One Dozen Money-Saving Disney Dining Tips
The Quick Tips

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Quick Dining Tips

1. Disney's Dining Plan
2. Annual Passholder Dining Discounts
3. Tables in Wonderland Dining Discounts
4. Bring Snacks
5. Make Your Sit-Down Meal Lunch
6. Share
7. Have Dessert and Soak up the Atmosphere
   
   In Depth Dining Tips
   
8. Cooking Meals and Ordering Groceries for Delivery
9. Shopping For Groceries Locally
10. Dining "Disney Style" on a Budget
11. Restaurant Coupons & Deals
12. Refillable Mugs & Beverages

For Current Deals Look for the Mickey Ears

1. Disney's Dining Plan

The Disney Dining Plan (DDP) is Disney's Meal add-on component to Magic Your Way vacation packages, which include park admission tickets, and is available only to those staying at a Disney-owned resort for the length of the stay. The Dolphin and Swan, Shades of Green, Downtown Disney and Good Neighbor hotels and resorts are excluded. The only exceptions to the "park admission" requirement for the Disney Dining Plans are for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members staying on vacation points. Both groups can purchase the Dining Plan without buying park tickets.

Disney offers several levels of the Disney Dining Plan at varying prices, including a Quick Service Plan, a Standard Plan, a Deluxe Dining Plan, and a Wine and Dine Plan. To Learn more about the various Disney Dining Plans offered and how to use them to save money on each of them, visit our Disney Dining Plan page.

Using Disney's Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) system will help to optimize the savings from your Disney's Dining Plan. Disney highly suggests that you make at least some restaurant choices in advance to ensure availability. You'll find tons of tips about restaurant choices on our ADR page and on our Dining Disney-style on a Budget page.

TheMouseForLess Tip: For table service or character meals, it's a good rule of thumb to reserve meals with a cost of $37 per meal or more (total for entree, dessert & beverage) per table credit to recoup or surpass the $52 per adult per night cost of the Basic 2012 Dining Plan. Disney's signature dining restaurants that require 2 dining credits rarely, if ever, exceed $74 per person and tend to cost only 55%-60% more than meals at 1 credit restaurants, making them a poor choice for an extra table credit usage. Comparing apples to apples, while the California Grill during evening fireworks might be a better investment of two table service credits than Cinderella's Royal Table, neither two table credit meals approach the $74 needed to break even on the Disney Dining Plan. The most expensive entree, dessert & beverage at California Grill will run about $62, while Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table will cost about $55. For character meals, eating dinner at the $40+ Akershus character meal is a great use of your single table service credit, leaving just $15 to break even or exceed the daily cost of the Dining Plan with your remaining counter service (aim to spend about $15) and snack credit. Many character meals are about $36 per adult, making them roughly a "break even option," and the ones you should choose if you'd like to experience a character meal on the Disney Dining Plan.

In order to make the most of the Disney Dining Plan, you'll also want to have some idea of the restaurants at which you would like to dine and the prices. Like anything else, it takes a bit of footwork to make the Dining Plan work to your best advantage. TheMouseForLess has a complete list of menus available for Walt Disney World restaurants. Many Disney restaurants are more than just the food served and include unique dining experiences you won't find anywhere else. Be sure to read the restaurant reviews when available. To help plan out your DDP meal credits, TheMouseForLess.com offers a handy Meal Planner Tool in Excel spreadsheet format to keep track of all of your meal credits. You can also use the ADR calculator to figure out the first date for which you can make ADRs.

Lastly, watch for Disney to announce future Free Dining packages. For the past several years, Disney has offered a MYW Package that includes the Dining Plan at no additional cost. This is a great deal. Visit our Packages for Every Budget page to learn more about the Free Dining MYW Package. Don't be immediately sold on the Free Dining package, though. If you are planning a week-long stay at a high-budget resort, such as the Grand Floridian, and a room discount is offer at the same time as Free Dining package, you may save more taking the room discount and purchasing the Disney Dining Plan at regular rate as part of a discounted room package.

Check our Current Code and Discount page to locate all recent promotions offered by Disney and to see if a Free Dining deal is currently available.

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2. Annual Passholder Dining Discounts

Annual Passholders are entitled to discounts at select Walt Disney World restaurants. Most discounts are 10%, but there are a few of up to 20% at Downtown Disney restaurants. Check here for a complete listing of Annual Pass Discounts at WDW restaurants.

Disney has added the ability for Annual Passholders to purchase special packages that include the Disney Dining Plan but do not include tickets. Each person on the reservation will need to purchase the Dining Plan for length of stay, but only person per room must have an Annual Pass. There are no minimum stay requirements, but a $200 room deposit will be required, along with payment in full within 45 days of visit and cancellation fees will apply. Visit our Packages for Every Budget page to learn more about the Free Dining MYW Package.

For Current AP package deals that include the Dining Plan, check our Current Codes and Discount page to see what, if anything, is available for your travel dates.

3. Tables in Wonderland Dining Discounts

Tables in Wonderland is a Disney restaurant discount plan for Florida residents and Annual Passholders. The plan offers a 20% discount on all food and beverages at over 70 participating Resort hotel and Theme Park restaurants. The discount is valid for parties of up to 10 Guests. Annual Passholders get a $25 discount off the regular Florida resident price of $100 on the Tables in Wonderland Membership. Visit our Tables of Wonderland page to see a complete list of Tables in Wonderland restaurant discounts or to download a membership application. Tables in Wonderland members also have access to many special dining events throughout the year at Walt Disney World that are not available to the general public.

See the latest Tables in Wonderland Dining Events being held at the Walt Disney World Resort

Cost-wise, Florida Residents and Annual Passholders may do slightly better to purchase the Tables at Wonderland dining membership rather than Disney's Regular Dining Plan. The membership is good for an entire year, and the discount applies to alcoholic beverages and appetizers that aren't offered on the Standard Disney Dining Plan. A discount on Victoria & Alberts is also included with Tables and Wonderland and you won't find that on Disney's Standard Dining Plan. Lastly, several meals at Disney's signature dining restaurants can quickly recoup the cost of the Tables in Wonderland membership, but Disney's signature dining restaurants are not always the best choices when using the Dining Plan. Signature dining restaurants require 2 table service credits each but the average meal cost at most signature dining restaurants is seldom double the cost of a one table service credit restaurant. At last calculation, signature dining restaurants run only about 55% - 60% more than 1 table credit Dining Plan choices.

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4. Bring Snacks

Disney will search backpacks, purses and anything else carried, pushed or pulled into the parks. While guests are not allowed to bring large coolers (or rolling backpacks) into the park, nor are there any picnic areas, Disney does not object to packing a few snacks. Small coolers or picnic totes (no larger than 24" x 15" x 18") with a shoulder strap are fine, as long as they do not contain any alcoholic beverages or glass containers. Other than strollers, guests may not bring any wheeled conveyances into the parks. Consider bringing packets of peanut butter crackers, granola bars, fruit rollups, candy bars, beef sticks, juice boxes and other small snacks from home. Here are some great Disney snacks you can order in advance that we're sure your kids will love: Kellogg's Disney Fruit Snacks and Disney Brothers-ALL-Natural Fruit Crisps.

If luggage room allows, slip in a few bags of popcorn for an evening snack or Pop-Tarts for the morning. Most resort food courts and quick service restaurants have a microwave and toaster for guests' use, as well as free condiments like peanut butter, honey, jelly and butter. Reasonably priced snacks can also be purchased at the Hess gas stations on Walt Disney World property. Generally, they are a little cheaper than at resort grab 'n go sections for snacks, sodas & bottled water. There are 3 Hess stations on property. One Hess station is located at the Car Care Center on World Drive near the exit of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, another at Downtown Disney across from Pleasure Island, and another in the area of Disney's Hollywood Studios just before the entrance to the Boardwalk Inn. TheMouseForLess hears they also have good reasonably priced pizza and $1 hot dogs there.

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5. Make Your Sit-Down Meal Lunch

Disney has some fabulous restaurants and dining experiences. If you are able to purchase a Dining Plan as part of your vacation package, that's great news. You'll get to sample many of them. If vacationing on a tight budget, food is one area where cost will likely be trimmed. Don't underestimate, however, just how much "Disney Experience" is incorporated into dining at Walt Disney World. Vacationers who cook all of their meals or dine only at counter service in the parks will miss out on a lot. We've given some suggestions for "Dining 'Disney Style' on a Budget," but we have one other. Many of the same choices are featured on both lunch and dinner menus and in most cases guests will pay less at lunch. At the very least, the opportunity exists to sample some great theming and interactive fun. This value suggestion particularly applies to the Epcot World Showcase restaurants. If on a budget, consider dining as part of the experience and partake at lunch. Also, be aware that Disney raises prices, mostly at buffets, during peak times of the year. To save even more money, plan to avoid lunch at restaurants where seasonal pricing is in affect.

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6. Share

In recent years, Disney seems to have caught on to the sharing idea and has been downsizing counter service portions in many locations. At the Magic Kingdom, head for Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland. The 1/2 Chicken and BBQ Rib Combination for about $15 is one of the few remaining park meals that is bountiful enough to share. Sharing can still be a great idea for saving money at sit-down restaurants, and is a good way to sample some of Disney's finer dining. At restaurants where entrees can be ordered ala carte purchase one to split and supplement with salads, soups or flatbreads. You'll still have a great culinary treat and the cost of a few additional sides is not likely to exceed the cost of an additional Cedar Plank Roasted Salmon meal at Artist Point or a Braised Beef Shortrib at Jiko.

Some Disney veterans have said they prefer to purchase kids meal at counter service restaurants rather than share. Currently, kid's meals are running $4.99 and usually include a burger, macaroni & cheese or chicken nuggets; a choice of 2 (carrot sticks, grapes or applesauce); and a small milk, bottled water or juice box. Fries and soft drinks can be substituted upon request. Be aware that this is not an option that will work at table service restaurants where kids' meals run $8.59 and waitstaff knows who's ordering what.

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7. Have Dessert and Soak up the Atmosphere

On a budget, this is one of the very best ways to experience Disney's finest restaurants. With Disney heavily promoting their Dining Plan these days, seating is getting harder and harder to come by without Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs). However, with a little effort, one may still be able to make this strategy work. Try for a walk-in at odd hours like 3 pm or have an early dinner in the parks and try for availability after 8 pm. This plan will probably work best at any of the World Showcase restaurants at Epcot, or hop a resort monorail from the Magic Kingdom. Our suggestion would be to visit Narcoosees or Citricos at the Grand Floridian (you just may get a great view of MK fireworks with dessert). The California Grill at the Contemporary Resort is located on the 15th floor and has one of the most spectacular views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks anywhere. The chances of getting a walk-in table in the evening for dessert is next to nil. If you'd like to see this breathtaking show, make ADRs for the appropriate time well in advance and be prepared to order diner from the menu. Also consider dessert at Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. These restaurants are off the beaten path and may have availability during odd or late hours.

TheMouseForLess Tip: If you can't get reservations for California Grill during the firework viewing, don't worry. As long as you have dined that day, you will be allowed to return and watch the Fireworks from the restaurant's private viewing balcony on the fifteenth-floor of the Contemporary Resort. Simply show your receipt at the 2nd floor podium to be allowed access. This is a fantastic view and shouldn't be missed. The general public can use the viewing area on the 4th floor observation deck of the Contemporary resort and still get a great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

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In Depth Dining Tips

8.  Cooking Meals and Ordering Groceries for Delivery
9.  Shopping For Groceries Locally
10. Dining "Disney Style" on a Budget
11. On-Property and Off-Property Restaurant Coupons
12. Refillable Mugs & Beverages

Updated March 28, 2011