Hiya Amy,
Welcome back to planDisney! How exciting that you are planning a visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth during the holiday season. I personally love visiting the Theme Parks in November. The weather is always so lovely, and I love going to
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to check out the gingerbread house. I'm always amazed by the engineering and pixie dust that Disney's Cast Members put into the construction. Did you know there are gingerbread displays in other Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotels as well?! Be sure to add locating them all to your upcoming itinerary. One of my favorites from last year was the Giraffe made of Gingerbread at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The Disney Dining Plan is one of the most beloved features of Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, we still haven't heard any details about when the Disney Dining Plan might return. Not too long ago, I was saying this about
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and Fairy Godmother's apprentices will be making magic starting next week, so don't lose hope. I highly suggest following the
Disney Parks Blog online and on
Instagram, as they will release the updates as soon as they have them.
In the meantime, let me share my trick for budgeting for Disney dining. Admittedly, I've never utilized the Disney Dining Plan before because it never really worked for my small family, but we use
Disney Gift Cards. My Prince Charming and I sit down before every vacation and plan what table and quick service locations we would like to try and look up the menus/prices online. Then we estimate how much we will spend on our yummy treats and purchase Disney Gift Cards a little at a time until we have enough for that estimate (some retailers even offer deals on Disney Gift Cards). Like the Disney Dining Plan, you will be "pre-paying" for your meals! You also get the added benefit of using any leftover money for other things throughout the Theme Parks. As someone who loves a good souvenir, it is nice to be able to shift my extra funds towards a new pair of Mickey ears.
I wish I could give you more news on the Disney Dining Plan, but I will keep my EARs open.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.