Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Blue Loop. Today we are sharing some tips to help you plan your Disney vacation.
How the Disney Dining Plans Work
Disney Dining Plan entitlements are based on the number of nights on your reservation. This can become confusing, as you are generally at Walt Disney World for an additional day if you planned your arrival and departures to maximize time spent on property. Essentially, if you are staying for six nights, then you have six entitlements per catagory even if you are there for almost a full seventh day. What credits you have on your package is dependent on which Disney Dining Plan you purchase.
Using your credits is simple. Fo snacks and quick-service meals look for the Disney Dining Plan icon to appear next to the menu item. Further, all dining cast members are trained to ask if you are using the Disney Dining Plan, and they will (almost) always inform you of what you can select for that particular meal and/or restaurant. The cast member will scan your MagicBand and it will automatically deduct the credits from your account. If you are paying for a meal out of pocket be diligent and make sure you indicate that you are paying for that meal out of pocket.
You are NOT limited to using your credits based on what you are allocated per day. That is to say, just because you receive six table-service credits it does not mean you have to use one per day. All credits are loaded to your account at once, and they deduct from the balance until it reaches zero. If you choose to do two table-service meals one day and none the next that is perfectly acceptable.
What’s Included?
When using a Quick-Service Meal each person is entitled to a combination plate, or an entree and non-alcoholic beverage for breakfast, and an entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage for lunch and dinner. There is no distinction between child and adult meals for quick-service, so if your child would rather eat something off the regular menu go ahead and order it for them.
When using a Table-Service Meal each person is entitled to a full buffet, or an entree and non-alcoholic beverage for breakfast, and an entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage for lunch or dinner. Children between 3 & 9 years old are required to order from the kid’s menu. If you are on the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan your lunch and dinner also include an appetizer. Credits can be used towards character dining experiences. See the important notes section at the bottom of this post for details.
Snack options on the Disney Dining Plan are plentiful. Some examples include an ice cream treat, Dole Whip, cotton candy, small popcorn, whole fruit and bottled soda/water. All included snacks are single-serve sizes.
Each Disney Dining Plan also includes one Rapid Fill Resort Refillable Mug per person (age 3+) that is valid for your length of stay. These mugs can be refilled only at resort drink fountains. To pick-up your refillable mug you present your MagicBand to the Cast Member at the register in the food court area of your resort. They will activate your mugs for the length of your stay. The mugs have different colored handles, which is a nice benefit for families to prevent them getting mixed up.
Children under 3 years of age are not eligible for any Disney Dining Plan. They are welcome to share a meal with someone else, or you can purchase and additional meal of pocket. For buffets they will be provided their own plate at no additional cost.
Cost of the Disney Dining Plan
A lot of blogs like to state an exact cost for the various Disney Dining Plans, but that cost is very difficult to accurately calculate. Dining prices fluxuate some throughout the year based on the travel season, and Disney itself will not provide a daily cost for this reason. The best way to determine the cost is to price a Disney Vacation Package with tickets only, then add the dining plan and divide out the cost. The current average per night cost of the three primary plans are:
- Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan – $43 per adult and $18.00 per child, age 3-9.
- Disney Dining Plan – $62 per adult and $21 per child, age 3-9
- Deluxe Disney Dining Plan – $112 per adult and $33 per child, age 3-9
Disney Quick Service Dining Plan
The Disney Quick Service Dining Plan is for families who don’t want to spend a lot of time sitting down to eat during their vacation. It’s great for families with small children that are not yet interested in character meals and/or who get antsy during long sit-down dining experiences.
The Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan includes the following per person (ages 3+),per night of your package stay:
- 2 Quick-Service Meals
- 1 Snack
- 1 Rapid Fill Resort Refillable Mug per person (3+)
Benefits of the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
The Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan is great for families who really want to maximize park time and are not interested in character dining experiences. It is also a nice option for those that simply don’t want to have to plan out their dining choices months in advance, or who book last minute trips when dining reservations may be scarce. Families with young children love the plan because they don’t have to worry about entertaining their little ones during a much longer table-service meal.
Drawbacks of the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
The Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan may not be right for your travel party. If you plan on dining at character buffets or other table-service locations more than one time during your trip I highly recommend considering the standard Disney Dining Plan.
The Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan brochure features a list of participating locations.
The Disney Dining Plan
The most common dining plan option is simply called the Disney Dining Plan, though many will refer to it as the Standard Disney Dining Plan. The Disney Dining Plan is perfect for families who want to be able to dine at one table-service location per day, but don’t want to overdo it. It’s a great plan for travel parties of any age. With the Disney Dining Plan you have the flexibility of dining at both table-service and quick-service locations, including character meals.
The Disney Dining Plan includes the following per person (ages 3+),per night of your package stay:
- 1 Table-Service Meal* or Full Buffet*
- 1 Quick-Service Meal
- 1 Snack
- 1 Rapid Fill Resort Refillable Mug per person (3+)
*See Important Notes Section at the bottom of this post
Benefits of the Disney Dining Plan
The Disney Dining Plan offers flexibility at an affordable price. The ability to dine at table-service and quick-service locations equally is perfect for many families, and the inclusion of character meals in this plan means less time waiting in line for character meet & greets. There is more than enough food on this plan, and many find it to be ideal for their family and dining style.
Drawbacks of the Disney Dining Plan
Honestly, there really isn’t one. The only issue I ever encounter can be making dining reservations 6 months in advance, and still not being able to secure a reservation for a restaurant such as Be Our Guest. That isn’t actually an issue with the dining plan itself, but rather with limited inventory and high demand.
The Disney Dining Plan brochure features a list of participating restaurants.
Deluxe Disney Dining Plan
The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan is designed for those families that really want their trip to Walt Disney World to be a culinary event, or who plan to eat multiple table-service meals daily, and dine at more signature restaurants. It is more appropriately suited to adults travelling without children, or those travelling with older children. The Disney Deluxe Dining Plan offers extreme flexibility, as you are able to use your dining credits for either quick-service or table-service meals at your choice.
The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan includes the following per person (ages 3+),per night of your package stay:
- 3 meals* of your choice
- Quick-Service
- Table-Service
- 2 snacks
- 1 Rapid Fill Resort Refillable Mug per person (3+)
Benefits of the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan
The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan is the right choice for those who truly want to make dining a large portion of their vacation. The flexibilty of being able to select either quick or table-service restaurants at their whim is a nice feature, and the inclusion of an appetizer for table-service meals can increase the value of the meal.
Drawbacks of the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan
The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan is A LOT of food. I’ve known a few people to purchase the plan and they always seem to have dining credits left over at the end of their trip because they couldn’t eat as much as they had available. It is also important to keep in mind the amount of time you will spend in restaurants on this trip. You could potentially be using 5-6 hours of your day just eating, and that cuts in to your park time. It is also ONLY a value if you are actually going to eat at least two table-service meals per day, and are going to order an appetizer, entree and dessert each time.
The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan brochure features a list of participating restaurants.
*Important Notes on the Disney Dining Plan and Deluxe Disney Dining Plan
- Select Disney Dining locations require the use of 2 Table-Service Meal credits per person. These include all Signature Restaurants, Disney Dinner Shows, Cinderella’s Royal Table, room service and pizza delivery.
- Table-Service credits can be used for character buffets. All buffets, except for Cinderella’s Royal Table, are 1 Table-Service credit.
- Reservations for are highly suggested, and can be made 180 days prior to arrival. A credit card is required to secure your reservation.
- Reservations must be cancelled one day in advance. Failure to cancel your reservation will result in a $10 per person charge to the card on file if you do not show up for the reservation.
- You must list ALL party members on your reservation, including infants. This ensures that Disney allocated the appropriate size table for your party, and assists them in adhereing the restaurant occupancy guidelines.
Final Thoughts
Personally, we find the convenience of the Disney Dining Plan to be it’s greatest asset. Having the cost of dining rolled into our vacation package allows us to pay it off over time, and prevents a huge bill at the end of our vacation. I’ve done the math, and while I don’t think we have ever lost money by purchasing the dining plan, the savings are not hugely significant. It truly depends on how much your family eats and what time of meals you want to enjoy. Speak with your travel planner about the various dining plan options to ensure that they choice you makes is right for you and your family.
check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Blue | Disney 101 Loop:
- 1st Stop – Superheroes and Teacups | Dealing with Picky Eaters at Walt Disney World
- 2nd Stop – Dad for Disney | Taking the Autotrain to Walt Disney World
- 3rd Stop – Frontierland Station | Meeting Characters at Walt Disney World
- 4th Stop – Magical Mickey Tips | When Do I Make Disney Reservations
- 5th Stop – Disney Mamas | Disney Dining Plan 101
I’m a huge supporter of the Disney Dining Plan. It DOES save us money (my hubby is a big money guy so he keeps track of the cost of every meal so he can see how much it saved us at the end of our trips!) but, even if it didn’t, I think we’d still get it just for the convenience. We always go with the regular plan because I love knowing that each day we have the opportunity to sit down for an hour or two and enjoy taking a load off and being waited on! That’s always nice on long, busy Disney days!
I agree, the convenience factor is the biggest sell for us. We tried Tables in Wonderland this past year, and while we saved more overall we were paying it all in the moment. With the DDP we could apply payments to our reservation and not have to deal with the daily dining charges.
I’m a big supporter of table-service meals for the exact reason you stated. Having a nice break during the day is a huge thing for our family!
Wow, great article. We have always enjoyed using the DDP. I have 2 very hungry teenagers so it really helps. Just wish that Disney did not start charging kids the adult rate at 10. Clearly way too much food for a 10 year old. So when our boys were young we would just order a few dishes and split them using only a few of our TS credits
That’s a great way to stretch credits. I’ve done similarly by ordering just a soup or salad for myself and sharing with my husband or my mom.
Thank you for sharing all of this great information! I’ve never used the Disney dining plan, so I find it all slightly confusing. Your post has all the information I need in one place!
I’m glad you found it usefull. We use it for some trips and skip it for others. For us it comes down to how many character dining experiences we schedule for the trip. Those are where I notice the biggest savings!
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This really is a tough decision for many families. If the Quick Service plan included 3 meals, it would be perfect. Having to pay for that third meal of the day out of pocket, was a deal-breaker for us.
It’s definitley something you need to do the math on and work out for your family. For us, unless we are doing a character breakfast or Kona Cafe we eat breakfast in our room or on the bus so three meals a day would always be too much for us and would leave us with extra credits at the end of our trip.
We haven’t done the Dining plan in years just because we go so often but I don’t hesitate to recommend it to first timers and those that don’t want to have to worry about money once you get to the parks. It is a great offer.
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We are planning our first trip to Disney World, and this convinced us that we definitely want to do the Standard Disney Dining Plan for our trip. Thanks for the great info and the links to the dining plan brochures!
Hi Nicole! I’m so glad you found the post helpful! Thanks for letting me know!
I am a bit confused, looking for some clarification. In the “What’s Included” section I read it’s a breakfast, lunch AND dinner – but further down when it’s broken out, I read it’s only two meals per day. I apologize for my confusion… this is all new to us. Thank you!!
Hi Sam!
The information in the “What’s Included” section is simply detailing what you receive for a specific type of meal during a specific dining time. Then, it breaks down the plans. With the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan you are entitled to 2 meals, per person, per night of stay. You do, however, get to pick which meals in each day you use. For example, if you were on the Disney Dining Plan you would select two meals for the day. If you dined at Sunshine Seasons for breakfast and Chef Mickey’s for dinner you would receive a breakfast combination plate or breakfast entree and non-alcoholic drink (but no dessert) for breakfast and a full buffet for dinner. Does that make sense? If not please let me know!