Walt Disney World has announced an increased food & beverage discount at select restaurants in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and the resort hotels for Annual Passholders this summer. This shares a list of the participating dining locations, along with quick recommendations for anyone wondering where to eat with the superior savings!
For starters, V.I.PASSHOLDER Days (or VIP Passholder Days, if you want to sound it out and remove the yelling) are a limited-time offering just for Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s the company’s way of saying ‘thank you’ for being a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder!
V.I.Passholder Days are running now through June 26, 2024 at Walt Disney World. During this event, APs are able to take advantage of exclusive perks and discounts throughout the parks and resorts during the month-long appreciation event (most of which are at EPCOT). As covered in our Guide to V.I.PASSHOLDER Days, there’s a free magnet and lounge, and other freebies and perks for Annual Passholders during the next month-plus.
Until now, one of the conspicuous omissions for VIP Passholder Days as compared to last year was discounts. Sure, there’s 20% off DisneyStore.com or whatever, but doesn’t that site seem to have perpetual sales and coupon codes? Not only that, but the website only carries a small fraction of the theme park merchandise available at Walt Disney World.
Last year, there were extra in-park discounts for merchandise and food & beverage, including both table service restaurants and the Outdoor Kitchens for the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. Honestly, I kinda expected the same thing year. In the post-pent-up demand period, it certainly doesn’t feel like merchandise is moving as well or there’s as much free spending on food & beverage.
My personal theory is that, for most people, vacation budgets are limited. As a result, the added cost of Genie+ is not purely a new revenue stream for Walt Disney World–at least, not entirely. Rather, it’s a reallocation of spending, away from souvenirs or dining and towards line-skipping. Since that’s more “essential” to the park experience, those with finite budgets (most people!) are shifting funds from one thing to another, as opposed to simply spending more.
Of course, this isn’t everything–and there’s probably some degree of both happening (spending more and budget reallocation), but that’s nevertheless my theory. I think that pretty well explains why stuff is no longer flying off of shelves and ADRs have gotten much, much easier over the course of the last year–even for popular restaurants. But I digress–that’s not the point of this post!
If you’re hungry for even more V.I.PASSHOLDER Days exclusives, get ready to satisfy your appetite, because starting May 28 through June 26, 2024, Annual Passholders can take advantage of increased dining discounts at select table service restaurants across Walt Disney World. Whether you’re trying to complete the ‘Passholder Foodie Challenge’ or looking for an excuse to eat at your favorite spot on property, now’s your chance to have your cake and eat it too…literally.
During VIP Passholder Days, food & beverage discounts have increased to 20% exclusively for Annual Passholders. Check out the list below for all participating locations:
Magic Kingdom
• Be Our Guest Restaurant
• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• The Crystal Palace
• The Diamond Horseshoe
• Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen
• Liberty Tree Tavern
• The Plaza Restaurant
• Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
EPCOT
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Biergarten Restaurant
• Coral Reef Restaurant
• Garden Grill Restaurant
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Rose & Crown Dining Room
• Spice Road Table
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• 50’s Prime Time Cafe
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Hollywood & Vine
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Tiffins Restaurant
• Tusker House Restaurant
WDW Disney Resort Hotels
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Boma—Flavors of Africa, Jiko—The Cooking Place and Sanaa
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn – Flying Fish and Trattoria al Forno
• Disney’s Caribbean Resort – Sebastian’s Bistro
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort – California Grill, Chef Mickey’s and Steakhouse 71
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort – Toledo—Tapas, Steak & Seafood and Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Cítricos, Grand Floridian Cafe and Narcoossee’s
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort – Olivia’s Cafe
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – Kona Cafe and ‘Ohana
• Disney’s Port Orleans—Riverside – Boatwright’s Dining Hall
• Disney’s Riviera Resort – Topolino’s Terrace—Flavors of the Riviera
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa – The Turf Club Bar and Grill
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort – Wind & Waves Grill
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White and Whispering Canyon Cafe
• Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts – Ale & Compass Restaurant, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Cape May Cafe and Yachtsman Steakhouse
As always, terms and conditions apply. This discount may not be combined with any other offers or discounts, is subject to availability and change or cancellation without notice. And obviously, you need to be able to enter a theme park in order to dine inside one, so make sure your park reservations and/or blockouts are squared away. If your AP is expired, you can’t use it. You know the drill by now, hopefully. Yada yada yada.
When it comes to recommendations, I’ll start with a plug for our List of the 24 Best Restaurants at Walt Disney World for 2024. These are our favorites, and what we recommend to family and friends. It’s missing some of the fanciest spots, but that’s on purpose–it aims to be a practical list for families and normal folks with the most iconic, must-do meals around Walt Disney World.
If you don’t want to read that for whatever reason, you really can’t go wrong with any of the restaurants on the resort list. Well, I guess you could if you’re wanting a romantic and sophisticated date night and you book Chef Mickey’s. But that’s kind of on you at that point. Literally all of the restaurants on the list have strengths and compelling selling points–be it cuisine, characters, views, atmosphere, etc. We like them all for different reasons.
When it comes to the parks, both of the Animal Kingdom options are great. Over at DHS, it can be a similar story depending upon what you order (and, again, your expectations since some of these excel at theme or fun, rather than cuisine)–I’m particularly curious about the new menu at Mama Melrose. At EPCOT, we’ll probably use the increased discount to revisit Garden Grill or Akershus, or perhaps save on what could be a big bill at Le Cellier.
Magic Kingdom is, as always, the most mixed bag. We like both Be Our Guest and Skipper Canteen, but they are polarizing–you probably won’t find many fans who enjoy both of those. It’s usually, at most, one or the other. Keeping on our character kick, we’ll probably try to knock out breakfast at Crystal Palace. Regardless of which restaurants you book, savor those savings and take full advantage between now and June 2024! Here’s hoping we get better discounts again during the fall off-season, too!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you an Annual Passholder? Thoughts on the VIP Passholder Days, or the latest food & beverage discounts? Will you be taking advantage of any of this? Where will you be dining during VIP Passholder Days? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
