The Disney Dining Plan is a prepaid meal package that guests staying at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
hotels can purchase to receive discounts of up to 30% on food in the complex. It was first introduced in 2005 and has developed in complexity over time, so there are now many different plan forms. The Disney Dining Plan allows guests to eat at park restaurants without needing to have cash on their persons. The plan does now include
alcoholic beverage
Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...
s but not
gratuities. More than 100 Walt Disney World restaurants accept the plan. The plan is particularly cost-effective for families who intend to eat many meals at
sit-down restaurants or character dining restaurants. However, to get the most value (or to break even) when using the plan, families must be mindful when using their Dining Plan Credits otherwise they may risk spending more than if they ordered the same food but paid out of pocket.
The plan has been criticized for various reasons, including that servers need to be more knowledgeable about which food items are considered meals and which are considered snacks. The introduction of the Disney Dining Plan resulted in more parents bringing their children to Walt Disney World's most expensive restaurants, which Kim Wiley and Leigh Jenkins write in their book ''Walt Disney World with Kids 2013'' "is indirectly taking a little of the adult feel and glamour out of these top restaurants." In the book ''Mousejunkies!'', Bill Burke complains that the Disney Dining Plan has restricted restaurant menus. Annie Oeth of ''
The Clarion-Ledger'' argues that the Disney Dining Plan is a poor choice for families with
picky eaters.
After Disney World closed in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the dining plan was suspended. On May 8, 2023, Disney announced that the dining plan would return on January 9, 2024 with bookings starting on May 31, 2023.
References
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{{Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World
Payment cards
Walt Disney World restaurants
2005 establishments in Florida