Hi Jennifer! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
You can in fact add on the Dining Plan after you have already booked your
dining reservations. In fact, according to the cast member that I spoke to this evening, you can add on the dining plan up to one day before you arrive. However, if you try to add on the dining plan after that point, you will not be allowed to. (I would encourage you to call a cast member yourself to verify this as it used to be you had up until three days before your trip to add on dining.)
Also according to the wonderful cast member that I spoke to today, if you modify a vacation package (this means dining or any other part of your package) after it has already been booked, you have up until 45 days prior to your arrival to make any changes without penalty. If you modify your reservation at the 45 day mark, you will be charged a fee of $50. Also, the closer it is to your resort arrival (ex: a modification at 14 days prior to arrival would result in a $65 fee) there will be a larger fee charged. Always remember, these prices and timelines are subject to change without notice. Therefore I always recommend calling the
reservation hotline and speaking to a Cast Member yourself for up to date information!
It can be tough to make that decision of if the dining plan is worth it for your family, especially when you have a child that isn’t a big eater or may be picky. Not adding the dining plan on to your reservation right away will give you more time to think about what the best option will be for you and your family!
I hope that I have helped to answer your question. Please feel free to visit us anytime with any additional questions that you may have! We love to help plan wonderful vacations!
~Heather~