Are the Disney Dining Plans Worth It?
Clients have been asking about the Disney dining plans since the parks reopened in July 2020. Prior to the pandemic, there were multiple dining plan options for guests to choose from - which could get confusing.
Beginning January 9, 2024, dining plans finally return - with some changes.
There will be two dining plan options which are the Quick Service or the Disney Dining Plan. There are over 200 dining locations that will accept the dining plan credits.
Quick Service Dining Plan
Per person, per night (ages 3+)
2 Quick Service Meals
1 Snack/non-alcoholic drink
1 Resort-refillable drink mug per person
No special dining experiences
For a 7-night stay, for a family of four, you would receive 14 quick service meal credits, 7 snack credits, and 7 refillable mugs. These credits can be used at any time during the 7-night stay per person. Any unused credits would be lost - so you’d want to make sure to use them all up before midnight on check-out day. Just keep in mind that the credits are non-transferrable per person.
Cost: The Quick Service Dining plan is currently $57.01 for ages 10+ per person, per night and $23.83 for ages 3-9 per person, per night.
Disney Dining Plan
Per person, per night (ages 3+)
1 Quick Service Meal
1 Table Service Meal
1 Snack/non-alcoholic drink
1 Resort-refillable drink mug per person
Table service dining reservations are subject to availability and highly recommended. Two table service meals will be redeemed for each person when dining at a Fine/Signature Dining experience, select character meals, or a dinner show.
For a 7-night stay, for a family of four, you would receive 7 quick service meal credits, 7 table service meal credits, 7 snack credits, and 7 refillable mugs. These credits can be used at any time during the 7-night stay per person. Any unused credits would be lost - so you’d want to make sure to use them all up before midnight on check-out day. Just keep in mind that the credits are non-transferrable per person.
Cost: The Quick Service Dining plan is currently $94.28 for ages 10+ per person, per night and $26.69 for ages 3-9 per person, per night.
Important Details: Beverages are included with each meal, and for guests over 21 years old, one alcoholic beverage can be substituted. Children from 3-9 years old must order off of the children’s menu to use their meal credits. The refillable mugs are eligible for free refills from self-service beverage stands at any of the Disney resort quick service dining locations. Dining plans will be required of each guest on the reservation of a package when purchased. It cannot be purchased individually for each member and will be for the entire length of stay.
Items not included: More than one single serving (box of donuts), items such as popcorn or drinks served in a souvenir container, items considered merchandise (glow cubes or bottle straps), special dining events.
How to keep track: You’ll be able to view your remaining credits in the My Disney Experience app, on your dining receipts, or you can check with guest services or your resort concierge.
Is It Worth It?
Now that we know the details, let’s see if this is worth it.
For this example, we are budgeting for a family of four with two children between the ages of 3 and 9 years old. They will be staying at Pop Century (our favorite Value resort at Disney World!) in a standard room during late June 2024 for 7 nights with 5-day base tickets to the parks. The stay and tickets for the family will be $4,505.
Adding the Quick Service Dining Plan will bring the total to $5,637 or an increase of $1,132.
Adding the Disney Dining Plan will bring the total to $6,241 or an increase of $1,736.
But what is the value of the amount of meals and drinks for this family? Does it make sense to pay this up front or to pay for each meal and snack individually over the course of the trip? I did the math, so you don’t have to! I priced out meals, snacks, and drinks for a typical family of four - including one alcoholic drink per adult per meal. *See the below chart for a full breakdown of cost per meal, snack, and location.
For the Quick Service Dining Plan, the family will be dining at quick service locations such as Everything Pop, Casey’s Corner, Pecos Bill’s, and ABC Commissary.
For the Disney Dining Plan, the family will also be dining at table service locations such as Rose and Crown, Trattoria al Forno, Jungle Navigation, Kona Cafe, and the Plaza Restaurant. They will not be dining at any character meals or signature dining locations which requires 2 credits.
Paying for the same amount of meals, snacks, and mugs provided by the dining plan, this family would spend around $1,272 for the Quick Service option and $1,784 for the Disney Dining Plan option. These are more than the dining plans’ overall costs which makes this a deal - but just barely. These calculations included an alcoholic beverage with each meal and assuming that one adult chose the most expensive meal option while the other chose a middle-of-the-road option. This is also assuming you’d purchase the same amount of food on your own without the dining plan. Also keep in mind that if you wanted to add extras, like additional drinks, apps, and desserts (quick service dining plan), these will be additional charges not included in your dining plan that you will need to pay for. Tips are also not included.
It Depends
It really depends on how you feel and what you want your Disney experience to be to determine if the dining plans are right for you.
If you’d prefer a more all-inclusive experience while on vacation at Disney World, booking a package with your room, tickets, and dining plan will give you that. You’ll have fewer dining expenses and it’s nice to pay for most of your trip in advance as opposed to getting a large bill at the end if you’ve been charging to the room the entire time.
The dining plans can be a good way for you to budget expenses as well.
If you will not be drinking alcohol, you and your family are very basic eaters who aren’t looking for higher end meals, aren’t sure you’ll eat that much food or that many meals, or don’t have trouble budgeting for food on your trips, then the dining plans probably aren’t for you. The plans are designed to be pretty breakeven between your pocket and Disney’s. If you’re really trying to save money on your trip, purchasing drinks and snacks to be delivered to your room by the grocery store or Amazon will likely save you more than the dining plan will.
Wrap Up
It depends if the dining plans will makes sense for you and your family, but you’re not alone to figure it out. I can help you decide if one of them is the best option for your trip or not. Request your FREE, no obligation quote now. Remember, it only takes $200 to reserve your Disney World package whether or not you include a dining plan.
