2026 Disney Dining Plan Review, Info & Tips
The Disney Dining Plan comes in tiers, with prices starting at $60 per night for adults and free ($0) for kids. This guide to Walt Disney World’s meal package covers costs, money saving tips, what’s included, our review of whether the DDP is worth it, and likelihood of Free Dining returning again.
Let’s start with the current status of the Disney Dining Plan for 2026. The Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan (QSDDP) and standard or regular Disney Dining Plan (DDP) are now available to both book and use at Walt Disney World. The Deluxe Disney Dining Plan (DxDDP) and Disney Dining Plan Plus (DDP+) remain unavailable, and there’s a good chance they’ll never 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 not currently. If history repeats itself, we can expect Free Dining in 2026, likely at the very beginning of the year. 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.
In terms of other updates, there are also 2026 Disney Dining Plan Price Increases & Decreases. The changes for adults are minor and around the rate of inflation. Menu prices have increased by similar amounts, meaning the value proposition of the DDP is not changed for adults in 2026. If anything, the Disney Dining Plan is slightly better by comparison given the menu price hikes. All of this applies only to adults–or rather, Disney Adults (anyone ages 10 and up).
Then there’s the biggest change with the 2026 Disney Dining Plan, which is that Kids Eat FREE All Year in 2026 at Walt Disney World! Throughout all of 2026, guests staying at one of Walt Disney World’s more than 25 on-site Disney-owned resort hotels will get a FREE Disney Dining Plan for their kids (ages 3 to 9 at the time of travel) when purchasing a Disney Dining Plan as part of their package for the other members of their party (ages 10 and up at the time of travel).
The Free Disney Dining Plan included in this special offer depends on the Disney Dining Plan the adults in the party purchase. The Disney Dining Plan is included for kids ages 3-9 when purchasing a regular Disney Dining Plan for guests ages 10 and older in the party. The Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan is included for kids ages 3-9 when purchasing a Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan for Guests ages 10 and older in the party.
The Kids Free Dining Plan at Walt Disney World deal can be combined with other select special offers, meaning you may still be eligible to take advantage of other deals released for 2026. This is huge. Already, we’ve seen all 2026 room-only discounts eligible to stack with the Kids Free Dining Plan offer, from bouncebacks to general public discounts. Even DVC point rental is eligible for the Kids Free Dining Plan!
In other news, Walt Disney World is finalizing the restaurant roster and there are roughly 50 Restaurants Removed from the 2026 Disney Dining Plan. These are mostly third parties and this happens almost every year, but there’s a much higher number than normal. There are several reasons why this year might actually be different, and fewer restaurants might be participating in the DDP. We’ll continue to monitor the list and will update accordingly.
Two big restaurants that are missing from the 2026 Disney Dining Plan are Space 220 and California Grill. The commonality is that both locations are popular and both serve prix fixe menus. If either of those things change, 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 2026 Disney Dining Plan, primarily in World Showcase at EPCOT and Disney Springs.
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).
As a result of the Free Kids Disney Dining Plan, the 2026 per night pricing for the DDPs is as follows:
- Quick Service Disney Dining Plan: $60.47 per adult and $0 per child
- Disney Dining Plan (standard): $98.59 per adult and $0 per child
For reference, here were 2025 Disney Dining Plan prices:
- Quick Service Disney Dining Plan: $59.14 per adult and $24.71 per child
- Disney Dining Plan (standard): $97.79 per adult and $30.56 per child
Accordingly, here are the price increases and decreases for the 2026 Disney Dining Plan:
- Quick Service Disney Dining Plan: +$1.33 per adult and -$24.71 per child
- Disney Dining Plan (standard): +$0.80 per adult and -$30.56 per child
Obviously, the negative numbers for kids are what’s eye-catching. This makes the Disney Dining Plan much more attractive for families with children who are in the ‘sweet spot’ age, which is a savvy move on Walt Disney World’s part, as guest interest in the DDP had been declining for a few years. This will reverse that trend. It’ll also make discussion of the value proposition difficult, since it hinges on how many kids ages 3 to 9 years old are in your party.
Aside from the Free Kids Disney Dining Plan, there are no material differences with the 2026 Disney Dining Plan. The most significant substantive change that’s still relevant is the inclusion of alcoholic beverages on all tiers of the Disney Dining Plans, which happened several years ago. This is a nice perk for drinkers, but has downsides–particularly for families, as kids obviously cannot order alcohol.
Additionally, Walt Disney World reduced 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. Both of the above changes occurred previously–these are not new changes for the 2026 Disney Dining Plan.
Walt Disney World is also engaging in aggressive culinary cost-cutting, especially at counter service restaurants. They’ve substituted suppliers, changed ingredients, and reduced portion sizes. This is across-the-board and not unique to the Disney Dining Plan–you’ll experience it whether you use the DDP or not. Regardless, the Disney Dining Plan will offer less food 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 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 now, 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 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.
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 (still unavailable), 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 icon 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.
Quick Service Disney Dining Plan
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 2026, the per night cost of the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan is $60.47 per adult and $0 per child. Again, that’s a minor bump on the adult side under the rate of inflation, and a massive drop for kids. Huge win for families, and not really a loss for adults without kids given that menu prices will probably increase by more.
Standard Disney Dining Plan
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 2026, the standard Disney Dining Plan costs $98.59 per adult and $0 per child, per night.
It’s worth noting here that the regular DDP skyrocketed by $16 a few years ago, up from $78 per adult. That sharp spike resulted in a precipitous drop in demand, which is likely what led to the Free Kids Disney Dining Plan for 2026. In the end, this will work out favorably for families with kids, especially once you account for inflation.
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. 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.
The DDP can also be used for EPCOT festival concerts, such as Candlelight Processional Dining Packages. It’s treated as a “Dining Event” or experience. To the best of our knowledge, Walt Disney World doesn’t have any officially published “rules” for using DDP credits on EPCOT Dining Events.
One change that we spotted with Candlelight Processional Dining Packages is that each restaurant is its normal amount of credits on the Disney Dining Plan. This is unlike in the past, when all restaurants required 2 table service credits on the DDP. It’s not yet confirmed whether this will be the case again in 2026, but we expect it will. It’s a huge win.
The Candlelight Processional Dining Package is much more valuable than the Fantasmic Dining Package. Both of these include a voucher for guaranteed seating in their respective viewing areas, but Candlelight Processional is much more competitive and “necessary,” whereas Fantasmic has faded in popularity somewhat since its return. Both are great uses of DDP credits, but Candlelight is #1.
Disney Dining Plan Credit Values
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 $64.50, a counter service meal on the DDP is worth approximately $26.50, and a snack is worth approximately $6.50. (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.)
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.
Note that these numbers do not account for the Free Kids Disney Dining Plan in 2026. That will be impossible, since the value proposition will vary depending upon the number of kids and adults in each party. The analysis is going to become a lot more circumstantial, with the 2026 Disney Dining Plan generally being worth it with even a 2:1 ratio of adults to children.
Even then, a lot will depend upon appetites, whether you drink alcohol, are vegetarians, and more. It’s still possible that the 2026 Disney Dining Plan won’t be “worth it” to kid-centric parties depending upon all of that. Only you know your party and should be able to have a pretty good rough idea of whether the DDP is right for you in 2026.
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 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 May 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. We found that the 2025 Free Dining deal was often inferior to an alternative $200 off per night deal and room-only offers. It’ll be interesting to see what changes in 2026 to account for the Free Kids DDP.
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 2026 Disney Dining Plan? 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!
If you were to pay CASH, what are the actual prices you might expect to pay for a lunch at a quick service and dinner (either at a QS or a TS)? I have two boys — a 5 year old & 3 year old — and me. I can see sitting down for breakfast in the AM at the hotel (Pop Century) before getting started, then a lunch on the go and then ether a QS or TS dinner, but how much might I actually spend using cash vs the dining plan? I know someone said $58/adult and $19/kid per night for the DDP.
I would still have to pay for one meal/day for each of us….probably breakfast.
Can we use the refillable mugs for water in the park? are there places to refill just water? we don’t do soda or juice.
Allears.net lists menus and prices. there are places to refill your water bottles or mugs with water and you can ask for a cup of water at any QS location.
You can go anywhere they sell fountain drinks and ask for a cup of ice water. Some places give you a nice sized cup, some others give you a tiny cup. I have found the snack places give the biggest sized water cups. They have no problem doing it either. I will go up and just order water. (I am an AP holder and go at least 1 time a month) I would suggest too, bringing things like pop tarts or breakfast bars in your luggage instead of buying breakfast. It will save you $$ in the long run!!
We took our own refillable water bottles, and it was the best! We also brought single serving Crystal Light or water flavor packs, and added those to water we got from the fountains. We never had to waste money/time on soda from a snack station.
Going to Disney World for first time and for our honeymoon. We both actually eat a decent amount so I’m thinking that we will do the dining plan, but I’m still not sure. Thoughts?
DO IT! Going for the first time and for it being your honeymoon I say, go for it! You will be able to get at great restaurants and since you said you eat a decent amount of food you will totally get your money’s worth. You also won’t have to worry about budgeting (since you’ll just pay for it up front) all you will need to worry about is tips at table service meals.
In the past, we have used the dining plan. Since we have 3 sons ranging from 14 – 21 years old, we get a good value from the dining plan. Our sons always fight over which one gets to finish my leftovers. My husband and I are going alone for the first time for our 25th anniversary, and have been debating on using the dining plan. We love many of the restaurants that are 2 TS credits, and weren’t sure about the value of the dining plan for these types of restaurants. This information will help with our decision. Thank you!
My aunt, cousins, and I are going to Walt Disney World in May and have purchased the Disney Dining Plan. We have also made all of our reservations. We love eating so purchasing the dining plan works for us. The last time I went to Disney I did not purchase the dining plan and am still regretting it to this day (it has been 4 years). My boyfriend and I love food and went to ‘Ohana to eat dinner one night and wished we would have purchased the meal plan so we could have done more meals like that. I will never again go without doing a meal plan only because saving for the food we love to eat at Disney is more stress than just purchasing the dining plan and having credits to use at places we want to return and try. The only thing that I have negative to say about the dining plan is sometimes even after eating at 8 in the morning I am too full to eat a snack or a quick service lunch, so I sometimes feel like it’s a waste, but then the days I don’t use 2 table service meals I realize that using a quick service on that day is worth not using it other days.
I am glad that you update this each year. My boyfriend and I aren’t planning a trip until 2015. However, I am researching very early. Maybe too early, as all the things to know just keep adding up. We plan to go hopefully during a time when they are offering either a discount on the room or “free’ dining. From all that I have read the discounted room is the way to go for us. I do have a question though that you may be able to answer. To maximize our savings I want to book everything separate. Do you have to order the park tickets with the room in order to get the discount? I wanted to order them off of Undercover tourist if possible to save some money.
Yes, you have to buy hotel and tickets thru Disney in order to take advantage of the free dining offer.
Thank you soo much! This was the best article I have found on the subject of the DDP. Disney World first timer here, and I have to say I am more overwhelmed with panning this vaca than I was purchasing my first home. One question though about the character dinning; They use two meal credits? I am definitely swaying toward NOT getting the DDP, but the shows and character dinning are so pricey, I’m wondering if that would make it worth it to me? Thoughts? (by the way it is my 5yr old, 3yr old and my husband and me)
Most of the character dining is only 1 DDP credit – the exceptions are Cinderella’s Royal Table, and shows like the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, and the Spirit of Aloha show. The more expensive 1-credit character dining meals aren’t a bad value on the DDP, especially with children because the cost of most children’s character dining meals is often about one full ‘per night’ cost for the child’s dining plan.
this is were I am struggling as well. the character meals are expensive, but the DDP seems like way too much food.
The character meals can be pricey but are such an experience!
We’ve enjoyed breakfast at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary resort and a few meals in Cristal Palace in MK, they are “all you can eat”, and boy there is a lot! To maximise the benefit we would book a late breakfast slot the would only need one other meal during the day
The excitement is in the planning, you can’t do too much of it by the way!
We are going this May, (2 sons – 3 yr & 5 yr) plus my husband, my sister myself. We did choose to the the dining plan. We are doing a character meal each day of our 4 day trip for the Table Service. That might seem like a lot to many, but with our kids can only do about 4-5 hours of park touring a day. The character meal gives us more magic. The rest of our time will be at our resort, AKL This is our second trip, first was made when the boys were 1 & 3.
My boyfriend and I just got home from a trip that included my first experience with the DDP (he’d done it years ago). I enjoyed not having to worry about prices, but on the other hand, it caused additional stress about making sure we used up all our credits (compounded by our having a split stay in two different resorts, so the day we checked into the second one, we had to make sure we used up everything from the first one by midnight). Because our Magical Express reservation was very early, we ended up using our last Quick Service for a continental breakfast at our resort (which was a total rip-off: one pastry, one piece of fruit, and a drink).
There’s one tip I’d like to pass along, especially to the reader above who asked if there was any flexibility on desserts: I don’t know how many QS locations do this, but at The Roaring Fork at Wilderness Lodge, they let us choose soup for the dessert portion of our QS meal! The cashier said we could select anything that would qualify as a snack, which included the soup and chili! It made a really nice change to be able to have a “soup and sandwich” lunch that day.
I am trying to plan a trip for my family of four (kids 4 and 9) in October of 2014. I remember when I started investigating last summer that I saw an offer for free kids meal plans. Does that offer usually come about each fall? How long do I wait before I actually book the trip? Looking at a very short trip (4 nights) the first week of October.
For the past few years Disney has released a Free Dining promotion, offering a free dining plan with the purchase of a full-priced vacation package at a Disney resort. It may or may not be released again, but in the past it has usually happened in the fall. I would go ahead and book if you know when you want to visit – when a discount comes out, call Disney to tell them that you want it applied to your reservation (they don’t do it automatically). If you want to take some of the hassle out of it, consider booking with a Disney travel specialist – their services are free, and they monitor discounts and apply them automatically to your reservation for you.
We are a family of 9. I have 2 grown children and 5 younger ones. We are planning a massive trip with everyone in 2015. Needless to say we will save a fortune if we can get free dining. Our first trip we made the mistake of upgrading from table service to deluxe. Even though we are all big eaters it was just too much. This last trip was just hubby and I and we did quick service. I missed the great sit down meals. Standard dining will be the way we go from now on. Our best trip was when we did standard dining. Still got our wonderful dinners and ease of counter service at lunch.
We tried the DDP once for a 5 day trip and I gained like 5lbs. There was so much food compared to what I usually eat. They make you get the large soda and dessert with lunch, etc- which sounds wonderful, but many times it was too much.
I typically prefer something smaller for lunch (sometimes even a child meal because you can pick fruit/veg for your sides) and we usually share a dessert for dinner, so cash works best for us.
I forgot about that point. Better make sure you like dessert cuz you are getting it twice a day every day!
I will never consider it again unless it is “free “. There has been too much erosion of value over the years, and after our last trip, we’ve decided it might be better to focuse less on the dining aspect of our trip in favor of more park time.
With all the complexities of the Dining Plan, you did a great job breaking it down for the uninitiated! Years ago we purchased the dining plan for our 10 night stay. The price was $36.99 per day and included appetizer with the sit-down, 2 snacks per day, AND tip. It was an awesome deal and we made out like bandits, BUT, we also felt stuffed, all the time. The amount of food presented to us was far more than we would ever eat at home, so while we were technically saving $’s, if we’d paid out of pocket for what we’d normally eat, we probably would have ended up spending far less. We also didn’t like the fact that our days were planned around our ADR’s. There were many times we would have loved to have been in a different park from the one we were bound to due to the ADR. Attempts to switch the ADR to a restaurant in our preferred park location were futile. While we would never purchase the plan again (or even use the free plan), there are many that love it. As stated in the post, there are MANY things to consider. If you and your family relish spending lots of family time around the dinner table, then maybe it’s worth a look. If spontaneity is your game, and a turkey leg will do the job instead of a filet at Le Cellier, then paying our of pocket may be your best route. And one thing to budget for, just remember, when it comes to the DDP during Free Dining, nothing is ever free, because your gratuity is NOT included in the cost.
Yes, back when it was that price, it was a no brainer. You could waste the snack credits (among other things) and it was still a great deal. Now it’s significantly more money, and includes about $30/night LESS in value. Think about THAT for a minute!
Tom I think the consideration about consumption is the single biggest factor when choosing the dining plan. If you have a family of big eaters and Disney dining is a priority on your vacation then the plan is a no brainer. You will save money or at least break even and there is a convenience factor as well. However, if your vacationing family is like mine and dining is a big part of the trip but none of us are big eaters then the dining plan makes little sense. I have a 13 year old and 11 year old twins and they eat like birds. No way they are eating 60.00 worth of food every day for several days. My wife and I have friends ask us about the dining plan all the time and we always tell them to think about the eating habits of the family more than any convenience factors.
Agree that consumption is the biggest factor. If your entire party is big eaters, then it’s probably a good decision. All it takes is 1 person in a party of 4 that isn’t a big eater and you have to start looking at the other factors.
I used the dining plan for the first time this October as part of the “free dining” promotion. After sitting down and doing the math after the trip I found that I had indeed saved more money this way than if I had taken advantage of the resort discount being offered at the time.
I did feel a bit freer to order what I wanted where I would tend to look for less expensive items if I was paying out of pocket.
While I fully endorse as much planning as possible in all travel situations, it has to be mentioned that no matter what you plan sometimes the fates have something else in store for you. Bad weather can send you home early from the park where your ADR is, causing a domino effect on the rest of your vacation’s credit uses.
In October I was sure I’d have no trouble using up all of my snack credits because we would be visiting EPCOT during the Food & Wine Festival. What we encountered, however, were food lines so long that we quickly decided to join queues for attractions that were very reasonable instead. Another evening, one of our group was suddenly dealing with distressing news from home and I didn’t even think to grab my typical Dole Whip until it was too late.
This resulted in exactly the late snack use that you warn against. We hit Goofy’s Candy Company at Downtown Disney and went home with some extra treats that I personally enjoyed but would not have otherwise ordered.
Based on this one experience, I liked the dining plan enough that I would use it again if I got it as part of the “free dining” promotion, but I would not simply pay for it otherwise. Those with several kids in tow might be better served.
Yep. The “Free Dining” promotion alters the equation and requires less work to get value out of the plan, especially if you have (for example) a family of 4 in a Moderate Resort.
In that case, you can afford to eat a little less and not get full ‘value’ out of the DDP. For those paying out of pocket or (for example) 2 people in a Deluxe, the same margin for error isn’t there.
Thanks for he up to date info. We did the dining plan about oh, 15 years ago when it was very different. Haven’t done it since as we like to pick and choose what we want to do and not feel obligated to use or maximize a plan. These costs though are insane! Seriously? I can’t see me spending almost $20 for just me at a QS meal! Dear Lord! We wouldn’t use the mug as it’s really inconvenient IMO and snacks don’t have to cost much IF you want one, so that’s what I rounded to $20 per QS meal. No way! We’ve also never done free dining because we’ve been DVC members since they started offering it. But this year, we spent out points on the cruise and decided to do a few days at WDW as well, so we deliberately booked during a time that they offered it tis year in hopes. Still….. How would I book now to be able t change it later IF free dining comes up again? I’m admittedly perplexed.
StephM,
We did this one year too (booked in hopes of FD). Here’s what we did:
We booked a resort (Pop) that we wanted to stay at (this was back before Values got QSDP, etc)… When FD was available, I called WDW and asked that they apply the discount to my reservation. Basically what they do is cancel your original reservation and move it to the new reservation. It was super-easy to do, and I was done in minutes (not counting hold times).
Hope this helps!
I seem to remember at the DLR that for World of Color center viewing passes you needed to order an entree and either an appetizer or dessert. Does the Disney Dining Plan at WDW offer flexibility on the dessert, particularly at table service locations? In spite of the homemade apple pie and vanilla ice cream I’ve been working on since Christmas, I’m not much of a dessert guy. I’m guessing they’re not flexible on this point but am curious nonetheless.
Sadly, no. They are not flexible. It’s entree + dessert. You and everyone else wish they were flexible so that you and your spouse could split an app/dessert. ((I think the best guess is that desserts are pre-made and cheaper than appetizers. Or that 1 less course turns tables faster.)
I found the last time that I was there that we were getting sick of so many desserts. A couple of times I asked the waitress if I could substitute an appetizer or soup/salad instead. They never said no. As long as the price was similar. If I remember correctly they still showed it as a dessert on the bill. It’s worth asking. The worse they can say is no.
Good to see this pop up again. We’re planning our trip for fall and trying to decide if it’s worth it to purchase the plan. We did it last time and did exactly what you mentioned….ordered the most exspensive items and ate too much. 6 day trip (4 full days) and at over $600, I think we’ll go out of pocket and eat out less and play more this time!
“comprehensive and unnecessarily complicated PDF documents”… Seriously! This made me laugh.
Laughed BECAUSE IT’S TRUE!
Our last week-long family trip to WDW was in 2006 for our son’s fifth birthday. I saved an absolute fortune with the DP on that trip. Considering the changes to the DPs since then, and the price increase for my son (now 12) to eat on the plan as a non-child, there’s absolutely NO way we’ll break even on the plan. I’m glad I’m a researcher or I would have assumed it was still a no-brainer for us! Yikes!
The Disney Dining Plan was absolutely awesome in 2006 and even up until 2008. We had a friend in the College Program back then and were able to book it for $20/day (plus a huge room discount). Those were the days!
Each time we have been to WDW since our daughter was born we have been during “free” dining. It was definitely the best discount for us, but there is no way I would consider paying for it if we went at a different time.
As you say, it was nice to be able to order the most expensive thing on the menu and not have to worry about it (and it made the “free” dining an even better deal), but when we visited Disneyland, it was equally liberating not to have to worry about credits and just order what we wanted to eat.
Agreed all around.
One thing we love about Disneyland is the more lax style of dining. No ADRs, no DDP, and (it seems like) lower prices at table service restaurants!
I think your review is spot on. There are so many variables in terms of whether the DPs are worth the cost. The one thing you don’t mention is how staying club level might be a factor. I’ve found that when we are staying club level, continental breakfast, mid-day water and snacks are included so we tend to eat one meal out. In that case, the plan isn’t worth it. When the kids were small, I could easily go to the quick service at the hotel and with a slice of pizza and the club offerings, feed them dinner. That certainly isn’t true as they have grown into teens and adults, but even as their appetites increase, the only value I see in the meal plan is that it’s prepaid–no bills when I come home. However, as you point out, prepayment doesn’t mean good value.
Great point about Club Level. It would be interesting to do a post on “Maximizing the Value of Club Level.” Hmmm….
Great article, we are DVC members and never take these plans, they are for people who set LOADS, so most floridians!! not Europeans.
We love the resorts and disney, but take the point that it is getting VERY expensive.
I would love to see a post about maximizing the value of club level, Tom! We’re staying club level on our next trip, and we took advantage of a room discount in lieu of the “free” dining plan that we have used in the pass. I had to spend HOURS calculating various scenarios of dining for my family of 5 before I came to the conclusion that club level and no DDP was the right choice for my family. There are SO many factors to consider! One of the tipping points for us is that we are a family of 5 in a single room, so there is a convenience factor for having half of the family eating breakfast down the hall while the other half is using the bathroom in the morning, and then switching. You can’t put a dollar figure on that, LOL!
That’s a really interesting perspective. I had always assumed Club Level was a rip-off, but I’ve never done the math. Now you have me wanting to give it more thought!
Tom, your posts are always entertaining! I’m dying to know where you got that slice of chocolate heaven that is pictured in this post?
Margaret – Disney mom of chocolate loving kid
Dinsey Dining Plan is horrible now. We were there February 10 to 16 and had the dining plan. In 2014 you took the best table service restaurants and made them signature restaurants requiring 2 table services when in the past they were one. The dining plan use to save you money. Now it is a waste. I am a Disney Vacation Club member and it made me very sad to see you change the dining plan to make money. Disney used to mean a great value. Disney now is all about the money. The dining plans are now worthless. Didn’t anybody there do an analysis on the cost of the plan verse buying the food yourself? Disney is no longer as special and no longer family friendly.
I also agree with you about Disney making it all about the money.I am also a DVC member since 1998 It is getting so exspensive my family can hardly afford to go anymore.Its so sad
Our favorite places:
Ohana’s
Garden Grill
Crystal Palace
Be our Guest Restaurant
Trails End
Sci Fi dine in
Whispering Canyon
are all only 1 table service, which oddly is what makes the dining plan a bad deal for us. We don’t like the Signature restaurants or the vast majority of the counter service. If there was a $70 a day plan with two table service, or a way to upgrade a counter service to a table service it might work for us. Three tables a day is too much.
This person is correct. The meal plan is not worth the money at all. I have been going for 8 years straight with my daughter and the meal plan use to save you money no matter wait. We are going in October and will not be getting the meal plan. Everything Disney has done in the last 2 years has been for profit only. They use to understand that people saved for years just to spend one vacation at Disney. I am afraid the customer friendly Disney is no more. I am a vacation club member as well. So very sad.
I agree. I too am a DVC member and so far all I’ve been able to do is book the hotel. The park passes have almost triples in price over the last 5 years, for a Canadian with the regular price increase and now the exchange rate. I’m thinking we buy our food at Walmart and visit universal and Seaworld instead, and maybe hit the places like the wax museums. It’s a shame. I bought into this when my son was 5. As a kid finishing school this year it will probably also be our last visit together. To see Disney increase all these prices so much means once again that only the wealthy can afford to go in a nice holiday.
There’s definite pros and cons with the dining plan. For years I was against it. The first time I used it it was during a free dining promotion. I’m sold. I think if you do a little bit of research you can maximize this plan. Sites like Debs unofficial Disney has all of the menus online. It makes planning where you want to eat easy. Go for restaurants with more expensive choices. Places you may not pick if you were paying out of pocket. Never use a sit down credit for breakfast or lunch if you want to maximize your savings. If you plan on eating three meals, use your counter service for lunch. Breakfast is generally the cheapest meal. If your not a big eater use a snack credit for breakfast. If you use the snack credit for a snack always look for the more expensive snacks. I think the biggest plus for me with this plan is that I feel more relaxed. It’s similar to the convenience of an all inclusive resort. It’s paid for before you go. Your not worrying about every dime while your on vacation. You don’t care how much each dish cost. You can relax and enjoy your vacation. If your on a stricter budget then it’s probably not a good idea. You can definitely eat cheaper if you want to. Bottom line is it’s not a huge money saver unless your big eaters. It’s more for convenience. I’m not a fan of the deluxe plan. I have three kids. There’s no way I could get them to sit for three meals at Disney. It takes up too much time. It’s also too much food in my opinion. The last time I used it the plan offered two snack credits each per day. By our last day we had a lot of credits remaining. We shopped for snacks to bring home on the plane. Now they changed it to one snack credit and a resort mug. I think this is probably better. My kids are older now and they will probably use the resort mug more now than the last time.
Still confused. Going for 6 days in April. Family of 5. That would be $1,855.20 for the ‘standard’ meal plan. However, were going to Ohana’s twice ($59.99 pp), Le Cellier ($59.99 pp), and Cape May Cafe($59.99 pp) and Be Our Guest for lunch ($14.99) That’s about $1,274.75 for those meals alone. We’ve done trips with meal plan and trips without the meal plan. With the plan we find its just too much food using the meal plan and by the 3rd day you don’t want to eat anymore. We’re DVC members and just heard about the ‘Tables in Wonderland’. I think its probably worth the value. Has anyone used it? Were you happy with it?
We just did the “club level” experience this past October (2015). We were there during the Food and Wine Festival. We purchased the Quick Service Dining Plan and it worked out extremely well. We would eat breakfast each morning in the club. We enjoyed the afternoon at the parks and would head to Epcot for F&W. There we would trade in 1 of our Quick Service Points for 3 items at a F&W booth allowing us to taste our way around the world. ( In Canada we got 2 filets and a cup of cheese soup for trading in 1QS) We also used our snack credits at the F&W booths. In the late afternoon we would go back to the club for snacks. We would fill a bowl with crackers and chips and take them to our room to keep if we got “the munchies “. Before heading back to our park for the evening, we would stop by the club for appetizers. We would stop late in the evening at the park for our fast food dinner. If you stay “concierge level” during a time that is NOT a food festival, I would think that the only meal that you would need to purchase would be lunch. The club level “snack time” is just that…snacks. The breakfast and appetizer/hors d’oeuvres times were quite filling and the desserts and drinks at 10pm were quite the nighttime treat!