Disney Dining Plan 2025 Ultimate Guide
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Answers to all of your questions for 2025, including is the Disney Dining Plan worth it and prices for the Disney meal plan!
Have you heard about the Dining Plan at Disney World and are wondering how it works?
The Disney meal plan is basically a way to “pre-pay” for dining before your vacation starts. It returned last year after a three-year hiatus.
In this post, I will share everything you need to know about the Disney Dining Plan including the cost, how the credits work, and how to decide if the plan worth it for you.
Keep in mind that the plans are certainly not for everyone on every trip, and while they seem complicated at first, are actually pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it.
What is The Disney Dining Plan?
The Disney Dining Plan has been around for twenty years and is a way to make your Disney World vacation more inclusive.
You can add the Dining Plan to a hotel reservation that you book with Disney, through your travel agent, or with DVC points.
For each night of your stay, you’ll get a set number of dining plan “credits” you can use to eat almost anywhere at Walt Disney World, as well as a refillable mug to use at your resort during your stay.
Read on to learn how the credits work and the two different meal plans available for 2024!
Who Can Use The Disney Dining Plan?
The Disney Meal Plan can be used by guests staying at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.
They can’t be purchased by visitors staying at any hotels that are not owned by Disney (“off-property” hotels) or locals visiting for the day.
The plan also must be purchased for every night of your stay and for everyone staying in your room. However, there are ways around this that I will explain below.
Disney Dining Plan 2025 Cost
There are currently two different meal plans: the Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan.
The cost (including tax) of the Disney Dining Plan in 2025 for each night of your stay is:
- Quick Service Dining Plan: $59.14/adult and $24.70/child
- Disney Dining Plan: $97.70/adult and $30.78/child
Here is a chart that shows the credits you’ll get with each plan and the cost per night of your stay:
Disney Dining Plan 2025 Prices
| Credits (per night) | Cost
(including tax) |
|
| Quick Service Dining Plan | 2 Quick Service Meals + 1 Snack | $59.14 (adult)
$24.70 (child) |
| Disney Dining Plan | 1 Table Service Meal + 1 Quick Service Meal + 1 Snack | $97.70 (adult)
$30.78 (child) |
Note: Though tax is included in the cost of the plan, tips for your server at Table Service meals are not included.
Each plan includes a Resort Refillable Mug (more on those soon). The children’s prices are for kids ages 3 to 9. Kids 10 and over are charged the adult price.
How Does The Disney Dining Plan Work?
Everyone’s first question about the plan is “How does the Disney Dining Plan work?”
Each of the dining plans includes credits that you can use all over Walt Disney World.
These credits are loaded on the Magic Bands (or MagicMobile pass on your phone) of everyone in your party as soon as you check-in.
You can use the credits at any point during your stay, from 6 am on check-in day until midnight on the day you check out.
You can use them in any combination at any time, such as using three snack credits on the first day, or two table service credits on one day and two quick service credits on the next day.
The types of Disney Meal Plan credits are:
- Snack Credits (most items that aren’t a meal unto themselves fall into this category)
- Quick Service Meal Credits (i.e. meals at locations where you order at a counter as opposed to having a server)
- Table Service Meal Credits (“Sit-down” meals – includes buffets, character meals, and signature dining)
In addition to snack and meal credits,the meal plans at Disney include a Resort Refillable Mug with unlimited free refills for the next 14 days.
The mugs can be used at any Disney resort hotel for soda, coffee, tea, lemonade, and hot chocolate, but are not good for refills in the theme parks.
Soda machines are equipped with a chip reader that only dispenses the drink into a cup that is activated for that date.
Click here for my Disney Dining Plan tips to get the most out of the plans.
What’s Included in the Quick Service Dining Plan?
With the Quick Service Dining Plan, you’ll get two quick service credits per night of your trip, one snack credit per night, and a resort refillable mug.
Quick Service credits can be used to dine at any Quick Service (aka counter service) restaurant at Disney World.
Get my picks for the best quick service dining in each of the four theme parks in these posts!
A Quick Service credit includes an entree and a beverage.
You can get almost any beverage on the menu, including alcoholic drinks.
With any quick service or table service meal, those over 21 can select a single-serving mixed drink, wine, or beer as their beverage with the plan.
You could choose a specialty drink (such as a smoothie or milkshake) as your beverage as well.
And I am happy to report that you are not limited to certain alcoholic drinks with the Dining Plan… anything is fair game as long as it doesn’t come in a souvenir cup or serve more than one person.
If you don’t want a beverage (or just want to drink water) you can usually substitute anything that qualifies as a snack credit on the menu for your drink. Most quick-service dining locations allow this substitution but your mileage may vary.
You’ll also get one snack credit per person per night and a refillable mug on the Quick Service Dining Plan.
Update: In years past you could at times use one Quick Service credit to buy three snacks. Disney has officially stated that this is no longer permitted on the plan.
What’s Included on the Disney Dining Plan?
With the standard Disney Meal Plan, you’ll get one quick service credit and one table service credit per person per night of your trip.
Each table service meal credit includes an entree, beverage, and dessert.
This credit was made more flexible years ago by allowing guests to choose a salad or soup (if available at the restaurant) in place of a dessert.
And as in the case with quick service meals, any single-serving drink on the menu that doesn’t come in a souvenir cup is fair game – so go ahead and order that $17 glass of wine!
You are of course always allowed to order anything else from the menu that is not included in the dining plan and pay for the items out-of-pocket. This can include appetizers or add-ons to your entree.
With the Disney Dining Plan, you’ll also get one snack per person per day and a refillable mug.
What about the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan?
Sadly, the Deluxe Dining Plan at Disney World did not return last year.
How Do I Get a Dining Plan for Free?
You may have heard of Disney’s wildly popular “Free Dining” promotion. For this offer, guests pay the regular, non-discounted rate for their hotel stay and park tickets, but get one of the dining plans at no additional cost.
A free dining package usually requires booking a minimum three-night stay and purchasing a minimum of 3-day “Park Hopper” tickets for everyone in your travel party.
You can learn everything you need to know about Disney free dining in this post.
Determining if Free Dining is an option will definitely help answer the question is the Disney Dining Plan worth it?
Disney Dining Plan Restaurants
The answer to “What restaurants take the Disney Dining Plan?” is almost every restaurant at Disney World.
Each year when the Dining Plan is released, restaurants are slowly added to the of those that accept the plan. Almost all dining establishments at Disney World take the Dining Plan.
Here are the exceptions I know of that don’t take the Disney Meal Plan:
- Victoria & Albert’s, a fine dining restaurant at the Grand Floridian resort
- Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in Epcot’s Italy pavilion
- La Cava de Tequila in Epcot’s Mexico pavilion
- Haagen-Dazs kiosk at Disney Springs
- Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar at Disney Springs
- Pizza Ponte at Disney Springs
- AMC Fork & Screen in Disney Springs
- Pepe in Disney Springs
Everywhere else in the theme parks, at Disney Springs, and at Disney-owned resorts will accept your Disney Dining Plan credits.
Disney Dining Plan Two Table Service Credit Restaurants
Some dining locations at Disney World require two table service credits on the Disney Meal Plan.
Here is a master list of restaurants that require two table service credits and where they are located:
- Cinderella’s Royal Table – Magic Kingdom
- Be Our Guest – Magic Kingdom
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue – For Wilderness
- The Hollywood Brown Derby – Hollywood Studios
- Tiffins – Animal Kingdom
- Le Cellier – Epcot
- Monsieur Paul – Epcot
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – Epcot (lunch and dinner only)
- Jiko – Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Flying Fish – Boardwalk Resort
- California Grill – Contemporary Resort
- Citricos – Grand Floridian Resort
- Narcoossee’s – Grand Floridian Resort
- Yachtsman Steakhouse – Yacht Club Resort
- Storybook Dining With Snow White – Wilderness Lodge
- Morimoto Asia – Disney Springs
- Paddlefish – Disney Springs
- STK Orlando – Disney Springs
- The Boathouse – Disney Springs
Is The Disney Dining Plan worth it?
If you are like most folks visiting Walt Disney World, you have a budget that you need to stick to for your vacation.
Having a pre-paid dining plan included in a package is one way to help you stay within your budget at Disney World.
Answering the question “Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it?” requires looking at how you would typically eat on vacation.
As an example, here is a comparison of what it would cost out-of-pocket vs. on the dining plan for a sample day at Animal Kingdom:
| Dining Plan | Out-of-Pocket Cost | |
| Breakfast – Resort Food Court | 1 Snack + refillable mug | Pastry – $4.79 Coffee – $3.49 |
| Lunch –Flame Tree Barbeque (Animal Kingdom) | 1 Quick Service Credit | Sampler Meal – $18.89 Island Breeze– $16.50 |
| Dinner – Tusker House | 1 Table Service Credit | Adult All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Meal – $63.42 (including tax) Glass of Wine – $15.00 |
| Total Cost | $94.28 | $122.09 |
With this sample day, you would save $28 in one day for one person on the dining plan.
Keep in mind that alcoholic beverages drive the out-of-pocket cost up. But if you want an alcoholic drink with your meals and this is the type and quantity of food you would likely eat on vacation, then the dining plan might be a good fit for you!
What made this day a good value on the plan was eating a character meal for dinner and alcoholic drinks at lunch and dinner.
Here’s an example of another day at Epcot that wouldn’t be such a good deal on the Disney Meal Plan:
| Dining Plan | Out-of-Pocket Cost | |
| Breakfast – Resort + Fountain View (Starbucks) | 1 Snack + refillable mug | Coffee Cake – $3.99 Coffee – $3.49 |
| Lunch – Katsura Grill (Epcot) | 1 Quick Service Credit | Teriyaki Chicken – $13 Soft Drink – $3.99 |
| Dinner – Rose & Crown | 1 Table Service Credit | Impossible Hot Pot– $23 Fountain Drink – $3.99 Warm Fruit Crumble – $7 |
| Total Cost | $94.28 | $58.46 |
Today you’d lose $35.82 with the dining plan.
The main reason is eating at some of the most affordable restaurants out-of-pocket and choosing soft drinks as opposed to pricey alcoholic beverages.
The dining plans tend to work out better for some folks than others, depending on their style of vacationing and where they prefer to eat.
Here are some factors that will help you answer the question is the Disney Dining Plan worth it?
You should consider using the Dining Plan if you:
- Want to eat at several Character Meals or buffets (These tend to be the most expensive out-of-pocket and represent the best value of dining plan credits)
- Would enjoy an alcoholic drink with lunch and dinner most days
- Are visiting Epcot during a festival to maximize snack credits (more on this next)
You might want to avoid the Dining Plan if you:
- Are a light eater (e.g. like to order an appetizer as your entrée)
- Want to eat at one or more Signature Restaurants
- Are vegetarian or vegan (Though if you want to experience several buffets/character meals or eat some fish the Dining Plan still makes lots of sense)
- You don’t drink alcohol at all
My Experiences with the Disney Dining Plan
In my opinion, the dining plans are not for everyone on every trip.
They make the most sense for guests who plan on eating several Character Meals or buffets, have big eaters in their party (think teenage boys), and those who don’t mind being nailed down to a schedule.
On the other hand, it doesn’t work as well for light eaters, those who prefer Signature restaurants, or those who like to be spontaneous and not be held to hard-and-fast plans for their dining.
My husband and I have taken advantage of a Disney Dining Plan on many occasions and I think it is really fun.
I like the freedom to choose any entree on the menu without worrying about how expensive it is (otherwise I can’t shake the inner cheapskate, even on vacation).
