Hello there, Faye. Thanks for visiting us here at planDisney with your question.
My family and I have very much enjoyed the
Disney Dining Plan over the years. It was nice to be able to have every piece of a vacation paid for ahead of time and how fun was it to order the most expensive thing on the menu and not even give it a second thought! At this time Faye, there has been no announcement made as to when the Disney Dining Plan might return to Walt Disney World. The Disney Parks Blog does a great job of keeping Guests like you and me informed about things coming and going at Walt Disney World so when the Disney Dining Plan does eventually make its way back to us, we will be able to find all of the details over there.
While it is not exactly the same, you could always put a little money aside each week between now and your vacation on
Disney Gift Cards to help pay for food and drinks during your trip. It's a similar concept to the Disney Dining Plan because you can have all of the money set aside for your vacation ahead of time. Disney Gift Cards are pretty much accepted at all dining locations throughout Walt Disney World. Disney gift cards can hold up to a maximum of $1000 and you can combine multiple cards to keep it easy to manage. I like to ask for Disney Gift Cards for occasions like birthdays or holidays and then save them for an upcoming trip.
Faye, during your Walt Disney World vacation, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will be in full swing. I hope you've planned a day to snack your way around the park and enjoy all the festival has to offer. In years past, if you were using the Disney Dining Plan you were able to use snack credits on pretty much all of the offerings at the
Global Marketplaces (food booths) throughout the festival. This year, if the Disney Dining Plan has not returned by then, you'll be able to use Disney Gift Cards, cash, debit or credit cards to purchase food and drinks at these locations.
I'm sorry I don't have more information for you regarding the Disney Dining Plan. I have my fingers crossed for you and me both that it returns sooner rather than later. If you have any other questions before your vacation, please feel free to come back and ask me.
I'm here to help.
Have fun!