Disney Dining Plan Did U Love It? Was It Worth It?

I loved the dining plan and would do it again. I liked not having to think about it. If I were paying out of pocket I would have looked at prices, on the DP I ordered what I wanted.

We did end up with extra credits at the end because each of us had a sick day while there (when we weren't eating anything).

Anybody under 3 is free to eat off of your plate - at sit downs and buffets. And you can always order extra (or use a snack credit to feed a little one - I got my little guy some fruit with snack credits) and pay out of pocket.

I did take extra snacks - cheerios, cereal bars, etc - just in case.

Have a great trip!

The dining plan was totally worth it. We have been to Disney 3 times in the last 5 years, twice without the dining plan and the last time with it. Definitely a difference with the DP. We did not have to worry about the cost of the meal. With 5 people going, you can easily spend over $100-$150 per day on food. If you do character dining, then you can spend way more.

We just went in January and did it with the DP. I have 4 kids aged 6, 4 1/2, 2 1/2 and 5 month old. We had to pay for the 2 older kids, but there was enough food from the 4 meals that we paid for to feed the 2 1/2 yr old. Just make sure you make reservations for all of your character dining before you go to Disney. They do not check the age of the kids so I would not worry about your almost 3 year old.

We are going back again in Septemeber and plan on doing the dining plan again. I tell everyone I know who is going that it is totally worth it. You get a lot of food and spend almost no money out of pocket (you just have to pay fo gratuities at the sit down restaurants).

We did have snacks left over at the end of the trip so I just got a few bags of pretzels for the kids for the airplane ride home. You get plenty to drink. You can always use a snack to get the kids milk, which can cost about $2 per bottle.

We've gone in September for the past three years and were able to get the dining plan for free. Even if we had to pay for it, we probably still would -- its a great deal. We did end up with a bunch of snack credits at the end that we had to get before we left on the plane....which was a bit annoying, but overall, we saved a lot of money and went to some VERY nice places we would have never gone to. Plus, the convenience of it was great. You will NOT go hungry. Go with an appetite, that's for sure.

Have fun. I love it out there.

BTW, I would still pack some snacks for your children, just in case :) And for drinks, it was a big lacking....you get one snack a day which could include a drink, so perhaps you could bring juice boxes or something. That's what my family did for the 12 month old and 2 1/2 year old and it worked out great.

Hi D.,
The dining plan worked really well for us, we took advantage both times that we went to Disney. However, we didn't go with young kids who weren't on the plan. The first time we went, the kids were 5 and 9, so we included 2 kids. The 2nd time, they were 8 and 12, so my daughter was actually an adult, but it really saved us money on the meals. We ate extremely well there for lunch and dinner. The meal plan saved us a lot of money on lunches and dinners. The snack part of the plan was really not enough to be all of the snacks/drinks, a water and a popcorn each day for each person.
We got a mini fridge in the room. We brought packaged cereal/poptarts for breakfast, along with juice boxes. We brought a case of bottled water and we brought snacks, so we brought water and snacks to the parks each day.
Good luck and enjoy your trip!

I know the plan is slightly different now, but when we went in jan 2006 we LOVED the dining plan. We had great meals with more food than we could eat! We got apps, main dish and deserts at our sit down meals. I had a 4 yr old and almost 3. I bought the plan for the older child and fed the younger one off our plates. It worked great every time. Be sure to make all of you dining reservations NOW. You can always change them (some may require 24 hour notice, but they will tell you when you make the res) I recommend eating in Canada (great steaks) and with the princesses in Norway. Have fun!!!!

Hi D.... we went to Disney last year in December and we brought the meal plan we didn't think it was worth it because first, they didn't explain to us that we had to make reservations for the nicest restaurants. I asked my husband if he thinks that if is the best food worth the money that you are paying, and he said "NO" but the only good think about it is that it makes you eat a nice food in nice Restaurants (but don't forget to make reservations in advance).
About if they check when you sit down to eat, I think it depends on when are you going... we went in December and there was not too many people plus you can, as soon as you sit down, put some snacks in front of your son to make believe he will eat snacks, and then when your food comes give him somo of yours, I don't think they will complain about it. Plus you are right at that age they don't even eat too much anyway !! so is not even worth it pay for them !

And also to let you know we went again in February and this time we didn't buy the meal plan !!

Hopefully this helps,