Any plan in place for the dining plan to return

[yogilove]

I want to plan a return to Disney with my family and the lack of the dining plan is the only thing hold me back. Is there any word on the dining plan return this year or next?

 

[Her Dotness]

Nothing that anyone's heard as yet.

That there's been no news of its return is partially why we're not going back until May next year.

 

[yogilove]

Nothing that anyone's heard as yet.

That there's been no news of its return is partially why we're not going back until May next year.

My family and I are looking to go back in April 2023.

 

[FrankAZ]

I keep looking at the web page weekly (and have been for the past year)

Honestly - we'll probably save money without doing the plan anyways! Its just nice to not have to worry about it.

 

[KrzyKtty101]

I've heard conjecture from various Disney blogs maybe by the end of the year but definitely no sooner. Nothing really substantial with that, just conjecture.

I almost found it more annoying to do the dining plan rather than just normal budgeting because unless you're doing only quick service, it was too complicated trying to figure out what I needed to set aside set aside for tipping at all the restaurants since the dining plan no longer covers tips.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

When I was at WDW in Feb, I figured out the cost of my usual dining plan (the cost of our list trip pre-covid), added about 10% and put it on a Disney Gift card. Used the gift card for all food purchases. We ended up with about $140 left on our gift card, which was applied to our next cruise.

 

[Narcoossee11]

My guess would be next year.
With so many factors, mainly rising cost of food and wages, the DDP will need to look totally different.

 

[Straulin]

Apparently the dining plan is a big money maker for Disney. So they will definitely bring it back as soon as practicable.

 

[MillauFr]

Not sure how they could bring it back now. If they did and were charging $159 a day and people couldn't get character dining reservations it would be a mess.

 

[Straulin]

Not sure how they could bring it back now. If they did and were charging $159 a day and people couldn't get character dining reservations it would be a mess.

Yeah they can't now. They will have to wait until they get their staffing and supply chains sorted out. Who knows how long that will take. That is why I was saying as soon as practicable... (i.e. as soon as they can work out all the problems and do it successfully).

 

[DISNEY1975]

For what its worth.....when talking to a CM friend of mine (attraction attendant at AK..nothing big, but huge Disney fan like us!) I mentioned I dont have plans to go back until they bring back the dining plan, his reply was "I wouldnt count on that". At best, I would take that as its not going to be any time soon.

 

[_19disnA]

I don't think anyone except Disney management has any idea if/when and in what format the dining plan(s) may return. I am sure the park employees all have their opinions on things but doubt they are actually in the loop about what is being considered.

Not clear how having (or not having) a dining plan makes any difference on when you decide to go to Disney. Dining plans are mostly a pre-paid meal expense and you maybe break even if you do several character meals and/or eat at the pricier places. It might be convenient to pre-pay for your meals, but doubt that is really any significant savings.

 

[pinkxray]

I really hope the dining plans return soon. I have found when traveling with kids under 10 and doing multiple character meals/buffets,etc it makes sense. Once DD17 hit 10 we took a break since we were now paying adult prices for her to eat chicken nuggets at Ohana. That’s when we started going to places like Via Napoli and Plaza that didn’t have set prices.

We are playing a trip in Nov. with 2 under 10 so I would love to try Toppolinos, Chef Mickey, Artist Point, CRT, Hoop de Doo and maybe some others. Probably won’t do them all without a dining plan. We usually do a split stay so we would do the deluxe dining plan the first few days and no plan a few days. That way we get the cups all trip. it returns soon. I think once they get all of the character meals/breakfast back they will bring it back.

 

[GeekzRus]

We are hoping that it returns by November. I had heard rumors that it was supposed to return in May but we are coming to the later part of May now with no new news on the dining plan. I know this would be a great thing for them to start back up as it is a money maker for them.

 

[WantToGoToWDW]

We used the DDP for many many trips. Now we’ve had two trips without it and I personally like paying for what I want instead of feeling like I had to get my monies worth that I paid for the DSP.

 

[Narcoossee11]

With the details of Packages for 2023 announced with not mention of DDP, looks like it is not coming back any time soon.

 

[SimplySelf]

We were really hoping that the dining plan would be back for our trip this fall, but like others have said, it looks like there are no plans for it anytime soon.

 

[emily nicole]

I was hoping for it to come back too. It may not save me any money, but I loved the all-inclusive feel. Last time I put the "dining plan" money on a few gift cards, but I was constantly worried about losing them since they had a large amount of money on them. And a lot of smaller denomination ones would have been a pain. I guess we will just charge to the room and grin and bear that huge bill at the end. lol...

 

[Ronaldo17]

With the details of Packages for 2023 announced with not mention of DDP, looks like it is not coming back any time soon.

Yup, I agree. Much to my disappointment too.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Apparently the dining plan is a big money maker for Disney. So they will definitely bring it back as soon as practicable.

It is
Which is why I do not understand why so many are clamoring for it to return. I hope they realize that if it makes money for Disney it likely looses money for them