The Two Disney World Restaurants We'd Never Use the Dining Plan For

Next year, something BIG is happening in Disney World.

Cinderella Castle

After almost four long years, Disney World is bringing back the Disney Dining Plan, and some fans are PUMPED. This add-on allows you to purchase your dining in advance by buying a certain number of “credits” to dine at restaurants on property. And we’ve been straightforward with you in the past that some restaurants aren’t exactly worth the credits when using the Dining Plan. So what are two restaurants we’d never use the Dining Plan for? We’ve got some surprising answers.

Be Our Guest Restaurant

Okay, we know you guys are ready to get out your torches and pitchforks, but hear us out! It’s very hard to make a Signature Dining experience worth the cost with Disney’s new Dining Plan pricing, and Be Our Guest Restaurant is no exception. Signature Dining locations cost two credits each, which means you’re paying more for the meal than you would at a regular table service spot.

Entrance to Be Our Guest

The Standard Dining Plan costs $94.28 per adult per night ages 10 and up, and that includes a snack credit, a quick service meal credit, and a table service meal credit each day. Disney doesn’t offer a price breakdown on how much the quick service and table service credits are “worth” individually, but if we assumed that the table service credit was worth half of the package price for the day, you’d be paying almost $95 to eat at Be Our Guest Restaurant, when the meal price regularly is just $67 plus tax and gratuity.

Since Be Our Guest Restaurant is a prix fixe meal, there’s not really a way to make your dining experience more cost-effective — it’s a fixed price for everyone.

Be Our Guest Restaurant

And besides the pricing problems, we’ve been a smidge disappointed in Be Our Guest Restaurant ever since the pandemic. Before Disney World closed in 2020, Be Our Guest offered fast casual breakfast, quick service lunch, and a Signature meal for dinner. Now, it’s simply open with Signature meals during lunch and dinner, and the food hasn’t always been the quality that we’d expect for the price.

Duroc Pork Chop

Basically, it’s going to be hard to justify visiting a Signature Dining experience with the Dining Plan because of the cost, but if you’re going to do it — at least head to a place where you know the food will be top-notch. Sadly, that’s not always the case for this restaurant.

Click Here to Read Our Recent Review of Be Our Guest Restaurant!

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria

Okay okay, before you get up in arms about this answer, this isn’t what you think! This time, we’re recommending you DON’T use the Dining Plan at Via Napoli…but for a very GOOD reason. Here, it’s easy to get a lot of food for an affordable price, so using the Dining Plan might not be the best financial move.

Via Napoli

One of Via Napoli’s most iconic menu items is the Mezzo Metro, which is a gigantic 1/2-meter pizza! For $50, you can get a variety of different topping options with this pizza, and it’s big enough to serve 4-6 adults. That’s a STEAL for a table service meal, y’all.

The beloved Mezzo Metro

So why pay possibly $40 from your dining plan to eat here when you could share a giant pizza with friends and get out of here for roughly $10 a pop? See the sneaky secret? Plus, you get to eat a massive pizza and that’s just pretty awesome.

Tagliere Charcuterie Board at EPCOT’S Via Napoli

Ultimately, it’s totally your decision how you spend your dining credits. But we’ll make sure to give you our best tips and advice for how to use it efficiently and hopefully save money on your vacation. Make sure to keep following us for all the updates until the Dining Plan returns in 2024!

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!