Crush on the Magic

Walt Disney World Dining Plans are back! This much beloved product of Walt Disney World Travel packages has returned for the first time since Pre-Covid. The plans have been simplified down to two plans and have also tighten the rules on use of the dining entitlements (aka credits). Thus, even for long time Walt Disney World travelers, the plans look a little different than before.

What are Disney Dining Plans?

In a nutshell, dining plans are a way to prepay for some of your dining that you plan to experience during your Walt Disney World vacation. They offer a combination of benefits, referred to as Entitlements, or Credits, which you utilize throughout your trip.

How do you add a Dining Plan to your vacation?

In order to purchase a dining plan, you must be staying at a Walt Disney World resort via a Walt Disney Travel Company Package. As of this post, there are a variety of current offers that feature discounts on dining purchases, dining plans and tickets when you book a vacation package. The entitlements you purchase/receive are calculated based on your length of stay at a Walt Disney World resort hotel.

Who is covered under the Dining Plan and how are credits calculated?

Adults and children booked on a Walt Disney Travel Company package are eligible to add the dining plan to their package. Similar to ticketing, everyone on the package must have the dining plan; however, dining plans costs and the entitlements (aka credits) are calculated by the number resort hotel nights. Guests under age 3 are not eligible for the dining plan. Guests may elect to allow their child under 3 to share food from parent or other child’s order, use an entitlement out of their allotment to order the child food, or elect to pay for the food out of pocket.

Understanding the dining plans as compared to your family’s vacation dining needs can be a game changer in maximizing your dollar, as well as can provide you the opportunity to pay as much up front for your vacation.

Below is a guide which breaks down the costs and entitlements for each plan:

A few key things to remember:

• If you are utilizing the Dining Plan, there are some fine dining and character dining experiences that will require the use of 2 credits for those meals.
• You can no longer break down quick service credits for snack credits. (This was allowed in the dining plans Pre-Covid).
• Children (3-9) must use their credits off the child menus, if you are dining at a location that offers children’s meals.
• Sodas and some alcoholic beverages (one per person) are allocated to the Dining Plan Table Service Meals.
• Additional items and/or some specialty items may be excluded from being covered in the plan.
• Disney Dining Plan does not cover gratuities for any Table Service dining experiences. Guests should take that into account when they dine at these locations when utilizing the Disney Dining Plan and be prepared to pay those at the completion of the dining experience.