Disney Dining Plan, worth it or not?

When you are planning your Disney vacation, one of the biggest concerns and costs is food. Disney offers a Dining Plan which is like prepaid dining. In this Blog, we will discuss what the Dining Plan consists of, how much it costs, and whether or not it would be right for your family. Is it worth it? It all depends on your families needs, wants, and budget.

The Disney Dining Plan is an option that you can add on to your vacation package. It is based on how many nights you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort. It doesn’t matter which resort you stay (Value, Moderate, or Deluxe) , as long as it is on Disney World property. There are three levels of Dining Plans: Quick-Service Dining Plan, Dining Plan, and Deluxe Dining Plan. At the time this blog is published, the cost for these dining plans are: Quick Service Adult $55, Child $26 per day, Dining Plan Adult $78.01, Child $30.51 per day, Deluxe Dining Plan Adult $119, Child $47.50. All of the plans come with one refillable mug per person. You can only fill the mugs at a Disney Resort. You can read more detail about each dining plan at WDW website. For our purposes in this blog we will be mostly looking at the Regular Dining Plan which gives you 1 Table service meal per day, 1 Quick Service meal per day, and 2 snacks per day.

Some things to consider when deciding if a dining plan is right for you are: Do you have picky eaters in your group? Do you want convenience of not checking prices on the menu? Do you like to eat ALOT? Do you have any vegetarian/vegan eaters in your group? Do you HAVE to do character meals or signature dining? Also, think about what type of foods and snacks your family will eat. One of the worst things is getting the dining plan and realizing that it is just too much food and you are left with food credits on your account at the end of your trip that will expire and go to waste.

There is no easy answer to the question of the Dining Plan being right for you or not. It is not as easy as a Yes or NO. What might be right for one family or individual is not going to work for another. The best way to explain is to give examples, so hopefully the following scenarios and experiences will help you decide if YOU should get the dining plan for YOUR family.

The first time we got the dining plan was when my children were young. They all were still considered children in the eyes of Disney (under 10). Therefore, the cost for us seemed pretty cheap for all the food! (2 adults, 2 children, 1 baby) Children under 3 are FREE! They will share off of your plate, but at buffets and all-you-care-to-enjoy meals, they will let you build a plate for the tot. So for around $216 per day, we could do a character meal (most are 1 table credit), one quick service and snacks! WE planned ahead and made all our dining reservations, did all the character meals and got snacks throughout the day. It was fantastic. However, what we realized at the end of the trip, we had 6 quick service meals and 10 snacks left on the account. (This was either before they allowed for the 3 snacks in place of a quick serv. OR we just didn’t know about it) So we had leftover credits, but still didn’t feel like we wasted money on the dining plan considering we would have easily spent $216 per day for food for a week with all the character meals we were able to have. So, in this case, I would say that the Dining Plan is Totally worth it!

As our children got older and they became ‘Adult’ Disney goers We purchased the Dining Plan but found it to be more than what we would have spent of food. Once my oldest turned 10 (and my youngest was 4) the cost went to $294 per day and she was a very PICKY eater, so we paid a lot of money for mac n cheese and corn dogs. However, we did go through all our credits this time because we used 2 table service credits to eat at Cinderella’s Royal Table and allowed the kids to get more treats. (mostly dole whips every day- they became an addiction) Then my middle child turned 10 the cost went to $350 per day. This is when we realized that because there is always too much food left over and we could pay out of pocket for EVERYTHING we WANTED to eat, the Dining Plan was no longer right for us. Now, we pick 3 table service restaurants (this past trip was 2 table service, then a Dinner Show) Then eat snacks and quick service the rest of the time. Sometimes we also will leave Disney property and go to Chuy’s TexMex restaurant with friends, which is much cheaper than Disney restaurants. If you don’t have a car, this may not be something you can do, but I would highly suggest it, if you can!

My sister is currently planning her Disney vacation with her family and they are weighing the costs of the Dining Plan. When their family (and mine for that matter)goes out to eat at a sit down restaurant at home or on vacation, they don’t just let the kids order whatever they want. They always order responsibly by sharing plates, limiting cost of meals (no steak), etc. This way there is less food waste and more cost effective. Now, imagine you are on vacation at The Most Magical Place on Earth, you are 17 years old and Hangry. You want to order one of the most expensive main courses on the menu, but mom says “no, thats too expensive”. Then, your husband wants to order a glass of wine (imagine the disney price tag on that) and you give him that look. Now does that sound very Magical to you? Sounds stressful to me! (and probably would be for my sister if she had to pay out of pocket for everything) In order to allow your kids to “order WHATEVER you want” and not have to worry about cost. Even when all your kids are “Adults” at Disney, this would be a situation I would say that the Dining Plan is Definitely worth it! Let your family feel the magic of a limitless (well, mostly) menu!

There is also a way to eat on a very low budget at Disney. If you drive, you can pack food to bring. If you don’t have a car at Disney, there are several Grocery delivery services available. Every room on Disney property is equipped with a little fridge. Deluxe rooms and DVC studio’s have a microwave. DVC villas have full kitchens and Value/Moderate resorts have microwaves that you can use in the quick service dining room. We like to take breakfast, lunch, and some dinners. Then we will book 2 table service dinners. For breakfast, we have the typical sweet breads and cereal/milk. We also take instant coffee (we call it fufu coffee) Maxwell House International Delight is our favorite. You can purchase a refillable mug for about $21 which you can have unlimited refills for the length of your stay (a fountain beverage will cost you about $6, so these are worth it – even if you can only fill them at a resort) For Lunch, we take cold cut sandwiches, chips and a fruit (apples or grapes). For Dinners, our favorite is Mexican night which consists of refried beans, flour shells, shredded cheese, hot sauce, corn ships, salsa. We pack up the items and head to the food court, heat up the beans and make burritos. Or you can make nachos or quessadillas in the microwave. Then use your refillable mugs for drinks. This is by far the cheapest way to eat at Disney.

I hope these examples will give you an Idea of how your family would benefit from a dining plan, or not. I am not much of a fan of the Quick Service Dining plan, because: there aren’t many GREAT quick service locations in the parks and table service meals have better food and include character meals. so, if you are gonna splurge on a dining plan, you should get one that includes good food and company. The Deluxe Dining plan isn’t my favorite either, only because it just seems to be way too much food. Now if you are a foody, and you are going to disney without kids (well, maybe you have foody kids) then experiencing all the table service restaurants you can handle might be the way to go.

Don’t forget to research the details of the dining plans at Disney.com and if you are interested in Chuy’s, visit their site too!

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the dining plan, please leave them in the comments below! (Also, please ‘like’ this blog if you enjoyed reading it and if it helped you)