The Disney Dining Plan -The Basics

First released in 2005, the Disney Dining Plan is available to guests booking a Magic Your Way Package at Walt Disney World Resort.  Magic Your Way Packages are when you bundle your resort reservation, park tickets, and other add-ons into one convenient purchase and confirmation.  One of these available add-ons is the Disney Dining Plan.  There are three different Disney Dining Plans (DDP) to choose from.  Each offers different meal credits:

1)      Table-Service Meals -Each one of these credits is good for a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at one of Disney’s sit-down table service restaurants.  For breakfast, this includes one entrée and one beverage (in 2018 this will also include alcoholic and specialty beverages) or one family-style or buffet meal.  For lunch and dinner the credit includes one entrée, one beverage, and one dessert or one family-style or buffet meal.

Table service breakfast at Kona Café in Disney's Polynesian Resort

2)      Quick-Service Meals -Each one of these credits is good for a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at one of Disney’s counter service restaurants. For all meals, this includes an entrée and one beverage (in 2018 this will also include alcoholic and specialty beverages).

3)      Snacks -Snacks are available across the Walt Disney World Resort. Available items are indicated by the purple DDP logo.  These credits are good for things like Mickey Bars, popcorn, Dole Whips, some beverages and the like. 

A Dole Whip is always a good use of a snack credit

Quick-Service Dining Plan: This is categorized by Disney as an on-the-go meal plan that is quick and simple. All guests age three and older who are on a reservation choosing this plan will receive 2 quick-service meals and 2 snacks per person per each day of your resort stay.  You will also receive a reusable drink mug that can be filled at any Walt Disney World Resort hotel for the duration of your stay.  These mugs can be filled with water, soft drinks, coffee and tea.

Disney Dining Plan -This is the most frequently used dining plan of the three that Walt Disney World Resort is the Disney Dining Plan.  Each guest on this dining plan gets one table-service meal credit, one quick-service meal credit and 2 snack credits per person for each day of your resort stay.  You will also receive one of the Walt Disney World Resort refillable mugs that can be filled at any Walt Disney World Resort hotel.  Again you can fill this mug with water, soft drinks, coffee, and tea.

Disney Deluxe Dining Plan -This plan will completely cover all your Disney dining needs for your trip.  Included in this plan are three meal credits (which can be used for either quick-service or table-service meals) and three snack credits for each person on the resort reservation per day. Again with this dining plan, each guest will receive one of the resort refillable mugs which can be filled at any of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels with water, soft drinks, coffee or tea.  In order to get the most bang for your buck with this plan, you’re looking at possibly three table service meals each day, that’s a lot of food and a lot of time to spend eating…which brings us to…

Disney’s Signature Dining

Some of Walt Disney World Resort’s restaurants are classified as Signature Dining Experiences.  These restaurants include Cinderella’s Royal Table at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Le Cellier at Epcot, Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Tiffins at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  There are also some resort hotel restaurants that are classified as signature dining experiences such as Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Flying Fish at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, and Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  A comprehensive list can be found on Walt Disney World’s website.  These restaurants are available to be booked on the DDP, but will set you back two table-service meal credits. This is a great way to use those deluxe plan meal credits.

My family and I enjoying Cinderella's Royal Table on our Princess Weekend trip

You can also use two table-service credits for Disney’s dinner shows: the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground and Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.  Both shows are a lot of fun and can be a good use of these credits as well.

Some other things to consider: You need to book a Magic-Your-Way Package to be eligible for the Disney Dining Plan.  A room only or ticket only reservation won’t cut it.  Because of this, you need to be staying on property at one of Walt Disney World Resort’s hotels to participate.  Additionally, all members of your traveling party on the same reservation need to be on the same dining plan.  Children under 3 are not able to participate but can eat off of others’ plates.  The DDP gives you plenty of food and Disney portions are large, so this is completely possible.  For many restaurants, Advanced Dining Reservations are not only recommended, they are required.

These are just the basics of the Disney Dining Plan.  There’s a lot more to discuss, which I will do in a later post. 

Have you ever used the Disney Dining Plan?  What’s your favorite use of a snack credit?