Disney Fanatic

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

1. Is It Worth It? Before you invest in the dining plan, it’s best to do the math and make sure it will be worth it to you and your family. To do this, pull up some menus and determine what your family might order during the trip. If it seems the plan will cost more than paying out of pocket, you might just skip it and save a few bucks fo

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

2. Take Snacks Home Many people make it to the end of their trip only to find they still have snack credits waiting to be used. Since those credits will expire if not used, it’s a good idea to go ahead and spend them. Many of the prepackaged foods offered throughout the parks can be purchased using snack credits, and since they are factor

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

3. Free Dining If you really want to experience the dining plan without actually making the investment, you might want to wait around for a free dining promotion. This promotion is usually offered during the fall months, and gives each member of your party a dining plan when you pay full price for your on-site hotel room. For some, it’s a

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

4. Bang for Your Buck There are ways to maximize the dining plan and ensure you get the best bang for your buck. For the most part, as long as you make sure each table-service meal comes to a total of $41 or more, you can rest assured you are getting a decent deal. Booking character meals is a great way to ensure you’re meeting this thres

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

5. Two-Credit Meals It’s important to note that some Disney World meals require guests to use up two meal credits. Generally speaking, these are not the best value, and they can throw off your meal budgeting pretty badly if you aren’t planning for the extra credit(s) to be used. The restaurants that require two meal credits include:     •

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

6. Split as You Please While Disney's dining plans do use the number of days you will be visiting to determine how many meal credits you receive, there is no reason you have to split them up the same way they do. This means you can choose to use two table-service credits in one day or indulge in 4 snacks on the same afternoon. Just be sur

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

7. Substitution Options Don’t like dessert? There are substitution options available. If you won’t be ordering a dessert with a meal credit, ask the cast member if you can have a fruit cup, soup, or salad instead. Most restaurants are happy to oblige, and you won’t be left feeling like you aren’t getting your money's worth.

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

8. Bring Your Own Breakfast As you can see from the descriptions above, the two most affordable dining plans only include two meals per day. These are best used on lunch and dinner because breakfast doesn’t cost nearly as much out of pocket, meaning using your credits on the first meal of the day is not a good value. Instead, bring some b

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

9. All-Inclusive When you purchase a Disney Dining Plan, you can expect it to cover everything you might need. This includes a refillable mug that can be used throughout the duration of your trip, as well as a beverage and a dessert with each meal. This means you won’t be spending out of pocket for drinks or sweet treats.

Read More »

Walt Disney World Dining Plan 101: 10 Things You Need to Know

10. The Tiers First of all, let’s talk about dining plan tiers. There are three: Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan — This plan does not include any table-service meals. Instead, guests who choose this plan will be entitled to two quick-service meals per day, as well as two daily snacks. Disney Dining Plan — This is the most popular dining

Read More »