All You Need to Know about the Disney Dining Plan: And Why it Shouldn't Intimidate you

My older sister, Jacquie, enjoying her Mimosa Flight at Kona Cafe for breakfast, (she chose cranberry, pineapple, and orange for her juice options. Her favorite was the cranberry).

I don't know about all of you; but one of the first things I think of when I'm planning a Disney trip--is the food.

Yeah, yeah it's because my family and I are all a bunch of foodies; but it's also because we like to get together in the beginning to figure out whether or not we're part-taking in the Disney Dining Plan--and more likely than not, we typically end up snagging it due to the size of our group and the amount of days we usually stay in the parks.

For those of you who don't know what the Disney Dining Plan is, let me explain it as specifically and not too wordy as I can so I don't bore you all haha.

The DDP is comprised of three levels: The first one is the quick service dining plan: The quick service is comprised of two quick-service meals and two snack credits per night of your stay; and a recent addition to the quick service dining plan is the inclusion of one alcoholic beverage per meal if the quick service restaurant that you're attending offers alcoholic beverages. With this dining package, each meal you get that is included in the plan is one entree and one beverage--if you're twenty-one and over, (and the restaurant offers it), you can have one alcoholic beverage; but if you're under twenty-one, this beverage can be any other specialty beverage offered there, like a smoothie or soda. Not to mention, no matter what dining plan you choose, you get a resort refillable mug included with your purchase that you can refill throughout your stay at your resort for no extra charge. The quick service dining plan will run you at $52.50 for adults and $23.78 for children ages 3-9 per night.

Now, the second dining plan is known as the regular dining plan. This plan includes one quick service, one table service, and two snacks per night of your stay. The regular dining plan gives you the best of both worlds with the experience of eating quick to get to your next fast pass and also the experience of relaxing to a nice meal for a couple of hours. The quick service includes the entree and beverage just like the last one and the table service includes the one entree, specialty beverage, and dessert. Keep in mind, if you're planning on getting the regular dining plan, gratuity is not included in the package for the dining plan so when you attend a table service; you will still need to pay the tip. Also, if you wish to use your table service credit on a buffet, you can with this plan. That being said, the regular table service dining plan costs $75.49 for adults and 27.98 for children from ages 3-9 per night of your stay--don't forget, when you're planning to factor in the costs of the gratuity that isn't included with this package.

This is my Mom's entree that she ordered on our last trip in which we went to Sanaa for dinner: this was the Traditional Sosatie--which she greatly enjoyed!

The final dining plan that Disney advertises is called the deluxe dining plan. This dining plan covers three meals, which can be any from your choice of either quick-service or table-service and two snacks per night of your stay. With these three meals, if you choose to partake in a table-service, your meal includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, and a specialty beverage of your choice. You can also attend buffets with this dining plan and it counts as one table service credit. As predicted, this plan is going to cause the biggest dent in your bank account if you choose this on: for adults it's $116.25, (what?!), and for children it's $43.49 per night of your stay. This dining plan does NOT include gratuity either, so definitely think about this factor while you're planning your next Disney Vay-cay.

The Schweitzer Slush from Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd Skipper Canteen

Now, personally, my family and I have only ever participated in the quick-service and regular dining plan, (but the deluxe dining plan is on the bucket list), and we've always found it to be more than enough food for all of us; so we've never seen a reason to go out of our way to purchase the deluxe dining plan, especially with the price and the amount of food you get.

I always recommend the regular dining plan to people because it gives you the best of both worlds in terms of dining; but I say you should always calculate how much food you and your party would realistically eat and how much your items would be per day to find out whether or not the dining plan would be the best option for you.

Another thing I almost forgot to mention: You can't buy any of the Disney Dining plans without booking a resort reservation. Yup, you need to be staying at a Disney resort in order to purchase the dining plans. I know, I know, it's just an extra fee to add on that you need to think about for your stay; but think about it. If you're planning on staying longer than four days, I think it would be worth anybody's while to stay on property. Yes, the resorts can be expensive but if you go during an off-season when the hotel prices are typically low; you can find rooms at the Pop Century or any of the All-Stars for a pretty decent price. Another thing to think about; you won't need to worry about paying for the price of parking at the theme parks and you get transportation included in the price of the hotel. I always recommend this especially if you're over twenty-one and you definitely plan on drinking while you're on property, (especially during Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, *hint hint*), so you don't have to worry about having a designated driver during your trip.

There's a lot to consider when planning a Disney trip; but if you go into the parks having everything planned--I guarantee that you will have a great time.

I hope I summarized these plans clear and well; but if you all have ANY questions concerning the dining plan and some advice. Don't hesitate to drop me an email, (viviannatorres67@gmail.com), or drop me a DM on my social media handles linked on my home page of my blog. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you all have a magical week!