Disney Dining Plan Will Return in 2024 — When Visitors Can Book It

Plenty of things we love went away temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and businesses and individuals have brought a lot of them back. One of those items is the Disney Dining Plan, a popular way for tourists to manage their meals while visiting the "Happiest Place on Earth." How much will the Disney Dining Plan cost in 2024?

The Walt Disney Company includes, of course, Disneyland and Disney World. According to a new post on Disney Parks Blog, The Disney Dining Plan is going to return in 2024. Customers staying at Disney Resort hotels will have the option of adding a Disney Dining Plan to their vacation plan.

The Disney Dining Plan is what the company has called a "fan favorite." It's a prepaid meal plan that enables customers to pay in advance for a set amount of meals. For many, it simplifies the process of getting everyone in your group fed, and it also streamlines payment so that you don't have to pay with your credit card or cash onsite.

As NoGuiltDisney.com explained, the Disney Dining Plan was discontinued in 2020 when the pandemic forced closure of the parks. It has yet to return, but now Disney has announced that the dining plan is officially returning in January 2024.

Disney guests booking a stay at Disney Resorts starting Jan. 9, 2024, can choose from two Disney Dining Plan options. Booking for the program will open on May 31, 2023. The options are the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan. The company didn't indicate pricing on the new plans yet.

Customers who prepay for their meals using one of the Disney dining plan options will pay 30 days before their check-in date at their Disney resort. After finishing a meal at either a Quick Service location or a table service location, the customer simply swipes their Magic Band+ or their room key to register payment for their meal.

It's hard to say exactly how much Disney Dining Plans will cost in 2024 because the company hasn't revealed details on the prices yet. However, it's safe to assume the prices will increase at least somewhat, since it will be nearly four years since the program last took place and inflation has impacted costs across the board.

For a guideline of what to expect, check out the 2020 prices of Disney Dining Plans, as noted by NoGuiltDisney.

Quick Service Dining Plan:

• $55 per night for those aged 10 and up
• $26 per night for those aged 3 to 9

Standard Dining Plan:

• $78.01 per night for those aged 10 and up
• $30.51 per night for those aged 3 to 9

The Quick Service meal plan included two quick-service meals per day as well as a beverage and two snacks and a refillable mug. The Standard dining plan offered the same, except for swapping one quick-service meal for a table-service (sit down) meal.

People planning their Disney World vacation will want to know two things about the Disney Dining Plans: are they worth the money and will you save money on your Disney trip? Whether the meal plan is worth it to you depends on your family's meal needs. For example, if you have children who won't eat very much at meal time, you might be better off buying items a la carte.

If you like the ease of prepaying for your meals, the dining plan can take away some of the hassle of going on a Disney vacation. It's one less thing to worry about. However, you need to plan on eating pretty full meals to take advantage of the prepayment option. You might focus more on the convenience aspect than actually saving money with a Disney Dining Plan (and remember you still need to tip at sit-down locations).