Hi, Jennifer!
Thanks for sending Disney Parks Moms Panel another question about a trip to
Walt Disney World!
Planning the use of your
Disney Dining Plan entitlements is smart, and checking to see which locations need Advanced Dining Reservations will help your trip run more smoothly, too. If you can make an ADR for
Rainforest Cafe at
Disney Springs Marketplace, do so. While you may be able to get a table without an ADR, some times of year--and times of day--create quite a long line for guests wishing to dine without reservations. Having secured yours will help ease you into your vacation seamlessly. Click the Rainforest Cafe link above to check availability, or call Disney Dining at (407) WDW-DINE. Reservations open up at 180 days prior to dining, and you can cancel without penalty up to 24 hours in advance of your reservation. As such, grab a reservation as soon as you can. You'll be glad that you did.
Next, let's look at your method of payment for your meals while dining in Walt Disney World. Rainforest Cafe accepts Disney Gift Cards as well as other gift cards, so using them to pay your check there is not a problem. Should you be using a Disney Dining Plan at any WDW restaurant, no meals will be deducted from your DDP entitlements unless you tell the Cast Member serving you that you'll be using a Dining Plan.
In short, your Advanced Dining Reservations makes sure that you have a place to dine, and your Dining Plan/Gift Cards can be applied to pay for those meals as you wish.
Send more questions as you think of them; we love to help!
Andrea H