Are you ready? Can you even stand the excitement?!

The Disney Dining Plan is officially returning next year, and bookings will begin soon! Disney shared few details when they first announced the comeback, but now we have a better idea of what to expect when our beloved plan finally returns — so let’s dig in!

What Is the Disney Dining Plan?

First, let’s start with a quick Disney Dining Plan 101. Basically, with a Disney Dining Plan, you pay a set amount to get a certain number of “credits” that you use throughout your stay. You can then redeem those credits for snacks, quick service meals, or table service meals (depending on the credit type and plan type).

It’s a way to essentially pre-pay for your Disney meals and make your vacation feel more all-inclusive. Once it’s time to pay for your actual meal in Disney World, you’ll simply use your credit to cover the cost of your food, instead of paying out-of-pocket at that time (since you’ve already paid for the Dining Plan itself).

Dining Plans are pre-purchased and added onto a Disney Vacation Package (i.e. you must be staying on a Vacation Package at a Disney-owned-and-operated hotel, and have purchased at least one theme park ticket per person), so that all you have to do when you get to Disney World is head to a restaurant on the list, eat, and scan your MagicBand/card/etc. (Certain specific rules apply for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members wanting to book a Dining Plan.)

Check out our FULL Disney Dining Plan FAQ page here

The Disney Dining Plan will return to Disney World on January 9th, 2024! Disney shared that the Dining Plan is coming back for those with hotel stays with a start date of January 9th and we could NOT be more excited. You can book the Disney Dining Plan after May 31st, and we’ve learned a bit more details about what to expect this time around.

Both the Quick Service Dining Plan and Standard Dining Plan are returning, so we’ll break the details down by plan.

Why You Definitely SHOULDN’T Buy the Disney Dining Plan

Quick Service Dining Plan

Everyone in your party ages 3 and up will get the following on the Quick Service plan:

• 2 Quick-Service Meals Per Night of Stay
• 1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay
• 1 Resort-Refillable Mug

So, if you book a 4-night package with this plan, each person (ages 3 and up) would get 8 QS meals and 4 snacks or nonalcoholic beverages. Take a look at what’s included below:

Quick Service Meal

Meals redeemed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner will include:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

Alcoholic Beverages

People 21 and older may choose either one nonalcoholic beverage or one-single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) as part of their meal, including:

• Beer or Cider
• Wine or Sangria
• Mixed Drinks and Specialty Cocktails

Nonalcoholic Beverages

Folks 10 years old and up can choose one nonalcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) as part of their meal.

• Milkshakes
• Fresh Smoothies
• Premium Hot Chocolate
• Soda, Coffee, or Tea

Snacks

At Quick Service restaurants, most Outdoor Carts and select merchandise locations, snacks may include a single serving of items such as:

• Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, or fruit bar
• 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream
• Popcorn scoop (single-serving box)
• Piece of whole fruit
• Single-serve bag of snacks
• 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola® products, including Dasani® water
• 20-ounce fountain soft drink
• Single-serve coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, milk, or juice
• Cup of soup
• Add on toppings or sauces (e.g. side of cheese dipping sauce)

What’s NOT Included

• Items that are more than a single serving (such as a box of doughnuts or a jar of peanut butter)
• Items (such as popcorn or drinks) that are served in a souvenir container
• Items considered to be merchandise (such as bottle toppers, glow cubes, and bottle straps)
• Special dining events offered at certain Table Service locations

Phew, that’s quite a bit. Let’s take a look at the Standard Dining Plan details.

Why You Definitely SHOULD Buy the Disney Dining Plan

Standard Dining Plan

Much of the details are the same for this plan, but it’s geared toward Table Service restaurants instead. Everyone in your party ages 3 and up gets the following during their stay:

• 1 Quick Service Meal Per Night of Stay
• 1 Table Service Meal Per Night of Stay
• 1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay
• 1 Resort-Refillable Mug

So in this case, if you were to book a 4-night stay and purchase this Dining Plan option, each person in your party (ages 3 and up) would get 4 TS meals, 4 QS meals, and 4 snacks or nonalcoholic beverages to be used any time during your stay. Here’s what’s included:

Quick Service

Meals redeemed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner will include:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

Table Service

Meals redeemed at breakfast will include:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

OR

• 1 Full Buffet (prix-fixe) or Family-Style Meal (prix-fixe)
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

Meals redeemed at brunch, lunch, or dinner will include:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Dessert
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

OR

• 1 Full Buffet (If Available) or Family-Style Meal
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

Alcoholic Beverages

People 21 and older may choose either one nonalcoholic beverage or one-single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) as part of their meal, including:

• Beer or Cider
• Wine or Sangria
• Mixed Drinks and Specialty Cocktails

Nonalcoholic Beverages

Folks 10 years old and up can choose one nonalcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) as part of their meal.

• Milkshakes
• Fresh Smoothies
• Premium Hot Chocolate
• Soda, Coffee, or Tea

Snacks

At Quick Service restaurants, most Outdoor Carts and select merchandise locations, snacks may include a single serving of items such as:

• Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, or fruit bar
• 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream
• Popcorn scoop (single-serving box)
• Piece of whole fruit
• Single-serve bag of snacks
• 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola® products, including Dasani® water
• 20-ounce fountain soft drink
• Single-serve coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, milk, or juice
• Cup of soup
• Add on toppings or sauces (e.g. side of cheese dipping sauce)

What’s NOT Included

• Items that are more than a single serving (such as a box of doughnuts or a jar of peanut butter)
• Items (such as popcorn or drinks) that are served in a souvenir container
• Items considered to be merchandise (such as bottle toppers, glow cubes, and bottle straps)
• Special dining events offered at certain Table Service locations

The Dining Plan Is Finally Coming Back!

Other Dining Experiences

Character Dining

Two Table Service meals will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining at:

• Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table
• Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (at lunch and dinner only)
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Dinner at Be Our Guest

Be Our Guest Restaurant requires 2 Table Service meals to be exchanged for a single dining experience.

Fine/Signature Dining

Each meal from a Fine/Signature Dining restaurant on the Disney Dining Plan includes:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)
• 1 Dessert

Two Table Service meals will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining at a Fine/Signature Dining experience.

Dinner Shows

Two Table Service meals will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining at a dinner show experience.

In-Room Dining

Right now, In-Room Dining (room service) is only available at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. But, you can still use the DDP when dining in your room. Each private in-room dining meal on the Disney Dining Plan includes:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Dessert (lunch and dinner)
• 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)

For private in-room dining, 2 Table Service meals will be redeemed from the dining plan for each person dining.

Pizza Pickup

Another option for in-room dining at various resorts is Pizza Pickup from select Quick Service spots, and it looks like you’ll be able to snag some ‘za with the Dining Plan too. You can stop by select Quick Service locations to pick up a pizza meal, which includes:

• 1 Large Pizza
• 2 Single-serving Nonalcoholic Beverages (or Alcoholic Beverages, for Guests 21 and older)

Two Quick Service meals will be redeemed for each Pizza Pickup meal. This is available at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

If you’re ready to book the Disney Dining Plan for 2024, hopefully, these details will help you choose which plan might be best for you and your travel party! But, our friends over at Small World Vacations can help you book a trip and the dining plan too!