Welcome to November! A Colorado-based woman spent six months in Europe. If she had to move anywhere, she'd choose this country for its beauty, architecture, and walkability.
14.10.2024 - 11:18 / insider.com
My family of four has visited Disney World over a dozen times.
We love the attractions, shows, and characters, but we've also developed an appreciation for the food — we look forward to indulging in meals on the property more than we do meeting Mickey.
But with Disney ticket costs going up and our kids aging into the "adult" pricing bracket, filling our bellies means emptying our wallets.
Fortunately, Disney brought back its dining plans this year, and I find them to be a great value.
Disney dining plans were suspended in 2020 but reinstated this January. The returning plans are similar to those of the past, offering visitors a discount if they prepay for meals as part of their resort and parks package.
Guests can choose between the standard dining plan or a quick-service one — the main difference between the two is that the former replaces one quick-service meal with a sit-down one.
At the time of writing, Disney World's standard dining plans cost about $95 per person per day for those 10 and up. The quick-service plans are about $57.
However, Disney sometimes offers promos that allow its resort guests to get them for free.
Earlier this year, we got free dining plans through a Disney+ subscriber promotion that required us to book at least a four-night resort stay with park tickets during select dates.
My family booked an eight-night, nine-day stay in July at our favorite moderate resort, Port Orleans Riverside, which made us eligible for free quick-service dining plans.
Here's what this plan provided for each member of my family for every day of our vacation:
Through this same promotion, guests staying in pricier deluxe hotels could get free standard dining plans.
Since we love sit-down dinners, we paid a fee of about $37 per person per day to upgrade to standard dining plans. This added about $1,200 to the cost of our trip, but it was well worth it as we'd typically spend $200 to $300 a night on sit-down dinners at Disney.
The upgrade also allowed us to stay at our preferred moderate resort while also enjoying the benefits of the deluxe-tier plan.
The paid dining plan is worth it for folks who enjoy Disney's food as much as its entertainment. It's an especially phenomenal deal for families like ours who like to have at least one sit-down dinner a day.
In fact, I think we would've saved money even if we'd paid for the plans in full — my family usually spends more than $95 per person per day on food and drinks at Disney.
That said, you might struggle to find the savings in the standard dining plans if your family doesn't usually do sit-down dinners every night of your stay.
Additionally, standard dining plans might not be the best idea for those who don't want to do extra planning or spend too much
Welcome to November! A Colorado-based woman spent six months in Europe. If she had to move anywhere, she'd choose this country for its beauty, architecture, and walkability.
Welcome back to another episode of the TravelPulse Podcast!
In August 2014, I quit my job as a reporter in Berkeley, California, and moved to London to pursue a master's degree — and also experience an adventure.
A great golf course is like a classic work of statuary — except that the medium is the earth itself, not just a hunk of marble or wet clay.
According to the popular Benjamin Franklin quote, "... nothing is certain except death and taxes." If Disney World had been around in the late 1700s, Franklin might have known there was one more certainty in life — ever-rising Disney World ticket prices.
As a luxury travel advisor, I've had the privilege of curating exceptional vacations for some of the world's most discerning travelers.
I worked as a Walt Disney Imagineer for eight years, and I learned a lot of best practices for visiting the theme parks.
Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland will roll out a brand new system that will allow guests to join a Lightning Lane queue without a reservation — but it'll cost you.The Lightning Lane Premier Pass will use dynamic pricing based on demand and date of visit. Prices will also vary by theme park and are expected to range from $129 to $449 per person, per day — with the highest prices will occur during peak travel periods, like Christmas and New Year’s. Those eligible can purchase Lightning Lane Premier Pass up to seven days before their date of check-in at 7:00 AM ET and for their entire length of stay, up to 14 days. The pass can be purchased in the My Disney Experience app.
The world has never seen anything quite like Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
Good news: Disney just introduced another way to "skip the line." Bad news: It's going to cost you ... a lot.
The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida has just announced that one of its fan-favorite attractions in the Magic Kingdom Park will be shut down for renovations for an entire year.
Rendering of The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure. (Photo Credit: Walt Disney World Resort Media)