this trip and already I feel overwhelmed. Any suggestions of how to spend my time at Disney and what deals I should be looking for will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Asellus]

I'd also planning my September vacation and having trouble making the decision (my ticker isn't accurate....my husband OKd the moderate for 10 nights/11 days!) Now I simply can't choose which moderate!

We're also thinking of doing Cinderella's Royal Table....this is the last visit in which they will be young enough to appreciate it. (We would like to go every 2 yrs after this and eventually buy into DVC) I'll just trade an extra credit for it rather then upgrade.

Even though this is something like my 12th visit (I took a long break and didn't go when they were little) believe it or not, I have never stayed in Disney itself. (Nor have I seen Fantasmic....will get to it this trip)