Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is vast and fun-filled; with a list of Disney World dining options long enough to make your head spin in a cartoon-fashion befitting of the occasion. Of course, with great selection, comes great responsibility – wait a minute! You’re on vacation! You don’t want responsibility!
Lucky for you, Disney dining can be made easy and affordable by just a little organizing and planning ahead. Taking advantage of the variety of restaurants and unique dining events that Disney World Resort has to offer will enrich your family’s enjoyment and only enhance their vacation experience.
Vacation Packages
A really good way to make your Disney dining experience a breeze is to book a vacation package that encompasses all of your family’s oh-so-essential need for food. The Magic Your Way Package can be customized to include a dining plan. In addition to saving you an average of 30%, there are several advantages to using a meal plan while at Walt Disney World Resort and its Theme Parks.
First, Disney dining packages couldn’t be easier to use. You prepay in bulk for your meals, and track them easily with receipts provided to you by your server. Over 100 restaurants in the theme parks and resort areas accept Disney dining plans. There is also no specific order or manner in which your meals should be used throughout the plan. Nothing, not even your pickiest of eaters will prevent you from taking full advantage of the convenience provided by a Magic Your Way Package plus Dining Plan.
Vacation packages for dining enable you to have a preset number and style of meals to enjoy per day. These package options range from fast dining in the form of snacks and small low maintenance meals to deluxe in the form of character dining and table service. Based on how involved you want your family’s dining experience to be, or not, packages vary in price.
Reservations
One way to bring a great deal of ease to your dining experience at Disney World Resort theme parks is to make reservations! Menus for all of Disney’s mouth watering restaurants are available online on their website. If you know prior to your arrival that your family and you will have a hankering for a particular restaurant, to make the most of your Disney dining, why not book your table ahead of your trip? There’s nothing better than anticipation!
If you are planning on attending one of Disney’s high-end signature dining experiences, for example: The Flying Fish Café Chef’s Tasting Wine Dinner, your dining plan package will not be accepted. In addition, it’s not unheard of for all the reservations to fill up a month or more head of time – so plan ahead. This Wine Tasting Dinner is one of many truly special and unique meals offered by Walt Disney World Resort. Offered in Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, this meal pairs a 6-course dinner served fresh and hot with specially selected wines. You will definitely want to include a few of Disney’s signature mealtime events in your family’s Disney dining plans.
Other signature dining experiences include the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party, Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Buffet at the Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s very popular dinner shows – the Spirit of Aloha, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review, and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ. All of them are worth the effort of a little pre-planning and the simple phone call it takes to make a reservation.
Resorts
If you are fortunate enough to be a guest at a Disney resort hotel, whether it be Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, or any of many other luxurious lodging options, you will no doubt find several restaurant options for you – right in your resort area!
For example, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort boast 4 restaurant options each, ranging from quick to-go snacks, markets and delis to bars, lounges and casual family dining restaurants.
If you happen to find yourself in any Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort or their upscale hotels of comparable quality, you will find yourself with even more dining options sharing your resort area. The Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has three different character dining options, 4 signature dining options, 3 lounges, and 1 each quick dining, casual dining, and special and unique dining option.
Researching the types of dining offered by your resort hotel, which resort restaurants will accept your Disney dining plan, and which of those you and your family want to experience will make planning your meals simple, affordable and organized. There is something really reassuring in the knowledge that, at the end of a long day of vacation fun, dinner is just downstairs from your hotel room.
Theme Parks
It is unlikely that you will be mapping out your Walt Disney World vacation by restaurant – although, no one would blame you if you wanted to, and your inner foodie would love it! It is likely, however, that you will be mapping out based on which of Disney’s exciting theme parks you will be visiting on any given day! Whether it be Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios or the ever iconic Magic Kingdom, you can browse the website for what hot eats or cool treats you may want to encounter that day as well.
If you know you’ll be strolling the Main Street Area of the Magic Kingdom Park and want to check out some upscale American buffet – with a world famous sundae bar – make your reservation at the Crystal Palace. This is also a Disney character dining experience. This buffet is hosted by Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends! Check out which restaurants can be found in which exciting Disney parks to make picking your restaurant a snap!
Browsing through menu after menu to maximize on your family’s Disney dining experience may seem overwhelming, but rest assured, it’s worth it! Take your time with it, and try to make sure to enjoy your meal planning. You should be anticipating all the flavors and fun of dining at Walt Disney World Resort. Enjoyable family meals will make your family vacation to the most magical place on earth, a little more magical and whole lot tastier!