Kids Eat FREE at Disney World in 2026
Disney World is doing something delicious for 2026 guests. For all of 2026, kids aged 3-9 will eat FREE on one of Disney’s dining plans. What’s even more exciting is that this deal will be stackable with other future announced deals – which Disney NEVER does. This means that you can book this Kids Eat Free deal now, and when new promotions are announced, they can be stacked on top of the Kids Eat Free deal.
Refresher
But let’s take a step back and refresh your memory about what the Disney dining plans are.
There are two Disney dining plans to choose from: Quick Service Dining Plan or Disney Dining Plan. Each will give you credits for meals and snacks per night of your trip for everyone in your room ages 3 and up. You can’t have a dining plan for just some of the members of your party. Everyone ages 3 and up will be enrolled in the dining plan if selected.
Dining plans are likewise only available to on-site Disney World guests.
Quick Service Dining Plan
This plan gives you the below per night per person:
2 Quick service meal credits
1 Snack credit
Each guest will also receive a resort refillable mug. These can be refilled as many times as you like during your stay, but only at refill stations at the resorts – not in the parks.
Quick service meal credits can only be used at eligible quick service locations in the parks, at the resorts, and Disney Springs. You have over 100 locations to choose from. Your meal will consist of an entrée and one beverage.
Snack credits can be used at many of these locations as well as snack and popcorn stands.
The Quick Service Dining Plan costs $60.47 per adult per night and $26.16 per child per night in 2026.
Disney Dining Plan
This plan gives you the below per night per person:
1 Table service credit
1 Quick service credit
1 Snack credit
Each guest will also receive a resort refillable mug. These can be refilled as many times as you like during your stay, but only at refill stations at the resorts – not in the parks.
Table service meal credits can only be used at eligible table service locations in the parks, at the resorts, and Disney Springs. You have over 100 locations to choose from. Your meal will usually consist of an entrée, dessert and a beverage.
Please note that not all table service restaurants accept the Disney Dining Plan. You’ll want to check the My Disney Experience app before reserving. Some examples of restaurants not included are:
Space 220
Victoria & Albert’s
Wine Bar George
Frontera Cocina
STK Steakhouse
Summerhouse on the Lake
Some table service locations are considered signature or character meals that require 2 table service credits. You’ll want to be sure to factor these in when planning your meals for the week. Examples include:
Cinderella’s Royal Table
The Yachtsman Steakhouse
Akershus (lunch and dinner)
Citrico’s
Be Our Guest
Quick service meal credits can only be used at eligible quick service locations in the parks, at the resorts, and Disney Springs. You have over 100 locations to choose from as well. Your meal will consist of an entrée and one beverage.
Snack credits can be used at many of these locations as well as snack and popcorn stands.
The Disney Dining Plan costs $98.59 per adult per night and $31.94 per child per night in 2026.
Important Notes
You’ll want to be aware of these when it comes to dining plans:
Each meal credit also includes a beverage which can be an alcoholic beverage for guests 21+. There will typically be a cap on the value of the drink included. Usually anything under $18, but please check with a cast member at that location.
You don’t have to use each of these credits each day. You have from the morning of your check-in until midnight on check out day to use your credits.
Children ages 3 to 9 must order off the children’s menu if there is one. There are some locations that don’t have a children’s menu, such as Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the UK pavilion at EPCOT. Children can still use their credit even though it’s considered an adult meal.
You can track your usage and remaining credits in the My Disney Experience app.
You can use a snack credit for popcorn bucket refills, but it’s not a great value for the credit.
If there is an EPCOT festival going on, you can use a snack credit for most dishes at the festival locations and booths.
Snack credits can’t be used on popcorn or drinks in souvenir containers, drinks with glow cubes, or items with multiple servings (such as a jar of peanut butter).
For table service restaurants, you will still need to tip on the VALUE of the meal, not what you actually paid for the meal. For example, if your meal would have been $300 if you hadn’t used your dining plan, but you’re bill is only $19 because someone ordered an appetizer, you need to tip on the $300 – not $19.
Remember that not everything is always included. Be sure to check with your server about any dining plan restrictions or special rules. An example would be at Yak & Yeti, entrées over a specific dollar amount are not included. Another is that at Steakhouse 71 for breakfast, they may offer you a dessert to take with you (or enjoy there) because each credit includes dessert – even breakfast.
Best Locations for Dining Plan Credits
If you’re looking to maximize your dining plan credits, look no further! The restaurants are worth 1 Table Service credit but will usually be over $55 per adult. With the Disney Dining Plan cost of $98.59, I’m assuming the table service credit is 70% of the cost or $69.01. Once you take the cost of the entrée, dessert, and drink, you’d be around this amount or surpass it – making these restaurants the best bang for your meal credit.
1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian Resort)
Akershus – Breakfast (EPCOT)
Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
Cape May Café (Beach Club)
Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort)
Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
Fantasmic! Dining Packages – Excluding Brown Derby (Hollywood Studios)
Garden Grill (EPCOT)
Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios)
La Hacienda de San Angel (EPCOT)
Morimoto Asia – Lunch (Disney Springs)
‘Ohana (Polynesian Resort)
Rose and Crown Fireworks Dining (EPCOT)
Roundup Rodeo BBQ (Hollywood Studios)
Spice Road Table Fireworks Dining (EPCOT)
Steakhouse 71 – Dinner (Contemporary Resort)
Toledo (Coronado Springs Resort)
Topolino’s Terrace – Breakfast (Riviera Resort)
Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)
Most character meals will be on this list unless they are a 2 credit restaurant. Under most circumstances, breakfasts are not great options to use your table service credits on. Character meals are typically the exception. Using snack credits can be your best bet for breakfasts.
When it comes to Quick Service credits, you’ll want to set the bar for about $20 per meal. That is about 20% of the value of the Disney Dining Plan per day or 35% of the Quick Service Dining Plan per day (since there are 2 Quick Service credits, I’ve divided the 70% in half).
These are the best Quick Service locations to choose from to get the most out of your credits:
Capt. Cook’s (Polynesian Resort)
Columbia Harbour House (Magic Kingdom)
Connections Eatery (EPCOT)
Docking Bay 7 (Hollywood Studios)
Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom)
Landscape of Flavors (Art of Animation)
The Mara (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
The Polite Pig (Disney Springs)
Regal Eagle Smokehouse (EPCOT)
Roaring Fork (Wilderness Lodge)
Satu’li Canteen (Hollywood Studios)
Trail’s End Restaurant (Fort Wilderness)
When it comes to snack credits, you’ll want to target over $7. As already mentioned, EPCOT festival items tend to be a good use for these credits, but here are some that you might to keep your eye out for as well:
Eight Spoon Café (Animal Kingdom)
Gaston’s (Magic Kingdom)
Karamell Kuche (EPCOT)
Kringla Bakeri (EPCOT)
La Cantina de San Angel (EPCOT)
Le Petit Café (Riviera Resort)
Les Halles (EPCOT)
Pineapple Lanai (Polynesian Resort)
The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (Magic Kingdom)
Pongu Pongu (Animal Kingdom)
Refreshment Port (EPCOT)
Sleepy Hollow (Magic Kingdom)
Storybook Treats (Magic Kingdom)
Who Should Purchase Dining Plans
Talk about dining plan overload, but who do they make the most sense for? It depends…
If you are a group of adults who are over 21 years old and enjoy a cocktail with your meals, the dining plan can definitely be beneficial for you. Guests who like to order more expensive items on the menus don’t have to feel held back by their budget, because the meal is already paid for.
Likewise, if you want an all-inclusive feel, the dining plan will give you that. You won’t feel like you need to budget for your meals, because you already have. Anything you purchase that isn’t included in your meal credit will be added to your bill though.
If you like to have as much paid for before the trip as possible, the dining plans help you do that as well.
The dining plans may not be the best for families with children between the ages of 10 and 20 though. These children are priced the same as adults, but they cannot order alcohol with their meals which may cause the meals to not have as much value.
Why am I concentrating on alcohol so much? Because alcoholic drinks can easily push you over the value needed to make the meal “worth it” for the credit. If most of your group doesn’t drink alcohol, the dining plans may not be the best value for you.
Secret Tip: If you are mobile ordering, the app doesn’t know the difference in the ages of the guests who are ordering alcoholic beverages with their meals. Because you can use your dining credits at any time during your trip, you’ll just need to show an ID for the drinks you do order – usually with a maximum of 2 per eligible adult. Have my husband and I ordered alcoholic drinks with our daughter’s meals to get additional beverages while she drinks her water? Who’s to say?
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the dining plans. And if you want to price out your 2026 Disney World vacation with or without one of the dining plans, request a quote. Now’s the perfect time to get that trip on the books! Remember that it only takes $200 to deposit on a Disney World vacation package.
