When Will the Disney Dining Plan Return to Disney World?

The Disney Dining Plan is one of the most popular guest offerings when visiting Walt Disney World, but since the parks have reopened it has been unavailable.  When will the Dining Plan return to Disney World?

In this post, we will go over why the dining plan isn’t available at this time and the reasons why Disney stopped offering it.  We’ll talk about if the Dining Plan is coming back at all, and when that is most likely to happen.

We’ll also discuss what changes Disney could make to the Dining Plan if and when it returns such as price increases, if it could be a better value, and overall modifications to the way the plans work.

(Update 3/2/23) – 2023 Walt Disney World vacation packages were released some months ago, and the D23 Expo has come and gone, yet there is still no sign of the Disney Dining Plan. We break down the latest and what it means for guests moving forward.

Over the past almost 3 years, guests have had to endure some big changes in the Disney theme parks.  There have been countless modifications to the experiences and offerings available since reopening including new safety guidelines, reduced entertainment, a park pass reservation system, and many of the most popular restaurants remaining closed for some time.

Thankfully, over the past year or so, we have seen most of the aforementioned safety protocols disappear and the majority of restaurants are open once again which is great news for foodies. 

So that leads us to our next question…When will Dining Plans return to Walt Disney World?

During this whole time since the parks have reopened, asking when the Disney Dining Plan is coming back has been one of the most popular questions on guests’ minds, and for good reason.

It doesn’t matter if you are eating at the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, or one of the Disney resort hotels, dining is one of the absolute highlights of any trip to Walt Disney World and many people want to use the Disney Dining Plan as soon as possible.

So what is taking so long? Let’s find out.

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What is the Disney Dining Plan?

So before we talk about when it might be coming back, let’s start with some of the basics of what exactly the Disney Dining Plan is, and how it normally works.

If you aren’t familiar with the Disney Dining Plan, it is a service that guests staying at any Walt Disney World Resort Hotel can add to their vacation package that allows them to pay ahead for their meals throughout the trip.

Guests pay per person, per night of their stay, and are then given an allotment of dining credits they can spend throughout the vacation on food and drinks. 

Credits are broken down into three categories: sit-down meals, counter service meals, and snacks.  Each category of meal requires you to “spend” a certain number of points in order to order that food.

The biggest reason to use the Dining Plan is that it makes getting food in Walt Disney World much easier than paying out of pocket. You pay for your meals upfront, and then just scan your MagicBand or MagicBand+ every time you want something to eat. 

You can walk around and not have to worry one bit about spending money on food during your trip because it’s already been taken care of.  This gives people peace of mind on an otherwise stressful vacation.

Even though we usually don’t recommend getting the Dining Plan, we are aware, however, that many people love using it for its convenience.  And ever since the Disney World reopening people have been clamoring for the dining plan to return.

Why Isn’t the Dining Plan Available in 2023?

As we mentioned, there have been some significant updates in the theme parks since we last updated this article and we wanted to talk about them and what they mean for the Disney Dining Plan moving forward.

The first big event was in June when the 2023 Disney World vacation packages were released. Originally, we thought this would be a perfect time to release info about the new Disney Dining Plan as it would allow guests to book it right away with their vacation.

Instead, there was no mention of the Dining Plan from Disney at all.

Then in September the biggest Disney event of the year took place, the D23 Expo. At the event, Josh D’Amaro was on stage for 2 hours and he announced a slew of new projects coming to the parks and old favorites coming back. Again, this would have been the perfect time to mention something, anything about the Disney Dining Plan, yet there was nothing.

Right now Disney’s official stance is that “the Disney Dining Plan remains unavailable at this time.” That’s code for “we have no idea what is going on with it so don’t ask us right now and eventually at some point in time when we feel like it, we’ll tell you.”

Obviously, continuing to say for more than 2 years that it’s unavailable at this time is not ideal, and it has led many to wonder if it’s ever coming back. In order to answer that, we need to understand why it’s not around in the first place.

For the first 2 years of the Disney World theme parks reopening phase, there were many services and perks that were not running, or that were eliminated altogether. There also was a limited number of restaurants running which made it impossible to offer the Disney Dining Plan to guests.

Without many of the restaurants available, it wouldn’t have been advantageous for guests to purchase it and they might feel they were getting ripped off.

Fast forward to 2023 and most restaurants in Walt Disney World are back up and running again, so what gives? Right now, it’s not so much the number of restaurants open, but the fact that most of them are still not running at 100%.

On top of everything, Advanced Dining Reservations remain difficult to get at pretty much every Disney World restaurant. We were only able to get about half the restaurants on our list for our upcoming trip for example, whereas in the past we may have just been missing one or two.

Sure things have gotten a lot better since the beginning, but there is still lots of work to be done. Thankfully, Disney has brought back the College Program and the Cultural Representative Program which should continue filling in the holes needed.

Also, Disney implementing technology such as Mobile Order at quick service restaurants has been a big help in alieving some of the strain on the staff and helping them serve guests more quickly.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Coming Back?

So with all the reasons why it’s currently not available, the million-dollar question is will the Disney Dining Plan actually come back?

While we can’t say for certain, and Disney hasn’t talked about it in a while, there are some signs that still point to it eventually making a return to Disney World.

The first thing to do is to look at the wording of the statements Disney has put out. Back in June 2021, Disney gave an update about changes coming to the parks in the upcoming months and one of the things they said is that the Disney Dining Plan is definitely coming back to Walt Disney World.

They didn’t give an exact return date for the Dining Plan or what changes there are going to be, but they did confirm that it IS coming back!

Here is the original statement from Disney:

“Speaking of Disney Resort hotel stays, we know many of you are also wondering when Disney dining plan packages will return. While we’re not quite ready to share an update on timing, we are planning to bring this guest-favorite option back at a later date. We will also continue to reopen more Resort offerings, including restaurants like ‘Ohana (with the noodles!).”

Since then, officials from Disney have always said “the Disney Dining Plan remains unavailable at this time.” Using words like “at this time, and currently, implies a future return. If it was eliminated forever, after almost 3 years Disney would likely have said that by now instead of dragging it out.

Another clue that it hasn’t been permanently eliminated is the fact that most of the new menus during the EPCOT festivals like Food and Wine or Flower and Garden still feature the DDP symbol next to each eligible item.  That confirms that they haven’t forgotten about the DDP and would seem to indicate they plan on using it going forward.

The last, and really the most important reason we think the Disney Dining Plan is still coming back is that it’s an incredibly lucrative source of money for Disney when it’s running.

Some people think that Disney got rid of the Dining Plan to save money and cut costs.  While that has certainly been the case for just about every other aspect regarding the Disney theme parks, that is not the case with the DDP.

It’s actually quite the opposite, the Disney Dining Plan doesn’t cost the company money, it makes them tons of it and it has been a huge revenue source for years.  Even though many guests like the convenience of the DDP, Disney is really the one who benefits the most as it guarantees guests are going to spend a high amount of money on food and drinks during their trip.

Another reason to keep the Dining Plan around is that it keeps guests on-site instead of wandering off to Universal or any of the dozens of attractions in the Orlando area.  And if they decide to go off-site anyway, it’s no problem for Disney, they are collecting your money for dining anyway since you already paid upfront.

Disney also makes a ton of money by getting on-site third-party restaurants to carry the DDP, such as the ones at Disney Springs and in EPCOT.  When a guest uses the Dining Plan at a third-party restaurant, Disney pays that restaurant a flat fee for each credit that is redeemed.

For example, Disney might pay the restaurant $30 per dining credit used, but in reality, the guest is ordering $40 or $45 worth of food.  That money has already been paid to Disney up-front before the vacation, so Disney is making $10-$15 profit on each dining credit spent at a given restaurant. 

That’s pure profit since Disney is not the one paying the restaurant staff or paying for the ingredients to make the food.

With all these reasons for Disney to bring it back, the reason why the Disney Dining Plan isn’t running is likely that they haven’t worked out all the details yet of how it will change or simply, they just don’t need it right now.

Keep in mind that over the last couple of years, business at the Disney parks has been booming. CEO Bob Chapek has been touting the huge increase in revenue, with guests spending up roughly 40% per guest.

With park capacity at Disney World almost back to normal and crowds flocking to the parks, simply put, Disney doesn’t need to offer the Dining Plan at this time. The Dining Plan is a tool that Disney uses to attract guests to stay at the resorts and to spend money on food and beverages.

But since neither of those things are a problem at the moment, Disney can take its time and wait to pull out its Ace card until the time is right. With a recession and economic hardship looking more and more likely over the next couple of years, it might be a good draw to get people to come back to the parks.

Who knows, if things get really slow, they may even bring back popular services like Free Dining which always boosts attendance.

As you can see, it’s a complicated situation and the bottom line is that Disney will bring back the Dining Plan when it feels the time is right. Unfortunately, for fans, that time is not now.

What were the Most Recent Dining Plans Like?

When Disney Dining Plan was suspended in 2020, there were 4 different plan types guests could choose from depending on the specific budgets and appetites of each group.

The most recent Disney Dining Plans included:

• Disney Quick Service Dining Plan
• Disney Standard Dining Plan
• Disney Dining Plan Plus
• Disney Deluxe Dining Plan

Let’s look at them one by one and compare the features and prices:

Quick Service Dining Plan

• Prices:
  • Adult – $55.00
  • Child – $26

• Two Quick Service meals (entrée or combo meal at lunch and dinner and a beverage)
• Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered). Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• Two snacks
• One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package

Standard Disney Dining Plan

• Prices:
  • Adult – $78.01
  • Child – $30.51

• One table service entrée, dessert (lunch and dinner only), OR full buffet
• One quick service meal, including entrée OR combo meal
• Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their Quick Service and Table Service meal (including specialty beverages — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee, or Tea — where offered). Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• Two snacks from a wide variety of options
• One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package

Disney Dining Plan Plus

• Prices:
  • Adult – $94.61
  • Child – $35.01

• Two dining credits per day that can be redeemed for either quick service or table service meals.
• Dining credits can also be used at character meals, buffets, signature dining, private in-room dining, and dinner shows.
• Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered). Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• Two snacks or non-alcoholic drinks per night of stay
• One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package

Deluxe Disney Dining Plan

• Prices:
  • Adult – $119
  • Child – $47.50

• Three table service or quick service meals (table service includes appetizer, entrée, and dessert (lunch and dinner), OR full buffet); quick service includes entrée OR combo meal
• Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their Quick Service and Table Service meal (including specialty beverages — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered). Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• Two snacks from a wide variety of options
• One resort refillable mug per person, per package

Will the Price Increase?

If there is one thing that is sure in this world, it’s that Disney will increase prices on its various offerings on a regular basis, and we fully anticipate the price increasing for the Disney Dining Plan when it eventually comes back.

There are a few reasons we feel strongly about a price increase.  The first reason is by looking at previous DDP price increases. 

Over the years the DDP has had increases on an almost yearly basis, and the last one from 2019 to 2020 saw an increase of almost $3 per guest per day across all plan types.  A similar situation is likely to occur when the Dining Plan returns.

Secondly, the prices have increased for just about everything since the parks reopened.  Annual passes are more expensive than before costing as much as 15% more, plus without some of the previous perks. Regular theme park tickets increase on average every year between $3-5 per day, per guest.

Perhaps most scary of all is the hard-ticketed events such as the Halloween and Christmas parties increasing by almost $100 per person!

On top of all of this, the economy isn’t making things any easier and inflation has risen to the highest levels since the early 1980s.  The price of food has been hit incredibly hard with things like meat, poultry, fish, coffee, and eggs all skyrocketing over the last couple of years.  Of course, when this happens, it means higher prices for the consumer, and in this case theme park visitors.

Higher prices were already happening across the board the last time the Disney Dining Plan was offered, and they’ve reached astronomical numbers now.  Who knows how much more the cost of food will have risen by the time the DDP actually comes back.

It goes without saying then that we are sure to see a price increase for the Disney Dining Plan when it returns.  In fact, over the last few months, we are already seeing Disney raise prices drastically on food and beverages throughout the parks.

Just over the past few months, we’ve seen another big increase on hundreds of food, drinks, and snacks throughout Disney World including Mickey Pretzels, Dole Whip, Churros, Soda, Popcorn, Ice Cream Bars, Alcoholic Drinks, and even Refillable Mugs. 

That’s not all. Almost every item at table service restaurants has also gone up significantly in price in the last few months.

Since all these food and drinks have increased in price on the regular menus, it makes sense for Disney to increase the cost of the Dining Plans.  In order for it to be as profitable for Disney as it has always been, they need to offset the newly increased cost of food with higher prices for the DDP.

How much will the Disney Dining Plan go up in price when it finally returns?  Since normal increases are $2-3 anyway, that is the very minimum of what to expect.  It will be at least 3 years by the time we see the DDP again, and I think that means a bigger increase than usual.

You also have to factor in that inflation has brought dramatic increases in price throughout the country, and the world for that matter, and Disney is going to have to increase the price of the Disney Dining Plan to keep up with menu prices.

I don’t think it’s out of the question for the Dining Plan to cost $4-$5 more per person, per night when it returns. 

Even though Disney hasn’t increased restaurant and food prices for the guests as much as the ingredients themselves have increased, there are enough guests who aren’t really interested in maximizing value for the food they are getting, they just want the convenience and won’t flinch at the increase.

Other Changes

Besides an increase in price, what other changes could we eventually see with the Disney Dining Plan?  Will the system be completely overhauled or just a few modifications?

One reason they are taking so long could be that it’s getting a bigger overhaul than what we previously thought. 

It’s possible Disney will reevaluate which restaurants cost 1-dining credit and which ones cost 2 credits.  Perhaps some of the buffets or character meals that previously were only 1 credit will get bumped up to 2 as with signature dining restaurants to maximize margins.

One thing we would absolutely love to see is on-site resort guests get priority Advanced Dining Reservations.  Especially now since it’s almost impossible to get a reservation to all your favorite restaurants, it would be a huge advantage to be able to book those restaurants before the general public.

Since the reasons for staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel have decreased in recent years, this could be an added incentive to get guests to stay on-site, ultimately increasing profits for the company.

Will it Be a Better Value Than Before?

Will changes to the Disney Dining Plan mean a better value for guests when it comes back?  In our experience, it’s unlikely.

Back in the day, the Disney Dining Plan was a more economical way to pay for food when going to Disney World and each guest would save a significant amount of money. That hasn’t been the case for years and in most cases, it’s almost impossible to save money using the dining plan.

With pretty much everything that Disney has brought back in the last couple of years, 99% of it has been more expensive than before the closure of the parks.  Even free services like FastPass+ have now changed to paid ones with the introduction of the Genie Plus system.

When was the last time Disney did something to actually SAVE guests money?  I’ll keep waiting.

Now more than ever with shareholders demanding higher margins, most of the decisions the company is making are about increasing profits, and not necessarily providing actual value for the consumer.

For example, on a company conference call some months ago, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy was asked what the parks are doing to combat inflation.  Her response revealed everything:

“We can adjust suppliers. We can substitute products. We can cut portion sizes, which is probably good for some people’s waistlines. We can look at pricing where necessary.  We aren’t going to go just straight across and increase prices.”

“We’re going to try to get the algorithm right to cut where we can and not necessarily do things the same way. We’re producing technology to produce some of the operating costs. That allows us to absorb some inflation. We’re trying to use our heads here to come up with a way to kind of mitigate some of the challenges that we have.”

Since those comments, Disney has already raised prices on food in the parks, but even if they don’t raise the cost of the DDP too much, they could make portion sizes smaller overall.  This lowers the cost for Disney, and at the same time, guests aren’t scared away.

We’ve already noticed the shrinking snack sizes for some time and it’s likely we see that trend continue.  However, smaller portion sizes bring worse value.  It means, in the end, you are still paying more for the amount of food you get.

We’ve also seen this trend with all the new prix fixe menus introduced in Disney restaurants of late.  Places like La Crêperie de Paris, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and the California Grill all offer meals for a set price no matter what you order.  Usually, it’s some combination of appetizers, entrees, and desserts for one set price.

This is similar to the DDP and beneficial for Disney in 90% of the cases.  Usually, the price is based on the more expensive items on the menu, and guests only get value if they order those items.  Since the price is the same no matter what you order, if you feel like chicken or a vegetarian option, you aren’t going to get the same bang for your buck as if you were to order the beef.

Hence the reason why guests end up overpaying most of the time and it’s worth it for Disney.

Along the same line, we usually do not recommend getting the Disney Dining Plan.  We are all about saving people as much money as possible, and the dining plan won’t do that for 95% of the guests.  Remember, it’s all about convenience and that is likely to never change.

That said, the increase in prix fixe menus in restaurants across Disney World could be another reason why we see the Dining Plan return. The structure of these meals and the fact they already have a set price makes them easy to integrate with the Dining Plan.

Will the Disney World Dining Plan Return in 2023?

So to answer the opening question: “When is the Disney Dining Plan coming back?” Honestly, that’s still up in the air at this point.  The original announcement from Disney was made in June 2021, which at the time of this writing is 8 months ago!  Since then, we haven’t heard anything more.

Disney was intentionally vague in its press release and only said “at a later date” without giving us a specific timeframe. I don’t think it would make much sense to announce something is coming back and then wait multiple years to actually bring it back. 

2022 has come and gone and we still haven’t heard anything new about the Disney Dining Plan. Nothing was announced in June 2022 when the new vacation packages were released and nothing was announced at the D23 Expo.

2023 is a possible scenario for a Disney Dining Plan return, perhaps as early as the Summer or Fall 2023, if crowd levels need a boost.

Besides just gut instinct, Disney has given us some clues to make us optimistic that it will, in fact, be back in 2023.

For one thing, those snack price increases we talked about earlier, may actually signal that we are close to getting the DDP back.  Historically, price increases tend to happen right around the same time Disney Dining Plan announcements are made.

Guests seeing all their favorite foods suddenly become more expensive can be a good incentive for them to consider buying the DDP as it appears to be a “better value.”  The price increases took place in recent months, so it’s quite possible we could hear something in the next few months.

The biggest impediment to bringing back the Dining Plan at this time is the lack of available dining reservations across Walt Disney World.  The problem is no longer a lack of open restaurants as it was a year ago.  The vast majority of restaurants have reopened, and after this last group opens up they will be over 95% open. 

The problem right now is the lack of staff at each restaurant.  Walt Disney World has been going through an extremely difficult labor shortage since the reopening, and they have been desperately searching for new cast members to fill the needed roles.  The number of chefs and waitstaff currently running these restaurants just isn’t enough to fill the current demand.

On a recent company conference call, Bob Chapek outlined that the shortage of staff in culinary roles has been the reason why some Disney World restaurants have still not reopened and the rest are running slower than usual with fewer cast members to handle the influx of people, especially during busy dining hours.

There has been some improvement in recent months.  Disney started up the College Program again which has helped to bring in new help, and menus have expanded in the last 12 months which means Disney is able to handle more than they had been able to.

The company has also stepped up its bonus program and is being much more aggressive when looking for new help.  Disney is currently offering hiring bonuses from $3,000 to $6,000, and up to $1,000 for current Cast Members who refer people that become employees.

Once these problems get sorted out is when we will see the Disney Dining Plan return.  Disney has to balance setting the Dining Plan at a price that is enticing to guests but at the same time profitable for them.  On top of that, they just can’t offer the Dining Plan until reservations are more plentiful and they get some of these staffing issues sorted out.

So when will the Disney Dining Plan return?

In the very best-case scenario, the Dining Plan will be back in Summer 2023. If not then, we may have to wait until the Fall arrives when Disney may need to boost resort hotel room bookings.  There are logistical operations to work through and some time is needed from the day they make the announcement so it won’t be a week or two from the eventual announcement.

If they made an announcement in the next few weeks, they could have it ready by July or August.  You probably need to inform guests at least 60 days in advance of when it returns.  That gives people time to decide if they want it or not, and then get dining reservations.  A 90-day window is probably more appropriate.

What we think is more likely, however, is for the Dining Plan to return to Disney World in Fall 2023, possibly around Labor Day, or even as far out as October 2023.

Disney had a chance to see if large crowds continued through the holiday season in 2022 (and they did). Bringing it back sometime in 2023 gives them more time to get staffing issues worked out, and get third-party contracts in place.  There is no real way for us to accurately predict it right now because a number of world conditions could change those plans.

We have no doubt that whenever Disney feels that they are able to support the Dining Plan and make it profitable for them, they will bring it back.  Until then, we just have to wait and see when the next announcement is made.

To make sure you are informed right when it happens, sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. There we bring you all the latest updates about the Disney Dining Plan and our best vacation planning tips. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter

Here are some more of our most useful Dinsey World planning posts:

• The Complete Disney World Planning Guide
• Disney World Crowd Calendar
• Best Times to Visit Disney World

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the Disney Dining Plan returning to Walt Disney World…

• Are you happy it’s coming back?
• What changes would you like to see made?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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