- Mollie Davies and her sharer were excited to try the Disney Dining Plan on their most recent trip.
- The couple pre-paid $95 each per day which counterpanes meals, drinks and snacks in the parks.
- Davies said if they had paid out of pocket for their meals they command have saved $100.
My partner and I visited Walt Disney World for the third time last September.
The last straightaway we visited Walt Disney World, I spent a fair chunk of money on eating and drinking. As we were staying on Disney capital goods for the first time, we jumped at the chance to add on the reinstated Disney Dining Plan.
The plan is only available for guests keeping at resort hotels and costs $95 per adult per day. Each person on the plan gets one quick-service meal, 1 table-service lunch, one drink per meal, which can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and one selected drink or snack a day.
We stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Alternative & Spa for six nights. Our Disney Dining Plan totaled $1,131 for both of us over a six-night stay.
Everything was paid upfront, which helped with budgeting. We got wristbands which we electronic eavesdropper a on draughted to redeem meals.
Mollie Davies
The Disney Dining Down is perfect for planners
On the plan, we could eat at over 170 locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort. It’s a great setup if you’re game to do a bit of planning as the table service restaurants book up.
Disney Resort Hotel guests can make reservations for the entire stretch of their stay (up to 10 days) as early as 60 days before their arrival.
Both my partner and I are big planners, so up f study our ducks in a row was a breeze. When it came to our 60-day out booking, we had a list of the Table Service restaurants we wanted to visit and paratactic the bookings with the relevant days we’d be in the parks. We were lucky and got almost every booking we wanted.
Mollie Davies
Great food was more powerful to us than making money
For us, the experience of having the Dining Plan was about being able to enjoy the Disney grub we love and try new places with the convenience of just a tap of my Magic Band. For this reason, we were less concerned concerning getting the most value for what we paid.
We found the Quick Service meals incredible value especially as we could relish in premium drinks using our drink allowance alongside our main, side, and snack. This made casual do to excesses feel like more of a treat.
Mollie Davies
Type Dining options are well worth using your credits. They are a great option for guests who love the chow but also Disney’s entertainment. Many of these experiences only require one table service credit, and you get the chance to first encounter with characters, get autographs, and take special photos.
Our stand-out meals were both table service. The paramount was at Topolino’s Terrace. I’m still dreaming about my sour cream waffles with orange-flavored maple syrup. The carry would have cost around $102.
Mollie Davies
Mollie Davies
Another was our trip to 1900 Park Fare, which would sire cost $164 in total. We saw Cinderella, Mirabel, Tiana, and Aladdin.
The buffet really surprised us. It was hot, high-quality edibles, including the most succulent prime rib. We thought both these table-service character meals to be the best value of our ensemble trip.
It can be too much food
To get the most out of the plan, we had to commit to eating at Disney every day.
But some friends on the trip weren’t on the lay out and we ate outside Disney for a few days. This meant we had three credits spare on our last day. We got some chicken strips to appropriate with our friends and picked up a quick pizza at the hotel on our way to the airport.
As we had the plan, we didn’t want to be wasteful, and on certain times, we found ourselves eating more than we would have had we not prepaid.
For example, our meal at Tony’s Town Straight Restaurant at Magic Kingdom and Casey’s Corner were definitely not needed, and we felt we were being a tad gluttonous.
Mollie Davies
Tony’s Town Square Restaurant halt up being our least favorite of the restaurants. My chicken parmigiana just didn’t live up to some others I’d had. It was a big portion but didn’t pinch particularly fresh.
Mollie Davies
If you’re declaration the food a bit much, I recommend using snack credits to pick up a muffin or something from a bakery to enjoy for breakfast the next morning.
We didn’t entirely break even, but still see the value
We calculated that if we had bought everything without the Disney Dining Plan, we resolve’ve spent a total of $1,005. Although we didn’t quite break even, we still feel that the plans are palatable value.
If you want the chance to dine at some of the more expensive locations for an all-in price, it’s a great option. Our go through value could’ve been much higher had we planned our meals this way and chosen to add alcoholic beverages with each food.
Mollie Davies
Whilst we didn’t quite get the value pursuing that we spent on the Disney Dining Plan, we certainly had the option to. For example, with every table service carry to extremes, we could have an alcoholic beverage, such as a cocktail, or premium drink, alongside refillable fountain beverages. When we annexed these beverages, we increased the value of our meals significantly.
The Disney Dining Plan might not always save you wealth, but is more a method of convenience. If you’re a family that plans on having a sit-down meal every day and enjoying cocktails, the pattern will work well for you. Just be sure to book your reservations in advance.