All The Details About Disney’s New Dining Plan Options
We know you’ve got tons of questions about the new dining plan and we’re here to answer them. Disney has released a lot of new details about the returning dining plan options including pricing, which restaurants are included and how it affects character meals. We’ve sifted through all of the info, and here’s everything that you need to know about the Disney Dining Plan.
Backstory
Let’s hit the basics real quick for those unfamiliar with the history. With the Disney Dining Plan, guests have the option to pay for their meals in advance by purchasing a plan that includes a certain number of dining credits (which depend on the type of plan and the number of days of the trip).
In the past, there were four levels of dining plan to choose from but in 2024 only the Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan will be returning.
The Basic Breakdown
Both the Disney Dining Plan and the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan will be available for vacations starting on January 9, 2024. Simply choose your dining plan of choice when booking your Disney Resort package. If you’re not sure you want to pay for the dining plan yet, you can book your trip without it and add a dining plan option at a later date.
In order to qualify, you must be staying at a Disney-owned-and-operated hotel and have purchased at least one ticket per person. Annual Passholders will also be able to add a Dining Plan to a hotel stay. Disney Vacation Club members will be able to add a plan to a points reservation, but they will need to call the DVC line.
Both dining plans are based on pre-paid credits. Here’s how it breaks down for both dining plan options:
(Standard )Disney Dining Plan
$94.28 per adult, per day
$29.69 per child (ages 3 to 9) per day
Included per person, per night of a Disney World Resort package stay:
- 1 Quick Service Meal Per Night of Stay
- 1 Table Service Meal Per Night of Stay
- 1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay
- 1 Resort-Refillable Mug
Quick Service Dining Plan
$57.01 per adult, per day
$23.83 per child (ages 3 to 9) per day
Included per person, per night of a Disney World Resort package stay:
- 2 Quick Service Meal Per Night of Stay
- 1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay
- 1 Resort-Refillable Mug
Table Service is pretty obvious a definition, but what’s the difference between Quick Service and Snacks you ask? Here’s how it breaks down:
Table Service
Table Service Meals redeemed at breakfast will include:
- 1 Entrée or 1 Full Buffet (If Available) or Family-Style Meal
- 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)
Table Service Meals redeemed at brunch, lunch or dinner will include:
- 1 Entrée or 1 Full Buffet (If Available) or Family-Style Meal
- 1 Dessert
- 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)
Quick Service
Meals redeemed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner will include:
- 1 Entrée
- 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)
Snacks
At Quick Service locations and outdoor carts, snacks may include:
- Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, or fruit bar
- 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream
- Popcorn scoop (single-serving box)
- Piece of whole fruit
- Single-serve bag of snacks
- 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola® products, including Dasani® water
- 20-ounce fountain soft drink
- Single-serve coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, milk, or juice
- Cup of soup
- Add on toppings or sauces (e.g. side of cheese dipping sauce)
Not Included With Dining Plans
- Items that are more than a single serving (such as a box of doughnuts or a jar of peanut butter)
- Items (such as popcorn or drinks) that are served in a souvenir container
- Items considered to be merchandise (such as bottle toppers, glow cubes, and bottle straps)
- Special dining events offered at certain Table Service locations
Additional Dining Plan Details
But wait, there’s more… rules.
Even with a pre-paid dining plan, Fine/Signature Dining Restaurants and Character meals will cost extra. Only this way you pay with two Table Service Credits instead of one.
Dinner shows and private in-room dining will also cost two Table Service Credits, while pizza pickup at select Quick Service locations will cost two Quick Service credits.
Additionally, gratuities are not included, except for at Cinderella’s Royal Table and dinner shows. An 18% gratuity will be automatically added to your check for parties of 6 or more. Also, gratuity may automatically be added to your bill for certain items in your order that are not included in the plan.
Dining plan credits are unavailable for Guests under the age of 3, but they may share from an adult plate at no extra charge, or an additional meal may be purchased from the menu. The price of the meal will be added to your bill.
You can redeem your dining credits in any order or combination you want to. For example, you don’t have to use a table service credit every day – you can save them and have two sit-down meals in one day if you want to. You can also use as many or as few snack credits per day as you want to. So even though it’s all pre-paid you still have some flexibility in how to use your dining credits, until the number of meals and snacks associated with your package has been depleted. Unused meals and snacks will roll over day to day and expire at midnight on the day you checkout of your resort.
I feel it’s also important to point out that having the dining plan as part of your package does not guarantee reservations. You will still need to make advanced dining reservations online or with the My Disney Experience app. As always, we can help you find the really popular, hard to book reservations.
How To Use The Dining Plan
You purchased the thing and made the reservations, so now you’re wondering how to actually redeem a Dining Plan credit? Like everything else in Disney, the answer is your Magic Band. At a Quick Service location, when it’s time to pay, just scan your magic band and verify that you want to use a dining plan credit. At a Table Service location, your server will typically ask if you’re using a dining plan before you place an order, just so they can clarify your options for you. When it’s time to pay, just hand them your Magic Band instead of a credit card and they’ll take care of it. Your Disney Magic Mobile pass, or Key to the World card works the same way.
Tracking Your Dining Credit Use
In the old days with the OG versions of the dining plan you had to ask about your remaining credits every time you scanned your band to use them. Fortunately, now you can more easily keep track of your dining credit usage in the My Disney Experience app. They’ll also probably still print the total remaining on your receipts.
Will I Save Money With The Dining Plan?
This is a tough one to answer. The answer honestly depends on multiple factors. How many Table Service reservations do you plan to make? How many of those reservations will actually cost you two Table Service credits? How many people are in your party? Does your group snack a lot or a little?
Honestly the best way to determine if the dining plan is right for you is to take a look at the average cost of meals and/or snacks at the dining locations you plan to visit during your stay and do some quick math based on the number of people in your party. I know, I know. Math?! Successfully planning Disney vacations requires some homework.
Generally speaking, families of four or more generally save a bit of money or at least break even on the cost. Personal experience as someone who is typically a solo Disney diner or in a party of two – it’s not worth it for me. I actually end up leaving money, and half-eaten desserts, on the table. Both of those make me equally sad.