Hi Corey,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am delighted to hear that you are using one of the
Disney Dining Plans!
I am happy to say that you will be able to start using your dining plan entitlements on the day you arrive. We always do online check-in prior to arrival but stop by the front desk once we arrive to make sure all is in order. All of your dining plan entitlements are loaded onto your account on the day you arrive. You may use them in whichever order you choose. If, for example, there are four of us going and we are staying for six nights on the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan, then we will receive 18 meal entitlements per person 3-years old and over on the dining plan for a total of 72 meal entitlements.
Before we go, I always create a chart with all of our plans for the week including dining plans. Next to each dining experience, I indicate the total number of meal entitlements we will use. We typically each use one meal entitlement on the first day we arrive, one on the last day and the rest on the in between days. We also generally do not start using our snack entitlements until the second day of our vacation. It may sound like a lot of meals, but I like to chart out our plans to be sure that we do not exhaust all of our entitlements prior to departure day!
Corey, if you chart out your meal plans and discover that you still have meal entitlements remaining, I suggest reserving a signature meal or two. We love the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan precisely because it allows us enough meal entitlements to enjoy a few of those
signature experiences. Also, remember to make advanced dining reservations. They are a must-do, especially for character meals!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell