The Dining Plans at Disney are a great way to not have to worry about food purchases while on vacation. Much of a Walt Disney World vacation is pre-paid for, such as hotel, Park tickets and transportation. Adding a Disney Plan means having another major expense pre-paid for before you even start your vacation, meaning being able to just enjoy while there. Learn the 5 ways to maximize Disney Dine Plan usage below.
Choose Your Plan
Disney World offers 3 different dining plans to choose from: Quick Service Plan, Disney Dining Plan and the Deluxe Plan. Decide which plan works best for your group. Choosing one that is just right means not getting too much food or too little. Plus, decide if more time in the parks is important with shorter meals choose the Quick Service Plan or if Character meals are on your Disney bucket list than choose the Disney Dining Plan.
Snack Credits
Using snack credits wisely can help you save big. Find filling snacks that can act as a quick meal (most expensive snack credit for dining plan) and snacks that can be shared. Then save some snack credits to use as souvenirs for friends and family back home. There are many pre-packaged treats that will travel well and can be used as a snack credit. Guests using any of the 3 dining plans will receive 2 snack credits per person per day. Consider the 226 best uses of your snack credits.
Skip the 2 Credit Dining Opportunities
To maximize savings while using the dining plan, the signature and fine dining locations that require 2 credits to dine are just not worth it. Examples that require two dining credits include: Jiko- The cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Flying Fish Café at Disney’s Boardwalk, California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, Le Cellier Steakhouse and Monsieur Paul at Epcot, The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and more.
Use the My Disney Experience App
The My Disney Experience App is a free app for smartphones. Knowing how to use this app can help to save time on your vacation and there are many handy features for dining at Disney as well. The app is complete with a Dining section and a map, easily find restaurant options near you. Plus search for any Disney World menu easily. The My Disney Experience App will also keep track of where and what times your dining reservations are. Learn more about Advanced Dining Reservations to eat at the most popular Disney restaurants.
Order Wisely
Even though the meals are pre-paid for there is still a magic number guests should “spend” at each meal to break even on the dining plans. For snacks, guests should look for those that cost $5.00 or more. For quick service meals guests will want to spend at least $16.79 between a meal and soda. For guests using credits on sit-down meals spend at least $46.20 between your meal, soda and dessert to break even or come ahead. Therefore, even though you may think checking prices will not be required when using the dining plans, it is. Except, now instead guests will be looking for the most expensive items eligible that appeal to them, to get the most bang for your buck.
Learn more about Walt Disney World Dining and get suggestions for where to eat, how to use the Disney Dining Plan and more.