UPDATED September 1, 2024

For several years Disney has run a promotion during certain times of the year that offers the Disney Dining Plan to guests for FREE with the purchase of a paid Walt Disney World Vacation Package (Disney World Resort hotel room and theme park tickets).

The Disney Dining Plan allows guests to pre-pay for their meals and then use the “credits” when dining at Disney World. The credits are encoded on your MagicBand / MagicBand+, Disney MagicMobile pass, or RFID-enabled Key to the World card, which is also your room key.

When paying for food at a Disney restaurant, your server will scan your MagicBand or Key to the World card. Simply inform him or her that you are paying with Dining Plan credits instead of paying with cash. Dining Plan credits will be deducted from your account.

What is Free Dining? 

Free Dining is exactly what it sounds like – you receive a Disney Dining Plan for free when you purchase a Walt Disney World Vacation Package at full price. Guests staying at a Moderate or Deluxe Resort hotel typically receive the Standard Disney Dining Plan, while guests at Value Resort hotels typically receive the Quick Service Dining Plan (with the option to upgrade, if desired). The free dining offer cannot be combined with any other offers so you will be paying full “rack rates” for your resort hotel room. Also, a minimum stay is required when you take advantage of the free dining offer. You must be staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel in order to purchase a Disney Dining Plan (including the free dining offer).

Free Dining Offers — Current Promotions

There are no Free Dining offers available for booking at this time; you can see previous releases to become familiar with historical offers to get an idea of possible future promotions.

Free Dining Offers — Previous Releases

2024

In January 2024, Disney+ subscribers could get the Disney Dining Plan for FREE for select dates when they purchased a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Travel Company package. The package was required to include a room at a select Disney hotel and Park Hopper theme park ticket. This deal was available for trips most nights from July 1st to September 30th, 2024, and was bookable through February 14th, 2024.

Disney Visa Cardmembers could get a FREE Disney Dining Plan! The deal applied to select arrival dates in July, September, and December 2024, and the booking was required to include a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day (or longer) Disney Travel Company Package with the Park Hopper option. (While the stay dates are still applicable, the booking window has closed for this promotion.)

Those staying at value and moderate hotels who purchased Park Hopper tickets got a free Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan while those staying at deluxe hotels who purchased Park Hopper tickets got a free Disney Dining Plan.

To book the deal, Disney Visa Cardmembers were required to use their Disney Visa Card to purchase a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day (or longer) Walt Disney Travel Company package that included a room at a select Disney Resort hotel and a theme park ticket with a Park Hopper option—for arrivals most nights from:

• July 1 to July 31, 2024
• September 1 to September 7, 2024
• December 9 to December 21, 2024

2020

Disney World’s Free Dining 2020 offer was available for the following dates: June 27-28; July 5-7; August 29-September 8. You can find all the details on our Free Dining Offer page. In 2019, the Free Dining Offer had TWO releases — one for summer and early fall (released in January 2019), and another for the later fall and winter months (released in July 2019).

2019

2019 differed from previous years, which had typically seen the release of one Free Dining offer in the early spring. For instance, in 2018 it was announced in late April for dates in late summer, fall, and early winter (before the holiday season). The dates normally began in late August and ran through September, October, most of November (excluding Thanksgiving week), and the early part of December (excluding the week of Christmas).

Historically, free dining has not previously been offered in the summer months. When free dining originally hit the scene, it was a way to get guests to visit Disney World during the “off” season, and summer is not considered an “off” season. However, as you can see from above, a new pattern appears to be emerging. We will continue to update this page and our current Free Dining Offer page as further information becomes available.

Hey, DFB… Do You Have Any TIPS for scoring Free Dining!

Yep!

1. Watch the DisneyWorld.com Special Offers Page

The Special Offers page is where you’ll find all the current room discounts and other special offers for Disney World – including Free Dining when it is announced! As soon as the Free Dining offer is announced it’ll be listed on the Special Offers page with details on the travel dates, restrictions, and much more.

Be sure to read the fine print for length of stay requirements, what hotels are excluded from the Free Dining offer, and what dining plans are available based on which hotel you choose. For example, guests staying at Deluxe resorts are often offered the free Standard Disney Dining Plan, while guests at Moderate and Value resorts are often offered the Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan for free.

Additionally, some Resort hotels OR specific Room Categories may be ineligible for the Free Dining Plan promotion. These often include — but may not be limited to — the Fort Wilderness campsites, 3-bedroom Disney Vacation Club villas, the Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows .

2. Join the DFB Newsletter and DFB Social Media Channels for Breaking News

Here at DFB we are always watching for details on when Free Dining is coming and we’ll post information AS SOON AS we hear about it! If you want to stay on top of the Free Dining Plan info and release dates, sign up for our newsletter! We’ll let you know as soon as booking is available for Free Dining. And be sure to follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram for updates, too!

3. Book NOW with a Travel Agent so they can update your reservation FOR YOU when Free Dining is released.

Book your trip NOW with a travel agent. If you already have your trip booked when Free Dining comes out, your travel agent may be able to add free dining to your package (if applicable) without you having to lift a finger!! Our favorite people over at Small World Vacations are ready to help you save time, headaches, and best of all, money, when you book. They’re the recommended agency for me, personally, and for Disney Food Blog.

There is always a VERRRRY limited number of rooms available during Free Dining — and if recent years are any indication, they’ll go very quickly! A travel agent can both discount hunt for you to make sure you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck, and be on the phone at 6AM to add Free Dining to your package when/if it comes out. (Remember, too, that on Free Dining morning, hold wait times when calling the Walt Disney World Booking number can be hours. Why wait yourself when your travel agent can be doing that for you??)

So book that trip now, then sit back and relax! Click here for a no obligation price quote today from Small World Vacations, and let them know DFB sent you 🙂

4. Look for Disney Visa Cardholder Access

Disney Visa Carholders have often been first to get access to Free Dining before it is announced to the general public, and have even had their own specific promotion (as is the case in 2024). If you’re a Disney Visa Cardholder keep an eye on your inbox for that Free Dining email. This doesn’t happen every year, but it has happened enough that it’s still worth checking!

Is Free Dining a Good Deal?

The short answer is yes, it is usually a good deal, especially when the prices on the Disney Dining Plan see an increase, so a free dining offer will likely save you money. But remember that you’ll be paying the “rack rate” (non-discounted rate) for your hotel room so that will be the most expensive component of your trip. Check out our Disney Dining Plan FAQ page for more information on the Disney Dining Plan. And keep an eye on the Disney Food Blog for news about the next Free Dining Offer!