New 2019 Discounts for Disney World, Including More Free Dining!
Walt Disney World has released new promotions for 2019, with Free Dining and room-only hotel discounts plus bonus gift cards being among the money-saving offers released. These are for pre-Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a time that is rumored to be abnormally light in terms of bookings. In this post, we’ll take a look at the various new special offers Walt Disney World has released and provide some commentary about the deals.
The big one here is Free Dining, which returns and is available exclusively to Disney Visa Credit Cardholders for arrivals August 1 through August 21, 2019. This offer follows the normal rules of Free Dining (which are covered in full detail here, along with comprehensive analysis and Free Dining tips); most notably, Value and Moderate Resort guests receive the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, while Deluxe and Deluxe Villa guests receive the standard Disney Dining Plan.
This second wave of Free Dining must be booked by June 16, 2019. A 4-night minimum stay is required, as is the purchase of a 4-day Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus park ticket. A valid Disney Visa Chase Credit Card or rewards card must be used to pay the deposit. If you don’t see this one on the special offer page, here’s a hack to make it work…
Search DisneyWorld.com for travel dates in August that meet the aforementioned requirements, and you should see a checkbox at the top of the page with an offer selected that is not Free Dining. Switch that to “A Delicious Offer for Disney Visa Cardmembers” (see screenshot below) and voila!
This deal appeared before disappearing from DisneyWorld’s promo page…which is not the first time this has happened with the Visa offers; we are expecting it to reappear later this morning once Disney Visa has a chance to officially announce it. In any case, it’s available for booking now with the hack above!
If you’re not a Disney Visa Credit Cardholder, the news isn’t as good. Rather than the ‘full’ Free Dining offer, you have access to book something we call “Free Dining Light” now with two-thirds fewer calories than normal Free Dining! This promotion is Walt Disney World’s way of catching the attention of potential guests with those magic words that everyone loves (free food!), but without actually offering a great deal.
This discount is available at Value & Moderate Resorts for arrivals most nights from May 28 through August 21, 2019, for bookings made through June 30, 2019. The promotion offers guests staying at Value Resorts one Quick Service Meal per night and requires a minimum 3-night stay and purchase of at least a 2-day ticket.
Seldom is “Free Dining Light” the best offer available, and that remains true for Summer 2019. Our “Free Dining is Back for Summer…Well, Sorta” post from last year provides some analysis as to why we typically do not recommend this discount. That insight remains true for this incarnation of the deal, so refer to that (ignoring the dates) if you want to know more about it.
Next up is the room-only discounts. The general public one here has an interesting twist, with Disney gift cards being offered per night depending upon the resort tier. With this offer, you can save up to 25% on rooms at select Walt Disney World hotels, valid for stays most nights May 28 through August 28, 2019 when you book through August 28, 2019.
When you book this offer for arrivals May 28 to June 30, 2019, you’ll receive a Disney Gift Card at check-in based upon Resort Category and original length of stay:
- Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per room per night
- Deluxe Resorts: $20 per room per night
- Moderate Resorts: $15 per room per night
- Value Resorts: $10 per room per night
In doing some quick back of the napkin math, I don’t see any scenarios where this discount plus the gift card beats the superior percentage offers for Annual Passholders and Florida residents, but I haven’t crunched the numbers for many dates. If you’re an AP or local, you’ll want to do this math yourself.
Rather than typing out all of the room discount percentage amounts, here’s a screenshot from Disney’s promo page:
Finally, Florida Residents can save up to 30% and Annual Passholders can save up to 35% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights July 1 through August 28 when booked by August 28, 2019.
See all of the discounts by room tier here on DisneyWorld.com’s special offer page for the discount.
Walt Disney World’s phone lines are likely to have long, multi-hour waits all morning, and online system will probably slow to a crawl given that several new deals have simultaneously been released. Normally, we’d encourage you to book as early as possible to have the best selection of resorts and room categories.
In this case, we’re not so sure it’s worth the headache. Summer 2019 promotions have already been released and the most in-demand dates were previously covered. This does add new travel dates in July and August, but competition should not be incredibly fierce for these deals. About the only one that might require a sense of urgency is the second wave of Free Dining.
Alternatively, you can request a FREE quote from our recommended Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and have them do the work for you, so you don’t have to wait on hold or struggle with the online system at all. Once we have more time, we’ll spot-check availability of the various promos released today for Summer 2019, but our assumption is that inventory for these promotions is pretty healthy.
For what it’s worth, these special offers are not coming out of left field. Back when 2019 Free Dining at Walt Disney World was “inexplicably” released early, we stated that it was an attempt to prop up bookings, which were down for the first half of the year and that a second wave of Free Dining was possible if internal expectations weren’t met.
Likewise, the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was not pushed forward because the project is way ahead of schedule. It’s being rushed towards an incomplete debut to help with lethargic bookings, particularly in September and early October 2019.
As we discuss in our massive Star Wars Land Info & Galaxy’s Edge Guide, we still expect to see significantly elevated crowds from mid-October through December 2019, and likely for at least the first half of 2020. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is generating serious buzz, and not just in Disney fan circles. It will be cause a spike in attendance, and be a massive growth driver for Walt Disney World.
However, just because Star Wars Land causes a surge in attendance and growth does not mean it’s living up to the sky-high internal forecasts for the project. Estimates peg the cost of each Galaxy’s Edge at over $1 billion, which likely does not account for the (shared) R&D or blockbuster marketing budgets the lands will receive.
When you couple the cost of Galaxy’s Edge with the expectations associated with the cultural touchstone that is Star Wars, it’s understandable that expectations are so high. For Disneyland and Walt Disney World, this is the end-all, be-all of Star Wars in the parks. There will be no standalone park or even a slow trickle of new rides. This is it. The theme park culmination of Disney’s acquisition of one of the world’s most lucrative franchises.
It will be interesting to see the degree to which these new Walt Disney World discounts move the needle. While this is not exactly last minute, we’d hazard a guess that many potential guests have already made the decision about whether to attend Walt Disney World before or after Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge…or whether to wait it out even longer.
What’s interesting to me is that it would seem deals like this are most appealing to Walt Disney World regulars who aren’t approaching this from an either-or perspective, and are instead likely to be lured into making another trip to Walt Disney World because a tempting offer is on the table. Situations like this demonstrate just how necessary loyal fans are to Disney’s success, even if the company has made moves that alienate some fans over the last few years. The question is whether this will be enough to entice WDW loyalists into another trip or prompt tourists who are on the fence into booking a summer Walt Disney World vacation?
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. 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
What do you think about these new Walt Disney World discounts? Surprised to see Free Dining return? Think we could see even more discounts–possibly for select Fall 2019 dates–if bookings remain soft? Have you booked any of these new deals? Do you agree or disagree with our analysis? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hi I would think you could book already, we have always booked at least a year in advance. If possible I would book Pop Century, we really liked that hotel, stayed there last year. Even though it was a big hotel, the busses weren’t a problem. We stayed close to the front so the dinning wasn’t a far walk, a little more expensive, but not too bad. Stayed at the All Stars also, but liked Pop Century better. Having stayed at almost all of the hotels on property, I really believe that the cheaper ones are better, we are a group of all adults and are in the park from when it opens till it closes, and only sleep in the hotel, why pay more?
When will Disney release promotions for Nov-Dec 2019 timeframe
Will they ever have free dining for port of orleans french quarter? if not, Why?
Any updates on free dinning for Nov 2019?
Thanks so much.
Do you have information about free dining for dates on December 2019?
Me too!!
Any info on free dinning in Nov 2019?
Thanks so much.
First off, LOVE your blog. We are big eaters, and visit once a year so the allure of only having to purchase a 2 day ticket (NOT a 4-day park-hopper as usual) allowed us to take the free 1 meal “lite” dining plan, pay the upcharge for the DDP, stay at a value resort for an August 2019 mid-month for a great deal, and get great dinner reservations at the high end resorts. Super excited!
I got free dining by having the Disney Debit Card! Chase even have me $200 for opening the account!
Do you have information about free dining for dates on December 2019?
Hi
We are booked into Port Orleans the first week of December 2019 we booked the hotel through DisneyMade the mistake of buying our tickets through a third party vendor and now we aren’t eligible to get the free dinning plan. Are there other discounts open to us ?
Thanks
I don’t believe there is a free dining plan available beyond August, so that is why you don’t have that option.
Have there been any rumors about dining deals for October 2019?
I’m anxiously watching too but for December 2019.
I’d be interested in knowing this too as we booked for October way back in January (not knowing Star Wars was opening around that time ).
Tom,
Love reading your blogs. I was wondering if you could include the names and locations of the food & drink pictures you take. They look so delicious but we can never find them when we go to Disney.
Thanks
While the acquisition of the Lucas franchise is wonderful, it is out of line with the usual, family-friendly crowds that Disney attracts. Most families are staying away for a while, until the buzz calms. SWGE is attracting a more adult crowd, who aren’t willing to cough up the bucks to stay on property. It would be interesting to see the booking stats for offsite hotels and vacation rentals in Orlando and Anaheim for the fall and summer, respectively.
Disneyland just announced that offsite reservations for SWGE are full, but there is still onsite resort availability. That’s very telling, considering they’re opening in a few weeks.
I think most of the rooms in WDW will eventually fill, more quickly if a discount is released. Once the initial hype calms, people will go, necause they will be excited when they see photos/videos of the new land.
That has been very surprising to me. I thought Star Wars adult fans would gladly shell out the cash for a guaranteed reservation and that isn’t happening. I’ve been regularly checking the availability at Disneyland hotels and there has been a lot of availability. Disney World hotel bookings at least during our 10 days have lots of availability even standard rooms lots of places. I guess it’s becoming more clear that Star Wars fans aren’t necessarily Disney fans and I’m wondering if people going to Star Wars will be more likely to fill their other vacation days at Universal not Disney. Fingers crossed anyways
Morning Tom, we are booked Oct 25-30, 2019 at Caribbean Beach Resort. Suggestions for room requests and any hope of discounts or dining??
Thanks for all the info you share!
I think many Star War fans are totally able and willing to cough up the dough to stay on site, and are making plans to do so! MY 30 something son is an example, just booked their trip for November, and they’re taking me along to help with the kids!
is there ever free dining in january? my sister, granddaughter and I are coming for the marathon.
My sister and I are planning a trip back in November 2020 and are crossing our fingers for some fall free dining to return! Love this blog and all your updates, keep up the good work!
Are they’re any plans on making the Free dining plan available This September? And why are the rates for the value hotels so high this year?
Free dining was offered from July through the end of September but that promotion ended a couple months ago. I think rates are higher at Value resorts because of the opening of Star Wars land.
Hey Tom, enjoying your blog as a new member!…question?…haven’t been able to get the Cardmembers dining option to appear….are there some restrictions on it I’m not taking into account when I’m doing my search….Thanks for any help out there!
I am in the “go before it opens and stay far away for a while” crew. Am I excited for it? Sure. Do I want to battle those crowds? Not on your life. Hoping to hit WDW in Dec 2020 and Disneyland maaaaaybe next Memorial weekend if we can.
TOM! Now I know for shur you have been staying with Josh, and drinking nothing but Burbon and Ice, I can not find anything that allows free dining for travel dates thru Oct. 21, only the free dining light offer. What Up With THAT. .???
Aug 21 st, Yes I am Guilty as Charged !!!
Do you have an idea of when DIsney will possibly release promotions for travel dates that cover the month of December?
Does anyone know when WDW typically opens online booking for May 2020? Hoping to get into Pop Century or an All Star resort in 2nd or 3rd week of May 2020. Usually we book a free dining deal at the end of November but this year its not happening and I am going to try for a May vacation with no dining plan hoping crowds might be a little better by then. Anyone know if the cheerleaders events are over by the 2nd or 3rd week of May?
You can call Disney and book 499 days out.Michelle
Hi
We are booked into Port Orleans the first week of December 2019 we booked the hotel through DisneyMade the mistake of buying our tickets through a third party vendor and now we aren’t eligible to get the free dinning plan. Are there other discounts open to us ?
Thanks
We booked for June2020