DIY DREAM
THE ULTIMATE DIY DISNEY VACATION PLANNING COURSE
Chapter 3:
DINING & ENCHANTING EXTRAS
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dining at disney world
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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THE DINING PLAN
ENCHANTING EXTRAS
FAQs
don
't forget
download your DIY DREAM PLANNER
follow along!
Make sure to watch the video for this chapter to get even more info!
Skip to the timestamps below for each topic:
DINING AT DISNEY WORLD: 0:18
THE DINING PLAN: 3:43
ENCHANTING EXTRAS: 18:05
THE MDE APP: 27:14
FAQs: 45:29
dining at disney world
Disney World isn’t your average theme park—and the food? Definitely not your average theme park food. From Mickey-shaped snacks to fancy dinners that’ll make you forget you’re in a place with roller coasters, dining at Disney is an experience all on its own.
Types of dining at Disney World:
Snack Carts: Quick bites like Mickey pretzels, popcorn, and seasonal treats—perfect for fueling up between rides.
Lounges: Chill spots with drinks and small plates—no reservation needed, just good vibes.
Quick Service: Order, grab, and go. Great food without the wait, especially with mobile ordering on the MDE app.
Table Service: Sit-down meals with full menus and a server—ideal for a break and a solid meal.
Character Dining: Meet your favorite characters while you eat—photos, autographs, and lots of smiles.
Signature Dining: Upscale, reservation-worthy spots with fancy food and amazing atmosphere.
Family Style Dining: All-you-can-eat platters served to your table—no menu stress, just share and enjoy.
Buffet Dining: Serve-yourself style with tons of variety—perfect for picky eaters and big appetites.
Dinner Shows: Live entertainment + dinner = classic Disney fun (and a great rest day option)
Lounges: Chill spots with drinks and small plates—no reservation needed, just good vibes.
Quick Service: Order, grab, and go. Great food without the wait, especially with mobile ordering on the MDE app.
Table Service: Sit-down meals with full menus and a server—ideal for a break and a solid meal.
Character Dining: Meet your favorite characters while you eat—photos, autographs, and lots of smiles.
Signature Dining: Upscale, reservation-worthy spots with fancy food and amazing atmosphere.
Family Style Dining: All-you-can-eat platters served to your table—no menu stress, just share and enjoy.
Buffet Dining: Serve-yourself style with tons of variety—perfect for picky eaters and big appetites.
Dinner Shows: Live entertainment + dinner = classic Disney fun (and a great rest day option)
PLANNING YOUR DINING
Just like your park plans, your dining plans need to be strategic (especially if you're using a dining plan). Here's how I recommend you plan out your dining:
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Sit down restaurant per day
Sit-down restaurants can take up a good chunk of your day, so I recommend sticking to just one per day. Whether it’s a regular Table Service meal, a Character Dining experience, or a Signature Dining reservation, one is usually plenty!
QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT PER DAY
There are plenty of Quick Service options in the parks, hotels, and Disney Springs to make getting a quick and cheaper meal easy!
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SNACK CART/LOUNGE PER DAY
Disney World’s snack stands and lounges are seriously tempting—you’ll probably want to try at least one each day. But I wouldn’t rely on them for full meals. The one exception? If you’re “eating around the world” in EPCOT… then snack away, no judgment!
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MAGIC KINGDOM
EPCOT
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
ANIMAL KINGDOM
DINING IN THE PARKS
Click on each park to see which dining options are available in each park
Quick Service
READ MORE
📱 Mobile Ordering available
💖My fave!
- 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck
- Amorette’s Patisserie 📱
- B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. 📱
- Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
- Chicken Guy! 📱💖
- Cookes of Dublin 💖
- D-Luxe Burger 📱 💖
- The Daily Poutine 💖
- Disney Food Trucks
- Earl of Sandwich®
- eet by Maneet Chauhan
- Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC
- Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew
- Gideon’s Bakehouse 💖
- Goofy’s Candy Company 📱
- Morimoto Asia Street Food
- Pepe by José Andrés
- Pizza Ponte 💖
- The Polite Pig 💖
- The Smokehouse at House of Blues
- Sprinkles 💖
- Vivoli il Gelato
- YeSake Kiosk
DINING at disney springs
Table Service
READ MORE
🍽️ Make Reservations
💖My fave!
- The BOATHOUSE® 🍽️
- Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ 🍽️ 💖
- City Works Eatery & Pour House
- Enzo’s Hideaway 🍽️
- Frontera Cocina
- House of Blues Restaurant & Bar 🍽️
- Jaleo by José Andrés 🍽️
- Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante 🍽️💖
- Morimoto Asia 🍽️
- Paddlefish
- Paradiso 37, Taste of the Americas
- Planet Hollywood
- Raglan Road™ Irish Pub and Restaurant 🍽️
- STK Orlando 🍽️
- Splitsville Dining Room
- Summer House on the Lake 🍽️💖
- Terralina Crafted Italian 🍽️
- The Edison 🍽️
- T-REX™
- Wine Bar George – A Restaurant & Bar 🍽️
- Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill 🍽️
DINING at disney springs
take note
I highly recommend that you book advance dining reservations for any table service meals.
- Resort Guests & select Good Neighbor Hotel Guests: 60 Days before your checkin date at 6 AM EST
- Off property guests: 60 days before your planned dining date at 6 AM EST
HOW TO BOOK DINING
Booking dining reservations for table service restaurants is done through the My Disney Experience app.
- Open your MDE App and search for the restaurant you want to book
- As soon as your dining reservation window opens, select "Reserve Dining" from the options
- Follow the prompts to select your party size, the date range and times you want to see available reservations
- Select the day and time you want to reserve
- Enter in the applicable information to reserve. Disney will require a card to put on file in case of cancellation, which may result in a $1 hold/authorization on your card statement. This hold will release after dining.
- Submit, and your reservation will now show on your plans for the day of the reservation.
Landry's Select Club
Join the Landry's Select Club before dining at any of the 3 Landry's brand restaurants at Disney World (Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex, and Yak & Yeti) for the following benefits:
Dining Tips
- No reservation needed -- Just walk up to the restaurant and get seated almost immediately (if your party is 6 or less)
- You get $25 in dining credit automatically after you sign up, which offsets the $25 joining fee—so it's essentially free if you use it!
- You receive $25 in credit during your birthday month
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent at Landry’s restaurants; Every 250 points = $25 reward
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Full Payment at Booking
The following restaurants require you pay in full when you make your advance dining reservation:
Dining Tips
- Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
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Cancellations
When booking a dining reservation, you’ll need to provide a credit card to hold the time. If you need to cancel, make sure to do so at least 2 hours before your reservation—otherwise, you’ll be charged a $10 per person no-show fee.
Dining Tips
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Grace Period
You can generally arrive within 10 minutes of your reservation time before you are considered a No Show.
Dining Tips
MORE
Dining Ages
Disney World considers the following ages for pricing:
Dining Tips
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- Adults: 10 years and older
- Kids: 3-9 years old
- Infant: 0-2 years old
While infants are generally free, you still have to count them when making a dining reservation.
Dining with a Large Group
If you are dining with 6 or more people, your group will most likely need to be split into multiple different tables (and possibly with multiple different reservation times). Have your group all arrive and checkin together and the host will generally be able to sit you all together.
Call (407) 939-1942 starting at 7 am EST to speak to a Cast Member on the Group Reservations line if you need help with multiple reservations.
An 18% gratuity is automatically added to groups of 8 or more.
Call (407) 939-1942 starting at 7 am EST to speak to a Cast Member on the Group Reservations line if you need help with multiple reservations.
An 18% gratuity is automatically added to groups of 8 or more.
Dining Tips
MORE
Walk Up List
There are times when you will get lucky and catch a restaurant that has a Walk Up list available to join! You can easily see this in the MDE app within the restaurant details.
Dining Tips
MORE
did you know...
YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD TO DISNEY WORLD?!
Many people don't know that you can bring your own food & drinks into the parks! This is a great money-saver! You can even bring your own cooler as long as it doesn't contain loose ice, and doesn't exceed 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high. You also can't package your food in glass containers or bring your own alcohol, but that's ok!
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
Getting Groceries during your vacation:
There are a few ways that you can get groceries while you're at Disney World:
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Grocery Delivery:
You can get groceries delivered with traditional services, like Walmart, Instacart, etc. If you're delivering to a Disney resort, they will deliver to the front desk and usually hold cold items in a fridge until you pick up.
did you know...
YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD TO DISNEY WORLD?!
Many people don't know that you can bring your own food & drinks into the parks! This is a great money-saver! You can even bring your own cooler as long as it doesn't contain loose ice, and doesn't exceed 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high. You also can't package your food in glass containers or bring your own alcohol, but that's ok!
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
Getting Groceries during your vacation:
There are a few ways that you can get groceries while you're at Disney World:
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Local Delivery:
Want to support a small business in the Disney area? There are lots of local delivery services that will not only deliver groceries, but also things like welcome baskets, special event goodies (birthday, anniversary, etc). I recommend Vacation Delivery Service.
did you know...
YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD TO DISNEY WORLD?!
Many people don't know that you can bring your own food & drinks into the parks! This is a great money-saver! You can even bring your own cooler as long as it doesn't contain loose ice, and doesn't exceed 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high. You also can't package your food in glass containers or bring your own alcohol, but that's ok!
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
Getting Groceries during your vacation:
There are a few ways that you can get groceries while you're at Disney World:
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Delivery Tips:
- Most delivery services won't deliver any alcohol unless you are there during delivery
- Include the word “Guest” and your full name on the delivery
- Schedule deliveries after your check-in time for easiest pickup
did you know...
YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD TO DISNEY WORLD?!
Many people don't know that you can bring your own food & drinks into the parks! This is a great money-saver! You can even bring your own cooler as long as it doesn't contain loose ice, and doesn't exceed 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high. You also can't package your food in glass containers or bring your own alcohol, but that's ok!
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
My family will usually bring either our own breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks and then buy 1 meal through the day.
Getting Groceries during your vacation:
There are a few ways that you can get groceries while you're at Disney World:
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Nearby Grocery Stores:
- Walmart Supercenter – Kissimmee (Vineland Rd)
- Publix – Orange Lake Blvd or Celebration Area
- Aldi – Kissimmee
- Flamingo Crossings Town Center - Target & Walgreens
THE DINING PLAN
Disney Dining Plans are prepaid meal packages that let you enjoy your food without constantly reaching for your wallet—because nothing says vacation like paying for your churros before you even arrive. Just scan your MagicBand and snack like royalty! There are 2 types of Dining Plans that you can add to a Disney World Resort Hotel reservation:
TRACKING CREDITS
Info for your Dining Plan will auto-populate in the My Resort section of the MDE app once you checkin.
You can also track your credits in the DIY DREAM PLANNER in the Dining section
FYI: Some restaurants take 2 dining credits instead of 1
- Be Our Guest Restaurant (Lunch & Dinner)
- Cinderella’s Royal Table (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Lunch & Dinner only)
- The Hollywood Brown Derby
- Tiffins Restaurant
- The BOATHOUSE
- Jaleo by José Andrés
- Morimoto Asia (Dinner only)
- Paddlefish
- Jiko – The Cooking Place
- Flying Fish
- Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood
- Cítricos
- Narcoossee’s
- Topolino’s Terrace (Dinner)
- Yachtsman Steakhouse
- Storybook Dining
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review
TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR DINING PLAN
Don’t Waste Snack Credits on Bottled Water
- Use snack credits on festival booths (EPCOT!), bakery items, Dole Whips, Mickey pretzels, specialty coffees (including Starbucks), etc.
- Bring a refillable water bottle or ask for free cups of ice water at Quick Service spots.
ENCHANTING Extras
Enchanting Extras are Disney’s way of saying, “Sure, your trip is magical—but want to level up?” From behind-the-scenes tours to fireworks cruises and animal encounters, these add-on experiences bring the extra to your vacation (and your credit card statement).
take note
Just like dining reservations, Enchanting Extras require advance reservations.
- Resort Guests & select Good Neighbor Hotel Guests: 60 Days before your checkin date at Midnight EST
- Off property guests: 60 days before your planned reservation date at Midnight EST
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are there allergy-friendly or vegetarian options?
Yes! Most restaurants accommodate allergies and dietary needs—just let them know in advance.
Which character meals are the best?
Cinderella’s Royal Table, Tusker House, Chef Mickey’s, and Story Book Dining are all fan favorites.
Are there age or height requirements for any extras?
Yes—some tours and experiences have age minimums or physical requirements.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I CAN'T GET A RESERVATION I WANT?
- You can set an alert through a website like Mouse Dining. They will notify you via text/email when a specific reservation (dining or Enchanting Extras) comes available
- Try searching again 24 hours before the reservation you want. People hoard dining reservations, and will start canceling the day before to avoid the cancellation fee.
- Try using Open Table to score a table for select restaurants
now you HAVE....
✓ Learned all about Disney dining
✓ Booked your advance dining reservations
✓ Booked your Enchanting Extras
next up
CHAPTER 4: REFINE YOUR PLANS
check it off in the planner!
