UPDATED May 29, 2024

The Disney Dining Plan is back after a few years of hiatus. And that means that we’re also back on our Dining Plan grind for you all.

We want to make sure that all of our readers know whether they should skip or buy the dining plan based on their personal wants and needs when it comes to eating at Disney World. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the BEST value snacks on the Disney Dining Plan.

Before we jump into all of the yummy details, we want to make sure you have all the resources you need when it comes to the dining plan. So here is a quick list of a few more useful posts that may help you plan your Disney World vacation with the return of the dining plan. Things are of course a bit different than they were before the closures, which can be confusing. But, we’re here to help!

• Why You Definitely Should Buy the Disney Dining Plan in 2024

• Why You Definitely Shouldn’t Buy the Disney Dining Plan in 2024

• The Disney Dining Plan is BACK in 2024! Everything You Need to Know

What Is the Disney Dining Plan?

First, let’s start with a quick Disney Dining Plan 101. Basically, with a Disney Dining Plan, you pay a set amount to get a certain number of “credits” that you use throughout your stay. You can then redeem those credits for snacks, quick service meals, or table service meals (depending on the credit type and plan type).

It’s a way to essentially pre-pay for your Disney meals and make your vacation feel more all-inclusive. Once it’s time to pay for your actual meal in Disney World, you’ll simply use your credit to cover the cost of your food, instead of paying out-of-pocket at that time (since you’ve already paid for the Dining Plan itself).

Dining Plans are pre-purchased and added onto a Disney Vacation Package (i.e. you must be staying on a Vacation Package at a Disney-owned-and-operated hotel), so that all you have to do when you get to Disney World is head to a restaurant on the list, eat, and scan your Key to the World card or MagicBand. (Certain specific rules apply for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members wanting to book a Dining Plan.)

Disney Dining Plans returned on January 9th, 2024. For help with your booking, you can reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations — they’re Disney experts and can help you save money and stress when planning your next trip.

Two versions of the plans are coming back — the Quick Service and Standard Disney Dining Plans.

Here’s a look at what Disney says you can expect from the Standard Dining Plan:

• Everyone in the travel party will receive 1 Table Service meal per night, 1 Quick Service meal per night, and a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay—along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug.
• Meals and snacks can be redeemed at any time during the stay.
• For example, if you book a 4-night package with a Disney Dining Plan, each Guest in your party would receive 4 Table Service meals, 4 Quick Service meals, and 4 snacks or nonalcoholic beverages—which can be used at any time during your 4-night stay.

Here’s some basic information about the Quick Service Dining Plan:

• Everyone in the travel party (ages 3 and up) will receive 2 Quick Service meals per night, a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay – along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug.
• Meals and snacks can be redeemed at any time during the stay.
• For example, if you book a 4-night package with a Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, each Guest in your party would receive 8 Quick Service meals and 4 Snacks or Nonalcoholic Beverages—which can be used at any time during your 4-night stay.

What Counts As A Snack

At Quick-Service restaurants, most Outdoor Carts and select merchandise locations, snacks may include a single serving of items such as:

• Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle or fruit bar
• 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream
• Popcorn scoop (single-serving box)
• Piece of whole fruit
• Single-serve bag of snacks
• 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola® products, including Dasani® water
• 20-ounce fountain soft drink
• Single-serve coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, milk or juice
• Cup of soup
• Add on toppings or sauces (e.g. side of cheese dipping sauce)

Why Is It Important to Plan?

Snacks come with both plans! But those snack credits can be used at a variety of spots throughout the parks and resorts, and not all of those snacks are created equally.

So that’s why using your snack credits carefully is important. The restaurants below are ones that can help you get the MOST value out of that snack credit without skimping on food quality.

Eligible snacks on the Disney Dining Plan, no matter their location or dollar amount, should cost you one snack credit. So, let’s take a look at the snacks that are worth that credit so that you can eat some delicious food while getting the best bang for your buck. It’s easy to not make the most of the Dining Plan and to actually end up over paying for food. This happens when you spend your credits on inexpensive items or when credits aren’t used.

We’re going to dive into each park to see where there are good options for those snack credits based on how much you’d be spending without a credit and based on portion size.

Best Value Snacks in 2024

Magic Kingdom

Main Street, U.S.A.

If you are in the mood for something cold and sweet, then you should head over to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor for an Ice Cream Sundae. These range in price from $7.29-$8.49. Our favorite snack currently on the menu is the All-American Sundae.

This sundae is made with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, peanut butter drizzle (The BEST part.), whipped cream, and a cherry!

We also love the “Pies” at Main Street Confectionery!

These thick, rich treats include the Peanut Butter Cookie Pie (pictured earlier in the post) and the Brownie Pie. These range from $6.49 – $6.99.

Adventureland

One good value and delicious snack is the DOLE Whip Cups from Aloha Isle for $5.99. 

You can also get a Dole Whip Float. But one of our personal favorite uses of that snack credit?

It’s the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake topped with DOLE Whip, which rings up at $6.99!

Fantasyland

One great option that’s easy to split among two people is the Gaston’s Cinnamon Roll from Gaston’s Tavern for $6.99. These are big-as-your-face cinnamon rolls that are mega delish when fresh and warm.

We also like to ask for extra icing and a to-go box if you wanna take it back to your hotel room so you have a quick and easy breakfast the following morning.

OODLES of caramel goodies (and MUCH more) are up for snack credit grabs at Big Top Treats.

These include the scrumptious Caramel Corn for $6.99.

Tomorrowland

Over in Tomorrowland, you’ll find the Sweet Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzel at the The Lunching Pad for $7.79. 

We love the crispy exterior and the warm gooey interior of this one.

Another cooling treat — but with a caffeine kick! — is the Cold Brew Float at Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies for $6.79. 

This one can be made with your choice of soft-serve flavor, and we give a BIG thumbs up to the Salted Caramel!

EPCOT

If you know EPCOT, than you know that most of the year some type of festival is happening. Well, using snack credits is a GREAT way to taste your way through the park’s seasonal Festivals! Most items on the menus that don’t include alcohol should be included in your snack credit options.

We do some thorough and intense coverage of the festivals, and we also track every item that is available for a snack credit at each and every Festival. So if you are wondering what you should try, be sure to stay up to date on the blog. You can also check out our DFB Guides! Inside you’ll find info on the best snacks around the parks and at the festivals, so you know exactly what you should be trying!

Another great place to find quite a few snack eligible options is Karamell-Küche in the Germany pavilion. Here, you can get an array of specialty popcorn, cupcakes, and cookies. We love their Werther’s Popcorn and the Cookie Sandwiches. 

One of the newer spots in EPCOT is Connections EATERY. Here you’ll find the Liege Waffle. There may be two on the menu, but the one that is the better value is the dessert option for $5.49.

It comes topped with pearl sugar, whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce.

If you find yourself looking for a snack in the Japan Pavilion, we suggest picking up the Rainbow Kakigori at Kabuki Cafe for $7.00. It’s a good portion size and refreshing!

Over in the Canada Pavilion, you can pick up some Traditional Poutine at Refreshment Port for $7.50. 

It’s made with french fries, beef gravy, and cheese curds. Need I say more?

Head to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie to find an array of worthwhile snacks! The Creme Brulee presents a great  “signature” dessert feel and is truly yummy.

It typically costs $5.75 without a snack credit.

Start your day with a rich Quiche Lorraine!

This is $6.50 out of pocket. In fact, when looking at all the goodies in the beautiful Les Halles bakery case…

… you’ll find that snacks $6.50 and under (of which there are MANY) are snack credit eligible!

Hollywood Studios

Now, let’s head over to Hollywood Studios. Check out the Wookiee Cookie from Backlot Express for $6.79. 

This fun cookie is made up of two oatmeal cookies with vanilla cream filling. 

And we couldn’t skip a longtime DFB favorite — the Carrot Cake Cookie (Whoopie Pie) from Trolley Car Cafe for $5.49. 

The portion of this cookie is MASSIVE and you can totally share (You won’t catch us sharing though, it’s too good!!).

Speaking of cookies, another great option is the Num Num Cookie at Neighborhood Bakery for $6.29.

Few things beat this cookie when it’s nice and warm, and you’re chowing down on it on a cool night. Okay, now I’m drooling.

Another great option is one of the Funnel Cakes at Epic Eats, priced from $7.29-$8.49. These are a hefty portion, so it should be easy to share with the group. Epic Eats has classics like funnel cake topped with vanilla ice cream and strawberries.

But you can also find exciting seasonal options from time to time!

Now, the next option is quite controversial but we do think everyone should give it a try, especially Star Wars fans. And it’s nice to try new things when you’re just using a credit instead of spending $8+ on something you may not like. That’s why Blue and Green Milk from the Milk Stand in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has made the list.

Without a snack credit, it costs $8.99.

Animal Kingdom

Over in Animal Kingdom we recommend the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches at Dino-Bite Snacks which run from $7.79 – $8.29.

You can typically find a fun seasonal option here, which we always like to give a try. Some combos are better than others but the cookies tend to be really soft and fresh, which is the perfect pairing alongside some delicious ice cream.

Mr. Kamal’s Fries for $6.49 are great as well. The fries used to come with multiple dipping sauces but currently they are only served with sriracha mayonnaise.

Even without multiple sauces, they are a delicious and filling savory snack!

Check out the Pineapple Crisp Sundae at Africa’s Tamu Tamu Refreshments!

This tropical twist on the classic dessert is $6.79. 

Want a drink instead of food? Than the Night Blossom from Pongu Pongu for $6.79 might be the snack for you.

This brightly hued frozen drink is made with layers of apple and desert pear limeade and it’s topped with boba pearls.

We also love the Frozen Chai, which can only be found at Royal Anandapur Tea Company!

Enjoy the tastes of autumn any time of year with this drinks, which costs $6.99 out of pocket.

Miscellaneous

If you find that you have a few snack credits left at the end of your trip, don’t let them go to waste!! Instead, head to a location like Magic Kingdom’s Main Street Confectionery and load up on a few take home snacks. We’re talking packaged goodies that you can take home with you and enjoy later — think bagged candies, rice krispie treats, etc.

It’s so easy to not use all of your credits and to simply let that money go down the drain, but that doesn’t have to be the case. So remember to keep track of how many snack credits you have left and go to town loading up on some packaged goodies before you head back home. Having those to look forward to is a great way to cure those Disney blues, as well!

Overall, just really take a look at how much a snack costs and those portion sizes. That’s how you can ensure that you are stretching your snack credits to the max!

If you have any questions about the Disney Dining Plan, please let us know. We will do our best to relay our experiences so you can feel confident when you use the Dining Plan in Disney World.

Are you planning to purchase the Disney Dining Plan on your next Disney vacation? Let us know in the comments below!