Finally, after three years of waiting, Disney has returned to the beloved Disney Dining Plan. Once again, Guests can add one of two dining plans to their Walt Disney World packages (tickets and a Disney Resort stay).
Guests who purchase a vacation package to Walt Disney World with stays beginning January 9, 2024, can add one of two Disney Dining Plans. Since this offer has been gone for a while, we wanted to break down the two plans and share why we will add to our 2024 Walt Disney World vacation.
What is the Disney Dining Plan?
Disney is bringing back two options regarding dining plans in 2024. Dining plans allow Guests to prepay for a food package as part of their Disney vacation package. Not only does this allow them to budget ahead of time, but as part of the overall Disney package, the final payment isn’t due until 30 days before check-in. This makes it easy to save up.
The two options for 2024 packages are Disney-Quick Service Dining Plan or the Disney Dining Plan. The number of meals and snacks is determined by the nights included in your package stay. You can use these throughout your vacation until midnight on the checkout day.
Unused meals and snacks roll over daily, allowing Guests flexibility within their dining plans.
What is Included?
When choosing between the two dining plans, you must ensure you know what is included.
Disney’s Quick-Service Dining Plan allows Guests to enjoy meals on the go. Guests can dine at the fantastic quick-service locations throughout Disney Parks and Resorts while enjoying the day. No reservations are needed at these locations; however, we highly recommend looking into mobile ordering on the My Disney Experience app to avoid long waits.
Those ages 3 and over can enjoy the following when purchasing the Quick Service Dining Plans:
- 2 Quick-Service Meals
- One snack/non-alcoholic drink
- One Resort- refillable drink mug
Keep in mind that with each meal, you do receive a beverage. This includes an alcoholic drink for those Guests 21 and older.
Disney Dining Plan is an excellent option for those Guests wanting to go slower during meal time. They might want to enjoy a few character dining experiences to a special meal to celebrate. With this option, Guests can enjoy both a quick service location and one table service location each night of their stay.
Those ages 3 and over can enjoy the following when purchasing the Disney Dining Plan:
- One Quick-Service Meal
- One Table-Service Meal
- One snack/nonalcoholic drink
- One Resort refillable mug
Remember that reservations are required at table-service locations and can be made 60 days before check. Also, fine dining/signature restaurants like California Grill or character meals like Cinderella’s Royal Table are two table-service credits. Make sure you keep that in mind when making your plans.
How Much Does it Cost?
You might need to do some math when choosing if one of the dining plans will work for your family. Think about what you might eat on a typical day at Walt Disney World and compare that to the cost of the dining plan.
Quick Service Dining Plan: $57.00 for those 10 + and $23.83 for those 3 to 9 years old guests.
Disney Dining Plan: $94.28 for those Guests 10+ and $26.69 for Guests that are 3 to 9 years old.
A note to remember. If you are dining at a table service location on the dining plan, gratuity for those outstanding Cast Members isn’t included.
So now that we know a little more about what the dining plans are and what they include let’s look at why we will add it to our 2024 Disney vacation package.
It Makes Disney Feel All Inclusive
We love adding the Disney Dining Plans to our Walt Disney World vacation packages because it gives Disney an all-inclusive feel. It is nice to go on vacation without worrying about how much every treat and meal costs.
Adding our dining to our package allows us to pay for it over time and enjoy our meals when we arrive.
Easy and Non-Think
The dining plans make meal time so much easier for us overall. Before we would have to consider who would get what side, could we share a drink? What entree does someone want? With the dining plan, everyone can order their meal and get what they want. No having to share those Disney fries if you don’t want to. As our kids have gotten older, this has become extremely helpful.
Another significant aspect of the dining plans for us is the included snacks. We love Disney snacks, but when we have to pay for each Mickey Bar, we are less likely to enjoy them. When we know we have snacks already paid for, saying yes to the ice cream, pretzel, or churro is much more accessible throughout the day.
No Resort Bill On the Last Day
Finally, we love the dining plan because we don’t have a massive bill at the end of our stay. This isn’t the most magical way to end a vacation. We are coming back to a hefty bill. We like that we have already paid for the dining, can enjoy it, and don’t have to worry about it when we return home.
We are thrilled that Disney has returned the dining plans for Guests heading to Walt Disney World in 2024. It is an excellent way to make a Disney trip slightly more accessible, and we love having them included in our package. Will you be adding a Disney Dining Plan to your next Disney vacation?
