Welcome to planDisney, Nickie. I am so glad you found us here at planDisney to ask your dining question. Disney Dining is one of my favorite topics, and you have asked a very popular question.
While answering questions here at planDisney, I have seen a lot of guests who love the ease of using the Disney Dining Plan on their vacations. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that anyone knows when to expect to see the Disney Dining Plan return. A great resource for information on Walt Disney World happenings is the
Disney Parks Blog. You can be sure that they will definitely let us all know as soon as the Disney Dining Plan is making its return.
Should the dining plan return before your July vacation to The Most Magical Place on Earth, you can add it onto your package online up to 30 days before you arrive or by calling if you have already paid in full. If the dining plan doesn’t return, you can try one of my favorite Disney vacation tips; purchase Disney Gift Cards in the amount of what the dining plan would cost. I typically purchase my Disney Gift Cards at a store where I get a slight discount. Then, combine the cards into $1000 values online at the
Disney Gift Card website. You can bring these gift cards along on your vacation to pay for all your food (and more!). You can even use a Disney Gift Card on the MyDisneyExperience mobile app to pay for quick service mobile orders.
In the past, when we used our Disney Gift Cards to pay for our food, my family has found that we ate better (like more signature restaurants, more full-service meals than would be included in the plan, and less desserts) and used less money than what the Disney Dining Plan would have cost us. Disney Gift Cards can be used at most snack carts, restaurants across WDW, and in shops. I love the flexibility that this provides us. It’s nice to be able to go to a restaurant and get exactly what I want (often an appetizer or two as my meal) and not feel the pressure of having to order something I don’t really want.
You can also begin making your dining reservations for your July vacation 60 days before your arrival. That would be in May for your family. Some of my favorite places that are often overlooked are
Boma – Flavors of Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for their incredible breakfast buffet (I was so happy to see this back open on my November trip) and
Olivia’s Café at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. I find that it is often easier to get a reservation at a resort restaurant, and the food never disappoints.
I hope this helps with planning for your summer visit to Walt Disney World.
Happy Traveling (& eating),
Tracy