Updated: January 2, 2025

If you’re vegetarian and thinking about purchasing a dining plan at Walt Disney World, I’m here to help.

Currently, there are two dining plans offered: the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan. The former is strictly Quick Service meals and snacks, while the latter is a combination of Quick Service, Table Service, and snacks.

I had never used a dining plan, until May 3, 2024. I visited Disney World for a super quick trip to test out the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan.

It was quite the learning experience. I felt it was important to test it out as not only a Disney food and drink blogger, but because I also wanted to see if it is worth it for vegetarians, like myself. 

In reality, you need to buy the most expensive menu items (and drink alcohol) in order to break even or to beat the dining plan. But, a lot of vegetarian and vegan items aren’t as expensive as meat and seafood items. And if you don’t drink alcohol, is there even a point?

I did a ton of research beforehand and I even planned all my meals to make sure I would get my money’s worth. So, spoiler, yes, there’s a way to beat the dining plan as a vegetarian, but we definitely don’t have as many options compared to those who aren’t vegetarian. 

Note: The following information and pricing is based on when I used the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan in May 2024.

So, let’s talk about the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan for vegetarians, along with the best locations and where you can get the most bang for your buck.

In this article

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What is the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan?

Basically, a dining plan allows you to pre-pay for a select amount of food and drinks prior to your trip.

The Disney Quick Service Dining Plan is good for those who eat most of their meals at Quick Service locations and prefer a quicker style of meal compared to a sit-down restaurant.

The Disney Quick Serving Dining Plan includes (for everyone ages 3 and over):

• 2 Quick Service Meals (per night of stay)
• 1 Snack/Non-alcoholic Drink (per night of stay)
• 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug

*Guests ages 3 to 9 must oder from the children’s menu, where available.

The meal redeemed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner includes:

• 1 Entrée
• 1 Non-alcoholic Beverage (or Alcoholic Beverage for those who are 21 and older)

FYI: Mobile Order is available to those using this dining plan at participating Quick Service locations.

Beverages are included with each meal. Guests who are 10 or older can choose one non-alcoholic beverage, which include specialty drinks, milkshakes, fresh smoothies, premium hot chocolate, soda, coffee, or tea, to name a few.

Guests who are 21 and older may substitute for beer, cider, wine, and cocktails. Make sure you have valid identification with you in case you are carded.

At most outdoor carts and select merchandise locations, snacks usually count as a single serving of a particular item. The following are the official ones Disney lists on their website. There are snacks that are a better value of a snack credit, so make sure you do your research.

• Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, or fruit bar
• 2 scoops of hand-scooped ice cream
• Popcorn scoop (single-serving box)
• Piece of whole fruit
• Single-serve bag of snacks
• 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola products, including Dasani water
• 20-ounce fountain soft drink
• Single-serve coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, milk or juice
• Cup of soup
• Add on toppings or sauces (side of cheese dipping sauce)

What’s not included:

• Items that are more than a single serving (like box of doughnuts or a jar of peanut butter)
• Items (like popcorn or drinks) that are served in a souvenir container
• Items considered to be merchandise (like bottle toppers, glow cubes and bottle straps)
• Special dining events offered at certain Table Service locations

To know if an item counts as a snack credit, just look for the purple and white Disney Dining Plan icon (as seen above) on a Disney World menu.

How much does the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan cost?

The Disney Quick Service Dining Plan is priced at $57.01 per person (ages 10 and older), per day.

This means, in order to make sure you break even/get your money’s worth you need to spend at least $25 on each Quick Service meal and at least $6 on each snack, because:

• Quick Service credits: worth about $25
• Snack credits: worth about $6

When can you start using the dining plan at Disney World?

Your Disney Dining Plan is activated as soon as you check in, whether that be online, via the My Disney Experience app, or at the front desk of your hotel.

This includes if you check in before the official check-in time of 3 p.m. Your credits will be accessible until midnight of your check-out day. 

Because credits are loaded all at once onto your account, you can use as many or as little as you want per day.

Using the Quick Service Dining Plan as a Vegetarian

I used the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan for my trip I booked from May 2-5, 2024.

Since I flew into Orlando very late on May 2, I didn’t officially start using the dining plan until May 3. I decided to use 6 Quick Service meal credits over the course of two days (so 3 meals a day), along with my 3 snack credits.

I traveled with someone this trip, so we had a total of 12 Quick Service meals and 6 snacks. In addition to the meals I ordered, I’ll also be sharing my travel partner’s dishes to show additional vegetarian options that are also a good use of a Quick Service meal credit on the dining plan.

The dining plan is pretty easy to use and partly thanks to being able to keep track of all of your credits right in the My Disney Experience app.

To check your dining plan in the app, do the following:

• Open the My Disney Experience app (sign into your Disney account if you haven’t done so already)
• Click on the “hamburger” symbol in the bottom right corner (the three lines stacked on top of one another)
• Scroll until you see “Hotel Reservations”
• Your most current trip will appear; scroll down until you see “Check Dining Plan”
• A breakdown of your dining plan and the credits available will appear

What also makes using the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan so great is that you can use your dining plan when placing Mobile Orders at Quick Service locations.

Now, not all Quick Service restaurants offer Mobile Order, meaning when placing an order in person you’ll need to let the Cast Member know that you’re on the dining plan and go from there.

Don’t forget to also pick up your refillable drink mug, which you can find inside Disney World hotel food courts. You’ll have to take them to the Cast Member at the cash register in order to redeem and activate. Each person using a dining plan gets a resort refillable mug.

Note: The photo below was taken before Disney increased the price of refillable mugs from $21.99 to $22.99 (minus tax) in October 2024.

Now, let’s talk about what I ate and drank on the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, along with cost comparisons.

Day 1 on the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan

Harambe Market

For my entree, I ordered the plant-based Impossible Kofta Pita served with vegan aioli, chermoula, and house-made chips.

You definitely get a lot for your money, but, overall, I thought this was just ok. I wish the dish had some greens on top of it. It wasn’t horrible, but it also wasn’t my favorite thing I’ve eaten at the parks.

However, the chips? They had some type of curry seasoning on them and were fantastic.

Alongside my entree, I tried the 20 oz. draft of Tampa Bay Reef Donkey APA from Tampa, Florida. This is described as a beer featuring “lemon-lime aroma with a citrus and slight tropical fruit flavor.”

You need to be an IPA fan to enjoy this. This had the right amount of hops that was balanced perfectly by the citrus and tropical flavors. I will order this again.

Another option for vegetarians at Harambe Market is the Harambe Salad, which comes with quinoa, grilled corn, black-eyed peas, crispy chickpeas, and a chermoula-herbed vinaigrette.

This is steep for a salad at $11.49 (with tax), but it’s light and refreshing. This makes a nice dish on a hot day.

To make sure you get your money’s worth on the dining plan, I suggest ordering the salad with the Leopard’s Eye cocktail. This costs $18.11 (with tax) and is made with Snow Leopard Vodka, passionfruit, mango, and kiwi.

Pizzafari

Next, I ordered the Plant-based Italian Sausage meal at Pizzafari. This comes with a vegan Italian sausage on a bun with caramelized onions and peppers served with a small “Italian salad”.

This might not be the most unique option, but I actually thought this was really good. I liked it better than my meal at Harambe Market.

The vegan Italian sausage had a nice amount of spice and I love that it was topped with lots of peppers and onions.

This is the side salad that comes with the plant-based sausage. While not super exciting, I liked it. It was simple, fresh, and tasted good on a hot day.

For my drink, I tried the Island Breeze. This is a frozen cocktail with Parrot Bay Coconut Rum and layers of frozen mango and raspberry.

I’ve had better frozen cocktails. I wouldn’t get this again. The Island Breeze was on the sweeter side and very strong (so much rum!).

There is also a Blue Lagoon Lemonade with Rum for $13.85 (with tax). I haven’t tried this, but it comes with Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Minute Maid Lemonade, citrus, and gummy worms.

I also used one of my snack credits here on the Moana Heart of Te Fiti Cupcake, a limited-time treat for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The cupcake was priced at $6.70 (with tax).

This was a coconut cake with pineapple custard filling, coconut buttercream, white chocolate “Heart of Te Fiti,” and coconut crumble.

I’m not normally a big fan of Disney Parks cupcakes (they usually have too much frosting for my taste), but I actually didn’t mind this one. I’m a huge coconut fan and the flavor came through beautifully. I do wish there would’ve been more of the pineapple custard filling, though.

A few other vegetarian entrees available at Pizzafari include:

• Gnocchi Primavera – $13.83 (with tax): potato gnocchi in primavera tomato sauce served with sliced garlic bread
• Cheese Pizza – $12.02 (with tax): freshly-baked pizza topped with tangy tomato sauce and mozzarella served with a small caesar salad (can substitute dressing for Italian or choose no dressing)
• Plant-based Greens and Grains Salad – $11.49 (with tax): mixed greens topped with garbanzo beans, white beans, red onions, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, tomatoes, quinoa, and green goddess dressing

Backlot Express

Over at Hollywood Studios, I finally got the plant-based Teriyaki Tofu Bowl.

This came with seasoned jasmine rice, marinated tofu, yuzu-pickled edamame, carrots, cucumber, and onions drizzled with house-made lemon-tahini-chipotle vinaigrette, and sesame seeds.

I will absolutely get this again. I’m a huge tofu fan and this was great. The rice was sticky, the veggies were fresh, and the teriyaki sauce was lovely.

For my drink, I got the Rum Island Breeze. This is Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Bacardí Superior Rum, pineapple juice, Minute Maid Premium Lemonade, and grenadine.

This is an overly sweet pre-made cocktail that’s overpriced for what it is. I’m glad I was able to try it on the dining plan, because now I know not to waste my money.

If you don’t want the Rum Island Breeze, there is also a Frozen Platinum Margarita for $17.57 (with tax). This is made with Patrón Silver Tequila, Cointreau, and sweet-and-sour.

There is also a Southwest Salad for $11.49 (with tax) that comes with romaine mixed, roasted corn relish, and diced tomatoes topped with pickled red onion, roasted pumpkin seeds, and cheese served with house-made jalapeño-lime ranch dressing.

Day 2 on the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan

La Cantina de San Angel

The Empanadas con Queso never fail in making me full and happy. You get so much for the price!

I can’t recommend the fried flour tortillas filled with cheese, topped with sour cream, salsa verde, and queso fresco enough. On the side, you get rice and black beans with queso fresco.

The drinks in the Mexico pavilion are pricey, which is why this makes a great stop if you’re on the dining plan.

The Acapulco Colada (contains dairy) has Ten to One rum, Nixta corn liqueur, and piña colada cream. While this is supposed to be served frozen, mine wasn’t. It was served over ice, even though I saw someone else with a frozen one.

I’m not sure why mine was served on the rocks, but I still really enjoyed it and thought it made for a delicious cocktail.

I also recommend getting the nachos, but without the ground beef (you can replace with black beans, if you’d like). The tortilla chips are topped with white nacho cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños, and sour cream. You get so much for $15.71 (with tax) and they are fantastic.

The guacamole and chips is another good option for $11.72 (with tax).

Know that the “Top Shelf” Clásica margarita doesn’t qualify has a drink on the dining plan. But, the Frozen Margarita and Frozen Lime Margarita (each priced at $14.38, with tax) are and make a great alcoholic beverage selection.

Crêpes À Emporter at La Crêperie de Paris

Located next to the Table Service restaurant that also serves crepes, La Crêperie de Paris, this Quick Service stands sells both sweet and savory crepes. They are huge and pretty darn good.

I got the vegan Ratatouille Galette that comes with tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. This makes for a great lunch and is quite filling.

If you love cheese, I also highly recommend the Cream of Brie Cheese Galette for $12.73 (with tax). This is loaded — and I mean loaded — with cheese. It is very good.

While I really wanted the Champagne Malard Excellence Brut (a glass costs $22.37, with tax), it’s not part of the dining plan.

So, I went with the Rosé, Côtes de Provence for $16.25 (with tax). I’m not normally a wine person, but I don’t mind rosè, especially if it’s dry. This wasn’t bad!

The Mimosa Sparkling Wine & Orange Juice is also a good choice if you’re using the dining plan. It costs $13.31 (with tax).

I don’t recommend getting the sweet crepes, since they are significantly under priced compared to the savory galettes. But, the Butter & Sugar Crepe ($7.40, with tax) does count as a snack on the dining plan.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse

Regal Eagle Smokehouse is truly a standout Quick Service restaurant. I really don’t think you can go wrong with most of the menu items, like the BBQ Jackfruit Burger.

I got this with the dining plan and it was just as good as I remember. Not only do you get a huge sandwich, but also lots of fries!

This plant-based burger is served on garlic toast and topped with barbecue jackfruit, vegan mayonnaise, and lettuce. Instead of fries, you can choose house-made pickles as your side (these are good, as well). This is truly a solid sandwich and the barbecue flavor comes through nicely.

For my beverage, I got a 20 oz. Cigar City Jai Alai IPA. This is usually my go-to at the parks if I don’t see anything else that calls to me. You need to love IPAs to enjoy this. It’s on the hoppier side and has citrus and floral aromas.

Regal Eagle also has a Tennessee Lemonade for $17.04 (with tax). This has Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey with Minute Maid Premium Lemonade and peach.

There is a Power Greens Salad for $10.96 (with tax) and comes with mixed greens tossed with fresh citrus fruit, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and radishes in a fresh citrus vinaigrette dressing.

But, to make sure you get your money’s worth on the dining plan, I suggest ordering the salad with the Tennessee Lemonade.

Karamell-Küche

Karamell-Küche is a popular snack spot in EPCOT thanks to the many delicious caramel treats. You, obviously, have to be a caramel fan to enjoy these.

Since I traveled with someone on this trip and they were also using the dining plan, we used our remaining 5 snack credits here. Yes, we used them all at Karamell-Küche, because not only could we take these snacks home (they travel well), but we wanted to try the following.

You can’t go wrong with the Werther’s Original Caramel Popcorn. This is a classic Karamell-Küche snack. That said, this popcorn can go stale quickly, so eat fast!

The limited-time Werther’s Original Caramel Pecan Bar, a buttery shortbread topped with a layer of Werther’s Original Caramel and roasted salted pecans was as fantastic as it looks.

Absolute heaven is how I describe the Werther’s Original Caramel Pecan Cluster. You can’t go wrong with a sweet treat featuring Werther’s Original Caramel, roasted salted pecans, and milk chocolate.

I’m a huge carrot cake fan, so the Werther’s Original Caramel Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie was a must.

This is somewhat similar to the famous Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie found at The Trolley Car Café (aka Starbucks) in Hollywood Studios, but is a tad on the sweeter side thanks to the salted caramel buttercream frosting.

The Werther’s Original Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookie Sandwich was my favorite out of all these treats. The two snickerdoodle cookies were so soft. Plus, the salted caramel buttercream frosting and caramel drizzle made the cookies taste even more amazing.

While the pecan cluster and pecan bar aren’t the best use of a snack credit, we did some math and figured since we would still come out ahead of the dining plan (and we wouldn’t lose money), it wouldn’t hurt to get these two stellar treats.

More Disney Quick Service Dining Plan Vegetarian Meals

Satu’li Canteen

At Animal Kingdom, the vegan Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu Bowl at Satu’li Canteen is a fantastic vegetarian dish with and without the dining plan.

This comes with crispy fried tofu seasoned with chili-spice and topped with crunchy vegetable slaw and boba balls. You also get to pick your choice of base and sauce.

Base options:

• Red and sweet potato hash (my go-to)
• Rice and beans
• Hearty salad
• Noodles (not plant-based)
• You also don’t have to choose a base

Sauce options:

• Charred green onion vinaigrette (my go-to)
• Black bean vinaigrette (not plant-based)
• Creamy herbed dressing (not plant-based)
• You can also choose no sauce

Of course, for a beverage, I recommend my favorite green beer that’s exclusive to the land of Pandora — the 20 oz. Hawkes’ Grog Ale. This has a fruitier hop (it’s not super hoppy like a typical IPA) and notes of apricot and peach.

Satu’li Canteen also has an Ilu Splash Margarita for $14.91 (with tax). This comes with Corazón Blanco Tequila with kiwi, sour mix, lime juice, and a kiwi slice.

ABC Commissary

ABC Commissary is an underrated Quick Service spot. On the menu is a truly fantastic vegan burger!

The California Burger features a farm fresh plant-based burger with sriracha mustard and balsamic-glazed grilled peppers and onions with a “mayonnaise”-ketchup blend, lettuce, and tomato. I ordered fries as my side, but you can also choose an arugula-farro salad or apple slices.

ABC Commissary even has a Watermelon Margarita. It comes with Patrón Silver Tequila, watermelon, sweet-and-sour, and lime Juice.

This is a pre-made cocktail that is certainly on the pricier side at over $18.00 (with tax). That said, I really enjoyed this. For a pre-made margarita, I think it’s pretty darn tasty. There is the perfect amount of watermelon and tequila. You can taste both equally without either flavor overpowering one another.

Other alcoholic beverages that are good when using the dining plan here include, the Opici Family Red Sangria for $13.85 (with tax) and the Happy Daze for $14.91 (with tax) featuring Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, melon liqueur, banana liqueur, and grenadine with orange and pineapple juice.

You can also find a Mediterranean Salad for $11.49 (with tax) on the menu, which has mixed greens with tomatoes, cucumber, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, and feta tossed in a mediterranean vinaigrette served with hummus and grilled flatbread.

Is the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan Worth It for Vegetarians?

It can be, but only if you drink alcohol.

As a vegetarian, menu items are priced cheaper than other dishes, meaning those who eat meat and seafood will definitely get more bang for their buck on the dining plan.

If you order the most expensive menu items, including alcoholic beverages, you will save even more money when using the dining plan. But, that’s harder for vegetarians, when our menu items aren’t the highest priced.

Also, you might not always want the most expensive dish, because it might not be something you like. That’s why when I used the dining plan, I tried to keep it realistic and order things that I normally would, like getting beer versus a cocktail.

It’s important to add that Magic Kingdom is not a good use of Quick Service meal credits for vegetarians using the dining plan. Due to dishes being priced much lower compared to the meat/seafood items and alcohol not available to purchase at Quick Service locations, I don’t recommend using any Quick Service meal credits at Magic Kingdom.

I also don’t suggest using Quick Service meals credits for breakfast. Typically, all breakfast entrees are priced much lower compared to lunch and dinner options. And, if you don’t order alcohol with breakfast, you will really lose money on the dining plan.

Let’s take a look at some Disney Quick Service Dining Plan pros and cons…

So, how much did I end up spending and saving on the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan? The following amount doesn’t include any extras, like breakfast.

The dining plan is all about math, so you definitely need to do your research before purchasing to see if it makes sense for you. Be sure to also include any extras, like additional snacks or beverages you may want to get along the way.

To really decide if the dining plan is worth it or not, you definitely need to do some research and calculations. You should try to figure out where you want to eat (make sure the restaurant offers the dining plan), estimate what you would spend on average for food each day (and for the entirety of a trip), and then compare those numbers to the price of the dining plan.

If what you will probably spend on average for food without the dining plan is close to the cost of the dining plan, then the dining plan is probably worth it. If not, you should rethink adding it onto your vacation package.

Overall, I actually enjoyed using the Quick Service Dining Plan. It wouldn’t make sense for every trip, but I will probably use it again at some point — and only if it’s going to save me money in the long run.

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If you’re vegetarian, have you used the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan? What did you think? If you have any dining plan-related questions, drop them in the comments!