It was the Disney announcement heard ’round the World (well, heard around Walt Disney World, in any case)… The Disney Dining Plan is returning in 2024!!

Having been suspended since the Resort reopened in 2020 following its temporary closure, the Disney Dining Plan will be available as a Disney World Vacation Package add-on for stays starting January 9, 2024. The return of the Disney Dining Plan has been at the top of many people’s lists of considerations on when they should line up their next Disney World vacation.

For a lot of folks, this popular vacation package add-on is an automatic “YES!” when they book their upcoming trip. (If you’re looking for some help booking that trip — and individualized advice about the Disney Dining Plan — our friends at Small World Vacations specialize in Disney World travel!) And today, we’re discussing all the reasons why you definitely SHOULD BUY the Disney Dining Plan in 2024!

But first, a quick primer on the Disney Dining Plan…

Disney Dining Plan — The Basics

The Disney Dining Plan is an optional add-on to a Disney World Vacation package (which also includes a room at a Disney owned-and-operated hotel and theme park tickets) that allows guests to pre-pay for meals and snacks at Walt Disney World.

Though several versions of the Plan have been available over the years, the Quick Service and Standard Disney Dining Plans will be the only two options to return in 2024 (at least initially).

As stated on the Disney World website, inclusions for the Standard Disney Dining Plan are as follows:

• Everyone in the travel party will receive 1 Table-Service meal per night, 1 Quick-Service meal per night and a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay—along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug. Meals and snacks can be redeemed at any time during the stay.
• Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine and cocktails.

As stated on the Disney World website, inclusions for the Quick Service Dining Plan are as follows:

• Everyone in the travel party (ages 3 and up) will receive 2 Quick-Service meals per night, a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay – along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug. Meals and snacks can be redeemed at any time during the stay.
• Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine and cocktails.

And that’s the basics! If you’re looking for more in-depth info, you can visit our Disney Dining Plans page here, and check out a whole list of FAQs here.

What Was MISSING From the Disney Dining Plan Announcement? Click HERE to find out.

Reasons You SHOULD BUY the Disney Dining Plan

You Enjoy Convenience

You read it above, but it’s well worth repeating: the Disney Dining Plan is a pre-paid option to enjoy your meals and snacks, so you don’t have to think about out-of-pocket costs when you dine!

This is a boon from both a budgetary perspective (in that you know the amount you’re spending before you even arrive in Disney World) and a vacation relaxation perspective .

Essentially, with the exception of gratuities (which are NOT included in the Disney Dining Plan), it’s as easy as showing up, chowing down, and scanning your MagicBand, MagicBand+, or Key to the World Card to use your meal or snack credits. BAM!

Thousands of Disney Guests Comment On If They Will Buy the Disney Dining Plan When It Returns

You Can Choose from a HUGE Variety of Restaurants

No matter whether you choose the Standard Disney Dining Plan (which includes one Table Service meal and one Quick Service meal per night) or the Quick Service Plan (which includes two Quick Service meals per night), you can choose from a HUGE variety of restaurants all over the Disney World theme parks, hotels, Disney Springs, and BEYOND!

Officially, we are still waiting for the full list of participating restaurants for 2024; however, you can check out this list of restaurants that accepted the Disney Dining Plan when it was previously available to get a good idea of the wide range of eateries that accept the Dining Plan for either meals or snacks. (We anticipate the 2024 restaurants list to be available closer to May 31st, when 2024 Vacation Packages will open for booking, as will the Disney Dining Plan for stays starting January 9, 2024.)

If you’ve been to Disney World before, you can mix in some of your ol’ favorite dining haunts with some new-to-you spots. If you’re new to Disney World entirely, you may be surprised at all the cuisines and service styles you can enjoy around the Resort!

If you use two meal credits per day, on a 6 night trip that means you can enjoy twelve different restaurants for your meals! But remember, YOU can choose how and when to use each meal credit, and you are not obligated to use them on any certain day or in any certain order. So if you have the Standard Disney Dining Plan and would like to try a Signature Restaurant or see a Dinner Show (both which require 2 Table Service credits, as opposed to one), you can do that!

It’s up to you! Either way, knowing that you have a myriad of ways to use your allotments and lots of freedom with regards to how you use them has the great side bonus of giving you the opportunity to step outside of the box and try a restaurant, cuisine, or service style you may not have done otherwise.

Check out the most recent list of restaurants that participated in the Disney Dining Plan!

You LOVE Character Meals!

We are SO EXCITED that we can soon get back to doing one of our favorite things here at the DFB: sharing with our readers all the ways you can MAXIMIZE the Disney Dining Plan! But we’re going to put this one out there right now: Character Meals in Disney World are … well, they’re NOT CHEAP. (We have an entire list of Character Meals with prices here to give you an idea.)

That said, Character Meals in Disney World are a HUGE dining highlight for lots of guests! And why shouldn’t they be? Whether you’re young or young at heart, it’s tough to think of a better accompaniment to your meal than a hug from Mickey Mouse or a conversation with a Disney Princess as you dine.

I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter if you have kiddos in tow or not. Some of us adults love Character Meals as much as the young ones! I, for one, just booked a Character Breakfast at Garden Grill for a certain milestone birthday I have coming up, and I’m turning… well, you know what? That’s off-topic, let’s get back to the task at hand…

Again, we’re still waiting on the full list of participating restaurants for 2024. But it’s not only historically true that Character Meals are included as Table Service options for the Standard Disney Dining Plan — the Disney World website already states the following on the current Dining Plan pages: “Experience classic dining options at both Quick-Service and Table-Service restaurants—including Character dining locations.” And Character Meals offer a terrific opportunity to maximize the value of a Table Service meal credit for those on the Standard Disney Dining Plan.

Oh, and DITTO goes for many all-you-care-to-enjoy meals such as buffets (like EPCOT’s Biergarten) and select family-style dining experiences (such as those you’ll find at ‘Ohana and Liberty Tree Tavern), which have also historically been included on the Dining Plan!

See ALL of the Disney World Character Meals HERE!

YOU. LOVE. STEAK. (Read: You Can Maximize the Value)

Okay, I’m being a little silly in my remark above, but hear me out. I love steak, too… like, A LOT. So this is NOT a judgement — this is simply a fact: If you have some happy carnivores in your traveling crew, this means you will likely be drawn to ordering some of the priciest items on the restaurant menus. (Generally speaking, vegetarian or vegan entrees are among the least expensive entrees.)

So you know what that means… STEAK EVERY DAY! Again, I kid — guests participating on the Disney Dining Plan can order whatever they want when it comes to entrees (and, if there are any exceptions, they will be noted on the menu or your server can direct you to what’s included accordingly).

I’m just saying, it’s a nice feeling to look at the full range of options on a menu and know you can go ahead and order the most expensive entrée, if that’s indeed the one you truly want the most! Then, just grab that fork and DIG IN!

Not a meat-eater? Learn about vegan and vegetarian dining in Disney World here.

Alcohol is Included on the Disney Dining Plan

Though it’s not news at this point, it’s still worth a reminder that waaaay back in 2018, alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, and cocktails) were added to the Disney Plan Plan for of-age guests — and, yes, that includes Quick Service restaurants that serve alcohol (which, BTW, is most of them, though you will only find alcohol at Table Service restaurants in Magic Kingdom).

Those who are not of age or opt not to imbibe can enjoy specialty beverages such as milkshakes, smoothies, and various “mocktails.”

Don’t get me wrong, I do love a milkshake. But when we’re talking about maximizing the Dining Plan, cocktails around Disney World can run you a pretty penny. Just a few examples: at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a Rum Island Breeze at Backlot Express is $14.50 and a Takodana Quencher at at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo is $16.50 (both are Quick Service restaurants); at EPCOT’s Chefs de France, a French Martini is $16.75, and a Blood Orange Margarita at La Hacienda de San Angel is $18.00 (both are Table Service restaurants).

While you’ll find cocktails outside of those prices on either side, these are decent “on par” examples. Guests planning to imbibe are easily able to maximize this inclusion on the Disney Dining Plan.

Read up on Drinking Around the World in EPCOT here.

Let’s Talk SNACKS!

Did you know that you can get some SERIOUS SNACKS on the Disney Dining Plan? (As a reminder, each Plan includes a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night.) 

The amount of snacks eligible as a “snack credit” around Disney World may surprise you!

You’ll find eligible options that cost up to $8.00 (and even more in some cases)!

In fact, you’ll find OODLES of items at the food booths during EPCOT’s seasonal Festivals that are snack credit eligible!

Just look for the Disney Dining Plan snack credit symbol on Festival Marketplace menus, or any Counter Service and snack kiosk menus around Disney World, for that matter!

Here’s a handy close-up of the logo…

As stated above, you can pick up a non-alcoholic beverage like a soda or bottled water with a snack credit. But with options like DOLE Whip Floats, Sweet Cream Cheese-stuffed Pretzels, and Baked Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork (FOR REAL!), why would you?

Check out the 23 BEST SNACKS in Disney World in 2023 HERE!

“You Get a Refillable Resort Mug! And YOU Get a Resort Mug! And YOU… “

Have I made it clear that every member of your traveling group receives a Refillable Resort Mug on the Disney Dining Plan? It’s true!

These mugs are good for refills from self-service beverage stations at any Disney Resort hotel Quick-Service location (whether you are staying at that particular hotel or not) for the entire length of your trip. We’re talking soda (Coke products), coffee, iced and tea, and hot cocoa throughout your whole trip! Plus, you get to keep the mug as a little souvenir to use again when you get home as a fun way to remember your vacation!

The out-of-pocket cost for a Refillable Resort Mug, BTW, is $21.99.

We’ve got everything you need to know about Disney World Refillable Resort Mugs here. 

Still to Come… (Disney Dining Plan Information We Are Waiting For)

So, as I mentioned a few times above, we are still awaiting some specific information regarding the 2024 Disney Dining Plan. These include:

• Pricing for each of the two Plans that wil be available in 2024 (For reference, in 2020, the price for a Quick Service plan was $55 per night for ages 10 and up and $26 per night for ages 3 to 9. For the Standard Plan, the price was $78.01 per night for ages 10 and up and $30.51 per night for ages 3 to 9.);
• Restaurants and participating snack locations that will be included on the 2024 Disney Dining Plan;
• And a few definitive meal inclusions: There are no details released just yet for either plan on what each quick-service or table-service meal includes: Will it be limited to just one course, or two or more courses? Previously, a quick service meal included an entree and drink, while a table service meal included a drink, entree, and dessert. We will confirm all specific inclusions here as soon as we are able.

Again, booking for 2024 Vacation Packages opens on May 31, 2023, so we anticipate these questions will be answered before or on that date, and we will keep you posted right here on the DFB as soon as we know more!

Find out the BIG CHANGES coming to Disney World in 2024 HERE!

In the meantime, check out the latest DFB News Video which covers the return of the Dining Plan, what is going on with Disney Park Pass reservations next year, and MUCH more!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

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Will you be purchasing the Disney Dining Plan when it returns? Let us know in the comments!

The post Why You Definitely Should Buy the Disney Dining Plan in 2024 first appeared on the disney food blog.