Is It Worth Getting the Walt Disney World Dining Plan?

Sharing is caring!

The Walt Disney World Dining Plan isn’t new to the Disney World vacation planning tips that many people give. After all it has been around for a very long time. It can be a great way to save some extra money, but it won’t help everyone save on their vacation.

Walt Disney World Dining Plan: Is it Worth the Cost?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I love going to Walt Disney World, but even I cannot deny that a Disney vacation can get pricey. Dining costs can get especially high. Which is why many vacationers spend time considering adding a dining plan to their package.

The dining plan can be a great add-on, but it is not for everyone. The question is though, “is it worth the cost for you?”

Disney Dining Plan Cost Per Package Option

I’m going to start with a quick overview for those of you that don’t know much about the Walt Disney World Dining Plan. If you already know about the types of the dining plans available and Disney Dining Plan costs then scroll farther down to check out exactly how the plans work and to see the advantages and disadvantages of choosing one of these plans.

The dining plan is a dining service that you can add to a Walt Disney World vacation package. The dining plan will cover the cost of the majority of your meals for your Walt Disney World stay.

There are now four different plans to choose from. The prices listed below are for 2020 packages and include the cost of tax.

Quick Service Dining Plan

This plan includes 2 quick service (aka counter service) meals per day. For each of these meals you get an entree and a drink. The plan also includes two snacks every day.  Each person on the plan will also receive a refillable drink mug that can be used at any resort for unlimited drinks during your entire length of stay.  The cost per adult per day is $55.00, and per child (ages 3-9) per day is $26.00.

Standard Disney Dining Plan

This plan includes 1 quick service meal per day (same inclusions as above). It also includes 1 table service meal per day. The table service meal allows you to get an entree, drink, and dessert or it can be a buffet meal. Each day you will also get two snack credits as well.  As with the Quick Service Plan each guest will also receive a refillable drink mug.  The cost per adult per day is $78.00, and per child (ages 3-9) per day is $30.50.

Disney Dining Plan Plus

This is a brand new plan that was released in February 2020. It is much like the standard Disney dining plan, but it allows a bit more freedom in choosing where you would like to eat. This plan includes 2 meals a day, but you can choose whether you want to use them for a quick service meal or a table service one. As with the standard plan the table service meal allows you to get an entree, drink, and dessert or it can be used for a buffet meal. You also get two snack credits per day and each guest will receive a refillable drink mug. The cost per adult per day is $94.61, and per child (ages 3-9) per day is $35.01.

Deluxe Dining Plan

This plan covers three full meals a day. You can choose to use your meals at any type of restaurant (quick service or table service).  Quick service meals include the same foods as mentioned above, but table service meals include an appetizer as well as the entree, drink, and dessert.  This plan includes two snacks per day, and each guest still receives a refillable mug.  The cost per adult per day is $118.99, and per child (ages 3-9) per day is $47.50.  The cost of this plan can vary some depending on the season.

How the Walt Disney World Dining Plans Work

Each dining plan will give you an allotment of a certain number of dining credits. The number of credits that you receive is based on the type of dining plan that you choose as well as the number of nights of your Walt Disney World vacation package.

For example if you add the Basic Dining Plan to your vacation package you receive one quick service dining credit and one table service dining credit per night booked. So if you booked a vacation package for 5 nights and 6 days then you’ll receive 5 quick service credits and 5 table credits per person. If you had booked a 6 night and 7 day stay then you would receive 6 quick service credits and 6 table service credits.

Note that I’m saying you get so many dining credits and not so many meals. This is important when it comes to table service meals. A large number of table service restaurants at Walt Disney World require 2 dining credits to eat there.

Your dining credits are yours to use as you want over the course of your vacation. That means that you could use 3 quick service meals one day and none of your credits on another day. However, and wherever, you decide to use them is totally up to you.

All dining plan credits are valid from the day of check-in through the day of check-out.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth it?

The big question though is if the Walt Disney World Dining Plan is really worth the cost or not. The answer isn’t a black and white one though. The usefulness of the dining plan truly varies from one family to the other. Let’s break it down.

The Benefits of the Dinging Plan

• It makes budgeting for your trip a lot easier when you’ve paid for most, if not all, of your dining costs before you even leave the house.
• If you have big eaters in your party it could save you money on dining costs.
• You can order whatever you want and not worry about how much something costs.
• Since 2018 alcohol and specialty drinks are now included in the beverage choices. This allows you to splurge on fun drinks without adding to the bill.
• It can also help save you money if you want to do a lot of character meals as the cost of those can be high.
• In the fall of 2018 Disney raised a lot of their food prices by quite a bit, especially on beverages and certain snacks. Currently a fountain drink will cost you $3.99. With prices like that the amount you’ll spend on food every day can add up quickly.

The Disadvantages of the Dining Plan

• You may end up overeating… A LOT! Many people find that the amount of food included is way more than they normally eat, but no one wants to waste what’s covered, so people end up overeating day after day.
• If you don’t have big eaters in the family then you might find that the daily cost of the plan is more money then you would spend if didn’t use the plan. This can be especially true with kids. My son eats like a bird. He’s happy with a bucket of popcorn which makes it a waste to pay for a meal he likely won’t eat.
• As I mentioned before some table service restaurants are considered premium ones and will require two of your table service credits to eat at them on your plan.
• Children 3-9 must order a kids meal. The only exception is kids can order from the adult menu if you have the Deluxe Dining Plan. This won’t be an issue for most kids, but I know there are some out there that wouldn’t be OK with that rule.
• If you get the Basic Dining Plan you’ll be paying for a table service meal every day. We prefer to only do a few table service meals per trip (usually ones with Disney characters) because those can become long and they take up a lot of your park time.
• Gratuity is not included for table service meals, so you will still need to have money on hand for that.

So is the cost worth it?  That truly depends on your family and situation. The important thing is to do some research and see if the Dining Plan will actually save you money or cost you more. Although there is something to be said about paying for a convenience.

Tips For Using the Walt Disney World Dining Plans

Now if you do decide to go with the Dining Plan I have some tips to help you get the most out of them.

First, be sure to read up on how the dining plan that you chose works. Each plan works a little differently. Plus there are some substitutions and such that can be made, so make sure you know what you can and can’t do.

Second, take advantage of those snack credits! Unless you have some really big eaters you likely will find that you won’t be hungry enough to want to get a snack during the day. If you get any of the plans besides the deluxe a great way to use your snack credits is to buy something for your breakfast with them. In the past we’ve used them on everything from pastries, to fruit, to yogurt.

As a side tip make sure to purchase your snack items separately from any other food you might be purchasing at that time. That way you can be sure that your credits get used for the most expensive items.

If you find yourself with a lot of snack credits at the end of your trip another choice would be to buy packaged food (such as a box of little cookies or cheesy Mickey head crackers) that you can take with you. These can be really useful as snacks for the trip back home, or they’re a fun way to bring some magic back to your day once you’ve returned home.

I hope this has helped you better understand the basics of the Walt Disney World dining plan options. I also hope it helped shed some light on whether a dining plan would be a good choice for your vacation or not!

More Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Tips

• Disney Junior Play and Dine at Hollywood & Vine
• Fun Things to do at Fort Wilderness – from Magical Travel Planning
• Trails End Restaurant in Walt Disney World

Want to Book a Walt Disney World Vacation?

Still a bit unsure if a Walt Disney World dining plan is right for you? Do all of the Disney vacation options have you feeling overwhelmed? As an agent with DreamFinder Travel I am here to help walk you through all of the different options Disney offers to help you find the best ones for your family and your budget. If you would like some help then request a no obligation vacation quote today and let’s start planning your magical vacation!