Disney Dining Plan

I have received some emails lately asking me about the Disney Dining Plan.

Specifically, you want to know what is better the Basic Dining Plan or the Deluxe Dining Plan.

That’s a tough question to answer because it depends upon things like your eating habits and where you prefer to eat. There is about a $30 difference between the two as well as a different daily assortment of credits.

The Basic Plan is about $38/day for adults and offers one table credit, one quick-service credit and one snack per day per person whereas the Deluxe Plan costs about $67 a day and that gives each adult three table-services credits and two snacks per day.

Here are the two issues I have with the Deluxe Plan”¦first”¦I rarely find myself sitting down for three meals during the day. For the most part I may have two sit down meals every other day and maybe a snack here and there but I like the one table-service, one quick-service and one snack plan. I think the concern here is that I really don’t want to spend a lot of time sitting in a restaurant while I’m enjoying my WDW vacation. Time is a premium so I want to make the best of that time and that does not mean spending anywhere from three to five hours sitting in restaurants every day.

I can always find a SNACK…

The other important issue here is that I get concerned when I read an email from someone who is less than six months from a potential vacation and is in the process of booking said vacation and says, “Hey Mike, do you think I should get the Dining Plan?”

Yikes. My philosophy is to first secure the ADRS in your favorite restaurant and then and only then can you really judge whether or not the DDP is for you. Why commit to the Dining Plan when you cannot take advantage of it?

I’ve used the Dining Plan in the past and usually I wait until I have all my ADRs in before deciding if it’s worth it.

Why get the Dining Plan if you cannot get ADRs for those restaurants in which you would use it?

Once you get within six months of your trip your ADR possibilities start to dwindle.

Also, you may not want to use your dining credits everywhere. For instance, I really enjoy eating at such places at Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness, the Plaza Restaurant at The Magic Kingdom, as well as other restaurants which are very reasonably priced.

Well, if I have breakfast at Trail’s End why would I use one of my table credits when the cost is only $11.99 per person? I just happen to be an Annual Passholder and have my Disney Dining Experience Card so that means that $11.99 turns into $9.60.

That frees up a table service credit which I may want to use at a higher priced restaurant like Le Cellier, or even a signature restaurant like California Grill or Yachtsman Steakhouse where two table service credits are required.

Also, in general if I have a sit down breakfast at WDW I don’t use my Dining Plan.

So think very carefully about your dining habits before you commit to any Disney Dining Plan.

Here are some additional AllEars Resources on the Disney Dining Plan:

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