Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It?

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Many families love to use the Disney Dining Plan during their Walt Disney vacation. It’s a convenient way to pre-pay for meals before you even step foot on the property. But is the dining plan worth it? We details all the ins and outs of the program so you don’t have to!

Everyone loves the Be Our Guest menu and wants to eat with Belle, or have dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Your kids might want to have a character breakfast at Chef mickey’s, or stop for the popular afternoon Dole Whip snack. But how much will it all cost? What’s the best way to pay for your meals at the Walt Disney World theme parks? 

Many people opt for the Disney dining plan, so we’ve broken down the most popular questions to help you make a decision if it’s worth the cost to you. 

What is the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining plan is a prepaid meal plan offered at Walt Disney World theme parks to help park visitors calculate their dining costs in advance. If can even help you save money on food at the Disney parks.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It?

If you’re heading to Disney you’ve invested a lot of money to get into the park, but what about the food? You have decisions to make about where you’re going to eat, and what’s the best way to pay for it. Many people opt for the Disney Dining Plan, but is it worth spending hundreds of dollars so you don’t have worry about food at Walt Disney World?

An Optional Add On

Something to know about the Disney Dining Plan is that it’s an optional add on. You don’t have to buy it in order to eat at Disney restaurants — you can choose to buy food at any food kiosk or restaurant during any operating hours and pay with cash, credit, or debit. In fact, you’re even allowed to bring your own food into the park.

Some people think that they have to buy the Disney Dining Plan, but know that it’s not a requirement.

How to Get the Disney Dining Plan

There are two ways you can purchase the Disney Dining Plan:

• Available for Disney resort guests who purchase a Resort Hotel Package
• Use points if you’re a member of the Disney Vacation Club.

Prepaying for Your Food and Snacks

A lot of times, people love adding the Disney Dining Plan because this helps them pre-pay for their food and snacks. When you book the DDP, you are essentially buying credits. These credits are then used. You get certain amounts of credits, based on the amount of nights you’re
staying.

Easiness of Using Your Credits

Another thing to consider is how easy it is to use the Disney Dining Plan. You simply scan the MagicBand and from there, you can choose what to purchase with it.

Because everything is already paid for, you simply get to choose what you want. A lot of people like this because they don’t have to worry about exchanging money.

Knowing What Credits You Have

Another reason the Disney Dining Plan may be worth it because you’ll know which credits you have. Each receipt that you get has a number at the bottom. That number reflects how many credits you have. I feel like the Disney Dining Plan is worth it because you get to KNOW how
many are left, each time you buy something.

All-Inclusive

Many people are choosing to get the Disney Dining Plan because it makes it feel like it’s an all-inclusive event. It’s nice to not have to worry about the extras, when you’re at Disney. You can get what you need and not have to worry about the rest.

Disney Dining Plan Calculator

Need more information on exactly how much dining at Disney will cost you with the plan? This website has a Disney Dining Plan calculator that you can plug your number in and get exact pricing information.

You can “Enter the details of your trip, dining preferences, and then select where you’d like to eat in Disney World. As you choose each restaurant, we dynamically calculate the estimated out of pocket costs you would incur if you did not use a dining plan. We also dynamically calculate the additional cost or potential savings for the three most popular dining plans – the Quick Service Plan, the Disney Dining Plan, and the Deluxe Dining Plan. If you expand the details for each dining plan estimate, you’ll see exactly which restaurants to pay for out of pocket and which restaurants to pay for with the Disney Dining Plan.”

Participating Disney Restaurants

Here’s a great list of Disney restaurants, broken down by location so you can plan ahead –> Disney Dining Plan participating restaurants

How Much Does the Disney Dining Plan Cost?

Get the current list of Disney dining plan pricing and information here.

This video easily explains of the pros and cons of the Disney Dining Plan:

Do you think the Disney Dining Plan is worth it? Have you ever used the Disney Dining Plan?

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