101 Magical Tips for Your Walt Disney World Vacation

Dining Tips

50. When making Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs), begin with your most-wanted, not the first chronologically. Enlist help from other party members at the 180 day mark for the best chances of getting all your  reservations. 

51. Disney allows food and non-alcoholic beverages to be brought into the parks. Pack a lunch and snacks to save time and money.

52. Get a cupcake or a coffee. The best value for your Disney Dining Plan snack credit is the big cupcakes offered at quick service places or a fancy Starbucks drink.

53. Get a bottled drink. At a counter service lunch place, drink tap water with your meal, then use your Disney Dining Plan drink credit to get a bottled beverage to take with you.

54. Do the math on the Disney Dining Plan. Even when it’s offered for “free” the DDP may not be worth it for your family since it usually cannot be combined with other offers—or it may be the best deal ever! Be realistic about how much you would otherwise spend on food. 

55. Booking a character meal is worth it if you want to meet all the characters at the venue anyways. You save time in line at the parks!

56. You can bring your food tray out of a counter service restaurant. This is helpful if you want to eat while staking out your place on the parade route.

57. If you’re doing counter service, don’t limit yourself to boring burgers or nuggets. Try Sleepy Hollow’s stuffed waffles or Friar’s Nook’s loaded mac ’n’ cheese. There’s excellent quick foods in all the parks.

58. If you’re going to Epcot during a festival, don’t reserve table service. Instead, make a meal off several tinier portions at the festival kiosks. 

59. If you don’t get the reservations you wanted, keep checking! Other people can and do change their plans right up to the 24 hour cancellation mark. It’s not impossible to snag a great reservation the night before…with some luck (and pixie dust), that is!