dining in disney world | the disney food blog

The Lack of the Dining Plan Has CHANGED How Guests Eat at Disney World

Eating in Disney World is…different right now.

Mickey eggs!

Some restaurants still haven’t reopened, others have changed from their regular buffet-style service to family-style meals, the Tables in Wonderland service has been suspended, and character dining isn’t quite what it used to be (though that should be changing soon!). But perhaps the biggest dining change that has lasted for quite some time now is that the Disney Dining Plan is unavailable. No pre-paying for all of your vacations’ meals, no snack credits, NADA. So, we wondered, has the lack of the Dining Plan CHANGED how YOU eat in Disney World? We reached out to our wonderful readers via Facebook with this question and their answers might surprise you!

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You’ll Basically Be Sipping Summer with Disney World’s Newest Drink!

By Sara McOmber Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for a delicious snack or dessert but don’t have a Disney World park ticket, Disney Springs is the place for you.

Disney Springs

This shopping and dining center actually has some of the best food in all of Disney World, parks included. We love the fried chicken at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, the half-pound cookies at Gideon’s Bakehouse, and the melty cheese paired with wine at Wine Bar George. Today, we’re looking for a lighter treat in Disney Springs, and we think we found the perfect one. [Read more…]

REVIEW: Story Book Dining Has Returned to Disney World. How Has It CHANGED?

By Sara McOmber 1 Comment

Disney World is still in the process of reopening certain attractions, hotels, and restaurants. Although Disney’s Wilderness Lodge has been open for a while now, one restaurant remained closed — until now, that is!

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Story Book Dining at Artist Point is a character meal that’s offered at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Here you can meet Snow White, some of the Seven Dwarfs, and maybe even the Evil Queen! We headed into this restaurant today to see what has changed with the food, atmosphere, and character meet and greets since its reopening. [Read more…]

We Asked Our Readers: When Do You Think the Disney Dining Plan Will Return?

By Sara McOmber 17 Comments

A lot of people loved to use the Dining Plan on their Disney World vacations.

Chicken Strips at Cosmic Ray’s

With the Disney Dining Plan, guests could basically pre-pay for their meals, drinks, and snacks by purchasing one of four different plans. Then during their vacation, guests would have “credits” to use for snacks, quick-service meals, and table-service meals. When Disney World reopened last year, they did not bring back the Dining Plan. So we asked all of you whether you thought the plan would return this year, and if not, when do you think it’ll come back?

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Everything We Know About the Return of the Disney Dining Plan in Disney World

By Sara McOmber 3 Comments

Have you heard?? Disney World is bringing back the dining plan!

Mickey bar!

In their announcement yesterday about early theme park entry for select guests, Disney stated that Disney Dining Packages will return to the parks! So what do we know so far about the future of dining plans in Disney World?

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Disney Food for Families: Choosing the Right Character Meal for Your Family

By AJ 12 Comments

Goofy's about to hang ten at Cape May Cafe

I’m excited to announce that we have two new Disney Food Blog columnists coming on board this week, but they’re not actually new to you! You’ve seen them guest blogging for Disney Food Blog for quite some time… First up, Ms. Erin Foster will be writing the Disney Food for Families Column. She’ll be giving us a unique perspective on dining with kids on Disney vacations, starting today with some great tools that will help you choose the best character meal for your needs! Welcome, Erin!

I recently helped my neighbor Stephanie plan her restaurant selections for an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World. Among her many questions was one that I hear often, “Which character meal should we go to?”

What’s a Character Meal, and How Do I Decide On One?

Character Meals

are an iconic part of the Disney experience when traveling with children, or children at heart. There are ten different character meal venues at WDW proper, plus a few others in satellite locations.

For those of you new to Disney travel, character meals are dining experiences in which Disney characters are present in the restaurant. They generally travel from table to table, stopping to interact with each party for a hug, photo, autograph, or possibly a conversation. Your group gets guaranteed quality time with characters in [Read more…]