Disney Dining Plan

One of the best vacations a family can have is a full-on, stress-free Disney experience. However, knowing how to make the most of your Disney vacation can be challenging, especially when it comes to food.

Between character meals, buffets, and snacks, it’s easy to overspend or eat unhealthy foods while on vacation. The Disney Dining Plan is one of the best Disney World deals for families looking to save money and enjoy healthy meals during their trip.

What Is the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining Plan has historically been one of the best offers to come out of the Disney World experience. Imagine being exhausted and starving from all the attraction hopping and thrill-seeking activities–the Disney Dining Plan makes it easier to access some of the most amazing restaurants inside the park without having to worry about breaking the bank.

While the Dining Plan is currently suspended, the most popular version previously offered includes the following for your stay:

• One quick service meal per person per day
• One table service meal per person per day
• One daily snack per person per day

You can use your credits at virtually any Disney restaurant throughout Disney World. The best part about the Disney Dining Plan is that it’s very customizable to what you and your family want on a given day. For example, if you have a family of four, you could select two table service meals and two quick service meals in one day, or you could mix and match to use more credits on one day and then eat light the next. The credits are entirely transferable within your travel party, so you can use them however you want.

What Are the Benefits of the Disney Dining Plan?

The benefits of signing up for the Disney Dining Plan are:

1. You will have a set budget for food for your entire vacation—no more guessing how much you should spend on meals each day.
2. You’ll be able to try new foods and experiences that you may not have otherwise had the chance to enjoy.
3. The Disney Dining Plan is flexible—you can use it at any participating restaurant, which means you’re not tied down to one specific place.
4. You’ll be able to take advantage of memorable dining experiences, such as character meals and buffet dining, at a budgeted rate (don’t forget that these can sometimes be hard to come by without a reservation — plan ahead!).

The Disney Dining Plan is an add-on to your Disney World vacation package; the cost will vary depending on the package type. While the dining plan is currently suspended, the previous average was around $55 per adult per day and about $26 per child per day.

Disney Dining Plan as of January 2023

The Disney Dining Plan has been put on hold since the pandemic’s start.

The original plan was to bring back the Disney Dining Plan in early 2022. However, just like you, we’re all waiting for the good news of its restart. While the 2023 packages have been released, no specific date has been released yet for the return of the popular Dining Plan.

On January 5, 2023, Disney released a special promotion offering a dining gift card worth up to $750 with the purchase of Summer 2023 vacation packages. It’s not yet known if this “Disney Dining Promo Card” offer is a permanent replacement for the Disney Dining Plan and its popular yearly Free Dining offer… or simply an interim offering.

In the meantime, other options are available to help save on food costs while at Disney World. Many restaurants are still open and offer counter-service dining, and you can also take advantage of special offers and discounts available for dining, such as the Disney Visa Cardholder discount of 10% off at select restaurants. 

Of course, if you’re looking to maximize your time across different attractions, you might want to consider Disney Park Hopper tickets.

Available Dining Experiences

While it’s unfortunate that the Disney Dining Plan is not currently available, this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy some of the park’s treats in the meantime. Make sure to check out these crowd favorites:

• The Mickey Premium Bar–A favorite of most park goers, this iconic cream bar is the perfect start to a hot day at the park.
• Wood-Fired Pizza at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria–Did someone say pizza? Experience Italy’s finest with this wood-fired pizza experience at Epcot.
• Cheeseburger at Steakhouse 71–This two-patty cheesy burger has been a favorite since being added around the time of Disney’s 50th Anniversary.
• Fish and Chips at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop–Who could pass up this classic English favorite? You can’t go wrong with deep fried fish in a golden batter, served with thick fries and plenty of Malt Vinegar.
• Be Our Guest Restaurant–This Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant is an experience in and of itself.  Try the French Onion Soup and, of course, the Grey Stuff.
• Fried Chicken of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue–This place serves the best fried chicken to enjoy while watching the show.
• Kakigori Shaved Ice of Kabuki Cafe–Hot days at Epcot deserve to be cooled down with tasty flavored ice shavings. Choose from a wide selection of fruit flavors, and top off with the sweet milk topping.
• Turkey Leg from the Liberty Market–This scrumptious snack has been available at the park since the 1990s. You’ll find these turkey legs at the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Market — and elsewhere around Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom; the huge salty treat is a must for any meat lover.
• Dole Whip at Aloha Isle–This is probably the best pineapple soft-serve available across the globe–any park veteran knows the famous Dole Whip is never a miss.

This list is only the tip of the iceberg! Getting great food will be the least of your problems at the most magical place on earth, as the options are endless.

Much like Disney Genie+ speeds you through attraction lines, you can use mobile ordering on the Disney World App to order food at park restaurants in advance and beat the rush!  And of course you can always make reservations for sit-down dining.

Conclusion

We’re sure any family is excited about the option of not having to worry about meal planning while they’re having the time of their life in the most magical place on earth. The Disney Dining Plan, after it returns, will again be one of the best services the park offers.

Of course, it’s unfortunate that this service is currently suspended. That being said, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy all the delicious food Disney World has to offer! And don’t worry–we’ll make sure to update you as soon as the Disney Dining Plan is back on the market!