Sooooo, you have your vacation booked. Buying your tickets to the park and your resort accommodations is complete. Now the question is…Should I purchase a Disney Dining Plan?
To do that, you must understand what a Disney dining plan is and what is the benefit to having a dining plan.
What is a Disney Dining Plan?
A Disney Dining Plan or DDP is an option for people who are staying at an on site resort and can added to their vacation package.
When you buy a dining plan, you are prepaying for your meals by buying credits that can be used to purchase those meals. The amount of credits that you receive depends on the number of nights that your vacation lasts.
The dining plan is good for the duration of your vacation, you cant just add it for part of your vacation.
When you go to a restaurant, you pay with the credits that you have obtained. Most of the restaurants at Walt Disney World cost 1 credit for 1 meal. Some special dining experiences, such as a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table, can cost 2 credits per meal.
The restaurants that require 2 dining credits include;
Magic Kingdom
- Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Be Our Guest (Dinner Only)
Epcot
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
- Monsieur Paul
Hollywood Studios
- The Hollywood Brown Derby
Animal Kingdom
- Tiffins
Disney Resorts
- All-Stars In-Room Dining (Room Service)
- All-Stars Sports Pizza Delivery
- Jiko – The Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House)
- Kidani Village Private Dining (Room Service) (Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village)
- Art of Animation In Room Delivery (Room Service) (Art of Animation Resort)
- Flying Fish (Boardwalk Inn Resort)
- California Grill (Contemporary Resort)
- Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian Resort and Spa)
- Citricos (Grand Floridian Resort and Spa)
- Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (Polynesian Village Resort)
- Pop Century In Room Delivery (Room Service)
- Miss Jenny’s In Room Dining (Wilderness Lodge)
- Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort)
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (The Cabins @ Fort Wilderness Resort)
Disney Springs
- Jaleo
- Morimoto Asia (Dinner Only)
- Paddlefish
- The BOATHOUSE Restaurant
Make sure when booking a reservation you know how many dining credits that meal will cost. Plan your meals to ensure that if you are ok with a meal costing two credits, you will have to cut out a meal or pay out of pocket for that other meal.
With each meal, you get an appetizer, entree, dessert, and a beverage (alcoholic beverages are also included in the plans).
Not only do have meal credits, but you also get 2 snack credits a day which you can use for virtually anything at different vendors. Using your credits is easy. Simply have your magic band scanned and the correct number of credits will be deducted from your account.
Reminder – Gratuity is not included in the dining plan and is an extra out of pocket expense.
Why Should you get a Dining Plan?
Disney has a vast variety of Dining options when you visit the Disney parks and resorts. They have counter service type restaurants, sit down style restaurants and fine dining restaurants. Knowing what you and your family enjoy eating and experiencing goes a long way to know what restaurants are right for you and your family.
“Most of my life, I have done what I wanted to do. I have had fun on the job.”
— Walt Disney
What are the benefits of having a DDP? First off, they are convenient. Once you purchase it, you do not have to worry about checking the bank account or the cost of the items on the menu. It is 1 credit whether it is the cheapest or most expensive thing on the menu. You also don’t have to worry about paying for drinks while in the park as you have 2 snacks per day.
Depending on where you enjoy eating, it is actually cheaper to have a dining plan. If you want to eat at a table service restaurant or character dining experience, you will pay a ton for them out of pocket.
Probably the biggest reason to get a dining plan is that sometimes, Disney has promotions where a person can get a dining plan for free. This normally occurs in September but is a very popular promotion for good reason.
As a person who likes to try to save money when planning (which doesn’t always work out), a DDP has always been the route we have taken. Maybe its right for you, maybe it’s not, but don’t just simply overlook it because of the initial cost. The benefits of having one far outweigh what you think are the costs, and by having one, you may actually save money in the long run and everyone will be better for it.
Visit BestMickeyTrip.com to start planning your Vacation today!