Hey there James and welcome back to planDisney!
For so many folks and families coming to Orlando for their Walt Disney World Resort vacation this year, the
return of dining plans has been one of the much-awaited updates to the overall guest experience. (Depending on who you have in your adventure party, I find that this could end up in some solid savings if you make some key choices for your meals and snacks!)
I took the opportunity to speak with Cast Members working at restaurants around
EPCOT as well as
Disney's BoardWalk today for a bit of research and observe how the dining plans were being implemented, and you'll be happy to hear that as long as you'll only need to scan one of your MagicBands among your dining companions - as long as you're all on the same Resort Hotel reservation. In case you don't happen to have any MagicBands among you, a
Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World card may also be used in order for the Cast Members to pull up your Disney Resort ID.
If however you're dining alongside others with dining plans of their own, it can get a little tricky in my experience so it's always a good idea to give your server a heads up in advance and let the Cast Member processing your payment know clearly what is being redeemed on which valid Disney Resort ID. They also wanted to make sure that I expressed the following additional details listed by the current official policy:
- Unused meals and snacks will roll over day to day and expire at midnight on day of checkout.
- Meals and snacks are nontransferable between party members.
Personally, I love how snacks can be redeemed at selected locations during festivals throughout the year, including the multitude of unique culinary offerings at this year's EPCOT International Festival of the Arts!
Here's to some fantastic feasting on your upcoming Disney adventures on land and at sea!
Prince