Disney with Little Ones: Should I Buy the Dining Plan? (Part 2)

Last time I left you with a vague answer to the question above: It’s complicated. I thought I would be able to compare apples to apples with buying the dining plan vs. not buying it, but there are a lot of variables, or oranges, as it turns out. 

Long story short, for MY family, the dining plan doesn’t make sense. At least not for now, while my kids don’t have huge appetites. Ninety percent of the time they are able to share a kid’s meal (or even an adult meal for less than 2 kid’s meals). We would never opt for the regular dining plan because we don’t want to spend that much time at sit-down meals while at Disney World, so we’d choose quick service. Going that route would cost more than what we spent total on pre-purchased snacks, meals purchased in the parks, and our 2 character breakfasts at $120+ a pop.

For our family of 4, we spent $969 (with tax) on food during our 9 night stay. That included far more slushes and treats than what I’d anticipated prior to our trip. This total also includes the $140 we spent at Amazon.com on snacks, bottled drinks, and breakfast items. Other than that, we ate where we wanted, when we wanted, and what we wanted, which included 2 character breakfasts. Truthfully though, I was surprised that there wasn’t an even bigger difference. Three words – too…many…treats! The quick service dining plan (most comparable to how and what we ate) would have cost us $1112 (with tax), so even with our character meals, we still saved $143. Pretty significant!

Sometime between now (ages 4 and 5) and age 10, my boys might be able to hold their own and make the dining plan worthwhile, but for now all I see is a bunch of wasted food and/or food credits so we will continue piecing together our own ‘plan’ for the time being. Some people swear by the dining plan for no other reason than that the food is already paid for and they won’t incur any additional expense. That reason alone isn’t enough to entice me. In the future, I would try to budget more accurately for treats and maybe try to stick to a limit (for more than financial reasons) to control spending and calorie consumption. All in all, I’m glad we skipped the dining plan this time around. We might try it one day. Maybe. 

What do you say? Dining plan or no dining plan? 

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple and STRESS FREE!

Candice was raised in east Tennessee. While in college, her best friend dragged her to a Walt Disney World College Program recruiting session at the University of Tennessee and the rest is Disney history. In the Fall of 1999, Candice became a quick service food hostess for Sunset Ranch Market and Fantasmic at Disney-MGM Studios – or what is now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While soaking up her time as a cast member, she met Ryan, a neighbor and a fellow college programmer who worked as a custodial host at Epcot. Four years later, Candice moved to the Midwest and married that boy from across the hall. They now live in Greenwood, Indiana with their two little boys. The Disney-loving foursome took their first family trip to The Happiest Place on Earth in 2013 and Candice is eagerly planning their return. Candice also works full-time at a community mental health center and enjoys taking photographs and blogging at Mommy in the Midwest.

Want to know when Disney announces special savings and deals?  Sign Up to Learn About the Latest Disney Promotions!