Disney Dining Plan Overview

Wondering if the Disney Dining Plan is worth adding to your trip? The plan has been back at Disney World since January 2024, and it is changing again in 2027. Here is what each plan costs, what you get, the new Deluxe plan, and the rules that trip people up.

What is the Disney Dining Plan?

Disney’s Dining Plan offers park guests a way to pre-pay for their meals and snacks as part of a Walt Disney World Vacation package. You receive a number of meal and snack credits for each night of your stay, plus a refillable resort mug for each person paying for the Meal Plan.

We used the Dining Plan back in 2016 and really liked not thinking about food costs during the trip.

Each dining plan includes a predetermined 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.

For 2026, there are two dining plans, plus one new plan offered in 2027

• ✱ Begins in 2027: Deluxe Table-Service Dining Plan – Includes 2 table service credits, 1 quick service credit, and 1 snack per night.
• Disney Dining Plan (also 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. 

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.

These Meals Cost 2 Table Service Credits

You will want to plan ahead for these. Each one uses 2 table-service credits per person (subject to change):

• Cinderella’s Royal Table (Fairytale Dining)
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Princess Storybook Dining, lunch and dinner)
• Artist Point (Storybook Dining with Snow White)
• Be Our Guest Restaurant (dinner)
• Signature and fine dining restaurants
• Dinner shows, like Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
• In-room dining at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

A Large Resort Pizza Costs 2 Quick-Service Credits

A large pizza from select resort food courts uses 2 quick-service credits. It comes with 2 drinks, and those can be alcoholic for guests 21+. This applies at:

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resorts
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort (French Quarter and Riverside)

Disney Dining Plan Deals and Special Offers

Disney occasionally offers special offers for their Disney Dining Plans. A few of the recent special offers are listed below:

• 2026 Kids Dine Free: Kids ages 3 to 9 got a free dining plan when everyone 10 and up in the party bought a plan as part of a Disney Resort package. Check Disney’s site for remaining 2026 availability.
• 2027 kids discount: The free kids deal ends. For 2027, Disney is offering up to 20% off the dining plan for kids ages 3 to 9 with select vacation packages.
• Free Dining: Disney sometimes runs a Free Dining offer on packages. It usually can’t be combined with room discounts, so compare both before you book.

How to Check How Many Credits You Have Left

Your plan is linked to your reservation. Here are 3 easy ways to check:

1. My Disney Experience app: Go to the “My Resort Stay” page and tap “Check Dining Plan.”
2. Your receipts: Remaining meals and snacks print on every dining receipt.
3. Ask a Cast Member: Stop by your resort’s Front Desk or any Guest Relations location.

TIP: Keep a close eye on your receipts and be sure to tell every single cast member that you’re using your dining plan or that you have a dining plan but do not want to use one of the credits. This is super important when you’re buying bottled water or extra snacks that might be too inexpensive to make it worth using one of your snack credits.

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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.

Since tipping is included in your meals at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and Cinderella’s Royal Table, you do not need to pay an additional tip at these locations.

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. 

Some of the snacks listed above might not be the most cost-effective ways to use your credit. For example, a side of cheese sauce is about $1 but the Warm Cinnamon Roll at Magic Kingdom is $6.99 (and feeds more than 1 person!) so try to plan accordingly!

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!)

We have marked all of the eligible snacks on our free Menu and Food Checklists; you can find them below:

• EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
• EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
• Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
• More coming soon

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 are not eligible.

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.

Do Credits Expire?

Your unused credits will roll over each day and expire at midnight on your checkout day. * This is important if you are resort hopping – your credits expire when you check out of each resort!

Do Kids Under 3 Need a Dining Plan

No, kids under 3 can eat from your plate, or you can buy them their own meal.

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?

The plan may be worth it if:

• You order higher-priced meals and specialty drinks
• Enjoy an alcoholic beverage with your meal
• Plan to book a 2-credit dining experience or dinner show
• Like to prepay for your food before you leave and not worry about it.
• If Disney is offering Kids Eat Free

The Disney Dining Plans may not be worth it if:

• You plan on using your credits for inexpensive meals and foods like quick-service breakfast meals and inexpensive snacks
• If you won’t use the alcoholic beverage benefit, or specialty beverages
• Skip breakfast or eat it in your room
• Have picky eaters
• If you don’t want to use up time for sit-down restaurants

We have found that the Quick Service Dining Plan is the best deal for our family. We’d rather not have a sit-down 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.