Walt Disney World’s Disney Dining Plan Overview

Updated on May 8, 2024

Introduction

Walt Disney World offers so many points of interest and fun and entertainment for its guests. But the most delicious way to bring your trip to the next level is the food!

Whispering Canyon brunch

Whether you’re enjoying the food court at your Resort, a snack from a kiosk in the Parks, or a Signature meal in Disney Springs, there’s no shortage of tasty things to eat and drink. And to help guests plan ahead — and possibly save some money in the process — Disney offers the Disney Dining Plan.

In fact, they offer four Disney Dining Plans, each with its own quantities and types of dining included. Which, even for Disney pros, can be a bit confusing.

We’re here to answer all of your questions — from which guests are eligible to purchase the Disney Dining Plan to what qualifies as a snack entitlement!

Mickey Pretzel

Purchasing the Disney Dining Plan

Can anyone book the Disney Dining Plan?

No. The Disney Dining Plan is only available to those with Resort Packages. This means you must be staying at a Disney Resort and have park tickets linked to your stay.

To add a Disney Dining Plan to a stay, guests must purchase a travel package (hotel room plus tickets), have an Annual Pass, or be a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member staying on points. DVC members should call (800) 800-9800 to add the Dining Plan to their stay.

How many days do I get the Dining Plan for?

The Disney Dining Plan is solely based on the number of nights of your stay, and not the days on your ticket.

For example, you could be staying for 5 nights, but only purchase 3 day tickets, and you’d have 5 days worth of Dining Plan Entitlements.

Can I add the Dining Plan once I arrive?

No. The Disney Dining Plan must be booked at least 24 hours in advance and cannot be added once you arrive.

However, if you book a package or resort stay initially and decide to add the dining plan later, you may call and add a Dining Plan to an existing reservation.

Can I book the Dining Plan for just the adults in the family and just share with our kids?

The Disney Dining Plan must be booked for EVERYONE on the Reservation. There is a difference in pricing for kids (age 3-9) and adults (anyone 10 and older), and children under 3 do not need a dining plan.

Additionally, all Guests must have the SAME Dining Plan. You cannot book the Deluxe Dining Plan for one guest and the Quick Service Plan for the rest. (Keep reading to learn about the different plans!)

Kids under 3 can eat off their parents’ plates, or at a buffet, you can get them their own plate. However, if you want anything extra—like milk or a kid’s meal—you’ll have to pay out of pocket. You’re free to bring in snacks and items for them as well!

That said, Disney’s portions are very generous, so you can often share with your toddler without any issue.

Disney food

UNDERSTANDING THE DISNEY DINING PLANS

Please note: Only the Quick Service Dining Plan and the Standard Disney Dining Plan have returned. Information about the more premium dining plans has not been released at this time.

The Four Levels of the Disney Dining Plans are:

Thanksgiving Favorites ANYTIME!

What is the difference in the Dining Plans?

Each of the four Dining Plans offers various amounts of “entitlements” per person per night. (We will get deeper into what qualifies for each entitlement — keep reading!) Because of this, they also vary in cost, with the Deluxe Dining Plan being the most expensive.

Quick Service Disney Dining Plan Entitlements (per person, per night):

2 Quick Service Meals
1 Snack

Standard Disney Dining Plan Entitlements (per person, per night):

1 Table Service Meal
1 Quick Service Meal
1 Snack

Dining Plan Plus Plan Entitlements (per person, per night) This plan has not returned at this time:

2 Meals (May be used at Quick-Service or Table-Service restaurants)
2 Snacks

Deluxe Disney Dining Plan Entitlements (per person, per night) This plan has not returned at this time:

3 Meals (May be used at Quick-Service or Table-Service restaurants)
2 Snacks

For example, if you stay for four nights and use the Standard Disney Dining Plan, each person will receive four Table Service Meals, four Quick Service Meals, and eight Snacks.

Additionally, every Guest, regardless of Dining Plan, will receive a Refillable Mug that can be used for sodas, coffee, and tea at the Resorts.

What is the cost of each Disney Dining Plan?

For 2025 Dining Plan the costs are as follows:

Quick Service Disney Dining Plan:

$59.14 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
$24.70 per night per child (age 3-9)

Standard Disney Dining Plan:

$97.70 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
$30.78 per night per child (age 3-9)

Summer House

When the Dining Plan returned in 2024, the costs was:

Quick Service Disney Dining Plan:

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

Standard Disney Dining Plan:

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

Scat Cat’s Club — Lounge

For 2020, the Disney Dining Plans costs were as follows:

Quick Service Disney Dining Plan:

$55.00 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
$26.00 per night per child (age 3-9)

Standard Disney Dining Plan:

$78.01 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
$30.51 per night per child (age 3-9)

Dining Plan Plus Plan:

$94.61 per night per adult (ages 10 and up)
$35.01 per night per child (age 3-9)

Deluxe Disney Dining Plan:

$119.00 per night (ages 10 and up)
$47.50 per night (age 3-9)

Please note that tax is included, but gratuity is not. When using the Dining Plan, an 18% gratuity will be added to each table-service meal and must be paid at the time of the meal.

To learn more about each specific Disney Dining Plan, use the following links:

Cape May Cafe Breakfast

UNDERSTANDING YOUR ENTITLEMENTS

The biggest question many people have about the Disney Dining Plan is what their entitlements include and where they can be used. Note that you can use them in whichever order you’d like — for example, you could use 3 snacks in one day and only 1 snack the next.

Let’s take a look at what is included in each entitlement!

SNACKS:

Snacks are single-serving items that are available at Quick-Service Restaurants, Outdoor Carts, and some merchandise locations.

Examples of snacks include:

Popcorn
Ice Cream Novelties
Bottled Beverages
Single Sides (ex. an Order of Fries) at Quick Service Restaurants
Sweet Treats from Bakery Cases (ex: Rice Krispie Treats, Cookies, Cupcakes, Pastries)
Certain Food Items & Non Alcoholic Drinks at Epcot Festival Kiosks

Note: Alcoholic Beverages and Souvenir containers (such as Sippers or Popcorn Buckets) cannot be purchased with Snack Credits.

Close-up of Disney Dining Plan Snack Icon

Items that qualify as Snack Credits will be notated with a Disney Dining Plan Logo on the menu.

Kid’s Ice Cream Cone at Hollywood Scoops

QUICK-SERVICE MEALS:

You can redeem your Quick-Service Meal entitlements at the over 50 Participating Quick Service Locations.

Quick-Service Locations are generally restaurants with walk-up counters where you’ll order your food (or pick it up from Mobile Order), and then find a seat after.

With each Quick Service Meal Entitlement, you’ll receive:

1 Entrée (including any accompanying sides)
1 Beverage (includes specialty drinks such as milkshakes and alcoholic beverages where available for guests using an Adult Quick Service Credit)

Starters, desserts, and additional sides can be purchased out of pocket or using Snack Credits.

Note: For their Quick Service Entitlement, kids using the Disney Dining Plan must order from the Kid’s Menu.

Kids’ meal from Docking Bay 7 in Hollywood Studios

TABLE-SERVICE MEALS:

You can redeem your Quick-Service Meal entitlements at the dozens of Participating Table Service Locations.

Table-Service Restaurants are full-service restaurants, meaning you will be seated with a Host/Hostess waiting on your table. Meals include a la carte menus, family-style, and buffet dining.

Unlike snacks or Quick-Service Entitlements, Table-Service Meal Entitlements vary by plan.

On the Standard Disney Dining Plan, each Table-Service Meal Entitlement will include:

1 Entrée (with accompanying sides)
1 Dessert (Lunch and Dinner Only)
1 Beverage (Includes Specialty Beverages and Alcoholic Drinks)

-or-

1 Family Style or Buffet Meal (Includes all-you-care-to-eat food and standard drinks. You can also order an alcoholic or specialty beverage.)

Additional alcoholic beverages, sides, or appetizers may be purchased out-of-pocket.

On the Disney Dining Plan Plus, each Table-Service Meal Entitlement will include (This plan has not returned at this time):

1 Entrée (with accompanying sides)
1 Dessert (Lunch and Dinner Only)
1 Beverage (Includes Specialty Beverages and Alcoholic Drinks)

-or-

1 Family Style or Buffet Meal (Includes all-you-care-to-eat food and standard drinks. You can also order a alcoholic or specialty beverage.)

Additional alcoholic beverages, sides, or appetizers may be purchased out-of-pocket.

On the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan, each Table-Service Meal Entitlement will include (This plan has not returned at this time):

1 Appetizer
1 Entrée (with accompanying sides)
1 Dessert (Lunch and Dinner Only)
1 Beverage (Includes Specialty Beverages and Alcoholic Drinks)

-or-

1 Family Style or Buffet Meal (Includes all-you-care-to-eat food and standard drinks. You can also order a alcoholic or specialty beverage.)

Additional alcoholic beverages or sides may be purchased out-of-pocket.

Note: Kids using the Disney Dining Plan must order off the Kid’s Menu for their Table Service Entitlement.

Meatballs at Akershus

What are Signature Table-Service Meals?

Certain meals and restaurants are known as “Signature,” meaning they are more expensive and more elegant fare. You are welcome to use your Disney Dining Plan to eat at Signature meals, but it’s important to note that each Signature meal will require TWO Table Service Entitlements per person.

Click here for a list of Participating Meals and Restaurants

Oak Grilled Filet Mignon (AKA nectar from heaven)

What happens if I don’t use all of my Disney Dining Plan Entitlements?

Unused entitlements will NOT be refunded, so it’s important to use all of them to get your money’s worth.

Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar

Choosing the Right Plan

So, with that in mind, which plan is right for you? That depends on your family!

Chicken Guy!

Different factors determine which plan is right for your family or whether you should get the Disney Dining Plan at all.

The biggest one is cost. The Dining Plans are expensive, but convenient. We suggest crunching the numbers — check our menu pages and see how much an average meal would cost your family to eat for a day.

The second is how much your family eats and how you vacation. If you see yourself wanting a sit-down meal each day, you’ll want to consider the Quick Service or Standard Dining Plan.

D-Luxe Burger

And, of course, if you’re the kind of family who grazes throughout the day, eats or splits a lot of meals, you may find the Disney Dining Plan isn’t right for you at all.

Free Dining

During slower months, guests may be offered a free or discounted Dining Plan as part of a vacation package. The details on this offer vary from year to year; sometimes you need to be a Visa Cardholder, sometimes the Dining Plan is only for guests of a certain age, usually you must pay rack rate for your room, and sometimes there are no strings attached at all.

Typically, Free Dining will be the Quick Service Dining Plan, but you might rarely see a Standard Plan up for offer as well. This is clearly the best deal you can get on the Disney Dining Plan, but they sell out quickly, so pay attention to AllEars for updates!

Tips and Tricks

The best way to maximize your Disney Dining Plan is to spend every credit as cost-efficiently as possible. That means figuring out what meals and snacks will give you the most bang for your buck.

Obviously, your own personal desires and experiences are key here. Take those Galaxy’s Edge soda bottles, for instance. In terms of cost, they’re probably one of the least efficient snacks at Disney, offering less than half the volume of an equivalent bottle of soda. However, if you’re a huge fan of Star Wars who wants the souvenir, the value goes beyond the beverage. With that personalized caveat in mind, here are a few quick tips on making the most of your plan.

Use Those Snack Credits Wisely

Because the definition of “snack” varies so wildly, you can easily squeeze out an extra meal on snack credits alone. Skip the ice cream bars, and go for heartier options, like French fries, soups, and sandwiches. Generally speaking, items that cost more than seven dollars are a financially sound deal on the DDP, provided they offer enough food.

One of the best times to use the DDP is during one of Epcot’s quarterly festivals, especially the Food and Wine Festival. Nearly every dish you can sample qualifies as a snack on the DDP, and many of these delicious dishes can be considered meals in themselves.

Don’t Waste Your Snacks on Bottled Drinks

With your dining plan, you get a refillable cup. Plus, you get a drink included with every meal. Even if you’re a soda addict, you shouldn’t need to spend those precious snack credits on a drink. This goes double if you’re mostly a water drinker, as water is free at any snack counter or Quick Service location! That bottle of Dasani is just a wasted credit.

However, you can spend credits on signature drinks like milkshakes or smoothies if you’d like. Although those may not have the biggest monetary value, they are good uses of credit because they are specialty beverages.

Maximize Every Credit You Spend

When it comes to Table Service credits, you should be spending them as effectively as possible. And that means ordering the most expensive thing on the menu (or pretty close to it) each and every time you sit down for a Table Service meal.

Royal Prime Rib Roast

This also raises the question of whether Signature meals requiring two Table Service credits are worthwhile, and the answer really depends. Technically, you’ll get more food by sticking to the one-credit options. Those Signature restaurants will, in theory, give you higher quality and a more luxurious experience, but that is where their value resides. If high-quality eats and full dining experiences aren’t your thing, Signature meals likely aren’t worth the credits for you.

Spend EVERYTHING

Don’t leave a credit behind. Bring snacks to your room. Pack non-perishables for the trip home. Stuff your luggage with candy. Whatever you do, do not leave a single credit on the table when your vacation ends. If you do, you’re essentially leaving money on the table — your money.