Should You Buy the Disney Dining Plan?
The Disney Dining Plan has returned!
Beginning January 9, 2024, Walt Disney World vacationers can use the meal plan for the first time in four years! It’s a big deal.
Honestly, the Disney Dining Plan isn’t right for everyone, though.
Let’s decide whether you should buy the Disney Dining Plan or not.
About the Disney Dining Plan
Many schools and colleges employ a meal plan to provide students with affordable meals.
At Walt Disney World, management provides something similar to provide tourists with more cost control over their food budget.
When you order the Disney Dining Plan (DDP), you’ll receive one Quick Service meal entitlement and one Table Service meal entitlement daily.
Every member of your traveling party, the guests staying in your hotel room, will receive these entitlements.
So, let’s presume that you, your partner, and a nine-year-old child are visiting Disney.
You will pay the price of two adults and one child so that everyone can use the dining plan.
The dining plan actually comes in two forms, with a less expensive offering, the Quick-Service Dining Plan.
This version of the DDP includes two daily Quick Service entitlements per guest. It’s cheaper, but you must pay out of pocket for any Table Service meals.
The DDP costs $94.28 plus tax per person per day for adults and $29.69 for children ages three to nine.
So, your child qualifies as a child this year, but Disney will consider them an adult next time.
The Quick Service version costs $57.01 for adults plus tax per person per day for adults and $23.83 for children ages three to nine.
You can multiply the number of people in your party by the number of nights you’ll stay to determine the cost of the DDP.
Then, you can decide whether you are saving money and/or stress by buying a meal plan for your visit.
As an FYI, MickeyBlog previously published the Ultimate Guide to the Disney Dining Plan. If you need more information, you can read that.
When Should You Consider the Disney Dining Plan?
Let’s start with the reason why I always buy a Disney meal plan. You gain cost certainty for your trip.
I just told you the formula for calculating the meal plan. It really is that easy.
Once you pay for the DDP, you know most of what your food budget will be during the trip. Both meal plans even include a daily snack and a refillable mug.
So, if price is a concern, you can use the meal plan to pay for virtually everything you’ll eat during your trip.
Personally, I find that notion relaxing. When the check arrives at my table, I don’t want to think about the money I’m spending.
Thanks to the DDP, I pay one meal entitlement rather than, say, $60. It’s less stressful.
Another reason to consider the 2024 DDP is that Disney has changed the rules.
You can use a single Table Service meal entitlement to book a Fantasmic! dining package.
I don’t know whether that statement will apply to any other dining packages throughout the year, but it’s a massive money saver.
That aspect applies to more than just the Fantasmic! packages, too. You can intentionally target Table Service restaurants that cost more.
For example, ‘Ohana, Chef Mickey’s, and Hollywood & Vine cost more than $100 for a pair of guests.
You can eat at these places for one entitlement per person, thereby enhancing your vacation AND maximizing your dining plan purchase!
The other group that should purchase the DDP is families with multiple children under the age of ten.
Your kids will eat cheaper, which will save you lots of money on the overall cost of your vacation.
Also, please know that children under the age of three eat free! That’s an amazing advantage!
When Should You Skip the Disney Dining Plan?
You’ll find a few reasons why you should pass on the dining plan.
For example, you may not want to eat at Disney as often. Let’s say that you plan to DoorDash food to your hotel room.
Also, you might prefer to cook in your room. I don’t even cook at home, so I’m always bewildered by vacationers who do this, but it definitely happens.
I’m frankly in awe of anyone with that much discipline on a vacation.
You also might pass on the DDP if you prefer to eat all your meals at sit-down restaurants. If so, those Quick Service entitlements will just go to waste.
Other guests pick their vacations based on EPCOT festivals. Those folks won’t find much value in a meal play if they intend to eat their way around the World Showcase.
Some tourists also criticize the DDP because it includes too much food.
I think that statement applied more in 2016 than today, but I occasionally see the argument still being made.
Another group who should skip the DDP are vegans and vegetarians.
A few years ago, Disney fully committed to plant-based dining options. In the process, Disney reduced the cost of a meal for healthy eaters.
On the overwhelming majority of Disney restaurant menus, the plant-based entrée is the cheapest thing to order.
So, vegans won’t save any money with the DDP. It’s the bonus you deserve for being a great person. Signed, a carnivore.
Finally, those of you who are annual passholders or Disney Vacation Club members won’t save much, either.
You already qualify for discounts that are nearly equal to the DDP.
Then again, I’m both of those things, and I still buy the Disney Dining Plan, so…
Nobody’s right or wrong on this topic. Just do what makes the most sense for you!
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Feature Photo: Disney