Disney Dining Plan for those staying off site

by Liz
(Chicago)

We are staying at Buena Vista Palace Resort November 10-15, 2011. Are their any Disney dining plan options for guests of non-Disney World hotels? We used points and miles to pay for our hotel and flight for four of us, so I know we saved money, but concerned with how much we'll spend on food. Thanks.

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Disney Dining Plan gets you ...

Photo by Don Sullivan

Dad's no and that's a good thing Answer

Liz,

The Disney Dining Plan is available only to guests of Disney Hotels. It's not available to you. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Dad's Disney Dining Plan page

What do you mean that's not necessarily a bad thing? What I mean is most people (in Dad's opinion) lose money on the Disney Dining Plan. The plan is weighted in Disney's favor. If you don't eat all of your meals, or if you don't eat at the most expensive restaurants, then Disney will come out ahead. They don't sell anything at a loss. Believe me.

Dad's Bottom Line

Liz, Dad's not a big fan of the Disney Dining Plan, in fact our family has never used it. (I do recommend it when it's free.) I think is a bit of a rip off, but that's just me.

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Disney Dining Plan for those staying off site

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Apr 15, 2012
Rating

Loved it
by: Anonymous

I have been to Disney 8 times and have only used the dining plan the last time. It was the best! We are thinking of going back and staying at a disney hotel so that we could get the dining plan is helping with a lot of our decision. Yes, you get more food then you need but you can bring snacks back to the room and desserts. WE LOVED IT

Apr 03, 2012
Rating

Its a toss up...
by: Anonymous

We had the meal plan, but it was so much food that we normally wouldn't buy that much. If we had only bought what we normally would have and skipped the appetizer and dessert after every meal, we actually would have spent slightly less than we did on the meal plan. If you want to eat like a king and gain a few pounds on your vacation, definitely get the meal plan!

Mar 13, 2012
Rating

Um, no
by: Anonymous

If you eat el cheapo, then you MAY lose money. But, if you eat one counter service a day, and one meal on property, it's way worth it. Do the math. Disney point is to get you to spend all your money with Disney, not off property.

Aug 21, 2011
Rating

dining plan is so worth it
by: Anonymous

The idea is to eat at the most expensive restaurants and it is TOTALLY worth it. We had 2 counter services left on our plan this last vacation and we bought lunch for someone else on our last day. She was thrilled and we left someone with a happy memory of Disney!!!!

May 13, 2011
Rating

Meal math
by: Anonymous

Not sure I agree with your opinion on the dining plan not being worth the money. Since the basic dining plans are $46/$12 per day for adult/child, all you'd need to do is eat a character buffet dinner and your kids will have gotten more than their $12 worth while the adults will have eaten a good chunk out of their $46, while still having a quick service meal and a snack left. I have 3 kids under 8 so the character buffets are much anticipated and a necessity.