Is the Dining Plan really worth it?

During my latest trip to Disney World, we decided to use the Disney Dining Plan. Our allotment was 1 table service, 1 quick service and 1 snack per night of our stay per person (12 per total for our whole trip). During the trip I made sure to make note of the actual prices and determine whether the Dining Plan is worth it or not. Here are the details:

Table Services:

1. Tusker House, Animal Kingdom, Buffet with Characters, Little rushed through the characters, but decent food. Table Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $68.14

2. 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian Resort, Buffet with Characters, My favorite meal all week! Table Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $80.92

1900 Park Fare with Drizella!

 

3. Chef Mickey’s, Contemporary Resort, Buffet with Characters, Good food and great character interactions. Table Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $91.57

4. Hollywood & Vine (Fantasmic Dinner Package), Hollywood Studios, Buffet, Great food and service, loved getting prime seating for Fantasmic. Table Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $76.66

5. Coral Reef, Epcot, Menu items, decent food, but awesome aquarium views! Table Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $91.53

6. Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom, Buffet with Characters, good food and character interactions. Table Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $59.62

Total Table Service Bill: $468.44

Quick Services:

1. Cosmic Rays Starlight Café, Magic Kingdom. - Quick Service Credits Used: 1 - Total Bill: $18

2. Leaning Palms, Typhoon Lagoon. – Quick Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $34

3. Be Our Guest, Magic Kingdom. - Quick Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $35

Be Our Guest!

 

4. Good’s Food to Go, Old Key West Resort. - Quick Service Credits Used: 1 - Total Bill: $14

5. Sunshine Seasons, Epcot. - Quick Service Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $40

6. End zone Food Court, All Star Sports Resort. - Quick Service Credits Used: 3 - Total Bill: $52

Total Quick Service Bill: $193

**Note: we only used 11 of our 12 quick service meals. We ran out of time and room in our stomachs to get the last one.

 

Snacks:

1. Mickey Pretzel, Magic Kingdom. Snack Credits Used: 1 - Total Bill: $5

Mickey Pretzel!

 

2. Mickey Ice Cream Bars, Epcot. Snack Credits Used: 2 - Total Bill: $8

3. Cupcakes, Cakepops, Cookies & Water (Using up remaining snacks!) Snack Credits Used: 9 - Total Bill: $36

Total Snack Bill: $49

 

Total Amount that would have been spent if we paid with cash: $710.44

Amount Paid for Dining Plan: $703.92

Saved: $6.52

 

Overall we would have saved approximately $20 if we used our last quick service meal. So the Dining Plan for us was basically the same as it would have been had we paid with cash. The Dining Plan worth really depends on what restaurants you eat at and what you pick off the menu. For me, I find the Dining Plan completely worth it. Yes it may have cost basically the same thing, but the convenience of it, is what I love. They just scan my magic band and we are on our way, not having to worry about carrying cash around.

I hope you found this helpful! Thanks for reading and have a Magical Day!

J