Disney Dining Plan

Is it for you?

One of the questions I have gotten a lot lately is if the Disney Dining Plan is worth it to add to your Walt Disney World vacation package. The Dining Plan came back as an option in January 2024 after an almost 4 year hiatus and there were a lot of questions about value, so I am going to do my best to answer your top questions.

Walt Disney World offers two different dining plan options: the Disney Dining Plan and the Quick-Service Dining plan. Here is a link to the descriptions of each plan.

I know what some of you might be thinking…Lisa is a travel advisor. Isn’t she supposed to be upselling us on our vacation? My answer is NO. I prefer to give my clients the pros and cons and let them decide what is best for their vacation.

Here are some reasons the Disney Dining Plan might be a good value for you/your family:

1. You want to schedule at least one meal per day in advance where you have a sit down meal for about an hour.

2. You want to experience character dining.

3. You enjoy a variety of foods and enjoy eating more expensive menu items.

4. You are over 21 years of age who enjoys an adult beverage with your meal.

5. You like ordering dessert.

6. You want your vacation to feel more all-inclusive and don’t want to worry about how much you are spending on food during your trip.

‘Ohana Character Breakfast

Here are some reasons the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan might be a good value for you/your family:

1. You don’t want to take the time to sit down for a hour long meal every day.

2. You prefer the flexibility of eating whenever you want at a variety of counter service places located at resorts or in the parks.

3. You like ordering more expensive meal items off menus.

4. You want your vacation to feel more all-inclusive and don’t want to worry about how much you are spending on food during your trip.

Quick Service breakfast

Let’s discuss a few of these points.

What do I mean about ordering more expensive food items? 

If you are going to order chicken fingers and french fries (this is my oldest child) at pretty much every meal, you are not going to get the best value for your dollar. When comparing apples to apples, a lot of people have found they spend less money on food overall when they order less expensive items off the menu versus paying for the cost of a dining plan. 

Are you planning to order specialty or alcoholic beverages?

If you order a specialty (non-alcoholic) or alcoholic beverage with your meal, you are getting a better value for the dollar spent on the dining plan. If you are just ordering a water or soda, then you are probably better off paying out of pocket.

There are a lot of decisions that have to be made on a Walt Disney World vacation about how you are going to spend your day and your money. If you want to take some of the in the moment decision fatigue away, adding the dining plan might be a good option. If you add the Disney Dining Plan and have to make advanced dining reservations to cover your credits, this is basically a way to schedule yourself a break in the day and make sure you all get a good meal in your system. You can sit down and order whatever you want from the available menu items, you scan your band, leave a tip for your server, and you are done. No worries, no extra bills coming in at the end of your vacation. 

The flexibility of the quick service plan is also nice if you want to eat on the go. However, it is not always as easy or relaxing to find a place to eat or sit in some of the restaurants. But, it is nice to be able to order a meal whenever you are hungry versus waiting for the clock to tell you when you can eat with a scheduled dining reservation.

For me and my family, we do not add the dining plan. It isn’t worth it for us, especially since both of my daughters are over the age of 10 and are considered adults. They don’t always want to order off the adult menu (which is absolutely fine), but if I had added the dining plan, I would be paying adult meal prices for them to potentially order chicken fingers or mac and cheese. The value is not there for us. However, if I am going with just my husband or with my friends, I definitely see the value because I am a person who enjoys sitting down for a scheduled meal with a beverage followed by dessert.

Do you have questions about either of the dining plans? Ask them in the comments!