It's great to see you here today at the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Amy!
I'm so happy to hear that you'll be using the
Disney Dining Plan on your upcoming vacation. My family and I use it all the time when we travel to Walt Disney World Resort because we love that it saves us money but still allows us to eat pretty much whatever we want! I know that everyone spends a lot of time thinking about the attractions they want to enjoy and the
Disney Characters they want to meet, but you can pretty much always find me dreaming about the food I'm going to eat on my next holiday.
I think that using your Dining Plan credits on the day you arrive is a great idea! The best way to do this is to use
Online Resort Check-In through
My Disney Experience. When you check-in online up to 60 days before you arrive, your Dining Plan credits will be ready to go in your account and you can use your
MagicBand to access them as soon as you get there. When you arrive at your
Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, you won't even have to visit the
Front Desk to check in, you can just leave any extra bags you're carrying with Bell Services and head straight to
Magic Kingdom Park! You'll get a text when your room is ready, and the room number will show up in your My Disney Experience app. If you used
Disney's Magical Express as transportation from the airport, your bags will even show up to your room like magic too.
I hope this answers your question, Amy, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation!
Jessica