I'll show you exactly how I came to this decision for my party but first, a quick rundown of the dining plan options:
There are three dining plan options for 2016 that I will cover (all items listed are per person, per day). There are two more dining plan options but they include flexibility for recreational activities, such as golf, and are more expensive than those listed below -
Quick Service Plan ($42.77/person/night)
2 quick service meals
1 snack
1 refillable resort mug for length-of-stay
Standard Dining Plan ($61.82/person/night)
1 quick service meal
1 table service meal
1 snack
1 refillable resort mug for length-of-stay
Deluxe Dining Plan ($111.73/person/night)
3 meals (quick service or table service)
2 snacks
1 refillable resort mug for length-of-stay
The Standard and Deluxe allow for entree/beverage for breakfast, entree/dessert/beverage at quick service lunch/dinner meals, and appetizer (Deluxe only)/entree/dessert/beverage at table service lunch/dinner meals.
Snacks for all plans include single-serve items found at most carts located around the parks, including bottled beverages, chips, a piece of fruit, or single-scoop of popcorn. Unused quick service meal credits can be traded for three snack credits; all three credits must be used in one transaction (for example, trade in one quick service meal credit to buy an apple, a cookie, and a bottle of water at a snack cart.)
The itinerary for my trip revolves around one or two snacks per day, one quick service meal, and one table service meal. I also purchase the refillable resort mug with the length-of-stay option because it's very handy to have after a long day at the parks. I normally do not purchase a meal for breakfast because a quick stop at the sundries shop yields a box of granola bars as the more economical option. Within these parameters, the Standard Dining Plan likely fits my needs best but will cost a total of $865.48 for two people. Before looking up the restaurants covered by the Dining Plan, I decided to make a mock itinerary for the trip and pick out the restaurants that piqued my interest most. It looked something like this:
| Location | Options | Type | ||
| Contemporary Resort | California Grill | upscale restaurant | ||
| Wave of American Flavors | breakfast buffet | |||
| Magic Kingdom | Be Our Guest | upscale restaurant | ||
| Ferrytale Wishes Fireworks Dessert Cruise | dessert | |||
| Liberty Tree Tavern | dinner buffet | |||
| Epcot | Teppan Edo | hibachi | ||
| Tutto Italia Ristorante | upscale restaurant | |||
| Le Cellier | ||||
| Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party | dessert | |||
| Downtown Disney/Boardwalk | Flying Fish Cafe | seafood | ||
| The BOATHOUSE | surf and turf | |||
| Boardwalk Bakery | dessert | |||
| Hollywood Studios | 50s Prime Time Cafe | cheaper option | ||
| Fantasmic Package - Hollywood Brown Derby/Hollywood and Vine | upscale restaurant | |||
| Symphony in the Stars Galactic Dessert Party | dessert | |||
| Animal Kingdom | Tusker House | upscale restaurant | ||
| Yak & Yeti | upscale restaurant | |||
What I soon found was that a few of the restaurants on my list do not accept the dining plans; this would largely affect my visit to Epcot because Teppan Edo and Tutto Italia Ristorante are two such options. Additionally, I found that some places are considered "signature restaurants" and would require two of my table-service credits (California Grill, Flying Fish Cafe, Le Cellier, and Hollywood Brown Derby). This problem automatically devalues the Standard Dining Plan and almost forces the selection of the Deluxe Dining Plan. Always one to select quality first, I decided to conduct my full calculation using the Deluxe Dining Plan and found that the total cost of all meals, snacks, and refillable mugs would only add up to $1,516 for two people whereas the plan would cost upwards of $1,560 (tips are not included either).
Another discovery I made while adding up my calculations is that the Deluxe Dining Plan requires a lot of eating to become useful. It allows for three meals per day - or two meals if your itinerary includes a signature restaurant - and each meal includes at least an entree or beverage and, in most cases, a dessert and/or appetizer. Add on two additional snacks and a day at the parks is hijacked by meals and snacks. I estimate that around 3-4 hours of my day would be spent eating if I utilized a dining plan option. It goes without saying that time is valuable, especially at Disney World, and planning around Fastpass+ options, events, shows, parades and meals/snacks can quickly turn a vacation into a job.
In conclusion, I can now say with full confidence that the Disney dining plan options will not work for me. Even utilizing the Standard Dining Plan, two adults can easily dine for less than $120 most days and any extra money saved from eating cheaply on any of those days will just mean extra money in my pocket rather than given to Disney in the form of a pre-paid meal. I urge you to do the math yourself and determine if this option works for your trip before handing over hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in the name of convenience.
