Hi Joyce,
I always love answering questions on the Disney Parks Moms Panel from fellow Canadians, and would be most pleased to help you out and offer some opinions and suggestions to help you decide if the
Disney Dining Plan is right for your family.
When determining whether to purchase a Disney Dining Plan, I highly recommend that you try to roughly plan out where your family will likely eat during your vacation, and that you then try to estimate these associated costs and compare to the cost of the Disney Dining Plan. Menus for most
Walt Disney World Restaurants are available online to assist with this task. Don’t forget to also factor in the cost of any Snacks available on your dining plan, as well as the cost of any soft drinks, coffee or tea you would likely consume at your Resort, which would be complimentary under the dining plan using your refillable mugs.
Bear in mind as well that often times fairly pricey menu items will qualify as Snack entitlements on the Disney Dining Plan, including "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon from the Canada booth at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival which I enjoyed this week at a cost of $8.
Unfortunately, there is no simple or generic answer as to whether the Disney Dining Plan will result in cost savings as it is so highly dependent upon your own individual family’s dining styles and preferences. However, in my experience, I find the Disney Dining Plan to be particularly cost effective for families with children under age 10, especially if your family plans on doing a lot of character or buffet style meals.
I hope this gives you some “food for thought”. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to send them our way. We would love to hEAR from you!
Trish