Many things have changed about Disney World over the past couple of years!
We have a whole new paid system that has replaced FastPass+ called Genie+, there are new Annual Passes (but, sales for most passes currently on hold), character meet and greets have been adapted but are returning to normal this year, and a new ride is opening soon in EPCOT. One thing that’s changed a lot of people’s vacations drastically is the Disney Dining Plan no longer being available. Disney has said it will come back, so let’s break down if the Dining Plan will return in 2022.
The Disney Dining Plan is a pre-purchased plan that can be added to a Disney Vacation Package. You have to be staying at a Disney-owned-and-operated hotel and have tickets to the parks in order to qualify for the plan.
The Dining Plans offer a set number of counter-service and table-service restaurant meals, as well as snacks. This way, you can pay for your food ahead of your trip. You simply will have your dining plan points deducted instead of paying at the restaurant you’re visiting. There are different types of Disney Dining Plans to fit your group’s needs.
Many guests love the ease of the Dining Plan because they don’t have to think about paying for every single meal when they are at the parks — everything is already paid for! But, others can feel restricted by the Dining Plan when it comes to where they’re allowed to eat or if they can even get their money’s worth from the plan. It can be a lot of food in one day!
Disney World suspended the Dining Plan in March of 2020 when the parks shut down due to the global pandemic. When they reopened in July of 2020, the Dining Plan did not return with them. It has been suspended ever since!
Disney did say back in 2021 that the Dining Plan WOULD be returning, but they did not give a return date or a timeline, saying “While we’re not quite ready to share an update on timing, we are planning to bring this guest-favorite option back at a later date.” And, we haven’t heard anything since! So, what’s the deal? It obviously didn’t come back in 2021, so will we see it in 2022?
It seems like it would return this year, since Disney DID announce last summer that it would be coming back. We’re not sure why they would confirm the Dining Plan’s return and then wait multiple years for it to actually be available again!
And we recently had a reader reach out about a BIG hint that Dining Plans could be returning soon. They said that they had modified some reservations for their upcoming vacation when they noticed that the price for their trip had gone way up. When they investigated further, they realized that they had accidentally been booked on the Deluxe Dining Plan! Once they told Disney about the price jump, it was quickly corrected, and the Dining Plan was erased from their reservation. That mistake could mean that Disney is getting ready to reintroduce the Dining Plan soon.
When it does come back, there are some things you may have forgotten about. For example, at the end of February 2020, Disney announced a new dining plan option for guests: the Disney Dining Plan Plus. This option is easy to forget about as it was announced almost right before the closures!
So, when Disney put the plan on pause, the plans available were the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, Disney Standard Dining Plan, the Disney Dining Plan Plus, and the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan. All of these offered different options in terms of flexibility and which kinds of restaurants you could visit on your trip.
Here’s a look at what the Dining Plan options looked like in 2020 before the closures:
- Disney Quick Service Dining Plan — 2 quick-service meals, 2 snacks per day, per person. $55 per adult each day, $26 per child (ages 3-9) each day.
- Disney Standard Dining Plan — 1 quick-service meal, 1 table-service meal, 2 snacks per day, per person. $78 per adult each day, $38.50 per child each day.
- Disney Dining Plan PLUS — 2 meals (any combination of quick- or table-service), 2 snacks or non-alcoholic drinks per day, per person. $95 per adult each day, $35 per child each day.
- Disney Deluxe Dining Plan — 3 meals (any combination of quick- or table-service), 2 snacks or non-alcoholic drinks per day, per person. $119 per adult each day, $47.50 per child each day.
- All of the dining plans also came with a refillable resort mug for soda or hot drinks at the resort where guests were staying.
But, we do not know if this is how the Dining Plan will return when it comes back! It could look completely different, like how Disney World decided to completely change the Annual Pass system when sales resumed last year. Keep in mind that the Annual Passholder Program returned at a higher price, so it would not be surprising to see the Disney Dining Plan follow suit. But again, we still don’t know any details about its return.
While we’re hoping for a 2022 return of the Dining Plan, it remains a mystery! But, we’ll be on the lookout for more news and updates about its return, so stay tuned to DFB to stay in the loop.
Click here to learn more about the Disney Dining Plan
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Do you miss the dining plan in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
I know from going to Disney World for years that $78.00 each day for adults in the standard plan does not buy squat. Meals at Disney for a sit down meal (three course) will set you back $100.00 or more. One meal. This is reality.
I thought DDP was returning in Oct. did it not? How did I miss that?
Chris, Disney said DDP will return, but they’ve yet to specify a timeframe. We’ll report as soon as they do!
We really loved the dining plan… it was great not to have to worry how much our meals were costing and if we had enough. We are booked again to go in June but with all the changes in the genie plus and no ddp or proper character meet and greets we are considering cancelling The new ceo seems to be all about money!!! What has happened to fairy dust magic etc
Fingers crossed by mid April covid numbers are down and the DDP is back!
My family and I are planning a trip in February of 2023. I am really hoping the DDP will come back well before then. I know there are arguments on both sides of the DDP, but with budgeting out $$ for this year, I would rather pay ahead of time and know there will be meals available when I get there.
I know that AJ preaches on making sure you get the most out of your DDP, but since we are planning on going for the quick service version, I don’t think we will be out too much if all our meals are not of the $14.95 variety.
We have been coming to Disney for 12 year . But didn’t come in 2021… Each time we got the dinning plan which is great for our family . Without it we couldn’t come… We stay at Disney resort and we come for 5 days so that dining plan is great.. a family of 4.. Hope that the dinning plan come back would like to come to Disney this summer.
I was visiting WDW in January of 2022 and spoke to a couple of cast members about the return of the DDP. I was told it will be returning in about 3 to 5 years. So specifics were not given.
Love the dining plan, we have a trip planned for Sept. 2022.
Fingers cross it returns by then.
Easy knowing our food is taken care of.
Loved the DDP ! We did the standard plan and the deluxe plan. The standard plan was great and we added up what we bought plus the sofa cup it was worth it. The deluxe plan was too much food lol. I just hope they bring back Tables in Wonderland.
It seems to me The New Disney CEO is all about money. All the changes being made are hurting the Disney consumer. The Disney Magic is slowly disappearing.
I can honestly say, I wish I never booked my Upcoming trip in April. I would cancel but I dont want to upset my 9 year old niece .
I agree, the CEO only cares about the bottom dollar. He is making it harder for families to enjoy the Disney magic. I went in January of 2022 and this is the first time I did not feel the magic. He has raised prices and given lees for your dollar. Plus the joy of being in the most magical place on earth is gone. The magic express bus experience made you feel the magic and took all the stress away from your flight. Now that’s gone.
What a let done. It’s like gone to any other theme park now. No more magic. This CEO has no heart!
I don’t like suspense
I’m with Anthony, I’m starting to wish I didn’t book, but I can’t cancel so here we are….I would like to know why if you stay at swan and dolphin or one of the other “off but not off property you get the Quick service DDP card, but those of us staying in deluxe resorts only get over charged. I have coming to Disney for 30 plus years and there was always some sort of offer, discount etc – now NOTHING and this trip for my family of 4 has almost tripled from 2019. it’s sad. Like I said I would cancel, but our entire family is going to celebrate our youngest member BEATING cancer.
My daughter is planning a family vacation in August 2022 for 15 people. Reservations are made,flights booked.Some of us are coming for a week,others for almost two
She has been many times before and taken advantage of the dining plan.Please tell us it will be back soon.
We have family members new to Disney and I fear the extra food cost will prohibit them from ever considering a return trip.
Thank you for your attention.
To those worried about DDP return Consider this: We went in August last year (2021) and budgeted $2000 for food. We are a family of 3 so take that in to account, but… we came in under budget!! Granted we didn’t all get an appetizer for everyone at the table at every meal, but, we ate everything and as much as we wanted at every meal. Now I’m not wanting to debate whether DDP is worth it or not because we will still add it on our future trips, but compared to the deluxe dining we normally get we ate at all the signature restaurants we normally do and had all our normal snacks and still saved paying out of pocket and that was with tips included. So that said based on our experience you 100% can make it work, and still have a foodie vacation without DDP!! Hope this helps anyone on the fence. Our total cost for accuracy was $1896.45 and deluxe dining for 8 nights would have been $2145 for two adults (child is under 3).
One thing is for certain. If, it does return, one can be assured that the price will be astronomical, and food portions will be minuscule. After all, we have to watch our waistline.
Waiting for Dining plan to come back. Cause we Love expensive places like LeCellier, Jiko, Teppan Edo, Place in top of Contemporary, Narrcoosses etc.
We love using Snacks at Festivals.
Also the fact everyone gets a Refillable mug is Nice
A poster shared on the tips group that they were booking in 2023 and the dining plan option appeared while making reservations, they didn’t click on it because they were just pricing a trip but the fact it came up at all is promising
I have been going to Disneyworld for 35 years and going again in May 2022 with my grandchildren. I would love to have the dining plan so I would have one less thing to worry about. I have to agree I think the Magical Feeling is slipping away with all the changes.
Very disappointed the Disney Dining isn’t back, hope it’s back by end of May.
Hoping for a Miracle return for END OF SEPTEMBER.
I don’t want to Push back our trip AGAIN!!!
I sure hope the dining plan comes back soon. I was just there recently and really missed not having the dining plan.
It’s October now. Any new news? This is crucial to my 2023 trip
Just to let you all know, when I was at WDW in January 21, I talked to a few of the people who work in the Disney parks and they said it would be another 5 years before we see the dining plan come back.
Let’s hope they are wrong.