• On Mar 22, 2021
    Vickie from SC Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    My upcoming trip is for December 2021. I hate the food plan has been paused and would like to know if food is typically cheaper at the resorts than in the park? If you are staying at a Disney Resort can you go to resort for your dining choices?

    Hi Vickie,

    Thank you for dropping by planDisney with such a great question!

    We were fans of the Disney Dining Plans as well, but were able to manage our dining quite well on our most recent trip even without a dining plan. I would not say that food is necessarily cheaper in the resorts than in the parks, but I would suggest that you check the menus for pricing at the restaurants you plan to visit.

    On our last visit, I estimated all of the prices for the meals we had planned so that I could estimate total food expenses for our trip. If you check the home page of each restaurant, you should see a link that says View Menu. Then, just be sure to select the correct meal period (i.e. breakfast, lunch, or dinner). I even included snacks, taxes, and gratuities in our estimate and was happy to see that we came in just under my calculations.

    If you have an advanced dining reservation, you can certainly dine at a restaurant located in a resort. Be sure to have that dining reservation linked in My Disney Experience and have the My Disney Experience Mobile App downloaded on your phone so that you can access that dining reservation should you need to show it to a Cast Member to gain entrance to the resort. On our most recent visit, we were headed to Disney's Rivera Resort for breakfast at Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera and Cast Members asked to see our dining reservation confirmation to board the Disney Skyliner.

    Keep your eye on the dining updates since dining location availability could change. And, as soon as your dining reservation window opens, make those dining reservations. On our last trip we also loved using Mobile Dine Check-in. We checked in to our dining reservations using the mobile app while walking to the restaurants. And, on a few days, we used Mobile Food & Beverage Ordering. Just check the pickup times well before you want to eat to get an idea of how early you may need to order.

    Vickie, you are visiting at such a beautiful time of year! The holiday decorations are just magical! 

    Magic and memories,
    Donyell

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Meet the Panelist: Donyell, North Carolina

Hello from North Carolina! I am a mom of twin girls, wife, and university professor who has been inspired by the creativity of Disney for a lifetime. Since my first Disney visit when I was 12-years-old, I have been drawn to the adventures crafted by Disney Imagineers. Planning Disney vacations helps connect me to families who will find in Disney the kind of joy my family has experienced over the years. Allow me to help you map your own Disney journey so that you, too can create the memories of a lifetime! Learn More About Donyell

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