The Disney Dining Plan is back for another year and we’re here to tell you all about it!

The Disney Dining Plan returned to Disney World as a Vacation Package add-on for on-property hotel stays last year and remains a feature in 2025. No longer is it a question of if you can get the Disney Dining Plan, but rather if you should get the Plan. We’re here to lay out the pros (and some cons) of the Disney Dining Plan so you can make an informed decision!

In the past, the answer to the question of if they would add the Disney Dining Plan to their vacation was a resounding “Yes”, but that doesn’t mean it’s an automatic purchase in 2025. Still, there are plenty of reasons to purchase the plan this year.

Disney Dining Plan — The Basics

The Disney Dining Plan is an OPTIONAL Disney World Vacation package add-on that can be used for packages including Disney-owned-and-operated hotels. This service allows guests to pre-pay for their meals and snacks at Walt Disney World with an allocated credit system.

The two plans include the Quick Service and Standard Disney Dining Plans.

Per Disney, the rules 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.
• The cost of the Disney Dining Plan is per guest, per night, at the following rates:
  • $97.70 per adult per night ages 10 and up
  • $30.78 per child per night ages 3 to 9
  • This cost is added to the regular cost of a Disney World Vacation Package.

Per Disney, the rules 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.
• The cost of the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan is per guest, per night, at the following rates:
  • $59.14 per adult per night ages 10 and up
  • $24.70 per child per night ages 3 to 9
  • This cost is added to the regular cost of a Disney World Vacation Package.

If you’re looking for more in-depth info,  check out our Disney Dining Plans page HERE, and reference a whole list of FAQs HERE.

Reasons You SHOULD BUY the Disney Dining Plan

You Enjoy Convenience

Because the Disney Dining Plan is a pre-paid option, you don’t have to think about out-of-pocket costs when you dine!

This is also a major bonus for budgetary reasons. You know the amount you’re spending before you even arrive in Disney World and with that comes a sense of relaxation. It’s dealt with, there are parameters, and you don’t have to stress about it every hour while you’re on vacation. With that said, it’s worth noting that gratuities are NOT included.

Still, the simplicity cannot be overstated. Just show up, scan your MagicBand, MagicBand+, or Key to the World Card to redeem your meal or snack credits, and then enjoy!

You Can Choose from a Wide Variety of Restaurants

The type of plan you choose is moot — TONS of table-service and quick-service restaurants are included in the Disney Dining Plan.  Locations include the Disney World theme parks, hotels, Disney Springs, and more!

Click HERE to view the most up-to-date list of all the restaurants that accept the Disney Dining Plan to get a good idea of what’s offered! the wide range of eateries that accept the Dining Plan for either meals or snacks.

It’s a good idea to have a solid understanding before your trip so you can know which favorites to hit up and which new restaurants you want to try.

For example, if you use two meal credits per day on a 6-night trip, you can enjoy twelve different restaurants for your meals — that’s quite a bit!However, YOU choose how and when to use each meal credit. So if you have the Standard Disney Dining Plan and would like to try a Signature Restaurant or see a Dinner Show, you can stack two Table Service credits and do that!

There are a ton of ways to use your credits and the freedom of how you use them is a really cool feature of the Disney Dining Plan.

You LOVE Character Meals!

One of our favorite pastimes at DFB is easily Character Meals in Disney World and now you can maximize that experience with the Disney Dining Plan! While not cheap, these experiences can be quintessential to the Disney experience for many families.

This tip also works for all-you-care-to-enjoy meals like buffets and select family-style dining experiences like ‘Ohana and Liberty Tree Tavern.

YOU. LOVE. STEAK.

You’re looking to maximize value, right? Time to use the Disney Dining Plan to get some steak!

If you or anyone in your party LOVES steak and pricey restaurant items, the Disney Dining Plan certainly helps with that. Guests participating in the Disney Dining Plan can order whatever they want when it comes to entrées (exceptions will be noted on the menu or your server can direct you to what’s included accordingly), and that means you can splurge a little.

It really is a nice feeling to get a full range of options on a menu and know you can go ahead and order the most expensive item with the Disney Dining Plan. Not a meat-eater? Learn about vegan and vegetarian dining in Disney World HERE.

Alcohol is Included in the Disney Dining Plan

Alcohol is now pretty common around Disney World now (although you will only find alcohol at Table Service restaurants in Magic Kingdom), so the Disney Dining Plan factors that in.

While specialty beverages such as milkshakes, smoothies, and various “mocktails” are included in the Disney Dining Plan, it’s hard not to focus on cocktails, since they can cost an arm and a leg at Disney World.

Guests looking to get a few drinks during their vacation can do so with the Disney Dining Plan, so don’t let that deter you from buying!

Let’s Talk SNACKS!

Snacking is an art form when it comes to the Disney Dining Plan, as each Plan includes a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night.

There are plenty of snacks eligible as a “snack credit” all over Disney World and not all of them are super cheap, which is a Disney Dining Plan bonus. In fact, you’ll find tons of items at the food booths during EPCOT’s seasonal Festivals that are snack credit eligible! That in itself really justifies the Dining Plans!

When looking for festival snacks that fall in the Disney Dining Plan jurisdiction, search 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.  You can also pick up a non-alcoholic beverage like a soda or bottled water with a snack credit.

With that said, options like DOLE Whip Floats, Sweet Cream Cheese-stuffed Pretzels, MASSIVE Funnel Cakes, and even poutine are available, so don’t feel like you need to limit yourself.

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

Another great perk of the Disney Dining Plan is that every member of your traveling group receives a Refillable Resort Mug!

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 up to 14 days. Coke products, coffee, iced coffee, tea, and hot cocoa — can be yours without any extra charge throughout your stay! Additionally, these cups make for cute souvenirs!

The out-of-pocket cost for a Refillable Resort Mug is $22.99 in 2025, so add that to your list of Disney Dining Plan savings.

And there you have it! Did we sway you? Are you still unmoved? Let us know in the comments and continue to follow us here at DFB for all the latest Disney World 2025 updates!

2025 Disney Dining Plan Restaurants — Walt Disney World

Our DFBGuide Video

If you’re looking for more information on the Disney Dining Plan, check out our DFBGuide YouTube video:

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

The post Why You Definitely Should Buy the Disney Dining Plan in 2025 first appeared on the disney food blog.