When planning a trip to Disney World, there are 4 things that we focus our planning on: accommodations, rides and Lightning Lanes, transportation, and DINING. Truthfully, dining might be our number 1 focus. 😅 There are just so many places to eat at the parks, hotels, and Disney Springs, and we love checking them all out. Even though we’ve been to them all many times over, they never get old.

Mickey Beignets at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort

If you’re planning a 2026 Disney World vacation and you’re starting to think about your dining situation, we want to caution you to be EXTRA careful when you’re booking your restaurants if you plan to take advantage of the new 2026 Disney Dining Plan deal. Here’s why.

This year, Disney is offering free Dining Plans for kids ages 3-9 years old. That’s a great deal, especially if you were already considering getting the Dining Plan. The deal is available to those staying at a Disney World Resort hotel, as long as the adults on the reservation are purchasing the Dining Plan.

DDP symbols

There are two variations of Disney Dining Plans at Disney World: the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan. The Quick-Service Dining Plan comes with two quick-service meal credits and one snack credit for each night of your stay. The Disney Dining Plan comes with one snack credit, one quick-service meal credit, and one table-service meal credit for each night of your stay. Each meal comes with an entree (or buffet/family style meal at select table-service locations), a dessert (except during breakfast), and a beverage (including an alcoholic beverage for those 21 years or older).

Ice Cold Hydraulics

If you opt for the Quick-Service Dining Plan, you won’t need to worry about reservations. But if you decide to purchase the Disney Dining Plan with table-service meal credits, you’ll want to make restaurant reservations at your 60-day window. Definitely take advantage of ALL your credits to make sure you’re getting everything you pay for. And when you’re booking your reservations, you’ll want to be particularly careful to ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

How To Maximize Your Disney Dining Plan Credits

Our meal at Biergarten Restaurant

If you’re traveling with kids 9 years or younger and staying at a Disney hotel, you can get the dining plan free for them in 2026, but that also means you’ll want to book restaurants that are typically higher in price to make the cost of your own Dining Plan worth it. Your best bet will generally be character meals! Take advantage of these experiences with your table-service credits, as they’re often the most expensive meals at Disney World. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s usually the case.

You’re a Cutie Pluto!

For example, breakfast at ‘Ohana with characters such as Stitch is less expensive than the family-style dinner meal at ‘Ohana without characters. But other than that, you’ll usually find character meals to be the most expensive dining options, and ones you’ll likely want to book with your table-service credits to make the cost worth it.

Stitch at ‘Ohana

It’s also important to note that some character meals take TWO table-service credits, so you’ll use two nights’ worth of credits for the one meal. These experiences include the following:

• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Aurora at Cinderella’s Royal Table

If character meals aren’t your thing, or you just don’t want to do a character meal every day, then you’ll really want to crunch the numbers. Pick restaurants that are a bit higher in price, but also know that several other restaurants also require TWO table-service credits, including Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom and Fine/Signature Dining Restaurants. If you’re unsure how many credits you need at a restaurant, you can look on the restaurant’s website to check.

Be Our Guest ballroom

The Disney Dining Plan currently costs about $98 for adults (10+ years) per person per night of your stay. If you assume $10 or less for a snack and $25 for a quick-service meal, then you’ll want to find somewhere that’s around $60 per person for your table-service restaurant, including dessert and a drink. To really make your money go the distance, you may want to grab an alcoholic beverage with your meal since they’re typically more expensive than a soda and come with the price of your Dining Plan.

(You do also get a refillable resort mug with your dining plan to use for the length of your stay, which has a value of $22.99.)

The Steak Frites at Steakhouse 71

As you’re planning your 2026 Disney World dining, remember that kids ages 3-9 years old can get a FREE Dining Plan. But we caution you to make reservations carefully and thoughtfully so you take full advantage of this deal and the cost of the Dining Plan. The Disney Dining Plan isn’t always worth the money, so consider the places you’re booking to ensure you get the biggest bang for your buck.

If you want extra help planning your Disney Dining Plan credits, check out our Disney Dining Plan Guidebook! It’s a great tool to help you. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to, so as you’re planning your next trip, keep following the DFB for all the tips and tricks.

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Where do you plan to eat at Disney World in 2026? Let us know in the comments!