2024 Disney Dining Plans
You’ve probably been asking, “Will Disney ever have the Dining Plan again?” Good news… The Disney Dining Plans came back on January 9, 2024. In this post, I will share what we know about the upcoming Dining Plans at Disney World, including the cost, what is included in the two different plans, and other important things to know before you purchase the Dining Plan for your trip.
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When are the Dining Plans Coming Back to Disney World?
The Dining plans are back! Any guest who books their vacation after May 31, 2023, is eligible for the Disney dining plans. (Contact your travel agent to see if you are eligible to add the dining plan to your vacation package.)
What is the Disney Dining Plan?
Disney’s Dining Plan offers park guests a way to pre-pay for their dining and keep their food costs reasonable. We participated in the Dining Plans back in 2016 and really enjoyed it.
Each dining plan includes a pre-determined number of meals, drinks, and snacks for each day of your vacation, each guest will also receive a Resort mug that includes free drink refills at any Disney World Resort during your stay.
The two Dining Plan types Are:
- Disney Dining Plan (sometimes called the Table Service Dining Plan or the Standard Plan)
- Disney Quick Service Dining Plan.
To participate in each of these dining plans, you must buy a plan for each member of your party over the age of three, for each night of your stay. So for example, if you have four nights booked for your stay you will need to purchase the plan for all four nights.
What you need to know about the Disney Dining Plan (table service Plan)
What does the Disney Dining Plan Cost?
The Disney Dining Plan will cost your family $94.28 per adult/per day and $29.69 per child/per day. (for children ages 3-9 years of age).
A note about Children’s Dining Plans. Children under the age of three are welcome to eat off of your plate, or you can order and pay for an additional plate. Children ages 3-9 must order off of the kid’s menu where one is available.
What is included in The Disney Dining Plan? (The Table Service Plan)
- One table service meal with an entree and dessert (lunch and dinner only) or buffet meal.
- One quick service meal; entree or combo meal.
- Guests under 21 can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their table service or quick service meal including specialty beverages such as artisanal milkshakes, premium hot chocolates or coffees, and smoothies where they are offered. It also includes soda, coffee, or tea.
- Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage, including specialty beverages where offered, or one single-serving cocktail, beer, or wine with their meals.
- One snack or non-alcoholic beverage.
- One refillable resort drink mug per person.
Some meals cost two table service credits
Dining at the following restaurants will cost two table service credits per person: (*subject to change)
- Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (lunch and dinner)
- Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
- Dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant
- Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Fine or Signature Dining Restaurants
- Dinner Shows
- In-room dining at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
If you are making reservations to dine with Characters at Disney World, be sure to read our post all about Disney’s Character Dining so you can choose the right experience for your family. Find out how much character dining costs and more details. Read the post here.
What you need to know about the Quick Service Dining Plan at Disney World
What does the Disney Quick Service dining Plan Cost?
The Quick Service option may be the better choice for you if you are trying to save a little bit of money, and if you aren’t particularly interested in table service meals or buffets. The Quick Service Dining Plan costs $57 per adult/per day and $23.83 per child/per day.
What do you get with the Quick Service Dining Plan?
The Quick Service Dining Plan includes:
- Two quick service meals, an entree or combo meal, and a drink for lunch and dinner.
- Guests under 21 can choose one non-alcoholic beverage including specialty beverages where they are offered with their meal.
- Guests 21 and older can choose a non-alcoholic beverage or one single-serving mixed cocktail, beer, or glass of wine per meal.
- One snack or non-alcoholic beverage per day.
- One resort refillable mug per guest.
Some meals cost two table service credits
Some meals will cost you two table service credits instead of one. If you order a whole pizza pick up from some resorts it will cost you two quick service dining credits. The pizza pick-up includes one large pizza and two beverages. These beverages can be alcoholic for guests over the age of 21.
This includes pizzas at these resorts:
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort –Riverside
Disney Dining Plan FAQ
Is Disney doing the dining plan?
Yes! Dining Plans came back on January 9, 2024.
Don’t forget to grab the Dining Plan when you book your vacation. If the Dining Plan was not available when you were booking, no worries, you can contact your travel agent to add the dining plan if you are eligible.
Is tipping included with the Disney Dining Plan?
It is important to note that taxes and tips are not included in the cost of your table service meals. You will still need to pay for taxes and tip your server so make sure that you are prepared for that. The exception is that for parties of six or more an 18% gratuity is included. Check your receipts and talk with a cast member if you have any specific questions regarding tipping.
What snacks are included in the Disney Dining Plan?
Now let’s talk about what items you can use your snack credits on during your visit. The purple symbol below is used on menus to indicate which items count toward a snack credit.
My coffee-loving guests will be happy to hear that you can usually use a Snack Credit at Starbucks or Joffrey’s locations on Disney Property.
A few snacks you might enjoy are frozen ice cream novelties (Mickey bars included), a single serving box of popcorn, a piece of fruit, 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream, single serving snacks, a cup of soup, a 20 oz fountain drink, a 20 oz bottle of Coke or water, and add on toppings or sauces like marinara sauce.
If you are going to EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival don’t forget that you can use your Dining Plan Snack Credits at many of the Festival stands! (I think this ends up being a great value!)
Items that are not included are any items that are larger than a single serving, any food items that are served in a souvenir container, and items that are considered to be merchandise like glow cubes or bottle straps.
Stretch your meal credits
We have a few tricks we like to use when we get the Dining Plan. My favorite one is to simply share meals at quick-service restaurants. Yak n Yeti Quick Service in Animal Kingdom is a great example of some of Disney’s larger quick-service meals that are easy to share. Try the fried rice! It’s a lot of food.
We’ve also shared the adult Cheeseburger Pods (Bao Buns) at Satu’li Canteen in Hollywood Studios. It comes with 2 Cheeseburger pods so it’s easy to share.
Please note: You can not share meals at Table Service or Character Dining locations unless you are under 3 years old.
If you plan to use your Disney Dining credits towards a Character Dining Experience at Disney World, be sure to read all about Character Dining at Disney World before you book your reservation. Read the post here.
Where can I see how many meal credits I have left?
You can see all of your Meal Plan details on the My Disney Experience App (My Resort Stay/Check Dining Plan). Your receipt will also show your family’s remaining credits after you make a purchase.
You will also notice that your whole family’s meal credits are pooled together. So you will see the total number of credits you have left as a group.
Is it worth buying the Disney meal plan?
This answer varies depending on your family and how you like to dine. To make the most out of the dining plan you want to consider how much you like to eat out. Do you purchase expensive meals, or do you typically buy smaller, inexpensive meals? Do you enjoy an alcoholic beverage with your meal?
If you plan to use all of your credits on more expensive options then you may find the plan helpful for your budget.
If you plan on using your credits for inexpensive meals like quick service breakfast, and inexpensive snacks or won’t use the alcoholic beverage benefit you may not find the Dining Plans to be cost-effective.
We have found that the Quick Service Dining Plan is the best deal for our family. We’d rather not have a sitdown meal every day, it just takes up a good amount of time and my kids would rather be on the rides. This plan also allows us to share meals, which is great!
Some guests, like our family, enjoy the opportunity to pay for our meals before our trip. It helps with saving and budgeting. While it may not always be the cheaper option it takes the stress off of us when dining and everyone can choose what they want to eat despite the cost.
Are you excited about the return of the Disney dining plans? You aren’t alone! Lots of Disney guests enjoy knowing that their meals and snacks have already been paid for before they even leave for their vacation!
Let me know in the comments: What are your favorite ways to get the most out of the Disney Dining Plan?
