Is Disney's Expensive Dining Plan Worth It?

Does this fan-favorite vacation perk actually save you any money on your Walt Disney World vacation?

Earlier this week, Disney announced several perks that will make your next Walt Disney World vacation simpler and easier to plan. These announcements included the highly anticipated end of Park Reservations, meaning for trips starting January 9, 2024, Guests would no longer have to make additional reservations to visit the Parks with dated tickets. They also announced more days for Passholders and Cast Members to visit without reservations and an upcoming revamp of the Genie+ system, although the latter did not go into specifics.

One of the most unexpected and exciting announcements, though, was the return of the Disney Dining Plan. For those who didn’t vacation at Walt Disney World while the Dining Plan was still offered, it may not be totally clear why Guests are so excited about this. However, this perk can save your family both money and hassle!

The Disney Dining Plan is a prepaid package that allows your family a certain number of prepaid meals per day – usually a combination of quick service and table service, depending on which package you buy – as well as one snack per day and a refillable mug for use at your Disney Resort hotel.

Some Guests swear by the Dining Plans, and others insist that it’s entirely too much food to be worth your money. You can start adding them to your vacation packages on May 31, but how will you know if it’s right for your family? Let’s break down the two Dining Plans that Disney is currently offering. Please note that pricing has not yet been released for the Dining Plans.

Quick-Service Dining Plan

This is the less expensive of the two options. With this plan, everyone in your travel party ages 3 and up receives two quick-service meals per day and one snack or nonalcoholic drink per day, as well as a refillable mug. Keep in mind that the quick-service meals include a drink and a side, so you don’t have to redeem your snack credit for one.

Guests 21 and over may also substitute their drink for an alcoholic option. Guests ages 3 to 9 must order from the children’s menu. Unused meals and snacks will roll over to the next day, and you may use any combination of your credits on any day of your trip; for example, if you’re staying for four nights, you get four snack credits total and could use all four of them in one day, if you wanted.

Disney Dining Plan

This is the “standard” Dining Plan option that most Guests will go for. With this plan, everyone in your travel party ages 3 and up receives one table service meal, one quick service meal, one snack or nonalcoholic drink per day, as well as a refillable mug. Keep in mind that you’ll still need to make reservations at table-service restaurants, and there are several meals that will cost you two table-service credits, such as select Character Meals, Fine/Signature Dining, and Dinner Shows.

The same information on children’s menus, alcoholic drinks, and credits rolling over applies to this plan as it does to the Quick-Service dining plan.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It?

Here are a few things to keep in mind to determine if the Dining Plan is right for your family or not and how to get the most bang for your buck if you do decide to buy!

• Go with the most expensive options. A $4 snack will cost one credit, but so will an $11 meal. The same goes for your meal entrees. If you opt for the Dining Plan, veer toward more expensive options to get the best value!
• It’s a lot of food. Both Dining Plans come with more food than you think. It may seem standard, but Disney’s entree portions can be large, and if you’re traveling with a party of six, six snacks per day add up!
• Keep track of your credits. You don’t really have to worry about running out, but it’s very easy to get to the last day of your trip and realize that you have eight unused snack credits. Cue a trip to Goofy’s Candy Co.
• Choose your restaurants wisely. Be mindful of the restaurants that cost two credits, but don’t avoid them – in fact, this can be one of the best ways to eat at otherwise expensive restaurants!

The chances are, you may not save a shocking amount of money with a Disney Dining Plan unless you consistently choose the most expensive items. However, what you will save is HASSLE. It can be a huge weight off of your shoulders not to worry about food budgeting on your Walt Disney World vacation.

Happy dining!