Top 5 Reasons We LOVE the Disney Dining Plan

October 26, 2015

You might have found yourself debating about adding a Dining Plan to your Disney package. In my personal opinion, the plan is worth it on every trip, and I wouldn’t go without it. Here are my Top 5 Reasons We LOVE Disney Dining!

I get to pick what I want to eat – Food is a big part of my vacations. I enjoy eating out and taking a break from cooking (or making sandwiches). However, I am also very budget conscientious, so when we are at a restaurant I compare prices. I want the steak, but I end up with the chicken because it can save me money. The Disney Dining plans are a great compromise for me. We budget for our food before our vacation by paying for the dining plan, then while we are on vacation I enjoy choosing the meal I want without worrying about the cost. This is a win-win for our family.
The Rapid Fill Refillable Mug – When you add on a dining plan to your package you receive a free refillable mug for each person in your party (over 3 years of age). My cupboards have now been taken over by Disney mugs and I love it! This is a fantastic souvenir to take home with you that you can use on a daily basis to remind you of your favorite vacation memories. You can use your mug at your Disney resort for pop (or soda or cola depending on where you live), hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or water. Click here to find a tip on keeping your mug clean in your resort room.
Great Disney Snacks – with your dining plan comes not only meals, but wonderful choices for Disney snacks. Most people have seen a picture of the Mickey shaped ice creams or heard of Dole Whips, but the choices are just about endless for your snack credits. Let’s be honest, the cost of food on Disney property can be expensive. To buy 5 people snacks for the day can really add up, but, with the Dining Plans everyone gets a snack for each night they are staying (or more depending on what plan you choose). My daughters can choose special treats like lollipops, popcorn, cotton candy, or Mickey ice cream with their credits and I can share my huge Mickey shaped soft pretzel with the family to hold us over until dinner.
Character Meals – This counts for all but the Quick Service Dining Plan . With any of the other dining plans you are able to use your credit toward character meals! What better way to meet your favorite Disney characters then sitting at your table enjoying your meal and allowing them to come to you. Character Meals are more costly than your average Disney meal, but with the Dining Plan you don’t need to worry about it, they have you covered, which might be worth purchasing the plan all by itself. Instead of waiting in line outside to meet one or two characters, you can sit at your table, enjoy your meal or drink and the characters will come to you one at a time. Children (and adults) love Character Dining! **Keep in mind a few special character meals use two table service credits instead of one.
There are so MANY choices – I will venture out to say that everyone can find something that they like at the Disney restaurants. My kids like basic foods: chicken nuggets, pizza, mac-n-cheese, apple slices, grapes, carrots… Disney has it. My husband loves fish and steak… it’s on the Dining Plan. I enjoy some good salads and burgers… they are there too. You can find fancy food. You can find ballpark style food. You can eat around the World at Epcot, think Mexican, Chinese, fish-n-chips, Germany…. AND, for everyone with food allergies big or small, Disney can accommodate what you need. We watched the chef at Chef Mickey’s come out to a table near ours to find out exactly what their allergies were and then offered them some incredible options that he could make to meet their needs. AMAZING!

This November my family will celebrate our sixth Disney trip within the past six years, and I can say we have always went with a Dining Plan and have NEVER regretted it. I didn’t include one of my favorite things about the plan in my Top 5 list because it doesn’t always apply, but I thought it was worth mentioning: We have only paid for our Dining Plan once in the past six years! In the past, Disney has offered free dining in their package promotions at certain times of year. You just can’t beat FREE dining!

If you have been dreaming of a Disney vacation, let me help! Contact me at stephaniekirby@worldofmagictravel.com and I can put together pricing to show you how affordable it can be to visit Disney and enjoy the Dining Plan on your stay!

Did I miss mentioning your favorite thing about the Disney Dining Plans? Leave it in the comments section and help add to our list.

Top 5 Reasons We LOVE the Disney Dining Plan 1

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