Disney Dining Plans – Do They Fit in Your Budget?

Disney Dining can be a bit intimidating and the dining plans a bit confusing.  How can you be sure if you are spending your money wisely and which plan should you choose for your family vacation?

 I have added Disney’s Dining Plans to my Magic Your Way Package many times but have changed my outlook on which one was best through out the years.  I personally like the Disney Dining Plans.  I like to pre-plan my meals which include making reservations prior to arriving, (this has become a necessity if you are planning on including Table Service Meals into your vacation experience.)  A pre-paid dining plan means less cash for you to carry, (tips are not included in the dining plans unless otherwise stated) and a smaller bill at the end of your vacation since the meals are already paid for!  If you like a bare bones meal with no extras included and prefer to bring a bottle to fill at the water fountain, a dining plan may not be a good choice for you.  Dining Plans are for ages 3 years on up – 2 years old and under may share from a person’s plate within your party.

There are several questions that are important to answer before you make the decision if a dining plan is the way for you to dine around “The World”. 

1)  If you have a dining budget for your Disney vacation, the dining plan may or may not work within your limitations. 

2)  Know your family’s eating habits, which meal is most important or are all three meals an important part of your day.

3)  Will you want to schedule sit down meals (Table Service) or taking time away from park attractions is out of the question?

4) Will Character Meals be an important part of your vacation?

5)  Do you like to include an appetizer and dessert with your meal?

6) Would a refillable beverage mug used at your resort be a cost efficient option for your family?

We are going to focus on three out of the five dining plans offered.  The two we are not discussing today, Premium Package and Platinum Package include alcoholic beverages as well as other discounts and amenities.  If you are interested in these packages (click Premium and Platinum).

First it is important to understand the amount of nights you are staying at a Disney resort is the amount of meals you will receive with that plan.

Children between the ages of 3-9 must order from the children’s menu if one is provided.

Let’s take a look at the:

 Quick Service Dining Plan

 A Quick Service meal is also called a Counter Service meal.  You order your meal at the counter, pay at the time the order is placed and seat yourself. 

With this plan you will receive 2 Counter Service meals, 1 snack and 1 resort refillable mug per person each day that you remain at your resort over night.

You will receive for:

Breakfast: 1 meal or combo meal and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Lunch and Dinner: 1 meal or combo meal, 1 dessert, and 1 non-alcoholic beverage.

A snack can be purchased from kiosks or Quick Service locations and Bakeries.  A snack can be a treat or a beverage; look for the snack symbol on the menu of the location you are purchasing from.

Along with the Quick Service Dining you will receive a resort refillable mug.  These mugs are only available for refills at the resort you are staying at, so please make sure to obtain this mug from your “home” resort.  They are embedded with a microchip that will only read that particular resort’s drink machines.

The Quick Service plan is a great plan for families that are not interested in taking blocks of time out of their day for sit down dining.  If you like quick or on the go meals and can just eat a snack to get you by during breakfast or lunch – this is the plan for you.  If you are not interested in desserts with your meal and a refillable resort drink mug is not a cost efficient decision for your family, then a Disney Dining plan may not be a budget wise decision for your vacation.

Next up is:

Plus Dining

With this plan you will receive 1 Counter Service meal, 1 Table Service meal, 1 Snack and 1 resort refillable mug per person each day that you are remaining at your resort over night.

A Table Service meal is a meal that you are seated by a host/hostess and are serviced by a Cast Member who will act as your waiter/waitress. 

The Quick Service Meal of your choice will include:

Breakfast: 1 meal or combo meal and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Lunch and Dinner: 1 meal or combo meal, 1 dessert, and 1 non-alcoholic beverage.

The Table Service Meal will include: 1 entrée OR 1 full Buffet, 1 dessert (lunch and dinner only), and 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

A snack can be a treat or a beverage, look for the snack symbol that looks like this*** on the menu of the location you are purchasing.

I really love this particular dining plan.  Having both Quick Service and Table Service meals, you get the best of both worlds.  You do not have to use one of each every day; you can choose to use them in any order on any day of your magical stay.  Table Service meals can be used for Character Meals which is a huge savings out of your pocket!  If you want to reserve a Signature Meal (an exclusive top notch Disney dining experience) or Dinner Show, you can do so by using two Table Service credits per person per meal at your select location.

And finally:

Plus Deluxe Dining

With this plan you will receive 3 meals in which you may choose between Quick Service and Table Service, 2 snacks, 1 resort refillable mug per person, per day of each night staying at a Disney resort.

Each Quick Service meal includes: 1 entrée, 1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

Each Table Service meal includes: 1 appetizer (lunch and dinner only), 1 entrée and 1 dessert (lunch and dinner only), and 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage –
Or
1 full buffet

Snacks can be a treat or a beverage, look for the snack symbol that looks like this*** on the menu of the location you are purchasing.

When I started bringing my husband and daughter to WDW, we purchased this dining plan.  We had a great time dining through Walt Disney World and have enjoyed many Character Meals as well as a Dinner Show by using this plan.  That being said, it did become stressful at times trying to meet reservation times while enjoying park attractions.  There were times we had to cancel meals because it became overwhelming.  (Some Table Service meals and Dinner Shows now charge cancellation fees.) 

Disney Dining Plans are a great way to experience another level of Disney’s entertainment and magic.  They can save you some money but not if you are on a strict budget.  If you like to bring your own meals and snacks to the park, the dining plan would not be an option to help you save your dollars.  Make sure to choose a plan that allows flexibility within your day if that is important to you.  Over scheduling meals can be overwhelming when trying to meet reservation times along with FastPass+ schedules.  Each of these three plans offers a resort refillable mug that is built into the dining plan; on their own they will cost $17.99 for Length of Stay visits longer than three days.  Remember these mugs can only be refilled at your home resort where you will obtain them.  If your family does not indulge in soft drink beverages, teas, coffees, or hot chocolate then this added expense built into the plan is not cost efficient for you.

While vacationing at any Disney park it is important to do a little homework.  It can be overwhelming with the immense amount of information available to help make your stay magical.  If this is the case for you, please know that Two Moms and a Mouse- Nicole is a Disney College of Knowledge Graduate and can help you plan these important details, taking the stress out of such an exciting time.  If you would like her help or just want to inquire about Disney information her contact info is here

I hope this article can help you decide if and what dining plan is best for you!

~Maureen