Disney4me Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Disney World’s free Dining Plan deal is BACK! Chef Mickey’s spread For select dates in 2025, people who book at least a 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney World package with Park Hopper tickets and a Disney Resort stay can get a FREE Disney Dining Plan with their package. This deal could be a big help for many people, but for others, it’s simply not worth it. Here are the 6 times that Disney’s free Dining Plan is a bad deal. You Have to Change Your Hotel The first thing you need to know about this deal is that it’s split into two categories. People who are staying in one group of Disney Resorts will get the higher-end Disney Dining Plan, while people staying in the other group of resorts will get the cheaper Quick Service Dining Plan. Riviera Resort To get the Disney Dining Plan, which comes with a table service credit, a quick service credit, and a snack credit per day, you’ll need to book your package for one of the following hotels: Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort (Disney Vacation Club) Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village Disney’s Beach Club Resort Disney’s Beach Club Villas Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Disney’s BoardWalk Villas Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Disney’s Old Key West Resort Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows Disney’s Riviera Resort Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Disney’s Yacht Club Resort The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Island Tower The following hotels will get the Quick Service Dining Plan with this deal, which comes with two quick service credits and one snack credit per day: Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Disney’s Pop Century Resort Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort So one of the ways that the free Dining Plan deal may not be worth it is if you need to CHANGE hotels in order to get the plan that you want. If you end up jumping from a stay at a value resort to a stay at a deluxe resort, you’ll be paying a lot more for your package overall, and it might not balance out the cost of the Dining Plan. Click Here to See the List of Restaurants on the Dining Plan! You Have to Change Your Travel Dates One of the caveats for the free Dining Plan deal is that it’s only available for certain travel dates. It applies to most nights from June 29th to September 30th, October 20th-November 1st, and December 6th-December 22nd, 2025. Our meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table If you end up having to change your travel dates to fit this offer and it increases your overall cost significantly (because Disney World’s prices are date-based), then it might offset the cost of just paying for the Dining Plan outright. You’re Visiting an EPCOT Festival Specifically If you’re heading to Disney World simply to “eat around the world” at an EPCOT festival, then this Dining Plan deal might not be your best bet. While many of the items at the festival booths can count as Dining Plan snack credits, you only get one snack credit per day, per person on each Dining Plan. That’s probably not enough to try everything you want! 2025 France Full Spread Also, many items at the festivals are not quite “worth” using a snack credit because they’re not expensive enough. You have to do some math to make sure the value works out for you! Want to See Which Festival Items ARE Worth a Snack Credit? Check Here! You Typically Snack Around the Parks If you’re the kind of person who prefers to snack their way through Disney World instead of stopping to eat meals at a table, then the Dining Plan is probably not your jam. With those credits, you’d have to commit to eating two traditional meals each day. Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar And with only one snack credit per person, per day…how will you decide what to eat? If you have to spend extra money on a bunch of snacks, then you’ll not really be getting the best use of the Dining Plan. Click Here for the Best Value Snack Credits in 2025! You Don’t Plan to Park Hop One of the requirements of the free Dining Plan deal is that you purchase a package with Park Hopper tickets. Park Hopper tickets are more expensive than regular theme park tickets, and if you’re not planning to actually hop between parks each day, then it might be a waste of money. Tree of Life Park Hopping is a pretty big commitment because it can take an hour or more to travel between theme parks in Disney World, and that takes a hefty chunk out of your valuable park time. Paying extra for those Park Hopper tickets is also money that might be able to be used towards purchasing a Dining Plan instead of using the free deal. Click Here to See Our Guide to Park Hopping! You Have to Make Your Vacation Longer Finally, this might not be worth it for you if you have to make your vacation longer for the deal to apply. To get the free Dining Plan, you have to purchase minimum 4 days of tickets and have a minimum 4-night hotel stay. If you were planning a shorter trip, staying the extra days will definitely drive up your overall cost. Cinderella Castle Once again, this is about finding the balance of “is the cost worth it for you?” You’ll likely need to crunch the numbers before you book to see if it works for your budget. How Much Does a Disney World Vacation Cost in 2025? Click Here. So if you want to book the free Dining Plan offer, make sure you do your research first! Taking a moment to reason things out will help you save money in the long run. We highly suggest contacting our friends at Small World Vacations to book your trip — they can crunch the numbers for you and help you decide if this offer is right for you! Check out our video below to learn more about this special free Dining Plan offer! Stay tuned to DFB for more news and updates from Disney World. 5 Ways Disney World Will Cost You Thousands More in 2025 — Click Here! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Are you considering booking this deal for your 2025 trip? Tell us in the comments!The post 6 Times Disney's FREE Dining Plan Is A Bad Deal first appeared on the disney food blog.View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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