It's difficult--though not impossible--to come out "ahead" on any dining plan vs. paying out of pocket (although some of the current free dining promos for Disney kids would make it easier depending on party size). Are you/every adult going to want an alcoholic beverage with every prepaid meal? If not, that math gets much harder.
Honestly, people hate to hear it, but your best bet is to look at the menus of some of the places you'd like to eat and run the numbers yourself on what you'd pay out of pocket for what you'd like to order vs. what the cost of the dining plan you're looking at is.
The first time my family did that and realized that after our oldest child turned 10 it would never work for us because the adult dining plan cost factors in alcohol even when they're not old enough to drink, we haven't looked at a dining plan since.
Now, if you want convenience of prepaid and the "all-inclusive" feel, that can be a different story...but if you're truly looking for value/making the most bang for your buck, the overwhelming majority of the time, paying straight out of pocket will work out better.
I'm def aiming for the "all-inclusive" feel since its going to be my first time at doing a WDW resort and the fact i can use credits at Disney Springs QS (Polite Pig, Blaze, Earl, D-Luxe Burger etc) is making me lean more towards purchasing it. Also got to factor in the USD/CAD exchange rate when buying food and it could get $$$ so maybe fixed price is the way to go
Order alcohol at every meal.
Order the most expensive entrees.
Use snack credits in Epcot at festival booths (if there is a festival going on).
Use your refillable mug at your resort often.
If you decide to upgrade to table service dining, be careful with the restaurants you choose. Check to see if they are two credit restaurants. Many 2 credit restaurants are not good value on the dining plan.
EPCOT Garden Festival is starting the week I'm there, noted. A refillable mug is a huge perk for me just for the unlimited Coke Zero alone
Akershus & Storybook Dining are 2 credit restaurants, might just pay out of pocket it's no biggie. I don't think that i'm really going to be having many table service meals anyways since i'm solo.
I agree with what others have said. It just depends on your family situation.
I have actually ran deep into the numbers, even pricing out each meal we would are going to dine at. Takes time but is worth the little bit of typing and calculator work.
We are probably in the minority at this time amongst most. The plan will actually save us money compared to what we were going to do anyway. 2 Adults, 2 kids, and an infant (2) when we go this June. So we are getting two kids plans for "free". We need 4 meals for each time we would dine. The youngest eats their fair share but with the 4 meals we will have enough to feed all 5 of us. This works really well in buffet and family style restaurants as well We would also get at least two mugs. But we get 4 which is an additional positive when the cost is already in our favor.
Value Tips-
Character Meals- These are typically one credit except a few. We do these, and the plan helps cut that cost difference quite a bit.
Fantasmic Dining Package- We were already planning on doing this. It adds about 75 in value and many of the choices are one credit each. We did this last year and it saved us a lot of time by having a guaranteed great view.
Alcohol with meal- If you order alcohol with your meals, this can also be a better value. We typically do not, and it is still a plus expected value for us.
High End One Credit Meals- If you were already going to order the more expensive meals, this can also help make it a value. There are certain one credit restaurants (Steakhouse 71 for example) that help with the value.
We have a split stay and it works with our plans anyway. Doing one part just QS and one TS. That also helps a lot, since we are not doing TS for the entirety.
I'm 30M, going on my first solo trip since 2022. I want the full WDW experience: a resort, dining plan, not having to worry about much etc. i need to relax cause work has had me catching strays lately and need an escape. I'm going to average out my meals per day + USD -> CAD exchange and compare it to the QS plan.
I went last January with my girlfriend for a week, we had a blast together but it felt like we didnt get the true full experience like her bestie was having on the same trip. (they went all out) We usually stay off-property and leave the bubble to go shop and eat. This time I'm not interested because its just a hassle to call a lyft multiple times just to get around Orlando. There's so much at Disney i want to experience (Character dining, check out the Boardwalk etc) I've never done the full WDW experience and want to do it at least once.
The two character meals I'm aiming for are Akershus & Storybook Dining. (2 credits each) if anything, I'm open to paying out of pocket and just using the QS dining plan out of convenience. I'm not the type to eat expensive meals on vacation, always hunting for cheap eats haha.
