One of the most frequently touted benefits to staying on Disney World property is the ever-popular Disney Dining Plan, a perk that is only available to Disney resort guests. While perusing online forums and so-called Disney budgeting blogs, you’ll often find Disney guests who rave about the plan and the money it saves. After all, you get an array of food choices for each day of your stay at one low, flat, daily rate. Before you say, “Sign me up!” however, there’s something you should know: it’s a bad deal.
I doubt there are many people who have crunched the numbers on this as often as I have. I worked as an accountant for over a decade, so I’m a bit of a meticulous planner when it comes to budgeting.
Of course, I once used the Disney Dining Plan on a trip, and I really enjoyed it. However, it was included with the price of my room as a promotion that year, and I found myself wondering if I would actually save money by purchasing it out of pocket.
Every time I plan a new Disney vacation, I go straight to my handy little spreadsheet, just to see if the Dining Plan might make sense for us on our next trip–but it never does, at least financially. On top of the financial aspects, though, there are several other reasons why the Disney Dining Plan is just a bad idea for most groups. (And, just to clarify, we’re only discussing the regular plan here, though the same principles apply for all levels of the service.)
1. Some items aren’t included
Image: Disney
Disney likes to imply that the Dining Plan is a convenient all-in-one package that includes all of a person’s food requirements for the duration of their stay, but that’s simply not true.
Here are just a few things that aren’t included in the plan:
- One full meal. You only get one quick service meal and one table service meal per day; you’ll have to pay out of pocket for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or skip a meal entirely). It makes the most sense financially to use the plan for lunch and dinner and pay OOP for breakfast.
- Gratuity. Yes, you’re still expected to tip when you’re on the DDP. It’s definitely not included in the cost.
- Alcohol. While the DDP does include a nonalcoholic drink with your meal, no alcohol is included. You don’t even get a discount, so watch your tab.
- Additional snacks. Snacks are one of the best parts of Disney World, in my opinion. You only get one per day on the DDP, so choose wisely.
2. It’s too much food for some people, too little for others
So what does the plan come with? I’m glad you asked. You get a table service meal, a quick service meal, and a snack for each day of your trip. You also get a refillable drink mug, but it can only be used at the resorts–fountain drinks at the park aren’t included. Each meal comes with an entrée, a dessert, and a nonalcoholic beverage.
While the plan leaves out some things like the aforementioned gratuity, many people (myself included) find that an entrée, a dessert, and a soda really aren’t necessary with every meal. I personally love the dessert addition, but even I can’t eat that many sweets in one day. Some Cast Members will let you trade in your dessert credit for a bottle of chocolate milk or something similar, but this is totally at their discretion.
I also know quite a few people who always drink water with their meals. You can use the drink credit to purchase a bottle of water, but it’s not really saving you any money since cups of ice water are completely free.
On the flip side of that argument, though, is the fact that some guests eat more than the Dining Plan offers. Some people just have a big appetite, and they’ll find themselves paying out of pocket when they get hungry again. Many older kids often fall into this category. Kids from ages three to nine are given kid-sized portions for meals. Many eight and nine-year-olds get frustrated with the small size of their entree, especially if they compare it to an adult’s. However, a three-year-old will struggle to eat a whole kids’ meal in one sitting. There’s just no way for the Dining Plan to work for everyone’s needs.
3. Your choices are limited
Though Disney includes most of their menu options on the Disney Dining Plan, you’ll find that many items are excluded. Signature restaurants and special dining experiences might require two meal credits, and larger, more expensive snacks often can’t be purchased with the plan at all.
If you want to get the full value of your Dining Plan, you’ll need to opt for the most expensive meals at the most expensive restaurants that are included. You’ll almost always need a reservation for the table service restaurants, as well. This requires a lot of foresight and planning, and it’s frustrating to many guests who don’t enjoy spending their vacation running from one reservation to the next. If you enjoy flexibility, the Disney Dining Plan probably isn’t for you.
4. Most people don’t save money on the Disney Dining Plan
If nothing else dissuades you from using the service, maybe this will: even after all that planning and inconvenience, you probably won’t save any money with the plan.
To see the exact numbers for your family, you’ll need to estimate your appetites/meals/restaurant chocies in advance. If you don’t feel like doing all that legwork, here’s a pretty typical situation. (I’m leaving out one quick service meal, gratuity, alcohol, and extra snacks, because none of that stuff is included in the plan, so it’s not important for comparison.)
Average Quick Service Meal for one person (entrée, dessert, and drink): $16-18
Average Table Service Meal for one person (buffet or entrée, dessert, and drink): $40-$45 (There are some more expensive options, but this is the average.)
Average Snack cost: $4-5
Total average cost for items included on the Disney Dining Plan: $60-68
Actual daily cost of the Disney Dining Plan: $60.04 per adult
As you can see, these two numbers are very similar. If you skip either drinks or desserts with your meals, you’ll actually come out better without the Dining Plan. If you pay out of pocket for your meals, you’ll probably struggle to even hit these amounts.
Of course, this example doesn’t include the refillable mug. We’ve found we use the mug frequently when we have it, but we don’t miss it when it’s not there. Also, it’s pretty easy to bring canned or bottled drinks into your hotel room, especially since mini-fridges are pretty much standard in every room. You can even have drinks shipped to the resort if you’re flying in.
If you’re still not convinced that the plan won’t save most people money, consider this: Would Disney really offer something that actually cost them money? Of course not. They’re a business, and they want to make money. If they didn’t make money off the Dining Plan, then they wouldn’t offer it. Plain and simple.
And the verdict is…
Unless you eat a lot of food, don’t mind staying within Disney’s guidelines for every meal, enjoy planning your meals in advance, don’t drink much alcohol, and do drink a lot of soda, the Disney Dining Plan just isn’t a good deal. Very few people meet all of these criteria.
That being said, Disney often offers the plan for “free” as one of their discounts each year. If this offer is available, you might as well take it. You’ll pay rack rate for your room, but the savings from the included Dining Plan can really add up. Obviously, the more people staying in one room, the better you’ll come out on this one. Four adults in one room will save $240 a night by using the Dining Plan, which is a pretty hefty deal.
Otherwise, though, I’d simply stay away. Budget your dining money for the trip, and enjoy eating and drinking what you please. You’re almost guaranteed to come out ahead.
