One of many greatest choices when planning for Walt Disney World is whether or not to purchase the Disney Eating Plan. It’s extremely polarizing–some WDW followers adore it and others hate it. This cuts by way of that to weigh the professionals & cons and worth for cash that will help you decide whether or not the Disney Eating Plan is price it for your loved ones. (Up to date Could 19, 2024.)
Let’s begin with fundamentals in regards to the Disney Eating Plan, which is a pay as you go meal plan supplied at Walt Disney World so visitors can funds their eating prices upfront and (probably) lower your expenses. It gives visitors with credit that may be redeemed for snacks, and counter service or desk service meals. Solely two tiers of the DDP are supplied for 2024 and 2025: the Fast-Service Disney Eating Plan and commonplace Disney Eating Plan.
Moreover, should you’re already trying ahead to subsequent yr, there are additionally already 2025 Disney Eating Plan Value Will increase, albeit minor and under the speed of inflation. Menu costs will nearly actually improve by comparable quantities later this yr, so the worth proposition of the DDP doesn’t actually change in 2024 vs. 2025. If it’s price it for you this yr, will probably be subsequent–and vice-versa.
If you happen to’re debating whether or not to ebook the Free Eating promotion, it’s essential to notice that this put up pertains to the paid model of the DDP. Whereas it’s true that there’s no such factor as a free lunch–and Free Eating is extra like “Free” Eating (air quotes)–it’s nonetheless a special query.
Now we have a separate put up answering Is Free Eating Value It? Mainly, that boils all the way down to alternative value. Free Eating requires reserving a full worth trip package deal and forgoing different reductions. So do you come out forward doing that, even should you can’t take full benefit of the Disney Eating Plan? That’s the operative query, and it’s totally different than this one (occasion measurement and resort tier are the foremost components there).
We’ve used the Disney Eating Plan quite a few instances–each “free” and paid–normally a number of instances per yr. Our suggestions and opinions are based mostly on our first-hand expertise with the Eating Plan yearly (minus the three it hasn’t been out there) since 2007. Equally as essential, now we have not used the Disney Eating Plan many extra instances than now we have used it.
In studying about Walt Disney World, you’ll shortly study that there are diehard Eating Plan followers, and others who hate it with the fiery ardour of 1 thousand suns. Each teams have their biases, and infrequently make sweeping generalizations in regards to the Disney Eating Plan based mostly on how properly it really works–or doesn’t–for them, failing to acknowledge not everybody dines like they do. In actuality, the DDP has execs & cons, will be nice for some households and terrible for others.
The Disney Eating Plan may be very a lot not one-size-fits-all, and this put up displays that. So should you have been hoping for a easy “sure” or “no” to the titular query, we’re sorry to disappoint. Whether or not the Disney Eating Plan is price it relies upon upon your particular circumstances. (We’d estimate that the reply is “no” for round 75% of visitors–however you possibly can be among the many 25% for whom it’s!)
For its half, Walt Disney World has recognized two predominant causes to buy the Disney Eating Plan. The primary promoting level is “Comfort & Flexibility.” In response to the corporate, the Disney Eating Plan can add the comfort and adaptability of pay as you go meals and snacks to your trip—and provide you with peace of thoughts–because of the greater than 200 places all through the parks, resort resorts, and Disney Springs that settle for the DDP.
The second promoting level in line with Walt Disney World is “Worth & Financial savings.” For the primary time in a number of years, the corporate is touting the money-saving part of the Disney Eating Plan, indicating that households with little ones can save on eating–as much as 20% on eating for teenagers ages 3 to 9. Whereas the DDP was promoted as a money-saving trip for the primary a number of years after it debuted, that stopped being the case a number of years in the past–presumably as a consequence of worth will increase and cutbacks.
As with so many issues, execs & cons are a matter of perspective. In our view, there are literally extra promoting factors and downsides than what Walt Disney World has highlighted. Whereas we disagree with contentions of comfort and adaptability, we really suppose that Walt Disney World is underselling the money-saving aspect of the Disney Eating Plan. Nonetheless, that could possibly be for good motive, as many visitors assume it’ll save them a ton of cash even with out Walt Disney World promoting the DDP as such.
In any case, listed below are the arguments in favor of shopping for the Disney Eating Plan, adopted by these for skipping it. Extra precisely, that is which varieties of visitors and in what circumstances it makes essentially the most sense to buy or move over the DDP…
Who SHOULD Purchase the Disney Eating Plan
Spreadsheet Savants – For some Walt Disney World followers, planning is half the enjoyable. You map out your trip plans with tactical precision, making complete itineraries, utilizing spreadsheets (ugh!), and so forth. The Disney Eating Plan provides one other layer to that, and determining methods to leverage it’s “enjoyable.”
Though I poke enjoyable on the spreadsheet savants on the market, we’re not all that totally different. I additionally prefer to make meticulous meal plans for Walt Disney World, and get an amazing sense of satisfaction in outsmarting the system. I really like placing collectively our posts for maximizing worth on the Disney Eating Plan, and we use these assets ourselves to squeeze as a lot bang for our buck as attainable out of the DDP.
A number of Walt Disney World followers do the identical, and that is each a enjoyable and rewarding expertise for them. With that stated, this ought to be a kind of issues that instantly clicks as being “for you” should you’re a primary timer. If you happen to simply learn the previous paragraphs with puzzlement, it most likely is just not.
The Cautious and/or Carefree – Many followers argue that the Disney Eating Plan is about comfort. We beg to vary. That is considered one of dozens of articles about utilizing the Disney Eating Plan on this weblog. Now we have precisely zero articles in regards to the execs & cons of paying money as you go. By way of what’s easier, paying out of pocket is much extra simple and intuitive. It’s what you do at each actual world restaurant–no rationalization mandatory.
What individuals presumably imply after they use phrases like “handy” is that the Disney Eating Plan is predictable. Because it’s pay as you go, you already know the prices of your meals upfront of your journey and should not caught unexpectedly at simply how costly every part is upon arrival at Walt Disney World. For a lot of planners, that is essential.
Being cautious with their spending forward of time additionally permits many planners to take pleasure in a extra carefree trip. Whereas we contest that the DDP is handy or notably useful with budgeting, DDP serving to the cautious be extra carefree is plain. Many individuals on trip get sticker shock, and are unable to totally take pleasure in themselves or order freely after seeing menu costs. The Disney Eating Plan permits these worry-warts to not obsess over costs, and as a substitute loosen up and order what they need. (As somebody who’s frugal-to-a-fault, I very a lot empathize with this attitude!)
Herds of Children – Walt Disney World considerably elevated grownup costs for the usual Disney Eating Plan, whereas reducing them for kids. The tip result’s that the worth proposition is best for events which have fewer adults and extra youngsters. After all, that assumes your youngsters would order and eat as a lot meals as is obtainable by the DDP, and wouldn’t break up meals or eat much less regularly. In any other case, the higher worth is illusory.
Regardless, these with extra youngsters (ages 3-9) than adults of their occasion are objectively extra more likely to come out forward. Clearly, Walt Disney World is demonstrating bias in opposition to the dreaded Childless Millennial demo (or Child-less Boomers, for that matter!) and is now catering to adult-free packs of stray youngsters. It’s nearly like they’ve by no means learn Lord of the Flies.
Joking apart, single dad and mom or households of three+ youngsters will normally come out forward with the Disney Eating Plan going ahead. Even because the “losers” on this change, we don’t actually thoughts. Fewer households with youngsters had been buying the DDP beforehand (as in comparison with {couples}), and households of 5-6 are notoriously “losers” relating to lodging at Walt Disney World. It’s time for them to rack up a uncommon W.
Character Lovers – A number of character eating experiences make our record of the High 10 Disney Eating Plan Desk Service Credit score Values. If that have been expanded to a high 20 record, many extra character meals would make the minimize. As a class, that is the most typical kind of restaurant for good-to-great worth on the Disney Eating Plan. It’s not true that each single character eating expertise gives above-average worth (a couple of breakfasts don’t and not one of the 2-credit meals do), nevertheless it’s a fairly strong rule of thumb.
It has thus all the time been the case that the Disney Eating Plan was a very good possibility for these desirous to do character meals. That is more true than ever for households with youngsters because of the aforementioned worth hole between grownup and youngsters pricing of the DDP.
Not like different eating places, the place youngsters would possibly merely order and eat much less when paying out of pocket, the charge is a flat charge for character eating experiences. So the worth right here is plain. Consequently, the fee for a single character meal can exceed the worth for a complete day of the DDP for a child.
These aforementioned single dad and mom or households of 5-6 with youngsters ages 3-9 who plan on doing quite a lot of character meals are far and away the most important winners with the Disney Eating Plan. (Do sufficient character meals with these demos and the “skip” counterpoints under don’t even apply!)
Devoted Drinkers – The largest change to the Disney Eating Plan pre-closure was the addition of alcoholic drinks, together with beer, wine, and specialty cocktails at each desk and counter service eating places. The importance of this can’t be overstated, and it created winners and losers.
Unsurprisingly, this got here with a worth improve for adults on the Disney Eating Plan. Extra stunning was that the added value was far under the common worth of alcoholic drinks. This meant that anybody who ordered alcohol–particularly wine or cocktails–at most meals got here out forward. Non-beer alcohol routinely runs $14 to $20 per drink at Walt Disney World, even at counter service eating places. That’s an amazing quantity of worth to guzzle down every single day whereas utilizing the Disney Eating Plan!
Consummate Carnivores – “Save with Steak” would possibly as properly be the motto of the Disney Eating Plan. Heck, they could as properly change it from DDP to DCC–Disney Carnivore’s Membership. That is all to say that if your loved ones is stuffed with meat-eaters who will naturally gravitate in the direction of the most costly gadgets on the menu, the Disney Eating Plan can work out in your favor.
Up to now, the most costly entree at most single-credit desk service eating places (and nearly 100% of those price doing) was a New York Strip Steak. Through the heyday of the Disney Eating Plan, there have been some journeys the place I ate my weight in NY Strip Steak. Every restaurant had its personal distinctive preparation and accompaniments, and it was enjoyable to attempt all of them. New York Strip Steak remains to be widespread however much less ubiquitous, with different beef-based entrees typically being the most costly (should you have been paying out of pocket) entree possibility.
Insatiable Appetites – Traditionally, the Disney Eating Plan has supplied extra meals than many visitors would eat if ordering naturally and snacking solely when hungry. Numerous cutbacks over time have modified this dynamic, and the removing of a snack on the 2024 Disney Eating Plan will additional clear up this “downside.” Nonetheless, these with massive appetites are nonetheless rewarded by the Disney Eating Plan.
Suffice to say, in case your youngsters are human rubbish disposals and the adults in your occasion love steak, the Disney Eating Plan can provide some financial savings. As quickly as anybody in your occasion begins ordering hen or pasta, these financial savings disappear to the purpose that you simply would possibly begin dropping cash on the Disney Eating Plan. That’s when alcohol turns into “mandatory” to bridge the hole.
Pageant Followers – Disney Eating Plan snack credit are most beneficial throughout EPCOT pageant season…which is now a lot of the yr. A number of the greatest snacks on the EPCOT festivals can value as a lot as $10 and will be bought utilizing snack credit.
We extremely advocate stockpiling snack credit and utilizing them throughout your Epcot days, as not solely are these pageant snacks an awesome use of credit, however the EPCOT festivals are a ton of enjoyable, too. That is yet one more option to bridge the hole on worth, as utilizing snack credit on $8 to $10 gadgets throughout EPCOT festivals is much extra environment friendly than utilizing them on an affordable espresso or bottle of water.
Cut up Keep Strategists – We’re big advocates of Cut up Stays at Walt Disney World, and that is far and away how we most regularly have used the Disney Eating Plan overselves over time. For one factor, we expect the DDP gives approach an excessive amount of meals and might take an excessive amount of time. There’s no approach we may preserve the “tempo” of the Disney Eating Plan for a full week or longer. Irrespective of how properly we deliberate, our “productiveness” with the plan would drop by day 5.
Solely doing the Disney Eating Plan for one portion of the journey permits us to do an attractions-oriented half of the journey, and a food-oriented half. We nearly all the time do the meals half of the journey second, after we’re able to decelerate, loosen up, and focus extra on consuming. This additionally lets you maximize financial savings by reserving ADRs for the perfect DDP eating places throughout the second half of your journey, whereas focusing in your favourite ‘good worth’ eating places throughout the first half.
Why and Who Ought to SKIP the Disney Eating Plan!
Signature Standing – Some eating experiences at Walt Disney World require 2 desk service credit as a substitute of only one. These are premium choices, corresponding to Signature Eating places, Dinner Reveals, Pizza Supply, Room Service Meal, and some character meals.
By way of worth for cash (or credit score), there’s not a single 2-credit premium expertise that’s price it from an goal perspective on the common Disney Eating Plan. None of them–not one–gives per-credit worth that quantities to an above-average redemption of a single desk service credit score.
To ensure that these premium choices to be price it, they’d have to supply double the worth of a worthwhile 1-credit restaurant. Whereas most Signature Eating Experiences are significantly costlier than their common desk service counterparts, they don’t seem to be twice the fee. As such, you’ll nearly actually come out forward by paying out of pocket should you’re doing quite a lot of Signature Eating places. (In our view, Walt Disney World ought to add-back appetizers for the 2-credit eating places to assist bridge the hole.)
Vexed Vegetarian – There’s actually no situation by which it makes monetary sense for a vegetarian or vegan to buy the Disney Eating Plan. Plant-based gadgets are nearly all the time the most affordable choices on the menu at Walt Disney World eating places. Particular person vegetarian adults won’t ever come out forward on the DDP except they solely do character meals for no matter motive.
That is such a truism that we don’t really feel the necessity to give examples or crunch the numbers. It’s self-evident upon a cursory overview of menus. That is unquestionably true if everybody in your occasion is vegetarian or vegan, and most likely true even when solely 25% of the adults in your occasion will solely eat plant-based entrees.
Whole Teetotalers – Globally, half of all adults don’t drink alcohol in any respect and slightly over one-third of American adults by no means imbibe. That’s lots of people. The quantity is undoubtedly larger amongst Disney Eating Plan customers, as anybody over the age of 9 is taken into account a “Disney Grownup” and charged accordingly.
Against this, solely those that are 21 years of age and older are thought of to be adults within the eyes of U.S. alcohol legal guidelines. Now, we’re massive believers within the “Disney Bubble,” however Walt Disney World coverage doesn’t supercede the legislation. These 10 yr outdated “adults” can’t order a La Fin du Monde with lunch at Le Cellier. (Maybe they will order a Labatt Blue Gentle, although…does that technically rely as beer?)
The tip result’s that lots of people are charged the grownup worth for the Disney Eating Plan who actually can’t drink, and lots of others are charged that charge who won’t drink. These visitors are successfully subsidizing the lower-priced alcohol on the DDP for drinkers.
Those that can’t or gained’t drink alcohol do have the choice of ordering specialty drinks corresponding to milkshakes, smoothies, and mocktails (the place out there). Nonetheless, the fee disparity is fairly important. On common, non-drinkers are getting round $15 much less in worth per day than drinkers. (The unfold is even larger for non-drinkers who merely order soda or water.) That quantity is sufficient to be make-or-break on whether or not the DDP is “price it” for a lot of visitors.
AP/DVC/CM – In case you are eligible for an ‘affiliation’ low cost because of being an Annual Passholder, Disney Trip Membership Member, or Solid Member (or Tables in Wonderland, if that ever returns), it’s going to be tough to do higher than that except you overlap on the favored demos above.
Usually, it’s additionally simply simpler to take 10-20% off every part at desk service eating places versus having to determine hack your meals to economize.
Doing Disney on a Dime – The Disney Eating Plan is just not the most affordable option to eat at Walt Disney World. Not even shut. At greatest, it’s a possible low cost on a premium almost-inclusive meal package deal–it’s not the perfect bottom-dollar possibility for attempting to do Disney on a Dime. (It’s like shopping for a BMW with a supplier incentive versus paying sticker worth for a Kia. Sure, you “lower your expenses” on the previous and never the latter, however the Kia nonetheless prices a heckuva lot much less!)
Those that seek the advice of our High 10 Greatest Worth Desk Service Eating places at Walt Disney World will discover that there are quite a lot of sit-down eating places which can be nice choices when paying out of pocket. Pair that with an economical counter service meal and a snack, and your per-day meal value may find yourself being lower than half of what you’d pay for the Disney Eating Plan.
As mentioned in our Suggestions for Shopping for Groceries at Walt Disney World put up, you may minimize prices additional (with out sacrificing trip high quality) by having breakfast in your room and packing snacks for the parks. The record of the way to scale back meals prices at Walt Disney World goes on and on, however at no level is “purchase the Disney Eating Plan” on it. It’s a luxurious product that, just like the BMW, will be discounted–nevertheless it’s by no means going to be as low-cost as consuming at Walt Disney World, Kia type.
Go With the Circulate…Of us – That is type of an extension to the earlier level in addition to an “reply” to contentions that the Disney Eating Plan is handy. If you’d like the perfect of each worlds, worth out how a lot it could value so as to add the Disney Eating Plan to your trip, and buy discounted Disney reward playing cards in that quantity.
Use these reward playing cards to pay for your entire meals, ordering no matter you need and doing all of your greatest to by no means have a look at menu costs. (Simpler stated than executed, I do know!) If you happen to’re not one of many favored demos above, there’s a really sturdy probability you’ll find the money for leftover on the reward playing cards on the finish of your trip to pay for some good souvenirs.
Finally, whether or not you can purchase or skip the Disney Eating Plan is circumstantial. Though its many followers and lots of haters will attempt to inform you in any other case, the Disney Eating Plan is just not universally good or unhealthy. Consider it extra like a instrument, which will be helpful or damaging relying upon the job. (Regardless of the same names, a hammer and a jackhammer will produce radically totally different outcomes on the identical venture!)
If your loved ones is stuffed with carnivores…the Disney Eating Plan is perhaps for you. If you happen to’re taking your twin boys to Walt Disney World to rejoice their twenty first birthdays…the Disney Eating Plan would possibly work out in your favor. If you happen to’re a single mum or dad of princess-loving triplets desirous to do as many character meals as attainable…the Disney Eating Plan will undoubtedly prevent cash.
Against this, in case your complete household is vegetarians, gentle eaters, or teetotalers…it’s unlikely that the Disney Eating Plan will work to your benefit. Even should you’re simply common eaters, there’s a very good probability that the Disney Eating Plan will find yourself costing you more cash in the long run. In terms of the Disney Eating Plan, the home doesn’t all the time win, nevertheless it does come fairly shut. That’s to not say you may’t come out forward on the Disney Eating Plan, since you completely can. Heck, you may even save extra than 20% should you play your playing cards proper! However should you’re anticipating to economize irrespective of how you employ the DDP, you would possibly wish to suppose once more.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Lodges Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part that you must know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your expertise with the strengths and weaknesses of the Disney Eating Plan? Are you one of many favored or disfavored demos with the DDP? Fascinated by shopping for the Disney Eating Plan? Want different tiers have been out there, or choices with out alcohol or meat? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
