[00:00:00] DANA: The Disney Dining Plan is one of those topics that gets like weirdly heated when it comes up. I feel like people either swear by it or they think it’s a huge waste of money. So today I am sitting down with my friend Sarah from the Main Street mom. She’s a travel planner who’s actually sponsoring this episode to talk through the dining plan, and I think a really grounded way, like how it actually works, when it makes sense, when it doesn’t, and why it’s not really about beating it at all, especially when you are the mom.

[00:00:31] DANA: Who’s in charge of the entire trip? Okay, let’s welcome Sarah to the podcast.

[00:00:39] DANA: Hello and welcome to the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. I’m your host, Dana Stanley, creator of Laid Back Magic. As a mom of three, I know how tough it can be to find time to plan a Disney World trip that doesn’t leave you feeling stressed or overwhelmed. That’s why I’m here. To help moms like you create Disney vacations that feel even better than they look on paper here.

[00:00:59] DANA: We’re not chasing perfection, but creating our next favorite memories. So whether you’re brand new to Disney or looking to go deeper into the details, this podcast is your go-to for simple tips, mindset shifts, real life trip recaps, and expert insights to make your trip magical and manageable. New episodes drop every Monday.

[00:01:17] DANA: So be sure to subscribe so you never miss a moment. Okay, let’s dive in.

[00:01:28] DANA: Hi Sarah. Thank you for coming on the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. 

[00:01:32] Sarah: Thanks for having me. It’s so good to be here. 

[00:01:34] Dana Stanley: I was excited to chat with you about the Disney Dining Plan for a lot of reasons, but I think there’s kind of like two buckets of people where they start planning. I think they either underestimate how big of a deal the food, like the whole dining category in Disney World is.

[00:01:55] Dana Stanley: And then there’s the second group that start planning and they say, oh snap. This is a lot to handle. And then they start dabbling into or reading about the Disney dining Plan. And for me, like when I research it, you either love it or you hate it. The Disney dying plane, like you can find information for either angle.

[00:02:16] Dana Stanley: Why do you think there’s such like strong opinions about this in particular? 

[00:02:21] Sarah: I was thinking about this and what came to mind, and you guys can laugh at me when I moved to Alabama from Missouri. I was like demanded to choose a team. It had to be Auburn or it had to be Alabama. And here I am, like this, lost little sheep, just wanting to make people happy.

[00:02:37] Sarah: But I’m like, I’m a Kansas City Chiefs fan and I still am. And I just think things that people pay a lot of money for make you very attached or like upset about it almost in a way that’s not worth your money. So, and I also think a Disney vacation is also. Already really expensive when you start factoring tickets and where you’re staying and then all of a sudden it’s like, oh, now there’s this cost I am seeing of the dining plan.

[00:03:02] Sarah: ’cause you can see how much it’s gonna cost you before you add it. Is this justified to an already expensive vacation? So it goes into like, of course it is. Or no, you need to beat it. Or no, that’s dumb. Just don’t use it at all. And I don’t know, sometimes you’re just gonna fall in the middle. 

[00:03:16] Dana Stanley: I think if people do spend a lot of money on things, and not necessarily the dining plan, but.

[00:03:22] Dana Stanley: On certain things in Disney in particular. Some people feel like they have to justify the cost. 

[00:03:27] Sarah: Yes. The justification of it. Like why, 

[00:03:29] Dana Stanley: which they shouldn’t. No. No one shouldn have to just, it’s, and it’s your money. You can, 

[00:03:33] Sarah: yeah. Do what you want. You don’t have 

[00:03:34] Dana Stanley: to explain it. Buy 1,000 teddy bears if you want to.

[00:03:37] Dana Stanley: I don’t care what you do with your money. And then on the other hand, if people decide not to, they have to justify why they didn’t. 

[00:03:43] Sarah: I know. And why can’t we just say, cool. You do you? Yeah. Let’s, 

[00:03:47] Dana Stanley: I’m so, I’m so happy 

[00:03:48] Sarah: for you. I’m so happy for you. Either way, like you’re gonna eat. So let’s just figure out what’s best for your vacation style, 

[00:03:53] Dana Stanley: right?

[00:03:54] Sarah: I dunno. 

[00:03:54] Dana Stanley: So before we get into the more nitty gritty of the dining plan is worth it, can you explain? Just a brief explanation of how it works this year. Like I’m five years old, 

[00:04:07] Sarah: like you’re five years old. Well, I can do that. The dining plan is just something that Disney allows their guests to add on to a package.

[00:04:14] Sarah: So you do have to be staying like at a Disney resort. You can’t just buy the dining plan with your tickets, and they actually have two types of dining plans. And really, if you’re gonna summarize it, it’s just a way to pay for your food before you show up to Disney World. One of the dining plans, the Disney Dining Plan includes a table service meal, a quick service meal, and a snack per day, per night of stay.

[00:04:36] Sarah: It actually is the way to put it, not per day per guest. And then the quick service, same thing, except instead of a table service meal, you get the two quick service meals and the snack for guest per night of stay. A bonus that I don’t really think a lot of people think about is you also get a resort refillable mug with either of those plans for every guest, which is.

[00:04:53] Dana Stanley: Okay. 

[00:04:54] Sarah: I don’t know. I call it like a bonus. And why 

[00:04:56] Dana Stanley: can you do them in the parks or it’s just at the resort? You can refill ’em. 

[00:04:59] Sarah: It’s just at the resort. Okay. And some resorts are better than others with that, so. 

[00:05:03] Dana Stanley: Okay. So you can get like your coffee, your soda. 

[00:05:06] Sarah: Yes. 

[00:05:06] Dana Stanley: And everyone on the dining plan would get one of those mugs?

[00:05:09] Sarah: Yes. So it has to be anybody, it just three and up. So if you are bringing a, a 2-year-old, they’re not gonna get a mug. ’cause they’re not, they don’t need a dining plan yet. 

[00:05:16] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. 

[00:05:16] Sarah: So, 

[00:05:17] Dana Stanley: and then how does it, is it the ages of kids? If you’re a child, it’s considered three to 10. 

[00:05:22] Sarah: Three to nine. 

[00:05:24] Dana Stanley: Three to nine, right, right, right.

[00:05:25] Dana Stanley: Yes. So three to nine you’re paying a little bit cheaper for the kids’ price. The kids’ dining plan. 

[00:05:31] Sarah: Yes. 

[00:05:31] Dana Stanley: And then the adult quote unquote. ’cause no one can see me doing air quotes right now. Yeah. So this is kind of our challenge because our oldest is turning 10 in May, and I am so sad. 

[00:05:45] Sarah: I feel you. This happened to me.

[00:05:48] Sarah: My oldest turns in, it happens 

[00:05:49] Dana Stanley: to all of it, happens 

[00:05:50] Sarah: to all of us. And I was like, you’re an adult. And so he’s like, yeah, I’m an a Disney adult. I’m like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s like push off the gas here. You’re 10. You don’t need an adult. Isn’t it funny how 

[00:05:59] Dana Stanley: excited they get? 

[00:06:00] Sarah: They get so 

[00:06:00] Dana Stanley: excited. ’cause I was complaining to my husband.

[00:06:02] Dana Stanley: ’cause this is like not a good thing for our wallets because this applies to tickets. It applies to dessert parties, character meals. Yeah. Everything. They’re just more money. The 

[00:06:12] Sarah: dessert party. It hurt. When I saw that, I was like, 

[00:06:15] Dana Stanley: yeah, 

[00:06:16] Sarah: but he’s not like drinking the wine at the dessert party. 

[00:06:20] Dana Stanley: I think her something about from nine to 10, like is blowing by, and I was complaining about it to my husband and she was so excited.

[00:06:28] Dana Stanley: She was like, oh. You mean when we go up to the cast member, you have to tell them that I’m an adult. And I’m like, it’s not, you’re not actually an adult. We’re just paying more for you. I’m just just paying more 

[00:06:39] Sarah: for you. 

[00:06:40] Dana Stanley: You get less stuff now, essentially be exotic. But then, so the table service dining plan is like, how much more is that than the quick service?

[00:06:51] Dana Stanley: So just a little bit more, I’m 

[00:06:52] Sarah: trying to think of it’s, it’s a pretty good chunk. More, I think it’s about $40 a day more. They don’t really itemize the pricing for the Disney Dining Plan. Like when you add it on, it adds it like a sum total, but yeah. Mm-hmm. I think it’s around $98 a day per an adult. Kids are free this year, which is really nice.

[00:07:11] Sarah: So it is more, and I think the quick service is more like $48 a day per person. 

[00:07:18] Dana Stanley: Yeah. I was gonna bring up the promo later on, but we can chat about that now. ’cause that’s something that I’m debating because it’s for the summer. 

[00:07:26] Sarah: It’s for all the year. The year, the whole 2026, the year 

[00:07:29] Dana Stanley: with one adult dining plan, either one.

[00:07:33] Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

[00:07:33] Dana Stanley: You get a kid one added on for free. 

[00:07:36] Sarah: So how it works is, and this is a little different ’cause I know that me and you like to do DVC, but you can add them to your DVC reservations. Yeah, 

[00:07:45] Dana Stanley: you can add to D dbc, which is awesome. 

[00:07:47] Sarah: But how it works, like if you have a vacation package through Disney, whatever one person has, everybody has to have.

[00:07:53] Sarah: And so that’s. What I’m used to. If you have a four day ticket, everybody has a four day ticket on a package, 

[00:07:57] Dana Stanley: right? 

[00:07:58] Sarah: So the dining plan, you can’t just add it for like mom, you have to add it for anybody. Mm-hmm. Over the age of three. So three and not pass, have the dining plan. But the kids are free this year.

[00:08:08] Sarah: So in my situation, we paid for three and had two for free. Because I have a 10-year-old to know a Disney adults. 

[00:08:14] Dana Stanley: But if you have two adults and three, 

[00:08:17] Sarah: yeah. Kids over three. Three kids are three. It’s all kids. 

[00:08:19] Dana Stanley: All of them are free. I thought I had to have an accompanying, 

[00:08:22] Sarah: no, it’s not like a bogo. 

[00:08:24] Dana Stanley: Oh, okay. 

[00:08:24] Sarah: So you can have one adult and four kids under the age of 10, and all four kids are free.

[00:08:29] Sarah: So there’s ways to kind of play with that. If you have more than one room. You know what I mean? You can set that up. So you’re maybe just buying the dining plan for one of your room. It’s a nice little, 

[00:08:38] Dana Stanley: okay. 

[00:08:39] Sarah: Yeah, 

[00:08:39] Dana Stanley: that’s, I’m glad that I said that. So you’re saying that I need to go to Disney before story turns?

[00:08:45] Sarah: Yes, you do. And do all the character meals 

[00:08:47] Dana Stanley: and do every character meal. It’s funny, I, and we will get into this too, but I do feel differently over the years when it comes to. I don’t know what if I wanna say money, but I think just because, I think it’s because we just have more kids. We have three kids now and everything just is starting to add up.

[00:09:08] Dana Stanley: Like when you do go to these character meals, I don’t usually remember getting the bill and being like, Ugh. Like it was usually like, yeah, that’s Disney. And lately with character meals we’re kind of like, I don’t know, like the character meals are really, ’cause we tend to do a lot of them, not even on purpose, but I think we.

[00:09:28] Dana Stanley: Used to do more years pass and the more often we go, I just don’t think I have to do them as much. Mm-hmm. Because cost, 

[00:09:38] Sarah: especially when they turned 10, like we did garden grill dinner, right. And my oldest was 10 and I got the bill and I was like. I’m sorry. What? 

[00:09:46] Dana Stanley: Yeah. 

[00:09:46] Sarah: Excuse me, 

[00:09:47] Dana Stanley: ma’am. 

[00:09:47] Sarah: Excuse me. He’s, he did not eat like a, like an adult.

[00:09:50] Sarah: Please help. 

[00:09:51] Dana Stanley: I know. 

[00:09:52] Sarah: Yeah, 

[00:09:52] Dana Stanley: I know. It’s, it is a lot to think about and if you’ve never been to Disney, it’s just something that you don’t really know how you’re gonna feel about it until you’re there and paying for it and feeling the experience because it is the experience. 

[00:10:06] Sarah: It’s an experience as well, yes.

[00:10:08] Sarah: That the dining can really make or break your Disney vacation just depending on how you map it out or don’t map it out. So I guess we can get into more of that too. But 

[00:10:19] Dana Stanley: yeah, so I read your latest blog post, which I loved. 

[00:10:23] Sarah: Bless. 

[00:10:23] Dana Stanley: Thank you. And which You’re welcome. I will link that in the show notes so everyone can read it too.

[00:10:27] Dana Stanley: And it was cool how you framed the dining plan, less about like saving money, but more. Of an all inclusive Yeah. Feeling. And like you mentioned before, you’re kind of just prepaying for your food. Mm-hmm. So I’m just curious like. What do you actually mean by that when you say all inclusive feel? 

[00:10:46] Sarah: Yeah, so this comes from like personal experience.

[00:10:50] Sarah: If I can give like a short little synopsis. So last year, 2025, I took my family. We go every January. It’s like our big trip. We look forward to kind of like our splurge trip, if that makes sense. And so we just, we love it. And I did the quick service dining plan because I had three kids under. 10. So it was a little cheaper, not free, of course.

[00:11:10] Sarah: And I thought, I wanna try this. Let’s see what it’s about. Let’s beat this thing. Right. Well, it caused me so much stress, like it caused me so much stress and I did not enjoy it. I did beat it, but I was like, this is not good. Can you explain 

[00:11:21] Dana Stanley: in case someone doesn’t know. When someone says, beating the dining plan, what do they mean?

[00:11:26] Sarah: So they wanna come out on top. So if you pay, I don’t, we’ll just say you paid $400 for your dining plan for the week. Mm-hmm. Which is, I don’t, that’s not true, but you wanna say, well, I got 500 or $600 worth of food, so I beat the dining plan and that was all the content I was seeing. And then it just, I didn’t enjoy that.

[00:11:43] Sarah: Did we beat it? Yes. Did I have fun? No. And so I went in this year and I got the quick service dining plan again. I only had to pay for three, and then two of my kids are free, and my husband’s like, you did not enjoy this last year. And I was like, I just with two free. Why not? Right? Let’s just try it again.

[00:12:00] Sarah: We’re gonna do the resort mugs. And I had a very simple map of what we were gonna do for our dining. Like very simple, but I went in with my food paid for, and instead of looking at that wooki cookie for $9 when my son wanted it, I was just like, yes. 

[00:12:16] Dana Stanley: Yeah, 

[00:12:16] Sarah: yes. Or you want a Coke with your lunch? Yes. I’m not gonna make you get water.

[00:12:21] Sarah: Like it just felt more laid back to me and I left that vacation. They email you your hotel bill when you leave? 

[00:12:28] Dana Stanley: Yeah, 

[00:12:28] Sarah: I had nothing on it. Yeah. And I was just like, okay, so tomorrow I’m good. Like I don’t have to bring any financial stress home from this vacation. And I got to say yes so much, you know?

[00:12:38] Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

[00:12:39] So 

[00:12:40] Dana Stanley: my experience with the dining plan is very old. I couldn’t even tell you when we used it. I don’t know if we had. I don’t think we had kids, to be honest. Okay, so we’re talking nine, 10 years. If, if she was alive, she was not eating food. Just don’t see her. She was free. It just, yeah, she was free or like truly a baby and it was a large group of us.

[00:13:05] Dana Stanley: So we all equally concluded that we did not like it for the reason of. Like we would have too many snacks left over, and then at the end of the day, we’re like trying to get these snacks that we don’t really want. And it felt like too much food because again, I didn’t have kids. So like me and Colton were.

[00:13:25] Dana Stanley: Younger and didn’t, we actually used to not drink really at all. Like when we first got married, not even intentionally. We just, when I look back, we never ordered cocktails, we never ordered wine and we shared a lot. Mm-hmm. So we would like split meals and I think because it was so many of us, you order said amount of food and then you’re on the dining plan and there’s like maybe extra desserts or drinks that.

[00:13:51] Dana Stanley: As a collective seemed like a lot of food. It felt like we were throwing away a lot of food, and I was not trying to beat it, but just calculating how many points I had for each thing was just a lot. And again, it can be a lot this, it can be a lot. 

[00:14:07] Sarah: Yeah. 

[00:14:07] Dana Stanley: Now, 10 years later, and even just the age of my kids, so I have.

[00:14:14] Dana Stanley: Like I said, almost 10, a 5-year-old and then a 2-year-old. It is getting increasingly, if anyone has like a nine, 10-year-old, they love the slushies. And the boba, like they just like Yeah, the kitschy stuff. The 

[00:14:32] Sarah: fun stuff. 

[00:14:32] Dana Stanley: The fun stuff that is very expensive 

[00:14:36] Sarah: and they don’t wanna share. They’re not sharing.

[00:14:38] Dana Stanley: Yeah. Right. Like when they’re little you can get away with that or mm-hmm. I do have them give me like extra cups. The cast members are great. I’m like, can you just make one but split it in two cups? But they’re catching on ’cause they’re older now. The littlest one doesn’t care. The two sisters, they don’t wanna share.

[00:14:56] Sarah: No. 

[00:14:57] Dana Stanley: They want their own thing and we’re not like, we don’t eat a ton of food, but it is more of they get very excited about the food. Yeah. More than in past years. And then with the promo of kids being free for the whole year, it seems like you could just show up and not think about it and you would quote, beat it.

[00:15:17] Dana Stanley: Don’t you think? Don’t a hundred percent don’t think you would come out on top. 

[00:15:20] Sarah: I guarantee if I tallied up our January trip, like what I actually got versus what we pay, there’s no doubt in my mind we’d eat it, even with only two of ours free. And then there were some meals like where my son, ’cause he has to order up the adult menu, we would share.

[00:15:36] Sarah: And so we’d have an extra credit that we’d do for like breakfast the next day or something. Mm-hmm. Because you don’t have to use all your credits in the same day. You can space ’em out or use more on another day. But it was very easy in my mind this time. I really think the promo. Has a huge shift for families going to Disney World this year.

[00:15:53] Dana Stanley: And then you’ve also done Disney without the dining plan, right? 

[00:15:57] Sarah: Oh yeah. We do Disney without the dining plan more than we do it with the dining plan. So, 

[00:16:01] Dana Stanley: and what would you say the, the feeling comparison is like? Obviously there’s a lot of different factors that go into Yes. The feeling of the trip, but as far as dining, I mean, obviously it sounds like you feel a lot more.

[00:16:13] Dana Stanley: Relaxed. 

[00:16:14] Sarah: I think in my day-to-day life, I don’t get to say yes to the fun things a lot like we have schedules, we have routines, we have school, we have sports, we have real life budgets, which are all respectable things because you need real life to make vacations feel special. But being on vacation, my son would always want his own snack.

[00:16:34] Sarah: At the parks and I’d pull out my granola bars that I had packed. ’cause I was so worried about every dime, which I think is great. You need to worry about your budget. But it just felt nice to like, go ahead and budget this in before. Mm-hmm. So I wasn’t having that mental battle during the trip of, oh, is this like extra Mickey pretzel?

[00:16:55] Sarah: Budget for today, or can I get a slushie or not? Or I didn’t even have to think about the cost. Or they really love eating at Docking Bay seven, which if anybody who’s gone to Disney knows that’s more the one of the more expensive quick service places. Mm-hmm. So like back, I would be like, no, let’s just go, I don’t know anywhere else to save money.

[00:17:12] Sarah: But now I’m like. I can say yes to that because it doesn’t cost us any extra. 

[00:17:16] Dana Stanley: Right? Like 

[00:17:16] Sarah: you can eat at the 

[00:17:17] Dana Stanley: better places. 

[00:17:18] Sarah: You can eat at the better places and not mm-hmm. Feel like a little stress in your chest when you’re looking at the pricing. Because I mean that for an adult. ’cause my husband likes like, it’s like this.

[00:17:29] Sarah: Ribs or something there. And I would never wanna say yes to that or I’d wanna share it. But plan, it’s, that’s, that’s my favorite 

[00:17:35] Dana Stanley: too. The beef. 

[00:17:36] Sarah: He loves that. The Yes. Head docking. 

[00:17:37] Dana Stanley: Yeah. It’s so good. 

[00:17:38] Sarah: It’s so, 

[00:17:39] Dana Stanley: but it, it is so expensive and I always forget how much money it’s, and then 

[00:17:43] Sarah: you show up and you’re like, oh.

[00:17:45] Dana Stanley: I know because it’s like, oh well we’re just doing quick service tonight. ’cause I usually, I really do like it there. They’ve changed some of the things on the menu that I’m a little sour about. But we still go back and I again, just, we have more people. We have more people that are. Ordering and putting food in their mouths.

[00:18:03] Dana Stanley: And it costs more money. 

[00:18:04] Sarah: Exactly. It costs more money. Yeah. I used to like not order for myself, I don’t know if any other moms can relate to this, but I would order for my husband and my kids and then I would just kind of be the vacuum cleaner at the end. Aw. That like, that’s so 

[00:18:15] Dana Stanley: sad. Eat off. 

[00:18:16] Sarah: Do you know what I mean?

[00:18:16] Sarah: Because I’m like, was so like focused on like, I don’t wanna waste anything. 

[00:18:20] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. 

[00:18:20] Sarah: Like so you as a mom, I think it’s natural to just put your family. There. I 

[00:18:25] Dana Stanley: know, 

[00:18:25] Sarah: but this time I was like, I want this. 

[00:18:28] Dana Stanley: Yeah. 

[00:18:28] Sarah: I’m gonna get it for me. Or like 

[00:18:29] Dana Stanley: That’s so 

[00:18:30] Sarah: true. I’m gonna get the large Starbucks because it’s one snack credit.

[00:18:34] Sarah: And mommy has worked hard too, and it just felt so fun. 

[00:18:38] Dana Stanley: You were like really selling. I like, you’re not me on it. I know you’re not. I know you’re not. That’s what’s so funny. But I think it depends on like your spouse too, because my husband is more of the, we don’t need. Quote, we don’t need that. They don’t need that.

[00:18:57] Dana Stanley: It’s too much and it’s gonna be too much food, which it probably is. And I, I am strangely, I don’t like feeling wasteful with certain things. I don’t like that feeling. But our dynamic is similar to. Almost like the reverse, like I like to make sure that everyone has plenty of food, especially like when we go in the summer and I’m worried about everyone being like dehydrated.

[00:19:24] Dana Stanley: Like sometimes I actually like over order and then my husband is like, you don’t need that much. And then I feel guilty that I’m being wasteful. But if it was like a prepaid designated thing. 

[00:19:37] Sarah: Yeah, that you kind, 

[00:19:38] Dana Stanley: that you have to get 

[00:19:38] Sarah: mapped out 

[00:19:39] Dana Stanley: anyway. Like 

[00:19:40] Sarah: yeah, 

[00:19:40] Dana Stanley: you’re gonna get it anyway. It’s 

[00:19:42] Sarah: included. It takes some guilt.

[00:19:43] Sarah: Yeah. It just takes that guilt out of it. And I mean, if you have a husband like mine, my husband doesn’t really wanna share his food. Like he can eat the whole food. Or as the kids say these days, he can house that. 

[00:19:53] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. 

[00:19:54] Sarah: And so when I’m like, if I ever recommend, Hey, do you wanna share something? He kinda looks at me like.

[00:19:58] Sarah: Like I’m on vacation. 

[00:19:59] Dana Stanley: That’s me now. Me and your husband are the same. 

[00:20:01] Sarah: Yeah. But it’s kind of given me the freedom to be like, oh, I can just order what I want and if there’s some leftover, I’ll get it to go box. Great. But if not, if I wanna throw it away, no big deal. That’s not like a pressure anymore. 

[00:20:12] Dana Stanley: That is so true that you can just bring it back.

[00:20:15] Sarah: Yeah, you can bring it back. I had lots of leftovers in our, A 

[00:20:18] Dana Stanley: lot of resort. Resort snack. 

[00:20:20] Sarah: Yes. 

[00:20:21] Dana Stanley: Which is good because if you have a 2-year-old, you know that they don’t eat, they don’t wanna eat. They’ll just 

[00:20:25] Sarah: off 

[00:20:26] Dana Stanley: at the meal times. They just wanna eat. No. In the most random, at the most random times. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:20:32] Dana Stanley: On the flip side, we’re talking about all the positive things. 

[00:20:35] Sarah: Yes. 

[00:20:36] Dana Stanley: When it comes to like your clients and they’re maybe debating. Is there a particular kind of person or a trip that you would steer away from using the dining plan? 

[00:20:46] Sarah: Yeah, for sure. I have a couple clients who like their main, they’re only planning on doing like maybe two meals, the whole trip, and maybe one is like Cinderella’s Royal Table or Hoopty Do review or Acri sh how do you say that?

[00:21:00] Sarah: I never like, I think it’s, 

[00:21:00] Dana Stanley: I think it’s, 

[00:21:01] Sarah: I never get it right. 

[00:21:02] Dana Stanley: Yeah. 

[00:21:02] Sarah: But those are two. Table service credits. So that is just not a great use of a dining plan. I would just recommend paying cash for those types of meals. And if that’s really all you’re wanting to do there, it’s just not a good use of that.

[00:21:14] Sarah: I would steer them away. I’d also steer anybody away who prefers to share meals or like packs their own snacks. So if you’re like very on a very strict diet, whether it’s for, I don’t know. 

[00:21:27] Dana Stanley: It 

[00:21:27] Sarah: could be health or allergies. Health or allergies, yeah. You might just prefer not to deal with it and then you bring your own food.

[00:21:34] Sarah: Totally fine. I also do not wanna recommend it to my clients who are already overwhelmed and I can tell that they have the personality type where they will have a three tab spreadsheet for this to try to, I don’t wanna add something to it. If I know that their personality is gonna see it as like something to beat and it won’t be fun for them.

[00:21:53] Sarah: It’ll be more like a added stress out like, girl, it’s just not worth it. 

[00:21:57] Dana Stanley: Yeah, 

[00:21:57] Sarah: not worth it. So 

[00:21:59] Dana Stanley: yeah. What’s the best mindset to have? Because that’s me. I am, 

[00:22:02] Sarah: yeah. 

[00:22:03] Dana Stanley: If something can be gamified or beaten, I’m like, okay, I, I’m gonna do that. Like do you on your first trip? 

[00:22:09] Sarah: My first 

[00:22:10] Dana Stanley: trip? Yeah. Like on, in 2025 with it.

[00:22:12] Dana Stanley: So what is the best way to think about it if you’re gonna use it? 

[00:22:16] Sarah: I would recommend it for someone who’s like thinking like they wanna do more than one character meal. Mm-hmm. And so people who really like the character mills, those are great. Way to use it. People like me who like really like a fancy coffee at the parks, like love that for a snack credit.

[00:22:31] Sarah: Someone who is used to cruising or all-inclusive vacations or 

[00:22:37] Dana Stanley: mm-hmm. 

[00:22:37] Sarah: A lot. Of people who just like wanna prepay and be done like that. I have a lot of clients like that who are just don’t wanna deal with it. They just would rather pay for it now and just be carefree when they get there. So those are kind of the, 

[00:22:52] Dana Stanley: I know a lot of people that like only do all inclusives, especially with kids, like they don’t want to think about food the whole time.

[00:23:00] Dana Stanley: So if you’re used to that, that would be a good way to just. Use the dining plan and think of it. 

[00:23:04] Sarah: Yeah. And if you are already like on TikTok and Instagram and you’re seeing all these restaurants, you really wanna try the dining plan’s a great thing to have. ’cause it will really probably end up saving you money in the long run.

[00:23:15] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. 

[00:23:15] Sarah: If you have a list. But if you’re not really planning on even eating, like I know a lot of people who bring their own. Lunches into the parks, like they do not eat the park food, then definitely hard pass. Don’t use the dining plan. Yeah. And 

[00:23:27] Dana Stanley: again, if you were staying off property, which wouldn’t be a lot of your clients, but 

[00:23:31] Sarah: you can’t use the plan.

[00:23:32] Sarah: Yeah. 

[00:23:32] Dana Stanley: People, you can’t use the dining plan. So that’s another reminder. 

[00:23:36] Sarah: Don’t try it. Won’t work. 

[00:23:38] Dana Stanley: Don’t. Don’t try. It’s not gonna work. Yeah. But they do. I’ve been looking at it because we rent DVC points a lot and usually. Or just stay using DVC points and usually you can’t add on the dining plan. 

[00:23:51] Sarah: Yeah, 

[00:23:51] Dana Stanley: now you can.

[00:23:52] Dana Stanley: Which is really cool. 

[00:23:53] Sarah: Now you can and get the promo, which is amazing. So I thought that was really nice of Disney. 

[00:24:00] Dana Stanley: So I wanted to ask, ’cause I jumped ahead a little bit ’cause we were talking about the promo for this year. Let’s just say it’s 2027 or. They take away the kids free. Would you still do the dining plan or do you think maybe it’s worth like doing a little bit of math before you do it?

[00:24:19] Sarah: I’ve done it with and without the promo, so I think in a way that kind of helps me approach the mindset of it. I do think without the promo, you might wanna run a little bit more math, but not to the point of. Just spiraling out of control, trying to beat it, but I would definitely consider it even without the promotion.

[00:24:38] Sarah: If you are someone, I’ll just put it simple. If you like to order the filet at dinner, or if you like a cocktail or if you like just not water. You know what I mean? That’s something that things like that start to add up really quickly cost-wise at Disney World and the dining plan will actually save you money on that end with or without the kids’ promo.

[00:24:58] Sarah: But really with the kids’ promo, 

[00:25:00] Dana Stanley: I feel like you were listing those things with the filet and the co. I was like, 

[00:25:03] Sarah: like 

[00:25:04] Dana Stanley: Groundhog Day. He’s like me. Yeah. Me. Also me. 

[00:25:07] Sarah: I know. I was like, you know where I really wanna be right now is at the Brown Derby with their filet and Yeah. Mm. Just day 

[00:25:14] Dana Stanley: that food. Well, that’s nice thing too, because it’s almost like the feeling when something is price fix too.

[00:25:20] Sarah: Yeah. 

[00:25:21] Dana Stanley: Or like there’s this really fancy restaurant near us and we go usually for our anniversary, and you just pick your, it’s like you pay for two people. You pay for the appetizer. The entree and the dessert and you each just choose what you want and there’s no prices next to it. So like the salmon or the chicken is the same cost.

[00:25:41] Sarah: It’s the same 

[00:25:42] Dana Stanley: cost as the filet. And you don’t have that like guilt of like ’cause gear with your husband. You’re like, okay, who’s getting the filet? 

[00:25:48] Sarah: Yeah. And who’s getting the cob salad for $17? Yeah. Like 

[00:25:51] Dana Stanley: you don’t have to choose. You can both get the fly. 

[00:25:53] Sarah: It’s just more like vacation mode on like 

[00:25:56] Dana Stanley: mm-hmm.

[00:25:56] Sarah: I’ll go home and I’ll eat my chicken breast and salad and just. Love life. Mm. But at Disney, like I really like to eat things I don’t always eat at home. 

[00:26:06] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. Especially things that you don’t wanna cook. Like why would I get something that I can make at home? For sure. 

[00:26:12] Sarah: Amen. Yes. 

[00:26:14] Dana Stanley: So now that we’ve convinced everyone to look into the dining room, 

[00:26:17] Sarah: I know that I’m adding it to my June 

[00:26:19] Dana Stanley: trip.

[00:26:19] Dana Stanley: I know. I’m like, that’s a problem with, ever since I started having guests. I wanna go to Disneyland. I wanna go on a cruise. 

[00:26:26] Sarah: No, Disneyland is a 

[00:26:27] Dana Stanley: five. I wanna do, anytime we get off the call, I text my husband like, well now we have to do this and we have to go before a story Turns 10 too. You 

[00:26:34] Sarah: do. 

[00:26:35] Dana Stanley: So now that we, 

[00:26:36] Sarah: on next cruise, you have some time.

[00:26:37] Dana Stanley: That’s true. One, one step at a time. For sure. What are two like main tips that you would give? I know that we’re not trying to beat it, but in terms of getting the most value out of the dining plan, what are like the two top things you would tell someone if they are? Definitely add, adding it? 

[00:26:53] Sarah: Yes.

[00:26:54] Sarah: Depending on what tier you get, but let’s just say the Disney Dining Plan with the table service. Definitely look at character meals. I mean, they’re so much fun with kids. They’re an experience to me more than just a meal. Like some of my favorite memories from Disney World are at those. Character meals.

[00:27:09] Sarah: ’cause we didn’t have to wait in line to hug a character. And you got food, everybody was happy. What’s 

[00:27:13] Dana Stanley: your favorite character meal? I forget. 

[00:27:14] Sarah: I think I’m gonna have to go to Topos because 

[00:27:16] Dana Stanley: Yeah, 

[00:27:17] Sarah: I’m not a buffet girl. I’m very clear about that. So if I’m sharing like utensils with a kid who’s been sneezing, like at the buffet, it’s just a hard pass.

[00:27:26] Sarah: Hard pass. 

[00:27:26] Dana Stanley: They’re like licking 

[00:27:27] Sarah: the tongue. So I usually steer more like ohana, topos, things that like I don’t have to get at, but also with three kids. Mm-hmm. You probably feel this too. Now. Buffets aren’t as easy as they used to be, so I just. It’s so hard. 

[00:27:39] Dana Stanley: It’s so hard, 

[00:27:40] Sarah: but that makes me sad ’cause Crystal Palace, but.

[00:27:43] Sarah: I brought three kids there and I was like, no, why am I shaking? Mm-hmm. 

[00:27:47] Dana Stanley: No, topos is nice. That’s a top one for me too. 

[00:27:50] Sarah: But besides that, I would also tell them to browse the menus before they go. Not like to the point of Eagle eye, but, and have an idea like ask your travel planner, like where is a great place to spend some like table credits and figure that out.

[00:28:04] Sarah: Just have a list. I’ll just tell you right off the bat, like Regal Eagle at Epcot. Amazing Docking Bay seven, amazing flame free barbecue and animal kingdom. Such a great use. I like Columbia Harbor House ’cause you can get like the salmon and all that at Magic Kingdom. You 

[00:28:19] Dana Stanley: can get like a little 

[00:28:20] Sarah: healthy.

[00:28:20] Sarah: Yes. And then like we sit at Riviera so it’s a no brainer because the food at Riviera is just, okay, take my money. Just have an idea in your head of what are some places that will be fun to try with our. Credits that now that we can, 

[00:28:33] Dana Stanley: and you usually do the quick service one. 

[00:28:34] Sarah: I usually do the quick service ’cause we are not big table service people.

[00:28:39] Sarah: By that, I mean I have three kids and they’re a little unhinged at times and I can’t predict when. Yeah. And I don’t know like when they’re gonna be feeling it or not. So it’s hard. I don’t wanna like over plan with meals. ’cause for my vacation style, my family style, I’m just saying like that can create stress.

[00:28:55] Sarah: Okay. We need to go sit down for 90 minutes. When they’re tired, they would rather be at the resort with a burger like in the bed, and so they’ll let me know it, and so usually one or two character meals a trip is plenty for us. Now, my husband, I think he would be a huge fan. Of the like Disney Dining Plan.

[00:29:13] Sarah: ’cause he would love to go and just sit down and have a nice steak every night. He’d be so happy. But it’s just like, 

[00:29:19] Dana Stanley: so in that case, like you’re doing the quick service dining plan and then paying cash cash for the character meals? 

[00:29:25] Sarah: Yes. Okay. And especially if you have an annual pass, sometimes, you know, you get like the annual pass discount.

[00:29:30] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. 

[00:29:31] Sarah: So that helps. 

[00:29:32] Dana Stanley: Yeah, sure. 

[00:29:32] Sarah: But you don’t get those at quick Service. 

[00:29:34] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. 

[00:29:35] Sarah: So that’s something to think about, 

[00:29:36] Dana Stanley: right? 

[00:29:37] Sarah: If you don’t wanna eat everything at a table, service, quick Service is great 

[00:29:41] Dana Stanley: for me. I feel like I, I can do a lot of thinking ahead of the trip. That doesn’t stress me out. 

[00:29:48] Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

[00:29:49] Dana Stanley: I like it.

[00:29:51] Dana Stanley: ’cause it’s almost like. 

[00:29:52] Sarah: Yes. 

[00:29:53] Dana Stanley: It’s like preparation, like it gets me more excited. Yes, I feel prepared. I don’t like feeling under prepared for things, but in the moment, like on the trip, my brain does not work and that’s where I get like very stressed out. So if and when I use it, I think my approach is, ’cause even just you saying that of the character meal, paying cash and then you have the discount.

[00:30:17] Dana Stanley: I would want to do a little bit of math up ahead upfront, but I. Would not worry about it on the trip. And I think that’s the difference is when people are trying to, 

[00:30:26] Sarah: in the moment, the in the moment. In the moment, it turns your vacation into a math equation and nobody wants that. But also what you’re saying there is, it sounds like in real life, we’ll just say like, in our non Disney Parks life over here, we’re like type A, right?

[00:30:39] Sarah: We are, 

[00:30:40] Dana Stanley: yeah. 

[00:30:40] Sarah: Structured. But when we’re on vacation, I kind of wanna be a little more type B. Like, 

[00:30:44] Dana Stanley: yeah, 

[00:30:45] Sarah: I just want to, not like completely, but like a little bit. And I feel like the dining plan allowed that. In me, because I wasn’t trying to do the mental math of, okay, that’s really no, why don’t you get this instead?

[00:30:56] Sarah: Or why don’t we share? So being type A before really let me relax. On vacation. 

[00:31:03] Dana Stanley: Yeah. 

[00:31:04] Sarah: In January. And I have really sweet memories of that and I planned a little Yeah, 

[00:31:08] Dana Stanley: I think it’s okay to be a little Type A before. 

[00:31:10] Sarah: Oh definitely. Yeah. 

[00:31:12] Dana Stanley: I want everyone to be a little type A. 

[00:31:13] Sarah: Yes, 

[00:31:14] Dana Stanley: me too. Like too kind of joke about you don’t need the color coded spreadsheets or what.

[00:31:17] Dana Stanley: I’m like, well, 

[00:31:18] Sarah: you do, you But it, they helps. Yeah. 

[00:31:20] Dana Stanley: Yeah. They, they help if you’re doing it ahead of time and it’s not actually stressing you out. On the vaca, whatever you gotta do. 

[00:31:27] Sarah: Exactly. Mm-hmm. Because we can find joy in the planning. Yeah. Find joy in the, I know so many. I think that’s why women really love Disney World.

[00:31:36] Sarah: Women really love Disney World because a lot of us are wired Type A and we love to plan and it brings us so much joy to plan. A trip that’s gonna bring so much magic for our families. But then it turns into kinda like a drug. 

[00:31:48] Dana Stanley: Yeah, 

[00:31:49] Sarah: it felt so good. I gotta do it again and again and again. And our husbands are like, can I just go to the beach?

[00:31:54] Sarah: I just wanna go to the beach. 

[00:31:55] Dana Stanley: Actually, no you cannot. The beach is really hard. 

[00:31:59] Sarah: Doesn’t, 

[00:31:59] Dana Stanley: the beach is very hard to take the kids. It’s actually one of the hardest things. ’cause we live by the beach and in the summer, if I go alone during the week with the three kids. 

[00:32:10] Sarah: No, 

[00:32:10] Dana Stanley: it is true. 

[00:32:11] Sarah: It’s 

[00:32:11] Dana Stanley: not safe, and we have a beach club.

[00:32:12] Dana Stanley: Like we have a locker. It’s only a minute drive. Like it is as easy as you could make it. And I am like, I question all of my decisions when I’m there. Is this actually, is this fun? 

[00:32:25] Sarah: Is this fun? 

[00:32:26] Dana Stanley: I’m not sure. 

[00:32:27] Sarah: So this is coming from a girl who like hasn’t gone to the beach in a long time. ’cause I feel the same way.

[00:32:31] Sarah: I’m like, I’m have to drag this wagon. We have, we’re Gulf sho, so the sand is like white and thick. Mm-hmm. It’s not like that flat sand and it is like a workout and I’m like, I don’t wanna workout. I’m good. 

[00:32:42] Dana Stanley: That’s so funny. No, I was just talking about that with somebody else too, where we’re like, no, Disney World is actually easier than a beach vacation.

[00:32:49] Sarah: And it’s fun. Before your trip and during your trip, like I don’t think a lot of Asians aren’t, and I just think. Being Type A is really fun for a Disney World trip. It’s really fun. 

[00:32:58] Dana Stanley: Mm-hmm. It helps. Well, thank you so much for coming on. I know this is going to be very beneficial for anyone that has been debating the dining plan.

[00:33:07] Dana Stanley: ’cause I know I go back and forth on it and it’s just a new kind of way of thinking about it. If you’re going to do it, I think, 

[00:33:15] Sarah: yes. A little math. A lot of fun. 

[00:33:17] Dana Stanley: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. 

[00:33:19] Sarah: Thank you. 

[00:33:22] Dana Stanley: Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. If you enjoy today’s episode.

[00:33:28] Dana Stanley: And it was helpful for you. It would mean the world to me if you’d write a quick review, your reviews, help more moms like you find the show, and I read every single one of them. Seriously. Thank you in advance. You can find me on Instagram at somewhere worthwhile, and I’d love to hear from you there. DM me if you have any questions about this episode or what you’d like to see in future ones.

[00:33:48] Dana Stanley: Until then, keep planning for your next favorite memory and I’ll see you next time.