Disney Dining Plan Basics

The Disney Dining Plan has been around for several years now, but there still seems to be some confusion about how it works.  It’s actually a very simple, easy way of keeping spending in check by prepaying meals.  Disney now offers several Dining Plans, what we are going to look at here, however, is the basic Dining Plan.   

•            The first thing you need to know is that in order to take advantage of the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) you will have to purchase a Disney vacation package:  this includes accommodations at one of Disney’s resorts plus at least one day of park passes.  You also need to know that if you are not sure and don’t include the DDP at the time your reservations are made, you can add it later, but this must be done at least 9 days prior to your arrival.   Be aware that the time period in which you can add the plan could change without notice, so don’t wait until the last moment to decide. 

  

•             With the 2010 DDP it will cost $42 per adult per night of your stay, $12 per child (ages 3 – 9) per night of your stay during regular season.  The 2010 DDP includes Peak Season pricing: Feb. 12 – Apr. 10, June 4 – Aug 14, and Dec. 17 – 31.  Peak Season pricing is $47 per adult per night of your stay, $13 per child (ages 3 - 9) per night of your stay.  The plan is not available for guests under the age of 3.  Guests under 3 years may share with other guests or a child’s meal may be purchased separately for them.    

  

•             The DDP must be purchased for everyone in your party.   You cannot purchase the plan for the kids, eat at all-you-can-eat or buffet style restaurants, and Mom and Dad eat from the children’s plates. 

  

•       Each person is entitled to:  1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal, aka quick service, and 1 snack times the number of nights of your stay.    A family of 4 staying 5 nights  would be entitled to a total of 20 of each type meal.

•             At check-in to your resort, each member of your party will be given a card with their name on it and the dates of your stay.  This card will be your room key, it will have your park passes encoded on it, and it can be used to charge purchases back to your room.   The card will also be encoded with your DDP account information:  the total number of each type meal credit available.   As you can see on the card below, it shows that there are 3 adults in the party on the DDP (DDP A03).

•      When you purchase a meal or snack, present your card to your server or cashier.  Your card will be swiped and returned to you with a receipt that shows your remaining credits of the type you are purchasing, for example, if you are purchasing a snack, your receipt will show how many snack credits you have remaining.  

•            If you are dining at a table service restaurant, your server will ask how you want to pay for additional charges, i.e. gratuities or should you order something not included in the DDP, like appetizers or cocktails.   Of course, you can pay cash, but why risk carrying a lot of money?  You can also use a credit card, but it is a much easier transaction and one less card you and the server have to keep up with, by charging those additional charges back to your room.  At check-in you will have been asked for a credit card to which additional purchases can be charged.   The morning of your departure, you will have a detailed statement slipped under your door.   Everything charged on your room card during your stay will appear on your statement.  Thus, those gratuities and cocktails will ultimately be charged to your credit card and the server only has to handle one card. 

  

•       You can use your DDP credits at any participating location.  And, as explained in a previous article:  Dollars & Cents of the Disney Dining Plan, you can use your credits whenever and however you wish during your stay.   You can use more than one table service credit per day, and you can use them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.   Be aware that some locations and services, like dinner shows and in-room dining, will take 2 of your table service credits per person.  

  

•       The following items are not included in the Disney Dining Plan:
• Gratuities, unless otherwise indicated, so consider this when budgeting
•   Alcoholic beverages
•   Souvenir or refillable drink mugs (refillable drink mugs are included with other DDPs)
•   Snacks and beverages from recreation rental counters
•   Glow cubes
•    Merchandise and photo imaging    

• Quick Service and Table Service meals for lunch and dinner generally include:  1 entrée, 1 non-alcoholic beverage, and 1 dessert per person included on your plan.   Breakfasts  include: 1 juice, 1 entrée, and 1 non-alcoholic beverage.   

•  For more details concerning meal options and dining locations go to:

• Disney Dining:  Holiday Pricing and Gratuities
• Dollars and Cents of the Disney Dining Plan
• Dining Plan Comparison:  Apples to Apples or Apples to Oranges

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