Let's talk Disney Dining Plans.

Walt DisneyWorld has a wonderful thing called dining plans. If you stay on property at one of their resorts you have the opportunity to purchase a dining plan. Benefits? Well, the opportunity to pre pay for your meals; one less thing to worry about and buget for.  Cons? Well, some people don't think it's worth it. Me? I say it depends on each family and their budget. I've done WDW on the cheap, where we brought pop tarts and made sandwiches in the room for lunch. I've also done the dining plan. So, it all depends on what you are wanting from your WDW vacation.  Is it worth it? Again, that depends on your budget and what you are looking for. Below is a screen shot of the recently released dining plan prices. There are 3 different dining plans. Think of it like gas, guilt gas, no guilt gas, and rich people gas.  What is a quick service meal, you ask? Well well well well, think of it like a Whataburger. Mmmmm Whataburger..... oh not from Texas? Too bad, you're missing out. Think of it like a Burger King but without a drive through. Go to the counter, order, get food and sit.  Standard fare is usually hamburgers and stuff like that.  What is a snack? Like a ice cream bar, a 20 oz soda, stuff like that. It's usually marked with a special sign like this.  So is it worth it? I don't know, so let's do math. Boo. I'm planning a Disney trip (don't worry, you'll hear all about it. So let's price out one of the days I have planned. Do you know how bummed I'm going to be if it's not worth it?  We have the No Guilt Gas version of the dining plan.  Ok we are staying at Saratoga Springs, and are planning on eating breakfast at the Artist's Pallet.  I ain't gonna lie, the Bounty Breakfast Platter looks good. (This counts as my Quick service) $11.49 Our first day we're going to Epcot. I'll probably head to the Showcase Plaza for my snacks.  Hell yeah waffle cone! $4.19 & a Croissant Donught!  $6.29 Now we are going back to the room during the heat of the day for rest and lunch. We are making sandwiches because for us, we need big breakfasts and light lunches. It doesn't work for everyone; but it works for us.  Back to Epcot. We have reservations (make them 180 days in advance!!!!!!!) at the Garden Grill at 4:00. Did you know that the Garden Grill is a cheater meal that counts as a regular dining credit? That's right! It's a twofer, baby! Chip & Dale, we're coming!!!  Now this one is tricky because the price of the restaurant varies by time of the year & day of the week.  It's like a hotel!  Now according to this awesome site, allears.net it could be 37.97-45.00 per meal.  So let's go with the cheaper, we're going during off season on a Sunday.  Now math. Groan 11.49+4.19+6.29+37.97= 59.94  Well well. Looks like the dining plan is more expensive at $69.35 per adult.  Even if Garden Grill was the more expensive option at $45; it still comes out to $66.97.  I guess where you really come ahead is for the children.   Their breakfast is $4.99. Snacks, let's do the same because kids are greedy. $4.19 & $6.29. Garden Grill for kids is $19.10-$27.00.  So let's do it cheap.  $34.57. The price for a child's dining plan is $24.95. So there's that extra 10 bucks. I guess if you have 2 kids 2 adults it works out perfectly.  It just depends on what you are looking for.  Personally, I like the dining plan. Pre paying for a meal is always a win for me. Even on vacation it is easy to get sticker shock.  Dining plans must be purchased for every memeber of your party, every night of your stay. They do not include tips, so be sure to bring so cash for your servers. If you don't use it, you lose it, so plan accordingly! If you don't use all your snack credits hit the resort food court and stock up for the ride. Don't let it go to waste!! Let it go to waist instead! Yukka yukka.  Special thanks to allears.net! They have all the menus with prices for all the food areas! Check it out! http://allears.net/ They're also a great panning resource. ;)