Disney World has reopened, and we’re slowly seeing suspended offerings return.
Mickey and Pluto!
Prior to the reopening of the theme parks and resort hotels, Disney unexpectedly canceled all Advance Dining Reservations and suspended the Disney Dining Plan. Though dining reservations have returned (with a window of 60 days rather than 180 days out to book), the Disney Dining Plan is still unavailable. When could the Disney Dining Plan come back to Disney World? Here’s what we know.
The Disney Dining Plan is an offering in Disney World that allows guests to pre-pay for a select number of meals and snacks for their their vacation. The plans are available to those booking a Vacation Package at a Disney World hotel. All guests in the same room must be on the same Dining Plan. Each of the Dining Plans grants each guest a specified number of snack credits and fast food and/or sit down meal credits per day along with a refillable mug for each guest. This means guests who opt to get the Dining Plan can pre-pay for most of their food costs before their trip (except for gratuity at table-service spots).
Want to know more about the Disney Dining Plan? Check out our FAQ!
When was the Disney Dining Plan suspended?
On May 28th, in the midst of the park closures, we got the surprising news that Disney was canceling all Advance Dining Reservations and the Disney Dining Plan for the foreseeable future. As we mentioned, the ability to book dining reservations has since resumed, but the Disney Dining Plan has not.
California Grill
As far as we know, this was due to unknown restaurant availability and limited capacity upon reopening. Disney wasn’t sure if they’d be able to accommodate the amount of plans that had been sold. Even if more restaurants had been open, the capacities would have seriously limited the number of guests who would be able to dine. With restricted options, those who had pre-purchased the Dining Plan may not have felt that it was worth the money they had paid for it if they had limited options available to them.Â
Bread Service at Sanaa!
In lieu of the canceled plans, eligible guests were refunded or given a significant discount on their vacation packages to make up for the cancellation. Otherwise, new sales of the Disney Dining Plan were halted and we haven’t seen them return.
Click here to read about the cancellation of the Disney Dining Plan.
Is the Disney Dining Plan being sold with 2021 and 2022 vacation packages?
The Disney Dining Plan and dining reservations weren’t the only major suspension at the time either. During the closures, Disney underwent a series of systemic cancellations including hotel booking, the sale of new park tickets, and the Park Hopper ticket add-on. Disney began selling new park tickets in the summer of 2020 (without the Park Hopper option) and in 2021, they brought back the Park Hopper and Park Hopper Plus option.
If Disney was confident enough about the return of Park Hopping to begin selling the Park Hopper AND the Park Hopper Plus add-on again, could we see something similar for the Disney Dining Plan?
Beaches & Cream Milkshakes
As it turns out, no. The Disney Dining Plan is not currently available at all — and that includes both 2021 and 2022 bookings. It’s possible that Disney is waiting to confirm when availability will reopen for all of their restaurants, or waiting until limited capacity is no longer a game-changer for dining. When the Dining Plan IS brought back, those who have upcoming reservations might be able to modify their package to add it on if they choose.
Click here to learn more about 2022 ticket sales.
What needs to happen for the Disney Dining Plan to return?
For one, Disney will need to reopen enough restaurants and capacity will need to increase enough that the value of the plans is worthwhile for guests. Most likely, we’d need to see restaurants operating at more than 50% capacity.
Topolino’s Terrace Dining Room
Beyond that, Disney will need to feel assured that they can deliver on the Dining Plans that they’re selling. This means that they’ll need to be able to make reliable projections about vacation package sales and hotel capacity. If they need to rollback capacities or adjust measures, these plans could lose their value. Disney most likely won’t risk this until the health situation stabilizes.
Le Cellier Steak
They also may need to adjust the way the Dining Plans are sold to account for the lower capacities in restaurants. This could come in the form of modifications to the actual plans, fewer plans being sold, and even price changes.
Click here to learn more about the open restaurants in Disney World!
Here’s an interesting note and hope for the future!
As of now, the Disney Dining Plan suspension is indefinite. Disney’s language so far hasn’t given us much of a clue as to when or if the Dining Plan options will return, but we have noticed some signs that it will.
For instance, many of the EPCOT Festival Booth menus still have Disney Dining Plan logos. We originally noticed them during the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival last fall and we’ve since seen them on menus at the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, and the Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.
2020 Taste of International Food & Wine Festival, Germany Menu
AND, even booths that are brand new to the festivals this year have featured the Disney Dining Plan logos. This may mean that Disney is hopeful that the Dining Plan has a chance of coming back at some point this year.
The brand new booth, Farmers Feast Menu #2 for 2021
Plus, many standard menus still have notes about what qualifies as a Dining Plan snack as well.Â
We’ll be waiting to hear about plans for the future of the Disney Dining Plan and we’ll be sure to update you as soon as we know anything! Stay tuned.
Click here for EVERYTHING you need to know about the Disney Dining Plan!
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I booked DDP back in june 2019 but it is still on my booking.
Yes, anything you booked previously will remain until you cancel it. I had to call to get the dining plan and hoppers removed from my package. Now, it looks like I’m going to need to call to change hotels (booked at Art of animation in October and they won’t be opened until November).
Can you mobile order from a quick service restaurant in a resort that you’re not staying in? Or do you have to have a table service reservation to get into the resort. Trying to plan our dining for our October trip.
Tiffany, officially you need a Table Service ADR or a Resort reservation to go to a Resort. I’ll add that we have not seen any impediment to using Disney transportation to go to a Resort that is not your own.
I really wish the Dining Plan would return!!!!!
Please bring back the DDP and pick up luggage and boarding passes at the hotel with luggage delivery to your flight. I understand you need more capacity but this is very helpful
When you have a family
Or elderly family member that is not strong enough to carry their luggage through the airport. When you have someone that has disabilities also.
Please bring back the Disney Dining Pkg!! and open up the restaurants maybe that will help with the attendance in the parks
We miss the Disney World free Dining Plan. Please reinstate. Thank You
Please bring back DDP before Feb.2021 and the luggage service also. These are things we count on to make our trips worth while. It makes for a stress free vacay.
please bring back the disney dining plan or free dining plan as part of vacation package. I like pre paying for my meals so it’s one less thing I have to worry about on my vacation. I think it would be a big mistake for disney to not bring back the dining plan. it’s one of the many extras that disney has to offer.
I already booked my trip for 2021 and if they don’t bring back the disney dining plan, fast passes or park hopper options, I will cancel my trip. it’s not worth going without all those extras. it will also be a mistake on disney’s part because they will lose a lot of money without it.
I also have a dining plan and park hopper tickets. And if you cant even resort hop I’m thinking this may be the final straw. We always go December 20-30. If we cant enjoy Christmas and my birthday then I will be calling in the morning to cancel. This is terrible, but I’m not spending that kind of money and not enjoy the trip.
Maine aint dat a blip!
When you have 4 adults that eat like horses and drink more liquids than a hippo and all the food is overly priced it ends up costing almost as much as a 5-6 day disneyworld trip just to eat! We have been going every year since 2012 and always had the meal plan. We were planning on going in 2021 (Disney canceled our 2020 trip due to the shutdown) but after adding up 2019’s foods, snacks and drink receipts for 4 adults at around $150 a day per person it would cost almost as much as a 6 day vacation! We are booked for 2021 but that is because we are hoping disney brings back the meal plan before we get there otherwise we will have to cancel.
I’m really hoping the DDP returns for December 2021.
I sadly had to cancel my trip in 2020 because of international border restrictions and it will be the first time in about 10 years I have not gone to Disney in December. But if the DDP will not return then I may as well stay off site at a cheaper hotel and take a Lyft or Uber to the resort when I decide to return. For me the DDP made sense with a family (of now “adults”) of 4 as we really took advantage of the snacks at the park and meals at other resorts in the area. We made sure the park we went to for the day was either the park where we would eat dinner or close to the Resort where we would eat dinner.
Really hope the quick serve dining option returns in June 2021
I hope they bring back the diner plan otherwise we are not going. Are they still picking up at airport and taking to hotel or do we have to find are own way to get from airport to resort?
Beth, Disney’s Magical Express is available until January 1, 2022, so you can still use that service from and to the airport. You will have to collect your own bags in baggage claim, though.
Also an FYI. If you had a Tables in Wonderland card that covered part of the time the parks and restaurants were closed, your end date was extended by 4 months! I wish I would have known that before I left home.
The food & service are far better without the dining plan. As it was before the finish plan.
We’re going in November. Taking our kids and grandkids. Really hope th DDp will be back No plan is like paying for two vacations
Any news on Dining Plan returning with 50th Anniversary Celebration?
Jasmine, no word on this.
We love the DDP! In fact, we are waiting for it to be reinstated so we CAN book our next visit! It’s so much more enjoyable to pay for the food (minus tips) in advance when taking teenagers and trying new restaurants.