By Now we get to talk about one of our favorite subjects: Disney dining.
We know that you’re probably thinking, “What’s the big deal about burgers and fries?”
Yes, we’re acutely aware of the reputation that theme parks have developed regarding their cuisine.
We once ate Cheese on a Stick at Cedar Point, which felt like the height of fine dining for that park.
Friends, Walt Disney World’s food is different. To prove it, we’ll point you in the direction of Victoria & Albert’s, a restaurant you’ll find at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
What’s the big deal about this place? It’s earned a Michelin Star! Twice!
Some of the best chefs in the world have never managed that feat, yet it’s an extreme example of the fine dining you’ll find at Disney World.
You’ll never lack for options, either. Whether you prefer Asian, German, Indian, Italian, Japanese, or even American food, you’ll find it at Disney.
Restaurateurs have designed their menus to cater to any palate and food budget.
You can find cheap eats at many places or dine for even less at EPCOT festival food booths.
Alternatively, you can celebrate a special occasion at one of Disney’s classiest spots, many of which are among the best in Central Florida.
There’s even a unique dining option that will make your meal feel oh so much more magical. We’ll explain it in just a bit.
First, you must understand the difference in Disney dining tiers.
Table Service vs. Quick Service
Disney categorizes the overwhelming majority of its restaurants into two tiers.
In simplest terms, Disney Quick Service is akin to counter service dining, those places where you walk up to the cash register and order.
Table Service restaurants are places where you sit down to eat, enjoying a delicious meal in a relaxing atmosphere. Both options are excellent, as we’re about to explain.
Disney’s Quick Service restaurants serve the kinds of foods you’d expect to find at fast-casual restaurant chains.
The menu options may be as basic as chicken tenders and burgers or as eclectic as Bison Burgers and Vegetable Tikka Masala.
Chefs build their menus to cater to any palate, although some places offer substantially more entrees than others.
As an example, the menu at Yak & Yeti Local Food Café includes nine different entrees, including Sweet-and-Sour Tempura Shrimp and Honey Sesame Chicken.
Conversely, Casey’s Corner sells…hot dogs. So, don’t go there if you don’t like hot dogs.
Look, Disney officials know that hundreds of thousands of guests will visit the parks each day. So, it builds menus that will satisfy everyone.
You’ll even find special menus to address food allergies and gluten-free requirements. Virtually every Disney restaurant offers plant-based entrees, too.
That’s true at Quick Service and Table Service restaurants alike. Speaking of which, let’s discuss Table Service dining.
These are sit-down meals where you’ll eat better and, accordingly, should expect to pay quite a bit more.
At Quick Service restaurants, most entrees cost somewhere between $10 and $20.
Some Table Service restaurants charge $70 per person or more. As we’re about to explain, you’ll get what you pay for, though.
When you hear the words “Table Service,” you may envision places like Outback Steakhouse or TGI Fridays.
That’s only accurate in very few instances. Most of the time, fine dining at Disney proves superior to all but the very best restaurants in your town.
The website TripAdvisor collates reviews from thousands of diners each week.
In the greater Orlando area, Disney World restaurants blanket the top 500.
Even a mediocre Table Service eatery by Disney standards is among THE best options in Central Florida.
As proof, consider that Tony’s Town Square and Coral Reef Restaurant represent two of the most often-criticized Disney World dining options.
At the time of publication, these places both rank in the top 350 of all Orlando restaurants…out of more than 3,000 options!
Friends, we mean it when we say that Disney dining is on a whole other level than everybody else in the theme park industry.
Foodies don’t even need to go to the parks. They could just hang out at Disney Springs to drink and shop all day. Each and every one of them would have the time of their lives.
The key is that each Table Service restaurant menu features the finest and freshest ingredients, making each meal feel special.
Themed Restaurants
Disney also puts its thumb on the scale by adding unique touches to many of these places. Imagineers even have a hand in creating some.
So, when you hear the word “restaurant,” you may struggle to comprehend the diversity of implications.
The theming at these places will feel so real and believable that you’ll totally buy into the illusion throughout your meal. Not every place does this, though.
For instance, you could dine at a Quick Service restaurant like Sunshine Seasons at EPCOT’s Land pavilion.
You’d relish a tasty meal served with the freshest possible components, as this pavilion grows its own ingredients.
But the restaurant is really just the kind of place you’d find at any mall food court in America. Visually, it’s nothing special.
Contrast that to a place like Space 220, Coral Reef, or Be Our Guest Restaurant.
At Space 220, you’ll enter the building, and then your entire worldview will change. We mean that literally.
Disney will stick you in something called a “Stellarvator,” which is, in sci-fi terms, an orbital lift.
You’ll gaze at the floor and swear that you’ve exited the Earth’s orbit and flown to outer space.
Once you exit this area, you’ll be seated at a table facing an entire wall of digital displays.
On these walls, Disney projects images that will make you believe that you’re dining in outer space.
The level of immersion will blow your mind, as it’s virtually the same process Imagineers use for some new attractions such as Tiana’s Bayou Journey.
At Coral Reef Restaurant, you’ll dine right beside one of the world’s largest saltwater tank aquariums.
Fish will playfully swim around you while you eat your meal. Sure, it’s a bit dark that you’re eating seafood while this happens, but you’ll forget that the moment you spot your first shark.
Hey, have you ever eaten at a restaurant where real, live sharks swim around the tank in front of you?
Be Our Guest Restaurant may be the most impressive of all, as Disney built an actual castle to house this one eatery.
The theme here is that you’re dining as an invited guest of The Beast, who also holds court sometimes.
You’ll notice him sweep across the room on his way to performing his daily tasks as the lord of the manor. But he’ll sometimes greet guests personally in a side room.
As for the restaurant, Disney has themed three distinct dining rooms here, with my favorite offering a view from the top of the castle.
Remember that in the movie, Beauty and the Beast, the castle resides on a mountain.
So, you may notice snow flurries fluttering down from the sky. Imagineers have somehow created sparkling snow here just to make the meal a bit more magical.
These are the sorts of touches you should expect when dining at Disney World.
We won’t tell you that every restaurant’s theming is immaculate. However, most Disney World eateries feature some level of immersion.
The best of them will wow you so much that you may forget to eat. The special effects can be that distracting.
All You Care to Enjoy
Most Disney restaurants serve food the standard way. You order your meal, and then you get your food.
Everything on your plate is what you can eat unless you’re willing to pay for more. You know the deal.
But some Disney dining experiences include what Disney calls “All You Care to Enjoy” (AYCE) food service.
These are buffets, but Disney doesn’t like to use that word for etiquette reasons. Nobody should worry about over-indulging while on vacation, right?
So, we say AYCE rather than buffet to be more polite. You may want to prioritize some of these dining options, though.
When you’re visiting Disney World, you are going to burn a lot of calories! That’s great news when it comes to your meals.
You can not only eat as carefree as you want, but you actually should devour more food than usual. You’ll need that fuel for the rest of your park visit.
Our cautionary words here are that Disney’s AYCE dining options typically aren’t as good as the places where you order from a menu.
At these buffets (oops!), you’ll stand in line to grab various chicken tenders, pizzas, and carved roast beef.
There’s a sameness to most Disney World AYCE dining options, although you’ll delight in discovering something unique, such as Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Character Meals
Overall, we find that there are more pros than cons at most AYCE establishments, and there’s a secret reason why.
Many of these buffets double as character meals. And we are devout in the belief that character meals define the greatness of Disney dining.
Seriously, we probably eat half of our Table Service meals at Disney’s character dining locations.
So, why are they so great? Well, you can probably guess from the name. Disney characters join you during your meal!
In most instances, you’ll grab your food and sit at your table. Then, the various characters will come to your table.
They won’t all appear at once but rather individually. Character meals typically involve interactions with three to five Disney icons.
You can devour all the food on your plate while Mickey Mouse shows up and entertains everyone at your table.
You’ll want to have your phone ready to take lots of pictures. If you purchase Memory Maker, some character greetings even include PhotoPass options, too.
Some of our favorite Disney vacation photos ever have occurred at character meals. These are the moments we’re happiest on our trip.
Signature Dining
Disney offers one other tier of fine dining that we haven’t discussed yet. Disney quantifies a handful of its best restaurants as Signature Dining experiences.
These restaurants deliver fine dining in an upscale atmosphere, with spectacular food and service. The atmosphere and service are a step above, too.
Victoria & Albert’s, Disney’s Michelin star restaurant, is one of the Signature experiences, along with such other establishments as California Grill, Flying Fish, Morimoto Asia, and Monsieur Paul.
You should expect to pay more – sometimes significantly more – for your dining experience at one of these locations. Additionally, these restaurants have dress codes that you’ll be expected to follow. We recommend checking the Disney World website to be sure about what’s acceptable.
We have one final note for those on the Dining Plan. Signature Restaurants cost two entitlement credits. So, be sure to plan accordingly. Additionally, not all Signature Dining locations accept the Dining Plan. Again, it’s best to either consult Disney World’s website to be certain.
Mobile Ordering
In 2017, Disney removed some of the stress from theme park dining.
When you visit a Disney theme park, you’re hanging out with thousands of your closest friends.
You’ll love the opportunities to interact with strangers – and we say this as introverts! – but it comes at a cost.
When you stand in line at a restaurant, those same people get in line ahead of you, forcing you to wait.
Then, when you reach the counter, a fatigued but well-meaning Cast Member must try to hear your order perfectly in a very loud environment. It’s less than ideal.
Mobile Ordering has revolutionized Disney dining in that the overwhelming majority of Quick Service restaurants participate.
So, you shouldn’t have to stand in line and order food at any Quick Service restaurant unless that’s your preference.
What you’ll do instead is pull out your phone and load the My Disney Experience app.
From there, you can choose any restaurant that utilizes Mobile Ordering and order your meal.
You can select everything on the menu, just as you would while standing in line.
However, this option is preferable since you can also customize your meal as needed.
As someone with an onion allergy, David is indescribably grateful for this ability.
While standing in line, he’s left hoping that the person at the register heard the specialty order correctly.
In our experience, customized orders at Disney World are nearly 100 percent accurate. Disney’s efficiency in this regard impresses us mightily.
Please note that you can use all applicable discounts on the app. So, let’s say that you’re a Disney Visa cardholder. Your dining discount will be applied when you check out.
Somehow, that’s not even the best part. You can use Mobile Ordering whenever you want, which makes it the most efficient way to dine.
Let’s say that you’re standing in line at an attraction. You can grab your phone and order while you’re waiting in line.
Your food won’t get cold because you’re the one who decides when Disney should prepare your meal.
When you’re walking toward the restaurant, you can tell the app that you’re ready for Cast Members to prepare your food.
Then, your order will be waiting for you in the pick-up area when you enter the building.
If you can’t tell from our tone, we swear by Mobile Ordering. You should use it for all Quick Service meals at Disney World. We feel strongly about that.
Disney Dining Plan
The Disney Dining Plan has proven to be one of the most weirdly divisive topics while planning a Disney vacation.
Some people (like us!) swear by the dining plan, while others emphatically claim it’s a horrible deal.
So, we’ll present the facts to you and then explain the pros and cons of this purchase afterward.
The Disney Dining Plan works similarly to any school meal plan you’ve ever used.
You pay a fee to purchase the product. In exchange, Disney provides you with daily entitlements for your trip.
You’ll order the dining plan prior to your visit. Then, you’ll gain entitlements for each night of your stay.
That’s the part that may confuse you. Disney’s version of a dining plan isn’t especially flexible.
You must purchase a dining plan for every night of your trip and for every guest staying in your hotel room.
Also, you can only buy the dining plan if you’re staying at an official Disney World resort.
That stipulation makes this a bit of a niche purchase, but Disney knows how to entice customers.
At various points throughout the year, Disney offers “free dining plan” packages.
These are worth their weight in gold. You gain all the benefits of the dining plan for free since you were going to book a hotel room anyway.
As you might expect, the free dining plan packages sell quickly. Everyone knows a great deal when they see one.
So, if you notice that Disney has opened its free dining plan packages for the year, you should speak with a MickeyTravels agent immediately.
Otherwise, you risk getting shut out of what’s probably Disney’s best overall deal annually.
For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll presume you’re (possibly) paying for the dining plan, though.
Here’s what you need to know. Disney currently sells two versions of the dining plan right now.
As a customer, you’ll have your choice of the Disney Dining Plan and the Quick-Service Dining Plan.
What’s the difference? The answer circles back to the Table Service/Quick Service discussion from earlier.
With the Quick-Service Dining Plan, Disney provides each hotel guest in your room with the following:
- 2 Quick-Service Meals (per night of stay)
- 1 Snack/Nonalcoholic Drink (per night of stay)
- 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug
According to Disney’s guidelines, each meal consists of:
Meals redeemed at breakfast, lunch or dinner will include:
- 1 Entrée
- 1 Nonalcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage, for Guests 21 and older)
Disney doesn’t spell it out, but the entrée includes your choice of side such as French fries, mashed potatoes, or the like.
In terms of how to use the dining plan, you can use Mobile Ordering to pick out a meal at any Quick Service restaurant of your choosing.
Once you’re ready to complete your order, you’ll change your form of payment to an entitlement instead. Then, you can check out for “free” since you paid in advance.
You can order two meals this way each day, which should work out perfectly unless you’re someone who eats three squares a day.
In that case, you’ll pay for your cheapest meal, most likely breakfast, out of pocket.
Generally speaking, the Quick-Service Dining Plan provides solid value, as many qualifying restaurants cost about $50 for a party of two.
Obviously, you can scale that price up or down, depending on what your party orders, but it’s a fair guideline, at least in our personal experiences.
The Quick-Service Dining Plan currently costs $60.47 per person and typically includes an inflation-based price increase each year.
Kids ages three to nine only cost about $25. The flip side is that children’s meals at Disney are inexpensive anyway.
You may find that you save more money on the adult meals than the children’s orders when you use the dining plan.
The Disney Dining Plan ups the ante a bit by throwing in a Table Service entitlement.
Here’s the current package deal for this version of the dining plan:
- 1 Quick-Service Meal (per night of stay)
- 1 Table-Service Meal (per night of stay)
- 1 Snack/Nonalcoholic Drink (per night of stay)
- 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug
So, we’re talking about the same package with two crucial exceptions. First, when you use a Table Service credit at lunch or dinner, Disney will add a dessert to your meal.
Friends, that right there is a big deal, as some Disney desserts cost $15 or more. And they’re all delicious!
Getting dessert for free at least somewhat mitigates the price difference between the two dining plans as well.
Second, you can exchange one of your daily entitlements for a meal at a Table Service restaurant.
These places can cost $70 per person on their own, which means that you’re using your entitlements quite effectively.
There’s a serious price increase for the true Disney Dining Plan over the Quick Service version, though.
Currently, you’ll pay $98.59 per person per night, and that’s not the only consideration.
When you eat at Table Service restaurants, tipping is expected. It’s America, after all.
Therefore, even though you’re using an entitlement, you should still expect to pay at least 18 percent of the bill toward a tip.
We’re happy to do this as the service at Disney’s Table Service fine dining locations redefines excellence.
Some of the servers have been doing this their entire adult lives, and they’re phenomenal.
We’ve been known to befriend our Cast Member servers because we’re so impressed by them.
Still, the tipping aspect increases the daily price to about $120, which makes it hard to turn into a profit.
That’s why most people don’t buy the Disney Dining Plan but rather wait for a free package.
Disney got wise to this strategy a few years ago. So, there are several rules in place.
For starters, you must book “a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day (or longer) package that includes a stay at select Disney Resort hotels and a Park Hopper ticket.”
Also, when you stay at most Disney hotels, the only free dining plan option is the Quick Service one.
You’ll need to reserve a room at one of Disney’s Deluxe Tier resorts to qualify for the Disney Dining Plan, the one that includes a Table Service meal each night.
Something else you should know is that when you switch hotels, your dining plan ends the following day. So, if you check out on Friday, you can use your remaining dining plan credits no later than Saturday.
Another topic we should mention is the Snack entitlement. You can stretch your vacation budget to a shocking degree when you visit during an EPCOT festival.
Many of the food booths at these festivals fall into the Snack category according to Disney’s arcane scorekeeping system.
You can feasibly order a $9 item that will make for an excellent lunch and then use your Snack entitlement to pay for it. That little hack gets addictive fast!
Everywhere else, you should aim for Snacks that cost at least $5 and preferably more.
Most menus at Disney indicate what you can purchase with a Snack entitlement. So, the general rule of thumb involves searching for the one you like that costs the most.
Hey, you’ve paid for the dining plan (or gotten it for free). You might as well maximize its value!
Speaking of which, we also want to highlight the benefits of the refillable mug. Some hotel Quick Service restaurants include beverage refill stations.
Your smart mug includes a chip that will let the system know that you’re entitled to free refills.
Without that chip, the machine won’t pour the beverage. So, that refillable mug will seem magical when you’re thirsty.
We’ll note that David is a chugger. He finds the size of the refillable mugs a bit too small.
This won’t matter to you as long as you’re staying close to a refill station. If not, you may find that your mug isn’t very useful. You’ll discover mixed opinions on this one.
We have an entire shelf full of Disney refillable mugs that we use every day. So, we consider it a very nice throw-in.
The lone drawback is that you cannot refill your mug at the theme parks or water parks, just the resorts.
In terms of how the dining plan works, you’ll receive your allotment of entitlements as soon as you check in.
You can start spending them immediately, as it doesn’t hurt anything if you run out of entitlements. You’ll merely pay for your meals once you use all your entitlements.
So, you don’t need to worry if you must use a third entitlement in a single day. It’s fine.
We’ll use a quick example so that you can understand. Let’s say that you’re staying at Disney for five nights, and you’re taking a romantic trip with your partner.
You’ll purchase two Disney Dining Plans, one for you and one for your significant other.
When you arrive at your hotel, your Disney account will credit you with 20 entitlements.
That’s ten meals for you and ten meals for your partner. You’re each eating two meals per day with your dining plan.
So, that’s a total of four meal entitlements per day for five days. It’s just math.
Ten of those entitlements will work exclusively at Quick Service restaurants. You can use the other ten at Table Service restaurants, BUT you don’t have to do that.
If you wind up eating at more Quick Service restaurants instead, your Table Service credits will work there, too.
Disney will happily take your dining plan money while you choose less expensive restaurants.
The point is that the dining plan provides your traveling party with tremendous flexibility to use your entitlements as you see fit.
Finally, as an FYI, Signature Dining restaurants require two Table-Service credits per person per meal, which makes them a terrible use of the dining plan. Don’t even think about it.