FREE Dining vs. 35% Off Your Disney World Hotel — Which Is the Better Deal?

Disney World has a lot of deals that you may not know about.

The thing is, Disney tells us about some of these deals, but others we need to find for ourselves (and then tell you about, of course). Sometimes there’s more than one deal going on at once, and you need to decide what’s better for you. That’s what’s happening this year, so we’re about to find out, which is the better deal — saving 35% off your hotel room or getting a free Disney Dining Plan?

There are multiple things to consider when debating these two deals, and some of them rely on what you and your family prefer when you’re staying at Disney World.

Do You LIKE Eating in The Parks?

The first question to consider is if you and your party really enjoy eating in the Disney parks. To some people, this may be a no-brainer, but not everyone enjoys what the parks have to offer.

If this is the case for you and your family, then saving 35% off your hotel room may be the better deal because you don’t really care about the dining plan. You can bring food into the parks with you that you bring from home, or buy at a grocery store nearby.

On the other hand, if you LOVE eating in the parks, then saving on dining is a big deal. You’ll feel like you’re saving a lot more when you don’t have to pull your card out after every meal and snack.

Are You Spending A Lot of Time At Your Resort?

If the answer is yes, you plan on booking a deluxe resort and dedicating a whole day just to hanging out at the hotel, then saving on your hotel may be the better deal for you as well. This way, you can save money booking a hotel that may normally be out of your price range, because it’ll be closer to the cost of a moderate resort.

However, if you’re planning on spending most of your time in the parks and you really just need a place to shower and sleep, then the free dining plan is likely a better deal. Because you may choose to stay at a value resort, which will be lower cost anyway, and you’ll only be saving $20-$30 a night.

What Do WE Think? Let’s Break It Down

What do WE think? Well, let’s break down the numbers real quick.

For this experiment, we’ll be looking at Disney’s Riviera Resort, a deluxe hotel, for a trip during the month of July with 2 adults and 2 children aged 9 and 13. We’ll also be using the more expensive Disney Dining Plan, the Standard Dining Plan, which is available for guests using this Free Dining Plan Deal at the Riviera.

For this hypothetical stay in July, a One Bedroom Villa saving 35% off the room with a preferred view at the Riviera would cost around $6,714.72 when all is said and done.

If you wanted to add a Disney Dining Plan to it, the cost would increase to $7,494.18 or $7,964.91.

When using the Free Disney Dining Plan Deal, the total cost of the trip for the same room, same dates, and same family would cost $8,269.92. Now that seems like a lot more money, but is it really when you account for how much you’ll be paying in the parks for your meals with the 35% off deal.

The difference between the two costs is $1,555.20. That is quite the difference, but if you’re remembering how much that family of four could be spending on dining each day, the difference between them decreases.

However, we personally think the free Dining Plan deal is the better choice because not every hotel will give guests 35% off their hotel room. In fact, many value resorts or moderate resorts have a lower percent of savings, as well as stays with less than 4 nights. With the free dining plan deal however, the only potential change is between if you’re getting the standard or quick-service dining plan depending on which hotel you stay at. That’s much easier to plan your savings for. If you’re staying at a more expensive resort with larger savings, the 35% off deal may be the better route, but if you’re staying at a moderate or value resort with fewer percentage savings, the free Dining Plan could be a better use of your money.

However, once again, we really only think this is the better deal if you and your party are planning to take advantage of every single credit the Dining Plan will give you. If you’re not big eaters, or you don’t like having to plan ahead for certain meals to take advantage of all your credits, the savings likely won’t be worth missing out on the up to 35% off deal, since you may not have been looking at getting the Dining Plan in the first place.

At the end of the day, like many things in Disney World. It comes down to what works best for you and your family. If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

We’re always here to help you make the most of your Disney savings, so stay tuned to AllEars!

Read an entire overview of the Disney Dining Plan right here!

What do you think is the better deal? Tell us in the comments!

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