Food for Thought: A Guide to Disney World Dining Plans

If you’re considering a Disney World dining plan, you’ve landed in the right place. This post covers: dining plan eligibility, dining plan options and tips for deciding whether or not any of the plans make sense for your trip. It will also highlight the differences between the 2017 and 2018 dining plans.

First, let’s cover dining plan eligibility. Disney only offers dining plans to guests who purchase a “Magic Your Way” package (hotel room + park tickets) or owners of Disney Vacation Club properties. If you purchase your tickets from anyone else or choose to stay anywhere else (including the Disney World Swan/Dolphin hotels or any off-site hotel) than you are not eligible to purchase a dining plan.

Depending on your perspective these restrictions could be meaningless, a total bummer or a welcome decision-making relief. The dining plans really only effect how you pay for meals at Disney World. They do not effect your access to restaurants or your ability to have a great trip. If you don’t “qualify” it’s not a huge deal.

Now that you understand eligibility, what are the Disney dining plan options?

It gets a little confusing. I’ll try my best to keep it simple.

When you purchase a dining plan from Disney, you’re really purchasing credits or vouchers. These credits can be used for snacks and meals throughout Disney World during your visit. The total credits you receive are based on how many people are in your party and how many nights you stay in a Disney property. The number also depends on which of the three dining plans you choose.

Here are your options:

(Note: benefits and pricing are listed per person, per night.)

(1) Quick-Service Dining Plan 

• 2 quick-service/fast food meals (entrée & drink)
• 2 snacks (like a Mickey Pretzel, Starbucks Frappuccino, etc.)
• 1 refillable resort mug per person per stay
• 2017 Cost: $48.19 per adult (10 years+) and $20.88 per child
• 2018 Cost: $52.50 per adult (10 years+) and $21.74 per child

(2) Disney Dining Plan

• 1 quick-service meal (entrée & drink)
• 1 table-service meal (entrée, drink and dessert or one buffet)
• 2 snacks
• 1 refillable resort mug per person per stay
• 2017 Cost: $69.35 per adult (10 years+) and $24.95 per child
• 2018 Cost: $75.49 per adult (10 years+) and $25.75 per child

(3) Disney Deluxe Dining Plan

• 3 meals per day, any combination of quick-service or table service
• 2 snacks
• 1 refillable resort mug per person per stay
• 2017 Cost: $106.68 per adult (10 years+) and $38.75 per child
• 2018 Cost: $116.25 per adult (10 years+) and $39.99 per child

I mentioned that the dining plans are really credits that you exchange for meals and snacks. The credits cover breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks at over 100 locations throughout Disney World. The credits are not attached to a single person or a particular day.

Here’s an example. A party of four purchasing the Disney Dining Plan for a five night stay will receive a total of 20 quick-service meal credits (4 people X 1 quick-service meal per day X 5 nights), 20 table-service meal credits (4 people X 1 table-service meal per day X 5 nights), 40 snack credits (4 people X 2 snacks per day X 5 nights) and 4 mugs. The credits are assigned at check-in and can be used any way you like throughout your stay. You can use one table-service credit per day, or two one day and none the next. If Daddy wants to use 30 of the snack credits and leave the other ten for the kids, he can do that too. Well, at least in theory.

Here are other important details regarding the plans:

• The Quick-Service and Disney Dining plans assume two meals per day per person, with snacks filling in for a third meal.
• Some table-service restaurants (like Cinderella’s Royal Table or the California Grill) require two credits per meal.
• If one person in your party is on a Disney dining plan, then everybody in your party (usually defined as a single reservation) has to be on the same plan.
• Guests under the age of ten are required to order from the kids’ menu.
• None of the dining plans include tips.
• The refillable mug provides unlimited coffee or fountain beverages at your resort, but not within the parks.
• There’s no dollar amount attached to the dining plan credits. You can use a dining credit toward a $49 buffet or a $17 entrée.
• A small number of restaurants and food carts do not participate in the dining plans.
• The cost for all of the meal plans are paid 60 days in advance, along with your Disney resort and park ticket fees.
• The 2017 plans do not cover alcoholic beverages. Beginning in 2018, guests can use their beverage credits at quick-service or table-service restaurants to cover one alcoholic drink or one non-alcoholic specialty beverage (like a milkshake).

So now that you understand who is eligible to purchase a dining plan and how the dining plans work, how do you decide if you want to pay for one?

Well, like most Disney World travel questions, it depends. Which, if any of the plans, makes the most sense for you will depend on how much you want to spend and when you want to spend it, how much time you want to dedicate toward eating and how much priority to place on dining in general.

(Note: If you’d rather skip this part, you can also try our Disney Dining Quiz to see which of the plans best suits your needs!)

Let’s start with the Quick Service Dining Plan. The primary benefits of this plan are cost, flexibility and ease of use. The Quick Service Dining Plan offers the least amount of food at the lowest cost. It also provides the most flexibility, because you don’t need to make reservations and stick to an itinerary during your visit. Similar to paying out of pocket, you can use your dining credits to pay for meals as you want them. Another benefit of the plan is prepaying the majority of your food costs, since you won’t have to cover tips once you’re on property.

The Quick Service Dining Plan has a few downsides too. Although it’s the least expensive of the plans, it’s not exactly inexpensive. At $50 a day per adult, you need to be strategic about your entree selections to come out ahead. Some guests may also find the quantity of food excessive.

Next, let’s cover the Disney Dining Plan. This plan is similar to the Quick Service Plan, except that it replaces one of the quick-service meals with a table-service one. It also costs about $20-25 more per adult per day.

The Disney Dining Plan offers a strong option for guests that want a larger variety of food choices. It provides some of the convenience and flexibility of the Quick Service Plan, with the added benefit of table service dining. If you’re considering character meals or other buffets, the Disney Dining Plan may be a good idea for you. These restaurants tend to cost more than traditional menu locations, so you’ll get more value for your dining credits. Since the sit-down restaurants also tend to be better themed then quick-service locations, you’ll also receive more entertainment value during meal times. Finally, the table service locations provide a longer break and less stress than quick-service locations, because you won’t have to hunt for a table or balance your tray of food while walking to it.

So what are the cons? Well, price for one. It’s $70-75 per day per adult. It also offers more food than some people need or want. Unlike the Quick Service Plans, you’ll need to allow for the expense of tips during your trip. You’ll also need to stick to a schedule, because most table-service reservations are made months in advance. Overall, this plan requires you to exchange more of your recreational time for dining, since it usually takes longer to complete a meal in table-service locations.

The final dining plan option is the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan. This plan offers the most food for the highest price. It tends to appeal to guests that are less price sensitive and view dining as a primary form of vacation entertainment. If you’re planning to experience multiple dining shows at Disney World, such as the Spirit of Aloha at the Polynesian, this plan makes sense because it offers the most dining credits. It also works for guests that are committed to three meals per day, since it’s the only plan that truly offers this quantity.

Clearly the downside for the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan is price. These plans are more than $100 per day per adult, which is more than you’ll pay to enjoy the parks. Still, the plans make sense for some guests that want to pay the majority of their food costs upfront and want to experience the least amount of restrictions during their visit.

Whew. Still with me?

One final option is to skip the dining plans altogether. I think this option makes the most sense for people that want to maximize their time experiencing the parks as well as the flexibility of their itineraries. If you’re planning to pack a few meals, mostly eat from quick-service locations and splurge on a few big table-service meals, then it also makes sense to skip a meal plan and pay out of pocket as you go. Some guests will find it less confusing, and in many cases, less expensive than purchasing a plan.

I feel like I should mention that Disney guests tend to be very passionate about their Dining Plan options. Those that love them, LOVE them. Those that don’t, well DON’T. Maybe you’ve encountered some of these opinions in your friends and family. Listen to what they have to say, but remember the choice is yours. What makes sense for you may not be the same for them. And as always, please know that whatever choices you make for your Disney World vacation you will still have fun. Whether or not you have a dining plan will not make or break your trip!

Hopefully this post gave you some insight on the Disney Dining Plans and whether or not they are worth the cost for you.  Still have questions? Leave me a comment below or check out our Disney Dining Plan Quiz!

Add some tasty magic to your world!