Disney Dining- Part 1

Hello my fellow Disney lovers! In an attempt to further explain Disney Dining, but not totally overwhelm my readers, I have decided to break up my thoughts into two different posts. This post will review the basics of the Disney Dining Plan, and the second post will give tips that have worked for my family regarding the Disney Dining Plan. So let’s get started, shall we?

I love to eat. My family loves to eat. We love to eat together. I may have mentioned that once or twice in a previous post! I have also mentioned previously that we love to take advantage of the Free Dining offer that typically runs from mid-to-late August through mid-December. I would like to break this offer down for you a bit more this evening.

I do feel that the Free Dining offer is a great deal, but I hear others say that for their family, this is not the case. Let me explain why. When you book a full-price package when Free Dining is offered, a dining plan is added to your reservation for no cost. The key words here are full-price. When Free Dining is offered, typically another deal is offered at the same time (but the two cannot be combined- it’s one offer or the other). In this case, it pays to do the math- depending on your party size and which resort you stay at, you may be better off with the room discount over free dining. For example, if two people who are light-eaters are traveling and staying at a Deluxe resort, a 30% room discount, if offered at that time, may save that family more money than two free dining plans. On the other hand, a party of five (who happen to be big eaters), with the youngest being over the age of three, who are planning on staying at a Moderate resort will more than likely find that the Free Dining offer will save them more money. To cash in on the Free Dining offer, it is necessary to purchase a Disney vacation package, while it is not necessary to purchase a package to cash in on the room discount. Let me quickly explain what a ‘package’ entails in regards to Walt Disney World travel: at least one night in a Disney-owned resort hotel room, and at least a two-day Disney theme park ticket. The Dining Plan completes this package.

I just mentioned that the children in the above scenario are all over the age of three. I specify this because, at Disney, children under the age of 3 get into the theme parks for free. Since they don’t need a ticket, this excludes them from the Dining Plan, as they now don’t have all of the components of the ‘package’. Since a general park ticket is nearly $100 per day (though it is less for children), I feel we still come ahead with our young toddler entering the park for free rather than receiving a dining plan. It is wise to note that at buffets, children eat FREE! Therefore, if you’ve got a young child or two who enjoys different foods, try to schedule as many buffets as you can if you’re like me and you don’t like to share your meals with your child. The option to share from your plate with your child is always available for free, but I tend to buy my son his own child’s meal if we’re not eating at a buffet.

Now I will explain Free Dining a bit more in detail. There are three basic ‘levels’ of resort hotel rooms on Disney property- value, moderate, and deluxe. For those who choose to stay at a value resort, the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan is included in free dining. The Disney Quick Service Dining Plan includes two quick service meals per person, per night, of your vacation. Examples of quick service meals are hamburgers, flat breads, salads, fish sandwiches… you get the idea. A beverage and dessert is also included with each quick service meal. Each person over the age of 3 also receives one snack per night of their vacation, which they can redeem anytime during their vacation.

(An example of a delicious Quick Service meal from Flame Tree BBQ at Animal Kingdom- BBQ chicken and rib combo plate)

Now we get to my favorite meal plan, which is simply called the Disney Dining Plan. For those staying in a moderate or deluxe resort, this is the dining plan that is included with Free Dining. This plan includes one quick service meal per night per person, as well as one Table Service meal per person per night. A table service meal can be a steak dinner, grilled fish, a gourmet burger (lobster topped burger, anyone?), and the like. A non-alcoholic beverage and dessert are also included per night, as is a snack with this plan. Also, with any dining plan, everyone over the age of 3 receives a drink mug, which can be used at any Disney resort in the soda machines, as well as for tea, coffee, and lemonade.

(Poutine and cheddar cheese soup from Canada's Le Cellier steakhouse at Epcot)

 

These are not the only two dining plans offered- if you are a big eater, please be sure to check out the other Dining Plans on the Walt Disney World website, as one of those plans may be perfect for your family. Since the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, and the Disney Dining Plan are the two offered with the Free Dining promotion, those are the two I have chosen to cover, but there are more dining plans offering appetizers, alcohol, and even different experiences! Please note that with any dining plan, it is possible to pay to upgrade to a different dining plan. It is not possible to downgrade any dining plan.

Please stay tuned for further tips in Disney Dining- Part 2. Thank you for reading, and as always, feel free to email me with questions at dana_aimee@hotmail.com. Happy Travels!