2024 Disney Dining Plan Info & Tips
The 2024 Disney Dining Plan comes in tiers, with prices starting at $57 per night for adults and $23 for kids. This guide to Walt Disney World’s meal package covers costs, money saving tips, what’s included, whether it’s worth getting, participating restaurants, and likely Free Dining dates. (Updated January 9, 2024.)
Let’s start with the current status of the Disney Dining Plan. For the first time in 4 years, the Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan (QSDDP) and standard or regular Disney Dining Plan (DDP) both now available to both book and use at Walt Disney World. The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan (DxDDP) and Disney Dining Plan Plus (DDP+) are still unavailable (for now), but the two most popular tiers (by far) have made their triumphant return.
But wait, there’s more! When it comes to the Disney Dining Plan, the next question is inevitably: “When is Free Dining available?” The answer to that is also right now. Free Dining is also back for 2024, available to book now for trips later this summer and fall. As discussed in our Guide to 2024 Free Dining at Walt Disney World, we’re expecting a second wave of dates to be released covering more travel dates. If you’d like to be notified if/when it’s released again or we have more details, sign up here for our FREE Disney newsletter here.
Prior to the return of the Disney Dining Plan in 2024, the DDP had evolved over time before disappearing for over 3 years. The most significant change that’s still relevant for the 2024 Disney Dining Plan is the inclusion of alcoholic beverages on all tiers of the Disney Dining Plans. This is a nice perk for drinkers, but has downsides–particularly for families, as kids obviously cannot order alcohol.
As a result of the addition of alcohol coupled with menu price increases, the Disney Dining Plan had actually become a better value in the last two years prior to being suspended. The return of the DDP has actually thrown us more value-for-money curveballs, as 2024 Disney Dining Plan prices for kids have decreased while adult prices have increased.
With that said, the 2024 Disney Dining Plan does cost more money…one way or another. Even with prices decreasing for kids, there’s also the big asterisk that Walt Disney World is reducing the number of snacks available on the Disney Dining Plans from 2 to 1 per night. So that alone achieves cost-savings for the company and reduces the per night value by $5-6. (More than offsetting that sticker price decrease.)
For another thing, Walt Disney World has already engaged in aggressive culinary cost-cutting, especially at counter service restaurants. They’ve substituted suppliers, changed ingredients, and reduced portion sizes. All of this means that even at the same prices, the 2024 Disney Dining Plan will offer less than before–or you’ll have to spend more to get as much.
Here’s everything else you need to know about the Disney Dining Plan…
We’ve used each tier of the Disney Dining Plan numerous times, usually multiple times per year. Our tips and opinions are based on our first-hand experience with the Dining Plan every year (minus the 3 it hasn’t been available) since 2007. Equally as important, we have not used the Disney Dining Plan many, many more times than we have used it.
That may not seem important, but it is. In researching Walt Disney World, you’ll learn that there are diehard Dining Plan fans, and others who hate it with the fiery passion of one thousand suns. Both groups have their biases, and often make sweeping generalizations about the Disney Dining Plan based on how well it works–or doesn’t–for them.
Seriously, Walt Disney World fans have a lot of surprisingly strong opinions about things that might seem silly to the average person. But few subjects are as irrationally polarizing as the Disney Dining Plan. Even ~15 years after its debut, we still don’t totally “get” that. We see the DDP’s pros and cons, and recognize that it’s great for some families and awful for others. In short, the Disney Dining Plan is very much not one-size-fits-all, and this post reflects that reality!
Before we get to dollars and cents, let’s cover some basics. The DDP is a prepaid meal plan offered at Walt Disney World so guests can budget their dining costs in advance and (potentially) save money. It provides guests with credits that can be redeemed for snacks, counter service meals, table service meals, or fine dining meals.
Gratuity is not included on the Disney Dining Plan, meaning guests need to pay that out of pocket. This is one way that the Disney Dining Plan actually catches people by surprise–even during Free Dining or when paid for in advance, tips can add up and be a considerable and sometimes unanticipated expense at the end of the trip. Otherwise, it’s a fairly all-inclusive meal plan, albeit with some limitations.
Disney Dining Plan credits are stored on the guest’s MagicBand or Key to the World card, with the receipt provided after redeeming the credits indicating how many credits remain. That’s the old school way of knowing how many credits you have remaining.
We recommend monitoring your 2024 Disney Dining Plan usage–including credits issued and redeemed–via the My Disney Experience app. Within the app, you’ll want to navigate to “Resort Hotel” (either from the home screen or the tiles) and then “Check Dining Plan.” That’ll take you to the screen above, showing you how many credits issued and remaining.
For counter service restaurants, we highly recommend using the Mobile Order feature in the My Disney Experience app to redeem your credits, too. This is because the process is even more streamlined for 2024, with a little pop-up ‘reminder’ indicating when you’re not fully utilizing the DDP and would be letting credits go to waste.
You can still use the Disney Dining Plan at counter service cash registers, and it’s often helpful to go this route if you have questions that a Cast Member can answer. And they also can help make sure you’re taking full advantage of your DDP credits. Of course, this is how you’ll also do things at table service restaurants–tell your server you have the Disney Dining Plan before ordering, and they’ll make sure you’re using your entitlements properly.
Walt Disney World has released the Full List of Restaurants on 2024 Disney Dining Plans, and there are currently 230 participating locations along with a handful of conspicuous omissions. That list is now pretty close to final, but will likely see a few changes throughout the year as new restaurants open and are added.
The big restaurants that are missing from the 2024 Disney Dining Plan are Space 220 and California Grill. The commonality is that both locations are immensely popular and both serve prix fixe menus. If either of those things change (popularity or menu types), we’d expect to see them added. Both would likely be 2-credit Signature Restaurants, making them poor uses of credits. There are also a handful of third party restaurants that don’t accept the 2024 Disney Dining Plan.
In addition to this, many menus at Walt Disney World (especially counter service restaurants) are still scaled-back, but we’ve already seen a few receive refreshes in the last couple of months. Even so, not everything on every menu is eligible for the DDP. You’ll need to look for the symbol (see below).
Walt Disney World guests purchasing a vacation package with a room and tickets through Disney are eligible to buy the Disney Dining Plan. This means that if you want the DDP, you cannot save money by staying in off-site hotel or by purchasing discount Walt Disney World tickets through a Disney-authorized ticket seller.
Disney Vacation Club members staying on points are also eligible to add-on the Disney Dining Plan, without the purchase of park tickets through Disney (as many of them either have Annual Passes or prefer purchasing discounted tickets through authorized third parties). You can also add-on the Disney Dining Plan when renting DVC points, which is a great way to save money on accommodations.
Let’s get more into the nitty-gritty of the Disney Dining Plan, starting with the basics: prices and what each plan includes…
Disney Dining Plan Overview
For the purposes of the Disney Dining Plan, a “counter service meal” consists of a combo meal (entree plus side) and beverage, including alcoholic beverages for adults (where available). It no longer includes a dessert. Also as of this date, a counter service meal may also consist of 3 snack items (defined below) in a single transaction.
A “table service meal” consists of an entree, dessert, and beverage, including alcoholic beverages for adults. For those guests on the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan (unavailable for 2024), this also includes an appetizer.
As part of Walt Disney World’s healthy living initiative, the dessert in the table service meal may also be substituted for a side salad, cup of soup, or fruit plate.
A “snack” includes items sold at snack carts around the park or in quick service restaurants. The definition of a snack has been expanded to include any single serving side item, which means more items will now be considered snacks (snacks were previously determined on a case-by-case basis with the DDP symbol (the purple thing above) denoting what was a snack). A snack now includes every side item, hand-scooped ice cream, and many other items that previously did not qualify as snacks.
Tax is always included, but guests pay for tips out of pocket. Children under 3 eat free from an adult’s plate.
Two-Credit Table Service Restaurants – Some dining experiences at Walt Disney World require 2 credits rather than just a single credit. By and large, these are premium offerings, such as Signature Restaurants, Dinner Shows, Pizza Delivery, or Room Service Meal.
In terms of value for money (or credit), there is not a single 2-credit premium experience that’s worth it from an objective perspective on the regular Disney Dining Plan. None of them–not one–offers per-credit value that’s on par with the ‘average’ redemption of a single table service credit. These are, across the board, a waste of DDP credits. Nevertheless, here are the options:
Character Dining – Certain ‘fancier’ character meals require two credits instead of one. These are Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (at lunch and dinner only) in EPCOT, and Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White in Wilderness Lodge.
Fine Dining or Signature Restaurants – Experience an elegant Table-Service option with a wide selection of cuisines ranging from traditional African, Indian and Mediterranean to premium steaks and fresh seafood in Signature Restaurants, which are mostly the fine dining restaurants in Deluxe Resorts. There are about a dozen of these, and it’ll specify ‘Signature Dining’ in the restaurant description.
Dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant– Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom requires 2 Table-Service meal credits to be exchanged for a single dining experience.
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue Dinner Show – Enjoy family-style dining with live entertainment at a themed dinner show. All dinner shows require advance reservations. Two Table-Service meals will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining at a dinner show experience.
Private In-Room Dining or Pizza Pickup – When staying at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, indulge in the comfort and convenience of dining in your room. At the other end of the spectrum, grab a mediocre (but large!) pizza to eat in your room from one of the Value Resorts. Neither option is as good as it sounds.
Dining Packages – Packages that include reserved seating for a show, such as Fantasmic or the EPCOT festival concerts and Candlelight Processional, are typically included in the Disney Dining Plan. Thus far, Walt Disney World has only confirmed that this will be true for Fantasmic, but we’d expect the same for EPCOT, as well (those will likely be 2-credits each, whereas it varies for Fantasmic). Here are the official details about using the DDP for Fantasmic Dining Packages:
1 Table-Service meal will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining at:
- 50’s Prime Time Café
- Hollywood & Vine
- Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
2 Table-Service meals will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining at the Hollywood Brown Derby.
Each Fantasmic Dining Package includes:
- An entrée and appetizer or dessert at select full-service restaurants or one full buffet (where applicable), along with a non-alcoholic beverage
- One voucher for guaranteed seating at Fantasmic! in a reserved area
Quick Service Disney Dining Plan (AVAILABLE FOR 2024)
The Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan is the lowest tier of the DDP. This is the tier that is typically included with Free Dining at the Value and Moderate Resorts.
For each person on the room reservation, the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan includes:
- two counter-service meals (per night)
- one snack (per night)
- a refillable drink mug (per stay)
For 2024, the per night price of the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan is $57.01 per adult and $23.83 per child. (Previously, it was $55 per adult and $26 per child ages 3-9.) That amounts to an increase of a couple dollars for adults and a decrease of a couple dollars for kids over the course of 3 years.
However, it’s again worth emphasizing that both of the 2024 Disney Dining Plans only offer one snack each, whereas their counterparts previously offered two snacks per night. (That’s a difference in value of $5-6.)
Standard Disney Dining Plan (AVAILABLE FOR 2024)
This is the standard tier of the Disney Dining Plan, and what’s typically included with “Free” Dining at the Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts. For the price difference between the plans, you can upgrade from the Free Quick Service Dining Plan to this plan at the Value Resorts.
For each person on the room reservation, the Standard DDP includes:
- one counter-service meal (per night)
- one sit-down meal (per night)
- one snack (per night)
- a refillable drink mug (per stay)
For 2024, the per night price of the standard or regular Disney Dining Plan is $94.28 per adult and $29.69 per child. (Previously, it was $78.01 per adult and $30.51 per child.) As you can see, that’s a huge increase for adults (+$16 per night!) and a slight decrease for kids in 2024.
Disney Dining Plan Plus (UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024)
This is the upgraded tier of the Disney Dining Plan, which is best for guests who want to do table service lunch and dinners, or breakfast breakfast and dinners every day of their vacation. For the extra cost, you receive a second table service meal in place of a counter service meal–but you have the option (or “flexibility” as Disney calls it) of simply using those credits at quick service restaurants.
For each person on the room reservation, the DDP+ includes:
- two meals at your choice of table service or counter service restaurants (per night)
- two snacks (per night)
- a refillable drink mug (per stay)
The per night price of the Disney Dining Plan Plus was $94.61 per adult and $35 per child when it was last available. If it returns later in 2024 or 2025, expect it to cost over $100 per night for adults, and around the same price for kids.
Deluxe Disney Dining Plan (UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024)
This is the upper echelon of Disney Dining Plans, and the closest thing Walt Disney World offers to an all-inclusive meal package (albeit not covering tips and other things you may want to order/purchase). By default, no resort tier receives this for Free Dining, but you can pay the difference to upgrade to it.
Those on the Deluxe Plan may officially mix their adult and child credits, meaning that child credits may be used for adult entrees. This has long been an unofficial loophole (and remains one) for the lower tiers of the plans, but it’s officially allowed on the Deluxe Plan.
For each person on the room reservation, the DxDDP includes:
- three meals at your choice of counter service restaurants or table service restaurants (per night)
- two snacks (per night)
- one refillable drink mug (per stay)
The per-night price of the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan was $119 per adult and $47.50 per child during regular season, and more during peak season, when it was last available. If it returns for 2025, don’t be surprised if it costs over $130 for adults (maybe even $140!) and $50 for kids.
DDP credits don’t have a set dollar value, and how much they are “worth” widely varies based upon your dining preferences. For example, a table service credit may be redeemed at an inexpensive restaurant for a water, sandwich, and ice cream dessert that would normally cost $37 total. Alternatively, it can be redeemed at a nicer restaurant for a glass of wine, swordfish steak, and Copetta Sotto Bosco that would normally cost $73 total.
These are actual examples from Walt Disney World restaurants, demonstrating the big difference in value a credit may have depending upon at which restaurant and for which menu items it’s redeemed. You could get even less or even more value out of the Dining Plan, depending upon what you order.
By analyzing pricing, we can reverse engineer an approximate value that Disney places on each meal type within the various DDPs. Based upon our calculations, a table service meal is worth approximately $63, a counter service meal on the DDP is worth approximately $25, and a snack is worth approximately $6. (For the purposes of these calculations, we view the refillable mug as a throw-in, since its value could fluctuate widely depending upon length of stay.)
Those numbers are updated to account for price increases and decreases on the 2024 Disney Dining Plan. Honestly, it’s difficult to contort the numbers to make the math work, but the above values are pretty much the only way for the discrepancy between the two tiers to make sense. The result is a slight increase in the value ascribed to snack and counter service credits, and a massive increase for table service credits.
By comparing those dollar amounts to online menus available for Walt Disney World, you can get a pretty good idea of whether the Disney Dining Plan is right for your family. We write a long review below and also have resources for getting more value out of the Dining Plan, but ultimately it’s a personal thing. With those rough numbers, you can do the math for yourself and make an informed decision as to whether the DDP is right for you.
Spoiler: unless you drink alcohol at almost every meal and order expensive entrees at nice restaurants (but not 2-credit ones!) or do a lot of character dinners (but not breakfasts!), it’s going to be very difficult to make the regular Disney Dining Plan work out in your favor. That’s especially true if your party skews towards adults, rather than kids.
If you want to read more about most common circumstances when the DDP does or does not make sense, see When You Should Buy & Skip the 2024 Disney Dining Plan! That’s a long read, but it provides a breakdown of different demographics that likely will–and will not–benefit from buying the DDP. Or you can simply follow the above rule of thumb, which is all ~90% of guests need to know.
If you’re on the fence as it’s a close call as to whether the Disney Dining Plan is right for you, it is possible to plan ahead to squeeze more bang for your buck out of the DDP. For this, see our popular ‘Value Maximization’ series of posts:
- Top 10 Restaurants for Maximizing Table Service Credit Value
- Top 10 Restaurants for Maximizing Counter Service Credit Value
- Best Ways to Maximize Snack Credit Value
Frequent users of the Disney Dining Plan become pretty adept at getting more bang for their buck, as they know these strategies are the difference between saving hundreds of dollars with the Disney Dining Plan and losing hundreds of dollars with it. With these posts, quick menu review, and some advance planning, first-time visitors to Walt Disney World can also make the most of the Dining Plan!
As noted at the top of the post, the Disney Dining Plan is offered throughout the year for “free” to Walt Disney World guests who purchase a vacation package (this is not offered to Disney Vacation Club members staying on points). Typically, Free Dining is offered for select dates in August through December.
The Free Dining promotion is incredibly popular with Disney fans. However, you need to remember that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. When Free Dining is available, you forfeit another discount that might be offered–like a room-only discount. You’re also locked-in to buying tickets directly from Disney, which means no discount tickets. Suffice to say, you need to do the math and compare the “Free” Dining Plan to other discounts.
Before even booking the Disney Dining Plan, you should determine where you want to eat and secure Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs). It should be easy to see which Disney Dining Plan best suits your needs, or if the Dining Plan is even necessary.
Even for many on-site Walt Disney World guests, the Dining Plan is not the best option. For example, if you want to splurge and stay Club Level (read our Guide to Club Level & Concierge Lounges at Walt Disney World for more info), it’s not a good fit for you. If you primarily want to indulge in Signature Restaurants or fine dining, the Disney Dining Plan isn’t a good choice. Vegans and vegetarians also will not be well-suited by the Disney Dining Plan. (The list goes on…)
For a simple system, it’s surprisingly complex, so don’t feel bad if it takes some reading before you fully understand how the Disney Dining Plan works and whether it is a good fit for your party. If you only anticipate eating inexpensive meals or want to stay on a tight budget, the Dining Plan probably won’t make a lot of sense. But we’ll get to that…
Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It? – Pros & Cons
Savings – You can save on the Disney Dining Plan, but you have to be a certain type of eater and not waste any credits. If you are a big eater who likes steak and would like to order it at every meal, you can save money with the Disney Dining Plan. This requires that everyone in your party is a big eater, and that all of you use all of your counter service and snack credits wisely. (See our Worst Snack Credit Uses on the Disney Dining Plan list for more on that.)
If your teens are human garbage disposals and the adults in your party love steak, the Dining Plan can offer some savings. As soon as anyone in your party starts ordering chicken or pasta, those savings disappear to the point that you start losing money on the Disney Dining Plan. No matter what they order, a vegetarian will lose money by using the Disney Dining Plan–without exception.
With the addition of alcohol to the Disney Dining Plan, anyone who enjoys a drink or two per day will also come out ahead. The cost of drinks at Walt Disney World restaurants average around $8-14, which is larger than the price increase of the Dining Plans this year. If you get two glasses of wine per day, you’re looking at around $20-25/person more in value every day.
Conversely, if you’re non-drinkers or using the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan and spend most of your time in Magic Kingdom (where alcohol isn’t served at counter service restaurants), you come out behind. Alcohol is the huge new wildcard to the Disney Dining Plan, and can really swing the pendulum of value. Whether that’s in your favor or out of your favor depends almost entirely upon how many alcoholic drinks you enjoy per day.
Speaking of which, the Disney Dining Plan is potentially very valuable for those who visit during Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival or any other Epcot festival (basically, any month except summer). The good news is that taking advantage of this value does not require drinking–this is all about snacking!
Some of the best snacks at the Epcot festivals can cost as much as $10 and can be purchased using snack credits. We highly recommend stockpiling snack credits and using them during your Epcot days, as not only are these festival snacks a great use of credits, but the Epcot festivals are a ton of fun, and this is a way to avoid the sticker shock of paying out of pocket.
The Deluxe Dining Plan can be utilized well if you follow the strategy of eating breakfast (or an early lunch) at a Table Service restaurant (character breakfasts are great for this) and dinner at a Signature Table Service Restaurant, plus snacks whenever. Read How We Saved 50% on the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan for a specific example of how we’ve leveraged the DxDDP for maximum value!
It’s worth noting that prices have risen dramatically for the Disney Dining Plan since it was introduced, meaning that just because you used it on your last trip ~5 years ago and found it to be a good value, does not mean it’s still a good value. The appetizer and tip were cut ages ago, and prices have increased.
However, the biggest of the price increases occurred a few years ago, and prices have not climbed much since then. It would seem that Walt Disney World has reached its price ceiling (or close to it) with the Disney Dining Plan. Prices are only up slightly, and that has been true of previous years, too. Prior to that, there were some double-digit price spikes.
By contrast, table service menu prices have steadily increased since the introduction of the Disney Dining Plan, and at a higher rate (~15%) than the Disney Dining Plan pricing. This means that the relative value of the Dining Plan versus paying out of pocket actually has improved of late.
Effort – If value is your main concern and you aren’t a steak-addict, it can take a lot of pre-planning to save money by using the Disney Dining Plan. Because the margin of savings can be so low, in many cases the Dining Plan causes guests to order the most expensive item on the menu to get “value” out of the plan.
Same goes for choosing more expensive restaurants. There have times on the Dining Plan when a cheaper menu item sounded good, but there was that lingering thought in the back of my mind that if I didn’t order something more expensive, the Dining Plan would actually cost us more than paying out of pocket.
This blog alone has at least 10 articles about the Disney Dining Plan, and we could probably have another couple dozen and still have people asking us questions. Saving money on the Disney Dining Plan requires a good amount of pre-planning or knowledge of how to work the system if you’re just a normal eater.
It’s good to pre-plan where you want to eat at Walt Disney World regardless of whether you’re on the plan (not all restaurants are equal and you’ll need ADRs for some), so that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but using the Dining Plan increases the amount of pre-planning that’s necessary–if you care about saving money. We’ve found that we normally save more with the Tables in Wonderland card than the Dining Plan, and the former requires no pre-planning maximization effort.
Amount of Food – One common complaint is that the Disney Dining Plan often “forces” guests to eat more than they want. While Sarah and I are both big eaters, at times, the Dining Plan is just too much food. There have been occasions when we otherwise would have eaten small counter service meals, but because we had the credits to use, we have eaten at Table Service restaurants. Not only did this result in over-consumption, but it also burned valuable vacation time.
If you have a short trip and want to experience as many attractions as possible, this is something to keep in mind. While you can get value out of the Disney Dining Plan, that savings requires sitting down for longer meals and eating a lot of food. If you don’t normally eat as much food as the DDP provides, you aren’t actually saving money–the savings are illusory. You’re over-consuming in the name of (false) savings.
Convenience – Many visitors argue that the Disney Dining Plan is about convenience. We contend that it is not convenient. In terms of convenience, look at it this way: you’re reading an in-depth article about using the Disney Dining Plan, and you’ll probably read other such articles.
How many articles have you read titled “Paying for Meals with Cash Info & Tips”? Hopefully none. A convoluted credit system cannot possibly be more convenient than the universal standard of paying money for a billed amount. It just can’t.
Budgeting – This is probably the most contentious point. In addition to supposedly being convenient, a lot of its fans advocate the Disney Dining Plan because it helps them stay on a budget and avoid thinking about money on vacation. Again, this doesn’t pass the smell test.
In most cases, when people try to stay on a vacation budget, it’s because there is a need for that budget. Overspending might cause financial strain. Viewed in that light, the Disney Dining Plan doesn’t help with a budget, it helps with predictability. Meals cost the same amount every night, regardless of what’s consumed.
If you’re on a tight budget and you’d normally spend $35 per person per night on food if you paid out of pocket, but you end up spending ~$60+ per person per night on food with the DDP, isn’t that predictability doing you more harm than good?
The Disney Dining Plan allows you to fall back on this predictability and ‘turn off’ your brain with regard to how much dining costs on vacation. If you don’t want to worry about money, purchase (discounted!) Disney Gift Cards before the trip. While we don’t advocate making that psychological disconnect between actual and “fake” money, if you really don’t want to think about money, go that route.
We will be blunt: if you are too lazy to make a dining budget before your trip, chances are you’re too lazy to figure out where to dine to maximize your value. Given that, you’ll probably end up saving more money with the gift card method.
Sticker Shock – Even if you’re not on a tight budget, menu prices at Walt Disney World can be a bit…shocking. The psychological disconnect we mentioned above isn’t always a bad thing, particularly if you want to splurge or have financial means, but can’t bring yourself to order certain items when directly paying menu prices.
The Disney Dining Plan won’t scare you away from expensive menu items. If you love filet mignon, but would shy away from ordering it upon seeing the menu price, the Disney Dining Plan might be for you. However, you might have some sticker shock when you see the nightly prices of the Dining Plan, in the first place…
Conclusion
Overall, whether the Disney Dining Plan is right for you is a personal decision based on a lot of variables. We estimate that for the majority of guests, it is not a good value. This doesn’t mean it’s not a good product, as it will offer monetary savings for some families, and psychological comfort for plenty of others. I can’t say whether the DDP is right for your particular circumstances, but hopefully the considerations above can help with your decision. If you use the Disney Dining Plan for your vacation, make sure you do your homework and plan accordingly!
If you are still unsure of whether the Disney Dining Plan might be right for you—or need personalized help with any aspect of your trip from hotels to the DDP and more—we recommend contacting a no fee “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” (basically, Disney’s term for a travel agent) to get a quote and to help you plan. They get their commission from Disney, so none of the authorized (key word) planners will charge you for booking their trip and helping. Here’s one such recommended Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
With regard to the Disney Dining Plan and restaurants in general, this article is just a jumping off point. First-time Walt Disney World visitors often underestimate the importance of planning (especially for restaurants, many of which are booked solid months in advance) and have a bad time because they didn’t plan enough. Want more dining recommendations? Check out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. For info on whether the DDP is right for you, read our Ultimate Guide to the Disney Dining Plan. For comprehensive vacation advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What is your experience with the Disney Dining Plan? Thinking about buying the 2024 Disney Dining Plan once it becomes available? Does the DDP work for you? Is it a bad fit for your family? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Agree with your note about not getting the DDP for short trips. Our first trip with Free Dining was 6 days, and we managed to use up all of our credits. Our last trip fell during Food and Wine so we purchased the DDP (but didn’t get park hoppers) but even with aggressive purchasing of steaks and lamb chops at Epcot’s booths, we still wound up with about 5 unused snack credits because our whole trip was only 3 days. I think it’s just harder to make yourself slow down and get a Dole Whip or whatever when you are trying to maximize park time.
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The savings on the plan can really be quite remarkable if you have children and dine at buffets/character meals. Many times, the child price of a single character meal or buffet can be more than the entire cost of the plan for the day.
I’m pleasantly surprised that the DPP prices have not gone up. But then, park ticket prices have generally gone up given the new variable pricing model, so maybe it will be a wash.
Isn’t it worth value to use your credits of DDP in Buffet restaurants? I find it more convenient since kids are not stuck to limited options plus they get to enjoy the characters without waiting in line. It’s just a thought, this is the first time I’ll try the DDP and I have planned it that way. Thank you for your feedback.
I’m staying 5 nights (checking in on Sunday and leaving Friday). Are the dining credits good on Sunday and Friday (as long as we have some left)?
Yes, you can start using them the day you arrive. They expire at midnight on the day you checkout.
Yes, the dining plan activates as soon as you check in and the credits are good until 11:59pm the day you check out.
We have a trip coming up in December and have the quick service meal plan. Will we be able to substitute the included drink for a side or dessert instead at the quick service counter? I have read contradicting info on this: some say yes and others that it is no longer acceptable. Thank you!
Hi! I started doing ADR for TREX and Rainforest Café at Disney Springs for May 2019 and in the email i got with the reservation it said “Disney Dining Plans NOT accepted by This Restaurant”. Is that possible? Called Disney and the lady told me that next year there will be changes and that those restaurants will not be included. I asked Her for a list of 2019 restaurants included in Dining Plans and she told me it was not published yet. Is this correct? Someone knows sthg about it? Thanks, Carolina
Hi! I don’t know if you have figured this out, but i had the same question and asked my travel agent. TRex is on a contract, so every year they decide whether to renew it. When you reserved, they may not have renewed it yet. If you go to the Trex link NOW it DOES say that it’s on the plan.
For people debating between the Quick Service and the Disney Dining Plan, I can offer a few observations (based on having done both). With the DDP, we had a lot of fun exploring the selection of amazing sit-down restaurants, but in doing so, we committed at least 1.5 hours to the meal, and had to be fairly regimented with scheduling as our reservations required us to do so. All of our children were stuck ordering off of the children’s menus at the sit-down locations, and they didn’t always enjoy the limited menu options. The final point on the DDP is that we felt free to order anything on the menu, but we paid the price (literally) when it was time to leave the tip. If you are assuming your meals are budgeted for by using this plan, you need to keep in mind that the tips add up by the end of a several day stay. In fairness, we were tipping on checks for a family of five.
Seems like I’ve heard of swapping counter service credits for a table service, or snack credits for a counter service meal, etc. Is there any truth to that? And, if so, how does it work?
Yes this is true and I have done this on many occasions. As of my last trip last year this is the conversion:
snack is 1:1
quick service is 2 snacks per credit
Table service is 3 snacks per credit.
You can use them for the bagged trail mix along with the other items like krispy treats so you can bring them home and not have to worry about constant sugary snacks.
We can pinch a penny and go out of pocket and eat a little less, but our preferred eating style comes out about a wash with the Deluxe meal plan. Sometimes we’re at break even, sometimes we’re ahead by a good bit, especially if a family member that comes to visit a day or two who isn’t on the plan (officially allowed as of 2017 or 2018), but it feels nice to know it’s all included ahead of time. Also, the tax savings usually washes out around 7%, so that’s almost the same as the 10% discounts some cards allow at certain restaurants also. The snack credits can be good values at Starbucks for the higher priced items also.
Just an added note regarding the ability to purchase a DDP. If you are taking advantage of the military discount that Disney offers to active duty and retired military personnel and their dependents (with a military ID), you don’t need to purchase park tickets in order to take advantage of the dining plan. In fact, you won’t want to. Park tickets need to be purchased from your base’s ITT office, from the Shades of Green resort on Disney property (across from the Polynesian resort) or at the ticket gate at any of the parks. If you buy the tickets when you reserve your room, you WON’T get the military discount.
When you order the Disney Dining plan, Is it for your entire length of stay or for in park days?
It is for every night you stay at a Disney resort. It’s attached to your resort reservations not your park tickets.
Does any one know how easy or difficult or impossible to order an adult meal for a child during lunch at Be Our Guest using the meal plan. I am planing on putting my order on the website a month ahead (only available at Be our guest) I know its pretty simple to do at any other quick service because you don’t get served-you walk up to the counter order what ever you want and take it to your table where the family is waiting.
We’ve ordered more meals (adult and kids) for our table than the number in our party because we wanted to try more things at BOG breakfast and never had any issue.
You can also wait and just order there at a little kiosk.
Thank you.
I’m a first time mom planning my family first trip to Disney world and I just wanted to ask your opinion should first timers get the deluxe dining plan ? Or stick the standard one ?
Having used the standard one with a husband and kids that can eat I’d say stick to the standard plan. It was plenty of food and I had to encourage my kids to eat snacks. For us, and as I said we’re eaters the standard dining plan (one table service) was plenty of food.
We went last year with a Deluxe, and I know for certain there were days where we had credits left over. Days when my son wanted something small, and my husband and I nothing at all for lunch. The Standard is far better unless you want to do all kinds of character dining.
This is a great article but I do disagree with some of the comments. I absolutely believe that the dining plan is about convenience and staying within a budget. First, consider that when on the dining plan you can stop at any restaurant and simply ask if it accepts the dining plan. If you are paying cash it might be more intimidating to find a place in the parks to eat because you won’t know which locations have reasonable prices. I personally like knowing that regardless of where I eat I can’t exceed the dining plan cost. I’ve prepaid, I’m comfortable with the dining plan cost and I can relax knowing that I’m free to eat anywhere I like. I also disagree with those that claim convenience are too lazy to research the dining plan. I spend a lot of effort planning my TS or Sig meals. I do look at the more expensive locations so that I get a good value. The bonus again is that I can be more spontaneous is the use of my QS meals without worry.
I love the idea of TS in the morning and Sig at night. I will be trying this on my next trip
I’m looking for info on mixing up use of credits. We purchased the standard package. Do we have to use them exactly as listed per day. Or can we do two table service one day, two quick service the next? Thanks!
We just got back from a great week at Walt Disney World and had the meal plan with one table service, one quick service and 2 snacks per night we stayed at Animal Kingdom. We did 2 table service one of the days and 2 quick service another – you can mix anyway you want until all used. The game changer was the snack credits – you can use them at the Disney Starbucks for any size drink and any pastry. You can also use them for any side at a quick service restaurant like fries with pulled pork on top at the flame tree barbecue or a dole whip in Adventureland – make sure you use your mobile app to order – no waiting in line. If you have young kids let me suggest using a table service for breakfast with characters at Ohana in the Polynesian Resort – you can take a boat over from Magic Kingdom or Monorail- I suggest boat. You will love the magic bands – many days we took no bags inside parks and were able to get in that line. Have fun!!
Thank you! It will be two adults & pur 5 year old daughter. We are staying for a week, but only 3 days in the parks. So this is really helpful. We plan to use most (if not all) our seated meals at character dining. So being able to plan a breakfast & dinner on a non park day, and then use 2 quick service on a park day will help save time at the park. And make a non park day a lot more fun 🙂
You’ve only made my decision harder on whether to purchase a DDP but this is great info– thanks!
Make sure you check to see if the restaurant takes one or two table services credits. Some character dining and all signature restaurants take two table service credits. If your daughter is not afraid of Dinosaurs you could eat at T-Rex in Disney Springs. Our 4-year old granddaughter loved it. Am sure you have seen the dining choices and whether they take the meal plan but here is the link just in case. Also make sure you have reservations. The popular places fill up quickly. You can use a quick service to eat at “Be our Guest” for breakfast. You can also get in the park early if you make 8:00 reservations. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/
Thank you. We just booked the vacation this morning, and plan to make reservations this week. We live an hour North of WDW so frequent Disney Springs. But are not anual pass holders, so it will be a fun surprise for her. T-rex back fired on us last year, but she likes playing in the dino pit there. So might be worth a try again lol
Note: if you only purchase 3 days of park passes, you can only eat in the parks on those 3 days. Any resort only days you would need to either eat at a resort, or at Disney Springs.
Please label each of those delicious looking photos with what it is and where to find it! 🙂
We have done the DDP every single trip except for a last minute trip where we had to stay off-site. We have always come out ahead, particularly on our very first trip in 2005 which was when the DDP was first introduced. Tax and tip were both included!! I enjoy not having to think about my food budget while I’m on vacation, but there are definitely times that I felt restricted (for example, I wanted a certain side at Earl of Sandwich, but it wasn’t included, or I wanted an appetizer at dinner instead of a dessert).
I am a planner and I am currently deciding on whether to use the DDP plan on an upcoming trip. I honestly didn’t think it would work out in my favor since I will be a (new) DVC member so I will get 10% off most meals and I plan to dine at Le Cellier which will eat up two credits. We love to play the “maximize your credits” game, and I know that signature dining usually cuts into the savings. Since this trip will just be my 16-year-old son and myself, I won’t typically be imbibing, so the inclusion of alcoholic beverages isn’t skewing my results at all, which is another reason I didn’t think the DDP would be the best choice for us this time.
Adding up what we would order with and without the plan (without the plan, we wouldn’t necessarily order dessert at each dinner, but we would likely share an appetizer instead), I still come out ahead on the DDP!! The tipping point is really the sales tax savings, which basically negates my 10% DVC discount. So DDP 2018 it is!
Just wanted to show a scenario to help others who are planning but don’t necessarily want to put in the time to do the math. Thanks for your informative and thoughtful articles, Tom.
A noted should be added that you can no longer get a Disney dining plan with moderate resort in the free dining promotion.
Standard Disney Dining Plan
This is the standard tier of the Disney Dining Plan (Disney refers to it as simply the “Disney Dining Plan.” To avoid confusion, we’ll call it the “Standard Disney Dining Plan”), and what’s typically included with “Free” Dining at the Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa Resorts. For the price difference between the plans, you can upgrade from the Free Quick Service Dining Plan to this plan at the Value Resorts.
I’m still on the fence whether or not to go for Quick-service dining plan OR the standard Disney dining plan. When me and my husband went last year, we really only did character meals and sit down meals. would it be worth it to get the quick service meal if we didn’t do any quick service meal?
Why would you get the quick service meal package when you don’t do quick service meals?
Thank you so much for the information!!
Bought and upgrade it today at 6 AM EST!!
This is our first time in Disney’s Resorts.
Does anyone know if they hold packages? Because we aren’t from USA and we want to do some online shopping and ship it to the hotel before we get there, kind of 3 days before we arrive (we’ll be staying at All-Star Music Resort).
We’ve been to Disney several times both using DDP and paying out of pocket. I would say savings (and use of meals) will depend on what your plan is. My kids loved character dining and Disney buffets, which are pricey. But when using meal credits, we didn’t think about the price, just enjoyed the experience. And the greatest benefit to us was since we book our package 8 months out, we were able to make payments on our vacation (and meals) rather than pay everything up front (or charge up on credit card). So in that regard, DDP was worth it for us.
The “making payments” idea is a good one. It makes it much easier to pay down your trip and go in needing almost nothing (outside of souvenirs and tips) out of pocket. That way afterwards your not looking at your bank statements shaking your head. AND as the article brought up wondering if maybe you should’ve passed on nightly steak (lol).
I have used the plan and things just felt less stressful, I probably didn’t save much if anything but it made my vacation more relaxing.