Disney Dining Plan?

Now that we have established that we don't have to get online at exactly 6 months out to make your dining reservations, let's talk about the Disney Dining Plan or DDP. Should you get it? For most people the answer is No, however there are exceptions.

Disney will sometimes offer a free dining plan if you travel during certain dates. If your schedule is flexible, that is something to look out for as Disney food is very expensive.

Do you have little ones that want to meet every character possible and are a little more choosy with their meals? This is the only time I'd recommend it. In order to get your monies worth, you need to schedule all character meals and buffets. These tend to range in the $50-$60 range per adult and slightly less for children under 10.

A character meal can easily cost over $200, before tip, for a family of 4. They are really fun and a great way to meet characters that will interact with you a bit more than the characters you stand in long lines to meet. A highlight for my kids was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with Mickey at Hollywood and Vine!

Add up the cost of buffets and character meals and you will easily get your monies worth with the prepaid DDP. The food is very good at all of the buffets. The only buffet where I don't love the food is at the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. The best one is at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Flordian where there is a huge variety. To save time, take the boat from Magic Kingdom to get there and ride the monorail back to the park.

If you don't use a dining credit, you can break one up into 3 snack credits.

Some restaurants require 2 dining credits. They include Magic Kingdom's Cinderall's Royal Table and Be Our Guest (Dinner Only), EPCOT's Le Cellier Steakhouse and Monsieur Paul, Hollywood Studios' The Hollywood Brown Derby and Animal Kingdom's Tiffins. You are probably better to use cash at these restaurants. Think about that. 2 full meal credits per person. At about $250 for a family of 4, 2 dining credits would not be worth it unless you got the dining plan for free or you have a meal somewhere else and have an extra credit to use.

There are many restaurants where your entire meal will be less than $100 for a family of 4. Most of the restaurants that are not buffets or character meals fit into this category. If you choose to go to those restaurants, you should pay as you go instead of getting the DDP. While it is nice to have all of your vacation expenses paid for, you will pay a lot more than you would have if you just paid as you ate.