Walt Disney Global’s record of collaborating places for the 2026 Disney Eating Plans has 50 lacking eating places and we’ve gained questions from readers fearful that their favorites are excluded. Regardless of being only some weeks clear of 2026, this explains why there’s no reason for worry about DDP removals…but.
Let’s get started with the fundamentals, which is that that Disney Eating Plans at the moment are to be had to buy for 2026 holiday applications and feature been for some time. This comprises each complete Walt Disney Global holiday applications and ticketless hotel resort + Disney Eating Plan reservations. For probably the most section, this simply affects pricing–see 2026 Disney Eating Plan Worth Will increase and Decreases!
The greatest trade with the 2026 Disney Eating Plan, and the explanation why there are some (vital) worth decreases, is that Children Devour FREE All Yr in 2026 at Walt Disney Global. This is excellent news, as that perk or be offering is higher than Unfastened Eating for many of WDW’s goal demo–and it’s stackable.
What is still noticed is whether or not Unfastened Eating additionally makes a comeback in early 2026. Because it’s already being presented to UK visitors for 2026 go back and forth dates, it’s all however sure that Unfastened Eating can be again once more for 2026. However it’ll be fascinating to peer what, if any, adjustments that Walt Disney Global makes to sweeten the deal. The stackable Children Devour Unfastened promo goes to be extra horny for lots of visitors, so WDW must do one thing if they would like upper adoption of Unfastened Eating.
Along with that, there were rumors of an “Final” Disney Eating Plan that might release once 2026. This sounds so much just like the defunct Deluxe Disney Eating Plan, which Walt Disney Global declined to revive (together with the Disney Eating Plan Plus) when restoring the DDP a pair years in the past, post-COVID and revenge go back and forth.
All of this implies that Walt Disney Global is doubling down at the Disney Eating Plan. That they notice there’s an issue with Advance Eating Reservation call for, uptake of the DDP, and different problems with desk provider eating places within the parks & accommodations.
There’s no reason why to consider the DDP is being scaled again for 2026. On the contrary, our expectation is that Walt Disney Global will proceed to scale it up, discovering alternative ways to make the DDP extra horny. The Disney Eating Plan is a coins cow that will increase according to visitor spending (a key metric for Walt Disney Global) in each its paid and “loose” shape.
In opposition to that backdrop, we’ve gained involved feedback and questions from a number of readers about many eating places being apparently “excluded” from the 2026 Disney Eating Plan. To that time, the record of collaborating eating places for the common 2026 DDP lately stands at 174, with 100 eating places at the Fast-Provider Disney Eating Plan (QSDDP).
In contrast, the Walt Disney Global eating portal lists 222 eating places as collaborating within the 2025 DDP and 116 eating places which can be eligible for the 2025 QSDDP. In different phrases, there are just about 50 “lacking” eating places that drop off the record from this 12 months to subsequent.
There also are some fascinating anomalies, equivalent to some eating places simplest being eligible for the 2026 Disney Eating Plan at lunch. Others are simplest eligible at dinner. That is an atypical quirk, and one I don’t recall seeing in the past. In the event you’re involved in present eating place eligibility, see this record of 2026 Disney Eating Plan Eating places at Walt Disney Global.
In the event you browse during the effects on DisneyWorld.com (and distinction them with this 12 months), you’ll most probably understand that numerous eating places–particularly in EPCOT, Disney Springs, and make a selection hotel lodges–don’t seem to be eligible.
My greatest piece of recommendation to someone fearful about eating places eligible for the 2026 Disney Eating Plan could be to forestall interested by it till, like, New Yr’s Eve. This isn’t but a complete record of all eating places that may in the end take part within the 2026 Disney Eating Plan sooner or later. Dozens extra eating places can be added during the rest of this 12 months. Some gained’t be added till the 11th hour, within the final week of December and even early January 2026.
The cause of that is lovely easy. Many eating places at Walt Disney Global are owned and operated through 0.33 events. This isn’t simply at Disney Springs, which is house to chains and outposts of famend superstar cooks. It’s additionally true at some hotel eating places, and in each EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. This comprises Homecomin’, Maria & Enzo’s, Morimoto Asia, Cooks de France, By means of Napoli, Tutto Italia, Coronado Springs eating, and extra.
In the event you’re questioning why this occurs, it’s as a result of Walt Disney Global negotiates with those 0.33 celebration eating places concerning the phrases in their participation within the Disney Eating Plan. In reality, “negotiate” could be a robust phrase; I don’t have perception into the method, however think it’s extra a take it or depart it be offering through Walt Disney Global with uniform contract phrases.
In our Disney Eating Plan Information & Assessment put up, we reverse-engineer a buck worth for every form of DDP credit score. Primarily based upon our calculations, a desk provider meal is value roughly $64.50, a counter provider meal at the DDP is value roughly $26.50, and a snack is value roughly $6.50. Walt Disney Global does the similar (minus the reverse-engineering section) and units a refund price for those 0.33 events.
In different phrases, if a third-party desk eating place chooses to accepts the Disney Eating Plan, they’re paid a price underneath the true worth of every DDP credit score, with Disney additionally taking their minimize. As an example, the 0.33 celebration could be paid $40 through Walt Disney Global for every desk provider credit score that’s redeemed. (That is an instance and $40 isn’t the precise quantity eating places are paid–we don’t know the actual quantity.)
What we do know is that it’s low sufficient that 0.33 celebration eating place operators need to weigh the low repayment price towards the upside of filling tables by way of the Disney Eating Plan. For 0.33 celebration restaurateurs, it’s a lesser of 2 evils situation: do those venues settle for diminished earnings according to meal or a discounted fill-rate for tables?
Inevitably, just about all 0.33 celebration eating places most often finally end up opting for the previous. The general player record for the 2026 Disney Eating Plan it is going to be very similar to what it’s in 2025. The similar factor came about final 12 months, and the 12 months earlier than it, and the 12 months earlier than that.
There’s at all times a possibility a cafe or two will “wreck ranks” and decide out of the 2026 Disney Eating Plan. The perhaps reason why lets see that going down in 2026 is that if Walt Disney Global has diminished their repayment price to 3rd celebration eating places at the foundation of the Children Devour Unfastened in 2026 promotion.
It is a particular chance! If Walt Disney Global doesn’t scale back the repayment price, particularly for youngsters foods, they’re necessarily subsidizing the Disney Eating Plan and paying 0.33 celebration restaurateurs regardless of Disney no longer seeing any earnings for the children’ DDPs. Somebody has to consume the ones loses, and our highest wager is that Walt Disney Global desires the running members to pick out up no less than a part of the tab. Once more, that’s only a wager, regardless that.
We’ve mentioned at duration how Advance Eating Reservation call for has cratered and Walt Disney Global has been pulling “levers” to incentivize visitors to dine at desk provider eating places. The corporate may argue that the good thing about higher call for justifies the decrease repayment price.
Conversely, 0.33 celebration eating places may contend that the Disney Eating Plan isn’t the driving force of industrial that it as soon as used to be, and that gained’t trade even with extra competitive DDP offers in 2026. That Lightning Lanes have made many visitors forgo discretionary spending on desk provider eating places, and there’s no unringing that bell (save for bringing again loose FastPass). That quantity goes to be decrease, regardless, and so they’re at an advantage with fewer visitors paying out of pocket at complete charges than DDP credit reimbursed at a decrease price. That Walt Disney Global doesn’t have the leverage it as soon as did with the Disney Eating Plan.
Simply to be transparent, that is purely conjecture on my section. The salient level, regardless that, is that it’s imaginable that negotiations for the 2026 Disney Eating Plan are extra contentious than customary. Most likely extra 0.33 celebration eating places can be k with forgoing the DDP, because it’s truly no longer that necessary to their industry.
I’m skeptical of this clarification, regardless that, particularly as the similar factor occurs 12 months in and 12 months out. Granted, we aren’t most often nonetheless down ~50 eating places year-over-year in December, however it’s fully imaginable that Walt Disney Global hasn’t up to date the list shortly. We’ve noticed precisely that occur in previous years, at the same time as past due as mid-January. (Eating places that had been accepting the DDP indexed as ineligible.)
Truthfully, when you requested me a couple of months in the past whether or not extra or fewer eating places would settle for the 2026 Disney Eating Plan, I might’ve guessed extra. Despite the fact that the Children Devour Unfastened promo is a huge wildcard that may result in extra eating places opting out, it additionally might be precisely what Walt Disney Global and 0.33 celebration eating places wish to reinvigorate eating call for.
During the last year-plus, we’ve had some foods at Walt Disney Global with a downright regarding choice of empty tables. We in large part characteristic this, as famous above, to visitors reallocating their holiday budgets from desk provider eating places to Lightning Lanes. There’s additionally the truth of upper costs, pushed through emerging meals prices and Disney’s regimen worth will increase.
It’s gotten so unhealthy that we totally be expecting some eating places to be compelled to cut back their meal services and products, scale back staffing, or another way cut back menus, meals high quality, and so on. The primary example of this has already been introduced, with the Cutback to Coral Reef at EPCOT. Until the brand new Children Devour Unfastened and different dining-related promos in 2026 paintings at reversing declining call for, we’d be expecting this development to proceed.
That is exactly why it will behoove 0.33 celebration eating places to just accept the 2026 Disney Eating Plan, even supposing the phrases are much less favorable. Since the selection could be even much less call for, which may pressure them to make tricky choices about their operations.
The most important exception to that is counter provider eating places. Other people nonetheless wish to consume when visiting the parks, such a lot of quick-service spots have noticed higher industry on account of the desk provider decline. It would make sense for Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie within the France pavilion, as an example, to forestall accepting the DDP. That’s one prevent that will get busier and busier with every passing 12 months; they indubitably don’t wish to settle for a decrease repayment price. However 0.33 celebration counter provider eating places like Les Halles are lovely few and a long way between. It’s most commonly desk provider eating places.
In the end, all of that is why–on steadiness–we think the general record of 2026 Disney Eating Plan eating places to finally end up having a look nearly similar with this 12 months’s record. The most simple and highest cause of the ~50 lacking eating places is that Walt Disney Global and the 0.33 celebration running members haven’t totally negotiated their offers.
As soon as that occurs, the choice of eligible eating places must sky rocket. Positive, there can be some last-minute holdouts hoping that they may be able to maintain industry with out the Disney Eating Plan, or disappointed through no matter phrases that Walt Disney Global is providing. However it’s tough to believe any of those eating places magically turning into extra well liked by cash-paying visitors, particularly as ADR call for declines. The hot button is that we think the similar or extra eating places at the 2025 Disney Eating Plan as this 12 months’s model, no longer fewer.
This very same situation with the Disney Eating Plan performs out each and every unmarried 12 months. Readers most often get started asking about exclusions within the fall, with some comprehensible “freaking out” nearer to Christmas. Prior to now, it hasn’t helped that data on DisneyWorld.com is frequently inconsistent from web page to web page. We’ll stay you posted and post a last record of 2026 Disney Eating Plan members later this month or in early January.
Making plans a Walt Disney Global go back and forth? Know about lodges on our Walt Disney Global Lodges Opinions web page. For the place to consume, learn our Walt Disney Global Eating place Opinions. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to shop for, learn our Pointers for Saving Cash on Walt Disney Global Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel have a look at suave pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney Global Experience Guides will lend a hand. For complete recommendation, the most efficient position to start out is our Walt Disney Global Travel Making plans Information for the entirety you wish to have to understand!
Your Ideas
Are you interested in any Walt Disney Global eating places no longer accepting the 2025 Disney Eating Plan? Suppose that is the 12 months that issues can be other because of the Children Devour Unfastened promo? Or is it the similar as at all times–that Disney is taking till the 11th hour negotiating with 0.33 events? Do you compromise or disagree with our overview? Any questions we will be able to mean you can solution? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas underneath within the feedback!
