UPDATE: Free Dining available for select dates in October, November, and December!
Great news! Free Dining will be offered for check-in dates 9/2 – 9/25 in September 2013!
Travel Dates
Free Dining is being offered to guests ARRIVING September 2 to September 25, 2013. A minimum stay of 3 nights is required and may not be booked for longer than 14 nights.
Disney Resorts
If you stay at a Value Resort, you’ll receive the Quick Service Dining plan for FREE. (Note that you can upgrade to the standard or deluxe dining plans by paying the difference in cost per night.)
If you reserve a Moderate, Deluxe, or Deluxe Villa Resort, you will receive the standard Dining plan for FREE. (You can upgrade to the deluxe dining plan by paying the difference in cost per night).
NOTE: Ft. Wilderness campsites, 3-bedroom villas, and Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation Resort are not included in this offer.
Tickets
In addition to booking a minimum stay of 3 nights at one of the above Disney resorts, you’ll also need to purchase AT LEAST a 2-day Magic Your Way Disney World ticket.
Is The Free Dining Offer Right For Your Family?
Since this offer generally can’t be combined with other discounts, it’s often difficult to determine whether or not your family will save more money with Disney World hotel room discount or with the free dining offer.
We break down and compare the costs and options for several Disney World discounts, including the free dining offer, in our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book to help you save the most money possible.
Along with over 400 pages of great Disney World dining advice, photos, and details, this book is a great deal. Get yours here, and speaking of saving money — use code “2013” to get $4 off today!
Tell us what you think about Free Dining and your thoughts on this specific offer in the comments below!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
So hope they extend the offer, we are arriving October 5th-12th. Please keep me informed.
Do they usually extend the offers?
We book our stay from sept 22-28 and have a four day park ticket package……would we get free dining based on days booked at the resort? Or is t based on ow many days you have park tickets for. Meaning will we have dining for 7 days? Or 4 days?
Is Disney being more frugal this year with savings? I’m new to all this but a lot of people I know are saying the plans and discounts use to be better. Is this true? What are normal discounts for October?
Hello!
I’m so happy with this news! I am planning my vacation for September 19-27. I still did not found this offer at the website. Do you know how do I get it?
Flavia — Contact Disney and request that your reservation be modified to include free dining.
Nicole — Disney usually offers discounts to make up for a lack of people visiting. Since the travel market has been getting stronger as the economy improves, they don’t have to offer as many discounts to get people into the parks and resorts.
Brandi — The dining would be based on number of nights at the resort as long as you have at least a 2-day park ticket.
I am booked already for sept 21-28 will the free dining go through my whole trip since it started that way or will I need to change my dates???
Stephyanie — Call Disney to add free dining to your reservation. Since you’re arriving during the promotion, the free dining will extend throughout your stay.
Soooo disappointed! We had planned on going down August 25-September 2. I figured that since the previous years had free dining that they would this year. We planned out so many things!!! Looks like we will be canceling everything 🙁 Disappointed at disney.
When they open the Free Dining to the General Public will they release more rooms? I’m keeping my fingers crossed the Visa holders didn’t take all the AOA suites.
We’ve gotten our reservations for Sept 19-26th for Pop Century. I want to take advantage of the free dining that’s expected to come out to the public on May 9th, but what number do I call and what time is the best time to call? Also, I paid and booked a reservation for some friends to go at the same time, can I handle both reservations for free dining on this one call? This is a first for me. I didn’t know free dining existed until a couple of days ago!
Also, re-reading the comments… How do I know if free dining is the best option? I’m not sure how to calculate that?
So disappointed — we intentionally booked for the last week of August — which was always a Free Dining Week —we are really going to miss it for just a few days.
I hope Disney re-thinks their decision. Boo Hoo
AJ, do you know if you can combine this with a military discount on the room? I’m dying to drag my husband back down and this would be the perfect argument for a vacation!
What time on the 9th will they start the promotion? Midnight? Early morning?
Maria — Usually you can’t combine discounts. Contact Disney to confirm.
Renee — yep, it’s getting harder and harder to calculate. We have a chapter breaking it down in our DFB Guide to Disney World Dining at http://dfbguide.com.
You should call 407-wdisney to modify your reservations if the general public discount comes out on the ninth. Phones usually open at 7 am est. If you paid for the other reservation as well, you should be able to modify both at the same time.
Jennifer — Usually they do reserve rooms for the general public roll out.
hmmm i wonder if passholders can get in on this action.
Yeah, I’m disappointed too! I booked our vacation for the end of August and now
we have to cancel everything!!!! I am DEFINITELY not paying that kind of money
during hurricane season!!! SAD!!!
I am booked for aug 5-17th. Going for 12 days. Was really hoping to get free dining or a least for partial of the time. I think there should be deals for those who book over 7dzys which is the usual. At least something should be offered. Plus we were just there in 2011. Oh well I guess
betsy – Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members are not eligible to take advantage of any Free Dining Plan promotions if they choose to book a package without tickets or a package using any discounts.
Thanks AJ for ALL of your help 🙂
I hope something comes out for October.
Nicole — You’re so welcome! 🙂
I booked free dining on May 6 and had already reserved Nemo suite but had to change to Cars. Either Nemo isn’t incl or avail was very limited.
If it wasn’t for a no refund on the flights, we would be canceling. Historically it has been the last week or two in August that free dining was offered. With the increase in prices over the years, I would no pay out of pocket for the dining plan. Guess we will be stating off site this year. I can still hope that maybe they will extend the dates back to include August before my final payment is due.
What if you are an annual pass holder, can you still get the Free Dining Plan?
Sorry, should have kept scrolling. Not everyone going on our trip in September is an annual passholder. Can they get the benefit?
They have always offered the free dinning for october….we have been to disney 3 times in october and have always had the free dinning so i will be crossing my fingers that they will offer it for october
Holly — Annual Passholders cannot combine a room discount with the free dining plan, and you’d still have to purchase a 2-day ticket no matter what. Basically, check to see if the Annual Passholder room discounts will save you more than a full price Magic Your Way package with tickets and free dining.
Are Little Mermaid rooms at AofA really excluded from this promo, and why?
Have you heard of any free dining for later in year. We are booked for Oct 26-Nov 2. Hoping to get free dining like previous trip. Thanks
MILITARY and DINING…YES you can combine the hotel room discount with the free dining plan. I’ve done this every single year for the past 3 years. Just call Disney because they will need to book it–you can’t do it through the website.
There is a banner add on Yahoo Mail right now that says there is a 5-night/6-day minimum to get free dining!
oh my gosh! i am literally jumping up and down here. we went last year from Sept 10-15th and had the free dining and we stayed at the Movie resort. we were wanting to go again, but were waiting for them to announce the free dining. Now we can go again Sept 9-16 and due to the free dining, we are throwing in Universal Studios, which we missed last year.
as far as Hurricane season, the weather was great last year in September and only rained once.
we love the free dining as it takes away the decision of where to eat and how much money to bring for food. just being on the dining plan itself saved us time and money..
I can’t see that this has been released to the uk? Please can you confirm if we are included in the offer or when we will get it??
Did they happen to extend the free dining into October when they opened this deal on the 9th?
Anything?
I’m so excited! I booked free dining yesterday for our vacay in Sept at Pop Century! I paud the difference for Dining instead of Quick Service! (I’m not a Disney Visa card member)
Nicole, as far as I’ve seen they haven’t, but I did get a pin code that included dates from Aug-Dec., I didn’t use. Of course I didn’t get it until after I already booked Free Dining that was opened up yesterday.
I got a pin code only good through August and I’m going in October. UGHH I didn’t get any codes why?
please does anyone know if free dining available for uk booked plane tickets for september waiting to book hotel
I am so, so happy, thrilled, excitted and I can’t contain myself… LOL. My husband and I are taking our 5 daughters in Sept and the free dining is such an amazing gift to us…!!!! We were originally staying at Music resort and decided to switch to Carribean Beach rather then pay the difference for 7 people for the dining plan. Can’t wait til Sept..!!!!
Ann, Here’s what I found on the UK for discounts!
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/04/10/2013-disney-world-free-dining-package-for-uk-residents/
Military discount CORRECTION: I just booked my free dining yesterday…turns out they no longer combine the took discount with free dining….however… you can book a room and with free dining WITHOUT the tickets and then just buy the military park hopper (4day pass) for $156 each.
I opted to just get the whole package with Disney:
3 people, Port Orleans garden room and 4 day pass and free dining turned out to be $2093.
Yayyyyy
I am curious about October as well, since we are booked from Oct. 5 -Oct. 11. Staying at POP CENT, and just received a PIN Code offer for free dining that covers every day in October EXCEPT the week we are there. Very odd. Does this mean anything (should i just wait til July), or should I try to change my reservation?
Matty will you post pin code for Oct. i am going in late oct and would like to see if it would work for me
Chris — Pin codes are usually exclusive to the person who receives them and cannot be used by anyone else.
I’ve been saving for years…planning our trip to Disney World. Grandpa and I are taking our son, daughter-in-law and 2 WONDERFUL grandchildren…ages 8 & 6 in June. Must wait until school is out since Mom’s a teacher and education comes first. Sadly, we had hoped to vacation within the Free Dining Deal….it is going to cost us about $3000 to feed us for 7 days.
That’s EXTREMELY HIGH….(considering the kids eat very little) for a snack, lite pick up meal, and one sit down meal a day. I would LOVE to cook for anyone at half that price….Can’t believe how much Disney charges for the food they offer. Staying inside the park may have it’s advantages but FOOD isn’t one of them. Suggestions????