How to use your dining plan!

So you are headed down to Disney World, and you got the dining plan as a part of your package....you might be wondering how it all works! This is my little guide to using your plan!

With the Disney Dining Plan, you have one table service credit, one counter service credit, two snacks per night per person. It is important to note that the credits are not linked to your tickets, they are linked to nights at the hotel.  If you have any children under three, they do not receive these credits. At any buffet or family-style location, they can eat anything, and at other locations they can eat off of your plate or you can order them a separate meal. You also each get a refillable mug that you can use at the resort. 

You can go on your My Disney Experience account and set a PIN number on your Magic band. You will use this to utilize any of these credits, so make sure you do it ahead of time!

Refillable Mugs

When you get there, you can head over to the quick service location at your resort and pick out a refillable mug. When you check out, they will ask you if you have the dining plan. You say yes, and they scan your magic band. You enter your pin number. Then, the cups have a microchip in them and you can get coffee, tea, sodas at the resort for the entire trip. They actually work in any of the resorts, so if you find yourself in a different resort, you can fill up your cups there. They do not have a program like this in the parks, however, so keep that in mind. 

Snack Credits

So for snacks, everything that has a little purple square by it is a snack credit.

We like to use our snack credits for ice cream, dole whips, mickey pretzels, and that kind of thing. About $5/item is generally what they are worth when you are looking at menus!

Those snacks add up too! If you have extra credits at the end, you can grab up Mickey rice krispy treats or other things that travel well to take home. They make great little gifts if you find you need extra gifts for people.

Counter Service Credits

Then on to counter service credits! These are any of the walk up places in the resorts or the parks. When you go to the counter, you can order an entree and a drink. Most of them come with some kind of sides. We often bought the boys their own counter service meal when they were under three because they were cheap, and they loved them. They also came with great sides that grapes and carrots and they got to pick out some milk. So if you are using the dining plan for your meals and then adding on something, you an tell them to use credits and then charge the rest the room. You can put that credit card on file on your MDE account! 

Oh! One more thing about counter service! If you have any extra counter service credits left, you can ask to exchange one counter service credit for three snacks somewhere, which is just good to know!

Table Service Credits

Then to table service! These are the ones you want to be sure to book ahead of time. You can book them 180 prior to your arrival at 6 am (or you can let me book your trip, and I'll do it for you!). We find lots of last minute availability too, so if you don't have a trip booked with that much time, you can still find great dining reservations if you are diligent.

Character meals tend to be a great value on the dining plan. There are resources out there to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck on these. I tend to think that you should eat in places that appeal to you the most, and that is really the best value. 

 So when you sit down to eat, they often ask if you are using the dining plan. At the buffets and family style places, just make sure they know if you have any children under three. They will be free and they can order whatever they want. At the other places, you can either order something for the boys or they can eat off your plate. There are some places called signatures or dinner shows that will use up 2 of these credits. 

Tips and alcohol are not included in your credits here. So you will leave a tip and any other charges on your magic band too!

I hope this was helpful to anyone trying to figure out how to use their dining plan!