A Guide To The Disney Dining Plan

Ian Myers on 04 June 2015
For some the Disney Dining Plan can be a bit confusing so hopefully this quick guide will be able to help answer any questions.

Q: What is the Disney Dining Plan? A: Disney has created a cost effective way of pre-paying for your meals when you book your holiday. For the past few years Disney have run promotions where depending on which resort Hotel you book they will include a dining plan for free. This is only available to guests staying at any of the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels.

Below are the 3 packages available to choose from and a description of what they entail:

Quick-Service Dining Plan (per night stay) • 2 quick (counter)-service meals • 1 snack • 1 refillable Resort mug per person Dining Plan (per night stay) • 1 quick-service meal • 1 table-service meal • 1 snack Deluxe Dining Plan (per night stay) • 3 table-service or quick-service meals • 2 snacks • 1 refillable Resort mug per person

So if you have 4 people in your party then each person will receive 1 credit per day (2 credits for the Quick-Service Plan).

Most restaurants are 1 credit with the exception of the Signature Restaurants and Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table which are 2 credits.

Q: How does it work? A: Upon ordering you will present your Key To The World (either MagicBand or Card) and they will deduct the credits for your allocation. You will then get a reciept for your purchase which tells you how many credits you have remaining.

Q: What is included? A: A lunch and dinner meal is classed as a main course and dessert, both for quick service and for table service. Or 1 full buffet meal. Soft drinks are also included as long as they aren’t served in souvenir container.

The snacks available are the likes of ice cream, popcorn, a piece of fruit, a hot drink, soda fountain drink or bottle of soda/water and croissants. This depends on the location you are purchasing from.

Q: What’s not included? A: Gratuities are not included (except for dinner shows and Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table) and are added to the bill, these can then either be paid for there or charged back to your room. Alcoholic drinks and food and beverages that are sold in a souvenir container are not included.

Q: Do I need to book: A: Personally I would advise booking your meals, some restaurants will fill their reservations sheet the day they are released!

You can only book table-service meals and you can FastPass+ some counter service restaurants.

Q: How do I book? A: Reservations can be made either by phone or on the MyDisneyExperience website & App. www.mydisneyexperience.com Simply create an account and enter your booking reference, this will then bring up your hotel reservation and the ability to pick and choose the restaurant you require and enter the date, select the time and book your table.

The MyDisneyExperience app is also there for you to book your FastPass+’s.

Q: When can I book A: You can book tables 180 days in advance, if you are a hotel guest you then have the ability to book for the first 10 days of your stay. As I said above the most popular venues do get booked up 180 days in advance. Some restaurants will allow “walk-ins” but these are not guaranteed.

I have been visiting and planning Walt Disney World holidays for the last 15 years and if I can help you in any way when you are planning your Walt Disney World holiday then please do not hesitate to give me a call on 0113 3501590 or email me at ian.myers@travelcounsellors.com and I will be happy to provide the details you require.