2020 Disney Dining Plan Price Increases

2020 Disney Dining Plan prices and other details are now known thanks to Walt Disney World’s release of 2020 vacation packages. Like clockwork, there are price increases. Across the board, from the Quick-Service to the standard to the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan, per night costs have increased. The good news here is that the bumps are fairly mild.

Walt Disney World has not yet released official pricing for the 2020 Disney Dining Plans, so we’ve reverse-engineered the pricing by selecting a January 2020 travel date for one night at All Star Movies, and done the math ourselves to remove the costs of the required park tickets, as you can see in the screenshot above.

That’s right–a one night package for a solo adult at All Star Movies in January with the standard Disney Dining Plan is over $500. Hey, at least the room is newly redone! We note this part about reverse engineering because I’m pretty terrible at math, so I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. (The amounts should be accurate though.) Enough of a preface, let’s take a look at the 2020 Disney Dining Plan prices…

Based upon our theoretical January 2020 Walt Disney World travel dates, adult per night pricing for the plans is as follows: $55 for the Quick-Service Plan; $78.01 for the standard Disney Dining Plan; $119 for the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan.

Kids pricing is $26 for the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, $30.51 for the standard plan, and $47.50 for the Deluxe DDP. Keep in mind that the Disney Dining Plan is subject to peak season surcharges, so if you’re traveling during a holiday, you can expect to pay more.

For the sake of comparison, 2019 Disney Dining Plan prices are as follows: the Quick Service Plan is $52.50 per adult and $23.78 per child, the standard Disney Dining Plan is $75.49 per adult and $27.98 per child, and the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan is $116.25 per adult and $43.49 per child.

As far as Walt Disney World price increases and changes go, these are pretty…uneventful? Most prices have increased by around $3. Certainly nothing on par with the Big Increases to Walt Disney World Annual Passes that we reported earlier today. (For what it’s worth, we’re still trudging through the room booking process to see what increases are like there, but DisneyWorld.com isn’t exactly being cooperative–big surprise!)

Unless I’m missing something, I don’t see any other noteworthy changes to the 2020 Walt Disney World Dining Plans, at least when perusing the standard booking options on DisneyWorld.com. (To my knowledge, the full pamphlets for the 2020 Disney Dining Plan have yet to be released; those could show other changes.)

We used to be fans of the Disney Dining Plan, but it has been several years since we’ve recommended it due to price increases that negate potential savings and almost necessitate using a spreadsheet or value-maximization strategies (although if the latter describes you, we have no shortage of resources).

Parties of avid carnivores who will mostly order steaks and adult travelers who will order alcohol at every meal are among the exceptions to this (the addition of alcohol to the Disney Dining Plan a couple of years ago was a huge win for the latter camp). Of course, as with so many things Walt Disney World, your mileage may vary. We fixate on for whom the Disney Dining Plan offers poor value and for whom it offers good value in our Disney Dining Plan Info, Tips, Pros & Cons post, so I won’t rehash that here.

Suffice to say, for most guests, the Disney Dining Plan only offers a pretense of convenience and budgeting assistance. In reality, most guests traveling on a budget will be better suited by purchasing discounted pre-paid Disney gift cards or some other means of advance budgeting. It’s also tough to argue that anything involving a complex credit system is more convenient than simply paying out of pocket as you go.

While the Dining Plan can provide small savings in some circumstances, about the only time when it can be classified as a ‘good’ deal is during the Free Disney Dining Plan Promotion that typically is offered for fall travel dates. Before you ask, we currently do not know whether Free Dining will be offered again for 2020.

Free Dining has already been released for UK residents, so that bodes well. Additionally, we’ll soon see whether there’s a Free Dining Bounceback Offer. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will radically change the landscape of Walt Disney World, but we’d be surprised if Disney eliminated this popular promo entirely; it drives a lot of bookings for the off-season.

Overall, the changes for the 2020 Disney Dining Plan are probably about as close to a ‘best case’ scenario as possible. While we’ve seen solid additions like alcohol and a couple of price decreases on the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan in the past couple of years, we’ve also seen serious price hikes other years. This presents neither of those things, and at a time when Walt Disney World is gearing up for its biggest expansion (and by extension, influx of guests) in ages. Given the circumstances, we’d consider only $3 per night price increases something of a small victory.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts…

What’s your take on the 2020 Disney Dining Plan changes? Do you use the plan for eating at Walt Disney World? What advantage or disadvantages do you think it offers? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of the Disney Dining Plan? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

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