Hi Christine! Welcome to planDisney, I am so glad you found us to ask your vacation planning question.
The Disney Dining Plan is currently unavailable, much to the dismay of many guests like yourself. With some dining locations still closed, and limited character dining, I can understand why Disney is 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 also see the most up to date information on the Dining: Know Before You Go page online.
Should it not return before your trip, one of my best tips is to purchase Disney Gift Cards in the amount of what your dining plan would cost. You can
combine the cards online, onto 1-2 cards ($1000 is the maximum per card). Then, use those cards for EVERYTHING that your family eats or drinks. You might be pleasantly surprised; I know I was when I did this little experiment with my family back in 2014. We came home with money left on a Disney Gift Card.
When making your dining reservations at 60 days before your trip (that’s December for you), I highly recommend
Olivia's Café at Disney’s Old Key West Resort for ANY meal of the day! I have never been disappointed with my food here. Another of my best meals ever at Walt Disney World was at Narcoosee’s, located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We had a table with a view of Cinderella Castle, and an amazing meal.
One of my favorite snacks is the Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom. 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.
Please come back to planDisney with more questions that come up while you are planning your trip to the most magical place on Earth!
Happy Planning (& eating),
Tracy