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5 Important Tips For Booking Disney World’s Dining Plan Packages

5 Important Tips For Booking Disney World’s Dining Plan Packages


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Want to book Walt Disney World Dining Plan Packages? Be prepared with these 5 important tips.

Disney Dining Plan

Credit: Monica

Save time and money on your Disney World vacation by purchasing a Disney Dining Plan. Enjoy a certain number of prepaid meals and snacks during your stay to make your vacation feel more “all-inclusive”. Spend more time enjoying your vacation and less time on meal budgeting while you’re here.

You can check out a full guide of everything that you need to know about the Disney Dining Plan.

#1 Know Important Dates

Credit: KtP

Beginning May 31, 2023, you can add a dining plan to Walt Disney Travel Company packages that include a Disney Resort hotel stay with arrivals on or after January 9, 2024

The Disney Dining Plan will likely go live at 6:00 am (ET) along with the standard booking time to make dining reservations.

If you already have a room, you can modify your reservation to upgrade to a package that includes a dining plan. Just be aware your arrival date must occur on/after January 9!

#2 Pack Your Patience

Credit: Monica

Disney is known for many positive experiences; however, their website is not one of them. On numerous occasions, guests have been left frustrated attempting to book tickets for special events, purchase Annual Passes, and preview events.

The website seems to lag when large groups of people try to access it at the same time. This is a bit frustrating and something that you need to be prepared for if you want to be among the first to book the Disney Dining Plan.

#3 Don’t Refresh

Credit: Monica

Going along with packing your patience, don’t refresh. When the Disney website experiences higher volumes of guests, a virtual waiting room is usually in place.

This virtual waiting room can be experienced on runDisney, shopDisney, and of course the Walt Disney World website. Once you join this virtual waiting room it is very important to resist the urge to refresh your page. Doing so will place you at the back of the line. Simply keep the page open without refreshing.

We are unsure if a virtual waiting room will be in place for the dining plan, but if so do not refresh!

Once you join this virtual waiting room it is very important to resist the urge to refresh your page.

#4 Use Multiple Devices

Credit: Susan

As many savvy Disney guests are aware, you may want to use more than one device. I (Donna) typically use my laptop, my cell phone, and a second cell phone as well.

Although I join the virtual waiting room at the same time, it seems that one device gets through a bit quicker. Simply opening various tabs on your computer will not assist you. If you have multiple devices, use them!

#5 Possibly Wait to Book

Credit: Susan

This may not be the tip that you were expecting, but if you want to avoid the Disney Dining Plan chaos then simply wait. This is a package option that will not “sell out”. However, do know that your vacation dates may have decreased availability for resorts and room types.

If it gives you peace to book on opening day, then may the odds be ever in your favor. The likelihood is that if you wait a day or so, the Disney Dining Package will very likely still be available.

Beginning May 31, 2023, you can add a dining plan to Walt Disney Travel Company packages that include a Disney Resort hotel stay with arrivals on or after January 9, 2024. 

Many guests are very excited about the return of the Dining Plan, and we are anticipating high waits for the first day it is available. We hope these tips may be helpful for you.

Will you book the Disney Dining Plan tomorrow? Do you hope to wait a couple of days to book the Dining Plan once the website is a bit more manageable? Share your thoughts with us and share this with a fellow Disney pal.

Using a Travel Agent can help you navigate the ins and outs of planning! I am here to help! Please fill out this form and put my name (DONNA) in the Special Request box.

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