Help need recommendation deluxe dining plan or not ?

[Mickey1277]

Hello we leave in 4 days for disney world 4nights 5 days we have already purchased the dinning plan that has 1 sit down 1 quick service and 1 snack it is me my wife my 11yr old and my 2yr old. We are dvc members staying at animal kingdom lodge kidani village my wife thinks it may be worth the extra $500 to not have to worry about food! I was wondering what everyone thinks? We are only doing sit downs that are only 1 meal tickets we were thinking about spending out of pocket on all breakfast and other snacks is it really cost efficient to get the deluxe plan please help all advice greatly appreciated

 

[stevehousse]

Eating at a sit down meal 3 times a day really eats up your park time IMO.

I think if u do deluxe the best way to do it is to eat at a lot of signature restaurants that are 2 credits. Use a 1 TS credit for breakfast and 2 TS credits for dinner.

 

[englanddg]

With an 11 year old, that will get you 3 apps, 3 entrees and 3 desserts from the adult menu, and 1 app, 1 entree, 1 dessert from the kids menu.

I'd do it, but then again, I like to try lots of things and I love to eat (even though I may not eat it all).

For that food experience, I'd say do it. Plus, the extra credits mean you could book something like Cindy's Royal Table.

For a financial concern, I'd say skip it.

 

[Mickey1277]

When we stayed at the BLT we had 3 meals left on our dining plan and they let us trade them in at the contemporary quick service "contempo cafe" for snacks I think 3 snacks per meal can you still do this? Just in case we go that way and don't use all the meals plus we would also probably only do 2 quick service and a sit down each day if that helps any thanks for all the advice

 

[englanddg]

When we stayed at the BLT we had 3 meals left on our dining plan and they let us trade them in at the contemporary quick service "contempo cafe" for snacks I think 3 snacks per meal can you still do this? Just in case we go that way and don't use all the meals plus we would also probably only do 2 quick service and a sit down each day if that helps any thanks for all the advice

I've been on the deluxe plan every visit since 2010. I've never heard of this option...and I always end up with unused dining credits. I do max out my snack credits the last day or two buying treats for co-workers and family (mostly rice crispy treats), but I didn't know I could also do that for TS credits.

I hope they still do this, I'll test it next trip!

 

[disneygirl76]

Hello we leave in 4 days for disney world 4nights 5 days we have already purchased the dinning plan that has 1 sit down 1 quick service and 1 snack it is me my wife my 11yr old and my 2yr old. We are dvc members staying at animal kingdom lodge kidani village my wife thinks it may be worth the extra $500 to not have to worry about food! I was wondering what everyone thinks? We are only doing sit downs that are only 1 meal tickets we were thinking about spending out of pocket on all breakfast and other snacks is it really cost efficient to get the deluxe plan please help all advice greatly appreciated

We have always done dining plan. And once did the deluxe plan when we were there for a 8 night/9 day trip. We did a combo of table and quick services. In the end, I am glad we did it b/c we don't like paying out of pocket when needed and we wanted to try some signature locations. In the end, the only signature we did was Brown Derby and CRT two times. So we were scrambling to use a TS on the day we left so not to loose it. I should add, we ended up getting bumped up to Club Level at the GF and I think that impacted things as well. We were going to do more breakfast sit down and ended up using the Club Level for most mornings. I think that impacted our totals as well. It is A LOT of food. Since you are planning on only doing TS and no signature, were you planning on eating 3 meals to sit down each day? If so, then go for it since you were planning on sitting down three times a day. But its a lot of ADR's and a lot of food. Its an experience to do once.

 

[Patti1]

Hello we leave in 4 days for disney world 4nights 5 days we have already purchased the dinning plan that has 1 sit down 1 quick service and 1 snack it is me my wife my 11yr old and my 2yr old. We are dvc members staying at animal kingdom lodge kidani village my wife thinks it may be worth the extra $500 to not have to worry about food! I was wondering what everyone thinks? We are only doing sit downs that are only 1 meal tickets we were thinking about spending out of pocket on all breakfast and other snacks is it really cost efficient to get the deluxe plan please help all advice greatly appreciated

We do the deluxe. And use all of our credits. May be too late for reservations, however this is how we plan. Early breakfast, as early as you can. Then lunch break around 11ish, but no latter than 1, and dinner late, around 7. Now with little ones that may not work, however if you don't try to do absolutely everything and allow for some down time for rest and relaxing then the deluxe plan should be worth the extra expense and you can enjoy a few 2 credit establishments

 

[jlsHouston]

I would never do deluxe for such a short stay. And if you decide to I'd definitely book character morning dining every day quickly, and a nice TS every evening and make 2 signatures. Like Flying Fish and Hoop De Doo. Or Cinderella Table. Which means juggling ADR's.
It's different at disney. For some reason we rarely eat 3 meals. Two meals and a couple of snacks. Deluxe is alot of food.
I think if you stick to the regular plan the most you will come out of pocket for a few extra snacks and qs meals will be $50/day.
I've done deluxe a couple of times. It's a great way to experience the signatures. And you will spend a lot of time in restaurants.

 

[awesomeinabox]

When we stayed at the BLT we had 3 meals left on our dining plan and they let us trade them in at the contemporary quick service "contempo cafe" for snacks I think 3 snacks per meal can you still do this? Just in case we go that way and don't use all the meals plus we would also probably only do 2 quick service and a sit down each day if that helps any thanks for all the advice

They did not let us do that at Saratoga last week. They did, however offer us one bottled drink, a piece of fresh fruit, and pastry. It seems to vary by resort and cashier.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

While I do not care for the regular dining plan, I do like the deluxe plan some of the time. Still, it's a lot of food and you have to make sure you're doing enough TS dining to make sure it's worth it. 3 TS meals a day every day is too much for us, but we like doing a big TS breakfast and a 2 credit dinner. We did find it practically impossible to burn the snack credits...it's just an obscene amount IMO. Ultimately, do the math...I don't believe in doing any of these plans just for convenience...i.e. I'd rather have the $ in my pocket and pay OOP for exactly what I want vs. paying for a plan that doesn't actually fit my dining style.

 

[m3owbox]

I would say no. Because of how busy Disney is these days you would have to make additional ADRs, and at 4 days away there would be slim pickin's. Also you are going for such a limited time to actually do things in the park because you would be seated eating food for a lot of the time. My family has always been fine with the basic dining plan that you already have. Its always been plenty of food for us. And we still have left over snacks at the end!

 

[minniemickeyfan]

If I'm planning on being out of pocket for anything on my trip (food, snacks etc) I buy Disney gift cards before I leave. That way I already have it paid for and can buy just what I want.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

If monetarily you feel that any additional quick service meals that you will be purchasing will reach $500 then definitely upgrade since the deluxe plan will give you enough credits to use for breakfast and lunch. the plan allows 3 dining credits per person per night of stay so if you are there for 4 nights. 12 credits per person. You already have 4 sit downs and you will be there for 5 days so that is 4 breakfasts and 4 lunches with no breakfast the first day and no lunch the 5th day. That will use up the 12.

Have a great trip!

Pam

 

[Leo!]

I did it once. For us it was a waste of food / money. We ended our stay with a lot of remaining meals without redemption. It was too much food for us.

 

[dreamfinder]

Keep in mind that you are asking about this days before your trip. So the biggest problem will most likely end up being finding available reservations. While the deluxe dining plan can be a better cost savings than with the regular dining plan, you need to be comfortable with doing the 3 TS meals each day. Otherwise it's almost definitely not going to be worth it. But if you do already have all those reservations made, it always comes down to the numbers. Most of the menus can be found online, here or on the WDW site. Look at the menus, and see what you would eat. If what you would eat (without regards for the price) ends up totaling more than the dining plan cost, then yes, it makes sense. But if you can only justify the cost by ordering the most expensive item on the menu, and it's something you wouldn't normally eat, then why bother? Stick the $500 on a Disney gift card, and pay for your meals as you go with that. Or heck, look into TiW. As a DVC owner you are able to purchase this, and the breakeven point would usually fall into that same area of cost differences you are talking about.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Keep in mind that you are asking about this days before your trip. So the biggest problem will most likely end up being finding available reservations. While the deluxe dining plan can be a better cost savings than with the regular dining plan, you need to be comfortable with doing the 3 TS meals each day. Otherwise it's almost definitely not going to be worth it. But if you do already have all those reservations made, it always comes down to the numbers. Most of the menus can be found online, here or on the WDW site. Look at the menus, and see what you would eat. If what you would eat (without regards for the price) ends up totaling more than the dining plan cost, then yes, it makes sense. But if you can only justify the cost by ordering the most expensive item on the menu, and it's something you wouldn't normally eat, then why bother? Stick the $500 on a Disney gift card, and pay for your meals as you go with that. Or heck, look into TiW. As a DVC owner you are able to purchase this, and the breakeven point would usually fall into that same area of cost differences you are talking about.

^^^^^THIS!!!

 

[mr_braver23]

If I'm planning on being out of pocket for anything on my trip (food, snacks etc) I buy Disney gift cards before I leave. That way I already have it paid for and can buy just what I want.

We do this every time we go! Always nice to have things already paid for!

 

[officialtom]

Deluxe would be too much food for our tastes... we get the standard dining plan and always end up with extra credits to use up on the last day.

 

[rob45]

We use the quick counter dining plan, that way you eat when you want to without waiting on your reservation at a sit down restaurant.

 

[Mukta]

Hello we leave in 4 days for disney world 4nights 5 days we have already purchased the dinning plan that has 1 sit down 1 quick service and 1 snack it is me my wife my 11yr old and my 2yr old. We are dvc members staying at animal kingdom lodge kidani village my wife thinks it may be worth the extra $500 to not have to worry about food! I was wondering what everyone thinks? We are only doing sit downs that are only 1 meal tickets we were thinking about spending out of pocket on all breakfast and other snacks is it really cost efficient to get the deluxe plan please help all advice greatly appreciated

When I have the regular dining plan, I use a snack point to grab a pastry in the morning, or buy 1 breakfast platter and split it with someone. I use a QS point for lunch and a TS point for dinner. It is plenty of food.

When I did the deluxe plan, I did a TS point for breakfast or early lunch and a Signature (2 points) for dinner. With an appetizer, entree and dessert, I couldn't eat more than twice a day. At the end of the trip, I felt that I had eaten way too much food.

The deluxe plan is VERY expensive. I wouldn't do it on a whim. I would sit down and look at menus to make sure I was really going to be able to eat $105 worth of food a day.