Welcome to planDisney, Patricia! I am so glad you came here to ask your question!
The
Disney Dining Plan is loved by so many people. It is comforting to have so much of your food paid for in advance of your trip. At this time, we haven’t seen an official date for it’s return, but never fear, I have a suggestion for you if you decide to brave a trip without it!
In the past, our family of 4 had traveled to Walt Disney World and purchased the Disney Dining Plan. Then, I really took a look at it and wondered if it truly was the best thing for us and the way we eat. In 2014, I did an experiment. My children (ages 14 & 11 at the time) and I traveled to WDW for a week. I purchased
Disney Gift Cards in the amount of what the Dining Plan would cost us. I combined those gift cards onto 3 cards, since there is a $1000 limit per card.
I clearly labeled these gift cards as FOOD. Since both of my children were considered Disney adults, we had quite a bit of money on those cards to use. Throughout our week, we used the cards for everything we ate or drank. All of our meals, snacks, Dole Whips, and bottles of water were paid with those Disney gift cards. We ate at restaurants such as
Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest, & Chef Mickey's, and did not skimp on food in any way.
Guess what? At the end of the week, I had some money left on those gift cards! So, we used that for some of our souvenirs! While I believe the Disney Dining Plan has value, for MY family, it just isn’t as flexible as we care to eat. Purchasing gift cards in the amount of the plan is a different way to make your own “family dining plan”.
Keep an eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for delicious news about the Dining Plan’s return. I look forward to seeing you back at planDisney with more vacation planning questions.
Happy Snacking,
Tracy