Will the Disney Dining Plan Be More Expensive When it Returns?

It has been more than a year and a half since guests were able to use the Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World!

Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom

This pre-paid package was once a staple of planning a Disney trip — though many guests asked the question “is it worth it?” There were hundreds of tips out there on how to maximize the value of the plan, and without it, guests must pay for their meals out of pocket.

Disney has said the Dining Plan will return in the future, but when it does…will it be more expensive?

The Dining Plan Has Been Temporarily Suspended

The dining plan has been temporarily suspended since the parks closed in March of 2020. When Disney World set reopening dates, they shared that DDP, like FastPass+,would be unavailable for the time being. Unlike FastPass+ (which has already been replaced by pay services Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane Attraction Selections), Disney actually plans to bring back the Dining Plan.

50’s Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios

Even though they’ve promised the return of this fan-favorite add-on, no plans or return date have been announced yet. It made sense to have the Dining Plan suspended when the parks first reopened due to limited restaurants available and lowered dining room capacity, but with nearly every restaurant reopened and capacity limits a thing of the past, why isn’t DDP back?

What Was the Dining Plan Like Before the Closure?

Pre-pandemic, there were four levels of the Dining Plan, and they could only be booked by Disney World Resort guests (one of the perks to staying onsite). You could choose between the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, Basic or Standard Disney Dining Plan, Disney Dining Plan Plus (which was so young when the Parks closed that many might not remember it at all!), or Deluxe Disney Dining Plan.

Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom

The prices changed depending on the tier you chose, and before the parks closed, they were as follows:

  • Quick Service was $55/night for adults and $26/night for children
  • Basic was $78.01/night for adults and $30.51/night for children
  • Disney Plus was $94.61/night for adults and $35.01/night for children
  • Deluxe was $119/night for adults and $47.50/night for children

Why Would the Price Go Up Now?

If the Disney Dining Plan were to return soon, why would the price go up? First of all, we’ve seen quite a few price increases on things returning to Disney World recently.

Chefs de France in EPCOT

Annual Passes came back with a completely revamped system with fewer options and higher prices for some tiers. FastPass+ returned, not as the free system we knew before the closure, but as Disney Genie+, a paid service that guests will have to purchase each day that they want to use it. And on top of that, several restaurants have had price increases as well.

©Disney

Over the past several months, we’ve seen many dining locations around Disney World raise their prices by a few dollars before reopening in the parks and resorts. Often, those price hikes were what alerted us that the restaurants might soon open up again. Unfortunately, it makes sense that if the restaurants are pricier than they were before, the Dining Plan cost would be raised as well.

Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom

No matter what happens when the Dining Plan returns, we’ll be here to bring you the latest news and updates. 

Click Here to Check Out the Best Restaurants in Disney World at Every Price Point!

Did you ever buy the dining plan? Let us know in the comments!

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7 Replies to “Will the Disney Dining Plan Be More Expensive When it Returns?”

    1. Jan 2022 will be our 8th trip to WDW over the last 8 years, yes we even went for a week in October 2020!. With the exception of October 2020 we have utilized the Dinning Plan for each trip. To us it is both the convenience that ranks high in importance, along with the fact, knowing how to utilize has saved us hundreds of dollars each time in meal costs. We missed the dinning plan last October and are holding on to hope for its return for our upcoming Jan 2022 trip. We find the dinning plan allows us to focus on the daily fun, instead of daily meal costs.

  1. Honestly, it was a barely break even option before, more for convenience than anything. Does anyone really think it will return at the same or only marginally increased cost? Look at the exorbitant amount bumped up the prices for the Halloween and Holiday parties. As long as there are people who will pay, they’re going to extract every penny. For the first time in my entire life, we are bringing our own food into the park.

  2. We LOVE the Dining plan!!! We don’t go without it!! Cause of loving the Expensive places like California grill and LeCellier. Gonna try BE OUR GUEST. We r PATIENTLY WAITING For the Return.

    1. I always use the dining plan. I never had to worry about the price. This year we don’t have it and we will be getting less reservations for dining. Bad decision Disney world!

      1. I agree on it being a BAD DECISION. Of Disney not having it. Things r getting back to Normal. Bring it back