Is The Disney Dining Plan Worth It NOW?
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- Опубликовано: 13 янв 2024
- The Disney Dining Plan is BACK! It’s been a few years since we’ve been able to use this prepaid dining plan around Disney World so today we are giving you the full lesson! Join Emma as she explores the new Dining Plan, what it is, how to use it and if we think it’s worth it!
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We buy Disney gift cards before going, at Target for 5% off. We use those while at the parks for food & merch. We can be completely flexible about where & when to eat. Much simpler and saves $$$.
Worth it if you use your table service credit at Buffet/Family Style restaurants (i.e. Boma or 'Ohana). You don't get an appetizer at other table service restaurants. You only get a drink, entree, & desert with a table service credit, but at a buffet you get everything AND can get 1 additional drink from the drink menu.
Thanks for the in-depth analysis, Emma! As always, A++ content and information. And I love how Quincy came in as a chaos demon and completely destroyed any sense of order. You both play off each other so well, it's a joy to watch.
My daughter and I are doing a girls trip in July and purchased the Table service plan. That gives us 6 months to pre pay and dine at places we would otherwise have not because of the cost to have to pay all at once. We will strategize and maximize our meals for it. We have plans for Ohana, Homecomin’, Steakhouse 71 and Boma for breakfast. And one other option we haven’t decided on yet. I love the dining plan and I’m so glad it’s back! But I agree it is not for everyone.
For my 16th my mom got a reservation at Be Our Guest right at park close so by the time we were done with dinner we had a empty park to take pictures in and they came out AMAZING. Also got to have the grey stuff for dessert!
Do not forget that gratuity/tip is NOT included on table service meals.
Factor this into your trip budget.
I can’t eat enough to justify the cost of the plan, BUT the crazy excel sheet planner in me wants to see what it would take to be worth it 😂
Love the crazy Quincy dance party!
I actually did this before our upcoming trip, and even eating the most expensive thing at every restaurant we want to dine at and the most expensive snacks, it was over $100 more per person on the dining plan compared to paying day of.
This was just for the quick service plan, though, so the regular might be a different story
Tons of great information and honest feedback about the DDP. Thanks for sharing!
Emma’s face and segue into the alcohol portion of the deal after Quincy’s outburst were gloriously accurate. 😂
Perspective: I have teens and adult children in my party and pay for all meals. It is always tense when the kids are selecting a meal. You know- they want a more expensive entree, drinks, apps, but I really only want to cover one reasonable price meal per person. Well, nothing is reasonably priced at Disney, but with the dining plan each person can pick any price item they want. I am not policing that. The Dining Plan makes it easy for me to say - I'm giving you _____ credits and if you want to get extras, you have to cover that. No more awkward moments. For me, it is worth it.
For us as a family of 5 with 4 adults the free dining promo beats the room discount, but if we had to pay it wouldn't be worth it. I do love knowing that I can eat what i want without worrying about cost.
You are paying for it, one way or the other. And with the DDP, you are losing your money.
@@smarterbythemile You would be losing your money weather you use DDP or if you don't use it.
Emma's glasses are so cute!
Love Quincy's rust loungewear so so much! Hi from freezing Michigan!
Quincy and Emma are relationship goals. :)
Thanks for another great and informative video Emma ❤ Also, I love your glasses 😊
Thanks for sharing, we got the free deal for the fall, can’t wait! 👍
We took our 2 year old in 2021 and they gave her her very own meal at every table service restaurant! We had dinner at CRT and she got a whole meal of mac and cheese and fruit and we didn’t have to pay. Same thing at Crystal Palace!
Omg I love Eurovision! Such a great movie!
obsessed with u 2! ❤
DDP is a Must for us. We love using the Snacks for the Festivals. We love the Mugs.
Our family did the plan a couple time pre-pandemic and we had so many snack credits left over and it just was not something we were interested in managing. Easier to just pay at the point of sale for us because sometimes it's just too much food.
We usually do the Quick Serve. The regular dining plan was just too much food. Quick Serve is easy and the food is generally pretty good. You don’t have to worry about getting a reservation for dinner and it’s just faster. It also works great when you spend a day resort or park hopping.
Great to see dining plan back. We won’t be opting for it on our next trip, we got a dining credit deal staying in a moderate and got $1000 dining credit to use which is great!
Wow, how did you get that discount? Are you using a Disney Travel Agent? We are planning our vacation for May 2025 ❤ thank you for any advice 🙏🏻
I am from Australia. The Dining Plan makes sense for me, so I can prepay for most meals at a set point in time, at a known exchange rate and we also only have the one International Transaction Fee if their bank charges it. I am also an Annual Passholder, so I am getting the QS plan only… and will use my prepaid Mastercard with US$ loaded for any table service meals, so I can get my AP discount there.
I always think about getting the dining plan just to try it for myself....but in the end my family's done the math and it's not worth it for us. But I can totally see it being worth it for those who plan out the meals and know they'll use all the credits!
If you order the most expensive thing and get alcohol every meal you can definitely save money, but the amount of money isn't that big compared to just eating less and not always drinking booze...
Emma, I love that you are also a Eurovision fan :)
I believe it will be worth it for our family of 5 adults. We are going to stay at Disney World (Art of Animation) between Jan 21-27, 2024 (6 nights). We booked all 6 Table Service meals 2 months in advance of our arrival to the buffet dinners per night (Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, Garden Grill at EPCOT, Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Hollywood & Vine Dinner Fantasmic Show Package, Tusker House at Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and at Rainforest Cafe (not buffet) in Disney Spring on our night of arrival (from Canada.) We will do 1 Theme Park per day and use the last 2 days to park-hop to the areas we want to go back to for certain rides/shows/fireworks. 4 of us are over 21 so we most likely will get the cocktails/alcoholic beverages or expensive mocktails per meal to maximize the cost. It has been over 10 years since we've been to Disney World and it will be our daughter-in-law's first time in Orlando, FL so we are all excited! We plan to use all our Quick Service meals for breakfast or lunch per day per theme park. All snacks will definitely be used in every theme park and at Disney Springs.
Bottom line, you don't do the plan to save money. That's nearly impossible. You do it so you don't pay out of pocket for every meal. Personally, I think its a waste.
And you still are reminded about the cost when you tip at the table service.
you pay out of pocket regardless. There is no convenience. Just save money for food and put it on the card you are using for the trip right before you leave. Same pay method with your band. "I like it. Simple, easy to remember." - Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest
I agree.
@@smarterbythemile Exactly! Like why not use the dining plan as a cost estimate and put that money on like a Disney gift card?
Since I’ve started getting discounted Disney GCs and planning my restaurants and what we will eat, I would never do a DDP. With the GCs, I manage my spending and actually save money!
It is nice when it is "free," (which it never really is, of course as you need to pay full price for the room). Each year, it has fewer options and costs a little more. If you like the options, might be worth it for you.
Here is how you get the real value of the dining plan. Rent (or own) DVC for your hotel stay so you don’t have to get a package deal and save $$ on deluxe accommodations. Split your stay so you have a reservation for a few days under 1 reservation # and the rest of your trip on another. Add the dining plan for those first few days, hit the expensive stuff, get the mug, then pay out of pocket the rest of the trip. You come out ahead AND get that all inclusive feeling (it really is a fantastic feeling having a dining plan).
Could you do a cost breakdown/spreadsheet of what you normally spend vs the cost of the ddp? I appreciate the advice about value for non-alcoholic drinkers too.
Yes as Emma eats, I would love a graphic of a side by side comparison price wise, adding up throughout the day
Well my family is taking advantage of the kids 20% off deal going on right now in March and for $400 more than what we were spending we got CRT, Fantasmic dining package at Hollywood and dine, and crystal palace not to mention the drinks, snacks, and 4 quick service meals! $100 a day for a family of 6! Not bad if I do say so myself 🤷🏼♀️👏🏻
All Ears do you know anything about the platforms going up on top of the the universal Orlando lagoon?
I really cant understand people who say the DDP isnt worth it? A table service meal at a character dining is $60 minimum which youre going to want to do daily, do that, pick up a quick serice for lunch and youre golden. As a family we want to have a sitdown dinner together each night. Sure the DDP is more than a couple of homemade sandwiches and chips but who wants to do disney on the cheap?
I’ve crunched the numbers and it just doesn’t add up if you want to do breakfast for table service or go to any 2 credit restaurants.
The snacks that used to actually be worth it are no longer eligible: Aloha Isle, Eggroll cart…
If you don’t drink alcohol at every meal … DEFINITELY not a value unless maybe you get free dining.
@@KeemieKEZ we went last month and I have to say I enjoyed the DDP. We were there for a week and had a character dining each day. Garden grill, tuskers house, crystal palace, ohana, chef mickeys and Hollywood & vine, as I alluded to in my first message the point of the DDP for myself and many other people isn't to try and "beat the system" but more to make it feel like an all inclusive holiday, Disney is so expensive that the more I can prepay for before I go the better it feels when I get there. Overall I'd say we either broke even or made a bit but either way it was the way I like to do it and I'll do the DDP again next time. If you're crunching numbers and worrying about the pennies it probably isn't for you, as I said sandwiches & chips are always going to be cheaper
@@chrisito58this is exactly what I was thinking! Character dining everyday and then a snack & quick service meal a day (plus the mugs) is totally worth the DDP!
The only angle to make it worth for me, would be if I really worked the resort mug soda hack with the quick service plan. I drink around three fountain cokes a day when I am there. Theoretically you could leave Epcot and get your cokes at yacht & beach; obviously MK - but if you want more than like 1
refill on a park day that is annoying. One of my New Years resolutions is to cut down on my soda intake, so I should probably stop wasting my time thinking about it.🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can quick service credits be converted to table service credits?
been trying to figure if Shiki-Sai is worth using 1 of our credits for. Just not sure if its a limited menu.
can you use a quick service as a snack again?
My only yes if the dining plan is included as a deal.
I really wanted to get the Disney dining plan however when we go all three of my boys will be over 9 and two of them are mega fussy I know a lot of things on the adult table service meals and quick service they won’t eat! So looks like it’s not the best option for us even though my partner and kids will eat lots of snacks at the parks
The Dining Plans are worth it only for big, fancy eaters. If you plan on eating A LOT and often---especially at the table service or quick service restaurants that have fancy desserts and/or pricey beverages. If you or your family are picky, light eaters who prefers burger, fries, and a coke or you like to just nibble and snack all day, it's not for you.
The DDP saves no family money. At best, you can break even. Disney is counting on the fact that you cannot eat this much and even if you can - you do not get the MOST expensive thing at every meal or snack.
You forgot to mention that you can use Mobile Ordering with the DP too.
When you say midnight on the day you check out, do you mean 11:59pm?
Are you able to trade 2 quick services for 1 sit down or 2 snacks for 1 quick service?
Ill have what Quincy is having lol😂😂😂
We Love the DDP. Sad that the Deluxe ISN'T BACK as most of our Favorite places r 2 Credits. Some of our Favorites r NOT ON DDP like California grill.
Maybe I missed this in your video: You are limited to the names of the restaurants listed on the plan, Taxes are not included when you purchase the plan. Gratuities are not included in the plan. Finally you get 1 or 2 drinks a day on a cup that you have to carry with you the entire day. thanks for the informative video.
We also lost one snack and you can no longer convert a quick service into 3 snacks. This was so convenient for festival dining. 😢
I think I've heard the answer to this in another video, but I can't remember which video to double check. Do you have to acquire a new refillable thermos each time that you use the dining plan, or can you use a thermos you've already acquired from the dining plan in the past?
It's been a no for us for more years then I can count. The last time we had it, it was just too much food and too much worrying about if we used all our credits (before MDE). If you are doing it for "saving money" crunch the numbers first. Look at menus and be honest about what you would really eat. I don't eat steak but maybe twice a year and have never eaten it at WDW, it's not about how much it costs, I just don't really like steak. I may eat one TS meal 3 out of 6 days of a trip and maybe 3 QS meals, and those will be kid's meals because there is too much food in adult meals for me. I rarely snack between meals, although sometimes what counts as a snack is a meal. I don't drink soft drinks, I drink water or a refreshing adult beverage and I make my coffee in my room where it's free anyway so the mug is useless. Is the "free" really free? Again, you would need to crunch the numbers. Is there a room discount (there is during the current free dining) so you would need to figure that out. Can you get your tickets for less elsewhere, yep, when I don't have an AP I buy mine from the frog. So you would need to figure out how much your discounted room plus your discounted tickets would be versus how much paying rack rate and full rate for the tickets would be (and aren't they PHs on that current offer). A big thing for us other than it's too much food is I don't like having to think about is this on the plan every time I get something and how can I maximize my money.
I was under the impression that character dinning, like at Garden Grill, was considered 2 table service credits?
For the lounge, can we clarify if the appetizer and drink works only for table service credit or can a quick service plan use a lounge? This is what I can’t find online. Some lounges just say “some accepted” with no other info. I would love to see a full complete list of every snack you can get that isn’t popcorn and ice cream (for example, the milk stand used to be a snack credit but it says nothing now)
only table service credit. Dont waste your credits at lounges. And dont waste your money on the DDP if you have not purchased already.
@@smarterbythemile we were gifted the qsddp for our trip so it’s happening. but we plan to visit a few key table services on our own dime 👌 I’m mainly interested in maximizing it as best we can.
I feel like you may spend a bit more with the dining plan in theory , I’ve gone to Disney 2-3 times since 2020 and I usually spend less than $100 a day BUT : we didn’t do much table service or fancy meals at those time, my most recent trip we did a lot of table service and my aunt said she spend $300 on some meals : that would cover all 3 of us for dining plan per day so that might change the game :
My aunt also insists that it helps her budget , and so who am I to complain if she’s the one paying 😆 when I go myself I buy gift cards at target with my target credit to get 5% off the gift cards and that’s how I budget !
Those Disney gift cards from Target 5% off are the best!!
I have a question do the credits roll over into the next day so like if say I only use a snack credit one day could I use the other credits the next day?
Yes
TABLE SERVICE PLAN NOT WORTH IT unless you would normally consume large portions, include alcohol & dessert, occupying 1.5-2.0 hours, all while trying to ride as many rides as possible while walking miles and miles. (Oops, forgot to include that tip is not included in the dining plan.) Many WDW full-service restaurants are great dining locations and have excellent food. I believe the DDP is convenient, but the Table Service option may not fit your needs. The Quick Service plan may be better for your group, but may not save you money in the long run unless you get the most expensive items offered. Do the maths.
Do sit down meals include appetizer OR dessert for each adult meal?
Dessert and drink
What about mobile ordering? Can you use your dining credits when paying for the mobile orders?
I’ve heard yes as long as you’re ordering food that’s qualifies but I haven’t been yet & used it so double check. Maybe that means I shouldn’t leave a comment 🤔😂🤷♀️
We had the dining plan in 2018. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure we had two snacks per night. Question, can you use mobile order with the dining plan?
Yes you can, but be careful to be sure that it is using your snacks correctly. If you want to pay cash for something, like a side of cheese sauce, you want to be sure it is not taking it off your plan. No one wants to use a snack credit for a $1 cheese sauce.
My family and I have never used the dining plan. We are on our 18th trip to disney world. We mainly have used pre paid gift cards and cash. The worst part is, you can’t combine any hotel discount with the dining, which automatically makes it more expensive. Pre paying for food you may not even eat, is never a great idea. All the calculating throughout your trip is a hassle.
They also took away a snack a day which hurts the value as well
Do all the credits release at once or just a certain number per day?
Probably all at once, because some table service meals will require TWO credits per person.
Are you telling us appetizers are included in the table service? That wasn’t the case before.
I saw another review that said you now can’t convert table service credits to quick service credits like you used to be able to. Can you clarify? Ta
Essentially this time around you’re only allowed to use a credit for what it’s designed for. Table Service credits can only be used at Table Service restaurants, Quick Service credits at Quick Service restaurants, and Snack credits for snacks. In years past sometimes you could use a Quick Service credit for three snacks instead, but now there are no switcheroos
Do you know if you rent DVC through a rental company, can you still add the dining plan?
Yes you can. Tell the rental company you want it added. They will charge you, then have the owners add it to the stay. But again, you WILL lose money with the DDP.
If you're a Disney resort guest, can you get refillable resort mugs without buying the dining plan?
Yes, you just have to pay for it. I believe it's $21.99 per mug.
What I’ve never understood is how people end up with snack credits left over. Don’t items at EPCOT’s festivals usually count as a snack? They always used to. I’ve never done the DDP but I can imagine just buying a load of festival food each day to use them up.
I don’t get this either. The plan now is one snack, one quick service, and one table service. We’d usually use a snack for breakfast, table service for lunch, and sit down for dinner. Or we’d skip breakfast and just do a quick service for brunch, table service for dinner, and then maybe a late night snack back at the resort. How is that “so much” food? Isn’t that just a normal amount of meals?
@@alib6774it always used to be 2 snacks per person per day. That way if you only had one snack on a couple days you would end up with snacks left over. I know when I used to get the dining plan sometimes my family members would share snacks and then we would have a bunch leftover
I think people had snack credits left over when the plan included 2 snacks per day. Now the plan only includes one snack so I do not think people will have many/any left.
Does everyone staying in your hotel room have to get it? Or can 1 person get it and other not?
Everyone has to
My kids and I split quick service meals and stretched out our credits to all of meals.
I thought the mugs were only usable at the resort you were staying at. Is that a change?
We've always been able to use them at any resort.
The mugs can be used at any Disney World Hotel that has a fountain. I highly recommend the mug, but NEVER the DDP.
@@flesh4lulu475 i think the last time i bought a mug was pre-covid. i thought they told us it was only good at our resort. good tip!
Can you mobile order with the dining plan?
Yes
Plus before the pandemic… it was 3 meals. And two snacks. Now it is only 2 meals and 1 snack.
Do you mean under 3?? Now I’m freaking out lol
Who came up with these dining plan rules? Dr. All Fears?!
14 years ago in 2010, our full dining plan for TWO cost us $420. we would have paid based on our receipts, $540. the plan saved us $120. so was it worth it then? of course. is the dining plan massively overpriced now? yes, and it’s a real shame. i feel so sorry for anyone doing disney now. highway robbery. but, maybe not when if i look back 14 years from now. btw, we stayed at old key west via an ebay club member for FIVE nights. cost $550. nope, no goin’ back nowadays. we’ll let allears be our tour guides!
I feel like if you do character meals that are only 1 credit, it’s worth it.
I think you can get your money’s worth but not by a great deal. Let’s pick an example day at HS
Hollywood and vine for dinner 63 for adults + 10-15 for alcoholic beverage = $75
Lunch at woody’s = 14 + 5-10 for drink
Or lunch at docking bay is included as a QS meal and is $18 and they also have cocktails up to $17 (although I don’t know if those are included)
Snack is a wookie cookie for 7 so at the low end you would spend $100 on food out of pocket and at the high end you would spend $120
Also a kids dining plan is 30 and a kids buffet at Hollywood and vine is $40 so that right there is already worth it
Last comment - it doesn’t appear annual pass holders get any dining plan discounts and they do for individual dining so that can change things as well
I liked the Disney Dining Plan. You said the Standard Dining Plan for children was "26.69", but the information that came up said $29.69. Which is it really. I will use the Dining Plan again when we go to Disney World again. If we didn't use it all, then we get snacks to take home from the Goofy Candy Co.
One last thing - there is a hack for this that could make the DDP worth while for you. Say your family of 4 is taking a 5th person. Relative or one of your kids friends. Put your main 4 family members on the hotel reservation and buy the DDP. Do not put the 5th person on the room. Now, every time you dine or snack - you have plenty of credits for that 5th person and will definitely use them all on QUALITY meals and snacks. No scrambling at the end to use them. But, I will say it one more time - even with this method, you will probably just break even. But at least you will not lose.
Dining credits are not transferable. This would likely work with snack credits, but at table service meals, the fifth person would not be able to use dining plan credits if they are not also on the plan.
Isn’t hard to use every single perk on the plan?
They’ve helped you pay more and get less perks
Question: It has been a really long time since I had a DDP and the last time I had it, I could turn 1 meal into 3 snack credits. Can I still do that?
I heard on a different Disney RUclipsr page that that is no longer allowed.
You can no longer do this. The DDP is not worth it and is a cash grab for Disney. Save food money and buy your meals as you need them.
@@meghancarr518 thanks for the info!
@@smarterbythemile thanks! I think you are right. It’s not worth it.
I also saw a video where higher priced items are no longer available as a snack credit.
Both plans are a waste. Nearly impossible to come out even or ahead on the food cost. I almost never get breakfast in the parks- I have cereal, yogurt etc in the room. Pretty much never have 2 full meals per day. With epcot- having multiple snacks might be preferred to a meal- dining plan isn't flexible for that. If you're worried about a huge credit card bill- buy a gift card for the price of the dining plan and use that to pay for food. I also don't like that this requires you to purchase tickets and hotel directly through Disney. Maybe i domt want a whole package. Only part that seems convenient is for letting teens in your party get their own food. But even then- I would give them a gift card for food. As a single person- I mostly just charged to the room.
Bit confused by the ending of this video
Do you get credits for kids under 3? That is confusing us on whether it is worth it or not. We have 2.5 year old we would still need to purchase meals for unless we would also get credits for her.
No, you don't get credits for anyone under the age of 3
There’s better and cheaper restaurants outside the resorts, so being locked in to only Disney meals is a no go.
It’s basically a pay more get less
The dining plan doesn't include tips so add 18% or more to the cost of the plan for each table service meal. Not worth it for us.
It’s not worth it. Disney is never going to offer something that will lose them money. Most people will not get their money’s worth. Also, depending on your resort cost, it may be less expensive to use a resort discount over the free dining plan if it is offered.
The dining plan is never worth it my family doesn’t eat much when it is hot like it is in Florida plus we are excited about the rides we are not focused on the food
Only in the Wonderful World of Disney are ten year old children "adults."
This is a con from start to finish. Disney would never offer a program if it did not make them money. The dining plan would not exist if there was even the slightest chance of Disney losing money
My personal opinion is No
Amen - the DDP is a money maker for Disney only.
Eurovision cameo 🫶🤍 for the absolute win ::chefs kiss::