Hi Tina!
One of my favorite quotes from the movie Ratatouille says "If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff." There are so many wonderful restaurants around Walt Disney World Resort and I'm happy to hear that you'll be enjoying one of the
dining plans on your upcoming visit! Thanks for stopping by with a great question about accessing your meals so you can start eating all of that "good stuff" right away!
There are two dining plan options currently available for guests to add to their vacation package - the
Disney Dining Plan and the
Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan. Regardless of which plan you choose, you'll be provided a certain number of meals and snacks based on the number of nights in your package. Tina, I took some time to chat with a Cast Member today to help answer your question. He shared that you do need to have completed your check-in to begin accessing all of the great benefits of the dining plans.
With that in mind, I'd like to share that check-in can happen in person at your resort or through
Online Check-In via the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. I used this service on my most recent visit to Walt Disney World Resort in November and loved the convenience of skipping the front desk. Once online check-in is completed, you can select to receive a text message notification when your room is ready. To unlock your room, you can you an active
MagicBand or the "unlock door" feature in your My Disney Experience app. This means that you can head straight to the parks and start your vacation right away! If you choose to access online check-in, the Cast Member shared that you should have access to your dining plan benefits starting the morning of your arrival day.
Tina, the My Disney Experience Mobile App also makes managing your dining plan a breeze. With the app, you can easily view how many meals and snacks you have available and how many you have redeemed. In addition, you can redeem meals and snacks through
Mobile Food and Beverage Ordering in the app. I'm all about finding ways to save time by not waiting in line so I can make the most out of my time in the parks!
Before I leave, I'd also like to remind you that if you are using the Disney Dining Plan, don't forget to make advanced dining reservations 60 days before your arrival for your "must-do" Table-Service restaurants!
Tina, I'm wishing you a delicious and magical vacation! Please stop by planDisney to ask me or any of my panelist pals other vacation planning questions you may have in the future!
Cheers,
Kristi