Hello there, Patricia. Thanks for stopping by with your question.
Here at
planDisney, we are a group of people who love sharing our knowledge about planning awesome Disney vacations. With that being said, we are Guests just like yourself and aren't privy to that type of behind-the-scenes information. At this time, all that we know is that the
Disney Dining Plan will be coming back to Walt Disney World, but we haven't heard of a release date just yet. When that information does come, we can find all of the details over on the
Disney Parks Blog so be sure to keep an eye out over there. I do think we will see it return sometime next year and since you have almost a full year until your vacation, I think you have a good chance that it will be back. If you go ahead and book a Walt Disney World vacation package and the Disney Dining Plan is released, you will be able to add it on to your existing reservation at that time - so no worries there!
Until the Disney Dining Plan returns, Patricia, I've been suggesting to folks to stock up on
Disney Gift Cards. Using Disney Gift Cards for food and beverages at Walt Disney World is similar to the Disney Dining Plan because it is paid for ahead of time and has to be used for something while you are there. I like to pick up Disney Gift Cards when I am grocery shopping. It doesn't add a lot to my bill but I am always so surprised at how quickly they can add up. If the Disney Dining Plan is released in time for your vacation, you can always use the Disney Gift Cards that you purchased to pay off the balance of your Disney vacation instead. It's kind of a win-win!
I'm sorry I don't have more information about the Disney Dining Plan at this time. If you have more questions while you plan your Walt Disney World vacation, please feel free to stop back by and
ask me. I'm here to help. Have fun and happy planning!