A Fourth Disney Dining Plan Option
This Thursday, Disney unveiled a fourth option for those who purchase a Disney Dining Plan. We'll detail the new option and compare to the three existing options in this post.
Before we go into too much detail about dining plans, we want to remind people that purchasing a dining plan is always optional! Some guests enjoy adding a dining plan because then they pre-pay for their meals and don't have to worry about expenses at restaurants in the parks. The dining plan CAN be a savings, but one usually has to research quite a bit and order only the best value items in order to experience savings.
During some parts of the year, Disney also offers free dining! Free dining definitely makes any dining plan in itself a greater value. BUT consider that free dining can't be combined with any other discounts (such as room discounts) which might provide greater value. Also during free dining, the free tier depends on the type of resort you stay at, though if you want a richer dining plan, you can pay the difference.
Disney Dining Plus
Disney Dining Plus is the name of the new, fourth, dining plan. It includes:
*2 meals per day (any combination of table service and quick service)
breakfast includes entree and beverage
lunch and dinner include entree, beverage, and dessert OR buffet/family style meal and beverage
*2 snacks per day
1 resort refillable mug
It comes in at $95 per night for adults (less for kids)
How does it compare to existing plans?
Disney continues to offer the three existing dining plan options as well:
Quick Service Plan
*2 quick service meals per day
*2 snacks per day
1 resort refillable mug
It comes in at $55 per night for adults.
During free dining, this is the tier tied to Value Resort reservations.
Regular Dining Plan
*1 quick service meal per day
*1 table service meal per day
*2 snacks per day
1 resort refillable mug
It costs $78 per night for adults.
During free dining, this is tied to Moderate Resort reservations.
Deluxe Dining Plan
*3 meal credits per day (any combination of quick service and table service)
*2 snacks per day
1 resort refillable mug
It's $119 per night for adults.
As the name would imply, this is the tier traditionally tied to Deluxe Resort reservations during free dining.
It's important to note that the difference between plans doesn't necessarily have to mean "more food", though it often does. Table Service credits can be combined for other types of dining experiences, such as Signature Dining (think the fanciest restaurants on property) or dinner shows for 2 table service credits per meal. This means that those on the deluxe dining plan could theoretically enjoy a nice sit down breakfast buffet and then later that night have a fancier sit down meal or a dinner show.
Also, credits are expressed as "per day" but they are cumulative. You could use only a snack and a table service credit one day, and the next day you could use 2 quick service credits and your other 3 snacks.
And remember, you can always just eat what you want in any combination whatsoever and pay out of pocket.
The "Post-Game" Analysis
The Disney Dining Plus tier falls squarely between the Regular Dining Plan and the Deluxe Dining Plan with the single added advantage that your two meal credits can both be table service if desired rather than one quick service and one table service. More table service credits also means more signature dining experiences, if you would be the type to dine less often but dine at special places or shows when you did.
The Disney Dining Plus plan would almost assuredly not be a good value if you ate mostly quick service meals. You would pretty much want to eat mostly table service meals for this to be any value over the Regular Plan.
Combining this announcement (which, to be fair, we knew was coming since earlier this year) with the other significant announcement this week that Bog Iger was stepping down and the new CEO of the Disney Company is Bob Chapek also has us thinking...
If there is one thing Disney knows how to do, it is how to make money. Disney is arguably the absolute best at what they do. But they almost never make an offering at a loss. They simply don't need to. Walt Disney World is consistently busy. Guests flock to visit, despite soaring prices. Disney does not need to hold out any wienies to get us to come anymore. In pure speculation, we think that free dining might look a little different this fall, with the Disney Dining Plus plan taking the place of the Deluxe Dining Plan at Deluxe resorts. We speculate Deluxe Dining will now be an experience that there may be an upcharge for.
That is one possibility. The other possibility is of a fourth tier of resort being introduced. We've already noticed a rift in the pricing of Moderate Resorts. Caribbean Beach, with access to the skyliner, is now a more expensive "moderate". And Coronado Springs never really felt like it fully fell into "moderate" territory with the additional amenities at this resort compared to other moderates. What if there were a new "Moderate Plus" resort category? During free dining, the Disney Dining Plus plan would go with this category... not quite regular, not quite deluxe. But this is all pure speculation.
Are you excited for the new Disney Dining Plus plan? Do you think our theories are nutso or spot on? Let us know! Comment here on our site or over on our Facebook page! Until next week...
