The number one question asked by families who begin planning their Walt Disney World Vacation is, without a doubt, “When is the Disney Dining Plan returning?”

Here’s What We Know about the Disney Dining Plan Returning

Disney has confirmed that their popular dining plans will return, at some point. They have not given us any indication of when that might be. At all. Dining plans were not part of the release of 2023 vacation packages when booking for next year opened up in mid-June of 2022.

It’s not just guests who want to know the answer to this question. Travel advisors also want to know when Disney Dining Plans will return. We know that our clients like to have their family’s meals paid for before their vacation. They love all the benefits of a dining plan, and the freedom to explore all kinds of dining experiences at Walt Disney World Resort. They love having a rapid refill mug to use throughout their stay, and snacks. All those snacks.

Some folks have told me that they’re waiting until the dining plan returns before booking their vacation. I would not advise this. Resort choice should always be the first factor in your vacation planning.

You Shouldn’t Wait on the Disney Dining Plan Returning to Book Your Vacation

Disney has used pandemic closures to introduce a lot of new policies. For example, during the last couple of years, we’ve seen a change in early theme park hours, extended theme park hours (formerly known as “Extra Magic Hours”), Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes (replacing the past FastPass+ system), MagicBand+, the implementation of park pass reservations, and more.

While nothing, and I mean, nothing, has been confirmed about dining plans, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to find that when they do return, they look and function differently than they once did. We can certainly expect a price increase, since it will have been more than two years since they were available. We don’t know if they’ll have the same tiers or inclusions. There are a lot of ways that the program can evolve.

In the past, travel advisors were able to add dining plans to existing packages, and we have not been given any indication that this would change going forward.

Availability and Resort Choice are the Most Important Factors in Planning Your Vacation

One thing is for certain…when Disney Dining Plans do return, the floodgates are sure to open. Availability at Walt Disney World Resorts is already tight during some seasons, and all those guests who waiting on the Disney Dining Plan returning to book their vacation will be at the mercy of availability at the resorts and the parks.

Ready to start planning your Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Please reach out and let’s start planning together!