Disney World’s Dining Plans strike me as a polarizing program. I’ve only met folks who swear by them or swear at them. I probably meet more folks who don’t like the dining plans than ones who buy them each time they visit. Disney World is making a change that I suspect dining plan fans will appreciate.
New for 2018 vacation packages! Guests have several new beverage options available including non-alcoholic specialty beverages and, for Guests 21 and older, beer, wine and cocktails.
Each Quick-Service meal includes (for breakfast, lunch or dinner):
- 1 Entrée
- 1 Non-alcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older—2018 plan only)
Each Table-Service meal includes (for breakfast):
- 1 Entrée
- 1 Non-alcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older—2018 plan only)
-OR-
- 1 Full Buffet or Family-Style Meal
Each Table-Service meal includes (for lunch or dinner):
- 1 Entrée
- 1 Dessert*
- Non-alcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older—2018 plan only)
-OR-
- 1 Full Buffet or Family-Style Meal
The Final Two Pennies
I suspect that this change will be most valuable to folks who come to down for the Food & Wine and Flower & Garden festivals at EPCOT. It’s important to note that this won’t be in effect until 2018. There’s been no official price list released, so it’s a bit of hunting to figure out how much it will cost. I’m not a dining plan fan, and adding alcoholic beverages won’t swing me. As a general rule, I believe Disney World is pretty good at pricing in a way that’s most advantageous to them. If they’re adding in alcoholic beverages, they’re likely betting there will be enough breakage to make it worth their while.
I don’t think most folks will have an alcoholic beverage with every meal segment. For starters, many places still don’t offer alcoholic drinks (like, most of Magic Kingdom).
I’m still a proponent of skipping the dining plans. For those who qualify, you might consider Tables in Wonderland. But, Disney Dining Plans are a big enough deal that I suspect many folks will be pretty pleased by this announcement.
The post Disney World Adding Alcoholic Beverages To Disney Dining Plan was published first on Pizza in Motion
2 comments
The dining plan used to be a great deal. Now it is basically pre-paying for your food will little savings. The only way to “come out ahead” is to order the most expensive thing each time….which makes it where sometimes you order the Disney steak b/c you think you have to, not because it’s what you actually want to order. Also, there’s times where we’d rather have an appetizer vs deserts and the dining plans are pretty inflexible.
We’ve done tables in wonderland and think it’s the best option for savings money….especially if you drink. It allows you to save a bit of money and still order what you want.
Shaun, I agree with you. But, some people are still huge fans of the dining plan. I really don’t like that much structure just to get a small savings. Tables in Wonderland is totally a good fit for us.