With the Walt Disney World Free Dining offer coming out for UK guests a couple of months ago, dining plans and Disney dining in general are pretty hot topics at the moment, and if you know me at all you'd know that there's nothing I love more than discussing Disney food. Whilst some people don't think the dining plans are worth it, personally I am a big fan and believe they really are worth the money you might pay to upgrade if they are used to their full potential. So whether you've just booked and are planning ADRs, or are about to go on a much anticipated trip booked with last year's offer, here are my tips for getting the best value for money out of your dining plan.
Plan your advanced dining reservations as much as possible
To truly get the best value out of a dining plan that includes table service credits you really do need to plan your dining reservations and book them as close to the 180 day mark as possible. If you show up for a 14 night holiday only planning on eating table service meals for 7 days of your trip, the other 7 credits will be going to waste. Similarly, if you don't make any reservations and just try to book things when you're out there, you will likely not be able to eat at places you want and will just have to eat where there is availability, which could be somewhere cheaper or somewhere with a menu that doesn't appeal to you as much.
Get the largest size drink at Starbucks and share it to save your snack credits
You can get any drink from Starbucks in any size as a snack credit so it's the best value for money to get the biggest size. However, if like me you know you physically wouldn't drink that much liquid in one go, get one drink to share between two of you; that way you can have a refreshing drink in the morning and the afternoon and still each have a snack credit left for actual snacks.
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| The Strawberry Acai Refresher is a must on hot Florida days |
Have a cocktail/mocktail with every table service meal
As of last year, if you are over 21, you can get an alcoholic drink with your table service meals and these, especially cocktails, are obviously worth more than soft drinks. If you are under 21 or just choose not to drink, there are also speciality mocktails available which again are worth more than a standard soda. Some buffets also allow you to have as many drinks as you want throughout your meal, so you could get a cocktail or glass of wine and then a more refreshing soft drink as well. Whilst it is also possible to get alcohol included in your quick service credits, not all quick service locations serve alcohol, and I probably wouldn't advise having an alcoholic drink with all of your meals when it's so hot outside!
I think this one is pretty common knowledge now, but bottled water is one the cheapest snacks you can get on the dining plan (although it appears to be getting more and more expensive). Not only is it cheap, but you can also get free iced water from any quick service location, even if you're not buying food. If you specifically want a bottle of water, get one as the drink included with your quick service meal, or bring your own and refill it with free water when you need to.
Take your refillable mug with you if you go resort hopping
Your refillable mug can be used at every resort, not just your own, so if you're spending a day going round other resorts then take your mug so you don't have to buy any drinks and just refill it as much as you want.
Use snack credits on the most expensive food items at Epcot festivals
Having been to Disney World during Epcot's Food and Wine Festival I can say that the Dining Plan is definitely value for money during an Epcot Festival. Any food items and non-alcoholic drinks served at the booths can be bought with snack credits, or three items purchased at the same time can be bought with a QS credit. The festival items can often be more expensive than regular snacks, with some of them costing over $8, and if you share things between your group you can try loads of different things throughout the day without spending anything out of pocket.
Having been to Disney World during Epcot's Food and Wine Festival I can say that the Dining Plan is definitely value for money during an Epcot Festival. Any food items and non-alcoholic drinks served at the booths can be bought with snack credits, or three items purchased at the same time can be bought with a QS credit. The festival items can often be more expensive than regular snacks, with some of them costing over $8, and if you share things between your group you can try loads of different things throughout the day without spending anything out of pocket.
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| Chocolate Baklava from the Morocco booth |
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| Black Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Noodles from the China booth |
If there are days you're not at Disney, go to 2-credit restaurants on other days to use up your table service credits
If you're spending a day at another theme park or going somewhere like the mall or Kennedy Space Centre for the day and you know you're not going to be eating at Disney that day, plan to eat at a 2-credit restaurant on another day. Whilst you can convert any leftover table service credits into snack credits at the end of your trip, it's not good value for money, so use them instead on more expensive meals or a dinner theatre experience, such as Hoop-Dee-Doo or Spirit of Aloha.Don't use a dining credit for in room pizza delivery
Having worked in food and beverage within a Disney World resort, I can tell you that the pizzas used for pizza delivery are just frozen pizzas with extra toppings added to them. Whilst I'm sure they taste perfectly nice, they are definitely not worth the 2 table service credits they cost (this is assuming it will be shared between 2 people, it's not 2 credits each), especially when you can get some really great quick service food at resorts that you can then take back to your room yourself if you want to.
If you're still contemplating booking with free dining then check out my Guide To Walt Disney World Dining Plans to see which one would be best for you.
Do you have any tips for getting the most out of your dining plan? Let me know in the comments.
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If you're still contemplating booking with free dining then check out my Guide To Walt Disney World Dining Plans to see which one would be best for you.
Do you have any tips for getting the most out of your dining plan? Let me know in the comments.
Pin for later:
