Who is with me - I LIKE the DELUXE DINING PLAN!!!!

[ilovediznee]

I read more "bashings" about the deluxe plan, too much food, leftovers, etc., but we really, really like it! For us, there is me (41), DH (47) and DD (9). My DH is diabetic and needs to eat three meals a day. With this plan, I know we are eating well with lots of variety, I know we will be eating at set times and we are not forced to eat all our food. Plus the added benefit is that it is paid for so I don't have to feel like I have to order salad and water.

My husband will easily eat the big steak at the Yachtsman with all the fixings and so will I. Are we fat? No, but we choose to not eat all of it, but enjoy what we do have.

I know there are others out there like me who enjoy it or Disney wouldn't even offer it, so speak out and say why you like it.

Thanks - Diane

 

[pinkxray]

Thanks for your post. We will trying the deluxe plan in May and I can't wait. I love to hear good things about it. We started with the regular plan, but I couldn't cut a few meals, so our OOP costs would be the same as upgrading. With deluxe we get to try so many extra places we wouldn't otherwise.

 

[sydneysmom]

I'm so happy to see this post !! We added deluxe dining to our ressies for Sept and I've been reading all these horror posts. I kind of keep thinking, well, you don't HAVE to eat everything... we chose deluxe because I want to hit pretty much every character meal for our DD4 and CRT for a breakfast and a dinner. So it makes sense to me to do this. I'm glad to see others like it too ! I can't wait to try it !! ( and have the peace of mind of not having to worry who orders what on the menu....it's paid for !!)

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't see any bashing, just opinions. Not every plan is for all people.

 

[Iri920]

We did the DxDDP last time we went and we loved it. The kids and I are used to eating three meals a day so we didn't think it was too much and we are not big people whatsoever. We also weren't worried about trying to maximize the value so we did a combination of QS, TS, and some 2TS. We would use our snacks for water or soda and popcorn before we watched a show. We ate what we wanted to and didn't feel like we overate.

Even though the perfect plan for us would be 2QS, 1TS and some snacks, this is the next best option for us. We are not ones to share plates and I already have a bunch of crap to carry around with diapers and ponchos I don't also want to carry around snacks for everybody. I also refuse to cook any kind of food because it is my vacation too and it's more convenient for us to eat in the park than go out in town. It just depends on what type of family you are wether it would be worth it or not.

 

[ilovediznee]

Ok, maybe "bashing" was too hard, but alot of people seem to communicate the negative and not the positive.

One of the people who posted also mentioned yet another good point as this happened to us as well. Last time we did the Basic Dining, we skipped those because we wanted to eat at a TS so our OOP went up alot. Then we had to get a bunch of quick service meals to take with us in the car when we left because I HATE, HATE, HATE not using credits I have paid for.

 

[Stephaniecmc]

We had the Deluxe plan when we went in October 2008 and are sad not be getting it on our next trip! We were able to eat at some places that we "normally" wouldn't have. I saved all my receipts and I saved over $300 by have the Deluxe plan. We enjoyed having three sit down meals per day!

 

[shawnh199]

We loved the deluxe plan too! We had a great character breakfast every morning, lunch around 1-2pm and later dinners. Our two kids (DD2.5 & DD6) did really well with the schedule we had. Sure, they slept at some of the meals, especially the lunches, but we definitely never went hungry, nor worried about how much stuff was on the menu. We ordered exactly what we wanted, ate at places we couldn't have afforded to eat at otherwise, and now I'm obsessed with WDW food. I go through the menus to see what we will try next time.

Others may argue that it takes too much time away from the parks, but one of my favorite things about the Deluxe plan was getting to take a break from walking/riding/hot or cold weather and sitting down to relax and enjoy some great food. The girls got a nice break and got their rest when they needed it. Since they napped through some of their meals, we didn't need to take all the time to go back to the hotel, rest/nap, and head back to the park. Just waiting for the bus and riding to where you are going takes a pretty good while so I think we may have had more time in the pakrs by our girls resting while we were at the park in a restaurant rather than going back and forth to the hotel!

I hope to do the deluxe plan for every trip we take in the future.

 

[LUVDZNY2008]

We tried the Deluxe Dining Plan on our last trip & I liked it. First, I didn't have to pay for any meals OOP (which I always had to do with the regular dining plan-since we like to have a nice breakfast in the morning). Secondly, I'm not a fan of many of the CS meals. And last, I enjoyed eating at some of the signature dining restaurants.
I also didn't have to pay OOP for extra drinks during the day, because of all the snack credits & we ended up using the refillable mugs too.

 

[cmmarch]

we are in for deluxe for our trip in Feb. and think we will stick w/it.
Only there for 3-1/2 days but it seemed w/regular dining that we would pay out of pocket for food/snacks........I am going to keep track and report back.
My DH enjoys sitting down as family(5 - DH,me, DD(13),DD(11), and DS(8)) to eat and we all eat 3 meals per day (generally).
If we find it really takes away from our time in the parks then I guess I'll report back that we made the wrong decision......either way I know we won't see everything w/such a short amount of time but hoping to hit the highlights, not be hungry, and stay on monorail (POLY) for easier transport.
Can't wait - I'll remain optimistic!

 

[heatherlynn444]

we love it! we do either late breakfast or early lunch, and a signature dinner every night! love being able to do that! And no we are not fat and yes we eat all the food!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We couldn't eat all of the food on the regular plan...

 

[Mom2Elliot]

We are trying it in August! We have always paid OOP before. It makes sense for us this time because we want to do buffet character breakfasts and we don't enjoy CS very much at all. We are planning all sit down meals, but I tried very hard to plan exactly where we will be to minimize travel time and we know we won't order apps/ desserts at each meal. We will still come out ahead or at least break even and we get to eat more fish than burgers! Plus, we have a child under 3 who will share some food and still want snacks We are going in July, and we wanted a guaranteed air conditioned place to relax for awhile as well! I have worked the numbers time and time again, and it just makes sense for us this time. It helps that even though we are there for 5 nights, we will be in the parks for 6 full days. If we were on the regular DDP, we would be spending a lot OOP.

 

[Faldred]

Ok, maybe "bashing" was too hard, but alot of people seem to communicate the negative and not the positive.

Yeah, well welcome to the Internet. It's like that here.

I'm a big eater, all the more so when I'm outside and active (such as walking through the parks all day). Just don't over-do it at the buffets, I say.

For us, the DxDP worked great because it allowed us to stick to a regimented schedule. Most people see that as a minus, but with autistic twin 2-year-olds, regimented is a good thing. And a good touring plan allowed us to still do all the rides and shows we wanted to, with very few exceptions.

 

[julirina]

Faldred, I love your sig! I'm a huge Douglas Adams fan. Thanks for the smile!

 

[MerryFlora]

I think the deluxe makes alot more sense than the regular or quick service. If you can eat that much food you are probably getting the best deal of the 3. I'm really jealous of all of you that can afford it! I like that you can get salads as apps, most TS are healthier than the CS. I was really tempted to get the plan but decided we could have just as much food by meal sharing with multiple courses, OOP, w/o the waste and extra cost of the DxDDP.

 

[squirrel]

I have enough trouble trying to eat all the food on the DDP. Although I like the idea of eating at more TS restaurants.

 

[Faldred]

Faldred, I love your sig! I'm a huge Douglas Adams fan. Thanks for the smile!

I figured since I spend most of my (posting, at least) time here on the restaurant boards, it was fitting.

 

[kerstfan1]

u guys make me want tobook my dinning im also on the deluxe plan and i want to go now to get away from the cold we have here too bad i have to wait for august 24th

 

[grace&philipsmom]

We are Deluxe Dining Plan addicts too. I just booked it for our 3rd year in a row. We have smaller kids that tire easily and find the heat challenging. They LOVE Character dining. The deluxe dining plan gives us quiet time and has allowed us to try all of the character meals, and other restaurants that we might not have tried.

I also feel more adventurous ordering because it is already paid for.