How to Purchase a Disney Dining Plan

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: October 25, 2021

A trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando can be the vacation of a lifetime, but it can also get very expensive very quickly. Visitors often don’t realize how quickly the cost of meals and snacks can add up. If you like to plan ahead and retain more control over your food expenditures, consider booking a Disney Dining Plan (DDP) with your new or existing Disney World vacation package. With a DDP, you’ll prepay for an allotment of meals and snacks that you can use during your stay at Disney World.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:
Including a DDP with Your Vacation Package

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Choose a DDP while booking your new vacation package. Disney Dining Plans for Disney World are available with any Magic Your Way package or any booking that uses Disney Vacation Club points.^{[1]
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Research source} You can book your Disney World vacation online at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/vacation-packages/.
- DDPs are not available for other Disney resorts.
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Add a DDP to your existing vacation package. If you’ve already booked a Disney World package without a dining plan, you still have the option to add one on. You’ll simply need to log into your account, choose your DDP, and pay the additional charge for it.^{[2]
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- Visit https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/ to access your existing vacation package. If you booked with a travel agent or third-party travel site, work with them to add the DDP to your reservation.
- You can add a DDP anytime before your vacation begins, but earlier is better so you can make restaurant reservations.
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Start making dining reservations 6 months ahead of time. Popular Disney World dining options that take reservations fill up very quickly. That means you may find yourself with limited sit-down dining options if you wait too long. You can start making restaurant reservations exactly 6 months in advance of your arrival date.^{[3]
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- You can make reservations at any table service (sit-down) restaurant. No quick service (counter service) restaurants take reservations.
- You don’t need a DDP to make dining reservations, but looking at your dining reservation options and DDP plan options at the same (and early) time will make your meal planning process that much easier.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:
Choosing the Right DDP for Your Travel Group

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Choose Quick Service Dining for fast meals and lower costs. With a Quick Service Dining Plan, each person (age 3+) in your party receives an allotment of 2 quick service meals, 2 snacks, and 1 refillable beverage mug per day. As with any DDP package, these are all bundled up together and can be used in any way you choose.^{[4]
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- If you have 2 adults and 2 teens staying for 6 days, you’ll start your vacation with a bundle of 48 quick service meals, 48 snacks, and 4 refillable beverage mugs (to use every day).
- Quick Service Dining means you order at a counter, pick up your food, and try to find a seat. This plan offers no Table Service Dining (in which you are seated and served by wait staff). Snacks are available at kiosks and shops all over Disney World.
- For 2018, this plan costs $52.50 USD per adult (age 10+) per day, and $21.74 per child (age 3-9) per day.
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Pick the standard Disney Dining Plan for a greater mix of meal options. As the mid-range option, the regular Disney Dining Plan swaps out one quick service meal for a table service meal each day. Therefore, you get 1 table service meal, 1 quick service meal, 2 snacks, and 1 refillable beverage mug per person per day.^{[5]
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- If you’d like to have one semi-relaxing meal per day, this is a better option than the Quick Service Dining Plan. But you'll have little chance of getting into popular restaurants without a reservation, and it's best to make reservations for every table service meal.
- For 2018, this plan costs $75.49 USD per adult (age 10+) per day, and $25.75 per child (age 3-9) per day.
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Go with Deluxe Dining for the most meals and greatest flexibility. With the Deluxe Dining Plan, you get 3 meals (in any combination of quick service and table service you choose) per day instead of 2. So, for each person, per day, you get 3 meals, 2 snacks, and 1 refillable beverage mug.^{[6]
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- If you want your meal costs fully covered, then, or if dining is a major part of your Disney World experience, this may be the plan for you.
- For 2018, this plan costs $116.25 USD per adult (age 10+) per day, and $39.99 per child (age 3-9) per day.
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Keep a few DDP qualifications in mind before choosing a plan. Not every meal is created equal at Disney World, and some of them will consume more than one of your meal credits. For instance, character meals (e.g., dining with Cinderella) and meals at “signature dining” restaurants use up 2 table service meal credits at once. Also, dinner shows, room service, and pizza delivery (for 2 people) take up 2 quick service meal credits at once.^{[7]
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- Also, children under age 3 are not eligible for any DDP, but they can share an adult’s meal at no cost.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:
Using Your DDP at Disney World

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Scan your Magic Band or Key to the World to use meal credits. When you enter a restaurant or order from a snack stand, swipe your wristband or use your keycard to access your DDP account and debit the appropriate number of dining credits. So long as everyone in your group is on the DDP and you have enough remaining credits, you won’t need to pay anything for your food.^{[8]
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- However, gratuities are not included in any DDP.
- You Magic Band or Key to the World is your gateway to practically everything at Disney World, from rides to food to your room. They'll either be sent to you ahead of time or you'll pick them up on arrival.
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Check your receipt to keep track of your remaining DDP credits. Just as you’d expect when visiting any restaurant or snack stand, you’ll receive a paper receipt recording your transaction. On it, you’ll find an updated account of your remaining DDP meal and snack credits. ^{[9]
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- To check you balance or report any errors or problems, visit Guest Relations or your hotel concierge, or call (407) 939-5277.
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Use up your DDP credits so you don’t lose them. Ideally, you want to parcel out your DDP meal credits so that they carry you through the entire trip. However, you’ll probably go “off plan” — skipping a meal, or going to a table service restaurant when you’re on the Quick Service Plan — from time to time, and you may end up with a backlog of credits.^{[10]
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- Any unused credits expire at midnight at the end of your checkout day, which is the equivalent of throwing away your money. It’s better to use up your credits a bit early and have to pay for some meals at the end of your trip.
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