Today’s Question comes from Sara who writes:
“If we choose a meal plan does that mean all our meals are already paid for? which meal plan is best for a family of 4 with a 4yrold and a 2yr old we will be at the Disney resort for about 5 days but only doing actual Disney parks for 2 or 3 days we want to do at least one character meal?”
Hi Sara! I’m so glad you asked about the Meal Plan. Its something that seems like it should be simple, but just ISN’T at all.
First question: If we choose a meal plan does that mean all our meals are already paid for?
YES – When you pay for your Magic Your way package and add a meal plan then the allotted number of meals on the plan + the number of nights you stay at the resort = how many meals you have available during your time in the parks. Example: Quick Service 2 meals & 2 snacks per person + 3 people in your party (over 3 years of age) + 5 nights at the resort = 30 meals and 30 snacks paid for in advance. All you will have to do is order, present your room key which they swipe, and it “debits” the meal from your “account”.
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NO – It does not mean that you can walk into any restaurant at WDW (like you can at all-inclusive resorts) and have your meal paid for. You have to use the “style” of meal (Quick Service or Table Service) in the amount based on which plan you choose. You can read about the plans at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/ if you need details of what is included. You cannot “trade in” Quick Service or Snacks for Table Service Meals.
Second Question: Which meal is best for a family of 4 with a 4year old and a 2 year old?
This is really up to the individual family because I have no idea how much your 4 year old eats. If he/she is anything like MY 4 year old then they rarely finish a plate. This may be perfect for you because your 2 year old can then share with sister/brother.
You will also have to determine how important it is for you to do a Character Meal. Make sure you’re getting the best deal and crunch some numbers. If you move up to the MYW plus dining plan then it includes character meals, but it includes FIVE of them! And if you’re not planning on being in park that much it might actually end up being more of a waste of money than if you just did the Quick Service Meal Plan and paid for one Character Meal. I personally am PRO Character meals, it saves you a lot of time because you’re not standing in line for autographs as much, but given your situation it is really a choice your individual family has to make.
Third Question: We will be at the Disney Resort for about 5 days, but only doing the actual Disney Parks for 2 or 3 days
Remember that it is the number of nights at a resort that determine how many meals you receive. In your situation, if you were to choose Quick Service you would have 30 meals and 3o snacks total. What many people don’t know is that with a meal plan is that all of those meals are “bankable”. So in your situation, you have 5 days worth of 2 meals/2 snacks, which is 10 total meals and 10 total snacks PER PERSON. You are only planning on being in the parks for three days. So in reality you can eat 4 quick services one day, and 3 quick services the other two days and 3+ snacks a day and still be fine. You could eat at Starring Rolls for Breakfast (HWS), then have Casey’s Hotdogs (MK) for lunch, and Pecos Bill (MK) for Dinner and STILL have a meal to spare not to mention enjoying a Dole whip and a Mickey Ice Cream Bar. And that’s for every person over three in your party on the cheapest meal plan available. The down-side? You can’t trade in Quick Service meals for Character Meals. So a Character Meal comes out of pocket.
I hope that helps you a bit in your decision making process and provides a little more clarity on the often confusing meal plan!
Have a Magical Day!
Love, The Disney Diva
Related articles
- Disney World Quick Tip – Enjoy Snacks as Your Meal (chipandco.com)
- A Guide to Disney World Theme Park Restaurants (chipandco.com)
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I had forgotten it was x nights you are staying… So you could have more nights than number of days of park tickets. Thanks for the tips.
I’m so glad you said this. I was trying to decide deluxe versus plus because character dining seems so important. I will whittle down my list.
agreed and great assessment! If you’re only spending a couple of days in park you have to think about how much time you want to spend on rides and how much you want to spend in restaurants.
We went with the deluxe plan last trip when our kids were 8 and 4. It was too much time in the restaurants with the youngest. We wanted to get our money’s worth so we did a lot of sit downs. Next year when we go we will go with the regular plan with 1 sit down and 1 counter-service but only because they will be older. I would not do a lot of sit-downs with little kids, they can;t sit still for that long…
Agreed. It seems like a very personal choice to me because every child seems to eat differently. I’d hate to recommend a meal plan and then the people never/ rarely use it.
Agreed. It seems like a very personal choice to me because every child seems to eat differently. I’d hate to recommend a meal plan and then the people never/ rarely use it.
Agreed. It seems like a very personal choice to me because every child seems to eat differently. I’d hate to recommend a meal plan and then the people never/ rarely use it.
Yes Melissa you’re dead on. The issue for me in her question was how young her kids were.
Yes Melissa you’re dead on. The issue for me in her question was how young her kids were.
Yes Melissa you’re dead on. The issue for me in her question was how young her kids were.
I do not have children, so my answer may not be too helpful. Even though you may not go to the parks for every day you will be there, you can still eat at the resorts on site. I would recommend the dining plan as it is nice to not worry about food while on vacation. The only thing you will be paying out of pocket will be tips.. and you won’t have to worry about those if you go with the Quick Service Dining Plan.
We love the dining plan. We have done the Deluxe in the past with a 9 year old and a 11 year old and then of course my 2 year old at the time. We didnt have to pay for the 2 year old but it ws worth it to us to have it prepaid and to have the ability to do all the character meals and signature meals we wanted. My husband and I are going again in May and we are also getting the deluxe again.
We are planning a trip to WDW and who know all the info you needed before hand! I’m still a little unsure of how the dining plan works, so this helps some. Thanks so much!
We are planning a trip to WDW and who know all the info you needed before hand! I’m still a little unsure of how the dining plan works, so this helps some. Thanks so much!
Like he said, it really depends on what kind of an eater your 4 year old is. We took our daughter to DisneyWorld when she was 3. She barely ate so to buy a dining plan would have cost us way more than what we spent. We took her to DisneyLand when she was 4 and I still wouldn’t buy a plan. Just not cost effective, even factoring in paying for a character meal. (We booked thru Costco so we got a free character breakfast). NOW, she is 6 and is a far more regular eater so on our next trip, we definitely will get the dining plan with table service. Then we can sit in a restaurant each day (which to me is a major treat and I know it wouldn’t happen without the plan ha ha ha) : ) But we wouldn’t have even considered it when she was 4. ALSO, it depends on what YOUR preferences are! Some people couldn’t stand doing nothing but quick service and really need a daily restaurant. Others could care less about table service. AND, if you are only planning on being at the parks 2-3 days out of your 5? You may save money not doing the plan (which includes a TON of food if you read the details). The non park days you can eat at restaurants and such outside the parks and resorts that are much cheaper. Hope that helps a little! 🙂
I always go with the Dining Plan. The character meals are great for kids. No standing in long lines to get pics and autographs. And having a set down meal will help relax you and not feel rushed. The quick services make me feel rushed.
We have never tried the Dining plan, but after reading this article, I think we will have to give it a try! Sounds like a real money/time saver!
Sara – only you know your kids and how they eat. I have told people before that if you have good eaters the meal plan is great!! My kids LOVED breakfast food, so we did our Table service for breakfast. we saved our counter service and snacks for later in the day when I knew they would not be too interested in eating. Make reservations for those table services for sure. The rest of your meals and snacks can just be anywhere depending on the park you are at. From experience, I usually have an idea of where I might want to eat those meals depending on where we are in the park.
Also note that there are several character meals at the resorts so those can be scheduled whether going to the park that day or not 🙂 I would go with the regular dining plan with a table service, quick service and snack if it were me because we love the character meals.
Also note that there are several character meals at the resorts so those can be scheduled whether going to the park that day or not 🙂 I would go with the regular dining plan with a table service, quick service and snack if it were me because we love the character meals.