2026-2027 Free Dining at Disney World Dates, Predictions & Info

ByTom Bricker
2700 Comments

The Free Disney Dining Plan is a popular Walt Disney World vacation package discount. This covers 2026 dates, deal rules & requirements, predictions & rumors for future dates this year and in 2027, and answers to questions including whether Free Dining is “worth it.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the Disney Dining Plan (DDP), we’d direct you to our comprehensive Guide to the 2026-2027 Disney Dining Plan. That covers the basics, what the DDP includes, how it’s changed since returning last year, and more. It also breaks down the value of the Disney Dining Plan and whether the paid version is worth the money, and much more.

The bad news is that Free Dining is no longer available to book for this year. The good news is that it did return, and with the most dates in about a decade, which bodes very well for 2027 and possibly (but not likely) another wave later this year! If you want to be notified immediately when Walt Disney World discounts are released, sign up here for our FREE Walt Disney World newsletter.

We’ve consistently notified our subscribers when Free Dining and other Walt Disney World deals are going to drop. Either in advance of their release or on the day they go live at ~7 a.m., which typically gives you a 2+ hour head start on Disney’s official announcement. That may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference when booking.

In the last several months, Walt Disney World has released over a dozen different discounts. There are even targeted deals available through late 2026. This is a huge change as compared to 2021-2022, when many dates didn’t have discounts at all due to revenge travel and guest spending being so strong.

That coupled with capacity is why the Disney Dining Plan took so long to return in the first place. Those are both non-factors now, and things are more or less back to 2019 norms.

Before we turn to 2027 Free Dining, let’s take a look at this year’s deal dates:

  • June 28 to October 3, 2026
  • October 19 to October 31, 2026
  • December 6 to December 21, 2026

Again, Free Dining is no longer available to book in 2026. Or at least, it’s not currently available. The booking period ended April 30th, which was earlier than it would’ve been in a normal year. This could be because Walt Disney World plans to re-release 2026 Free Dining with different and/or expanded dates, which is something they’ve done with multiple deals already in 2026.

If more 2026 Free Dining dates were to be released, we would expect them in November, likely excluding Thanksgiving. It’s also possible to have different dates in October and December, while still excluding Fall Break, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. We’ll keep newsletter subscribers posted!

This is all relevant to the return of Free Dining in 2027 because the deal is not offered out of corporate benevolence, but as an aggressive move to help boost resort occupancy numbers. That wasn’t necessary for the last couple of years due to pent-up demand. However, that has changed significantly, and now Walt Disney World is pulling several “levers” to try to incentivize demand.

As always, we’d recommend requesting a FREE no obligation quote from Be Our Guest Vacations, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and having those travel agents book for you. They’ll assist you with the planning process, help you choose the most economical dates, best add-ons, etc.

Equally as important, they’ll help you with discount comparison shopping. There are a ton of different discounts currently available for Walt Disney World in 2026, and many of these deals are better than Free Dining for many–if not most–guests.

That just scratches the surface of what will be released throughout the year, just what’s already available. It’s likely there will be several more discounts released in June/July and October, as well as early January 2027. At least one of those special offers will be Free Dining–but more on that below. Point being, what you see now isn’t everything that’ll be available for your travel dates.

On that note, here are some predictions about 2027 Free Dining at Walt Disney World…

2027 Free Dining Forecast & Rumors

Free Dining will almost certainly return in 2027, it’s likely to be released in multiple waves once again.

The first will likely be announced in late December of this year, and bookable starting in early January 2027. Eligible travel dates will likely span from around Memorial Day through August 2027 (prior to the start of the off-season), with possible blockouts during peak weeks. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if Independence Day is not blocked out, as that has become less and less busy over the years.

Finally, the first wave of 2027 Free Dining will likely be bookable for roughly one month. This won’t be noted up front–it’ll just quietly disappear from the available offers page. It’s also likely that this first wave of Free Dining will not be targeted, but instead, available for the general public to book. These are hardly bold predictions–this is based purely on past precedent.

To address this, Walt Disney World has been releasing more discounts. They’re doing it out of necessity. This is something we’ve documented, and we’ve repeatedly pointed out that they’re pulling from the 2019 playbook for discounts. That 2019 playbook included Free Dining.

Following this first wave, we fully expect a second wave of Free Dining for dates that are later in 2027. This is likely to become bookable between mid-March and April 2027.

The main reason Walt Disney World would not release discounts all at once for May through December 2027 relates to resort occupancy numbers. The company is really good at projecting hotel bookings, but it’s just like a weather forecast–more accurate as dates draw nearer and less accurate further into the future. Walt Disney World only wants to offer discounts as necessary to fill hotel rooms, so they release discounts in phases.

The most reliable set of second wave dates for Free Dining are usually in August to late September. Those dates are the slowest of the year at Walt Disney World, and have been the most common and consistent for Free Dining. Expect a second wave of Free Dining to encompass these dates during Fall 2027.

The second wave of Free Dining also might include portions of October, minus holiday weeks and fall break.

A scattering of November and/or December dates could be available again, and there’s likely to be a stretch in December after (but not including) the first week and running until as late as December 23, 2027.

One wrinkle with subsequent waves is that they could offer different guest eligibility. It’s possible for the second wave of Free Dining to be targeted towards only Disney+ subscribers or Disney Visa Cardholders, and have a few ‘borderline’ weeks when occupancy is reasonably high (e.g. select dates in October through December). Then a week or two later, the general public wave of Free Dining could be released that doesn’t include all of these dates.

Obviously, this is only a prediction–the actual dates and details of future waves of 2027 Free Dining could vary a little or lot, and it’s entirely possible that nothing is released at all! But we highly doubt it.

Again, we want to emphasize that this is not a rumor–it’s simply us analyzing resort bookings and past precedent on discounts, and making an educated guess. August and September usually have the best discounts of the year since demand is lowest, and we’d expect that to be true again in 2027 especially as nothing new is opening at Walt Disney World until Tropical Americas at the end of the year. October through December are usually busier, hence the potential targeting of Free Dining during those dates.

Disney also likes high levels of per guest spending numbers, and no other special offer helps achieve these high per caps like Free Dining. Despite “free” being in the name, it’s an advantageous promo from Disney’s perspective because it locks guests into full-price hotels and tickets. It also keeps guests on-site for the most part, since they have “free” meals at Walt Disney World. No other discount accomplishes all of these important goals for the company.

Either way, will be closely monitoring the 2027 Free Dining situation, keeping our ears open for more news about a return of Free Dining. Should something–anything–be released or rumored, we’ll send you an alert if you sign up for our FREE Walt Disney World newsletter.

We’ve consistently notified email subscribers when Free Dining and other deals on the day they go live at ~6 or 7 a.m., which is a 2+ hour head start on Disney’s official announcement at 9 am. That makes a huge difference when booking Free Dining–you won’t have to wait on hold for hours on the phone.

Free Dining FAQ

Free Dining is Walt Disney World’s most complicated promotion, and can be a huge headache to book. Between limited availability and navigating a seas of rules and restrictions, it’s easy to make mistakes. This section of the post covers the rules, terms and conditions, and policies that generally govern the Free Dining promotion.

We always recommend that Walt Disney World first-timers (or regulars who just don’t want to deal with the hassle) request a FREE quote from Be Our Guest Vacations, an Authorized Disney Travel Planner. Most legit travel agents do not charge for booking Walt Disney World vacations (and you don’t pay a premium for them–Disney pays them commission), so that’s really the easiest way to go.

With this special offer, Walt Disney World guests booking vacation packages with non-discounted resort hotels and park tickets receive the DDP for each member of their party for no additional charge. For obvious reasons (who doesn’t love free food?!), the promotion is incredibly popular and some resorts that offer free dining tend to sell out quickly.

Guests booking the Free Dining promotion for Value or Moderate Resorts will receive the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, with guests staying at Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts receiving the standard Disney Dining Plan.

There are some room exclusions for the Free Dining promo: 3-bedroom villas, campsites, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Wilderness Lodge, Bungalows at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, and Little Mermaid Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

These resorts and room tiers are all not eligible for Free Dining. Additionally, room inventory is limited across all resorts. In practice, this means that when you go to book, a particular category (standard view, garden view, etc.) may not be available for your travel dates–or your travel dates may not be available at a specific resort at all.

To take advantage of Free Dining, there’s also the requirement that guests purchase tickets that include either a minimum 4-day Park Hopper or the Park Hopper Plus option. Additionally, a 4-night minimum stay is required with a maximum stay of fourteen nights.

This means you can’t purchase discounted Walt Disney World tickets from an authorized reseller, which we normally highly recommend in our Walt Disney World trip planning advice. This is something to keep in mind when doing the math to determine if “Free Dining” is a good value for you.

When it comes to Free Dining, doing the math is incredibly important. Other discounts (such as a room-only discount) might be better for your family. Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch; you have forfeit an alternate discount to qualify for Free Dining. We break down some of the math in our “Is Free Dining Worth It?” post.

If you have already booked a vacation package with an arrival date that qualifies for Free Dining, we recommend using the “modify reservation” link in your booking to apply the promotion to your package. This is the quickest and easiest way to apply the promotion.

You might see other advice that recommends calling to book Free Dining. This is outdated. If you call Walt Disney World’s reservation line, you will likely wait on hold for an hour (or hours) until you’re able to speak to an agent. Booking or modifying your reservation online is far quicker and easier.

Even if the online system crashes (which has happened) or moves slowly due to all the traffic, it’s easier to just keep trying online. Unfortunately, booking online isn’t always possible and technical errors do happen…so you might have to call and wait on hold.

If you are wondering which hotel to book for the Free Dining promotion, check out our new Best Walt Disney World Hotels for Free Dining post. It gives our preferred option for each resort tier. Oh, and don’t forget to make some ADRs for the best and most popular Walt Disney World restaurants.

With this Free Dining offer, Value and Moderate Resort guests receive the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan during the promotion. Guests at Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts receive the standard Disney Dining Plan.

We highly recommend making Advance Dining Reservations as soon as possible. Yes, even before Free Dining is offered, if you can. Everyone gobbles up the good ADRs quickly for Free Dining dates, so if you don’t book early, you will be stuck eating counter service or unpopular restaurants for the duration of your trip.

To answer some other common questions: yes, you must purchase tickets with the offer even if you already have them (or an Annual Pass). No, bookings made with Disney Vacation Club points are not eligible for the offer. No, you cannot “stack” this offer with a percentage-off room discount (at least not in the U.S.). For those wondering about other Walt Disney World discounts, check out our Current Walt Disney World Discount Offers post for what’s presently available.

For details about which tier of the Disney Dining Plan includes or for recommendations about which restaurants to book to maximize your use of the DDP, please see our comprehensive Disney Dining Plan Overview Page.

Note that the Free Disney Dining Plan promotion is always based upon arrival dates. For example, if Free Dining runs June 27 to June 28 and you arrive on June 28 and stay until July 5, you are eligible for Free Dining–even though it’s blocked out for July 5 arrivals. (You didn’t arrive on July 5 in that scenario–you arrived in June.)

However, if it’s offered those same dates and you arrive on June 26 and stay for the same dates, you are not eligible for Free Dining, even though more of your stay falls during an “eligible” period than the first example’s. The work-around for this is doing a split stay, with the ineligible arrival nights part of one vacation and a second vacation starting at the first valid “arrival” date and continuing thereafter. Again, arrival dates are what matters with Free Dining.

In the section below, we have historical Free Dining dates for the last few years. The rest of what follows is historical information about the Free Disney Dining Plan promotion…

Historical Information

The following is not pertinent to current bookings, but we have found that readers find it useful to have details about past Free Dining promos when planning for the future and what to expect. Note that the dates are pretty consistent from year to year, with slight shifts for holidays, weekends, and special events, or other things that may be excluded from the Free Disney Dining Plan promotion.

Last year, there was no early booking window for Disney Visa cardholders, but there was an expanded date range (see below). The two years before, Disney Visa cardholders did have an early booking window. Exact dates are listed below. Most years, the general public is able to book Free Dining packages 5 days after Disney Visa cardholders can book.

In years past, Free Dining has been announced in late April, with booking opening first for Disney Visa credit card holders and the general public a few days later. The last couple of years, there was no early window for Disney Visa cardholders.

Here are the Walt Disney World Free Dining dates that were available from 2013-2025 for historical reference…

2025 Free Dining Dates:

  • May 27 through June 26 (first wave)
  • July 7 through August 6 (first wave)
  • June 29 to September 30 (second wave)
  • October 20 to November 1 (second wave)
  • December 6 to December 22 (second wave)

2024 Free Dining Dates:

  • July 1 to September 30 (Disney+ Subscribers)
  • July 1 to July 31 (Disney Visa)
  • September 1 to September 7 (Disney Visa)
  • December 9 to December 21 (Disney Visa)

2020 Free Dining Dates (Cancelled):

  • June 27 through June 28
  • July 5 through July 7
  • August 29 through September 8

2019 Free Dining Dates:

  • July 5 – September 30*
  • September 1 through September 18**
  • November 17 through November 27**
  • December 8 through December 23**

*First and second wave of Free Dining
**Third wave of Free Dining

2018 Free Dining Dates:

  • August 20* — September 29
  • November 24 — 27
  • December 7 — 23

*Disney Visa Cardholders could book for arrival dates beginning August 2.

2017 Free Dining Dates:

  • August 21* – September 30
  • November 14 – 20
  • November 25 – 27
  • December 8 – 23

*Disney Visa Cardholders could book for arrival dates beginning August 13.

2016 Free Dining Dates:

  • August 23* through October 1
  • November 15 through 21
  • November 26 through 28
  • December 10 through 21

*Disney Visa Cardholders could book for arrival dates beginning August 14.

2015 Free Dining Dates:

  • August 28 through October 2
  • October 25 through October 31
  • November 8 through November 19
  • December 15 through December 21

2014 Free Dining Dates:

  • August 31 – October 3
  • October 26 – November 1
  • November 9 – November 20
  • December 12 – December 23

2013 Free Dining Dates

  • September 2 to September 25
  • September 29 to October 2
  • October 18 to November 2
  • November 11 to November 23
  • December 12 to December 22

Other Free Dining Posts & Resources

If you plan on getting the Disney Dining Plan check out these other Walt Disney World posts:

Want more dining tips? Check out our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. Planning other aspects of a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

Do you think Free Dining will be released again in January 2027? Or will a rising tide lift all ships and result in Walt Disney World not “needing” to get that aggressive with deals? Are you a fan of the “free” dining promotion? Have any tips for free dining rookies? If you’ve booked Free Dining, what did you think about your experience with the deal? If you were unable to get it, where/when were you unsuccessful? Let us know what you think of the promotion and whether you’re planning on taking advantage of it in the comments!

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2,700 Comments

  1. Congrats to those who booked their free dining in 2019!
    You may see some of the lowest crowds within the next couple years.
    In some ways that makes it more exciting than waiting to do a StarWars trip.

    Reply

  2. I’ve been hearing a lot of murmurs that you can no longer “share” dining credits, such as purchasing a meal for friends/family using your credits. So far it’s mainly at HS, but managers are claiming that’s the way it will be this year across property, even though the pdf has not been changed to reflect this. If this happens, upgrading may not work out for many guests.

    Reply

    1. I am so worried about this as we are going with a big group and had planned most of our meals around sharing these credits!

  3. I’m holding out for late Nov free dining, and even if I score it for a moderate resort, were staying with quick service plan instead of paying for table upgrade. Table service has become a huge drag for us because it ruins the spontaneity of snacking and also cuts into nighttime park hrs. Most table service dining Is notreally something to write home about, being only fair on food quality. I was able to book port orleans, Caribbean beach, and Coronado under the dining offer currently available with sept 30 arrival date, and let them all slide. We’ll see what comes up in a few months!

    Reply

    1. I’m also hoping for a November option, thought I gave not shared the possibility with the rest of my traveling group. My MiL is paying for hotels/air fare for 8 of us, we are each responsible for passes and our own food. My husband and I are the only ones who have been to WDW before. While we have tried to explain how much one can expect to pay for food, a few of the folks just aren’t understanding and therefore not preparing financially. It would be great to “surprise” them with a dining plan but I in no way want to get their hopes up!
      I agree with you regarding not upgrading from Quick Service, I enjoy some spontaneity and have no problem footing the bill for a nice dinner out of pocket while on the quick plan (when getting the plan for free).
      Fingers crossed for Nov offers for you!

    2. That is so smart of you. I am also planning a trip for my family and they just don’t understand how much food and drinks are. I do not think they are saving enough for food. Good luck getting free dining on your trip.

    3. We have gone the week after Thanksgiving the past 3 years since the weather is great, the crowds are relatively low, and they always offered free dining. However, this year will all depend on when Star Wars Land opens. I’d be surprised if Disney needs to offer any promotions in the 4th qtr to attract visitors. I would prob enjoy Star Wars Land much more than my kids, so I wouldn’t mind it being delayed until Dec or 2020 if it meant one more year of free dining and less crowds.

  4. I’m so disappointed with this free dinner going on. I’m retiring and my wife made plans to take the grandkids and daughter in-law to Disney world. As soon as you announced it the phones were locked. . We are stay at arts and animation. How can Disney take advantage of the working class. There sold out. I have never been so disappointed in my life. The trip is costing 8k for four adults two children under five. Not including airfare. There no sympathy from Disney that I once knew as a child. One old mans broken heart . My wife booked it through Disney via call and the order taker even said we should get it.

    Reply

    1. What are your dates of travel? For the week we are going in mid-August, there still is availability for 6 at Art of Animation. The Web site has been working fine in the past day, check out availability there. If you can potentially move airline dates, you should be able to find a reservation with free dining. I feel that Art of Animation can be expensive for a value – maybe look at getting two rooms at POP or All Stars and ask for them connecting. We did this two years ago and it worked out great for a very low price. You’ll end up with four beds and two bathrooms for $200-$250 total per night.

    2. We’re at the last week of September. They already told my wife no more rooms available. We are booked and been paying on it over the months. It will be only my second visit in my life time and will be my last. ONly doing it for the love of the grandkids. I know in today’s economy they will never afford to go.

    3. Looking at availability, I am seeing that the sun and fun offer is still available for All Stars the last week of September. Assuming you are going Sept 22-29 (Saturday to Saturday, 7 nights), you can get two rooms at either All Star Movies or Sports for about $120 per night each. That would be $1680 for the room. Movies should be fully renovated by then with great new rooms. For park tickets, 6 day non-hoppers for your group would be $2553. Save more if you don’t go to parks that many days. This totals under $4300 leaving you $3700 left for food and drink for the week which is more than enough. You can cancel your package up to 45 days before with no penalty and get your money back. Do the work and change up your reservation and you’ll be in great shape and pretty much level with all of the deals us working class folks are getting.

    4. Don’t understand how WDW is to blame for offering limited numbers of rooms for special offer if everyone isn’t able to get them booked. Just like sales everywhere things sell out. People getting in line quickly are happy. If you’re not one of the quick and lucky ones it’s nobody’s fault. Certainly not Disney’s.

      If you were planning to go anyway before the offer was announced don’t let missing out on a limited offer spoil the fun.

    5. If the Free Dining offer doesn’t work out, you can always try to get a room only discount too.

  5. Staying in preferred at Coronado for seven days at the beginning of August, even with the upcharge for the standard dining plan, the free dining promotion turned out to be more than $500 cheaper for our party of two than the current room only promotion. We had plans to do room only with the current promo discount and get annual passes for a subsequent trip, because we’ve heard so long that free dining discounts with rack-rate rooms usually equal the cost of paid dining plans with room discounts. We were so shocked at how much we were going to save with the current free dining plan that we ditched our plans for annual passes and will simply purchase a dining plan and park hoppers for our follow up trip after our August free dining trip. I can only imagine Disney built unusually large discounts into this current free dining promotion to really entice people to arrive before Galaxy’s Edge opens. I am so happy they did!

    Reply

    1. In doing the math, Moderate Resorts are usually the tier that could go either way–it depends upon the details. Values are almost always better off with Free Dining, and Deluxes also could go either way (room discounts are almost always better for parties of 2 or fewer at Deluxes).

    2. Hi Tom! Thanks for all the great info. I currently have a room only trip booked for Nov 23-29, the week of Thanksgiving. Should I add tickets now or wait to see if free dining is offered. I booked a studio villa at beach club. Also, if I wait to buy tickets is it possible that parksavers prices will be higher by then? Any idea on when they may offer fall/November dates? If at all?
      Thanks! Andrea

  6. Tom, THANK YOU for your blog post! I was able to book the dates with free dining LATER in the month of September than ever before. We know it will still be HOT (b/e it’s Florida, after all), but it makes us happy to go a bit later and be sure to hit the HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS at Universal as well as the MNSSHP – whee! Thanks for everything!

    Reply

  7. Hi Tom!
    I tried to book all day yesterday and kept getting stitch. Finally at bedtime I filled out all the correct info but never got the option for free dining. Does this mean they are sold out already? We stay in the ‘cheapo’ hotels usually, but I also tried booking at the polynesian to see what my results were and I still didn’t get any option for free dining. We booked last year with free dining and had no problem. I may have to bite the bullet and actually call. I’m thinking I should go ahead and book a room and then call and see if they can modify. But maybe they have sold out of rooms already? Who knows.

    Reply

    1. I’d keep checking and trying. The issues you encountered were pretty common on release day and were largely errors, not reflective of actual inventory.

      In any case, room inventory is often added to the promotion as it goes on, so continuing to check can yield positive results.

  8. Thanks Tom and Sarah for the updates.
    I previously booked my travel ( based on past dates from other years) at Coronado for Sept. 27- Oct 3. Went on WDW site today , changed my reservation to free dining promo and saved … $800.00 on my current reservation. Plus, I will be there at one of my favorite times… Halloween :).

    Reply

  9. Tom,

    I am so thankful for your email early this morning! If we didn’t open it up we wouldn’t be going to Disney World this year. I think I just got the last room at All Star Sports for the dates we needed. A lot of hotels were already full for the promotion.

    That was a pretty mean thing for Disney to do, release the promotion right after Christmas and unexpectedly.

    You are a lifesaver.

    Reply

    1. It was especially mean to Disney’s phone operators, who had no heads up about this–nor was anyone given extra hours or shifts, hence the long waits on hold.

      All around, it seems like this was a hasty idea thrown together at the last minute because bookings aren’t where Disney wants them.

  10. I’m shocked that Disney decided to release this so early on, I got a room at Pop online with lag but other then that it wasnt too bad. But I wager that this will be the only form of Free Dining we will see this year. October has been out of the picture for the offer for a few years now. This past November it was only offer for arriving dates of 3 days, and for December for 2 weeks. Along with Galaxy’s Edge opening up, as well as all of the Disney Christmas happenings (taping, MVMC, and ect) I guess that they just didnt see the point to even bother with including those two months.

    Reply

  11. Thanks so much! I was (finally) able to get the Disney website to work to let me add it to my existing reservation at Wilderness Lodge for this summer. I am so excited – I have a teenager boy and we had debated on getting the dining plan just based on how much he eats but couldn’t justify it with how little my daughter eats. Disney now considers her an adult, but at Age 10, she’d rather order off the kids menu. This will be great because I didn’t have to change anything else about my reservation and added the dining plan! Thanks for getting the word out in your newsletter!

    Reply

  13. Thanks so much for the updates! We used free dining offer last time we went in 2012, and it was awesome. My family isn’t planning on traveling to Disney until late January 2020 or late February 2020 though; do you think there will be any free dining offers then? Thanks!

    Reply

  14. Add me to the chorus of ‘thank you for the email heads up’ voices. Got it this morning around 8 am, modified my reservation, and saved $1,800 with only about 5 minutes of effort. One of my friends waited until Disney’s official announcement and still hasn’t gotten through to book after over an hour trying. (Long story short: she’s on your email list now!)

    I have to say that I will miss the thrill of reading your rumor emails and predictions leading up to Free Dining, but I’m betting we will see those later (we are banking on it, we also have a November booking!). Something tells me Star Wars isn’t going to open by September 30.

    Reply

  15. Thank you for emailing about Free Dining this morning! I was able to modify my reservation and save nearly 1000 on my upcoming trip. 🙂

    Reply

  17. Has Anyone ever had luck with Free Dining during Thanksgiving week? Just curious if we should hold out for that, which is our preference, or not wait and hope at all but just book for late summer which is our second option (but not as good for us). Thanks for advice for those who have gotten Free Dining plans in the past!

    Reply

    1. Normally, my line would be this: “past precedent is the best predictor of future Walt Disney World discounts.”

      However, I’m throwing that out the window for 2019. Hotel bookings are/have been soft for times they normally would be strong, and it’s unclear whether that’ll remain the case. I’d hazard a guess that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the cause of this (more specifically, people waiting on a grand opening date for that), and it’s going to be a tremendous wild card.

      In short, if Star Wars land opens in November, I’d say there is zero chance of a Thanksgiving week discount–some people will be hard-pressed just to get a room. If Star Wars land opens in late December, I’d expect lower than normal occupancy in November, and as such, a second wave of Free Dining covering Fall 2019 dates.

    2. Hi Tom. I’m in Ireland. I got your email today but I’m unable to find where to book the free dinning anywhete? Should I phone? Thanks a mill

  18. Just wanted to thank you so much for your speedy newsletters letting us know when Free Dining is released! I have been able to get it twice now (both last year and this year) solely thanks to those! Your site is my go-to for Disney info. 🙂

    Reply

  19. The website is now missing the booking pages for the resorts… I keep getting the Stitch message “Someone ate the page!”. Possibly the flood of bookings coming in over this unexpected news?

    Reply

    1. I saw this too. Now it won’t even show free dining as a special offer! I am getting so frustrated.

    2. Yeah, the only thing that’s consistent about Free Dining release day is that Disney’s systems *will* crash or ‘not play nicely’ at some point due to the influx of traffic and telephone calls. That’s a big part of why we recommend a travel agent–let them deal with all of these headaches. 😉

    3. I’m working with a travel agent for our bookings, but thought I would run the numbers myself since Changing our dates by 2 weeks (we’re presently booked for the end of June) requires work date changes and discussions with an Ex who may be unable to change his summer plans for us… we’re wanting to see if changing dates is worth it. The hotel discount for June may be better than or at least equal to FDP’s in July and August 😉 . We will also have to change resorts to get the FDP’s or the % off room reservations since we’re staying at POFQ.
      Decisions, decisions, decisions!

  20. Just called this morning to modify an existing CBR reservation for mid-August and was able to score Free Dining!! A family of 5 (2 adults, 3kids 9,7,3) in a CBR 5th sleeper room…paying less than $1000 per person for 10 nights!! Wooo!!

    Reply

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