Disney Dining Plan

UPDATE

Disney Dining Plans have returned! After being suspended in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Dining Plans are back for Disney Resort hotel stays with arrival dates of January 9, 2024 or later. We’ve updated this page with pricing now that 2024 vacation packages have been released.

What is the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining Plan offers a way for you to prepay for the majority of your meals during your Disney World vacation — and possibly save a bit of money in the process. The program allows you to pre-budget for the cost of food at Disney World and bundle it into your reservation package payment plan. It’s a great way to enjoy some fantastic meals without having to worry about money in the moment during your trip.

How Does the Disney Dining Plan Work?

Disney Dining Plans assign a certain number of dining credits (also known as entitlements) to each person staying in your resort room — and those credits can be redeemed for meals, snacks, and more.

Here are a few things you need to know up front:

• There are currently two different dining plans offered. Each one offers different types of meals and is priced differently. See next section for details.
• The dining plan must be purchased as part of a package which includes a stay at a Disney World Resort hotel. It cannot be purchased if you’re staying offsite.
• The dining plan must be purchased for the entire length of your resort stay. It cannot be purchased for just a few nights of your stay.
• Everyone (ages 3+) in the room must purchase the dining plan. It cannot be purchased by just a few of the people on the reservation.
• Everyone (ages 3+) in the room must purchase the same dining plan. It’s not possible to have some people on one dining plan and other people on a different plan.
• Entitlements are not transferable between members of the travel party
• Children ages 3-9 must order from the children’s menu if one is provided

When you check in to your hotel, your dining plan entitlements will be loaded into your MyDisneyExperience account and ready for you to use right away — simply tap your MagicBand to the reader at each restaurant or snack cart to redeem your entitlements. You can use the credits as you like throughout your stay. There’s no need to use exactly one dining credit per day — you can double up on meals for one day and skip the next day if you desire. You can even use all your snack credits on the same day if you wish!

What Dining Plans are Offered?

For 2024, Disney is offering two versions — there’s the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, or the more traditional Disney Dining Plan (standard version). In prior years, there was also a “deluxe” version which does not seem to be returning for 2024.

Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan

The Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan is best for those who are constantly on the go. It foregoes time-consuming table-service meals in favor of Quick-Service (AKA “counter service”) dining. It’s a great way to quickly “put some gas in the tank” and then head off to your next ride!

What Does the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan Include?

Each person (age 3+) receives the following for each night of the stay:

• 2 Quick Service Meals
• 1 Snack

Each person (age 3+) also receives one Resort-Refillable drink mug that can be used for non-alcoholic beverages at their resort hotel’s self-service drink island. See FAQs below for more information about each type of entitlement.

As an example, a seven-night reservation with four people in the room would receive:

• 56 quick service meal entitlements (7 nights x 4 people x 2 meals per night)
• 28 snack entitlements (7 nights x 4 people x 1 snack per night)
• 4 refillable mugs to use during their stay

All entitlements for the entire reservation are loaded right away upon check-in; they can be used at any time from check-in until 11:59PM on the day of check out. You don’t have wait for new entitlements to be loaded each day.

How Much Does the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan Cost?

2024 pricing for the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan is around $57.01 per night for adults (ages 10+) and $23.83 per night for kids (ages 3-9).

Disney Dining Plan (Standard Version)

The traditional or standard version of the Disney Dining Plan offers the best of both worlds — you still get the on-the-go convenience of a quick-service meal for the busier parts of your vacation, which also still enjoying relaxing table service meals at other times.

What Does the Disney Dining Plan (Standard Version) Include?

Each person (age 3+) receives the following for each night of the stay:

• 1 Table Service Meal
• 1 Quick Service Meal
• 1 Snack

Each person (age 3+) also receives one Resort-Refillable drink mug that can be used for non-alcoholic beverages at their resort hotel’s self-service drink island. See FAQs below for more information about each type of entitlement.

As an example, a seven-night reservation with four people in the room would receive:

• 28 table service meal entitlements (7 nights x 4 people x 1 meal per night)
• 28 quick service meal entitlements (7 nights x 4 people x 1 meal per night)
• 28 snack entitlements (7 nights x 4 people x 1 snack per night)
• 4 refillable mugs to use during their stay

All entitlements for the entire reservation are loaded right away upon check-in; they can be used at any time from check-in until 11:59PM on the day of check out. You don’t have wait for new entitlements to be loaded each day.

How Much Does the Disney Dining Plan Cost?

2024 pricing for the Disney Dining Plan (standard version) is around $94.28 per night for adults (ages 10+) and $29.69 per night for kids (ages 3-9). This is a bit higher than pricing for the Quick-Service dining plan, because it includes one “nicer” meal each day.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Flexible?

One of the biggest benefits of the Disney Dining Plan is its flexibility.

Want to use three table service meal entitlements in one day? No sweat!

Not feeling that hungry and just want a snack instead of a meal? Piece of cake! (And bonus — a piece of cake will probably qualify for your snack credit!)

All meal and snack entitlements are available to use starting the moment you check in, and you can use them in any way you like throughout your trip. Just make sure you use them all up by 11:59 PM on the day you check out — any unused credits will turn into pumpkins at midnight!

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It?

This is a tough one to answer because it really depends on your eating habits. For travelers who love to eat and often order pricier entrees from the menu, the dining plan can be a good deal. But for those who don’t eat a lot and tend to stick to salads or sandwiches, you might be better off purchasing your meals separately rather than using the Disney Dining Plan. If you really eat light, you might just want to bring your own food to save money.

To help figure out the if the Disney Dining Plan is worth adding to your reservation, check out our Disney Dining Plan Calculator and our Disney World Cost Calculator to compare costs and see pricing estimates for each option.

FAQs about Disney’s Dining Plans

What Qualifies as a Snack on the Disney Dining Plan?

Generally speaking, any single-serve food or non-alcoholic beverage item with a price point around, say, $7 or less will likely qualify for use of a snack credit.

Examples might include a Mickey Ice Cream bar, Dole Whip, a soft pretzel, a churro, a box of popcorn, a 20-ounce bottle of soda, and even many items at the festival booths in EPCOT.

Again, these are merely possible examples — the best way to determine if something qualifies is to either ask the Cast Member tending the location, or to look for a “DDP” logo next to the item on menus and price signage.

What Qualifies as a Quick Service Meal on the Disney Dining Plan?

A quick service meal at Disney World is one in which you place your order and pay in advance (either at a cash register or in the MyDisneyExperience app’s mobile order function) and then wait for your food; you pick up your meal from the counter and take it to your table to enjoy. For a real world example, think of the experience you might have at a McDonald’s or other “fast food” or “quick casual” place.

Your Disney Quick Service Meal entitlement will usually include an entrée and side item (or a combo meal if offered), along with a beverage. Those who are of age may enjoy a beer, wine, or cocktail with their meal.

What Qualifies as a Table Service Meal on the Disney Dining Plan?

A table service meal at Disney World is one in which you are seated at a table and given a menu, and have a server visit your table to take your order, deliver your food, serve you throughout the meal, and process payment at the end of the meal.

Your Disney Table Service Meal entitlement will usually include an entrée and side item (or possibly a prix fixe menu option if offered), along with a beverage. Those who are of age may enjoy a beer, wine, or cocktail with their meal. Dessert is also included, except at breakfast.

Where Can I use my Resort Refillable Mug?

Your resort refillable mug is valid for use only at the self-service drink island at your resort hotel. It can not be used to get drinks in the theme parks, water parks, or Disney Springs.

Typical drink options include soft drinks (Coca-Cola products), water, coffee, tea, and occasionally even some frozen slush options.

Which Restaurants Take Disney Dining Plan Credits?

Most Disney World Restaurants and snack carts — including many locations at Disney Springs — accept the Disney Dining Plan. You can see the updated list on Disney’s website; and you can always ask a Cast Member if you’re not sure. Note that some high-end locations may require the use of two dining entitlements — see below.

Which Restaurants Take Two Disney Dining Plan Credits?

Dining locations which are listed as a “signature dining” experience require two table service entitlements per meal in recognition of the higher-end experience they provide. Some examples include California Grill, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Cinderella’s Royal table, and Cítricos. Some of the most-popular character meals, such as Cinderella’s Royal Table, also require two credits. You’ll also need two credits to use in-room private dining (AKA hotel room service) or the pizza service offered at some resorts.

Do Dinner Shows accept the Disney Dining Plan?

Certain performances and seating categories at the Hoop-Dee-Doo-Musical Revue can be experienced with the Disney Dining Plan. You’ll need to redeem two entitlements for the experience.

Do You Need Reservations if You Have the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining Plan does not include any type of guaranteed seating, so you’ll almost certainly want to make reservations for any table service meals you plan to have. You can reserve your meals 60 days in advance of your check-in date, so book early to have the best chance of getting your desired meals.

Quick Service restaurants typically don’t take reservations, so you can plan to simply walk up to those.

And don’t forget — if the restaurant is inside a theme park, you’ll need theme park admission tickets (as well as a theme park reservation if your ticket requires one) to dine.

Does the Disney Dining Plan include tips (gratuities)?

Tips are not included with the Disney Dining Plan. It’s customary to tip around 18% of the regular menu price for your meal at table service restaurants, regardless of what you paid for the Disney Dining Plan itself.

Does the Disney Dining Plan Include Alcohol?

Beer, wine, or a cocktail is included with the cost of the dining plan during quick service and table service meals. Snack entitlements cannot be redeemed for alcoholic beverages.

Does the Dining Plan Cover Appetizers and Desserts?

2024’s dining plan includes dessert for table service brunches, lunches, and dinners. Dessert is not included for table service breakfasts, nor is it included for any quick service meals. Appetizers are not included.

Does the Disney Dining Plan Include Breakfast?

Both versions of the Disney Dining Plan include two meals per day, but they are not assigned to any specific meal times. You can use your meal entitlements at breakfast, lunch, or dinner as you wish.

And because you can use multiple entitlements per day, there’s no reason that you can’t use three entitlements in one day if you desire — you’ll just have to skip a meal later in the trip.

Which Hotels are Eligible for the Disney Dining Plan?

The dining plan is officially offered at “select Walt Disney World Resort hotels”; generally speaking, if your hotel is on Disney World property and is owned/operated by Disney, you can add the dining plan to your reservation. These include Disney’s Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, and Deluxe Villa Resorts.

Third party hotels such as the Swan and Dolphin resorts do not participate.

Can I Add the Dining Plan to Just Part of My Stay?

The Disney dining plan must be purchased for the entire length of a resort reservation. It’s not possible to have it applied only to part of your stay, unless you have two separate reservations in different accommodations. In that case, you could add the dining plan to one reservation and leave it off the other.

My Kids Don’t Eat Much. Can I Add the Dining Plan for Just the Adults in the Room?

No; if the dining plan is added to the reservation, it must be added for every member of the travel party who is aged 3+.

Do I get a refund for unused dining plan credits?

Unused dining plan credits will expire at 11:59PM on the day you check out of your resort, and there are no refunds. So make sure you plan ahead to use all those credits!

It’s a common sight at check-out time to see folks in the resort gift shop buying up lots of chips and sodas on the last morning of their stay so their snack credits aren’t wasted — it’s like watching Supermarket Sweep, Disney Edition!

What if I Run Out of Dining Plan Entitlements?

There’s no way to “refill” your dining plan or add more entitlements. If you run out of credits/entitlements, you’ll simply need to pay out of pocket for any additional dining you wish to do.

When Will Free Dining Come Back?

Disney has traditionally offered “Free Dining” as a promotion during the slower times of the year, including a Disney Quick Service plan (or other meal plan) at no additional cost when purchasing a full-priced hotel stay and full-priced length-of-stay theme park tickets. This promotion is immensely popular whenever it is offered, and often sells out.

So is it coming back? Not yet. The entire Disney Dining Plan — free or otherwise — was suspended during the 2020 through 2023 travel seasons, and is just now returning for stays starting January 9, 2024 and beyond. Given nearly four years of pent-up demand, it’s likely to be quite some time before Disney decides they need to stoke travel demand by offering free dining as an incentive to book.

Of course, the mouse works in mysterious ways and new promotions are announced regularly — so make sure you’re in good with a trusted Disney Travel Agent to ensure you stay in the know about all the latest promotions.