Disney World, Florida

Should I get the meal plan? It’s probably one of the top three questions I’m asked by people interested in planning a Walt Disney World (WDW) vacation. So should you? Let’s find out!

WDW has three levels of meal plans offered to guests staying onsite at a WDW Resort. The quick service plan, the dining plan and the deluxe plan. Each plan has a level of credits issued for quick serve and table serve dining based on how many people are in your party and how many nights you stay at a WDW Resort. Let’s break down the meal plans.

Quick Service-

Quick service includes 2 quick service meal credits and 2 snacks per night per guest.

Disney Dining-

Disney dining includes 1 quick serve meal credit, 1 table service meal credit and 2 snacks per night per guest.

Disney Deluxe Dining-

Disney deluxe dining includes 2 table service meal credits and 2 snack per night per guest.

Each plan comes with a refillable resort mug per person which you can refill at any resort on property for the length of your stay. Meal plans also include an alcoholic beverage per meal for guests over 21 and/or a specialty drink at each meal. Dining plans are issued as credits and are loaded automatically onto your reservation and My Disney Experience (MDE) app for use at the resorts, parks and Disney Springs areas. You can use your meal plan by telling the server at the beginning of the meal or while ordering from quick serve that you would like to use your meal plan and they will deduct the credit from your account through your MDE or magic band. You can also keep track of the credits your party has remaining at the bottom of your receipt after ordering a meal or snack.

 

So should I get a meal plan? The truth is the meal plan works differently for each family. The easiest way to find out if the meal plan is a great option for you family is to think about the restaurants you’d like to visit while on your trip. Do you want to enjoy more than 2 sit down meals, especially character meals? If the answer is yes than most likely a meal plan would save your family money while traveling. Do you like to order the most expensive thing on the menu and a dessert? If the answer is yes then a meal plan is most likely a best option for you. Do you like to share meals and spend as much time as you can riding rides? Then a meal plan might not be best for you.

 

You can easily decide if the meal plans are a great financial option for your family by thinking about the places you’d enjoy eating at on your trip. You can then go into the My Disney Experience website, look under things to do, click on dining, click on a restaurant, and click menu. You can clearly see the prices for items. I love this option because I can calculate just what I’d like to order and see the price. I can then get a general idea based upon the cost to add a meal plan if this option is best for me. This is a great question to ask your Disney travel planner. They can easily price out your trip with and without the various dining plan options and you can see exactly the cost and what fits your family best. The dining plan is not a best option for all families but it is for many. A little leg work can save you a bunch of money and allow you to enjoy your Disney vacation to the fullest!

Need help planning your Disney vacation or for that fact any vacation? You can find me on Facebook at Callie at Wanderkeep Travel or email me at callie@wanderkeep.com.  I would love to help you out and as usual my services are free!