Disney's Quick Service Dining Plan - Worth It?

One of the most popular questions that is asked to a Disney Travel Agent (Authorized Disney Planner) and is commonly asked on popular Walt Disney World forums has to be: 'Is the Disney Dining Plan worth the money?'

In this article we are going to explore the Quick Service Dining Plan, the newest edition to Walt Disney World that allows guests to have two counter-service meals and 2 snacks per night along with one Refillable Resort Mug per guest. When purchasing the Quick Service Dining Plan, or any of the other Disney Dining Plans, the plan must be bought for the extent of the stay and must be purchased for each guest in the party.

The credits from the Quick Service Dining Plan can be used at either breakfast, lunch or dinner and there are no limits on how many credits you use per day from the amount given. The Quick Service breakfast consists of a juice, entree and a non-alcoholic beverage. For lunch and dinner, guests are able to receive a combo entree, dessert and a non-alcoholic beverage. Most commonly, guests are using the Quick Service Dining credits to purchase lunch and dinner as it seems to be most cost efficient, and guests who have done their research are purchasing breakfast items (muffins, croissants, bagels, fruit, etc.) with their Quick Service snack credits. Other guests, bring cereal bars or oatmeal packets that can easily be made in the Walt Disney World Resort room while getting ready for the parks in the morning.

Quick Service Dining Plan
When talking in terms of whether the Quick Service Dining Plan is worth the money that it costs to purchase, there is really no simple answer. Each family differs in how much they eat, how often they want to sit down at a restaurant and the sizes of the meals that they tend to enjoy. To answer the question, I really recommend that you sit down and do the math and try to figure out (using www.allears.net/menu/menus.htm of course) the math on what your family would be eating and if the plan would benefit you. There are definitely families that would easily be saving money on the Quick Service Dining Plan, but there are also families that would be cutting even or even losing money simply because they are more cautious in how they spend money or on the sizes of their meals.

For an example, if we are to base our decision for a family of four, 2-adults and 2-children aged 3-10, the Quick Service Dining Plan would cost $83.96 per night. For the example day we will base our meals at Disney's Magic Kingdom and will go with some of MY personal favorite counter-service meals and snacks at Walt Disney World to do the math.
Breakfast - Main Street Bakery
Adult 1: Apple Turnover $2.39 (coffee in Refillable Resort Mug)
Adult 2: Croissant $2.29 (tea in Refillable Resort Mug)
Child 1: Chocolate Croissant $2.79 (lemonade in Refillable Resort Mug)
Child 2: Warm Cinammon Roll $3.49 (hot chocolate in Refillable Resort Mug)
Total price for breakfast: $10.96 (4 Quick Service Snack Credits used)

Lunch - Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe
Adult 1: Rotisserie Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and a seasonal Vegetable, Fountain Drink and a Brownie $15.57
Adult 2: Bacon Double Cheeseburger with French Fries, Bottled Water, Triple Chocolate Cake $14.18
Child 1: Chicken Nuggets, Milk, Grapes, Applesauce, Chocolate Chip Cookie $6.88
Child 2: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, Apple juice, Carrot Sticks and Grapes, Chocolate Chip Cookie $6.88
Total price for lunch: $42.09 (4 Quick Service Dining Credits used)

Snack - Aloha Isle
Adult 1: Dole Whip Soft Serve $2.39
Adult 2: Fresh Cut Pineapple Spear $3.29
Child 1: Pineapple Float $3.99
Child 2: Root Beer Float $3.79
Total cost for Snack: $13.46 (4 Quick Service Snack Credits used)

Dinner - Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
Adult 1: BBQ Pork Sandwich with Fries, Strawberry Yogurt and Chocolate Milk $12.67
Adult 2: Chicken Wrap with Apple Slices, Carrot Cake and Apple Juice $14.67
Child 1: Mixed Green Salad with Chicken, Milk, Grapes, Apple Sauce and Cookie $6.18
Child 2: Hamburger, Soft Drink, Apple Sauce, Grapes and Pudding $6.18
Total for Dinner $39.70 (4 Quick Service Dining Credits used)

Total Cost for Day: $110.82 Savings $26.86

While we were able to save a lot of money throughout the day, we need to keep in mind that we ate some of the more expensive meals, with sides and desserts, which many of us would not have if we were not offered them for free. If this same family of four, were to take away the desserts at lunch and dinner and share two snacks between 2 people at mid day the cost would be $82.64.

Conclusion
Obviously, one should do some research when planning their vacation to Walt Disney World and with some planning a family can definitely save a lot of money on the Quick Service Dining Plan. There are some great articles that outline some meals that are table-service worthy at Walt Disney World, and would help you save even more money than what I showed in the example above.
For me and my family, even if there was only a $20 difference, the pure convenience of having the Quick Service Dining Plan is what seals the deal for me every time! Carrying money around theme parks and riding rides is a worry for me, as is being on a 10-day vacation and just repeatedly charging items to my credit card - having the Quick Service Dining Plan really lets me be a little more carefree! I treat each of the Dining Plans at Walt Disney World as adding an inclusive package to my vacation at Walt Disney World. While I feel a great need to maximize my time at Walt Disney World and don't enjoy sitting down for meals throughout the week (my personal preference and perhaps that way because I have a busy toddler), I also don't want to feel that I need to pack food for breakfast in the room or to head back to the room to make my family a quick lunch or dinner.

Is the Quick Service Dining Plan worth it? For me the answer is YES, YES and YES!!!! But as I said at the beginning, each family needs to sit down and do the math to figure it all out!

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