Is the dining plan really worth it when traveling to Disney World?

Question

We are planning on staying onsite at one of the Disney resorts in June, and will not have a rental car.

Answer 1

Absolutely. The dining plan is a great deal and saves most people 40% or more on their dining. I'm not sure of your children's ages, if they are 10 and up the price of the dining may be a little high for you, but you should still save money. If your kids are under 10 they are only paying $11 a day. It would be very hard to feed children for less that.

On the dining plan, if you use it properly, you will be able to eat at some of the nicest restuarants at Disney and get a ton of food at each place. The only thing that isn't included is alcohol. When I use the plan I usually spend more than the cost of my plan just on my table-service meal, meaning my counter-service and snack are all free for the day, plus I save a little on my main meal and the 19% tip is included.

I could go on and on about the dining plan. It is the first plan Disney has offerred that is affordable to most everyone and is well worth it. I never go without the dining plan, I like it a lot.

You can go to Disney and spend less money on dining, but you won't be able to get nearly as nice of meals as you can on the plan. If you want to eat mainly hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets, you won't spend as much on your food (except for kids) but you will almost pay as much as you would for the dining plan and the meals aren't nearly as nice. Since you won't have a car, the cost of taking a taxi to offsite to eat would add up really fast, and you would be better off eating at Disney. If you want to make your own meals, you would have to pay more for a room that would have a kitchen (at Disney the rooms with kitchens are a lot higher than standard rooms) Also, you would need to have the groceries, at the Orlando stores, it is usually a little higher than what you may be used to, bringing your own food would be a bit of a hassel and sending your food would be pretty costly. Plus, making your own food would not be as convenient as just running in some place and having a nice meal.

Finally, you will want to reserve your dining, whether you will be doing the dining plan or not. With the popularity of the dining plan, the more popular restaurants sell out and you may not be able to get in if you don't reserve them. Some of the more popular choices, like Le Celliers will sell out and you may not be able to get in or have a long wait. I know it isn't as nice making the reservations and then having to be somewhere at that time, but if you want the nicer places, it really is the only way to go to make sure you get in. Only a few restaurants charge if you don't show up, so find out which ones they are and make sure to cancel them if you don't plan to go, otherwise you can just not show up, they will cancel 10 minutes after the time you reserve. But having something reserved will make it easier for you to get a table, if you find something else you want and don't have a long wait, you can always do that then, but I definitely recommend booking at least a few in advance.

I've included a link to one of the best sites I have found so far in regards to the dining plan. A lot of info and it helps you plan out your meals a little better. I've also included a link to the menus that you will find at the restaurants so you can see what interests you.

Please e-mail me if you have questions, I go to Disney all the time and I love to help!

Answer 2

You can still dine the way you did before with the Disney Dining Plan. They have wonderful buffets at Disney. Our favorites are The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom), 'Ohana (Polynesian), Chef Mickey's (Contemporary), Cape May Cafe (Beach Club), Boma's (Animal Kingdom Lodge), & Whispering Canyon Cafe (Wilderness Lodge-lots of fun-best ribs!). You can then use your snack coupons later. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is lots of fun. We've done it twice. You'll need to buy tickets ahead of time. You'll have to make dining reservations as soon as you can. They do book up fast. Another great place to eat is the Coral Reef in Epcot where you get to see the fish swim by while you eat. It's expensive, but with the Disney Dining Plan it would be great. Also the California Grill at the Contemporary. A couple of restaurants require 2 meal tickets (the more expensive ones). Have a great time!

Answer 3

I only recommend the dining plan if you plan to stay 4 days or longer. It ends up saving you about 40% off per person in meals. If you are staying less than 4 days, the savings doesn't tend to kick in.
The dining plan offers so many locations for you to use up your meals. Each person receives 1 snack, 1 quick servie meal and 1 table service meal. You can also trade in your sit down meal for a fun character meal or special dinner show - like Disney's Polynesian Resort's Spirit of Aloha Show, which is highly recommended. To learn more, visit these great links:

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/MYWDining.pdf

http://www.allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm

If you would like help planning for your next trip or if you would just like to read up on some fun tips and ideas that are updated monthly, visit my Disney Vacation Services My space page, at:

http://www.myspace.com/disneymickeyvacation

Have a great time!

Answer 4

This plan is DEFINITELY worth it. Especially if you like to try the different restaurants. On the basic Disney Dining plan (which I believe costs about $40 per person per night of your stay) you receive one counter service meal, one table service meal and one snack for each night of your stay.

The counter service meals are at just about any of the restaurants where you walk in, order at the counter and carry your own food to the table. These meals can run about $7- $10 each.

Table service meals vary greatly in price. These are at just about ANY of the restaurants in Disney World or any of the resorts there. You can order an appetizer, an entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage for every meal. Or you can trade in a table service meal for a Character meal. (these usually run about $25-$35 each) Last year we used the dining plan and ONE meal at Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada Pavilion at Epcot came to over $100.00 for 2 people- so we got our money's worth on THAT day!)

For snacks, you can purchase many things throughout the parks: ice cream, fruit, popcorn, etc. We would usually get a fruit from the resort food court in the morning and that would be breakfast. This way we ended up getting 3 meals a day out of our plan!

If you & your family have hearty appetites, or would like to try some of the fancier restaurants without breaking your budget, this is certainly the best route to go.

Answer 5

I agree with Tech. We went in November and loved the dining plan. Every night our dinner bill was about $100 for 2 adults but we didn't pay anything with the dining plan. (You choose whatever you like on the menu. The only restriction is alcohol.) You get a non alcoholic drink, appetizer, entree, and desert. Most of the time we were sooooooo full, we couldn't even finish the desert. Make sure you make reservations,especially for character meals. You can make them 180 days in advance.The only problem with the dining plan is you could come home 5lbs heavier from all the food you get!

Answer 6

It wouldn't hurt. The transportation shouldn't be a problem with the monorails, buses, etc. But it might be a bit crowded so reservations would be a good idea.

Answer 7

This question is worth everyone's attention

Answer 8

Yes and take advantage of being able to see the dinner shows that are included!