Fireworks, festivals and food (oh my!). We're big fans of each of these, so we love the option of booking a dining package at Walt Disney World. Dining packages offer a sit-down meal at one of the many quality table-service restaurants and reserved seating at spectacular live entertainment, such as Fantasmic!, nighttime spectaculars and even festival concerts at EPCOT. Here's everything to know about Disney World dining packages!
Overview of Disney World Dining Packages
A Disney World dining package is a wonderful addition to your vacation if you want a sit-down meal and a great seat for entertainment. Dining packages may be offered for Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios, fireworks at EPCOT and concerts during EPCOT festivals, as well as dessert parties for fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
Be sure to book in advance and choose a dining package specifically instead of a regular reservation. You'll then receive a voucher for the reserved viewing area at the end of your meal. Note that entertainment is subject to availability, so if shows are canceled, you'll still dine at the restaurant.
Here are details on all of the current Disney World dining packages!
Fantasmic Dining Packages
A popular Disney World dining package is Fantasmic!, the nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This exciting show is located at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, which holds thousands of guests. It has stadium-like seating overlooking the large stage surrounded by water. With the staggered seating down to the water, there really isn't a bad seat in the house for those waiting in standby. Guests with dining packages have a roped-off section in the center of the theater for a straight-on view of the action.
Here are the restaurants that offer Fantasmic! dining packages:
- 50's Prime Time Cafe — $54 per adult, $23 per child
- Hollywood & Vine — $59 per adult, $39 per child (breakfast); $75 per adult, $49 per child (lunch & dinner)
- Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano — $56 per adult, $23 per child
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant — $51 per adult, $23 per child
- The Hollywood Brown Derby — $77 per adult, $31 per child
Dining packages include an entree and choice of either appetizer or dessert, or a buffet, plus nonalcoholic beverages. You may also use table-service credits through the Disney Dining Plan for Fantasmic Dining Packages. You'll receive a voucher for a specific showtime once you finish dining. Seating for Fantasmic begins 90 minutes prior to showtime, and it's recommended you arrive at least 25 minutes before to be seated in the reserved area. We recently ate at 50's Prime Time Cafe with a dining package and enjoyed its retro theming and classic home-cookin'. We then arrived at Fantasmic! about 45 minutes before the show and were seated in the middle of the reserved area.
We think Fantasmic dining packages are worthwhile if you were already planning on dining at a table-service restaurant and want to save a little time getting a seat for the show. There's such a wide variety of restaurants at Hollywood Studios with very unique theming, so you're sure to find something that works for your family. (Plus Hollywood & Vine is a character dining location, win-win!). If you've seen the show before or don't mind potentially getting a slightly angled view, you can also do standby and splurge elsewhere.
Firework Dessert Parties and Dining Packages
Both of the nighttime spectaculars at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT have reserved viewing areas, so you can treat yourself to delicious food and enjoy the magnificent fireworks. Though they save time trying to find a spot to watch Happily Ever After and Luminous, they are not required to get a good view.
For fireworks at Magic Kingdom, guests may book a Fireworks Dessert Party, which offers unlimited desserts and a reserved viewing area of the fireworks.
- The Fireworks Pre-Party and After-Party — $99-109 per adult, $59 per child, tax included (Unlimited desserts at Tomorrowland Terrace before or after the fireworks with reserved standing viewing at the plaza hub grass)
- Seats and Sweets — $119-129 per adult, $75 per child, tax included (Unlimited desserts at Tomorrowland Terrace with reserved seating for fireworks)
Learn more about fireworks dessert parties in our hopful guide!
Over at EPCOT, Luminous dining packages offer a sit-down meal and reserved viewing of the fireworks. The reserved areas are on the patios of the restaurants. With many possible spots around World Showcase Lagoon, we think dining packages are a nice treat, but not required to see the show.
- Rose & Crown — $92 per adult, $41 per child, tax included (Includes one appetizer, one entree, one dessert, unlimited beverages)
- Spice Road Table — $81 per person, $31 per child, tax included (Includes two small plates, shared tagine, dessert platter, unlimited beverages)
Both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom also offer fireworks cruises. Starting at $499 plus tax, you can rent a personal 25-foot boat for up to 10 guests with snacks and soft drinks included. See the fireworks in a new way from World Showcase Lagoon or Seven Seas Lagoon!
Dining Packages at EPCOT Festivals
Whenever you visit EPCOT, there is a very high chance you'll visit during one of its four festivals. Each event is included with regular admission and offers additional food, decorations and entertainment. The headliner entertainment is typically held each night in the America Gardens Theatre with three showtimes. A Disney World dining package is available for each concert series.
Here is the list of participating restaurants and typical prices (prices can vary slightly with each concert series so be sure to double-check before booking):
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — $66 per adult, $42 per child (breakfast); $78 per adult, $50 per child
- Biergarten Restaurant — $60 per adult, $34 per child
- Coral Reef Restaurant — $73 per adult, $29 per child
- Garden Grill Restaurant — $58 per adult, $37 per child (breakfast); $73 per adult, $47 per child
- Le Cellier Steakhouse — $99 per adult, $39 per child
- Regal Eagle Smokehouse — $36 per person
- Rose and Crown Dining Room — $61 per adult, $26 per child
- Spice Road Table — $50 per adult, $21 per child
When booking, be sure to select a dining package, as a regular reservation will not qualify. Bookings are available 60 days in advance, and reservations are highly recommended. If you are unable to do so ahead of time, there's always a chance of grabbing last-minute packages leading up to your visit. Regal Eagle also offers same-day dining packages — you can check day-of availability in the My Disney Experience app or visit the restaurant. Packages are available for lunch and dinner and include an appetizer, entree and dessert, or one full buffet, and a nonalcoholic beverage. An extra bonus, Akershus and Garden Grill are character dining locations, so you could enjoy all of the benefits and meet characters during your meal!
Once you finish your meal, you will receive a voucher per person for the reserved seating area toward the front of the theatre. The voucher will be for a specific showtime. Those with dining packages will enter the theatre in a separate queue on the left-hand side (closest to Japan). Seating is guaranteed in the reserved area, though specific spots are first-come, first-served.
Disney on Broadway Concert Series
Running from mid-January to mid-February, our favorite festival, EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, features the amazing Disney on Broadway Concert Series! Each night of the festival, accomplished Disney on Broadway stars sing songs from many of the Disney theatrical shows. Showtimes are typically 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Dining package prices for the 2024 festival are:
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — $66 per adult, $42 per child (breakfast); $78 per adult, $50 per child
- Biergarten Restaurant — $60 per adult, $34 per child
- Coral Reef Restaurant — $73 per adult, $29 per child
- Garden Grill Restaurant — $58 per adult, $37 per child (breakfast); $73 per adult, $47 per child
- Le Cellier Steakhouse — $99 per adult, $39 per child
- Regal Eagle Smokehouse — $36 per person
- Rose and Crown Dining Room — $61 per adult, $26 per child
- Spice Road Table — $50 per adult, $21 per child
Though our personal favorite concerts, dining packages are not as necessary during this festival. We've often arrived 10 minutes before showtime and gotten a seat in the center. While Broadway is popular, it's also a niche following, so you won't need to wait in a long line if wanting to attend. There may even be seats available mid-performance. If you have musical fans in your group, a dining package could be a nice splurge for close seating, especially if you were already considering eating at one of the participating restaurants.
Garden Rocks Concert Series
Hop into spring with the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, running from late February to the end of May. At the America Gardens Theatre, guests may dance and sing along to classic songs by a wide array of artists and genres. The Garden Rocks Concert Series showcases renowned celebrity artists from Friday to Monday evenings with performances at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Local Orlando bands perform on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, though there are no dining packages offered).
Garden Rocks dining packages are recommended if you’re big fans and want primetime viewing. Dining packages can be worth it for these concerts as the standby wait can get long depending on the popularity of the band. If you choose not to purchase a package, we usually suggest arriving at least 30 minutes early as seats can fill up quickly. The concert lineup was recently announced so you can start planning which popular artists you might like to see, such as A Flock of Seagulls, Rick Springfield and Plain White Ts!
Eat to the Beat Concert Series
The longest-running festival, EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival runs from mid-July to mid-November. The nighttime entertainment is the Eat to the Beat Concert Series with renowned celebrity artists performing from Friday to Monday evenings. (Local Orlando bands perform on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, though there are no dining packages offered). Performances typically take place at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Like the Garden Rocks Series, choosing to get a dining package could depend on the popularity of the band. Previous lineups included artists such as Baha Men, Sugar Ray and Boyz II Men.
Candlelight Processional
The most popular entertainment at the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is the Candlelight Processional. With nightly performances at America Gardens Theatre, a celebrity narrator retells the biblical tale of Christmas along while a live orchestra, Voice of Liberty, Walt Disney Cast Choir and visiting choirs perform inspirational songs of hope and joy. Previous celebrity narrators included Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Fraser and Josh Gad. Performances are typically held each night at 5:15 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at America Gardens Theatre. The runtime is approximately 50 minutes.
Here are the pricing for the 2023 festival:
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — $71 per adult, $45 per child (breakfast); $83 per adult, $53 per child
- Biergarten Restaurant — $65 per adult, $37 per child
- Coral Reef Restaurant — $78 per adult, $32 per child
- Garden Grill Restaurant — $63 per adult, $40 per child (breakfast); $78 per adult, $50 per child
- Le Cellier Steakhouse — $104 per adult, $42 per child
- Regal Eagle Smokehouse — $41 per person
- Rose and Crown Dining Room — $66 per adult, $29 per child
- Spice Road Table — $55 per adult, $24 per child
Candlelight dining packages are highly recommended for this one unless you are willing to wait in a long line. Certain celebrity narrators will be extra popular and sometimes those in standby actually have to be in line during a performance in order to be seated at the next show. The reserved viewing area for those with dining packages is actually larger than with other festivals, covering both the front section as well as the first many rows on the main section.
Last year, we managed to snag a day-of dining package at Garden Grill, so we could enjoy a character meal and receive our seating vouchers. We arrived 30 minutes prior to showtime and the front section was mostly already filled, but we still got a centered view in the third row of the main section. If you have a dining package voucher, arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to showtime.
Candlelight Processional is a beautiful performance and worth seeing at least once, so you'll want to decide if you are willing to wait hours in line or be able to snag a dining package.
A Disney World dining package is a nice treat and can be a helpful, relaxing addition to a vacation. It is also not at all necessary to purchase in order to enjoy the nighttime entertainment Disney offers. You'll want to decide if the extra cost is worth the reserved seating and the time saved.
Have you ever done a Disney World dining package? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: Treat Yourself to a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party
Hoppy planning
