TODAY’S THE (TOTALLY UNEXPECTED) DAY! Walt Disney World’s Free Dining Offer is officially coming back and will be offered to guests for most nights this Summer and early Fall 2019! (NOTE: These dates are MUCH earlier than in previous years — most likely to counteract all of the travel expected for Galaxy’s Edge in the fall and winter).
Disney World Free Dining 2019 Travel Dates
The Disney World Free Dining offer is available to guests ARRIVING most nights from July 5-September 30, 2019.
You may book NOW through February 10, 2019.
Requirements: Based on our bookings, it looks like the minimum stay this year is 4 nights, and your package must include park hopper or park hopper plus tickets.
(See below for participating resorts. Please note that the offer excludes several resorts this year, including campsites, 3-bedroom villas, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Little Mermaid Standard Rooms.)
Click here for answers to your Disney World Free Dining FAQs!
Disney Resorts Participating in the Disney World Free Dining Offer
If you stay at a participting Value or Moderate 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 participating 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.)
Book These Disney Deluxe Villa Resort Hotels
To Receive a Free Standard Disney Dining Plan:
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Book These Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels
To Receive a Free Standard Disney Dining Plan
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Book These Disney Moderate Resort Hotels
To Receive a Free Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Book These Disney Value Resort Hotels To Receive a Free Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites Only
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Offer excludes the following room types:
3-bedroom villas, campsites, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Bungalows at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
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Important Details to Remember about Disney World Free Dining…
- The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited.
- Advance reservation required.
- Theme park tickets valid for admission beginning on date of check-in and must be used within a limited number of days, depending on length of stay and ticket.
- Some table-service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.
- Children ages 3 to 9 must choose from the children’s menu, if available.
- Gratuities are not included.
- Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
- Everyone in the same room must be on the same package.
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Ok…just booked a week long bounceback deal at Riverside for September (approx 25% off). We already (each) have an WDW Annual Pass (and a TiW card as well). Anyone know if this free dining plan can apply to us?
Gareth — Well, sort of, but not really 😀 You’d need to re-book your trip with the free dining package, which would mean paying rack rates for your room. You’d still need to have a park hopper ticket associated with the package for the minimum number of package days (4) for each person in the room, BUT those ticket costs can be used toward your annual pass next year. I hope that helps.
Guess it doesn’t include DVC members
We booked and gave our hopper passes
Does this apply to people in the UK I can’t find anything about this on any websites
Dear AJ,
I apologize if this question has been asked already…
Would I be able to apply the free dining offer to a room only reservation?
I have already purchased park hopper tickets.
Thank you very much,
Lori
I was I quiring about the family package and where you pay all year n it’ll b paid for when we go to Disney?
Just had a look and there is no free dinning for UK customers.
What about the cabins at fort wilderness?
Hi Helen I think you had to book before November in UK to receive free dining
Can you book through costco and still receive free dining.
Thank You, AJ for the wonderful news. My TA just saved us $1041.16
Hi! first off we watch your youtube channel all the time AJ! So informative! Keep it up! second I was just on disneyworld.disney.go and they did not have it posted. they just had up the summer and sun offer or something like that…we have a big family trip planned and I figure they’re trying to do this to off set the crowds for galaxy’s edge (which we have no desire to get mauled to death by horrific high crowds) we will be traveling with a 7 month old at that time as well.
Can this apply to annual pass holders?
We have an annual pass with park hopper, would we qualify for this? Or is it only new ticket purchases?
We have annual passes, does that mean this deal isn’t good for AP?
I don’t see any mention of the cabins at Fort Wilderness?
What if we already booked and put a payment on our trip last week? I meet all the requirements liated to get free dining. Would I have to cancel and rebook my trip to get the free dining?
Is there any free dining in November?
We are thinking of booking in summer 2020. Do the free dining dates run around the same time each year?
Thanks 🙂
Why does it exclude the cabins at fort wilderness.. that stinks.
It’s not fair to those of us with annual passes, etc. not to be able to participate in the free dining. I will bet we spend more money than those without passes because we go to the parks more.
AJ, what does Rack Rates mean? Does it mean that they take your discount off of the rooms most expensive rates? I never understood what rack rates meant. Thanks.
Hey! I just called a DVC cast member after booking dates in September and she confirmed this deal is NOT for DVC members. So the Deluxe Villas are not involved in the free dining plan.
Hi AJ,
We are planning an 11 day trip in July during free dining. I know I need to rebook our trip, but how many days can we use the free dining? Is there a limit or will we get 11 days of free dining?
Why is it required to have park hoppers? Has it always been like that?
Rack Rate is full room price, no discount for the room applies. Your discount is free dinning
I have filled out all the correct dates, hotel, park hopper, etc, and the free dining option is still not showing up for me. I had no problem booking free dining last year, but I may have to call this time around.
Deanna, I had to select the offer on the hotel page (once I clicked the resort, I chose the Free Dining offer). Then, the tickets and DDP were already pre-selected for me on the following pages. If that doesn’t work, definitely give WDW a call! Have fun planning!
Leyda, the Park Hopper requirement has been in place for years. One might assume it’s Disney’s way of recovering some of the cost of giving the Dining Plan for free…
Katie, typically the limit is 14 days, so you should be good for 11!
Hi, Essie! Rack rates means the price of the room without any discounts — basically the full price of the room.
Patricia, we hear from lots of disappointed AP guests about this. The only way to make it work for AP is to book everything you need for the free dining (including tickets), then apply the cost of the Park Hoppers to your AP cost/renewal rather than using the Park Hoppers on your trip.
Jennifer, usually the Free Dining dates are pushed back a bit — starting in August (rather than July) and extending into November/early December. This year, because Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is opening in the fall, the Free Dining is earlier in the year.
Jenn, this year Free Dining is scheduled to end September 30.
Amy, you will have to rebook. I would recommend calling Disney reservations directly to ask them to do it for you since you’ve got everything in the system already.
Kelly, that’s right, unfortunately.
Lindyfam5, I just did a sample search using the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, and Free Dining did come up as an option!
For the Annual Passholders wondering about Free Dining: Unfortunately, one of the requirements for Free Dining is the purchase of Park Hoppers. Since you wouldn’t need the tickets, that would be an unnecessary expense for you. However, traditionally APs have been able to purchase their full vacation, including tickets, but then apply the ticket cost to future AP renewals. So you can potentially recover that cost. Hope this helps!
Kristine, you’re right; they’re only advertising the Sun & Fun offer on the homepage. If you click “View all offers”, free dining is there. Plus when you price a vacation, if it’s within the dates for the Free Dining, you can see it as an option on the resort page. 🙂 Have an awesome trip!
Cynthia! That’s amazing! I’ll share with AJ!
Yvonne, as far as we know, you have to book directly with Disney.
Sam, I was able to see Free Dining with Cabins this morning!
Lori, Disney requires a full vacation purchase — room and Park Hoppers — to apply Free Dining. Room only reservations are ineligible, unfortunately.
Maxine, this is for US reservations only, at this point. UK Free Dining for 2019 was available for booking through November 6, 2018.
Have you noticed that All Star Movies has been excluded from the last 2 free dining offers?
Wow Disney you are getting lame with Quick service for Moderate resorts. I guess I won’t be getting free dining I’d rather get a better rate on a room anyway
Would it be possible to get free dining with military park hopper tickets?
Would my family be able to get free dining if we plan on reserving a room with DVC points? We woud be staying for a week and plan on park hopper tickets as well as upgrading dining package.
Lannette, Disney does not offer Free Dining to DVC staying with points, unfortunately.
I’m REALLY late to the party here, but thought I would go ahead and post. Tell me more about this “Bounceback Offer” stuff. Just returned from WDW and am now reading about the bounceback offer that was during the dates that we were there. I’m guessing it’s too late to take advantage? Also, we went on the Sun & Fun offer. Suppose you can’t apply two offers in one trip? Any help with answers is appreciated!