Hey there, Jamie! Welcome to planDisney. I am always excited to talk about Disney Dining – it is one of my favorite things!
Your question is a popular one. So many guests love the ease of using the
Disney Dining Plan on their vacations. Unfortunately, we currently just don’t know when to expect to see the Disney Dining Plan return. A great place to keep an eye on all things Walt Disney World is the
Disney Parks Blog. You can be sure that they will let us all know as soon as the Dining Plan is coming.
I agree that it is nice to have your meals paid for when you arrive for your visit. Should the dining plan return before your April vacation to The Most Magical Place on Earth, know that you can easily add it onto your vacation package online before your final payment date or by calling in once that date has passed.
Until then, you can try one of my favorite Disney vacation hacks; purchase Disney Gift Cards in the amount of the dining plan. I typically purchase my Disney Gift Cards at a store where I get a slight discount. Then, combine the cards into $1000 values online at the
Disney Gift Card website. You can bring these gift cards along on your vacation to pay for all your food (and more!). You can even use a Disney Gift Card on the MyDisneyExperience mobile app to pay for quick service mobile orders. This is new(ish) and I could not love it more!
In the past, when we used our Disney Gift Cards, my family has found that we ate better (like more signature restaurants, more full-service meals than would be included in the plan, and less desserts) and used less money than what the Disney Dining Plan would have cost us. Disney Gift Cards can be used at most snack carts, restaurants across WDW, and in shops. I love the flexibility that this provides us. I am not a big eater, and it’s nice to be able to go to a restaurant and get exactly what I want (often an appetizer as my meal) and not feel the pressure of having to order something I don’t really want.
I hope this helps a little with planning for your April vacation to Walt Disney World. Please come back to planDisney with other questions that you might have as your trip gets closer.
Happy Traveling (& eating),
Tracy