Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World in 2024 and wondering “Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it?” With various dining options and costs to consider, it’s important to look at the pros and cons of the Disney Dining plan and see if it makes sense in your Disney budget. 

When planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, one of the considerations that guests often have is whether or not to purchase the Disney Dining Plan.  The Disney Dining Plan is incredibly popular and Disney was radio silent about it returning for the last three years.  But they made a big announcement earlier this year that the Disney Dining Plan, with a few modifications, will officially start again in 2024!

In this post, we will delve into the cost of the Disney Dining Plan, explore different plan options, pros/cons, who is eligible, and discuss the date that the Disney Dining Plan begins in 2024, and overall cover “Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It”.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It? Find Out Now!

The Disney Dining Plan can help simplify meal planning and provide some cost savings in your food budget for Disney World, depending on your eating style. However, it is important to weigh the benefits against the cost of the plan. The price of the Disney Dining Plan varies depending on which option you choose – Quick-Service or Standard, as well as factors such as the length of your stay and the number of people in your party. To make an informed decision, it’s important to calculate how much you would typically spend on meals without the plan and compare it to the cost of the plan itself.

 

1. What is the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining Plan offers a convenient way to prepay for your meals and snacks during your stay at Walt Disney World.

However, it’s important to evaluate whether the cost aligns with your budget and dining preferences. To determine the cost, consider the following factors:

a. Number of days: Calculate the total number of days you will be staying at the resort.
b. Meal options: Decide whether you prefer quick-service meals or a combination of both quick service and table-service meals.
c. Snacks: Think about how often you will want to buy snacks throughout the day.
d. Age of guests: Take into account the age of each guest, as children have different pricing options

2. What are the different Disney Dining Plan options and what is the cost?

Walt Disney World now offers only two dining plans.  This is a change as they have (for now) omitted the Deluxe dining plan.  Let’s check out the details on the Disney Dining Plan 2024 edition:

The Standard Dining Plan

• Everyone in the travel party will have 1 Table-Service meal per night, 1 Quick-Service meal, and a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay—along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug.
• Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine, and cocktails.

The Quick Service Dining Plan

• Everyone in the travel party (age 3 and over) will receive 2 Quick-Service meals, and a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay – along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug.
• Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine, and cocktails.

Now let’s look at the cost:

Standard DDP:

2024 Cost: 
$94.28 per adult per night ages 10 and up
$29.69 per child per night ages 3 to 9
This cost is added to the regular cost of a Disney World Vacation Package.

Quick Service DDP:

2024 Cost: 
$57.01 per adult per night ages 10 and up
$23.83 per child per night ages 3 to 9
This cost is added to the regular cost of a Disney World Vacation Package.

3. When does the Disney Dining Plan begin in 2024?

The Disney dining plans are starting again on January 9th, 2024.

4. Who is eligible to buy the Disney Dining Plan?

You must have booked a Walt Disney World Package (hotels and tickets) and be staying at a Disney Resort Hotel to be able to purchase the Disney Dining Plan.  The list of eligible hotels includes:

• All-Star Movies
• All-Star Music
• All-Star Sports
• Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas
• Art of Animation
• Beach Club and Villas
• BoardWalk Inn and Villas
• Caribbean Beach
• Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower Villas
• Coronado Springs
• Fort Wilderness
• Grand Floridian and Villas
• Old Key West
• Polynesian Village and Villas
• Pop Century
• Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside
• Riviera Resort
• Saratoga Springs
• Wilderness Lodge and Villas
• Yacht Club

If you are a Disney Vacation Club Member (DVC= Disney’s timeshare program) or an Annual Pass Holder you can purchase the Disney Dining Plan with special modifications. 

As a DVC member, you must be staying on points at one of the DVC resorts in order to book the Disney Dining Plan, and it must be booked for every night of your stay.  The Dining Plan must be booked within 48 hours of your stay and be paid in full at the time of the booking. 

For annual pass holders, you must be staying at one of the above resort hotels.  Your reservation will be viewed as a resort-only package (no tickets since you don’t need them) and your package will be subject to all package terms and conditions. 

A Walt Disney World package can be booked directly through Walt Disney World Travel or through an EarMarked Travel Advisor (like me).

5.  What is considered a Disney dining plan snack and what is a credit?

Credit

Credits are the Disney Dining Plan currency. There are table service credits, quick service credits, or snack credits. Usually, a credit equals one meal or snack.  However, there are table service meals that count as 2 credit meals on the Disney Dining Plan.  The 2 credit meals are basically anything featuring a Princess as your host (Cinderella’s Royal Table, Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, or Storybook Dining with Snow White at Artists Point).

Disney Dining Plan Snacks

Snacks on the Disney Dining Plan can vary and it can be surprising what is considered a snack.  According to the Walt Disney World website, the following are examples of snacks found at Quick Service restaurants, outdoor carts, or merchandise locations:

• Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, or fruit bar
• 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream
• Popcorn scoop (single-serving box)
• Piece of whole fruit
• Single-serve bag of snacks
• 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola® products, including Dasani® water
• 20-ounce fountain soft drink
• Single-serve coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, milk or juice
• Cup of soup
• Add on toppings or sauces (e.g. side of cheese dipping sauce)

There are also some SURPRISING and popular foods that qualify as snacks like:

• Baked Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork
• Carrot Cake Cookies
• Cheeseburger spring rolls
• Dole Whip Floats
• Also, many food items at the Epcot festival booths are considered snacks- bonus!

Items that DO NOT count as snacks include items that are more than a single serving (like a box of doughnuts) or items in special souvenir containers.

6. Pros/cons of DDP

Pros

Budgeting Convenience

This is by no means saying that it SAVES you money on your food budget for Disney World BUT the Disney Dining Plan can help you pre-plan the money for your meals.  This means you can have your food budget paid for when you get there, almost like you would a cruise.

For the adults in the room…

Alcohol can count as one of your beverages, so for the grown-ups who like to imbibe that can be an advantage.  Cocktails at Disney World can cost as much as $20!

New Experiences

Pre-purchasing the Disney Dining Plan encourages you to try new foods and restaurants once you get there.  Of course, not everyone eats outside their comfort zone when they purchase this plan, but the point is you CAN try a variety of new foods.

With the variety of table service and quick service options, you could eat a different type of food at every meal!

Character Meals are Included!

All the character meals (excluding the Princess options noted above) are 1 Table Service Credit.  Character meals are not only a great way to meet all of your favorite characters without a line, but they are also usually buffets so you will have lots of food options! Those that aren’t buffets usually are family-style meals and they will bring you plenty of food.

So not only do you get the magical character experiences, but you also get a plethora of food!

Cons

Cost

Since you have to purchase it for everyone in your resort room for every night of your stay the cost of the Disney Dining Plan really adds up!

Planning

Making advanced dining reservations for every day of your trip, and sometimes multiple meals, can take extra time out of your vacation and require a lot of extra planning.  This can impinge on the spontaneity of your vacation- what if you see the wait time drop on Rise of the Resistance and you want to rush to Galaxy’s Edge? If you have to be at a dining reservation and sit for an hour or longer, you may miss your chance!

7. OK, does it save you money? Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it?

Often, I find that people try to MAKE it worth it, meaning, they normally would not order an appetizer, big steak, a cocktail, and a dessert when they go out to dinner, on top of having a quick service meal earlier, and a snack.  So when you compare the ticket price of a day like this (roughly $100-$120) to the Standard Disney Dining Plan price of $94 then yes, you will save money.

But is that really saving money? That’s the question you need to ask yourself- would you normally eat this way on vacation every day, and spend this much money?

If you want to compare the Quick Service Dining Plan you can often break even on this, as many people will be purchasing 2 quick service meals and a snack per day when they are on vacation.   A typical day of eating 2 quick service meals, drinks, an alcoholic or specialty beverage, and a snack can run around $45-$58 (vs the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan cost of $57).  The refillable drink mug (you can only use this at your resort hotel, not at the parks) can also factor into your savings on both plans.

Keep in mind that everyone in your party must purchase the dining plan (except kids under 3 who can eat from your plate) for all of the nights that your resort hotel is booked.  In addition, children 3-9 MUST order from the kid’s menu at restaurants with menus, but at buffets they can choose anything from the buffet.

Bonus Tip:

If you have a “split stay” meaning you are staying at one resort hotel during part of your vacation, and then changing resorts, you can purchase the Disney Dining Plan for just one of your stays.  For example, you are staying two nights at All Star Movies and then 2 nights at Port Orleans.  You can buy the Disney Dining Plan for your first two nights at All Star Movies only.  That way you can try it out, and try out the many lovely restaurants included on the plan, but not be committed to it for your entire Disney vacation.

This post was all about the Disney Dining Plan Price and Value. 

Deciding whether the Disney Dining Plan is worth it for your 2024 visit to Walt Disney World requires careful consideration of the cost, available options, and your personal dining preferences. By calculating the cost, and exploring different plan options, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your Disney budget and dining needs. Remember to review the latest information from Disney to make sure, prior to your Disney Vacation, that they haven’t changed the Disney Dining Plan policies or dates.

You may also like:

• 9 Insanely Helpful Tips to Plan Your Disney Vacation
• 5 Easy Steps to Plan a Disney Budget
• Disney Budget: How to Choose the Best Disney Value Resort