Which Dining Plan to Choose?

[ZaddieMois]

Hello!
I am visiting Disney World in July for 6 nights/7 days at POFQ. My boyfriend and I have signed up for the Disney Dining Plan (1 QS, 1 TS, 1 Snack). Once making our ADR's we have come to the conclusion we can't go to everything we want due to some TS being 2 credits over 1, and we also prefer a lot of the TS over QS..clearly! We are in the midst of deciding if we should consider upgrading the the DELUXE Disney Dining Plan. I have researched and some people feel this is too much food or we will spend too much time in the restaraunts. We aren't really having this fear, due to designating one park per day, and really not looking to ride every ride more then once. We also LOVE food, and feel more comfortable having all of our meals already paid for. There are about 2 meals that don't fit into our original Dining Plan, so that would come out of pocket. We also would like to get a quick breakfast at our resort some days, and that isn't possible on the regular dining plan.

Should we stick with our original Disney Dining Plan or upgrade to the DELUXE Dining Plan?
Thanks for your input!

 

[Master Yoda]

There is no way to get around the fact that properly utilizing the Deluxe Dining Plan will require you to take time away from the parks.

If you are OK with that , it simply comes down to the math. Look at the menus for where you are dining, pick out what you would order and add it up. If it is greater than the cost of the deluxe plan or if you are pretty close then your decision is pretty easy...get the deluxe plan.

If you are coming up short, paying cash for a few meals or forgoing the dining plane entirely might be the better option.

 

[sxeensweet]

Also you can always pay for some out of pocket and it will probably be cheaper than paying for the deluxe. That's what we do we pay the cheapest ones OOP and get the regular dining plan. We have done both the standard plan and the deluxe plan and we prefer the standard plan even though we do enjoy a lot of restaurants.
Even with paying the extra restaurants out of pocket it's still cheaper than the deluxe because the deluxe is almost DOUBLE the cost of the standard dining plan.
Do the math of if you pay so many OOP vs. upgrading to the deluxe and see if the extra cost of the deluxe makes sense.

 

[Pluto89]

We always do the Deluxe Dining Plan due to the fact that some TS are 2 credits and this way we don't have to worry about taking any extra monies for dining. It makes the vacation more all inclusive yes you do spend time in the restaurants but that a given and the food is always worth it to me! As far as having extra credits for meals and we have about. 3-6 dinners left for a family of three. We have bought dinner for a family or two at a restaurant we are at at the time. It's a nice way to give back and makes you feel good. PS: left over snacks can be used the day you leave at the food court for plane ride snacks!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I always tell people to do the math. Look at the menus, figure out what you'd probably order each day and compare your prices to the cost of the plans, including what you'd be paying OOP if you went with the regular plan and added a few extra meals. And really push yourself to go for what you want and not what would be the best deal on the plan or what the plan provides.

 

[sxeensweet]

And to note if you did not know this already the Deluxe plan includes 3 TS/QS credits (they are interchangabele) per person per night of stay. So you don't have to eat at all TS restaurants for all your 3 credits a day, and in fact we still used one QS for lunch etc each day so as to not eat at all TS meals. We did still almost break even when we have used Deluxe even eating at QS as one of our credits each day. So just to reiterate do the math to see what's best for you.

 

[slappy magoo]

Something else to consider - you're going in July. It will be likely be very very hot and will almost definitely be very very busy. On the one hand, going for the Deluxe plan will afford you more opportunities for leisurely meals in air-conditioned restaurants to beat the heat. On the other hand, that's time you won't be spending hitting rides and attractions that will be arguably busier than if you went in, say, early December or in the spring (after spring break but before most schools let out for the summer).

If you do go Deluxe, I would suggest trying to hit parks in the morning, before it gets too hot. Try to eat to-go breakfasts, and on days you plan to go to Signature restaurants for lunch or dinner, use your snack credits and refillable mug to have lighter breakfasts at your resort). Take advantage of early morning Extra Magic Hours and try to hold off on booking early fastpasses. Get table service lunches. If you really like breakfast food, try to get the last possible breakfast booking possible at restaurants either in or near the park you'll be visiting that day (example, when you go to MK, try to get a late breakfast at 1900 Park Fare). Treat it like a brunch. If you intend to go back to the park after lunch, that's when you use your fastpasses. Or if you plan on going back to the room in the afternoon and back to a park at night, schedule your fastpasses then. If you took advantage of the early morning EMH, hopefully lines will not have been too crazy in the morning. If oyu can afford it, get park hoppers so you can go to a different park after, because the lines at that park might be crazy.

Another thing to consider - French Quarter, while a lovely resort, is really lacking in food options. Only a food court, maybe some snacks at the bar, no sit down restaurant. If the summer heat gets overwhelming, you may find yourself choosing not to bother going back to the parks after lunch, at all. I speak from experience, our last trip was 2 summers ago in August. Even cast members and locals were saying the heat we experienced was worse than usual. Our situation was different in that we also had 2 small girls with us. But I wound up having to cancel a lot of meal reservations at restaurants in the parks themselves, and switch to restaurants in resorts we could easily access; we are DVC members and were staying in BLT, so we shmoozed our way into extra seatings at Chef Mickey's and the Wave, had a meal planned at Cali Grill anyway, and also booked at other monorail resorts, boated drove over to Wilderness Lodge and drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I mention all this to suggest you might want to see if you can switch your reservation to Coronado Springs. It's a bigger resort, but you'll have many many more options on-site for dining if you need it. You may also want to call and see if there might be any unadvertised promotional offers at Saratoga Springs. Because it's one of the biggest DVC resorts, sometimes (SUPPOSEDLY) they'll have such specials, especially for younger couples, in hopes of bringing you into the DVC fold. There aren't a lot of meal options on-site (though more than French Quarter), the food court, another QS by one of the 2 main pools and a sit down for dinner. But you're also much closer (a boat ride or shortish walk, depending on where they place you) to Disney Springs, and all the dining options there.

But hey, if you're OK with the heat, forget I brought it up, no sweat. So to speak.

 

[ekutchey]

We love the deluxe dining plan! Have utilized it every trip. We tend to skip breakfast many days as we are night owls so we visit several Signature restaurants and enjoy each meal. We as well just go with the flow of things, enjoy exploring food at Disney and do not mind spending time eating. Too us dining is part of the experience and enjoyment of the trip. We also drive down so use left over snacks for the ride home.

 

[parkhopper1213]

You are going to build your whole day around your dining reservations versus park attractions. If dining is your priority then the sit down plan may be worth it. We found any dining plan expensive, and we spent more time trying to get our money's worth out of the food service. Not how we wanted to spend our time in the end.