2015 Disney World Dining Plans

25 responses to “2015 Disney World Dining Plans”

1. 

   Suzanne

   September 23, 2014

   Keith—we are thinking about a trip to Disneyworld in Orlando in Late March 2015. Our question–if we make reservations say in December 2014, will we get the 2014 rates for rooms, tickets, dining plan, etc. even if they change in 2015 ??? Also if we reserve a trip and discounts are offered for rooms OR the free dining plan, will we be able to apply those discounts to our already made reservations. Thanks

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      September 23, 2014

      Suzanne – Disney sets the nightly rates for all hotels for all nights, and they are usually set in July or August for the following year. So, at this point, all of 2015 is set, and it doesn’t matter if you book it today, December or in March, the price will be the same (not taking into account discounts).

      Disney made a change earlier this year, and they are now adjusting the dining plan pricing mid-year, rather than on January 1 each year. The price you pay for the dining plan is the price it is when you book it, so if you book today, and they raise the price in January, you would still pay the old price. Same for tickets. Basically, once you book your reservation, your rates are locked in and will not go up. Current dining plan prices are listed above.

      Discounts are tough. Yes, you can apply new discounts to existing reservations, as long as their is availability. Disney only discounts a certain number of room each night at each resort, and it is always possible they may not discount your hotel or your nights, or just one of your nights, which would prevent you from getting a discount. I would say that if you call Disney (or have your travel agent call) the morning a deal comes out, it will probably be 50% chance you will get your deal, and a 25% it may be available at a similar resort, and you may have to move to get it, and then a 25% chance that it just won’t be available. Those percentages change a bit based on your resort, so All-Star Music and Sports are easy to get deals, most of the deluxe are much harder as they are quite a bit smaller.

      Basically, book now, your prices won’t go up and you will be able to apply future deal. Plus, booking now, you can start planning all your dining reservations, etc. No need to wait.

      Reply
      1. 

         Suzanne

         September 24, 2014

         Keith, Thank you for your quick response And for posting all things Disney !!!

         Reply
2. 

   Suzanne

   September 30, 2014

   Keith, Thanks for the advise, we have made our reservations and are now looking at menus for restaurants on the Dining plan.
   We were in Disney in October 2013 and had a wonderful meal in Fulton’s Crab House. We were charged 2 Table Service credits for our meal which surprised us because it wasn’t listed as a Signature Restaurant using 2 credits, but we went to our hotel concierge, they returned one credit back to us. I am looking again at Fulton’s and again they are listing only a Table Service Credit. We also noticed the menu has changed some. Do you know anything about what they are charging ??

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      October 1, 2014

      Suzanne – For 2014, Fulton’s is clearly listed under the signature restaurants section. They are not yet listed on the 2015 brochure as they are not a Disney restaurant, and the contract with those restaurants are usually not done until December, but my guess is that they will be listed again as a signature restaurant.

      For your reference, they were listed as a signature restaurant on the 2013 brochure too:

      http://www.mousemisers.com/docs/diningplan13.pdf

      They have been listed as a signature restaurant since 2012, which was the first year they were included as a dining option.

      Reply
      1. 

         Suzanne

         October 15, 2014

         Keith, we have planned a trip to Disneyworld in April 2015 and selected magic your way plus Dining—tonight we made our reservations and 3 of the restaurants we selected that have always been on the plan stated that they were not on the dining plan, but took our reservation request. the 3 are Tutto Italia and San Angel in Epcot and Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom. We are thinking that we should change our reservation and cancel the meal plan. For $840.00, we may be able to eat at the restaurants we enjoy. We usually split our lunches and have a small breakfast. I respect your answers. What do you think ?????

         Reply
         1. 

            Keith

            October 15, 2014

            Suzanne

            As it says in bold above:

            “Please note, as you look at the brochures, many of the restaurants that will be included for 2015 are not currently listed on the brochures. This happens every year, as the agreements and contracts for non-Disney restaurants are negotiated each year when it comes to inclusion in the dining plans. As 2015 approaches, more restaurants will be included, and the list should be similar to 2014. Updates with additional restaurants or changes will be posted here.”

            My guess is sometime in early December we will see updated brochures with all of the restaurants included, so the dining plan will look much like it does for this year, same restaurants, etc. The online information will be updated too at some point as those non-Disney restaurants agree to terms for 2015. Just give it a bit of time, not really a big deal.

            Reply
            1. 

               Suzanne

               October 16, 2014

               Keith, my husband and I are thinking about canceling the dining plan and pay out of pocket. it may cost us less if we do. We have made our reservations to our favorite restaurants already, so my question is: if we cancel the dining plan, can we keep our reservations already made AND since we will have our Visa card available with our trip and will have the new wrist band, can we use it to pay for our meals and the check amount will then be on our card at the hotel, or will we have to carry cash or a card ?

            2. 

               Keith

               October 17, 2014

               Suzanne – The dining plan is just a way to pay for meals. The reservations you have now are not tied to the dining plan, so you can go ahead and cancel, it won’t effect anything else. Yes, you can use your Magic Band to pay for meals, but not at all places. There are some restaurants at Downtown Disney that don’t accept the band for payment purposes.

            3. 

               Suzanne

               October 18, 2014

               Thank you Keith

            4. 

               Patrick

               October 29, 2014

               Keith, We have a trip planned for April 2015, and we chose Magic your way with Park Hopper 6 day 7 nights. Our question is : Do we get “The Magical Extras” included in our package ??? We did not include Dining.

            5. 

               Keith

               October 29, 2014

               Patrick – The Magical Express is free for anyone staying at a Disney resort, regardless of how long they are staying or what their package includes. You have to set it up in advance, you can do that through your travel agent if you used one, or you will have to call Disney if you booked directly. As soon as you have your flights booked, I would get it set up.

3. 

   Suzanne

   October 15, 2014

   Thank you Keith–We will wait for a while and see what happens

   Reply
4. 

   Kristi

   November 30, 2014

   Keith,
   ~10 years ago we did the food plan and thoroughly enjoyed “eating thru DW”. We would like to repeat the experience when we go this coming March 2015. Our problem is we now have a time share with Wyndham on Disney property but it is NOT a DW resort.
   I was thinking of booking a campsite for $60/night to be “on property” so we would be eligible for the food plan.
   My husband thinks I’m ridiculous.
   Is this a plausible plan?
   We would have to do just the basic food plan VS the Deluxe d/t the added cost but, hey, my teenage boys can always eat a lot at a buffet.
   Thanks,
   Kristi

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      December 1, 2014

      Kristi – I think you are kind of crazy too. I think at one time the dining plan saved you enough money each day to do this, but I am not sure that with the current prices, it make sense. I would sit down and and look at all the menus of each restaurant you plan on eating at, and doing the math. Unless doing this is going to save you considerable money, I would suggest against it.

      Reply
5. 

   Pam

   December 1, 2014

   Keith, we have a trip booked for early June 2015. We have booked the Disney Dining plan, as we did 2 years ago, but it was offered as free back then. I have 2 teenagers and one is very picky. He will only eat basic food so I don’t think we would ever pay the $60.64 it costs for the daily dining plan. I am starting to doubt if it will be worth it to get the dining plan, as I have noticed, doesn’t get offered for free in the summer (and has not been offered as free for many months now). I guess my first question is if all 4 of us are in for the Magic your Way plan, can I leave him out for the dining plan? and 2nd — is the dining plan really worth it? (are you going to tell me to add up the prices to the restaurants we plan on eating at???) Thank you!

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      December 2, 2014

      Pam – Everyone in your party has to be on the same dining plan, it is all or nothing, you can not omit one person, or have a different plan for some people. You can however not use his credits at the meals, and just pay out of pocket for his meals, and then use the extra credits for additional meals. So, for example, if you are there 6 nights, you get 24 credits total, which would give you 8 meals, since you are only using three per meal.

      I have a very picky son too. When he was younger (10 – 13), we thought he would want the kids meals, but when we got there, he wanted to order off the adult menu every time.

      Personally, yes, I think it is totally worth it. While you may not save a ton of money doing the plan, you will save some. We used it in March this year with our family. I kept track of all the costs, we saved a bit over 20%. However, we probably would not have all ordered desserts every day, but still, it saves money. The main thing I like about it is that everything is pre-paid and budgeted. Drives me crazy not to have the dining plan. I always stand outside the restaurant trying to decide if I really want to spend $200 for dinner when we can grab something else for quite a bit less. And then if I do go inside, I worry about what everyone is ordering, the cost of everything, etc. With the dining plan, none of this matters, we just go and have a great meal.

      Reply
      1. 

         Annissa Bollin

         March 24, 2015

         Keith,

         First of all, thank you for your site and the time and effort – it’s truly a huge help. I am bringing myself, my 9 yr old and my parents down in Nov 2015 and man, I have had some homework to do! LOL I wasn’t about to spend so much money and then just go “willy-nilly” and miss out on the best WDW has to offer.

         After much raking through blogs of the all mighty WDW gurus, I whole-heartedly agree about the dining plan (of course, this may not be the best for others if they eat like birds). I do NOT want to be thinking money while there nor do I want to eat less than desirable food simply because of the difference in costs. That would not be a vacation to me AT ALL!!

         We’re even going to have gift cards for souvenirs so we don’t go hog wild on impulse buys while we’re caught in the “Magical” moment 🙂

         It’s because of wonderful people like you that I am able to peacefully plan my family’s trip and know that we will have the BEST time possible. THANK YOU from my entire family 🙂

         Reply
6. 

   Suzanne

   December 31, 2014

   Keith, well Disney is doing it again….as you know they are offering The Spring 2015 Savings on Resort rooms and free park pass for staying 4 days or longerwith a package. BUT…as usual the offer is for resorts that are not filling up !!! If you call (as we did) they try to get you to stay in another resort! This happened to us before and it was a mess. AND if you aren’t staying in a resort they want you to, you also can’t get the free park pass. I understand the offer, but I think Disney is punishing people who already have reservations and are staying in other resorts. I think it is a scam !!!! Just had to blow off a little steam—thanks for being there—I enjoy your opinions

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      December 31, 2014

      Suzanne – Well, I guess you have to understand why Disney has discounts at all. When resorts don’t fill up like they want/expect, Disney discounts the room. When Disney has resorts that they fill up year round at full rate, why would they offer a discount? If you are booked in a resort that doesn’t offer the discount, you just have to decide if it is worth staying at that resort at full rate or would you rather move to another resort at the same level for less money, or even possibly upgrading to a nicer resort, again, for less money.

      There will come a time, and probably not in the too distant future, where most if not all discounts will go away, so be thankful for what you have now.

      Reply
7. 

   Sarah

   February 8, 2015

   It appears as Fultons Crab and Wolfgang Pucks Grand Cafe are only one table credit , (the don’t have the “blue 2” by them) although listed under the section Signature dining in the Dining Plan 2015, can anyone confirm or deny this? How many table credits will they cost?

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      February 9, 2015

      Sarah – Hmm, strange. I would say it is just a typo, however, it is identical on the Deluxe Dining plan brochure too. Being a signature restaurant always means 2 credits per person, but the fact that the “2” isn’t there makes me think. Let me see what I can find out.

      Reply
      1. 

         Keith

         February 9, 2015

         OK, I called WDW Dining, and looked online. It is confirmed that both are still 2 credits per person. Not sure why the “2” was omitted, but other than that, nothing has changed.

         Reply
8. 

   Debbie

   April 1, 2015

   I know nothing is etched in stone until Disney offers the discount,, but when is the FREE dining plan usually ? There are 12 of us going end of October for a family reunion and we would like to have the free plan.

   Thanks
   Debbie

   Reply
   1. 

      Keith

      April 2, 2015

      Debbie – Here is the 2014 discount, with all dates it was made available listed:

      http://www.mousemisers.com/2014/2014-disney-world-free-dining/

      Here is the 2013 discount:

      http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/2013-fall-free-disney-dining/

      Please note that 2013 discount was released really, really early. Actually in August, 2012, and was available only for a limited time.

      I was honestly surprised we saw October – December free dining for 2014, I was not expecting it, but I was wrong. Again for 2015, I would be very surprised to see Free Dining made available past September, but again, I could be wrong.

      Reply