Worried about all that food...?

[egjlsmommy]

I've been looking at adding the deluxe dining to our vacation. My family (including me) are getting very excited about all the fantastic restaurants, but I'm scared of that much food. What does everyone think? Have you done it and it worked out? Is it too much food? We're a family of 6. 4 kids, but 3 are Disney "adults". Help! Thanks!

 

[candielips]

The food at WDW can be really yummy at a lot of places. But for me, I hate being tied down to so many ADR's. I felt like we had to be somewhere all the time, and we could never just do what we wanted.
But I also have little kids, so it is much harder for me to hop on the resort bus with my big double stroller and "stuff".
How long are you going for? Are you kids going to be ok with having to stop all the time to eat? You could try adding a lot of the 2 credit shows and a character breakfast.

 

[Pakey]

We are all adults and we've done the deluxe plan twice. Not only is it too much food for us, we hate the schedule constraints of having 2 TS a day. Both times we left with several unused credits.

 

[KYMickey]

We are all adults and we've done the deluxe plan twice. Not only is it too much food for us, we hate the schedule constraints of having 2 TS a day. Both times we left with several unused credits.

And I'm sure Disney thanked you for helping to contribute to their profits! I'm sure they figure many people are not going to use all of their credits which of course contributes directly to the bottom line.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I just got home and found that the way I used the regular plan was even a bit much for me. I think what really will help you make the decision is how much does your family normally eat? Are you 3 square meals a day, at the table for all of them or more feed the kids lunch and everyone else grabs what they want, you know? I also think unless your little ones are used to sitting for meals all the time, they'll probably find it boring to stop the rides and sit down to eat so many times. The way some of the service is, you may find yourself at restaurants at least an hour, and often longer, particularly at the signatures where they seem to expect that people will want to linger over their meals and order drinks and whatnot. Where are you staying or is the trip still in the works? I think if you have a room with a kitchen or at least a kitchenette, you may be just fine on the regular plan.

I've been on the regular plan 3 times now, in different incarnations of it (with apps and tips and without). The 1st and 2nd time I'd use my CS credit on breakfast most days, get the snack midday for "lunch", and use the TS credit on dinner. This worked out great for me, and sometimes I'd flip the CS and TS credits, using the TS for breakfast and the CS for dinner. This trip that I just got back from (a week tomorrow ) I did things a bit differently. The friend that I went with isn't a big breakfast kind of person, and we were staying at OKW in a 1 bedroom villa (rented points from a friend, it was the best thing I ever did). Anyway, since we had the full kitchen, we ordered groceries from Garden Grocer, and would eat a small breakfast in the room, use the CS credit for lunch and the TS for dinner. We ended up having a lot of snack credits left over this way, which was ok because we brought a lot of stuff home, and the only flaw in this plan was our meals were just a little too close together so we weren't super hungry by the time dinner rolled around. We still ate, mind you, but some of those CS credits were big portions (like Wolfgang Puck Express and Sunshine Seasons), so had we not had the big lunch, I think we would have had more room for dinner.

Hope that helps!

 

[Colleen27]

We love the deluxe plan and never feel like it is too much food. The way we do it, it is basically the same amount of food as the basic plan, but a step up in terms of quality and experience. We book two meals per day, so where we'd be having a counter service lunch on the basic plan we have a table service meal instead, and in place of the one-credit table service dinner we'd choose on the basic plan we instead have a signature meal. Doing it that way the only additional food is the appetizers, which we'd order OOP anyway because we much prefer appetizers over dessert, and the extra snack which as often as not gets used for a drink rather than food.

We thought the basic plan was plenty of food too, back when we used it (before the DxDDP was created), but it wasn't the type of food we wanted. We had to force ourselves to use all those counter service credits when we'd really rather be sitting down in a climate controlled restaurant having a waiter bring our food to us, and we'd always end up limiting our TS meals to the credits we had to work with because it felt like a waste to be paying OOP for extra TS while struggling to use up the CS. The deluxe plan is just a much better fit for the way we like to eat when we travel.

 

[deannanb]

We did it last year and didn't feel it was too much food.
(okay - sometimes we did)

It was more the convenience factor - food was paid for ahead of time and we could order whatever we wanted.

We had ADRs for breakfast and dinner. We did HDDR, Luau, and Cali Grill - 2 credits each. We did counter service for most lunches. Ate at Liberty Tree Tavern one day.

Extra snack credits were used for rice crispie treats and suckers to take home.

This summer I have ADRs for breakfast and dinner and 1 lunch - I figure we will do CS for lunches. I like to have a plan - so the ADRs help keep the day a little structured.

 

[gillep]

DH and I did the deluxe for a week last year and it was way too much food. As a pp mentioned we also did a TS breakfast or usually lunch and a signature two credit dinner and it was still too much. I think it was because all of our dinners were so rich. DH and I love appetizers so we thought it would be the best for us but I really don't think that any of the dining plan options work for the way we eat. Our past two trips we have done the TIW card and have had the freedom to eat exactly how we want to. For instance at Il Mulino we split a half order of pasta and the chicken parm along with their appetizer for two and it was more than enough food. At Jiko I got the boar appetizer and a side of mac and cheese and DH ordered the filet and mac and cheese and we each had wine. We much preferred the flexibility of the TIW and will not be doing any dining plans in the future. If you think your family will enjoy the deluxe plan then go for it but we find that we save a lot of money and enjoy our food much more off the plan.

Also you still have to pay oop for tips so really it is not really pre paid.

 

[Tricia1972]

We did the DxDDP on our January 18-28 trip and I sent a text to a friend on the way home "As God is my witness, I'll never do the Deluxe Dining Plan again" (a nod to Gone with the Wind)

It doesn't suit our eating stylel, even on days we did two TS credits. We like light breakfasts. A bowl of cereal, piece of fruit, muffin, etc is plenty for us at home, and while it's sometimes fun to splurge on vacation, splurging most days didn't sit well with our tummies. At home we are fine eating a big lunch or a big dinner, but not usually two big meals in one day. At home when we do eat two full meals in one day they are usually spaced apart a lot. That doesn't work with our family schedule at Disney where we have three kids who get tired in the evenings and aren't necessarily on their "'A' Game" late in the evening when a dinner would fit in with what our stomachs want.

Also, I also don't usually eat dessert with my meals. I prefer to eat dessert a while after supper at home, and in Disney that means that I would prefer a sweet treat a few hours after supper.

Despite knowing this much about our group, it seemed like the DxDDP would make financial sense to us so we booked it. After breakfast, the most that we were ever hungry for at lunch would be a light snack item. If we had a light snack for lunch, we'd be hungry again by dinner (or be able to entertain the thought of food), but we were rarely hungry for an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. We'd maybe want an entree and possibly a dessert, but more likely a dessert later on after supper.

I blame myself and should have known better that the DxDDP doesn't fit our family's style. I've tried the DDP in other variations and it never really fits.

My advice to you is to not listen to any of us. (well except for this next part - that you should listen to )
Think of how your family likes to eat both at home and on vacation. Look at the plans and see if the way the plan works would fit for your family. Both in timing and how you normally like to eat.

 

[baler31]

We are all adults and we've done the deluxe plan twice. Not only is it too much food for us, we hate the schedule constraints of having 2 TS a day. Both times we left with several unused credits.

Too much food, too much time. Agree with the above, would use the funds for CL or other splurges.

 

[baler31]

We love the deluxe plan and never feel like it is too much food. The way we do it, it is basically the same amount of food as the basic plan, but a step up in terms of quality and experience. We book two meals per day, so where we'd be having a counter service lunch on the basic plan we have a table service meal instead, and in place of the one-credit table service dinner we'd choose on the basic plan we instead have a signature meal. Doing it that way the only additional food is the appetizers, which we'd order OOP anyway because we much prefer appetizers over dessert, and the extra snack which as often as not gets used for a drink rather than food.

We thought the basic plan was plenty of food too, back when we used it (before the DxDDP was created), but it wasn't the type of food we wanted. We had to force ourselves to use all those counter service credits when we'd really rather be sitting down in a climate controlled restaurant having a waiter bring our food to us, and we'd always end up limiting our TS meals to the credits we had to work with because it felt like a waste to be paying OOP for extra TS while struggling to use up the CS. The deluxe plan is just a much better fit for the way we like to eat when we travel.

We found that the signature restuarants were much less expensive OOP than the deluxe plan. We use TIW which includes wine and alcohol and this was a much better fit for us without having leftover credits. Even on vacations we cannot possilbly dine that way every evening, we simply do not feel that well when we do.

At Disney we typically eat CL for breakfast, a TS lunch every other day and every other evening a signature on the off evenings we simply have the CL apps those are the days we do TS lunch. Otherwise is is too much food for our family, we still run every day while at Disney so we have to be able to get up early and do that.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

We do the DxDDP on every trip. The HUGE plus to this, is that you are pretty much all paid for (except alcoholic drinks and tips) before you get there. This could be a major plus for a bigger family. We like the breaks in the day to sit and eat--we never feel tied down. It also allows you to eat at signatures without running out of credits. We like the extra snack credits and normally use one for a snack and one for a drink when we leave the park late at night. Having the refillable mugs for each member of a bigger family will save money too--I think they're up around $15 now which would be $90. I say give it a go!

 

[jdisnut]

I think the deluxe plan is too much food for most people, and I suspect Disney makes a nice profit on the deal. I can't imagine spending that much time in table service restaurants during my trip. One nicer meal at dinner is easily enough for me and my family. I think the deluxe plan every night would leave me feeling the way I feel after leaving 'Ohana -- disgustingly stuffed!

 

[Eastern]

Even the regular dining plan is too much for my family. There were many times when we just weren't hungry, but we ate because we had credits. And I have 3 teen boys.

 

[3pletprincesses]

I would skip it if I was you. since 3 out of your 4 kids are consider adults at Disney, the meal plan is the same as yours. Would they be able to eat for it to be worth it? Adult meals are big and you will see alot going to waste. I would honnestly stick with regular dining. I went with the regular dining last year with my girls and we had more then plenty of food. I would use the snacks as breakfast for yogurts and such and CS for lunch and TS for dinner. We only had to buy 1 meals out of pocket because we arrived early the first day and left late the last day. You might be able to split 1 ts between them depending on their age.

I have booked deluxe for our upcoming trip because it's our wedding anniversary and we want to do signature restaurants. I've booked early breakfast and a 5pm dinner. I doubt we will eat much for lunch. If we are hungry around lunch, we'll use the snacks as you can get alot for the snacks and with the heat you tend to eat less. I"ve also kept 5 credit total in case we need lunch. For us it was worth it since our girls are 4 and the plan cost for them is low.

 

[lilandvisma]

So we went ahead with it. Our last visit we did the regular dining plan and DD's were 7 and 2. Now we will have an almost 1 year old (who eats almost everything) a 3 1/2 year old and a 9 year old. I decided to go deluxe this time for a variety of reasons. One being that last time we didn't have enough snack credits left and ended up spending a lot of extra $$$ OOP. Another reason is that since DS is "free" he will not have his own snack or meal credits and since you get so many with the DxDP I figure this will make up for his lack of credits. Also, my older DD has a good size appetite and might not fill up on the kids meals. The DxDP allows us to order appetizers which I may not eat but DD might.

Another factor is that where we come from there really isn't much as far as variety of food goes. The DxDP will give us the opportunity to splurge and try all sorts of fine restraunts and new types of food that we can't get back home. We plan on doing 5 signature meals, including CRT, Cali Grill, Flying Fish, Jiko and Brown Derby. We are also going during spring break which means packed CS stands and limited seating. I'd rather have my "break" in the park with a nice sit down meal away from the chaos of the parks but still right there as opposed to grabbing the bus back to the resort and trekking back later in the day with 3 kiddies in tow. For us, it seemed to take longer doing CS meals than TS last time by the time everything was said and done.

Finally, another reason why the DxDP makes the most sense for our family at this point is that we love character meals. And by doing character meals it essentially saves us A LOT of time that would otherwise be spent standing in long lines waiting to see multiple characters.

I'm a pretty tiny girl and can't really eat all that much but still enjoy getting good food I don't overeat at all and understand that I most likely will never eat all of the food that will be presented to me during our stay. For me it isn't all about eating until you bust. It's going to be more about convenience, being able to try new and unique things, and making the kids and Mommy and Daddy happy.

I think you need to sit down, crunch numbers, think about what you want out of your vacation and how you and your family eats...then make your decision based upon that GL!

 

[MickeyNicki]

DH and I took our nieces and I had scheduled 2 TS, one for breakfast and one for dinner and then we did a CS for lunch. The kids do not eat much at any meal other than breakfast so this was a huge waste. Next time I take them it will be TS breakfast and CS for lunch and dinner

For DH and I we have done a few TS in one day and as long as they are not all buffets and as long as they are spaced out by a long span of time we are ok....

 

[juliebug1997]

DH and I enjoyed the DxDP but we also don't have any kids. We enjoyed having some time inside in the summer heat. We enjoyed not eating fast-food for multiple meals (Disney's fast-food is better than most). It also gave us some time to sit there and talk about what we had already done that day or what we had to look forward to that night. I didn't feel that we wasted too much time. We got to ride Toy Story Mania twice (FP's only), we rode Peter Pan's flight multiple times in a row (thank you, EMH). If you use your touring time wisely, the table service meals don't cut in to your time all that much. Plus, I am an ultra-planner and it gave me something to continually re-visit about our trip. I would read books, the WDW website before we went. I liked it but I can see where it might be too much for others.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The regular dining plan is too much food for us. The only way I see the Deluxe plan having something to offer is if we wanted to dine at double credit places every night, and maybe a quick room service breakfast. (since you can arrange to have it deluvered at a certain time the night before.)

As it is, the double credit meals are often SLOW. Regular TS meals - are slow enough. One TS meal per day is about all I can take.

I just can't imagine eating at TWO buffets in ONE day. I don't stuff myself at buffets, but like to sample a variety of dishes. Still, after a TS dinner, esp a buffet - I'm just not hungry the next morning for much beyond a good cup of coffee.

Getting to our ADR's on time is often the most stressful part of our vacation - not that it's all that stressful - I just don't like it when the buses are late.

If you do more than one ADR pr day, when do you go on rides? I enjoy some dining at WDW, but mostly I'm there for the rides!

We also know where the better QS places are located on property. So we aren't eating burgers all week. I think Morocco, for example - has better quality food, and healthier choices than many TS places.

 

[sunshineNJ]

The only way I could imagine doing the deluxe dining plan is if you do signature dining most of the time. We do the regular dining plan and it's still soooo much food. We always have some snack credits left at the end.