Ahead of my latest trip to Walt Disney World, I decided to give the Disney Dining Plan a shot. I have used various versions of the dining plan in the past. Typically though, I haven’t paid much attention to how much I actually spend when using the dining plan. This time, I decided to keep track of what I purchased using dining plan credits, and how much those meals would have cost out of pocket so that you can determine if the dining plan is right for you!
First, let’s look at what the meal plan will cost (for this example we will use two people), and what you get from it!
The Disney Dining Plan includes 1 Quick-Service Meal, 1 Table-Service Meal, and 1 Snack per night of stay per person. Additionally, you will each receive 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug at check-in. We paid $782.00 for two people, for four nights.
If this Plan is a little much for you, consider the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan.
Now, let us get into how my husband and I utilized the plan!
Meal Plan Breakdown
Day 1- Arrival
We arrived at our hotel in the morning and ate both lunch and dinner on Disney property. Instead of using credits from our dining plan, we paid out of pocket for these meals. We did however grab our refillable cups and filled up throughout the day at the pool and before heading back to our room.
Throughout our stay, we filled up our cups a minimum of 12 times. Our drink choices varied from soda and lemonade to coffee. Although there was a coffee maker in our room, it was nice to be able to grab some coffee from the gift shop in the lobby on our way out to the Parks! Fountain drinks cost $4.79 at The Mara in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Out of Pocket, these drinks would have totaled $57.48.
Day 2- Magic Kingdom
- Snack Credit= Lefou’s Brew $6.99
- Quick Service at Columbia Harbour House (Lunch)= Two Lobster Rolls with fries, two drinks (non-alcoholic) $53.76
- Snack Credit= Lava dole whip $7.29
- Table Service Credit at Crystal Palace= Two adults, plus alcoholic beverages $140.75
Day 2 Total=208.79
Dining at Crystal Palace is a great way to use the dining plan. It costs a single table service credit even though it is quite expensive, tastes great, and allows you to have a character experience!
Day 3- Hollywood Studios
- Snack Credit= Mickey Pretzel $7.99
- Snack Credit= Specialty Churros $9.29
- Quick Service at Docking Bay 7 (lunch)= Batuaan Beef, Pirjanad Hot Chicken Tip Yip, 2 beers $70.59
- Table Service Credit (Dinner) at Brown Derby= Two steaks, two drinks, 1 dessert $142.4 (This meal used four table service credits for the two of us)
Day 3 Total=230.27
Some important things to note are that our dinner at the Brown Derby required two table service credits per person. While this was a bit of a hit to our dining plan, I would say that this was probably my favorite meal that I had at Disney! I did however make what most would consider a mistake at Brown Derby. Because my allergens were present in all of the dessert options available, I did not order a dessert. If I could do it again, I would have ordered my husband, or the rest of the group a dessert for them to eat instead!
Day 4- Epcot
- 1 Snack Credit= Mickey pretzel $8.99
- Quick Service at Sunshine Season (Lunch)= Roasted chicken platter with a beer $26.88
- 2 Snack Credit= 2 Kringlas $14
- 1 Snack Credit= Charred Octopus $7.75
- Table Service Credit (Dinner) at Teppan Edo= Asakusa (Steak and shrimp served with salad, noodles, vegetables, and steamed white rice), the mango mousse cake, soft serve vanilla green tea swirl ice cream, Kirin draft 20oz, and Sapporo Premium 20oz. =$141.50
Day 4 Total=$199.12
On this day we decided to use up a lot of our snack credits. We were quite hungry, and would be cutting our next day short so we decided to use them up when we wanted to instead of only spending 2 per day. I love the dairy free Norwegian Kringlas so we bought an extra to bring back to the room that night for dessert!
Additionally, my husband and I weren’t feeling that hungry come lunch time. Because we were going to be going to the parks our last day and leaving for the airport mid day we decided to save one quick service credit and carry it over to day five, splitting 1 quick service credit and 1 snack credit for lunch.
Day 5- Animal Kingdom
- Quick Service Credit (Lunch) at Satu’li Canteen= Two drinks, two combination bowls$65.74
- Quick Service Credit (Dinner) Flame Tree Barbeque=Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler +Safari Amber Beer $31.24
Day 5 Total=$96.98
We used the quick service credit we carried over and split the sampler platter from Flame Tree Barbeque. It was extremely filling and I’m glad we split it!
Is the Dining Plan Worth it?
Let’s look at the numbers. We pre-paid $782 for the dining plan. In total, we would have spent approximately $793.07 on what we ordered. PLUS, my calculations do not account for the tax that would have been charged. With a tax of about 6%, I would estimate that the total would fall around $840.65.
Total savings= $58.65
Now, some of you may be thinking 58 bucks isn’t that much money. I would disagree as that could amount to an extra meal for my husband and me, or make a good dent in a new Disney Pandora charm for myself. However, you have a good point! When you sign up for the dining plan you most likely want to save more money than that. I will note that there were options for more expensive snacks, or meal options, or drinks. My husband and I didn’t opt for those though. We could have refilled our drinks more in the lobby as well.
Our savings really came in when it came time for the bill with our group of six. Travelling as a group of adults, it can be awkward when the bill comes. Especially when each couple may have different spending habits and one may be inclined to splurge and order apps, alcoholic drinks, and dessert, while another couple may have gotten two smaller meals. The meal plan made it so much easier to pay and not worry about squaring up with others in our group or splitting the bill. We just scanned our Magic bands, and took turns paying the tip!
Here are some pros and cons so you can make an informed decision when deciding if you will pay for the Dining Plan!
Pros:
- Paying ahead. I liked that we paid for the plan ahead of time, so when it was time to spend money I had zero guilt ordering the steak options!
- Not splitting the bill, no awkwardness with others in the group!
- Not taking out your credit card, and the ability to pay with our magic bands (without charging the room).
Cons:
- Pressure to maximize your money and buy more expensive options.
- Can be hard to “get your monies worth” if you are not drinking alcohol. I don’t drink, so typically my husband would take both of our drinks. Because of this, our totals came out higher than they would have if we had just ordered soft drinks.
Would I buy the Disney Dining Plan again?
I think it would depend on the season. When I visit in the hot summer months, I am more inclined to eat lighter meals and snacks. This time, in the winter, I opted for heavy and hearty meals like steaks and really loaded up my plates at the Crystal Palace. I think it would also depend on whether or not I was travelling in a group. If I was, I would definitely sign us up!
Do you think the Disney Dining Plan is worth it? Let me know down below, and thanks for reading!