Hi Barbara! Welcome to planDisney, I am so glad you found us to ask your dining plan question.
So many guests like yourself are missing the Disney Dining Plan, which has been unavailable for quite a while. With some dining locations still closed, and limited character dining, I can understand why Disney has been hesitant to bring it back.
While there is no official date of when it might be returning, rest assured that should the dining plan return before your trip, you can absolutely add it onto your package. You will do this by calling in, the list of phone numbers can be found
here. You can see the most up to date information on the Dining: Know Before You Go page online.
One great thing about food at Walt Disney World currently is the ability to mobile order. I absolutely love this feature on the
MyDisneyExperience mobile app. I can order my favorite snack, the Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom, while in line for an attraction, like Pirates of the Caribbean. This delightful treat is only available until 11:00am currently, so be sure to plan accordingly. Fresh berries, bananas, Nutella, and waffle…you can’t go wrong! Plus, it’s large enough to share.
If the ease of having your meals paid for before your trip is what you’re aiming for, you might consider purchasing
Disney Gift Cards in the amount of what your dining plan might have cost. I have done this in the past, and then used those gift cards for all our snacks, drinks, and meals, and actually had money left on the gift cards at the end of the vacation.
I hope this helps with planning your next visit to The Most Magical Place on Earth!
Happy Planning (& eating),
Tracy