10 Restaurants With Weird Dining Plan Rules in Disney World

Going to Disney World soon? The parks are going to feel totally different.

Many visitors no longer need to make Park Pass Reservations to enter the parks, park hopping is back to normal, AND the Disney Dining Plan is back at Disney World. The Dining Plan can be confusing on its own, but there are some restaurants with their own weird rules! Don’t worry — we’ll fill you in.

First, we’re going to explain what the Disney Dining Plan is and then get into which restaurants you’ll want to watch out for when it comes to rules. Let’s go!

What Is the Disney Dining Plan?

If you are unfamiliar with the Dining Plan, it is available for an additional cost on your Disney World vacation that essentially allows you to pre-pay for your food. You pay a certain amount per night to get credits that you can use at most Disney World restaurants throughout your vacation.

These credits can be redeemed at table service restaurants, quick service restaurants, or snacks depending on which plan you choose. People who love the Dining Plan tend to rave about its convenience in the parks and say it’s a good way to budget ahead of your vacation.

There were several Dining Plan options before it disappeared in 2020, but with the return, there are only two plans available. Those are the Quick-Service Dining Plan and the Basic Disney Dining Plan.

Want the complete list of restaurants included in the Disney Dining Plan? Click here!

The Quick Service Disney Dining Plan includes two quick-service meals and one snack per person per night. Here’s a look at the pricing:

• $57.01 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
• $23.83 per night per child (age 3-9)

The Basic Disney Dining Plan includes one table service meal, one quick service meal, and one snack per person per night. The pricing looks like this:

• $94.28 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
• $26.69 per night per child (age 3-9)

You must be staying at a Disney World hotel to add the Dining Plan to your vacation package.

Disney World’s FREE Dining Plan Offer Is BACK — Here’s Why That’s a Bigger Deal Than You Think

The Restaurants With Weird Rules

Not all Disney World restaurants are built the same…which explains why the Disney Dining Plan works differently depending on the spot.

Lounges

The first thing we want to point out is something brand new to the Dining Plan. You can now use your credits at Disney World lounges! That includes places like Enchanted Rose at Disney’s Grand Floridian, which we visited on January 9th.

Note that you will have to use your table service credits if you want to grab a bite to eat from one of Disney’s participating restaurants.

Read the lounge menu you are considering visiting carefully — don’t waste a table service credit on a small portion of food! Also, not all bars and lounges serve dessert, so that’s something else you could miss out on if you aren’t cautious. So you can order an appetizer and a drink, but note that this does not include signature drinks — you’re limited to choosing from generic beer, wine, or a simple cocktail like a vodka soda.

Table Service To-Go

Several table service restaurants offer a to-go option. Yes, you can bring your favorite table service favorites back to your room or another spot at the resort! We were curious how table service credits would work with the to-go option, so we asked around to find out.

Here’s a list of the restaurants that have the to-go options:

• Sanaa
• Steakhouse 71
• Three Bridges Bar & Grill
• Olivia’s Cafe
• Kona Cafe
• Geyser Point Bar & Grill
• Ale & Compass Restaurant
• Trattoria al Forno

Restaurants with Shareable Items

There are also some restaurants with shareable items on the menu. For example, over at Yak & Yeti in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can order the Ahi Tuna Nachos for 2 people — so how do menu items like this work with the credits?

“Shareables” are considered an appetizer, so they wouldn’t be covered under the Disney Dining Plan, but if you have two people wanting to use one table service credit, they could do so with a drink, a shared entree, and a dessert (which cannot be substituted for an appetizer). For an extra drink, it might make more sense to pay for it out of pocket.

Via Napoli

One of the most iconic menu items you can get at Via Napoli in EPCOT is the giant pizzas! They are huge and can feed tons of people…so we were curious how they worked with the Dining Plan!

To get the biggest pizzas, you’ll need to use four to five dining plan credits per pizza (that would be one dining credit from everyone in the group). A Cast Member told us this would be the case for each person, even if sharing with a group.

Gideon’s Bakehouse

Disney Springs is full of third-party restaurants not owned by Disney World. Some of these restaurants accept the Disney Dining Plan, though, and we had to check on some of the spots that opened in the last few years while the Dining Plan was away!

One of these is Gideon’s Bakehouse — that bakery that’s full of delicious cookies and cakes people can’t stop obsessing over. We reached out to Gideon’s to see if they would accept snack credits for any of their goodies, but unfortunately, the answer is no.

Space 220

Another restaurant and lounge where you cannot use the Disney Dining Plan is Space 220 and Space 220 Lounge in EPCOT. You’ll have to pay for those meals out of your own pocket if you choose to dine there.

Gelato Cart at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

If you’re looking to eat some of that delicious gelato from the cart in Hollywood Studios, you will have to fork over the cash. This is another spot that does not accept the Disney Dining Plan. So, no snack credits can be used here.

BaseLine Tap House

BaseLine Tap House is one of our favorite places in Hollywood Studios to grab food and drinks. However, this is another spot where you’ll need to bring your credit card or cash. BaseLine Tap House is not included in the Disney Dining Plan.

Salt & Straw

Another restaurant where you won’t be able to use your snack credits is Salt & Straw in Disney Springs.  According to the Disney World website, this location does not accept the Dining Plan.

Eet by Maneet Chauhan

This is also true of EET by Maneet Chauhan. The Disney World website states that this location is not participating in the Disney Dining Plan.

Summer House on the Lake

When we asked Summer House on the Lake about the dining plan, we were told the restaurant was “hoping to accept.” However, the restaurant is listed on the Disney World website as not currently accepting the Disney Dining Plan.

Keep following AllEars for more in-depth coverage of the Disney Dining Plan!

 Best Quick Service Restaurants for the Disney Dining Plan in 2024

What is the ONE restaurant you must visit every time you are at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

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