Hi James!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
It's always a pleasure to answer questions from my fellow UK Guests! All dining plan details will be stored on your
MagicBand, so when you use any credits your band will be scanned, either at the till or by your server in a restaurant. They can see which dining plan you have, and the amount of remaining credits. As you have booked under one reservation and are using the
Disney Deluxe Dining Plan, your credits will be stored as a total for your whole group, and any adult within your group can scan their band and use the dining plan. If you dine together as one whole group, only one Guest needs to scan their MagicBand, and if you are dining in two separate groups then one Guest in each group can scan their MagicBand. For Table-Service meals, your server will ask you if you are using a dining plan before you make your order, and will explain exactly what is included. If you wish to order any items that are not included in the dining plan, you can pay cash for these, along with any gratuity. For the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan you have a lot of flexibility. You will receive, per person, per night, 3 Meals (Table-Service or Quick-Service), 2 Snacks and a refillable mug which is good for the length of your trip and may be used for refills of hot drinks such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and a selection of fountain drinks at the beverage stations at any of the Disney Resort hotels. Your server can provide details of your remaining credit balance, and this can also be found on your
My Disney Experience account. If you would like a paper copy, your Front Desk at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge can provide this for you.
You can start using your dining plan as soon as you have checked-in to your hotel (and if you use online check-in this will be from 7.00am on your arrival day) until midnight on the day of your departure as long as you have any remaining credits. If you find you still have some Quick-Service entitlements left at the end of your stay, I would also suggest visiting your Quick-Service location, or retail location within your Disney Resort hotel and ask if they will convert each Quick-Service credit to 3 Snack credits. You could pick up a few items for your journey home, or to take home as gifts! Unfortunately, there is currently not a precise list of locations where you can convert dining credits to snacks, but it's always worth asking as it is down to each individual facility.
Please come back and visit us if you have any further questions. We will be happy to help you plan your magical holiday to Walt Disney World Resort, and keep your eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for all the latest official news and updates on any events that may be happening during your stay.
Sue