Dining at Walt Disney World: ‘Til Dining Plan Do Us Part

I have always been a skeptic of the Disney Dining Plan that is offered to resort guests. My wife and I don’t have children so when we go to the parks we don’t “need” to eat on a schedule. We would always pack food to eat in the room for breakfast and if we got hungry during the day we would stop. Also, the thought of having to keep track of credits, where you eat, etc seemed like more of a hassle to me.

While we were planning our trip Disney came out with a “Stay, Play, and Dine” discount. For only $140 more than the original package price we got the Quick Service Dining Plan. This Plan gives you two quick service meals and one snack per person per day. You also get the refillable resort mugs included as well.

I figured we would give it a shot since this trip was also a research mission for my website and podcast anyway.We have always bought the resort mugs anyway, but they are more expensive now. 

I was also trying to see how the new Magic Bands would work with all the information on them and if they would work flawlessly throughout the trip. Our first meal on the dining plan was at Pecos Bill’s in the Magic Kingdom. I wasn’t sure how to order when we got up to the podium. The cast member asked if we were on the dining plan (which was much appreciated). I said “yes” he said you get entree, side, drink, and dessert. Wow ok so we ordered and I scanned my Magic Band. He gave us a receipt with the remaining balance of credits on it. So it was very easy to keep track. It was a lot of food. If we weren’t on the plan we would have only got the entree and drink. We ended up taking the desserts back to the room and eating them for a late night snack.

I kept track throughout our trip of the cost of all of the food we had eaten on the dining plan. We ended up eating over $450.00 worth of food for only paying $140 extra on our package!

Like I said before, I am sure we ate more than we would have normally because of the plan. You can get fruit as a dessert if you want a healthier option.

The best surprise of the week was my favorite treat in all of Walt Disney World, the Dole Whip Float, was considered a snack!

If you don’t get a discount for it you will pay around $32.00 a day per adult for the Quick Service Dining Plan. We ate that in one meal at some places so it is still worth it.

I will probably continue to utilize the dining plan in the future. It was a great way to not spend out of pocket for food on your trip and save it for souvenirs.

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Keith was born and raised in Northeast Ohio.He now lives with his wife a few miles from his childhood home. His first trip to the Magic Kingdom was at the age of two and while the only memories are in pictures, the magic laid dormant within him. Until he saw the animated movie Robin Hood, and his love began to grow. He has always had an interest in food and the togetherness it brings. He became a classically trained chef and all around foodie. His last trip to Disney World was in 2011 and he has been learning, researching, and keeping up on all things Disney since. He hopes to bring you all of the food news from the parks, tips on how to save money on food, and all the tastes and smells from the House of Mouse (especially when smell o vision is invented). You can follow Keith on Twitter @DarthChef79.

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One thought on “Dining at Walt Disney World: ‘Til Dining Plan Do Us Part

  • February 14, 2014 at 11:41 am
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    That is awesome Keith! I’m like you were and I don’t like having so many meals planned, so it seems like the entire day consist of reservations. I definitely like the idea of Quick Service plan – it could work for us, especially during the promotions.

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