Are you waiting on the edge of you seat like the rest of us for Disney to release a free dining promotion? If Disney follows tradition, that announcement could be any day now. Maybe. In case you’re wondering, Disney’s dining plan is a prepaid meal plan that allows Walt Disney World Resort guests to purchase a certain amount of meal credits in advance. The dining plan is designed to add value and convenience by creating an all-inclusive vacation package where guests can potentially save big by avoiding paying out-of-pocket for each and every meal during their stay.

But is it really a good deal for everyone?

No. Not everyone. It depends.

The only way to know if the dining plan is a good decision for you is to spend some time thinking about the way you and your family like to eat and to consider the food options that are available.
Disney has some useful tools to help make this process easier. From your desktop you can visit MyDisneyExperience.com or install the app with the same name onto any smart phone or tablet. If you click on the dining menu  and you will find links to every restaurant at Walt Disney World, including those at Disney’s resort hotels and Disney Springs. The links lead you to another page where you can make reservations or look at the menu. You should be able to get a feel for how much a typical day of eating will cost after browsing a few of the restaurant menus. Here’s an example:

Breakfast at the Landscape of Flavors in Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Hotel

Character shaped waffles with fresh fruit topping and bacon     $8.19

Coffee, tea or fountain beverage FREE by purchasing a resort refillable mug for the week

Lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace in Magic Kingdom (Quick Service)

Deluxe chicken sandwich with fries, dessert & bottle of water

$18.99

Dinner at Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom (Table Service)

Grilled strip steak     $35.00

Lemon meringue cupcake     $5.00

Other

1 Mickey pretzel snack in Magic Kingdom     $4.69 (Snack)

2 bottles of water     $6.00

TOTAL     $75.87

Here’s how that compares to Disney’s Dining Plan

There are 3 levels of dining plan that you can choose from

The cost that you see below is what Disney charges each guest, each night of their stay. And Disney requires that the dining plan be purchased for every member of your party over the age of 2.

Quick Service Dining (2 quick service meal credits, 1 snack and 1 resort refillable mug per person, per night of stay)

Adult     $44.13     Child     $19.04

Disney Plus Dining (1 quick service meal credit, 1 table service meal credit, 1 snack and 1 resort refillable mug per person, per night of stay)

Adult     $63.70     Child     $22.85

Disney Deluxe Dining (3 meals, 2 snacks and 1 resort refillable mug per person, per night of stay)

Adult     $115.08     Child     $35.49

Overall, we feel the Disney Dining plan is a pretty good deal but it’s not for everyone, and here’s why:

In most cases, the dining plan includes an entree, beverage and dessert with every meal and that can be too much food for some and not enough for others.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a way to feed a child less than $20 a day at Walt Disney World, so the price of the dining plan for the average child is a good deal. But if you have very young children (ages 3-6) who may not be able to eat an entire meal themselves, the dining plan is a waste. Likewise a child who’s 10 -12 may not be able to eat as much as the adult dining plan dishes out.

If you plan on spending some time sightseeing other area attractions outside of Walt Disney World you may have an excess of dining credits and there is no refund for unused credits.

You may not always get what you want. Some restaurants offer a limited menu to guests using dining credits offering you less to choose from.

Most table service restaurants require you to make a reservation and take at least an hour out of your day to dine. Some people just don’t like to slow do
wn to eat. If so, a dining plan is probably not for you. There are plenty of quick service and food truck options to grab a quick bite and go.

 

Need some assistance planning your next Walt Disney World vacation or figuring out is a dining plan is best suited for you? Contact us for tips and advice on how to make your Disney vacation just the way you like it – affordable, hassle-free and fun! Ready for a no obligation quote? Fill out this form to get started.