A Guide to Feasting on the Disney Dining Plan

Is This the Plan for You?

In 2005, Walt Disney executives launched a new dining plan that would keep guests feasting, grazing, and dining with characters exclusively on Disney property. This plan was designed to attract the masses, rather than earlier gold and silver add-on plans that were marketed to the more exclusive guest categories. The Disney Dining Plan allows guests to dine without worrying about the cost and eat restaurants that might otherwise be considered too expensive. The Disney Dining Plan has few limits on what can be ordered, and the full course dinners often cost more than the per day price of the plan. This may bring an end to Universal side trips, all-you-can eat dinners at off-property seafood buffets and brown bagged lunches packed in soft coolers.

Last summer I was lucky to experience the Disney Dining Plan firsthand. As a pilot program special to kick it off-I spent 8 days and nights on the Disney Dining Plan for FREE! The only requirement was that I had to book a reservation at a Disney resort and include at least a 1-day Magic Your Way ticket for each member of party. The bottom line is that we paid rack rates for the resort and were rewarded with the free dining. We still came out ahead, by quite a bit. Without the plan, dining can easily become one of the biggest expenses at Disney World. Earlier this year, the free dining was offered again and I made a return trip for my second year of the free dining plan experience. 

The Facts
The Disney Dining Plan is a plan that can be added to any Magic Your Way package reservation package. This means that you must stay at an on-property Disney resort or at a Disney Vacation Club resort. At Disney resorts, a minimum of a 1-day park ticket must be purchased by every member of the party. This equates to $67 each adult for a 1-day ticket as a minimum. You do not have to purchase tickets equivalent to your length of stay and can save the 1-day ticket for future use if you do not activate it.