Disney Dining Plan is Back

Ever since the Disney Parks opened back up in July 2020, we have waited for the return of the Disney Dining plans. It has been a long time coming but the wait is finally over. Well kind of.

The Disney Dining plan doesn’t come back until January 9, 2024 but you can start booking it now with your 2024 Disney vacation. This is huge for all those guests that don’t want to worry about having extra money for food when planning their trips. If you have a Dining Plan the food is already paid for.

Below we will go over what the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) is and if it is the right fit for you. Before the parks closed in 2020 Disney offered four different versions of the dining plan. Now there are only two. Will that change your mind on it? Is the price just too high? How much food can I order? Those answers and more can be found below.

What is the Disney Dining Plan

Some of you might be asking yourself, What is the Disney Dining Plan? Well the simple answer is the Disney Dining Plan is an add on to your vacation package. Just like your park tickets or memory maker you can add it to your vacation package. Some people claim it’s not worth the money while others swear by it.

When you book your Disney vacation and add a dining plan to it you need to remember that you will receive credits (more on that below) for each NIGHT of your stay. So if you book a 5 day 4 night vacation you will get 4 day’s worth of credits. Currently there are two different options to choose from.

The Quick Service Dining is $57 per adult and $24 per child. Before it went away in March 2020 it cost $55 per adult(10 or older) and $24 per child(3-9 years old). Now you will receive two quick service meals (per night of stay), one resort refillable mug, 1 snack/ non alcoholic drink (per night of stay).

Each quick service meal includes a drink and can be a beer, wine, or cocktail if that quick service location has them.

Each person on your reservation that is 3 or older would have to purchase the dining plan.

Now just a quick look at the number of credits you will get for each person and the total cost for a family of four with two adults, one child that is 11 and one that is 8 for a 5 day/4 night Disney vacation. Each person would get 8 quick service credits (2 for each day times 4 nights). Each family member would get 4 snack credits and each would get a refillable mug. Now you would have a total of 24 adult quick service credits and 8 child quick service credits. You would have a total of 32 snack credits.

The total added cost onto your vacation package if you added the Quick-Service Dining Plan would be $780.

Now let’s take a look at the Table Service Dining plan or just the Disney Dining Plan. The plan is currently $94 per adult (10 & older) and $30 per child (3-9 years old). It used to cost before the covid pandemic $78 per adult and $28 per child. You will receive One quick service meal (per night of stay), One table service meal(per night of stay), one snack(per night of stay), and one refillable mug.

One thing to remember when booking a package with the Disney Dining Plan is some of the table service restaurants use two credits. So if you book a table at Cinderella’s Royal Table your first night you will only have 2 credits remaining for your next 3 nights.

In theory you could use up all your credits your first day there. Your DDP credits are not locked in for just one day. You get them all up front and can use them how you choose.

Take a look back in time at what the DDP used to be. Be sure to check out our Disney Dining Plan post that was updated right before the parks closed. It is interesting to see what was included and the cost only a couple of years ago.

Are the Dining Plans worth it?

Three or four years ago I would have said without a doubt that the Dining Plans were worth it. Now I feel like they just might not be.It really all comes down to how you are going to eat and use your credits while at Disney.

Time will tell if Disney will offer a free dining promo. If they offer that I usually feel like that is a good deal.

Below you will find a simple breakdown of both dining plans and the out-of-pocket cost for each day for one adult and one child (3-9). This should help you make a more informed decision.

	Quick Service 1	Quick Service 2
Adult Day 1	Foot Long Chili-Cheese Dog ($14.29) Soda ($4.99)	Fajita Platter ($15.49) and Soda ($4.29)
Child Day 1	Corn Dog Nuggets ($10.49) Chocolate Milk ($4.19)	Kids Chicken Taco ($7.79) this meal comes with a drink
Adult Day 2	Ocean Moon Bowl ($17.49) and Ilu Splash Margarita ($13.50)	Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler ($18.99) and Island Breeze ($13.50)
Child Day 2	Cheeseburger Steamed Pod ($8.59) comes with Drink	Pulled Pork Platter ($7.49) comes with drink

Day 1 Lunch at Casey’s Corner (Magic Kingdom) Adult total $19.28 child total $14.68.

Day 1 Dinner at Pecos Bill (Magic Kingdom) Adult Total $19.78 child total $7.79

Day 2 Lunch at Satu’li Canteen (Animal Kingdom) Adult Total $30.99 child total $8.59

Day 2 Dinner at Flame Tree Barbecue (Animal Kingdom) Adult Total $32.49 child total $7.49

Adult Total for day one was $39.06 and for day two was $63.48 for a grand total between the two days $102.54. Plus we didn’t use either snack credit which is usually around $5 on average so let’s add another $10 to our total. This would bring our grand total for those two days to $112.54. The cost to add the Quick-Service dining plan for those two “nights” would be $114. In a sense we would have lost $1.46 with the dining plan instead of paying out of pocket for it.

Now let’s look at the total cost for the child. Day one total was $22.47 and day two was $16.08 for a grand total of $38.55. Again let’s add $10 for the snack credits and that brings us up to $48.55. The total cost to add the child’s Quick Service dining plan to a vacation package for two NIGHTS is $48. Here we wouldn’t have lost any money but gained 55 cents.

It is important to remember that if you are trying to get the most out of your quick service dining plan you need to order the most expensive things on the menu and get an alcoholic beverage where available.

Now let’s take a look at the Dining Plan and if that is worth it.

	Quick Service	Table Service
Adult Day 1	BBQ Pulled Pork Burger ($14.79) Rum Island Breeze ($14.50)	Breakfast Buffet with Stitch ($45)
Child Day 1	Chicken Stips ($8.49) comes with drink	Breakfast Buffet with Stitch ($29)
Adult Day 2	Dry Rub Ribs ($16.29) Tennessee Lemonade ($15.50)	Chef Mickey Dinner ($62)
Child Day 2	BBQ Ribs ($9.49) comes with drink	Chef Mickey Dinner ($39)

Day 1 Table Service Ohana Adult total $45 child total $29

Day 1 Quick Service Backlot Express (Hollywood Studios) Adult total $29.29 child total $8.49

Day 2 Table Service Chef Mickey Adult total $62 child total $39

Day 2 Quick Service Regal Eagle Smokehouse (EPCOT) Adult total $31.79 Child total $9.49

The adult total for day one is $74.29 and for day two it is $93.79 for a grand total of $168.08 for the two nights. The cost for the DDP for these two nights is $188. Of course, we need to add an additional $10 to that total for the average cost of the snack credit. Still we would be out an additional $9.92

For the child the total for day one was $37.49 and for day two it was $48.49 for a grand total of $85.98. The cost of the table service dining plan for those two nights is $56. With the child plan we would have saved an additional $29.98 compared to paying out of pocket. Plus that doesn’t include the two snack credits.

Surprisingly it seems like the more expensive table service dining is the better deal. You just need to book character dining with your table service credit.

Tips and Tricks

If you are just looking to save money, then the dining plans may not be the best thing for you. If you are not ordering the most expensive thing on the menus you may not break even. You really have to order one of the top 3 expensive things off the menu and get an alcoholic beverage.

The dining plan gives your Disney vacation that all inclusive feel.

Most of the food booths at EPCOT accept the snack credits. This is a great use of those credits since most of those items are over $6 a piece.

Kids MUST order off the kids menu when available.

Your dining credits can be used from the day you check in, to midnight of the day you check out.

TIPS are not included with the dining plan. You should carry some cash to leave a tip after your table service reservation.

Remember the hotter you are the less likely you will want to eat a lot of food. The dining plans might not be a good idea for you and your family if you are visiting between June and September.

Tiffins, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Citricos, Flying Fish, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Monsieur Paul, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (lunch and dinner), and Topolino’s Terrace (dinner) are some of the restaurants where they use 2 table service credits.