Hiya Robert,
Welcome back to planDisney! I can't believe that summer is nearly upon us, and you will soon be enjoying your vacation at Walt Disney World Resort. Did you hear that
both water parks will be open this summer? I'm sure you have heard that as a Guest of a resort hotel, you get to enjoy a
day at the water park included with your stay (the day you check in). Well, now you can decide whether to visit Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon! I've only done Blizzard Beach, but I'm excited to try Typhoon Lagoon next month and figure out which one is my favorite.
As an Annual Passholder, I also had a similar question about the
dining plans when they came back. The great news after researching and speaking to Cast Members I learned that Annual Passholders can add a dining plan to an existing room-only reservation as Guests of a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. In order to do so, you will need to speak to a Cast Member via the
Annual Passholder line. They can assist you in adding a dining plan for your upcoming stay! Now, onto the question of whether or not it is worth it to add on a dining plan. It honestly depends on your family's preferences and eating habits. To figure out if it is worth it for your family, I suggest looking at the menus for where you want to dine during your trip (don't forget to look up snacks and include drinks). Then, add up how much you would spend without the dining plan based on that. Then, compare that cost to the dining plan cost to see if it makes sense from a budget perspective. For my family, it doesn't often make sense. We just tried it out on our most recent trip and found that we didn't eat enough (we only eat one major meal a day, and the rest of the time is snacks) and ended up with way too many excess credits on our final day. I also felt pressured to eat more, so I didn't leave any credits behind, which I didn't enjoy. That said, some of my other fellow panelists rave about the dining plans and always add one, so it truly depends.
I hope this was helpful, Robert. Before I let you go, if you decide to go with one of the dining plans, I highly recommend double-checking the
list of participating dining experiences before you book your advanced dining reservations to make sure the places you want to dine are included. If you would like any recommendations on dining or any other assistance, please feel free to come back and see me (that is my favorite part of planning trips).
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.