There are SO MANY dining choices at Walt Disney World, it can be overwhelming and scary to try and answer the question of “what’s for dinner?” Luckily, there is help out there! Follow these tips and you will be sure to have a spectacular dining experience!

Plan ahead: Do your research! I can’t stress this one enough, there are tons of books and websites that have restaurant descriptions, menus, and even pictures so you can know what to expect when you go. Another part of planning ahead would be to make your ADR’s in advance (ADR = Advance Dining Reservations, and Disney allows you to make them up to 180 days prior to your trip). So go online, figure out places you might like to eat, and make a tentative itinerary based on that. A tip on ADR’s would be to have backup choices, and don’t be disappointed if you don’t get every single one of your top picks, chances are very good that you will still enjoy whatever you end up eating!

Please note as of Oct 26th you will need a Credit Card to Make your ADR’s. Check out this article for more!

Don’t overload: 3 buffets in 1 day? Sounds like a deliciously horrible idea…but I have seen it done (I have personally only done 2 buffets in one day, and even that was too much!). There are a lot of options, and a lot of them are buffets or all you can eat meals, so you will want to take this into consideration when planning your meals. My personal rule of thumb is to book 1 ‘special’ meal per day (be it a buffet or other sit down restaurant), and then let the other meals fall as they may and grab a quick snack or counter service meal whenever we need a break

Ask yourself “Who am I eating with?”: Whether you are dining alone or with a party of 10 people, it’s always important to take people’s tastes into consideration. If you know your father hates seafood, or your kids won’t eat anything other than chicken nuggets, you will want to pick places that accommodate those tastes. Obviously you can’t please everyone all the time, but you can come pretty darn close at Disney – especially with their large number of buffets that offer a large variety of food, where everyone is sure to find something they like

Try something new: Never had *real* French food? Been thinking about giving sushi a try? Go for it, you are on vacation, and Walt Disney World has it all, from the authentic cuisines from countries around the world at Epcot’s World Showcase, to plenty of seafood, American, steak, and barbeque options all over the World. And when you go to these new restaurants, don’t be tempted to order the burger or steak just because it’s safe, order that new item whose description intrigued you. No matter what you order, you won’t be sorry

Consider the Disney Dining Plan: It’s easy to use, convenient, and can save you some money if you really use it to its fullest advantage. The snack items you can use it for are marked with a special dining plan symbol at most locations, and as for sit down restaurants, most all of them in the World participate. The regular dining plan includes 1 Table Service, 1 Counter Service, and 1 Snack per person for each night of your stay. All you have to do is swipe your room key at the checkout, and you’re done, just like that! It is a genius idea, and I personally am a firm believer in the Disney Dining Plan (check it out for yourself here, and check Disney’s website for participating restaurants and information)

Dining in Disney World is a truly special experience, and if you follow these tips, the food you eat on your WDW vacation won’t serve as mere fuel to keep you going as you tour the parks, but it will be a highlight of your trip and something that keeps you coming back again and again!

Related articles

• Top 5 WDW Restaurants for Teens (chipandco.com)
• App Review – Disney World Dining Planner (chipandco.com)

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About Catie

Catie Hiltz has written 44 post on Chip and Co..

Catie Hiltz is an avid Walt Disney World lover who has been vacationing there since she was tall enough to ride Space Mountain. She believes there is something for everyone at WDW-and especially writing about the benefits of vacationing there as an adult

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