For three and a half years, we’ve been purchasing our Disney World meals as we go…so what happens when the Dining Plan returns?
Riverside Mill Food Court
Many fans are excited about the return of Dining Plans, which allow you to pay for your meals in advance, and then use quick service, table service, or snack credits to purchase them in the parks. But the announcement of the plan’s return hasn’t been without controversy. The prices are higher than they were before, and now, we have confirmation of a CHANGE when it comes to snack credits!
According to the Disney World website, those using the Dining Plan will no longer be able to swap a quick service credit for three snack credits. This was an option that was available in the past, but will not be allowed when the Dining Plan returns in 2024. We’d like to thank our reader Stacie Dulin for tipping us off to this change.
Pepperoni and Cheese Spring Rolls
If you purchase the Dining Plan, you’ll get one snack credit for each night of your stay. The number of table service and quick service credits varies depending on which of the two plans you select.
Maple Popcorn
For those who prefer quick service meals, you can get the Quick Service Dining Plan. It includes the following for each night of your stay:
- Two Quick Service meals (entrée or combo meal at lunch and dinner and a beverage); Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages for guests 10 years old and over — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes, Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered). Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
- One snack/nonalcoholic drink
- One Resort Refillable Resort drink mug per person, per package
Backlot Express
The Quick Service Dining Plan costs $57.01 per adult per night ages 10 and up and $23.83 per child per night ages 3 to 9 in 2024. You’ll need to be staying at Disney World Resort to add this to your package.
Woody’s Lunch Box spread
If you like to enjoy some sit-down meals during your trip, the Disney Standard Dining Plan might be a better option. It comes with the following for each night of your stay:
- One table service entrée, dessert (lunch and dinner only), OR full buffet;
- Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their Quick Service and Table Service meal (including specialty beverages for guests 10 years old and over — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes, Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered).
- Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
- One quick service meal, including entrée OR combo meal;
- Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their Quick Service and Table Service meal (including specialty beverages for guests 10 years old and over — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes, Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered).
- Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
- One snack/nonalcoholic drink
- One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package
Crystal Palace
For those table service meals, we recommend making advance dining reservations. Disney World sit-down restaurants (especially the most popular ones) can fill up quickly, and purchasing the Dining Plan doesn’t give you any kind of seating priority.
Steakhouse 71
The Disney Standard Dining Plan costs $94.28 per adult per night ages 10 and up and $29.69 per child per night for ages 3 to 9 in 2024. To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll probably want to price out your meals and snacks and try to find the most expensive options per credit.
Heya, Mickey!
If you do the math, you may find that the Dining Plan is not the best option for your family, and that’s okay! You’ll just have to price it out and see if you prefer to purchase food as you go during your trip. Some people will pay the extra cost for the Dining Plan simply for convenience as well.
Be Our Guest Restaurant
We’ll keep an eye out for any more changes with the Dining Plan, as well as all the best options for using your snack credits. Stay tuned to DFB for the latest details!
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Do you know if we will be still be able to use the credits at the Food & Wine Festival?
Only one snack credit??? What crap..
There is no way I would purchase either dinning plan. Quick service is about $ 25 per meal, that is ridiculously expensive, then $7 for a snack which I would say is ok. Keeping the same prices, the sit down meal would then be about $62 which probably isn’t to bad if you get steak.
You use to get two snacks per day, so they eliminated one.
When I was there earlier this year most quick service meals were around $15, to maybe $20, with a drink.
Most snacks were 5-7 dollars.
Our average sit down meal, just the meal itself and drink, were usually 40-50 dollars. But I didn’t get steaks.
With only one snack, it’s impossible to break even on the new price of the QS plan, unless you drink a lot of adult beverages or fancy milkshakes. Very disappointing as we loved prepaying for our meals and snacks as well as getting a refillable mug. We bought the mugs by themselves the past couple of years and may continue to do that instead of using the QSDP in future.
Just another way Disney is making your stay at the resorts more expensive with less value. Pay more money per night for one less snack, they stopped using free and very much liked fast pass, for horrible genie+. All resorts have had huge price increases just like all the restaurants. Parks are nowhere as clean as they were in 2019, and many of the cast members are rude and unhelpful. We went in 2022, experience was nothing like all our trips before, even my children noticed the change.
Is Tables in Wonderland ever coming back?
Over time the dining plan price has increased and things were removed. When the dessert was removed from the quick service it was replaced by a second snack credit which we loved because it added flexibility. Now the second snack credit is removed…
I agree with everyone this isn’t worth it anymore. I would consider it if breakfast was included in the options for the counter service, and you could exchange a counter service for snacks.
So I’ll be using gift cards on our next trip
Yet another reason NOT to stay at an expensive Disney resort….no dealson this dining plan! We used to always stay on site and purchased the DDP. Now we stay offsite, saving us over $100 per night and pay as we go for meals. Many times we share a QS meal so that we can enjoy snacks. Two weeks ago when we went, we splurged for Storybook Dining (highly recommend!) and Biergarten Candlelight Processional package but many times we didn’t eat three meals in a day, especially in Epcot when there is a Festival.
Disney is getting worse and worse.
This was our first year not using DDP,and we spent nowhere near as much money on food compared to what we’ve paid for DDP in the past ,and it was nice not having to rush to get to our reservation,just eating when we were hungry,so no we will not be using DDP next year,
So I wonder how many places will be considered signature dining where you would need to use two of your table service credits. That would be some meal for approximately $200.a person!!!
Is the polite pig considered a quick service meal?
Hi Joni! The Polite Pig would be considered a quick service/counter service meal.
We use to love the dining plan, now it is terrible. Not worth the money
Where does is say that quick service credits can’t be used for snacks?
Hi Debra! We received a tip from one of our readers that you would not be able to exchange a Quick Service dining credit for three snack credits so we reached out to two different CMs that confirmed it. We will definitely post an update if this changes in the future, however.
that’s really too bad. i was waiting to find out about this because we planned on going during epcot food & wine and in the past loved the ability to use the dining plan to access the booths by trading in meals for snacks.
I SAY BOOOOOOO to this! Some days it is impossible to eat all the food that you have pre paid for and I inevitably had left over credits. On my last day I used what I had left and swapped over to the snack credits to bring home goodies from the Confectionary and other places to give as gifts to family who couldn’t make the trip or to freeze and bring out during our time away from Disney to keep us excited about our next trip! RUBBISH TO THIS CHANGE!!!!
Can i still change my drink from a quick credit for a snack?
With Festivals they should allow the quick service to 3 snacks. That was the best part. Why buy the dining plan now during a festival. 1 snack included does not cut it!