Disney has introduced a number of changes that have already begun rolling out to the Disney Dining Plan that technically kicked in as of May 31. These changes include a number of alterations to how snacks are handled as well changes to both table service restaurants and quick service restaurants.

Here is the updated list of changes:

Snack entitlements

Disney has finally updated all menus to state which items are considered as snacks, these include the items that cost more than $5. As someone that always uses the Disney Dining Plan this comes as a bit of a blessing, no longer do we need to ask questions as to whether or not something is included as a snack.

Other things included:

  • All single non-alcoholic beverages not served in a souvenir container
  • All ice creams not served in a souvenir container
  • All quick service side dishes (in case you just fancy a snack from the menu)
  • Fresh popped popcorn

Changes to Table Service Restaurants

The biggest change here is that at some locations a dessert may be substituted for a side salad, soup or fruit plate. Now this isn’t quite what I would have liked seen from these changes. Something that always crops up in our family is how instead of a dessert it would be good to swap that out for a starter. It doesn’t make sense why Disney don’t allow this considering the price for many starters is often the same as a dessert.

The other big change is that if guests are using either the Deluxe, Premium or Platinum Plans child meal entitlements can be swapped out to choose adult entrées!

Changes to Quick Service Restaurants

I often find that a dessert at lunch is a bit too much (considering I’ll be eating a table service meal later in the day) and it is clear that this is a problem for multiple guests. Disney has stated that any dessert or beverage can be swapped out for any snack item within the same order.

Another big change is that any quick service meal can now be swapped out for 3 eligible snacks in the same order. While this is great it doesn’t help with trying to do this to get more snack credits to use for something like the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!

So what do you think about these new changes to the Disney Dining Plan, a step in the right direction? Let us know in the comments!