Top five places to try on the Disney dining plan

With the highly-anticipated return of the Disney dining plan, I wanted to take a moment to list my top 5 places to eat at Disney using the Disney dining plan. Note: This will be Disney Parks and Resorts restaurants only. I can make an entirely different list just on all the awesome Disney Springs restaurants.

Now before I get into what I think are my top 5 places in each category, let me explain the Disney dining plan.

Simply put, the dining plan consists of “credits” you redeem for meals during your stay at Disney. Guests must be staying at a Disney resort to be able to purchase the Disney plan. The dining plan is divided into two categories — Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan and Disney Standard Dining Plan.

As seen in the above graphic, the dining plan is based on everyone in your party ages 3 and up and is priced based on length of stay (number of nights). Kids under 3 are not on the dining plan and therefore do not get meals as part of the dining plan.

Dining plan credits can be used however you choose to use them during your stay. For example, you have a family of four staying four nights and you have the standard dining plan, that means every person has four quick-service credits, four table-service credits and four snack credits for the entire trip. If you want to do two quick-service meals one day and then two table-service meals the next, you can. If you want to just eat four snack credits on the day you’re doing EPCOT and you want to snack around the world, you can. The credits are there for you to use however you see fit.

Also, don’t forget everyone over 3 gets the resort refillable mug, which is good at your home resort (as well as other Disney resort food courts) the length of your stay. My tip is to take advantage of this and get your morning coffee or tea before you head to parks and grab a quick drink when you return home before you head to your room.

Before I get to my list, let me explain what each credit really means, because some people might get confused by quick-service, table-service, snack, etc.

A quick-service restaurant is basically your fast-food meal. It’s a restaurant you can walk up to and order at the counter (or mobile ordering for those tech savvy people) and head to a table.

A table-service (or sit-down) restaurant is just how it sounds. It’s a meal where you sit down at a restaurant and enjoy a more relaxed meal. These are your character-dining experiences, as well as your more upscale dining experiences. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be obtained up to 60 days prior to your check-in date.

Snacks are the little kiosks you see all around Disney World. It can be as simple as a bottle of water or soda (don’t get those, I’ll tell you why later) or popcorn, or as elaborate as one of the many dishes available during one of EPCOT’s festivals.

So with all that said, and I’m sure you’re tired of all this mumbo jumbo, let’s get to the lists! First I’ll start with table-service meals and work my way down to snacks!

Table-Service Meals

  • Tusker House in Animal Kingdom: This buffet style restaurant is located in Africa in Animal Kingdom and is one of the best character meals in Disney. The theme is an African safari lodge and your hosts are Donald Duck dressed in his safari gear and is joined by friends Mickey, Goofy, Minnie and Pluto (characters may vary). Breakfast is typical fare with scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, sausage, etc. Lunch and dinner tend to have a little more African flair to the dishes, but fear not as there are still areas of the buffet that are reserved for the less adventurous eaters.
  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT: This is a family-style restaurant located in EPCOT’s Norway Pavilion. This is THE meal for the princess lover in your family. Breakfast, lunch and dinner options for this meal hosted by Disney princesses (characters may vary). It’s all-you-care-to-eat fare and will be served banquet style at your table. You want extra waffles, just ask for them. The food is both Norwegian-inspired dishes as well as American dishes.
  • Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom: Buffet-style restaurant located in Magic Kingdom featuring characters from Winnie the Pooh and friends. Breakfast is my favorite, especially when you can get a reservation prior to park opening, so you can be inside the park as it opens. But lunch and dinner are fantastic options as well. Beautiful restaurant with lots of options.
  • Ohana in Polynesian Resort: This restaurant is located in Polynesian Resort in the Magic Kingdom area. Ohana serves breakfast and dinner, but my preference is the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. This is a family-style restaurant and the breakfast is waffles, sausage, bacon, eggs, etc. Definitely take advantage of the delicious POG juice that they serve with the meal. My family would go through two pitchers of this stuff. It’s a very festive atmosphere and the kids enjoy seeing Lilo, Stitch and some of Stitch’s friends (Mickey and Minnie have been known to join in the fun).
  • 50’s Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios: This is one of those “some like it, some hate it” restaurants, but it’s definitely one of our favorites. First of all, I love the theming of the restaurant. It’s basically like traveling back in time and heading down to grandma’s house for a meal. Old classic TV sitcoms are playing throughout and your servers are your aunts, uncles or that crazy cousin you haven’t seen in forever. The food is stick-to-your-ribs comfort food such as pot roast, meatloaf and fried chicken. It’s fun to play along with the servers. But buyer beware, if you’re not in a playful mood, this is probably not a good place to pick.
  • Honorable mentions: Whispering Canyon Cafe is very similar to 50s Prime Time in terms of its playful and boisterous atmosphere. Decent country style fare and Wilderness Lodge is just a fun place to tour. Biergarten in the Germany pavilion in EPCOT is a great place to take a break and enjoy a little show while eating some good German fare.

Quick-Service Meals

  • Columbia Harbour House in Magic Kingdom: I might be giving away one of our family secrets, but Columbia Harbour House is one of those lesser known quick-service restaurants in Magic Kingdom. Located at the Fantasyland/Liberty Square entrance, this place often goes overlooked, but its location and food is top-notch. It appears small on the inside, which seems to chase a lot of people away, but there’s plenty of upstairs dining which offers great views of Liberty Square. Columbia Harbour House has mainly seafood dishes, which is a good switch from the tried and true angus bacon cheeseburgers at every other quick-service place in Disney World.
  • Restaurantosaurus in Animal Kingdom: While Flame Tree BBQ is a great use of quick-service credits, I ultimately picked Restaurantosaurus in soon-to-be-extinct Dinoland. Main reason I like this place over others is the sheer size of it. There are so many dining rooms to choose from and even at the busiest times of the year I’ve never seen it completely packed (but I’m sure it has been). The food is not going to blow you away, but it’s good, typical Disney fast-food fare. I prefer to sit in the Airstream Trailer section, if you’re able to get it. It’s also a great place to refill water bottles with ice from the refreshment station.
  • Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe: Dinner and a show? Yes, please. Now, because of location, this place tends to fill up very quickly around lunch and dinner time but if you can snag a spot in the main dining area, you can enjoy the musical and comedy styling of Cosmic Ray. Once again, the food won’t blow you away, but for a quick-service credit, it’s a good go-to spot in Magic Kingdom. Pro tip: Order ahead of time on the app and save yourself some time in line.
  • Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Located in the American pavilion in EPCOT, this restaurant crept onto my list during our last two trips to Disney. At first I didn’t think I’d like it, because BBQ and hot theme parks usually don’t mix for me. But I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food and amazed at the portion size for a quick-service credit. Be sure to visit the BBQ sauce station and figure out what works best for you. It’s also got plenty of room to not feel crowded.
  • Roaring Forks Cafe in Wilderness Lodge: You should never need a reason to take the boat from Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge, but if you’re looking for an excuse during lunch time, head to Roaring Forks Cafe. The food is very similar to what you get at Whispering Canyon Cafe and your family will enjoy the break in the vast Wilderness Lodge lobby.
  • Honorable mentions: Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe in Animal Kingdom has some Asian-inspired dishes when you’re looking for something a little different. But I really enjoy the Kobe beef burger there as well. Satu’li Canteen in Animal Kingdom’s Pandora. Now admittedly I don’t have a lot of experience at this place, but it routinely makes top five lists and it’s got some interesting dishes that I could see being really popular for adventurous eaters.

Snack Credits

Now, before I get started with the snack credits, I will reiterate a big DON’T when it comes to snack credits. DON’T use your snack credits on water, soda, coffee, tea, etc. It’s just a waste of a snack credit, especially because you will get a soda/water/tea with your quick-service and table-service meals. So don’t be tempted to grab a bottle of water with your snack credit. Instead, save that for something with more substance and take advantage of the free glass of ice water at kiosks.

  • Dole Whip Float: Surely you didn’t think I’d start off this list with anything but a Dole Whip Float. You can pretty much get Dole Whip floats in any park these days, so seek out your favorite flavor and use that snack credit to indulge.
  • Specialty Cupcakes: This is obviously a general snack, but Disney will always have some kind of specialty cupcake at just about every quick-service restaurant and many kiosks throughout the parks and resorts. They are usually around $6-7 per cupcake, so it’s a great use of a credit and a great snack in the middle of the day when you need a little boost.
  • EPCOT Festival Kiosks: Whether it’s the Food & Wine or the Festival of the Arts, your best bang for your buck when it comes to snack credits is one of the many kiosks at these festivals. Lots of people save their snack credits solely for EPCOT (my family included) and use them to snack around the World Showcase. The portions won’t fill you up by any means, but it’s better than popcorn (although there’s nothing wrong with Disney popcorn!).
  • Karamell Kuche: My go-to snack place in EPCOT is in the Germany pavilion and is everything caramel. You’ll have to shop a little bit to find the best use of your snack credit, but there’s plenty of options there to use for a snack. I personally love the caramel filled cookies, or the tried-and-true caramel popcorn, but the caramel flight is great too.
  • Boulangerie-Patisserie in France Pavilion: My wife laughs at the way I pronounce this bakery in France, especially because I use a very fake French accent. But it’s one of our favorite spots in all of Disney World. The portions are very good size for a snack credit and you can find some really delicious pastries and other desserts here.
  • Honorable mentions: OK, I threw some shade at popcorn earlier, but I want to at least make up for it by mentioning it in my list. Now I wouldn’t use a snack credit on it, but what I would do is buy a souvenir bucket at the beginning of my trip and take advantage of the cheap refills for the rest of the trip. Gaston’s Tavern is one of my favorite spots to take a break in Magic Kingdom. I really enjoy the LaFou’s Brew, as well as the massive cinnamon rolls.

Well, there’s my list of favorite places to use your Disney Dining credits. What did I miss? What did I get right? Share your tips to make the most of your Disney Dining credits.

And when you’re ready to book your next Disney vacation, be sure to hit me up at Dis & Dat Travel by Brady. You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DisDatTravel or you can email me at disdattravel@gmail.com.