Dining Plan - Is Deluxe worth it?

[Andrew M]

We went down last November my wife and 2yr old son and 1yr old daughter during food & wine w/ free dining. We used all our entitlements for the 1QS, 1TS & 1 snack dining plan and ended up paying for some meals out of pocket. My wife thinks we should upgrade for our October visit to the deluxe dining plan (just for my wife and I, our son will still be '2' years old.. ;-) ).

The both of us love the restaurants at WDW and definitely don't mind sitting at a restaurant instead of trying to do as many rides as possible, plus with the kids we wouldn't be able to really skip any meals anyway. Also food and wine will be back so I'm sure we won't have any trouble using the 2 snacks/day each. I've done the calculator that's online where you put in your restaurants and it tells you whether its worth it or not and it says we'd end up about $20-30 ahead if we did get deluxe.

So basically I just wanted to see if anyone has actually gotten the deluxe plan and thought it was actually worth it.

Thanks!

 

[sgtmgd]

You're, going to get vastly different opinions on that...lol...but for us when we go for a week and take the family yes we always go Deluxe, our MO is to schedule a sit down breakfast every morning..usually a character,,,Cape May, 1900 Park Far, Crystal Palace, you get the idea...we do this early early and then will schedule a sit down dinner around 530-6PM..to eat a nice meal and recharge our batteries...we also will schedule a few Signatures (takes 2 TS Credits) but well worth it....we use snacks during the breakfast dinner gap if we get hungry...it works for us..

 

[yedliW]

We had looked into it on the last trip before our first child came along, figuring that it would be the best last chance we would have to justify it until the kid moved out.. I had even started booking ADRs for signature dining experiences. The plan was to hit a buffet for breakfast, then use the snacks at lunch, and hit the 2 point places for dinner. I am also in the camp that view the dining experiences are as much a part of a Disney trip as the rides and shows are.

The problem we ran in to is that we don't usually get a car, and there aren't as many places for breakfast in the parks as there are at the resorts, and it can be difficult to get to other resorts using Disney Transit, especially for breakfast.. even if it is a place on the monorail.. so getting to an 8 or 9a ADR, means you are leaving your resort at 6.30a to allow time for a transfer. We stayed at SSR that trip, which doesn't have a TS restaurant that serves breakfast. Sure, you could use the credits at QS, but doing so would pretty much guarantee you were not coming out ahead (or even breaking even) on the plan.

We ultimately scrapped the idea of the dining plan all together, and just paid OOP for food.

I would sometime like to take this approach, when it is just my wife and I.. but that could be several years off at this point.. It is probably the only way we would be able to justify the 2 point meals.

 

[slappy magoo]

We had looked into it on the last trip before our first child came along, figuring that it would be the best last chance we would have to justify it until the kid moved out...
I would sometime like to take this approach, when it is just my wife and I.. but that could be several years off at this point.. It is probably the only way we would be able to justify the 2 point meals.

Depending on your eating habits, using the Deluxe Dining Plan with a child might make even more sense, at least until the child hits the "magical" age of 10 which would make him/her an adult by Disney ticketing standards. Look at buffet restaurants where they have characters. Currently, for dinner alone, those meals are in the $25-30 price range for kids. The Deluxe Dining Plan alone for kids is around $32. A day where you have breakfast at Chef Mickey's (1 credit) and dinner at Cali Grill (2 credits), that's about $45 they'd charge the child between the 2 meals - assuming your child ordered one of the kid-sized appetizers, entree and dessert. So $13 saved right there on the Deluxe Plan, not including lunch. And if you could use your snack credits for a lighter and simpler lunch versus an out of pocket expense, that's more saved.

 

[Master Yoda]

The only scenarios where I have found the deluxe plan to be of value is when I have done trips where the attractions were completely secondary and dining was the main focus resulting in 3 table service meals per day or where a table service and a signature restaurant were a daily occurrence.

With every other scenario, paying out of pocket ended up being a better deal.

 

[yedliW]

Depending on your eating habits, using the Deluxe Dining Plan with a child might make even more sense, at least until the child hits the "magical" age of 10 which would make him/her an adult by Disney ticketing standards.

The problem you run into is kids that age might not appreciate the location (food.. theming.. etc.. except for the Castle..) I know it's Disney, and kids are everywhere.. but I don't want to be the reason someone else isn't enjoying what they pay for..

 

[slappy magoo]

The problem you run into is kids that age might not appreciate the location (food.. theming.. etc.. except for the Castle..) I know it's Disney, and kids are everywhere.. but I don't want to be the reason someone else isn't enjoying what they pay for..

When it comes to more extravagant 2-credit restaurants, sure, I can understand the concern about having a fussy kid around when people are trying to enjoy a nice and expensive meal. But even forgoing a meal at a California Grill or Narcoossee's, a lot of meals a kid would more than likely enjoy, are expensive. Mainly, I'm thinking about character meals, which are usually buffets, set at one price. Depending on location and which meal it is (B,L,D), those meals can be between 20 and 30 bucks for just a child. And of course one should expect kids at a character meal, right? And Lord knows they accommodate kids' palates. Getting Mickey or Cinderella's picture/autograph at a meal means you're not waiting on line or using a Fastpass to see them in the parks.

 

[MickeyMomV]

We are supporters of the regular dining plan but would pass on the deluxe. Its just too many table service meals. We usually do a QS lunch and a TS dinner and just do a grab and go for breakfast (refillable mug and a breakfast sandwich). If we do a character breakfast then we will just pay OOP for a CS dinner. Each TS meal takes you away from the park, on average, about an hour and a half if the restaurant is in the park and about 2 and a half hours if you have to leave the park to go to a hotel. if you add in a QS lunch you are giving up 3.5 to 5.5 hours every day to restaurants. That is just too much time.

 

[sxeensweet]

And just remember with Deluxe you do not have to do 3 total TS a day. It is 3 credits that are QS and TS interchangeably. We usually only ate one TS on most days and a few breakfast TS's included on some days. Our lunch was usually a QS. We did not lose money doing this and almost broke even or right at even, even with using QS meals as credits as well. So some think you have to cram at least 2 TS meals a day or 3 and you do not have to do that at all to get your money's worth. You still can get your money's worth using TS and QS with your credits.
Most times we just use the regular dining plan but do enjoy the Deluxe sometimes. Don't be afraid to use 1 of your 3 credits each day on a QS meal to save on some time and enjoy what QS also had to offer which there is some great QS options out there.

 

[NonnaT]

We went down last November my wife and 2yr old son and 1yr old daughter during food & wine w/ free dining. We used all our entitlements for the 1QS, 1TS & 1 snack dining plan and ended up paying for some meals out of pocket. My wife thinks we should upgrade for our October visit to the deluxe dining plan (just for my wife and I, our son will still be '2' years old.. ;-) ).

The both of us love the restaurants at WDW and definitely don't mind sitting at a restaurant instead of trying to do as many rides as possible, plus with the kids we wouldn't be able to really skip any meals anyway. Also food and wine will be back so I'm sure we won't have any trouble using the 2 snacks/day each. I've done the calculator that's online where you put in your restaurants and it tells you whether its worth it or not and it says we'd end up about $20-30 ahead if we did get deluxe.

So basically I just wanted to see if anyone has actually gotten the deluxe plan and thought it was actually worth it.

Thanks!

We are really lucky and almost always go during "free" dining, which we then upgrade to the deluxe plan. DH loves it (as do I). We both enjoy sitting down for a relaxed evening meal and because we use the DDP we go to at least 1 signature each trip. There have been times where we haven't used all our credits in one day, so we are always able to have at least a lovely breakfast/brunch and a dinner prior to our flight home (we take the 8:30 pm out of MCO so really have a full day to resort hop or spend at DS). We get to WDW by 10:30 am on arrival, so can use the plan for a late lunch or early dinner.
We also like having 2 snack credits a day. We almost always get a fancy Dancy iced coffee drink from Star$$$ for one, and use the other either for a breakfast item or save it to take "presents" home. (Those coconut mouse ears are a friend's fav)
We have NE er not had enough credits to eat where and when we want, and have never had credits leftover. (All planning on my part)
Every time I plan a trip, DH always asks, "did you arrange for dining" For us it's so worth it!

 

[jaklgreen]

I don't think the deluxe it worth the expense unless you are big eaters. If you are appetizer/ entrée/ dessert at every meal type of people then I would think that it would be cheaper to pay out of pocket or just get the regular dining plan. Plus with kids that young, not sure spending so much time in restaurants is a good idea, especially at WDW where there are so many distractions.

 

[Bparso87]

I like to buy the dinning plan but deluxe is not worth it if u can get a TIW card or an AP the discounts u can get would save u money.

 

[officialtom]

We have never gotten the deluxe plan, just the regular plan (1 snack + 1 QS + 1 TS), including for our upcoming trip next week. At the end of our trips, we always have credits (usually snacks) leftover and end up using them on packaged snacks to bring home. We normally "double up" our TS credits on one day to do one signature restaurant; otherwise, we only eat at the one-credit TS spots...and we haven't been disappointed yet!

On a somewhat separate note, we find the portions at WDW to be generally monstrous. Despite Canada sharing a border with the US, we're always shocked at the amount of food that gets served for one person in the States. We've been known to split a lot of meals and snacks at WDW, which does contribute to having credits left over on the last day.

 

[smbarr]

We did the Deluxe and loved it! DH and I enjoyed a few character breakfasts as well as a few signature restaurants in the evening that required 2 credits. If you are interested in the food aspect of Disney it can be worth it. We wanted to try different places and not have to worry about money while we were there.

 

[DfromATX]

I think the QS is more of a waste of money and the deluxe might be too. We have done the regular plan on all our past trips. We decided on our trip in July, we're going to try the idea that I've seen suggested on here of putting that cost onto a gift card. We will follow the same eating habits we usually do with the plan - small breakfast with a snack type item, quick service lunch, and TS for dinner. I used to think we broke even on the regular dining plan, but I'm not so sure anymore. (Many years ago they included tip so back then it was worth it.) I think the deluxe plan sounds like a TON of food.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

I think the QS is more of a waste of money and the deluxe might be too. We have done the regular plan on all our past trips. We decided on our trip in July, we're going to try the idea that I've seen suggested on here of putting that cost onto a gift card. We will follow the same eating habits we usually do with the plan - small breakfast with a snack type item, quick service lunch, and TS for dinner. I used to think we broke even on the regular dining plan, but I'm not so sure anymore. (Many years ago they included tip so back then it was worth it.) I think the deluxe plan sounds like a TON of food.

We use gift cards now too.....and are grateful we USED to buy the DP. Had we not used the Dining Plan in the past, we would have NEVER ate at so many restaurants and thus now have so many must do ressies.

When we did the DP math, we realized it would take effort to break even (buying expensive entrees, snacks) to break even, and even if we were able to, we would be eating dessert twice a day, and having sodas at each meal. Rarely do we eat dessert, and at most we have 1 soda each day.

Last note - we only used the Deluxe Dining Plan 1 time and it was way too much food. The DP (1 TS, 1 QS) was a better fit, but as stated above, the math didn't really work.

 

[Minthorne]

Disney thinks it is worth it.

 

[PrincessRachelT]

We did this for our honeymoon! We usually did a table service buffet for breakfast (character) and then used 2 credits at night for a signiture restaurant. We used snack credits for lunches. I will admit, it's a lot of food. But for a special occasion, it was totally worth it

 

[DfromATX]

We use gift cards now too.....and are grateful we USED to buy the DP. Had we not used the Dining Plan in the past, we would have NEVER ate at so many restaurants and thus now have so many must do ressies.

When we did the DP math, we realized it would take effort to break even (buying expensive entrees, snacks) to break even, and even if we were able to, we would be eating dessert twice a day, and having sodas at each meal. Rarely do we eat dessert, and at most we have 1 soda each day.

Last note - we only used the Deluxe Dining Plan 1 time and it was way too much food. The DP (1 TS, 1 QS) was a better fit, but as stated above, the math didn't really work.

Agreed! We have discovered so many delicious places to eat because of the dining plan. At least by not doing it, we may not be stuffing ourselves so much. I doubt we will eat dessert each meal either or have soda, although we are still going to the TS restaurants. Two new ones for us this upcoming trip: Prime Time at HS and Maya Grill at the Coronado Resort after a day at AK (couldn't get my group to agree to Sanaa). Can't wait!!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We were there two weeks ago with a group of six. Four of the six had the dining plan, and we shared the credits among the whole party. Even sharing the regular dining plan that way, we still felt it was too much food. I'm one who enjoys a sit-down meal every day, but I just can't do that much desert.