Planning out a Disney World vacation can be complex and overwhelming. When it comes to dining at Disney World this is no exception. To help you have a smooth process and get the best food for your trip here are our best 75 Disney Dining Tips!
Table Service Dining Tips
- Character dining locations
The first thing people think of when they think of Disney dining is dining with Disney characters. Not all character dining has fully returned to Walt Disney World since the 2020 closure, but keep checking back to WDW Vacation Tips to be fully in the know. The current list of character dining in 2022 is Chef Mickey’s in Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom, Topolino’s Terrace (breakfast only) in Disney’s Rivera Resort, Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios, Tusker House in Animal Kingdom, Storybook Dining at Artist’s Point in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Garden Grill in EPCOT.
- Not all character dining is created equal
Character dining is expensive, and you don’t want to feel like you wasted money and didn’t get the right experience. The most expensive character dining is Be Our Guest and Cinderella’s Royal Table, and funny enough, they have the worst character interactions in 2022. In both cases, the characters merely glide by your table, or just pose for a picture beforehand. In these two restaurants, you are paying for the theming… that and you’re in eating in a castle!
The character dining with the BEST interactions is Garden Grill in EPCOT. The food is served family style so you’re not risking missing your turn with the characters, and because of the small size of the restaurant, you will see each character 2, 3, 4, or more times!
- Most expensive Disney restaurant
Walt Disney World is the home to a AAA fine dining restaurant, Victoria and Albert’s. Located in the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Victoria and Albert’s is the only restaurant on Disney property to have an age requirement. At a minimum of $200 per person, it would make sense that you wouldn’t want a screaming baby in the room somewhere!
- Least Expensive Disney restaurant
Trail’s End restaurant in Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds is the least expensive restaurant on property. At only $19.99 for adults and $11.99 for kids ages 3-9 for breakfast, this restaurant is really the place to get your money’s worth out of a sit down meal. BONUS: this is a family-style all-you-care-to-enjoy meal, which makes this an even better deal!
- Weirdest Disney restaurant
Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom is a strange place for food and atmosphere, and this is Disney, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing! This restaurant is based off of the Jungle Cruise so you know it’s going to be kitsch and punny. The food, however, is bold by Disney standards. Meals on this menu are fusion foods of cuisines from South America and Asia. No chicken fingers here!
- Buffets are great for families
Yes, it is a lot of food for a family, especially when there are small children. Often, the mistake is stuffing everyone and stressing about “getting your money’s worth”. Remind yourself that you are on vacation and relax! If you have a big family with lots of opinions or just picky eaters, buffets are great because they have something for everybody!
- Family-style buffets are best for families
A buffet is a buffet, right? It is until you’re juggling multiple buffet plates for your children and you have to take shifts going back up to the line. There is nothing worse than just sitting down to your plate and an adorable voice says, “Can we go back for more?”. Family style is served right to the table and all of the items included except dessert are bottomless, so you can ask your server to keep them coming!
- Visit a table service restaurant and just get dessert!
Beaches and Cream on Disney’s Boardwalk is a fun diner-style restaurant, but let’s face it, you really just want dessert here. Forget dinner, dinner. You’re on vacation! Be the fun mom! Beaches and Cream offers up the Kitchen Sink Sundae that includes scoops of every ice cream flavor, every single topping available, AND a whole can of whipped cream all served in a literal kitchen sink. At only $35, we think this is a deal, and not to mention, a memory.
- Kids under 3 are free at table service locations
Technically, they do not get to order food, but they are allowed to eat off of your plate. That may not sound like a deal, but if you go to any all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurant it’s a great deal because you can share endless amounts of food! Nobody should leave Disney World feeling hungry.
- Apparently, 10 is an adult in Disney
The flip side of the previous tip is that at 10 children are considered adults at Disney. Both ticket prices to enter the park and meal prices change at age 10. That can be a hard pill to swallow because that meal price just almost doubled and your 10-year old likely isn’t eating twice as much as they did when they were 9.
- Date night
There are great places for couples to go have a date in Disney World, it isn’t all Mickey hugs and corndogs. For a great steak dinner try either Le Cellier in EPCOT or Steakhouse 71 in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. If you prefer a classic Lady and the Tramp moment over some authentic Italian food, try your next date over at Via Napoli in EPCOT.
- Big eaters: all you care to enjoy meals
If you have big eaters, *cough* TEENAGERS *cough*, you may want to consider an all-you-care-to-enjoy meal in the middle of the day for them to fill up the tank. It is Disney, so do not mistake Quick Service meals as inexpensive. Plus, you don’t want to stop every 5 minutes for food and take that time away from rides!
- Light eaters: avoid all you care to enjoy meals
If you eat like a bird or have a lot of small children, why would you want to spend money on food you won’t eat? We figure that if you visit the buffet to get the equivalent of an appetizer, dinner, and dessert, then it is totally worth the $42+ price tag for adults, but if you’re just going to nimble on a salad, don’t do it…
- Dietary Restrictions
Disney chefs have gone out of their way to make a Disney vacation not only possible but enjoyable for people that have physical and dietary differences. Allergies? Gluten-free? Diabetic? Keto? Vegetarian? Vegan? No problem, just check the menu on the app for the special menus that list the concerns or meals that fit your special needs. You will find dishes that accommodate everyone at every restaurant. Be sure to discuss any food allergy with your server prior to ordering as well, for safety.
- Make reservations for table service restaurants
Remember that you are sharing your vacation with 10,000 of your new closest friends. You can’t just choose a restaurant and walk in like an Applebees. In order to guarantee a table and not wait forever to get it, you need to make a reservation. The easiest way to make reservations at Disney World is through the My Disney Experience App.
- Make reservations as soon as possible!
Gone are the old days of booking restaurants 6 months in advance! As of now in 2022, you are able to make a reservation 60 days in advance. Here’s how you do it:
- Set your alarm for 5:30 exactly 60 days from the day you want a reservation and get a cup of coffee
- Set up your computer and phone with your My Disney Experience account logged in. Why both? There are thousands of people booking at the same time, so it may freeze or crash in the system.
- At 5:50 put in the date you are looking for and number of guests in your party
- Start refreshing. Every minute refresh the page until it populates with options.
- Cross your fingers!
- Check for last minute reservations
Weren’t able to snag the reservation you wanted? Don’t give up hope yet! A lot of times, people book really popular restaurants because they had an opening. Then they keep the reservation until they are sure that they can’t work it into their schedule, in which case, they will cancel it. Then it’s free game! This usually happens 1-3 days prior to the scheduled reservation. If you have to cancel a reservation be sure to do it at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a $10 per person charge!
- Take advantage of resort perks
Are you a resort guest? If so, you have the ultimate dining perk! Everyone who is staying off site can make a dining reservation as early as 60 days out, so that means for a 5-day vacation, you are waking up 5 days in a row for a crack at the best dining options. BUT if you are a resort guest, you can book 60 days prior to your Disney Vacation… meaning for your 5-day vacation, you can technically book one of your days 65 days in advance. If the high ticket dining such as, Be Our Guest, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Oga’s Cantina, Space 220, and Ohana are really important to you, know that resort guests will have an easier time snagging these.
- Lounges: Unsung heroes of Disney dining
Maybe you couldn’t get a reservation, or maybe you don’t want to pay for a full prix fixe meal, whatever your reason for not eating at select restaurants, be sure to check out their lounges! No reservations are required! Lounges are the chilled-out cousin of the restaurant they are attached to. Our favorite Disney World lounges are the Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom, Space 220 Lounge in EPCOT, and Steakhouse 71 Lounge in Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
- Use Disney Dining Reservation finder apps
You took the steps and didn’t see an available reservation, it happens. You have a life and don’t want to waste time stalking My Disney Experience until your vacation. You don’t have to! There are apps for you to set alerts for Disney restaurants! Simply put in the reservations of your dreams, and when they come available, they will send you an alert. We use Stakeout and love it because it is simple and not overloaded with unnecessary notifications or ads.
- Be flexible with meal times
Sometimes getting a spot at a particular restaurant just involves a little flexibility. Maybe you will be eating dinner at 3:30 or 7:30. In normal life, those times sound extreme, but on Disney time, trust us, they still work. You have been snacking through the park and will snack later, so a full meal at 3:30 sits nicely. Or, if you’re planning to do fireworks, a 7:30 reservation is just the boost you need to recharge.
- Split up big parties
We recently went with a large party of 9 and were unable to find any decent dining reservations, (no offense Liberty Tree Tavern and Whispering Canyon Cafe). However, when split it up into 3 groups of 3, we were able to find a much more extensive list of reservations available. This trick is best for adult trips or families with teenagers just in case you get split across a room. If you explain at table check in the situation, they are pretty good at getting you at tables near each other.
- Consider restaurants outside the parks
It’s so easy to get caught up in the go, go, go in the parks. That can only end in a crash and burn. If you want to have a magical time be sure to take chunks of breaks throughout the day. We find it easiest to actually leave the parks and take a break at a resort because you not only have that hour-long meal time, but also the time getting to the resort. It’s amazing the difference you feel when you take that break.
Disney Quick Service Dining Tips
- Not all quick service is created equal
Quick service in Walt Disney World is so much more diverse than people give it credit for! Sure, there are a lot of places to get a cheeseburger and fries, but that’s not all it is. You can get quick Italian food from another planet, or fresh and healthy eating! Check those menus ahead of time via the app.
- Quick service with the most indoor seating
A table and chairs are a premium in Disney World, so it’s important to know where you are most likely to sit your tired, keister down with your meal! Backlot Express in Hollywood Studios has the most INDOOR seating of any quick service restaurant. The food is not overly fancy or adventurous, but it tastes good and sitting is wonderful on a day where you are walking 10 miles.
- Quick service with the worst seating