The Lowdown On The Disney Dining Plan Replacement

It was recently announced that a temporary replacement for the Disney Dining Plan was coming to Walt Disney World Resort vacations. We can confirm that this replacement is now available, for Guests to take advantage of, after launching on May 26, 2022.

Branded as ‘the magic is yours’ the new Walt Disney World offer runs through to July 27, 2022, and is exclusive for Guests residing in the United Kingdom. Here we have all of the information about this offer.

What’s included?

This offer is available for 2023 Disney vacations. Guests arriving in Lake Buena Vista between January 1 through March 25, and April 17 through December 17 must stay in a Walt Disney World Resort to take advantage of the benefits of ‘the magic is yours’ package.

Guests booking a Disney vacation during the offer period will receive the following Disney benefits:

• Disney 14-Day Magic Ticket for the price of a 7-Day Ticket – providing Guests with park hopper theme park tickets, that also include entry to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks
• $200 Disney spending money
• Memory Maker worth $199
• Two free tickets to Drawn To Life by Cirque du Soleil and Disney
• Up to $1200 Dining and Merchandise Credit

What does ‘up to $1200 dining and merchandise credit’ mean?

Firstly, to qualify for this offer, Guests must book to stay in select Disney Resort hotels. Of course, this means that most Guests will pay more for accommodations than they would if they stayed elsewhere in Orlando. 

Secondly, the type of Disney Resort that Guests choose to stay in will impact the amount of dining and merchandise credit that they receive during their vacation. As you can expect, the more you spend on Disney accommodation, the more you will receive in your dining and merchandise credit.

Guests choosing to stay in a Disney Value Resort will receive $36 per day. The Resorts included in the offer include:

• Disney’s All-Stars Resorts
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Guests choosing to stay in a Disney Moderate Resort will receive $72 per day. Interestingly, Guests of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will receive the same credit as other Moderate Resorts, despite staying in a Value Resort. The other Resorts receiving this credit include:

• Disney’s Coronado Springs
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Guests choosing to stay in a Disney Deluxe Resort will receive $86 per day. Resorts included in this credit are:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Currently, the offer isn’t available for Guests wanting to stay in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Additionally, Disney vacations in Saratoga Springs and Old Key West seem to be exempt from the offer, despite the booking window for reservations in these Resorts being open for early 2023. This is likely to be down to those Disney Resort hotels being part of the Disney Vacation Club.

How does the Dining and Merchandise Credit work?

Guests of Disney Resorts will receive a digital Disney gift card, via email, upon check-in. The gift card will be worth the value of the Resort-specific credit per night. Guests will present their gift card when they wish to redeem their credit at Disney restaurants and stores. 

When will the Disney Dining Plan return?

Guests are still very much left in the dark in terms of when the Disney Dining Plan will return. It’s, in fact, almost a year since the Walt Disney Company confirmed that it would return to the Walt Disney World Resort soon. But how soon is soon?

The Disney Dining Plan ultimately is an advantage for the Walt Disney Company, encouraging Guests to eat on Disney property for the majority of their vacation in Lake Buena Vista. Of course, Guests are not limited to only eating in and around the Disney Parks and Resorts, as they can choose to eat elsewhere, without using their Dining Plan. However, having the Dining Plan as part of a Disney vacation package results in a trip that is essentially full-board.

Guests with a Dining Plan ultimately eat mostly in Walt Disney World, bringing in revenue, and encouraging Guests to redeem all credits, or as close to all of them as they can. Guests can even redeem unused quick-service credits by exchanging each credit for three snacks instead. 

The Benefits of this Offer

Whilst this offer doesn’t quite meet the one that was offered to British Guests historically, it will certainly encourage them to make a Walt Disney World reservation. Previously, Guests have been offered a free Disney Dining Plan when booking a stay in a Disney Resort hotel during a limited period of time each year. 

Guests of Moderate Resorts would receive a free Quick-Service Dining Plan for the duration of their stay, whilst Guests of Deluxe Resorts would receive a free Disney Dining Plan. This offer would provide Guests with the opportunity to redeem close to $2000 worth of Disney food and beverages during a two-week vacation.

The current offer, undoubtedly, will allow Guests to redeem a substantially lower value, however, will certainly help with the cost of a Disney vacation. With airfares at a higher cost to prices pre-2020, a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort comes with a big price tag for British Guests.

It goes without saying that Guests who have never experienced the Disney Dining Plan will enjoy the credit that comes with their Disney vacation when booking through this offer. However, Guests who have previously used the Disney Dining Plan will notice the amount of money they have to put towards their vacation to redeem the same amount of dining credit they had received in the past, during their Disney experience. Alternatively, Guests may be persuaded to spend less time dining in the Walt Disney World Resort, to avoid having to spend additional money on dining.

Regardless, Guests who are eating in and around the Disney Parks and Disney Springs will see the benefit of this offer when enjoying their Disney experience. With so many incredible dining choices available, Guests won’t struggle to redeem all of their dining credit, especially as they can also use it to purchase Disney merchandise.