Hi there, Whitney! I'm incredibly honored that you've asked me this question about the Disney Dining Plan! I indeed love using
dining plans during a vacation at Walt Disney World Resort. I'd love to walk you through how I make the most of the Disney Dining Plan for my family of five.
Whitney, it sounds like you understand the high-level benefits and details of the Disney Dining Plan. I find the nuances even more fun when we get into the value! My husband and I are the type of people who will most likely order one of the more expensive items on a menu, so a dining plan gives us a guilt-free way of taking advantage of pricier items. We also order an adult beverage with our meal since it's included. At table service meals, you're welcome to ask to take your soda or coffee in a to-go cup with you when you leave.
Sometimes, I will pay out of pocket for an adult quick-service meal at Magic Kingdom Park since the quick-service restaurants do not offer adult beverages, and save that adult quick-service dining plan meal for somewhere I can get a little more bang for my buck.
I pay attention to quick-service meals that can easily feed more than one person since the portion sizes can be generous. An adult quick-service meal at
The Polite Pig is way more than I can eat at once, so we'll usually order two adult meals and one to two kids meals to feed our whole family of five. Some quick-service restaurants offer generous portions for kids, so we often let our kids share meals. This is a strategy that requires thinking on the fly and assessing how hungry you really are. If you can handle larger portions, then you might want one full meal per person. We are snackers, so we find that we are often able to share meals, or we end up dealing with a lot of leftovers.
Speaking of leftovers, if you're ordering a kid's meal, consider which sides might be easy to throw into a bag in the stroller if not eaten during mealtime: carrots, apple slices, and yogurt drinks are easy to save for later. I really dislike wasting food, so if I'm able to put something in a to-go box from a table service meal, I do it. It's nice to have a nearly untouched sandwich when my daughter realizes she's actually hungry an hour after we eat! I've also been known to have a few empty zip-top bags on hand for things like this.
I love that you're planning to use your dining plan for Character Dining! In my opinion, this can make it all worth the cost! My family tends to use the dining plan for restaurants that require only one table service meal rather than two. However, this is a purely personal choice! Buffets are also a great use of your dining plan, and you can easily compare the cost per person with the amount you're paying per day.
When it comes to snacks, pretty please don't use your dining plan snacks on water bottles or popcorn refills. Look for items on the higher end of the price spectrum. A quick google search will give you more information than you could ever read about this topic! I save lots of snacks for EPCOT because I like to stock up on my favorites there.
I mentioned before that you can find a lot of resources online about where to find the best value for your dining plan meals and snacks. This is all based on current pricing that's subject to change, but the moral of the story is that you use it or lose it. Keep track of your meals in the
My Disney Experience Mobile App, and don't leave without using all of them! If you do it right, you'll have a great experience!
Please stop back by planDisney with any other questions you have. I love chatting about dining plans!
Bon appetit!
Jennifer