Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Jessica!
My family and I really love using the
Disney Dining Plan when we're on vacation, and you're about to find out how easy and convenient it is when you visit Walt Disney World Resort this year. The Dining Plan is really flexible to use no matter who you're dining with, so let's talk about what to do when you're eating with other guests who aren't using Dining Plan credits themselves.
When you're booking your advanced dining reservations in a few weeks, you can go ahead and make your selections for your entire party of eight. With the exception of a few restaurants, like
Cinderella's Royal Table at
Magic Kingdom Park which requires payment in advance, you do not need to make any mention of your Dining Plan or how you're going to settle the check. When you arrive for your vacation and go to a Table-Service restaurant together, the Cast Member serving you will ask if you're using the Disney Dining Plan, and you can just let them know that some of you are but the rest of you aren't. They'll be able to take care of it for you using a little bit of magic, and you will receive a split check when the bill comes. From there, you can just tap your
MagicBand to redeem your Dining Plan credits!
I hope this answers your questions, Jessica, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation.
Jessica