There are many decisions to make when you are planning for your Walt Disney World vacation. Where do I stay? What parks do I need to visit? Where should I eat? Do I need the dining plan? If you aren’t sure if you need it, here are 5 reasons you shouldn’t get the dining plan at Walt Disney World.

It’s a lot of food. Do you normally eat dessert after a big meal? Do you eat a big meal at a sit down restaurant everyday? If you don’t normally do this at home, doing it on your vacation in the Florida heat is not always a good combination. That much food can make you feel sluggish, tired and overheated.

You lose park time. The average table service meal takes about 2 hours when you factor in travel time, your wait at the restaurant when you arrive (if you book during the busier part of the day, you will wait even if you have a reservation) and how long it takes to be served and eat your food. If you want to spend the majority of your vacation enjoying the parks, the dining plan isn’t for you.

You spend more money. It is so drilled in our heads that the dining plan is a great value. I hear so often “It saves me so much money! I would have spent 25% more if I didn’t have the dining plan!” But my question to you is would you really have spent that much? Would you have booked a table service meal everyday? Would you have gotten dessert after your big meal? Would you drink soda or tea with every meal? Would you buy the most expensive entree on the menu to ‘get your money’s worth’ or would you have picked something on the lower end of pricing? These are the questions you have to ask yourself when determining if the dining plan is a good value for your family.

You have to drink soda or tea. The dining plan includes a beverage for a Quick-Service or Table-Service meal entitlement. They also give you a refillable mug so you can drink as much as your heart desires while you are at your resort. But is that what your body needs in the Florida climate? If you don’t normally drink alcohol or milkshakes (or other pricey drinks) with your meals the dining plan may not be worth it. Would you order those if you weren’t on the dining plan? That is something you have to consider.

You should tip 18-20%. Each table service you book on the dining plan is going to cost you an 18 – 20% tip (and unless you get bad service and talk with a manager, don’t skip out on the tip). The character meals are all buffets and they are fairly expensive. A family of 2 adults and 2 children is looking at tip of about $25 per character meal. If you are there for 7 nights, that adds an additional $175 on the cost of your dining plan. But would you have picked all of those table service meals if you weren’t on the dining plan? That is something you have to think about when determining if the dining plan is worth it.

And a bonus tip…Kids are treated like adults. When your child reaches 10 years of age, they are considered a Disney adult and that extends to the dining plan. You’ll now have to pay the adult rate for each day of the dining plan. If your child isn’t a big eater, you are going to waste a lot of money if you get the dining plan and dine mainly at restaurants where you order off a menu (I will admit the dining plan is still a good investment if you plan to mainly due character meals). They either won’t like anything on the adult menu (and if they do, they might not eat it all) or they will want to order off the kid’s menu (the restaurant can make them adult portions of the kid’s food, but it won’t cost you as much as an adult entree on the menu).

Whatever you choose, just do your research. Here are 5 Reasons You Should Get The Dining Plan.

Learn more about Walt Disney World Dining and get suggestions for where to eat, how to use the Disney Dining Plan and more.