We have written many articles about how many Disney World has changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Fortunately, most Disney’s Recent Changes are aiming to do upcoming trips just like they did in front of the park Temporarily closed in 2020.
However, one service has returned very slowly, and some of Disney World’s regular visitors have been impatiently waiting for it: Disney’s Dining Plan. While that add-on hasn’t resumed, you can now pre-book Disney vacation packages that include hotel stays and theme park tickets, or reserve a resort-only reservation. for visits on or after January 9, 2024.
Related: The best restaurants at Disney World in 2023
The idea of paying for your meals before a Disney World vacation is certainly appealing, but is the convenience – and filling you up – enough to justify the cost? It’s been several years since Disney’s meal plans have been made available, so here’s everything you need to know before deciding to buy for your 2024 rides.
What is Disney’s meal plan?
With one Disney’s Meal Planyou can prepay for certain meals and snacks for your Disney World stay.
How many meals and snacks you will receive with the meal plan depends on the number of nights you stay at your Disney World hotel. For example, if you stay for three nights, you’ll receive three days’ worth of meals and snacks in exchange for your stay.
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In addition to the convenience of paying for your meals in advance, Disney’s meal plans are flexible. You are not required to exchange certain meals and snacks each day; you can use them anytime during your stay.
If there’s one day you don’t use up your credits, you’ll have even more meals and snacks the next day. If you have a snack left over at the end of your trip, you can stock up on pre-packaged treats to take home and combat the post-Disney sadness.
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What is included in a Disney meal plan?
There are currently two Disney dining plans you can buy for your 2024 vacation. Each comes with two meals, a snack, and a cup with unlimited soda, water, and coffee at your store. Disney hotel. However, one side focuses on quick-service dining and the other includes daily meal service options.
Here’s what you’ll get with each pack:
Disney Quick Service Meal Plan
- Two quick service meals per night of stay.
- One snack or non-alcoholic beverage per night of stay.
- An unlimited refillable drinking cup at your resort.
Disney meal plan
- One table service meal per night of stay.
- One quick meal per night of stay.
- One snack or non-alcoholic beverage per night of stay.
- An unlimited refillable drinking cup at your resort.
A “quick meal” includes an appetizer and a non-alcoholic beverage at any eligible quick-service venue, such as Woody’s Lunch Box at Hollywood Studios, Columbia Harbor House in Magic Kingdom or Capt. Cook’s at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. These are basically the spots where the waiter doesn’t come to your table; you get your food from the counter instead.
For breakfast, “tablet meal” includes a main meal, buffet or home-style meal, and non-alcoholic beverages at any participating table-service restaurants. For brunch, lunch or dinner, you can also order dessert with entrees at table-service restaurants.
Related: Tips for visiting Disney World in 2023: 18 ways to save money and have more fun
If you’d like to enjoy a character meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table or a signature dining experience like Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort, select restaurants will allow you to redeem two waitress credits for the experience. This. However, not all character meals require two credits. Chef Mickey at Contemporary resortfor example, just one credit for both breakfast and dinner.
If you purchase a Disney meal plan for a child ages 3 to 9, you must order from the children’s menu at any restaurant that offers it.
Snacks in both packages include one-time serving items such as popsicles, ice cream bars (including the iconic Mickey ice cream bars), a box of popcorn, a 20-ounce soft drink, a piece of whole fruit , etc. You can also use your snack credit to purchase snack bags at your hotel gift shop or other retail locations.
Participating dining venues should have details on their website about which meal plans are accepted and how many credits you need to redeem to dine there. Some fine dining restaurants, such as Takumi-Tei in Epcot And Victoria & Albert’s at Grand Floridian Resortdo not accept the eating plan.
Keeping track of your credits is also relatively simple. Each time you redeem a credit, you’ll see your remaining credit printed on your receipt. You can also check your remaining balance in the “My Plans” section of the My Disney Experience app.
Related: These are the best credit cards to use at Disney
How much does the Disney meal plan cost?
The cost of a Disney dining plan depends on the plan you choose and the length of your stay. Rates start at $57 per night for adults and $23 for children.
Here’s a more detailed nightly breakdown of each plan:
Disney Quick Service Meal Plan
- Adult: $57.
- Children from 3 to 9 years old: $24.
Disney meal plan
- Adult: $94.
- Children from 3 to 9 years old: $30.
Tax is included when you redeem a credit for a meal or snack, but you’ll still have to pay out-of-pocket for tips at table service restaurants. That will add to the overall cost of the plan, so factor in the cost if you’re thinking of buying a catered dining plan.
How do you buy a Disney meal plan?
There are two ways to purchase Disney meal plans. You can include a meal plan when you purchase a Disney World vacation package online, by phone, or through a Disney’s authorized vacation planner. Or, you can add it at any time after you purchase your holiday package until the day before your arrival.
Is Disney’s meal plan worth it?
Now the fun part – let’s do some math. Before you choose to purchase a Disney meal plan, you want to determine if the cost of the package offers more value than you would pay for your meals out-of-pocket.
See how much food you can get — and total cash — on a typical day with each one-adult program.
Disney Quick Service Meal Plan
Lunch at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom
- Long-legged, Chicago-style sausage – $14.
- Soft drink fountain – $5.
Dinner at ABC Commissary at Hollywood Studios
- Shrimp cake — $12.
- Glass of chardonnay – 9 dollars.
Snack at the ice cream cart in Magic Kingdom
- Mickey ice cream bar – $6.
Refillable resort cup
- Average three soda or coffee refills per day — $12.
Total cash price: $58 plus tax.
Daily cost for Disney Quick Service Meal Plan: $57.
Disney meal plan
Lunch at Connections Eatery in Epcot
- Southwest Burger – $14.
- Vanilla shake – $7.
Dinner at Ohana at Polynesian Village Resort
- All-you-can-eat dinner — $59.
- Mai tai Polynesia — $15.50.
Snack at the ice cream cart in Epcot
- Mickey Pretzels – $7.49.
Refillable resort cup
- Average three soda or coffee refills per day — $12.
Total cash price: $114.99 plus tax.
Daily cost for Disney Quick Service Meal Plan: $94.
As you can see, you can break even or get ahead with Disney dining plans if you maximize the value of your credit by choosing more expensive restaurants, choosing expensive ones. on the menu and count towards the cost of unlimited refills at your resort .
For example, ordering wine (adults) or milkshakes (for kids) with a meal will give you more value than ordering a soda; Ordering steak or seafood would probably be better than ordering chicken or vegetables.
The real question is whether you want to eat and drink that much in a day. If you don’t use all of your credits, you’re essentially leaving money on the table. You’ll need to do a little math and work out how you’re going to use up all the credits to see if you get the lead. Of course, for some, the opportunity to not have to worry about food costs while enjoying time in the park is worth the plan.
bottom line
Is Disney’s Meal Plan Worth It? depends on your budget, resort style, and food preferences. This will be different for everyone.
Fans of this “all-inclusive” option love that you can really leave the real world behind and live in the “Disney bubble”. However, Disney’s meal plans are only worth the monetary cost if you maximize your credits and make sure no ice cream bars, cookies, or Mickey drinks are left behind.
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