The Pros and Cons of the Disney Dining Plan

From August 31 - September 4, I was able to "test drive" the Disney Dining Plan for myself. I've already done Live blog posts where I gave the actual dollars and cents (you can check those out in the archives!) but today I wanted to give my opinions on the Pros and Cons of the Dining Plan.

Pros:

* Your meals are pre-paid. There is definitely something to be said for convenience, and it was great not having to feel like I was getting my wallet out (or scanning my Magic Band) every time I ate. Having already taken care of that expense BEFORE the vacation is very nice; to me, this is the biggest perk of the Dining Plan.

* If you like to order higher-dollar entrees, you will save money.  If you're someone who typically orders the steaks, seafood or other higher-dollar meals, you'll hit the $60 per person, per day adult charge for the regular Dining Plan pretty quickly. If you know you'll be ordering that pricey Filet meal at Le Cellier, for example, the Dining Plan is probably a good bet for you.

* Dessert (and appetizers, if you're on the Deluxe plan) are included with your meal.
With the Dining Plan, you get a dessert included as part of both your Quick and Table Service credits (if you use a Quick Service for breakfast, however, dessert is NOT included). It's nice knowing that you'll always have a sweet treat with your meal, or something you can take back to your room and enjoy later.

* Since you get a Table Service credit, it encourages you to take time and have at least one sit-down meal per day.
For some this could be a Con, but I love getting some time off my feet while at Disney. This is especially true in the center-of-the-sun heat and humidity of Orlando in September. Having that credit available to use makes you take a break in your day and have a more leisurely meal.

Cons:

* It's a LOT of food. To me, this was the biggest Con of the Dining Plan.  Of course, to someone else, this might be a Pro.  I don't have dessert with every meal when I'm at home and after about 2 days of having dessert with every meal, I was starting to get TOO full. Like a revolving, still full from the last meal, can't imagine eating again.

*If you won't eat $60 worth of food per day, it's probably not a good deal for you. The current Dining Plan price for an adult is $60.44 per day, and so if you can't see yourself eating that amount of food in a day, the Dining Plan might not be for you. Example - let's say you like to grab a muffin for breakfast, split a lunch entree with your traveling partner and graze with snacks at dinner. From a money standpoint, the Dining Plan will not be worth it for you.

* You are staying in a suite or Disney Vacation Club room with a kitchen (or at least a kitchenette) and you plan to have some meals in your room.
One of the benefits of the suites on property is that you have a kitchenette or full kitchen at your disposal. I have been on my vacations where we buy breakfast foods, snacks, etc to eat in the room and it not only saves time but money. If you know you're going to eat at least a meal in your room each day, the Dining Plan might not be for you.

As always, these are just my opinions and I would love to hear yours! Do you like / not like the Dining Plan? Why?

Have a magical day!