doing the math

[EvilQueen-T]

history: i've only used the deluxe dining plan 4 or 5 times and always when i traveled with adults only who look at dining as just as much a part of the vacation as seeing a show or riding a ride. on these trips we only booked signature venue dinners and used whatever was left of our credits for a few table service lunches. this summer my sister, her husband, and her very "busy" 6 year old daughter are joining my granddaughter and i for a 7-10 day trip at disney. my granddaughter and i are disney vets and both love doing a nice dinner (she wants to be a chef) but my niece is not the best behaved kid so we'll be lucky to survive getting through one sit down meal a day and probably nothing in the signature category. when we did the dining plan in the past it was so everyone could have their vacation price up front and budget accordingly so we were paid off before we went (these were always girls only type vaca's so it was always everyone needs to put aside x dollars to cover room, meals etc...).

problem: right now my sister and her husband are stuck on deciding to upgrade from a value resort using a deluxe dining plan versus a stay by us at por and use the regular dining plan. i've never done the regular dining plan and never done a dining plan with a kid along. i know i'm missing the big picture lol but quite frankly i'm not sure how to do the math on this one to figure out which way they'll save more money especially when factoring in a child on the dining plan.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

The answer to which will be better will be based on where you plan on eating. If you are still planing on doing TS breakfasts, signature dinners, etc then the deluxe plan is they way to go. If you have decided to forgo that dining pattern and just do 1 TS and 1 CS per day due to the kids the the regular plan will be fine.

My understanding is that my sister was just looking at cost but her husband is looking at dining experience and was wanting to do more signature type meals mixed in with things like character meals...so lots of 2 credits. I told them imo trying to do a single credit breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day is just waaaay to much time and food. I suggested they do like I do (if I do a dining plan) is booking a 2 credit ts meal a little later in the evening each night then using any remaining ts credits to do early single ts lunches, snacks to fill in the gaps. It's still a lot of food (imo) but a lot less time consuming than doing single ts for all the meals.

 

[Master Yoda]

My understanding is that my sister was just looking at cost but her husband is looking at dining experience and was wanting to do more signature type meals mixed in with things like character meals...so lots of 2 credits. I told them imo trying to do a single credit breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day is just waaaay to much time and food. I suggested they do like I do (if I do a dining plan) is booking a 2 credit ts meal a little later in the evening each night then using any remaining ts credits to do early single ts lunches, snacks to fill in the gaps. It's still a lot of food (imo) but a lot less time consuming than doing single ts for all the meals.

If that is the plan then they really have to suck it up and go with deluxe dining. Otherwise they will be spending a small fortune out of pocket to keep up with that schedule.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

problem: right now my sister and her husband are stuck on deciding to upgrade from a value resort using a deluxe dining plan versus a stay by us at por and use the regular dining plan. i've never done the regular dining plan and never done a dining plan with a kid along.

Definitely the Regular dining plan (if you go with the plan). Not only is (I'm guessing that you meant Port Orleans Riverside) a nicer hotel overall, but I think that you'll all be better off on just the regular one.
With the regular one, you can all sit down to a nice meal at least once a day. That may be all your niece can handle. I was a really well-behaved kid, but I didn't like sitting down for a full meal more than once per day at that age. Actually, I'd still probably rather be out riding rides. She's in Disney, and to her, there's better stuff to do than eat. Also, many of the signature restaurants have horrible kids menus, so check before you book.

Normally, I don't advise the dining plan at all as I often feel trapped in what I can order and what I can eat while I'm on one, but if you're going to get one, go with the regular one. You can also use your counter service entitlements for the best counter service food. This is Disney; the food is always good, but World Showcase always has some exceptional options. My favorites are La Cantina (Mexico) The Land, and Morocco (their counter service is better than table service, in my opinion). I'm going to try the new France restaurant when I go at the end of this month. I've been told that Japan is also really good, though I'm not into sushi. So if you do decide to go mostly counter service, your granddaughter will be fine if you do a lot of Epcot places. For Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbor House has some more unique options. Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe is also really good. I can't help you much in Hollywood studios, as all the counter service places are kind of "meh". For Animal Kingdom, go with Flame Tree BBQ. And if your niece does not like the kids' menus at any of these places, there is always someplace that has chicken strips nearby.
Also, make sure you take her to a really "fun" restaurant while there. When I've got kids with me, they always have a blast a Prime Time. The food is really good as well, just classics like fried chicken, pot roast, roast beef, and others. You don't want dining to be torture.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

If I was a kid I think I would rather spend 5 or 6 hours at wdw going on rides than sitting in a restaurant for that amount of time!

My father always talks about going as kids and going on the rides while his mother and step grandfather ate at the restaurants. Everyone was happy then. Now, my family does one or two sit down meals a day and the rest of the time is spent on rides. This makes everyone happy.

 

[Jessica Meier]

Ya'll are cracking me up. I am having the same issues with my BIL and his family only they think they can call a month out and book a vacay. I told my husband we are making our reservations regardless and to hell with them. Not my problem. I am not going to ruin my vacay b/c people won't plan ahead or make decisions. Like I told him last night, I will be surprised if they wind up even going so why should all of our plans be dependent on them.