Walt Disney World Resort is an enormous place, and one could easily spend months here and still not see and do everything. You might be thinking, “I’ve been to Disney World plenty of times. I’ve seen everything the parks have to offer.”
This might be the case, and you’ve likely even seen a handful of resorts while dining at some of the more popular table service eateries. However, we’re guessing you have yet to explore every resort hotel, and we doubt you’ve tried all the food they have to offer. This is why we recommend weaving some Disney resort quick service restaurants into your next Disney vacation.
There are a number of great reasons to head to quick service restaurants at the Disney resort hotels to enjoy some Walt Disney World dining. Learn about our favorite benefits below, and then learn how to find the very best Disney World resort quick service dining options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Avoid Reservations
Look, Disney table service restaurants offer a great dining experience. We really enjoy what these restaurants have to offer, especially when it comes to character dining and immersive dining experiences. That said, because seating is more limited, snagging a dining reservation can be darn near impossible right now, especially when it comes to the more popular options.
The solution? Opting for quick service meals instead. Great quick service spots can be found in the theme park locations as well as the resorts, and choosing these spots means you won’t have to stress out about making reservations the second your 60-day window opens up. It also means you won’t be stuck with a schedule that you’ve planned well in advance, so you can go with the flow.
Related: 5 Best Resorts for Kids at Walt Disney World
Explore the Resorts
Another benefit of choosing quick service restaurants in the Disney resorts? It’s a great excuse to explore the many different hotels on Disney property.
There are currently 25 Disney World resort hotels, and each one has its own theme and personality. This means there are 25 wonderful places for you to wander and marvel over, all while enjoying some delicious food from a quick service restaurant at that resort. That sounds pretty fantastic to us!
Related: 5 Best Resorts for Adults at Walt Disney World
Go on a Snacking Tour
When you dine at a sit-down restaurant, you’re expected to enjoy an entire meal. In fact, in many Disney dining locations, you will be charged a flat price regardless of how much you actually eat. Unfortunately, this is bound to leave you feeling quite full at the end of your meal, which means trying several places is out of the question.
That said, if you choose to eat quick service instead, you can pick and choose what you order. Want to check out five different resorts? Pick up a small snack or drink at each one so you can try multiple quick service restaurants while you’re at it.
We find snacking tours are especially fun when done at Skyliner Resorts or on the Monorail Loop, because finding transportation from one resort to the next is so easy.
Related: Classic Disney World Snacks You Have to Try
Try Different Foods
As mentioned before, the Disney parks have several great quick service restaurants. Nevertheless, the options there are limited, and if you’ve eaten a lot of quick service in the parks in the past, you might be looking to change things up a bit. Enter the Disney resort hotel quick service locations.
The quick service restaurants in the Disney resorts offer a wide variety of food, going far beyond the typical chicken strips, burgers, mac and cheese, and fries you might expect. In fact, some spots even offer exclusive items that can’t be found anywhere else. This means that by planning some resort quick service meals, you’ll be giving yourself an opportunity to try new foods.
This is an especially great benefit if you have an adventurous palate or you’re just plain tired of what the park eateries have to offer.
Inexpensive Fun
We’re always looking for ways to stretch our Disney vacations. Unfortunately, adding more park days isn’t always something our budget can handle. That said, resort hopping is completely free. Not only that, it’s also entertaining and chock-full of Disney magic.
Obviously, adding the cost of a table service restaurant to your resort-hopping experience quickly takes it from an inexpensive pastime to another pricey vacation day (albeit, still cheaper than another park day in most cases). However, the cost of some snacks-or even a meal-from a counter service restaurant is not nearly as high, meaning you can enjoy food with your resort adventures without breaking the bank.
Related: Our Top Tips for Saving Money on Dining in Disney World
Finding The Best Resort Quick Service Restaurants
Of course, not every Disney resort quick service restaurant is created equal. In fact, there are some that we wouldn’t recommend at all. Therefore, we think it is important to do your research before you head out on your snacking adventures.
Look at menus on the Disney World website, keeping an eye out for places that offer different and/or interesting foods. Find out about fan-favorite resort quick service food, such as the Mickey Beignets at Port Orleans Riverside or the Tonga Toast at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Seek out eateries that sound good to you, and then make a list.
Looking for suggestions? This post has a bunch.
Clearly, there are some great reasons to leave the Disney park one day and dine at Disney resort quick service restaurants. Whether you’re headed to Disney World for the first time or an avid Disney fan going on your 30th Disney World vacation, we recommend adding a couple of resort quick service locations to your Disney experience so you can see these benefits for yourself.