Walt Disney World Dining Plan

Staying at a Disney Resort in Orlando makes your travel experience one of the best you could ever have. Do you know what can make it better? A Walt Disney World Dining Plan of course. You might wonder, is adding a Disney World Dining Plan Worth it? This is where it gets a little sticky. If you are trying to pinch every penny possible on your vacation, a Walt Disney World Dining Plan might not be the best option.

There are plenty of ways to cut costs when eating at your Disney Resort. There are even plenty of places to dine at the Disney Theme Parks. That is not what we will focus on in this write-up. If you stay on property, you already have a place to sleep and transportation to the parks, other resorts, and even Disney Springs. If you add a Walt Disney World Dining Plan to your package it is like you are staying at Disney World All Inclusive Resorts with everything you need in one location.

Walt Disney World Dining Packages

Many choices are available when adding a Disney World Dining Plan. Depending on the amount you want to spend and the type of food you want to eat, you should find a pretty good match with one of the four plans available.

The least expensive of these being the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan offering 2 Quick Service Meals each day for each guest, a snack, and a refillable drink mug.

The most expensive is the Premium. This plan goes way over the top for many people but if you are looking for the best of the best, this is certainly the way to go.

Each of the plans is listed in the tabs below and you will find all of the information needed in the detailed Walt Disney World Dining Plan downloadable PDF in each section. Be sure to read through these as they give very detailed information on each option.

  • 2 Quick Service Meals
  • 1 Snack
  • 1 Refillable Drink Mug

    • Each Item is Per Person Per Day

  • 1 Quick Service Meal
  • 1 Table Service Meal
  • 1 Snack
  • 1 Refillable Drink Mug

    • Each Item is Per Person Per Day

  • 3 Total Meals – Can Mix Quick and Table Service
  • 2 Snacks
  • 1 Refillable Drink Mug

    • Each Item is Per Person Per Day

  • Same as Disney Deluxe Dining Plan
  • Unlimited Use of activities
  • Unlimited Golf
  • Cirque du Soleil Show
  • Select Park Tours
  • Children Activity Centers

    • Each Item is Per Person Per Day

Dining Plan Pricing

Rollover Meals

Each of the Walt Disney World Dining Plan options give you a certain number of meals and snacks per day. It is worth knowing that you can use any way you would like. For example, let’s say you are staying for 7 days and purchase the Quick Service Dining Plan. Take the total number of days and multiply this by the number of meals and snacks in the plan to get your totals available for the week.

  • 2 Quick Service Meals per day X 7 Days = 14 Quick Service Meals
  • 1 Snack per day X 7 Days = 7 Snacks

This is important to understand because you have control over the way these items are used. Maybe you decide to mix in a Table Dining experience (which does not come with the Disney Dining Quick Service Plan) and you only use one of the Quick Service Meals for that day. This will give you an extra to use for another day.

Losing your meals?

All of the meals, snacks and even your fancy Rapid Fill Disney Mug expire at midnight on your check out date. Be sure to use up everything on your plan before you leave. Extra meals and snacks cannot be pushed over to a stay in the future.

Where are the Dining Locations?

Pretty much everywhere you turn in any of the Disney Theme Parks, Disney Springs, Resorts and even the Water Parks. The restaurants available to you are determined by the Walt Disney World Dining Plan you choose but no matter which one you go with, there are options around every corner. For a full list of Restaurants, take a look at Walt Disney World Dining Plan brochures.

Download Disney Dining Plans

How do they keep track?

When you stay at any Disney World Resort, you automatically get a set of Magic Bands to keep track of your information. If you do not want a Magic Band, you are still able to get a key-card to carry around instead. Either way, everything about your trip is linked to the card or band. When you order a meal, it gets subtracted from your plan when you swipe your Magic Band or Card.

Can I make Dining Reservations?

Absolutely. Many of the Table Service restaurants around Disney World offer an easy way to make Reservations. If you have a computer, tablet, or smartphone, the easiest way to make a reservation is to logon to your Disney Account, select “Reserve Dining” and look through the list of the many unique experiences. After you make your selection, enter the date you would like to dine, the number of your party, and request a time. You will be given a list of times available around the time you choose. Some Restaurants are busier than others so book in advance to make sure you get your desired Walt Disney World Dining Plan Reservation. Reservations can also be made simply by calling Disney Dining at 407-939-5277

Quick Service Dining Plan Reservations

If you have the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, understand that you do not get any Table Service meals with this plan. This being the case, you will not be able to make reservations under this plan as each of these locations, you just walk up to a counter and order your meals.

Keeping up with available Meals

Each time you dine, your meal or snack is deducted from your plan when you swipe your Magic Band or use your Key-Card. At the bottom of each receipt, you will see the remaining number of Meals available to you. You can also contact Guest Relations or any Resort Concierge and they will be happy to tell you where you are with your plan.

Disney World Dining Plan Limitations

Yes, there are a few limitations to the Dining Plan and it is good to know what they are before deciding to add them to your plan. Let’s take a look at a few of the big ones to help you decide if this is the right path for you.

  • Different Dining Plans for Different People in the group

    Adding the dining plan is done when booking your room reservation. The dining plan you choose gets applied to everyone in your reservation. If you select the Standard Plan but you have one person in your party who is a big eater and really want the Deluxe Plan, there is not way to make this happen. You also cannot remove a dining plan from anyone in the reservation.

  • Length of Dining Plan at Disney World

    If you book a 5 night stay at your favorite Disney Resort, the dining plan lasts for 5 days as well.

  • Children and Adult Meals

    If you are traveling with a child between the ages of 3 – 9 they will get set up with a child meal option. These are much cheaper than the adult meals. When you go to a Table Service restaurant, you must order from the Children’s menu, or else the credits cannot be used. Many of the Quick Service locations don’t have kids menus so they can order right along with you.

    If you have a child, 10 or older, they will be given an adult dining plan when you purchase. Let’s face it, a 10-year-old (and also much older child) is still a kid, even though the Disney pricing model does not see them this way. If you get to a Table Service restaurant and your child does not really care for the adult menu items, many servers will allow them to order from the kid’s menu and just bring them a larger portion. Don’t be afraid to ask about this if you are in this situation. If you do use this as an option, the adult meal credit will be deducted from their account at the end of the meal.

Dining the easy way

Disney has been providing some of the best possible guest experiences for a long time and having a Walt Disney World Dining Plan can certainly make your trip less stressful. Knowing everything is already taken care of and you don’t have any other expenses along the way can make your Disney Experience that much more Magical. Now all you have to do is choose the plan that best fits your dining needs and you are all set.

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