Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it in 2024?

The Disney Dining Plan finally returns in 2024! But, should you buy it? Let’s analyze pricing and offerings to see if it’s really worth it for you to buy.

Disney Dining Plan

Potentially save time and money on your Disney World vacation by purchasing a Disney Dining Plan. Enjoy a certain number of prepaid meals and snacks during your stay to make your vacation feel more “all-inclusive”. Spend more time enjoying your vacation and less time on meal budgeting while you’re at Disney.

After a long few years, the Dining Plan finally returns in 2024! There are now only two plans when the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). Unfortunately, they eliminated the Deluxe and Plus plans. We speculated why this may have occurred HERE. You can purchase either the Quick-Service Plan or the Disney Dining Plan as part of your 2024 vacation package.

We have everything you need to know about the plan, including what comes with the plans and how to keep track of everything in this handy guide.

If you are savvy Disney vacation planner, you may be analyzing the cost of everything – from hotels and tickets to food and souvenirs. The Dining Plan can be a great way to save money if you have big dining plans. We are going to analyze the cost of the plan compared to the average cost of food. Additionally, we will look at some ways you can maximize your plan to help you save some money.

Quick-Service Plan

With the Quick-Service Plan, each Guest ages 3 and up will receive 2 Quick-Service meals (entree and drink) and 1 snack per day along with 1 refillable mug for the length of your stay. The cost is $57/adult and $23.83/child (rounded to $24 for easy math).

A typical Quick-Service breakfast consisting of eggs, waffles, and bacon is $13 for adults. Fountain drinks are $4.29. The kid’s menus across property usually include eggs OR waffles along with two sides (think bacon, potatoes, etc) and a drink. These meals are in the $7 range.

Lunch and dinner entrees will have a much wider price range depending on what you order. You can find burgers and chicken sandwiches at Cosmic Ray’s for approximately $12. The shrimp and chicken teriyaki entree at Katsura Grill at Epcot is $15. Again, fountain drinks are $4.29. Kid meals like hot dogs and chicken tenders are roughly $7.50 wherever you go. This includes two sides and a drink.

Snacks are also going to vary greatly, but typically you can find dole whips, Mickey ice cream bars, popcorn, and the like for around $6.

Quick-Service Math

So, let’s do some basic math, shall we? If you order the breakfast platter and drink, shrimp and chicken teriyaki entree and drink, plus a $6 snack that is $42.58/day/adult. For kids, the breakfast platter and chicken tenders is $20.50.

Then, factor in the cost of your refillable mug. Everyone could fill up once in the morning before heading to the park and then again at night. At our average cost of a fountain drink ($4.29) that adds another $9/day to the value of the plan. We are coming out pretty even with children but still come up a bit short for adults.

If you wanted to get a bit more bang for your buck, consider using your credits for lunch and dinner and having breakfast in your hotel room. The Cosmic Ray’s example above is not the best because it’s actually cheaper than the breakfast platter. However, depending on where you want to eat look for entrees that are in the $15 price range. Doing so will get you almost even with the per-day cost of $57.

Disney Dining Plan

With the traditional Disney Dining Plan, each Guest ages 3 and up will receive 1 Table-Service meal and 1 Quick-Service Meal along with 1 snack per day and a refillable mug. The cost is $94.28/adult (rounded to $95) and $29.69/child (rounded to $30).

Lunch and dinner at table-service restaurants will almost always be a better value than breakfast. We highly suggest using your table-service credit for lunch or dinner. Then, use your quick-service credit for breakfast or the other meal.

Character buffets will also always be a better value. For example, the sampler entree and alcoholic beverage at 50’s Prime Time Cafe is roughly $44. Dinner at The Crystal Palace (a character buffet) plus an alcoholic beverage is $73. A kid’s entree and specialty drink at 50’s is $20. Kids can enjoy The Crystal Palace buffet for $38.

On the flip side of that, you will be responsible for tipping at Table-Service restaurants. The higher your bill the more your tip should be.

Disney Dining Plan Math

Let’s look at our Quick-Service breakfast platter example from above plus our buffet at the Crystal Palace. The adult price for 1 quick-service breakfast, 1 buffet, 1 snack, and 2 refills from the mug per day is $105.29. Children can eat for $60 using this example.

As you can see, you are getting almost double the value for children and $10 more for adults. When you factor in your tip, that’s another $15/adult and $8/child. Any “savings” you have will likely go to tipping your server. But it’s still saving money overall.

Final Thoughts

So, is the Disney Dining Plan worth it in 2024? Well, that largely depends on your travel party and eating habits. Do you intend to enjoy a buffet or sit-down character meal each day? Will your kids actually eat all that food? Will you have to purchase more food out of pocket (this is big because you only get 2 meals per day with these plans)? Are you going to eat at a restaurant that requires 2 table-service credits? (Spoiler alert: those are a bad use of 2 credits!)

You will need to sit down and take a look at each restaurant’s menu and pricing. Character Locator has up-to-date information on all Disney World restaurants. Add up the price of the food you would likely order along with the value of 1 snack and how many times you will realistically fill your mug up. Compare it to the price of the Dining Plan you are considering. Don’t forget to add in tips and any extra food you will need to purchase!

Are you booking the Dining Plan in 2024? How did the math come out for you? Let us know in the comments below! Do you know someone who is struggling whether to buy it or not? Pass this article along to them!