You’ve picked your resort. Decided on how long you’ll stay. Chosen the type of park tickets you want.
And then Disney throws another wrench into the mix.
The Disney Dining Plan.
There are three types of plans to choose from:
Quick Service Dining Plan:
- one Rapid Fill Resort mug for each member of your party.
- two Quick Service and one snack for each member of your party, per night of your package stay.
Disney Dining Plan:
- one Rapid Fill Resort mug for each member of your party
- one Table Service meal, one Quick Service meal an one snack for each member of your party, per night of your package stay.
Deluxe and Premium Dining Plans:
- one Rapid Fill Resort mug for each member of your party
- three Table Service and two snacks for each member of your party, per night of your package stay. You may use your meal credits at Quick Service locations if you choose.
All of your meals and the use of your Rapid Fill Resort mug expire at midnight of the last night of your reservation.
A Rapid Fill Resort mug entitles you to basically unlimited refills of soft drinks, coffee, tea and hot chocolate at the Disney Resort Quick Service locations.
Quick Service meals can be found at walk-up, counter service restaurants found throughout every park and resort. Table Service meals are found at sit-down dining establishments in every park and almost every resort.
But how do you know which deal is the best deal for your family and if it’s any kind of deal at all?
It all depends on how much your party can eat, would like to eat, has time to eat and wants to eat. Or, if you’re like my husband, the cost doesn’t matter as much as the convenience of the options available.
He prefers to pay for our trips in advance and then not worry about a thing once we arrive at Walt Disney World Resort. He’d choose a dining plan, any dining plan, each and every time.
I’m a little bit of a penny pincher. I’d rather get the Dining Plan when they offer it as a free promotional offer. Otherwise, with sharing meals and strategically planning our sit-down times (lunch) and places, I think paying out of pocket is usually a cheaper way to go. Usually. This strategy involves prior planning and knowing what and how much your family will eat.
Kids under age 3 eat for free. When the kids were little, and could eat off our plates, the Dining Plan is a deal. But only if your kids will eat what you want to eat.
Once you have to start paying for the kids, it gets a little trickier. A Disney Kid is any child between the ages of 3 and 9. Their meals are (typically) off the kids menu, as their plan is a little cheaper. I say “typically” because there have been times when the cast member serving us has suggested something off the main menu when a kid looks tired of chicken nuggets or PB&J. I’ve never asked to order off the Big Boy Menu, it has always been offered when they’ve overheard us negotiating with our child. And I wouldn’t count on this option, as there are different policies at different locations.
At age 10, your child is considered an adult. A Disney Adult is the technical term. This is when the Dining Plan is generally a……..well, I’m just going to say it….a rip-off. Of my three children only one was able to finish an adult sized portion at the age of 10. The other two could easily share an entrée or pick off one of our plates and be perfectly full. So, until your 10-12 year old can polish off an adult meal, save your money and pay out of pocket.
Once every member of your party can easily put away an adult entrée, this is when the Dining Plan may make the most sense. It’s now just a matter of deciding how much time you want to spend eating. The Quick Service Plan will afford you plenty of time in the parks and less time sitting around. The Premium and Deluxe Plans require a more laid-back approach to your vacation. With 2-3 sit-down meals, you’re going to be sitting. A lot. You’ll need to allow 4-6 hours each day for meals. For foodies, this isn’t a hardship. And Walt Disney World has plenty of amazing restaurants to try. The regular Disney Dining Plan is a happy medium and it’s our family’s favorite. Once a day, we sit down to a relaxing meal. For us, it’s perfect.
The bottom line – Do Your Homework. Scan menus online, rough out a budget and see if it will benefit your family. With so many options, varied budgets and timelines, it’s a personal choice that only you can make.
