Just and FYI if you are going to Walt Disney World this year. Some of the restaurants are no longer accepting the Disney Dining Plans as payment.

There are several restaurants on Disney property, including Disney Springs, that are owned by third-parties and not the Walt Disney World company.  Some of those locations are showing that they have chosen not to participate in the Dining Plan program. But it can change as the year progresses.

According to Disney Tourist Blog, the third party restaurants take a slight cut to participate in the program so Disney gets a cut of their profits:

“…if a third-party table restaurant chooses to accepts the Disney Dining Plan, they are paid a rate below the actual value of each DDP credit, with Disney also taking their cut.”

Now that being said most of the locations that accepted the Disney Dining Plan in the past will likely continue doing so, but you need to double check.

For example we’ve learned from our friend J. that the popular Quick Service location, El Mercado de Coronado at Coronado Springs, is currently listed as “no longer accepting the Dining Plan”. But, it could change in the near future, as it could with several restaurants.

It’s also listed that Chef’s De France is no longer accepting the Disney Dining Plan and they were last year.

It can be very confusing!

How do you find out if a restaurant is taking the Dining Plan?

1. You can call the restaurant and ask –I recommend this because getting the information directly is probably the best way.
2. You can check on the Disney Website and it will tell you. Click Here or you can follow the directions below.

Just go to the Walt Disney World Page and click on “Things To Do.” A drop down menu will pop up and you can choose “All Restaurants.”

The restaurants can be sorted by park or resort hotel. But they are also all listed alphabetically. Just search for the one you are interested in.

Then on the right hand side click the arrow to give you more information.

On this page you can see if it is accepting Dining Plans. You can also get more information on the restaurant including the menus.

You just need to check. Most places still take the Dining Plan, but when I was looking around I found that some popular snack credit places like Aloha Isle, Anaheim Produce, Auntie Gravity’s, the Cheshire Cafe don’t accept the Dining Plan now.

As I said this can change though because I’ve seen some that weren’t taking it started taking it again. Just double check before you go.

Also, check your resort hotel.

Some locations might take the plan and others might not. It could be a reason to switch their resort to another one if having Dining Plan access is important to them.

For example at the Caribbean Beach Resort’s Centertown Market does take the dining plan, but the Centertown Grab N’ Go shows that it does not.

Coronado Springs has a lot of locations that do not accept the dining plan.

Something to Note with a Kids Dining Plan

It’s also worth noting that on several Disney message boards people have reported that since Jan. 1, 2020, kids must choose from the kids menu only. That was a surprise for some as well.

Things change all the time. The easiest thing to do is pick where you want to go and then simply verify the Disney Dining plan. Most people don’t even use it, but with the “Free Dining” packages coming out, it’s important to know.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Sources: Our friend J., Disney Tourist Blog, Walt Disney World