Post updated January 2018

Dining at Disney World

There are LOTS of dining options at Disney World!!

As you can imagine, food is more expensive than you might find at home – probably 15% more. But it will enhance your trip and the quality at most Disney restaurants is so much better than you might find at home with way better service.

Here are some ways to eat for cheap at Disney World:

• FREE (Snag a free Disney Dining Plan offer – these have been around a lot especially in the fall for the last several years. Just remember to get your table service restaurant reservations 180 days out as many locations will be booked solid way before the free offer comes out!)
• Cheap by bringing in your own food (one year we packed a whole suitcase with breakfast bars, PB & J for lunch, and snacks for the kids) and supplementing occasionally with a warm meal
• Thrifty by eating mostly at counter serve locations with only an occasional sit-down meal (which although a lot of fun, can take up precious park time too!)
• Extravagant by eating at 1-2 sit-down places a day and enjoying all the scrumptious options available. Lucky you!

Disney Dining Plan (standard)

If you are on the Disney Dining Plan you get 1 counter service, 2 snacks, 1 sit-down meal a day (these included character meals!), and refillable mug per person.  You may say there aren’t three meals in a day, but you can easily stretch this to cover all meals and most people have snack credits left over! Here are some hints & tidbits if you use the dining plan:

• The dining plan credits are automatically loaded on your magic band – no need to have tickets or anything
• All the credits show up at once and you can use them in any order you want. So if you are staying 5 nights, 6 days you would get 5 snacks, 5 counter service, and 5 sit down meals credits all on your card. You could eat all your snacks in one day if you like, but then they are gone.
• Table Service meals require reservations & they book up REALLY fast!! You can book 180 days in advance and YOU SHOULD! No worries, you can always cancel later for no fee up to 24 hours in advance.
• Arrive 15 minutes early to check in to your restaurant. Your reservation time just pencils you in, but when you actually check in you will be put on the wait to get a table. You still may wait 15-30 minutes to get a table.
• Allow extra time to get to out-of-park restaurants as transportation times can vary greatly! We allowed 90 minutes to get to the Wilderness Lodge for lunch and we were still late! (Note: most restaurants are very accommodating if you talk to them and you are late because of a reason)
• There are a few places that require 2 sit-down credits: Cinderella’s Castle, dinner & a show, and some fancier restaurants like in Epcot. See the brochure for full details. There aren’t very many, but I wanted to make you aware of them.
• Not all snacks you see may be included on the plan. Look for the DDP logo, but it never hurts to ask.
• A counter service meal includes your entrée (with side) and drink (As of 2017 they no longer include a dessert, but you get an extra snack a day – so you have more flexibility!! Trust me you will get tired of the dessert – as the same carrot cake and chocolate cake show up at many, many restaurants.)
• Gratuity is NOT included for your table service meals and it will be figured off the total of food you order. You can figure about $10/adult per day to cover your tips. (does not apply to snacks or quick service meals)
• To make your plan stretch to all 3 meals you can
  • Use snack credits for bakery items in your hotel or Gaston’s Tavern – think giant cinnamon rolls YUM!
  • You can share meals – There are a few locations that have particularly large portions that can be easily shared! Especially on a day when you are eating at a sit-down buffet! Plus you have snack credits to fill you up!

Refillable Mugs

These are now included with the standard Disney Dining Plan.  Basically it means you can get unlimited soda and coffee at YOUR HOTEL for the duration of your stay.  The mugs themselves are cute and we love using them once we get home. There are several colored lids/handles so you and your family members can tell each others apart.

If you don’t get a dining plan, consider how many times you will use it before shelling out about $15 each. If you are a big coffee drinker (like my hubby) you may need this to get you going in the morning. Then when we’d come back to swim in the afternoon or evening we’d fill it up with lemonade, tea, soda, or even hot chocolate. Milk is not a refill option.

Note: If you aren’t there long or don’t plan on going back to the hotel to use the pool these are probably not worth it for you!

Best Snacks at Disney World

Disney has some GREAT snacks to enjoy while you are on vacation. From baked goods to frozen lemonade, huge sundaes to pretzels and so much more!

Whether you are on the Disney Dining Plan and have some snack credits to use or are just looking for the best snacks for your next trip you’ll want to check out:

• 8 BEST Snacks at the Magic Kingdom

Best  Quick Service Meals at Disney World

Take a peak at the Best Quick Service Restaurants at Disney World including an at-a-glance view of the other 30+ restaurants in all four parks.

Best  Table Service Meals at Disney World

Take a peak at the Best Quick Service Restaurants at Disney World including an at-a-glance view of the other 30+ restaurants in all four parks.

• Top 5 Disney World Character Dining
• 10 BEST Table Service Restaurants at Disney World

Disney World Planning

1. When to take your kids (what is the ‘perfect’ age)
2. Planning for your trip (time of year, how long to stay, Disney hotels, and affordability/deals)
3. Tidbits (20 tips from the best place to see Mickey to strollers to super cool Disney features you may not know about)
4. Dining: My top picks for snacks, quick meals, and reviews on 12 restaurants (including character meals)
5. Magic Kingdom
6. Animal Kingdom
7. Hollywood Studios
8. Epcot
9. Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland, CA