Welcome back to Disney Parks Moms Panel, Nathalie!
January is a wonderful time of year to visit
Walt Disney World, as holiday crowds have started to head home and spring visitors have yet to arrive. Great choice!
Regarding the value of a
Disney Dining Plan, the answer depends on how to you plan to dine around Walt Disney World. For example, if you plan a few Table-Service meals, and enjoy more luxurious items on some menus, then the Disney Dining Plan may save you money. If you plan on enjoying many Quick-Service locations, then a Quick-Service Dining Plan may be right for you.
For a Dining Plan that includes 1 Table-Service meal, 1 Quick-service meal plus a number of snacks per day, take a look at the menus of restaurants where you'll be dining. Next, add up the entrees, non-alcoholic beverages and desserts you'll likely order at those TS locations, and add the cost of your QS option for the day. If the total you'll spend most days is less when you are on a Dining Plan, then this is the best deal for your family.
For example, if I know we'll likely order an appetizer ($12 Crispy Calamari) and a salad ($9.50 Fresh Mozzarella and Vine-ripened Tomatoes) at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano, then the Dining Plan is not the best choice for us, as it does not include appetizers. However, if I know that Shrimp Campanelle ($25; I had this last week...again...it's a favorite!) and a Traditional Cannoli ($7) are more along the lines of what I'd enjoy, then the Dining Plan will surely save me money.
To estimate costs fairly, check out menus where you'll dine, adding up the cost of what you'll likely order for the day--including covered snacks--and compare. Easy peasy!
Send more questions as you think of them; we love to help!
Andrea H