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Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World - Free Dining Promo Released

  • Last Updated:
  • Apr 27th, 2018 2:51 pm
Jr. Member
Oct 6, 2008
182 posts
141 upvotes
Winnipeg
Was able to book a 5 night stay in December. Thanks OP! I ended up booking Disney Pop Culture with the 1 quick serve & 1 table serve per day. It was $250 more than the 2 quick serve option and we figured we'd do at least one table service meal during the trip which would have cost $120-$150 anyway for 3 people. Might as well pay the extra $100 to get 4 more table side dinners.
Newbie
Apr 20, 2018
3 posts
1 upvote
Your booking must include park hopper tickets to get the free dining promotion, if you already have park tickets you cannot get the free dining pkg. You cannot combine offers of free dining pkg with discounted park tickets or room discounts. If you have a family of 5 or more and you already have bought park tickets you could rent a very nice condo or townhouse with a full kitchen (buy groceries & save $ on some meals) at a nice resort for less than 2 value rooms at Disney value resorts. Just for example: Check out Windsor Hills resort rentals, very nice and very close to WDW, variety of condos, townhouses and houses available.
Jr. Member
Nov 23, 2013
178 posts
604 upvotes
Jtu85 wrote: Was able to book a 5 night stay in December. Thanks OP! I ended up booking Disney Pop Culture with the 1 quick serve & 1 table serve per day. It was $250 more than the 2 quick serve option and we figured we'd do at least one table service meal during the trip which would have cost $120-$150 anyway for 3 people. Might as well pay the extra $100 to get 4 more table side dinners.
Nice!

By the way, I was able to get onto the site with Google Chrome just now and bounce around some dates. So the site is more accessible than it was 4 hours ago.
Jr. Member
Nov 23, 2013
178 posts
604 upvotes
I did test a booking. If I did Pop Century for 8 days in August with a 7 day ticket with park hopper, if I did FD the cost would be ~$3450 for a family of 4. If I take the room only discount and drop the park hopper, the same room is ~$2900. So basically you are paying $550 for "free" dining (assuming you didn't want park hopper option). If you can eat more than $550 out of pocket in food in 8 days for a family of 4 then FD scenario will work. As I said in my original post, we averaged about $135/day in food last year at WDW during FD. So 8 days, we would track about $1080 in food as a family for that trip. So FD wins out as a better deal for our situation.

That is just one example, every resort, family size, and how you prefer to eat, will impact your calculations. But make sure to run some numbers.
Sr. Member
Mar 15, 2005
869 posts
819 upvotes
We were just there in march and had the middle of the road meal plan. With 2 adults and 2 children ages 5 and 6, while we used up the meals, we had a bunch of snacks to spare on the last 1-2 days.

2 places where we found snack credits best bang for the buck are:

-for breakfast, if you ask for pankakes only instead of the meal, you get 4 pancakes and only charge you a snack. (meal is the same thing with 2 peices of bacon)
-Gastons in magic kingdom, they have a huge cinnamon bun about 4x the size of others around the park, and they only charge you a snack credit for it too.

oh, and during lunch, find places where you can order food using the disney app instead of waiting in line. you save tons of time this way!
Newbie
Mar 23, 2011
60 posts
16 upvotes
Montréal
couple of years ago, The wife and I did this with Quick Service dining package. We did it during Epcots Wine and food Festival and can use the Snacks at any of the food booths there.

At the time, had we gone to say Mcdonalds for breakfast and eaten at any of the quick service restaurants once a day, it would have cost us more to get tickets and room separately plus food.

The way we had planned our trip, we didnt see any time for any of the table service meals. But if you're planning a longer trip and/or dont want to do everything at WDW, its fine, if not, you're moving around too much to stop and go eat at a designated time.
Member
Nov 7, 2017
319 posts
154 upvotes
having been to Disney World last December, this is really a good deal! we have spent like more than 1000 USD in our food for our 6 night 7 days trip for a family of four with kids ages 7 and 4!
Sr. Member
Jun 11, 2006
604 posts
671 upvotes
I went with the Free Dining promo a couple of years ago. It looks like the "value" of the deal has gone down, as I booked a moderate (had a room that fit 5) and was able to get 1 table service + 1 quick service + snacks. The table service credits were useful for the "character" meals, like the Crystal Palace and Akershus, which can be crazy expensive. We went for the lunch at Akershus (where princesses go around to the tables) and it was $230 US BEFORE tip! And the (3) kids had pizza and mac and cheese!! Fortunately, it was covered by the table service credit. I believe Chef Mickeys (where Mickey et al visit the tables), was also the same price range.

Looks like you can't exchange 2 quick service credits for 1 table service either.

If you don't mind eating off site, it will be much cheaper! If I go again, I would stay offsite. However, for our first time, I wanted to stay onsite because of the shuttles/buses and the incentive of booking my restaurant reservations and fastpasses earlier. Eating at the Disney parks is hideously expensive.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jul 23, 2004
3908 posts
2123 upvotes
Vancouver
cbrunett wrote: You can't use the Canadian ticket as part of the deal. You would need to buy a package that includes room, tickets, and then FD. That said, if you were planning on going to Disney World again, you can always save the ticket. Say buy the minimum ticket for the FD deal is 4 days. Buy a 4 day ticket as part of the FD package and then save it and use it for a later vacation. Nothing stopping you from doing that.

But with the discounted ticket, a room only discount might be a better deal.

If you are staying on Disney properties, a room of 5 is expensive. You need to get into a suite. If the disney site every becomes accessible again (still showing error messages) then you put in your 2 adults + 3 kids and it will spit out room options. But they will be a lot more.

My guess from your situation is unless you have your heart set on staying at a Disney property (and paying a premium), you could probably save a lot of money (since we are on RFD) by staying offsite (ie you already have Canadian discounted tickets + need a room for 5).
Thanks OP. We don't have a dying need to stay in a Disney property, so probably will go with a offsite. Any recommendations? I'm presuming we'd have to rent a car and pay for parking, but the offsite savings should offset these added costs?
Newbie
Jul 17, 2011
1 posts
Montreal
Try Air Transat Vacations. They have a promotion now but be careful not to choose any dining plan. As soon as you booked it within the dates of FD, you can update your booking through wdw account and get the FD.
Sr. Member
May 30, 2011
679 posts
242 upvotes
Halifax
cbrunett wrote: I did test a booking. If I did Pop Century for 8 days in August with a 7 day ticket with park hopper, if I did FD the cost would be ~$3450 for a family of 4. If I take the room only discount and drop the park hopper, the same room is ~$2900. So basically you are paying $550 for "free" dining (assuming you didn't want park hopper option). If you can eat more than $550 out of pocket in food in 8 days for a family of 4 then FD scenario will work. As I said in my original post, we averaged about $135/day in food last year at WDW during FD. So 8 days, we would track about $1080 in food as a family for that trip. So FD wins out as a better deal for our situation.

That is just one example, every resort, family size, and how you prefer to eat, will impact your calculations. But make sure to run some numbers.
So it's safe to say 2 people are better off doing a room discount. 2 adults, one who eats very little. I've done free Disney dining multiple times in previous years. Probably 10 years ago and it was an amazing deal. Then 2 years ago but the trip was payed for by a family member so have no idea of cost. Disney seems to have tightened the promo quite a bit.
Newbie
Oct 26, 2011
19 posts
16 upvotes
Winnipeg
This offer is for non-frugal Disney goers. In other words, if you want to really save money, rent an apartment with a kitchen and drive half an hour in the morning to get to the park. You can bring your warm breakfast and have it in the parks, and some fresh sandwiches for later; sometimes you can exit the parks and go for a burger or pizza nearby. Hundreds of dollars will be saved for minimum discomfort.
Not ideal if you have very young kids, though, but for families with teenagers, it works perfectly.
Member
May 1, 2007
347 posts
89 upvotes
Nuncio29 wrote: This offer is for non-frugal Disney goers. In other words, if you want to really save money, rent an apartment with a kitchen and drive half an hour in the morning to get to the park. You can bring your warm breakfast and have it in the parks, and some fresh sandwiches for later; sometimes you can exit the parks and go for a burger or pizza nearby. Hundreds of dollars will be saved for minimum discomfort.
Not ideal if you have very young kids, though, but for families with teenagers, it works perfectly.
Or better yet, take a dozen free danishes from the $40/night hotel and eat them all day like my friends did when we were 18.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jul 23, 2004
3908 posts
2123 upvotes
Vancouver
kashwashwa wrote: Or better yet, take a dozen free danishes from the $40/night hotel and eat them all day like my friends did when we were 18.
Did your friends live past 20? ;-)
Deal Addict
Mar 26, 2011
2086 posts
1510 upvotes
Toronto
FWIW, you may also want to consider that the FD isn't accepted everywhere nor is it always 1:1 (there are some restaurants that count as 2 vouchers instead of 1).

When we went, we didn't bother with FD since it was our first time and we wanted to be hedonistic when it came to where we ate. Our girls loved the character dining and I'm not sure if those qualify for FD. At the end of the day, I think we spent about the same amount of money but got to eat wherever we wanted. Since we'd sometimes have such a big lunch, we'd only want a small meal at the end of the night. Naturally, this is a huge YMMV situation and if you're trying to control costs, the FD certainly presents value. Just a heads up that it's not a bullet-proof solution and depends on what your priorities are.
Administrator
User avatar
Jun 17, 2013
18196 posts
36555 upvotes
Scarborough
Alexandero2 wrote: FWIW, you may also want to consider that the FD isn't accepted everywhere nor is it always 1:1 (there are some restaurants that count as 2 vouchers instead of 1).

When we went, we didn't bother with FD since it was our first time and we wanted to be hedonistic when it came to where we ate. Our girls loved the character dining and I'm not sure if those qualify for FD. At the end of the day, I think we spent about the same amount of money but got to eat wherever we wanted. Since we'd sometimes have such a big lunch, we'd only want a small meal at the end of the night. Naturally, this is a huge YMMV situation and if you're trying to control costs, the FD certainly presents value. Just a heads up that it's not a bullet-proof solution and depends on what your priorities are.
The dining plan is accepted at most of the restaurants around the resort. Other than the restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin hotels, I can't think of any others off the top of my head. There are around 15 signature restaurants where you'll need to redeem 2 credits but the vast majority of restaurants only require 1.

Character dining is included with the Disney dining plan and is a great use of a credit since they're typically more expensive (dinner at Chef Mickey's for example is $35-60 for an adult) and most are only 1 credit (Cinderella’s Royal Table is 2 credits). You'd be paying up to $190 for 2 adults and 2 kids out of pocket otherwise.

Here's a list of all participating restaurants: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/media ... _added.pdf
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Sr. Member
Jun 11, 2006
604 posts
671 upvotes
Alexandero2 wrote: FWIW, you may also want to consider that the FD isn't accepted everywhere nor is it always 1:1 (there are some restaurants that count as 2 vouchers instead of 1).

When we went, we didn't bother with FD since it was our first time and we wanted to be hedonistic when it came to where we ate. Our girls loved the character dining and I'm not sure if those qualify for FD. At the end of the day, I think we spent about the same amount of money but got to eat wherever we wanted. Since we'd sometimes have such a big lunch, we'd only want a small meal at the end of the night. Naturally, this is a huge YMMV situation and if you're trying to control costs, the FD certainly presents value. Just a heads up that it's not a bullet-proof solution and depends on what your priorities are.
Actually, I think the character meals are the ones where the Dining Plan has an advantage, just because they are so expensive. When I went on the dining plan, the table credit covered Chef Mickey, Crystal Palace and Akershus, I think Cinderella's Royal Table was 2 table credits, though I didn't bother going. Those character meals can easily cost $200US+ for a family of 4. (I had a family of 5 which made it even more expensive) Note the dining plan doesn't cover tips. Unfortunately, the current free dining offer doesn't include table credits unless you book deluxe accommodation.

That said, not sure I would do the character meals again, bc my kids are older. I think those are a good option for a way to see the characters without waiting in line.

One other thing with the free dining is that it ends up being a pool of credits, and you don't have use everyone's credits at once. E.g. For quick service, we discovered that for my family of 5, we could get away with using 3 QS credits for lunch. (at that time QS inlcuded a drink and dessert and you could change the dessert for drinks etc -- but QS doesnt include dessert anymore) , but you can then exchange a QS credit for 3 snacks. We did have a bunch of credits left over, but then on the last day I changed them all for things like packaged candy (mickey shaped licorice or mickey rice crispies) as souvienirs to take home.

For those who are booking with Free Dining, I'd advise doing some research on how to dine in DIsney and "best value" for your credits. Disney is one of those places that are more enjoyable if you do your legwork beforehand.
Deal Addict
Sep 15, 2008
1763 posts
4499 upvotes
Pawtucket
Also note that the dining credits are good until midnight on the day you checkout. Last time we stayed another couple of days afterwards off site and were able to use our remaining credits for dinner and snacks at Disney Springs after we checked out.
Deal Guru
Jul 20, 2006
12707 posts
6222 upvotes
Nuncio29 wrote: This offer is for non-frugal Disney goers. In other words, if you want to really save money, rent an apartment with a kitchen and drive half an hour in the morning to get to the park. You can bring your warm breakfast and have it in the parks, and some fresh sandwiches for later; sometimes you can exit the parks and go for a burger or pizza nearby. Hundreds of dollars will be saved for minimum discomfort.
Not ideal if you have very young kids, though, but for families with teenagers, it works perfectly.
You can save a lot of time with the dining plans. Aren't you paying for parking at the Disney lots. Exiting the park for lunch just eats into your time where you could be enjoying time inside the park.
If you are doing Disney one in a lifetime the dining plan is well worth it.
Deal Guru
May 29, 2006
10923 posts
3658 upvotes
I cant comment on Disney dining, but I will say then when we went to Disneyland in California, there were 100s of resteraunts outside the park, so the only meal we were eating in the park was a lunch. breakfast was at the hotel (included) and for supper we would hit a resteraunt somewhere, like cheesecake factory.

So while this deal would appeal to people who don't want to leave the park at all, I personally would rather hit up resteraunts outside the part for supper.

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