There is a lot of debate about whether or not the Disney Dining Plan actually saves you money. My answer? It can.
Now I know that’s not definitive, so let’s discuss it. The dining plan offers many benefits:
- It can save you hundreds in dining expenses.
- It allows you to pre-budget your meals and pay them in advance.
- You’ll feel more freedom to try a wider range of menu items.
- Planning can be easier because you’re just filling in meal spots.
- You can portion out snacks instead of wanting to stop for every treat.
- Table-service meals offer guaranteed breaks in your day.
- You’ll enjoy more delicious food!
If you’re the type of family who likes to bring sandwiches from home and share meals, the dining plan isn’t for you. But if you like three square meals a day or want to explore all the tastes and treats of Walt Disney World Resort, it can be a great value.
So here are my tips on how you can make the most of your Disney Dining Plan and enjoy an indulgent vacation for less money.
1. Book Early
I recommend booking your Disney vacation 7 months before you’d like to visit. This will give you plenty of time to pick your parks, research restaurants, and start getting excited for your vacation. If planning this far in advance feels overwhelming, work with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner such as Ears of Experience. We can help you plan everything at no additional cost.
2. Be Strategic
The Disney Dining Plan gives you 1 table-service credit, 1 quick-service credit, and 2 snack credits per person, per night of your stay. For example, if you’re staying 6 nights you would have 6 table-service credits to use. Here is how I suggest using your credits each day:
- Breakfast: Bring breakfast items for your room or use 1 snack credit for a pastry/fruit cup
- Lunch: 1 quick-service credit
- Snack: 1 snack credit
- Dinner: 1 table-service credit
This plan saves you the most money because you’re using your table-service credit for the most expensive meal (dinner). I also love looking forward to enjoying a sit-down meal at the end of a long day in the parks.
But what if you want to do a character breakfast one day? Most of these are all-you-care-to-enjoy buffets, so why not plan one in the late morning as a brunch? Save your quick-service credit for an easy dinner so you can ride attractions while everyone else sits down for a meal.
3. Research Restaurants & Menus
Browse through the Walt Disney World Resort website with your family and look at the dining options for each park. Don’t forget to check out Disney Springs, the BoardWalk, and other Disney Resorts too. Discuss options with your vacation planner. Review the menus for items you’d enjoy (although keep in mind that certain dishes are seasonal). Finally, make a list of restaurants that peak your interests.
Make a note of how many credits each restaurant will take. While most table-service restaurants accept the Disney Dining Plan for 1 credit, there are several that require 2 credits. These include Signature Dining, dinner shows, certain dinner packages, and Cinderella’s Royal Table. These are some of the best restaurants that Disney offers, so don’t be afraid to include one or two in your plans.
4. Choose Restaurants with the Best Value
Now that you’ve looked through the menus, you’ll notice that some restaurants are more indulgent than others. This is where the Disney Dining Plan shines! It’s an opportunity to try out dining you may have skipped before due to price. The dining plan is also a great way to incorporate character meals into your plans (which saves you time waiting in line to meet individual characters).
Take advantage of 1 credit character buffets and dinner packages, as these will help you maximize your value.
Here are a few restaurants that will give you great value with the current Disney Dining Plan. Don’t worry if you want some restaurants that aren’t included on this list – one of the major benefits of the dining plan is convenience, and the value will balance out in the end. Ultimately, choose restaurants that you think you and your family will really love.
5. Book Your Advanced Dining Reservations
Now that you know where you want to eat, it’s time to book your Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs). These are for all table-service meals, dining packages, dinner shows, and Be Our Guest Restaurant (quick-service breakfast/lunch). For each day of your trip, dining reservations can be made 180 days in advance. For example, if you’re staying the week of 9/24/17 here is your timeline:
- 9/24/17: Book ADRs on 3/28/17
- 9/25/17: Book ADRs on 3/29/17
- 9/26/17: Book ADRs on 3/30/17
Reservations open up at 6 AM each day. Disney Resort guests get the benefit of booking dining reservations for their whole stay at once (instead of having to do one day at a time). If you’d prefer not to wake up early (I don’t blame you), this is another great benefit of working with a vacation planner (we take care of this for you).
Do you really need to book your dining 180 days in advance? If you’re set on a reservation at a popular location such as Be Our Guest Restaurant, Cinderella’s Royal Table, or Le Cellier, this is your best chance to get a table at the exact time you want. Otherwise, be prepared to be flexible with your choices and times. If the restaurant you want is not available, keep checking daily – a table may open up before your trip. Your vacation planner can assist you in tracking down these openings.
Your reservations will appear in your My Disney Experience account. This way you’ll be able to keep track of them between now and your trip. Your park days will be a lot less stressful when you know you won’t have to wait an hour to find a nice sit-down meal.
6. Choose Quick-Service Options & Snacks
The last step when it comes to planning our your dining is to pick out some quick-service meals. The graphic above shows which dining locations offer the most value, but many are priced similarly.
Quick-service meals are a great place for flexibility since, with few exceptions, you don’t need reservations. However, I recommend looking at all the options and picking out a few at each park that you’d enjoy. This will keep you from feeling like you wasted credits on chicken fingers when you could have had braised pork (coq au vin style) or a lobster roll.
One of the biggest mistakes people make value-wise when it comes to the dining plan is using snack credits for bottled water or soda instead of treats like Dole Whip or Mickey caramel apples. Snack credits go beyond sweets though. Did you know you can use them at most booths at the Epcot festival booths? Get free ice water from quick-service locations and save those credits for big ticket items like the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
7. Enjoy Your Disney Vacation!
This most important step in planning any Disney vacation is to simply enjoy it. With the Disney Dining Plan and Your Advanced Dining Reservations, you’re already on your way to a stress-free trip!
Disney Dining Plan Example
Finally, I wanted to leave you with an example of a family vacation to Disney World using these tips. Take a look and see what the plan could save you.
This is for a family of four with two children, ages 6 and 11, and includes tax.
Day 1: Magic Kingdom (Character Dinner)
- Breakfast: Gaston’s Tavern
- Adult #1: Mixed Fruit Cup: $3.79
- Adult #2: Warm Cinnamon Roll: $4.49
- Child #1: Warm Cinnamon Roll: $4.49
- Child #2: Chocolate Croissant: $3.59
- Drinks: Ice Water: $0
- Total: $17.42
- Lunch: Be Our Guest Restaurant
- Adult #1: Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style): $16.99
- Adult #2: Carved Roast Beef Sandwich: $16.99
- Child #1: Croque Monsieur w/Frites: $13.99
- Child #2: Carved Turkey Sandwich: $8.49
- Drinks: 2 Bottled Waters: $6.00
- Drinks: 1 Fountain Beverage: $3.29
- Drinks: 1 Chocolate Milk: $2.69
- Total: $72.89
- Snack: Aloha Isle
- Adult #1: Pineapple Dole Whip Cup: $4.19
- Adult #2: Pineapple Float: $5.29
- Child #1: Pineapple Dole Whip Cup: $4.19
- Child #2: Pineapple Float: $5.29
- Total: $20.19
- Dinner: Chef Mickey’s
- Adult #1: Buffet: $50.05
- Adult #2: Buffet: $50.05
- Child #1: Buffet: $50.05
- Child #2: Buffet: $25.55
- Total: $187.12
- Total Day 1: $297.62
- Total Paid for Dining Plan: $233.00
- Total Saved with Dining Plan: $64.62
Day 2: Epcot (Table-Service Dinner)
- Breakfast: Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe (Norway)
- Adult #1: School Bread: $3.19
- Adult #2: Sweet Pretzel with Almonds: $4.99
- Child #1: Berry Cream Puff: $5.19
- Child #2: Troll Horn: $3.79
- Drinks: Ice Water: $0
- Total: $18.28
- Lunch: Sunshine Seasons
- Adult #1: Pressed Cuban Sandwich: $13.49
- Adult #2: Spicy Fish Tacos: $11.79
- Child #1: Mongolian Beef w/Rice: $12.99
- Child #2: Turkey Meatloaf: $6.99
- Drinks: 3 Bottled Waters: $9.00
- Total: $57.79
- Snack: L’Artisan des Glaces
- Adult #1: Croque Glace: $7.04
- Adult #2: Macaron: $4.69
- Child #1: Double Scoop: $7.04
- Child #2: Single Scoop: $4.69
- Total: $24.98
- Dinner: Tutto Italia
- Adult #1: Sage-Roasted Rack of Lamb: $37.00
- Adult #2: Grilled Rib-Eye Steak: $35.00
- Child #1: Lasagna: $28.00
- Child #2: Spaghetti and Meatballs: $10.00
- Drinks: 2 Iced Teas: $6.00
- Drinks: 1 Soda: $3.00
- Dessert: 1 Hazelnut Chocolate Cake: $12.00
- Dessert: 1 Cannoli: $10.00
- Total: $150.17
- Total Day 1: $251.22
- Total Paid for Dining Plan: $233.00
- Total Saved with Dining Plan: $18.22
As you can see, even without a character meal the dining plan gives you a ton of food and can save you money each day (even when sharing desserts). And when it comes to character buffets, it will save you even more.
The Disney Dining Plan can be a great addition to your Disney Vacation Package. If you have any questions on whether or not it is right for your family, feel free to send me an email at jtullino@themouseexperts.com.
Ready for your next Disney trip? Let me help design your dream Disney vacation! I offer stress-free vacation planning, personalized itineraries, 1-on-1 concierge services, and more at no cost to you. Request a free, no-obligation quote through my web form, email me at jtullino@themouseexperts.com, or call me at (321) 222-DSNY. I’d love to help your plan your most memorable vacation yet!
