Would you upgrade to Deluxe Dining with 3 and 18 month old?

[rickq]

Hello,

Just looking at my reservation. It would be 380 dollars for my family to upgrade from regular dining plan to deluxe dining for our 5 night trip in september. If we stay in a deluxe resort ,i think I might be tempted to eat more at TS dining during our stay. Our kids usually do well in restaurants when we eat out. My question, would you upgrade and get deluxe for the price difference or stay in regular plan and pay OOP? .

We will probably use at least 2 Credits for CRT so if we stick to regular plan that just leaves us with 3 TS for 5 nights and 6 day and the rest CS and snacks for the rest of the stay. Also, and we have a full day when we arrive and leave since we arrive in MCO at 10:30 and dont leave until 6:30 on departure day.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

we like the deluxe plan because we are paid in full (except tips) when we leave home. i feel like we don't have to worry when we get there. we like the extra snacks for things that come up like wanting a caffiene fix, pastries for breakfast, etc. the refillable mugs are included in this so that's another plus. it's definatley worth it to me!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I keep reading these threads and keep going back to wanting Deluxe for our first week of our trip......It's a little more to upgrade for us, but I'm really wanting to.....

 

[nkereina]

I also prefer the Deluxe for the fact that I don't have to worry about money except for tips. Makes it easier for me to budget. People always say to figure out how much you will spend by looking at the menus, but I change my mind a lot so when I get there, I may want a $30 steak instead of a $10 hamburger and that throws my budget off. I also hate being limited. If I was paying OOP there, I might not order an app or dessert just to save money but since it's inluded in the Deluxe, I'll take it! $380, in my opinion, doesn't seem like much to upgrade, I'd do it.

 

[mickeyluvsjess]

I have been doing deluxe because besides knowing everything is paid for if you are not staying club level(where you get the extra snaks) we find we usually have some credits to order room service for the kids so they leave with fuller tummies in the morning and you also get more snack credits, that way if they dont eat in the resteraunt they are still fed.It just gives us the feeling that anything that comes up is taken care of in advance. Also although room service is two credits the gratuity is included. with little ones I just like knowing we can do whatever whenever. Have a great trip.

 

[PamelaKay]

If you can afford the money up front, I say upgrade. Here are a few reasons I really love DxDP

1. I fly and arrive at 9:30 a.m. and leave at 7:00 p.m. so it is nice to have meals those days.
2. DxDP comes with the resort refillable mug. You can use it and a snack credit while enjoying time at the resort pool. If you stay deluxe, be sure to factor in some pool time.
3. It allows you to do a couple of signture or 2 TS meals or shows. Your family might enjoy Hoop Dee Doo or Mickey's Backyard BBQ in addition to CRT.
4. It gives you a nice sit down breakfast on several days.
5. You really won't have to spend much for food while in WDW.
6. In the long run you really will save money.

I suggest making all your wish list ADR's and then counting them up to see if you will benefit from DxDP. Good luck

 

[candielips]

I did Deluxe on our last trip with a 3 yr old and a 9 month old and it was too much dining. We were constantly running to reservations everywhere and it wasn't the sitting in restaurants that bothered our children, BUT the always having to be somewhere.
I would recommend the regular DDP and paying OOP if you have to. Or just using the TS you have and enjoying some of the great CS options there. On our next trip we are doing the regular DDP and we too ar edoing CRT, but I know it is enough food for my family.

 

[lilandvisma]

With those ages I would, especially if your 18 month old eats mostly table food. When we went in 2009 we did the regular dining plan and DD#2 had just turned 2. We had to sacrifice our snack credits so that when one girl wanted an ice cream, drink, etc of course the other one wanted one. The CS kids meals are a joke for the most part...splitting them between my 2 year old and 7 year old was a comical experience lol. We are upgrading for a variety of reasons and one of those reasons is that with DxDP I will be able to use my extra credits for the baby (who will be 11 months when we go next month). He's pretty much on all table foods and should be weaning to whole milk hopefully. For extra snacks for him I'll probably end up getting milks, crackers, etc.. For TS we've planned 6 Signature meals and a lot of character breakfasts as well. It's not going to be any different than eating two times a day on the regular DDP (except for longer meals perhaps). I'm confident in our decision to upgrade and hopefully we will have a good experience with it. I feel good knowing that all of my kids can have a snack and that if my 9 yo doesn't feel like the typical kids meal options she can easily split with me and I'll give the baby hers.

 

[Colleen27]

We loved having the deluxe plan with our toddler last trip. She was 16mo and eats pretty much everything we do, so having the extra food on the table to pass around was often the difference between ordering her kids meals OOP and being able to make her up a plate from our meals. She also used a ton of our snack credits for drinks anf fruit, because she gets hungry so much more often than the rest of us. And it was wonderful not to do any counter service with her - no worries about juggling trays or finding a table, every meal was table service brought right to us while we relaxed in climate controlled comfort.

And the deluxe plan at a deluxe resort is lovely for the ability to order room service if you have a sleep-in morning, or want a late night something before bed, or just take a day to relax at the resort. Our first deluxe dining trip was at the Wilderness Lodge and we ordered room service a couple of times - once late in the evening when the kids worked up an appetite with a long after-dinner swim and once on our check-out day to have a nice breakfast delivered to our room while we packed.

 

[rickq]

thanks for the responses. Keep posting members.

I have not itemized all the possible dining cost, but it looks like I will save $ by upgrading. I still have to factor in tips though.

 

[kchughes]

We have done DlxDP once and have it planned for our upcoming trip in September. Our DS was 7 last year when we used it and we all love it. But I like the trip being as close to all inclusive as I can get. But it is ALOT of food. We have figure that at most we can comfortably do 2 TS per day. So now we have planned 6 signature meals for the 9 nights we will be there. I am one of those people that checks out the pricing for what I think we will order and adds 10% and tips are in envelopes before we leave. I just pull the days cash out of the safe, throw the envelope away and have cash to leave the waitstaff. And I make sure I have small bills in there incase I need to decrease the amount due to me over budgeting or lousy service. Unless you have your heart set on CRT, I would go to 1900 Park Fare for dinner or Akershus for any meal for a princess meal. Much better food that CRT, but I can say I am glad I had the experience of eating in the castle. Just my opinion

 

[rickq]

Yeah, we are doing CRT mostly for the experience of eating in the castle, not really have big expectation for the food.
It really is bummer that it also takes 2 TS meal credit.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I can't see doing it with kids that little. It's a lot of sitting still - I would only use Deluxe if we wanted a lot of signatures and an 18 month old and 3 year old are too little for signatures (while Disney restaurants are kid friendly, I feel like signatures, people really do expect a more adult environment!).

Also with kids that young, you really need flexibility. We are doing regular DDP again and paying OOP for extra meals (we are using 2 credits at CRT and due to a late departure on our last day, we need an extra meal). I don't like doing too many TS lunches (I feel like a mid-day ADR interrupts the flow of the day), but by 6 PM, we are DEFINITELY ready for a nice break. It's nice to have the flexibility to take a break whenever you want to without having to check the clock for your next ADR. I also can't see how you'd use all of your snack credits! It's hard enough with regular DDP. Some of our best breaks were spontaneous ice cream breaks at 3 PM.

 

[debmoore]

I have done deluxe dining, outofpocket dining, and all dining plans in between. My DH & I are big eaters and found that usually the servings are so large that you overeat, waste food, gain too much weight, and feel sluggish if you go deluxe dining. We now use tables in wonderland, or bring a bag of bagels, chips & fruit, and we split one quick service meal per day and still have food and money left every day. We get double cheeseburgers and put one patty on the bagel, & leave the other patty on the bun, or get a quiche or roast chicken and divide onto two bagels. Bagels hold up better than bread and there are places you can toast them in the parks and resorts.
I never never split my tonga toast or dole whips but they are worth the splurge, and captain cooks at the poly is cheap and has lots of outdoor dining with hawaiian music and lush tropical surroundings....just don't feed the ducks.

 

[MaggieMoo'sMom]

I like having the DxDp because we are go, go, go people at home. I like us sitting down for our meals at WDW. I know I am getting in the air at least 3 times a day. I also like the fact that I do not have to cook, and we are able to not eat junk all week.

There is a lot of peace that comes with the fact that everything but tips are covered, too. If my DD5 wanted a bowl of cold grapes 30 minutes after we ate, I am not worried about the cost. I just get them.

We still get everything done on our touring plans because we eat a lot of character meals, so that means unless we have not met them, we do not do characters in the parks.

I have come out in the black both times we have done it. Some will say it is too much food, but we just stop eating when we are full.

Hope this helps!

 

[Colleen27]

I can't see doing it with kids that little. It's a lot of sitting still - I would only use Deluxe if we wanted a lot of signatures and an 18 month old and 3 year old are too little for signatures (while Disney restaurants are kid friendly, I feel like signatures, people really do expect a more adult environment!).

Also with kids that young, you really need flexibility. We are doing regular DDP again and paying OOP for extra meals (we are using 2 credits at CRT and due to a late departure on our last day, we need an extra meal). I don't like doing too many TS lunches (I feel like a mid-day ADR interrupts the flow of the day), but by 6 PM, we are DEFINITELY ready for a nice break. It's nice to have the flexibility to take a break whenever you want to without having to check the clock for your next ADR. I also can't see how you'd use all of your snack credits! It's hard enough with regular DDP. Some of our best breaks were spontaneous ice cream breaks at 3 PM.

I would disagree about the kids being too young for signatures. Well behaved kids of any age are welcome at the signature restaurants, and the kids menus are MUCH better at the signatures than at the one credit restaurants. And there are also the dinner shows for two credit meals - Mickey's Backyard BBQ and Hoop Dee Do both look like they'd be fun for young kids.

As far as flexibility, that's a matter of perspective. We feel like the all-inclusive feel and the ability to order room service or pizza, to do character breakfasts rather than wait in lines in the parks, and to know all the snacks are covered is the ultimate in flexibility. And having that child under 3 goes a long way towards using the snack credits; our toddler was using 2-3 a day on her own, for drinks and fruit or other light snacks between meals.