Planning a Walt Disney World vacation involves juggling countless details, from FastPass selections to hotel reservations. For many guests, the Disney Dining Plan represents one of the most valuable tools for budgeting and simplifying their trip.Credit: DisneyRelated: Disney Fans Are Losing It Over This New Starbucks Castle MugThe convenience of pre-paying for meals and knowing exactly what dining options are available creates peace of mind in what can otherwise be an overwhelming planning process. However, when Disney released its 2026 Dining Plan earlier this year, guests noticed something concerning: dozens of popular restaurants had mysteriously vanished from the list of participating venues. These weren’t obscure quick-service locations or rarely visited cafes. Many were beloved dining destinations that families had counted on for years, from international pavilions at EPCOT to bustling eateries at Disney Springs.The absence sparked confusion and frustration across Disney planning communities.Were these restaurants permanently removed? Had contracts fallen through? Would guests need to completely rework their dining strategies? For weeks, the official Disney website offered no explanation, leaving vacationers to speculate about what had happened to their favorite spots.Now, clarity has finally arrived. Disney has restored the vast majority of these missing venues to the 2026 Dining Plan roster, bringing relief to countless guests who were nervously watching their reservation windows approach. The restaurants were apparently missing while Disney worked behind the scenes to finalize agreements with the third-party operators who run many of these establishments. While this resolution answers most questions, one glaring omission remains: Starbucks locations across the resort are still conspicuously absent from the dining plan, creating a puzzling gap in what should now be a comprehensive dining lineup.Dozens of Restaurants Rejoin the Dining PlanCredit: Disney DiningThe restoration affects restaurants across multiple parks and Disney Springs, representing a significant portion of the resort’s dining capacity. At EPCOT alone, six venues have returned to the fold. International favorites like Chefs de France and La Cantina de San Angel are once again available, as are quick-service staples including Katsura Grill, Lotus Blossom Cafe, and Pizza al Taglio. The charming Crêpes À Emporter by La Crêperie de Paris and the popular Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie round out the EPCOT additions, giving guests renewed access to the park’s diverse culinary offerings.Disney Springs saw an even more substantial restoration, with thirteen restaurants rejoining the program. The list spans everything from upscale dining at The BOATHOUSE and Morimoto Asia Street Food to crowd-pleasing casual spots like Chicken Guy!, Earl of Sandwich, and Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza. Fan favorites including The Polite Pig, Splitsville Dining Room, and Cookes of Dublin are back on the roster. More specialized venues like eet by Maneet Chauhan, City Works Eatery & Pour House, The Smokehouse at House of Blues, Pizza Ponte, and the YeSake Kiosk have also returned, restoring Disney Springs’ reputation as a dining plan paradise.Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort benefited from the update as well, with El Mercado de Coronado, Rix Sports Bar & Grill, and Siestas Cantina all accepting dining plan credits again.Several restaurants that technically remained on the dining plan have expanded their participation. The Edison and Terralina Crafted Italian at Disney Springs, along with Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria and Tutto Italia Ristorante at EPCOT, initially accepted the dining plan for only one meal period. All four now welcome guests for both lunch and dinner, providing greater flexibility for trip planning.The Starbucks Mystery DeepensWhile most restaurants have been resolved, the Starbucks situation stands out as particularly confusing. Three Starbucks locations remain off the 2026 Disney Dining Plan: Connections Cafe at EPCOT, Creature Comforts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and The Trolley Car Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. These aren’t minor snack stands tucked away in forgotten corners. They’re prominent locations that serve thousands of caffeine-dependent guests every single day.What makes this absence even more perplexing is the inconsistency. The Main Street Bakery at Magic Kingdom, which is also operated by Starbucks, doesn’t appear on the missing list. Disney Springs hosts additional Starbucks locations that presumably remain available. Why would some Starbucks venues accept dining plan credits while others in different parks do not? The selective exclusion suggests ongoing contract negotiations specific to certain locations rather than a company-wide decision by Starbucks.For guests who rely on their morning coffee to power through rope drop, this creates an annoying wrinkle in their budgeting. Starbucks purchases aren’t cheap, and having to pay out of pocket at three major park locations when you’ve already prepaid for a dining plan feels like an unnecessary expense.Other Notable AbsencesStarbucks isn’t the only holdout. All three Landry’s-operated restaurants at Walt Disney World remain off the dining plan: Rainforest Cafe locations at both EPCOT and Disney Springs, T-Rex at Disney Springs, and Yak & Yeti Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Given that Landry’s operates all these venues, the shared absence points to company-level contract negotiations that apparently haven’t reached resolution.Scat Cat’s Club lounge at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter also remains unavailable, though this represents a much smaller impact given the venue’s limited scope.Understanding the 2026 Dining PlansFor those unfamiliar with how these plans work, Disney offers two main options. The Quick-Service Dining Plan provides two quick-service meals, one snack or non-alcoholic drink, and a resort-refillable mug per person per night of stay. The regular Disney Dining Plan includes one quick-service meal, one table-service meal, one snack or non-alcoholic drink, and a resort-refillable mug per person per night. Both plans apply to everyone in your party aged three and older.Dozens of additional restaurants beyond those mentioned here participate in the dining plan. The complete list lives on the Walt Disney World website, and individual restaurant pages in the My Disney Experience app clearly indicate dining plan acceptance.What This Means for Your TripIf you’ve been holding off on purchasing the 2026 Disney Dining Plan because your must-visit restaurants were missing, now’s the time to reconsider. The restoration of these venues means the dining plan once again provides the comprehensive coverage that made it valuable in the first place.That said, if you’re a serious coffee drinker who hits Starbucks multiple times per day, factor those costs into your calculations. The dining plan’s value proposition changes when you’re spending $6-$8 out of pocket several times daily for drinks you assumed would be covered.If you’re planning a Disney vacation and want to discuss whether the dining plan makes sense for your family, or if you’re wondering how these restaurant changes affect your specific itinerary, reach out. We’ve helped hundreds of families navigate Disney’s dining maze, and we’d love to help you figure out the best strategy for your trip. Sometimes the dining plan is a money-saver, sometimes it’s about convenience, and sometimes paying out of pocket makes more sense. Let’s talk through your plans and find what works best for you.So what do you think: is the Starbucks absence a dealbreaker for you? Drop a comment below and let us know if you’re still buying the 2026 Dining Plan now that most restaurants are back, or if missing those three coffee locations is enough to make you skip it entirely. We want to hear how you’re planning around this mess.The post All Starbucks Missing From Disney World in 2026 appeared first on Inside the Magic.