Hi Cathy,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you for your question!
You’re correct, the
Disney Dining Plan is currently unavailable across the Walt Disney World Resort. I love your idea about using a
Disney Gift Card! They can be used across the Resort at Quick-Service and Table Service restaurants (I’ve done both recently). Keep in mind that you may want to give them a physical gift card, that way they can easily swipe or give the card to a Cast Member in a restaurant. If you choose to do the gift card by email, Hakuna Matata, the Cast Members will just need to scan the barcode when purchasing. This is super easy, just tell your son and his girlfriend to flag the email with that information.
With the gift card, they will also be able to mobile order through the
My Disney Experience mobile app. Mobile ordering is super helpful when you might not want to stand in line for food or you’re hoping for the food to be prepared while you’re doing something else. You’ll want to let them know that once they select their food, at the payment screen, they’ll just select the “Disney Gift Card” option and enter the ID code from their barcode or card. Of course, if they don’t want to mobile order, they should have the flexibility to go up to a Cast Member and order as well.
Your son and his girlfriend are choosing the perfect time to head to the Walt Disney World Resort because they’ll be there during the
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. If they plan to venture to a lot of the food booths, they can use the Disney Gift Card or they can purchase a wristlet gift card within the Theme Park!
I hope this “Bit By Bryanna” is helpful to both you and your family. If you all have any other vacation or planning questions over the next few months,
please feel free to reach out, I’m always happy to help!
The Magic Is Calling,
Bryanna