by Military Diva
I know, I know- doesn’t Disney World already have a quick service dining plan? That is the question floating around Disney’s announcement of Magic Kingdom’s “Dine-on-the-Go”, a Quick Service Dining Day Pass. Yes, Disney does offer wonderful dining plans! But the “Dine-on-the-Go” pass is a bit different.
Traditional Disney World Dining plans are only available to guests choosing to stay in a Walt Disney World owned property. Guests of Walt Disney World’s Shades of Green, Disney’s Swan and Dolphin and all other off-site guests are unable to participate in Disney Dining Plans. While many families would love to participate in the Disney Dining Plans, the savings and deluxe accommodations offered by staying at Shades of Green or other off-site resorts quickly nullify the convenience of the dining plan.
Also, guests are required to purchase a dining plan for every night of their stay in a Disney owned resort. Those choosing to eat off site or visit other area attractions end up with a lot of extra credits on top of having to pay for the off-site meals.
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, a Magic Kingdom Dine-on-the-Go pass option.
Disney World’s temporary “Dine-on-the-Go” package will offer a great solution for guests in any of these situations. Starting on January 12, 2017 and ending February 22, 2017, guests of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom can purchase a one day pass offering two quick service meals and beverages. That’s right, no resort or “night of stay” requirement.
Adults (ages 10+) can purchase the “Dine-as-you-Go” day pass for $29.00.
Child’s (ages 3-9) “Dine-as-you-Go” day pass can be purchased for $12.00.
The details of the plan are as follows
- Currently the “Dine-on-the-Go” Magic Kingdom day pass is only available from January 12-February 22, 2017.
- Passes are available at Magic Kingdom’s “Dine-on-the-Go” Vacation Planning Booths and can only be used within Magic Kingdom. (Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios parks do not participate in this pass.)
- The “Dine-on-the-Go” day pass can be used at Magic Kingdom’s Casey’s Corner, Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café and Pinocchio Village Haus.
- Plan includes one lunch quick service entrée and non-alcoholic drink to be used before 4:00 pm.
- Plan also includes one dinner quick service entrée and non-alcoholic drink to be used after 4:00 pm.
Note that the “Dine-on-the-Go” one day pass does not include any desserts or snacks. Those will be considered a separate, out-of-pocket purchase.
So is this day pass a good choice for your family?
Peco’s Bill also included with the “Dine-as-you-Go” day pass.
First consider Disney’s traditional Quick Service Dining Plan costs $46.34 per adult/night of stay and $20.18 per child (3-9)/night of stay. It includes 2 Quick Service meal credits (an entrée and a non-alcoholic drink each) and 2 Snack credits that can be used at any time of day. There are no time restrictions with the traditional Dining Plans.
The “Dine-on-the-Go” pass is approximately $20 less per adult and $8 less per child when compared to the traditional Quick Service Plan. It does not include the snack credits, is restricted on time and can currently only be used in the Magic Kingdom. But considering that an average Magic Kingdom snack is $5.00, adults using the “Dine-on-the-Go” pass can easily purchase two snacks and still come out ahead of the Quick Service Plan! Children will probably break even.
Examples-Aloha Isle Dole Whip Float is priced at $5.29, Gaston’s Tavern Warm Cinnamon Role is $4.49, and a Plaza Ice Cream Sundae is $5.39
Gaston’s Cinnamon Roll, an easy out of pocket purchase!
And when comparing to out-of-pocket costs, the average adult meal and drink will run $16.00 at Cosmic Ray’s and $14.00 when dining at Pinocchio Haus. Children’s meals/drinks average $6.49 at most locations. Two meals/drinks per day can easily cost the average adult $30.00 and average child $13.00 out-of-pocket. Still a small savings, if you purchase an average price meal.
There is an obvious financial benefit to using the Magic Kingdom “Dine-on-the-Go” pass. There is also the convenience of budgeting in advance and still having flexibility in your dining choices. No more choosing the least expensive option to meet the budget!!
And finally, those who are smaller eaters do not have to purchase a pass for each member of their party. You can choose to purchase a few passes and split meals as needed! Definitely a huge savings!
If heading to Disney World anytime soon please consider using a Magic Kingdom “Dine-on-the-Go” pass for your family and let us know your thoughts! We would love to hear how the Quick Service Dining Day Pass works for your vacation in the comments below.
Ready to book your next vacation? Why not contact Patricia with All for Dreams Travel for a no obligation quote? She is compensated by Disney, so her services are free for you! Click here for a free quote.
