Dining plan or not at Disney

If you like to eat, then go for it. However, be sure to keep track of the snacks you are getting. Very often, people will fill up at the meals, and not be hungry for snacks. Then they end up with a bunch of snacks left over at the end. We were at Trails End (the restaurant at Fort Wilderness) a couple of weeks ago and there was a woman there standing by the register buying takeout meals for people in order to use the meals on her dining plan she didn't use. So, it is really up to the user. If you track it and make sure you eat a lot, well worth it. If you think you'll get sick of eating and have a bunch of unused credits on your plan, then skip it.

My wife recently retired from Disney and we stay at Fort Wilderness about 9 times a year and have never used the meal plan. However, we have friends and relatives that have; and they've enjoyed going to the restaurants and ordering without thinking of menu prices; another more intangible benefit.