How I got “Free” Food on the Disney Dining Plan!

Should I get the dining plan? This is one of the most asked questions people seem to ask when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. To answer this question you’re going to have to evaluate your family and financial situation. Obviously, when paying out of pocket you could cut corners and find a way to eat as cheaply as possible. But if you would like to enjoy many different foods and know that your food has already been paid for the dining plan may be a good decision.

Dining Plan with Children:

I personally believe the dining plan is not effective if you have children in your party. Children’s meals are extremely cheap and much easier to just pay for out-of-pocket. This is especially true if you have a child over the age of 10. Any guest over the age of 10 is considered an adult in Disney’s eyes. This means they will have to order off of the adult menu. But as we know many kids are still picky at 10 or unable to eat an adult-sized meal. This means your child will waste food or you will have to downgrade an adult meal to a kids meal. Disney will do this but they will not pay you back the difference.

But if you are an adult over the age of 21 and would like to drink on your vacation the dining plan is worth it.

How did I do it?

During my last trip to Walt Disney World, I was on the 2020 Disney Dining Plan and was able to get “free” food on the plan. I paid for the middle tier plan for two adults.

For our 6 day vacation, we had 5 table service meals per person, 5 quick service meals per person, and 10 snacks per person. We did use them all on the food listed below. By each food you will see how much it would have cost me out of pocket.

Here is the break down of how I made it happen:

Sunday

(We did a dessert party this day so we skipped a QS meal to use another day)

Dinner at Mama Melrose:

Steak $33 x 2

Tiramisu $8 x 2

Mama’s Margarita $14

Italian Surfer $13

Snack:

Mickey Pretzel with Cheese $6.75 x 2

Sunday Total: $122.50

Monday

Breakfast Snack:

Cinnamon Roll $7.50

Lunch at Tuto Italian:

Pesto Pasta $27 x 2

Tiramisu $12

Hazelnut $14

Chardonnay $11 x 2

Dinner at Magic Kingdom:

Chicken Nuggets $10

Bacon Cheeseburger $13.29

Soda $4 x 2

Monday Total: $140.79

Tuesday

Breakfast Coffee $3

Outpost Popcorn Snack $6.50

Jack Jack Cookie Num Num $5.79

Mickey Pretzel with Cheese $6.75

Lunch at Teppo Edo:

Steak and Shrimp Combo $37

Steak and Chicken Combo $36

Green Tea Cake $6.50 x 2

Pina Colada $11

Orange Whiskey $13

Dinner at Resort:

Turkey Sandwich $12

Chicken Tenders $10

Sweet Tea $4

Diet Coke $4

Tuesday Total: $162.04

Wednesday

Breakfast Mickey Rice Krispy $6

Orange Swirl Icecream $6 x 2

Lunch at Chef De France

Baked Macaroni Meal $42 (Included Entree, Salad, and Dessert)

Steak $37

Rose Wine $15 x 2

Dessert $11

Cotton Candy $5

Wednesday Total $143

Thursday

Lunch at Electric Umbrella

Pulled Pork Sandwich $13.5

Chicken Nuggets $10

Margarita $13 x 2

Dinner at Resort

Cheeseburger $14.5

Chicken Tenders $10

Mix Drink $11

Diet Coke $4

Cupcake $6

Thursday Total: $111

Friday

Lunch at Backlot Express

Chicken Nuggets $10

Chicken Garlic Ranch Club $11

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri $12 x 2

Dinner at Tutto Italia Ristorante

Tagliatelle Campagnole $27 x 2

Tiramisu $12

Hazelnut $14

Pomegranate Cosmopolitan $16 x 2

Rice Crispy $5

Chocolate Bar $5

Goofy Licorice $5

Friday Total: $172

Food Value Total: $851.33

Dining Plan Total: $710

That is $141.33 of “free” food. I believe that anyone would be able to do this as long as you use all of your credits and try to use them on the most expensive things on the menu. If you’re a big steak eater this is not going to be a problem for you. This was also only possible by ordering alcoholic beverages. If I did not order those beverages I probably would’ve just broken even.

If you are debating on whether or not the dining plan is right for you I recommend pulling up the menus on Disney site. The menus have all of the prices and you would be able to add up how much it would cost you out-of-pocket. If you aren’t big eaters I also do not recommend the dining plan. The dining plan comes with a lot of food and many struggle to finish it. Obviously, I could have eaten for a lot cheaper if I avoided dessert and alcoholic beverages. But for me, I am on vacation and would like to enjoy those add-ons. I also like the fact that all you have to do is scan your magic band and not worry about how much you’re spending because you’ve already paid for it upfront.

Hopefully, this post helped you decided if the dining plan is right for you and your family!

Have a Magical Day!

-Magical Montana

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