I use the Disney Dining Plan every time I go to Disney World, however, it’s not for everyone and it may not be the best option for you and your group, depending on your circumstances.
With that in mind, I put together my top pros and cons to the Disney Dining Plan.
First, what is the Disney Dining Plan?
Here’s a quick break down:
The Disney Dining Plan is an option you can add to your Disney World Vacation package if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort.
It allows you to pre-pay for your food. In exchange, you’ll receive credits that you can use at any Disney World restaurant that participates in the Dining Plan. (And there are plenty to choose from!)
Prices can vary from around $50 per person per night for adults to around $120 per person per night, depending on the plan you choose. Kids are about half the cost of adults.
And sometimes (typically once a year) Disney offers free dining! You can keep an eye on this page for when that offer pops up.
There are three dining plans to choose from:
Quick Service Dining Plan
The Quick Service Plan includes 2 Quick Service Meals and 2 Snacks per person per night, and a refillable mug to use at your resort.
For more of a breakdown, check out Disney’s Official Quick Service Dining Plan page.
Standard Dining Plan
The Standard Dining Plan includes 1 Quick Service Meal, 1 Table Service Meal, and 2 Snacks per person per night, and a refillable mug to use at your resort.
For more of a breakdown, check out Disney’s Official Dining Service Plan page.
Deluxe Dining Plan
The Deluxe Dining Plan includes 3 meals and 2 snacks per night, plus a refillable mug to use at your resort.
For more of a breakdown, check out Disney’s Official Deluxe Dining Plan page.
Pros of the Disney Dining Plan
No sticker shock
This is honestly the biggest pro for me. Everything in Disney World is expensive, including the food. I’ve found my vacation to be a lot more enjoyable when I don’t have sticker shock after every meal.
If you’re on the dining plan, you pre-pay for your meals when you pay for your trip. This means that you don’t have to stress over the money you’re continuing to spend while you’re on vacation. Instead, you can just enjoy what you’ve already paid for.
When I use the dining plan, the only money I spend on my trip is for souvenirs and tips, which makes it easy to stay on budget AND enjoy my trip to the fullest.
And it’s also important to note that tips are not included at Table Service meals, so you will still have that expense if you choose a dining plan with a table service option.
You can get MORE than you pay for (if you do it right)
The cost of the Dining Plan will vary based on the option you choose and the age of the people in your party. However, it is possible to get more than you paid for if you do a little research and planning.
Leah from the Frugal South estimates that if you choose a Quick Service Meal that’s at least $20, a Table Service meal that’s at least $40, and Snakes that are at least $5, you’ll be getting your money’s worth. There are menu items and snack items that are above those amounts, so if you choose them, and eat everything, you’ll get more than you paid for.
You can get a list of dining plan restaurants here, and check out the menus before you go here!
You can try new things
Since you already paid for your food, there’s more incentive to make sure you use your credits. Because there’s plenty of food on the Dining Plan, there’s a little more opportunity to branch out and try something new — especially if it’s a snack of some kind.
Additionally, if you’re with a group, you can agree to share some of your credits, that way you’re maximizing the number of items you get to experience.
You have a lot of options
There are so many restaurants options on the Dining Plan! Not everything is included, but I’ve never felt like being on the Dining Plan is a limitation. There are plenty of meals and snack to choose from, and in some cases, I even found a location I never would have thought twice about specifically because I was researching the Dining Plan restaurants.
Cons of the Disney Dining Plan
Price
While you can absolutely get your money’s worth with the dining plan, it’s also possible to eat in the parks for a lot less than you’d spend on the Dining Plan per person, per night. There are several snack credit eligible items that could easily be meals and full meals that can be shared between two people.
If you eat less food paying out of pocket than you would on the Dining Plan, you’ll also be spending less overall. And of course, bringing your own food will save you even more money.
There are limitations
There are tons of restaurants and options on the Disney Dining Plan, and even though I said I’ve never felt limited on the Dining Plan, that doesn’t mean the same will be true for you.
Not every restaurant is included. And even if a restaurant is included, not every item on the menu may be eligible.
For example, if you’re on the standard Dining plan, your Table Service meal comes with an entree, a beverage, and a dessert. If you want an appetizer or a salad, you have to pay for it. You can certainly ask about substituting your dessert, but there are no guarantees–and in my experience, the substitutions are rarely accommodated.
It’s also worth noting that more expensive signature restaurants require 2 Table Service credits to dine there.
It can be A LOT of food!
If you do get the Dining Plan and you do it right (i.e. you maximize EVERY credit), it can be a lot of food. In fact, it can be too much food depending on the Dining Plan you’ve chosen.
In the past, my family and I have always done the regular Dining Plan (1 Quick Service, 1 Table Service, 2 snacks), and after the last trip, we decided the only way we do that plan again is if we get it for free. This decision was made solely on the amount of food. We like pre-paying for our meals, but it’s quick service for us going forward. If we want a Table Service meal, we’ll pay out of pocket for only what we actually want to eat.
It may not cover your whole trip
The Dining Plan is tied to you the number of NIGHTS you stay, not the number of DAYS. So if you’re doing a six-night, seven-day trip, you may end up a little short.
Now, the credits don’t expire until your trip is over, so you can use your credits over the seven days, but it’s technically only six days worth of food.
However, as we covered, there are snacks that are big enough to be meals. There are also single meals that will seriously fill you up–especially if you eat in between traditional meal times.
For instance, if you’re on the standard Dining Plan, you can use a snack credit as a lunch one day and then use your table service credit at a 4 PM buffet or all-you-can-eat restaurant. That way you can eat early enough to make up for the light lunch, and then eat enough to get you through the rest of the night. This leaves you with one quick service meal you can use for lunch on your departure day.
So this is a con that’s easy to work around. But it’s something to be mindful of.
Final Note
The Dining Plan is a great option if you know you want to eat in the parks, you’d rather pay up front, and you’re willing to do a little planning to get the most of your credits.
The Dining Plan probably isn’t a great option if you’re looking to do Disney as cheap as possible, don’t want to have any limitations, or would rather not plan your meals and restaurants ahead of time.
But if you are looking to plan your Disney food, I highly recommend Disney Food Blog. They go to the parks all the time and have tons of great information to help you plan your meals.
Find more Disney World Tips and Tricks in our other Disney World Posts.
Sound off: Have you used the Disney Dining Plan before? If you have, what was your experience? If you haven’t, what’s the biggest thing holding you back?