UPDATE: Free Dining for select dates in October-December 2012 has opened up. Details here!
Finally! The great Disney Free Dining for Fall 2012 has now been opened up to the general public (previously it had only been available to Disney Visa Reward Cardholders).
Dates for this deal are in August and September 2012!
DATES AVAILABLE: August 25-September 29, 2012
MUST BE BOOKED BY: May 18th, 2012.
As always, free dining is offered based on where you’re staying. Guests at Disney VALUE resorts will receive the Disney Magic Your Way Quick-Service Dining Plan, but can upgrade to the standard or deluxe dining plans by paying the difference in cost per night.
Guests staying at Disney MODERATE, DELUXE, or VILLA resorts will receive the Disney Magic Your Way Plus Dining Plan (the standard dining plan), but can upgrade to the deluxe dining plan by paying the difference in cost per night.
Most, but not all, Disney resort rooms are included, and availability is extremely limited on this offer.
Specs
— Guests must book by May 18th, 2012.
— Guests must check in no earlier than August 25th, 2012 to get the offer
— Guests must book a minimum of 3 nights and a maximum of 14 nights
— Guests must purchase a minimum 2-day Magic Your Way Disney World ticket for each person in the room
Good Luck! Let us know your thoughts about free dining in the comments section below!
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Is this “Free Dining Offer” for August/September 2012 also apply for families staying at Fort Wilderness?
Marcos — Thanks for your feedback!
Anna — I’ve heard that it does not apply to campsites, but may apply to cabins. Double check, though — I’m notoriously bad at those kinds of things!
What are the chances the free dining offer will be extended through October? I just booked a trip yesterday starting on October 22 for me and my 13-year-old niece and free food would definitely help!
I’ve been keeping an eye out for this thanks to your website. We just booked our room for 9 days in September at Port Orleans Riverside. I’m so beyond excited! I’m pretty much on here every few days getting ideas for where to eat. Love this website 🙂
Ali — We’re not sure yet. In the past, Disney has announced extensions to the free dining offer around July.
Cristina — I’m SO glad you got the opportunity to book a trip!! Can’t wait to hear about all of your plans!
Got mine booked for end of September! Look forward every year to the free dining. It’s the only reason we go again in the Fall. Going with the family in May and again with DH in September. Free food is the best, even better than the 20% off rooms in May. It’s a great opportunity to try restaurants you’ve never eaten in. You have nothing to lose, it’s free!
My husband and I came last October ( we are both in our 50’s and retired), stayed at Pop Century and got the free quick service dining plan. FANTASTIC DEAL is the only way to describe it. Nice resort, great food….loved it. Thank you so much once again!
I checked the website today and free dining offer was on the disney website and it was taken off within minutes – what’s with that??
the first time i went to Disney was for the free dining, i walked into the local caa/aaa ,, they had a sign for disney free dining. i booked same day.. and have loved Dining at Disney ever since…
jdhwsp4me — Yay! Love that this allows you to add a second visit! 🙂
Marianne — Such a fun vacation option for you guys! What was your favorite restaurant?
Lesley — It’s back up there now: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/ 🙂
Canadians — YAY!!! I love when food = life-long Disney fans. So glad you also became a reader of DFB!
I still can’t find it 🙁
How about this link, Lesley: http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/specialOfferDetails?name=Promo&promotionCode=fy12q3dine&market=fy12q3dine
I looked at the offer, and I think it’s for stays 5 nights and 6 days or longer?
Amanda — That’s an “example” offer. Disney’s probably hoping you think you have to do five nights, but you don’t. The minimum is three nights. 🙂
Anna = The fine print says that it doesn’t apply to campsites, suites and the new Art of Animation hotel.
Amanda = I tried out a few dates and any stay of 3+ nights is eligible. The ticket length does not have to match the length of stay and the minimum ticket is a 2-day base.
I just tried to get the free dining plan for my stay in September and they told me because I booked by reservations through Travelocity that I don’t qualify. I am so disappointed.
Marianne — Oh no!! 🙁 Is it possible to cancel through Travelocity and re-book through Disney? There may be a cancellation fee, but the money you save with free dining might be enough to overcome that.
Ahhh!!! Just booked for September 10-17th at Pop and upgraded to the regular dining plan. It’s my boyfriends first trip to Disney and our first vacation together 🙂 Can’t wait to try all the yummy food posted on this blog with our free dining!!
Our family (2 parents, myself, spouse, teen son, 2 sisters, brother-in-law, and 2 yr. old niece) had reserved a trip for late Sept. anticipating the free dining offer (always ending the last full week of Sept.) This morning we called back and changed our reservations to include the free dining, saving us…..drumroll……..$1600!!!!!!!!
Jenn — Yay!!!! So exciting! Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Duane — Oh WOW!!! Congrats!!
Is Sept. 29th the last day you can check in or is that the “drop dead” date for free dining. We have a 3 day trip planned for the Tower of Terror 10 miler and our check in is Sept. 29th.
I am looking to book Disney within those dates and we will be staying at a value resort but when I create my package on the website and get to the end to put down my deposit it isn’t deducting the price for the dining package? Why is this happening? I selected the Disney Quick Service Plus Dining Package. Please help!
Is it possible to take advantage of Free Dining if you already have annual passes? We would like to plan something for Sept., but would not need tix.
Kevin — Sept. 29th is the last day to check in. You should be able to have free dining for your entire stay if you check in by that date.
Erin — You’ll need to use the free dining codes. Click “check availability” on this page and you should be good to go: http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/specialOfferDetails?name=Promo&promotionCode=fy12q3dine&market=fy12q3dine.
Kim — Yes. Anyone can book free dining, but you DO need to have a minimum two-day ticket for everyone in the room as part of the package. If you’re staying for more than 2 days, you can still purchase just the 2-day tickets for everyone. Basically, this is a case of doing the math to see if you’ll still come out on top even with the cost of the tickets in the mix. Personally, I find that my Annual Pass hotel discount along with Tables and Wonderland usually saves me more money and gives me more flexible dining options than the free dining package would.
I will never ever pay rack rate for Disney. Chad’s excited in trying our TIW! All he hears is nothing but great reviews from it and he’s estimated some of the math and it works perfectly.
Im assuming this offer does not apply for DVC reservations?
Mart — I don’t think so 🙁
Reservations made by DVC members through DVC Member Services are not eligible for free dining.
The only eligible reservations are full rack rate room reservations in a package with at least 2 day park tickets, booked directly through WDTC or by a travel agent who books through WDTC on your behalf. (Not third party brokers like Travelocity or Expedia)
so excited! We were booked for Sept at Pop Century, and have been keeping an eye out for the Free Dining Promo. Just had our travel agent update our reservations!
We want to arrive before the August 25 start and plan on booking room only then the free dining from 25th on. Will our disney park tickets be valid before the 25th?
Doreen — No 🙁 Your park tickets purchased with the room booking will only begin on the day you check-in. You’d have to purchase other tickets to use prior to that reservation.
If I book vacation now for October thru Disney website and include dining plan, will I be able change to free dining plan IF Disney extends fall free dining plan into October?
Marlene — You should be able to change your reservation to free dining if there are still free dining reservations available when you contact Disney.
Thanks AJ! Just didn’t want to book now and pay for dining plan only to have free dining become available at a later date!
What’s the chance that they back the dining up to August 8th? That is when we are going.
any chance they extend this free dining offer through october 2012??
What rbthe chances that they will extend thi free dining plan until oct 2012? Do they normally extend it? Have they in the pas?
We just booked our Thanksgiving trip for 2012…We were so fortunate that the free dining plan extended through parts of November last year, and hoping to see the same again this year….
My family has booked a vacation to WDW for September 9-16, 2012 and when we inquired as to the free dining plan (which we know they offer most years in the fall), we were told by our travel agent that b/c we’re staying at the Beach Club Villas, we were exempt from that offer. We are not vacation club members. That’s one of the main reasons we booked in September. We might have chosen to stay at another resort if we’d known we would not be able to partake in that offer. We have 5 adults, 1 child staying 7 nights and going to all 4 parks and a water park. Seems like we should have been allowed to take part in that offer. Might be too late now, but seems like we got the shaft. Any ideas? Thanks.
We’ve only just decided to book our vacation during the third week of September. Is there any chance that we may still take advantage of this offer, even though it was to be booked by 5/18/12?
We booked almost a year early, including the dining plan. Within 3 months of our reservation, the free dining plan was announced. We called, and Disney credited us what we paid for the dining plan when we made our reservation. How awesome is that ?!?
Any chance of Disney extending the dining plan for earlier in August? 🙁
We have booked for the week after Thanksgiving at the Pop, Nov 27 thru Dec 4th 2012. Have they offered the free dining in past years during this period? Is it likely I’ll see the discount?
Chalie
What about 2013? Any word yet?