Best Disney World Resorts for Free Dining
Free Dining is often available to book for summer and fall at Walt Disney World. For this discount, you need to choose the best hotel to maximize your value and overall experience. This post covers the best hotels for Free Dining, both from quality and value-maximization perspectives.
Free Dining is Walt Disney World’s most popular promotion of the year, and for good reason. While we often caution guests to do the math because Free Dining isn’t always the best discount (there’s no such thing as a free lunch!), it can save families a lot of money. This is because you have to pay full price for your hotel room and purchase a non-discounted park ticket. This means you forfeit a potential room only discount and you can’t purchase discount Walt Disney World tickets.
Because of that, many guests fail to realize that a room-only discount at a more expensive hotel might be a better discount for them. For example, a couple of light eaters staying at the Grand Floridian are unquestionably much better off with a room-only discount than they are with Free Dining. In other words, it’s always smart to crunch the numbers.
To help you leverage the discount that Free Dining will offer, we’ve come up with this list of the best hotel options for maximizing the value of the Free Dining promotion. Note that Moderate Resorts only receive the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, so you might want to upgrade to a Deluxe (or upgrade your Dining Plan at lower tier resorts) if you want the full Disney Dining Plan. Additionally, several hotels are likely to have very limited availability, so they aren’t recommended here.
Let’s take a look at our top picks!
Pop Century
This is our top overall pick across all resort categories because it offers the best value under the promotion. Pop Century’s Free Dining status has improved, which is due to Moderate Resorts now (also) only receiving the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan during the Free Dining promotion, which makes Value Resorts a better, well, value by comparison.
There are a couple of advantages Pop Century offers. First, Pop Century is a sentimental favorite of ours with fun accommodations and the price can’t be beat. Second, the newly-redesigned rooms are great, improving functionality with a space-saving (albeit slightly minimalist) design. Finally, Pop Century is the only “pure” Value Resort offering Skyliner access to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Given all of these upsides, Pop Century is far and away our top pick for the Value Resort tier. While you’re getting the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan at Pop Century as opposed to the standard Disney Dining Plan by default, it’s still a good offer. We actually recommend paying to upgrade to the standard Disney Dining Plan.
Caribbean Beach
The re-imagined Caribbean Beach Resort is finally construction-free now that the adjacent Skyliner and Disney’s Riviera Resort have both opened. Our full Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Review details why we love the rooms, grounds, pool, and other amenities at this lush tropical hotel. Some of these “Poly-lite” rooms can officially accommodate 5 adults, making it a great option for leveraging the Free Disney Dining Plan promotion.
One of the other big reasons we love Caribbean Beach is its dining options (Spyglass Grill, Sebastian’s Bistro, Centertown Market, and Banana Cabana), which are much more ambitious than they were a couple of years ago. And naturally, dining is a big part of the Free Dining experience!
Dining at Caribbean Beach is even better, as you also have all of the superlative options at Disney’s Riviera Resort within a short walk. Add to that everything within a 15 minute Skyliner commute, and you have over a dozen restaurant options easily accessible to Caribbean Beach–and that’s just what’s outside the theme parks.
Oh, and did we mention the Skyliner? This gondola transportation to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot is a huge selling point. Non-bus transportation at a non-Deluxe Resort is rare, which is what makes Caribbean Beach and Pop Century such strong recommendations.
Coronado Springs & Gran Destino Tower
One of the best options this year is Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs, and the resort itself. In our full Gran Destino Tower Review, one of the things we praise is dining. (It’s also an upscale resort at the Moderate tier, so there are two things going for it.)
In our full Coronado Springs review we described it as having great rooms. In general, the amenities are Coronado Springs are nicer than other Moderates, likely because of the convention crowd to which it caters. In addition to the nicer rooms and overall quality, Coronado Springs is a good choice during the Free Dining promotion because of its dining options, including the food court, which is one of the best uses of counter service Disney Dining Plan credits.
That means that it has the most expensive entrees, so you get the most bang for your buck out of those credits. Even if you aren’t directly paying for the Disney Dining Plan during Free Dining, you’re indirectly paying for it, and it’s good to get mileage out of those credits.
Animal Kingdom Lodge/Wilderness Lodge
In terms of the best value for your money during Free Dining, you either want to choose Pop Century, Wilderness Lodge, or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Without question, these are your best choices for getting the most mileage out of the Free Dining discount.
These two resorts are often lumped together in terms of theming, even though they are much more distinct from one another than, say, BoardWalk Inn and Beach Club. We aren’t lumping them together due to a misunderstanding of theming, but instead because they are the cheapest of the Deluxe Resorts and two of the best-themed resorts at Walt Disney World. In terms of value maximization when taking advantage of the promotion, that puts them in a special class.
Due to Moderate Resorts only receiving the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan, these two lodges offer some of the best per person value during Free Dining if you have a party of 4. Even though these hotels will cost more than a Value or Moderate Resort, they come close to recouping the cost difference by virtue of the per person value of the standard Disney Dining Plan (as compared to the Quick Service DDP). On top of that, you enjoy the luxury of staying in two of the best-themed resorts at Walt Disney World.
So, which to choose? We love both, but that doesn’t help you much in deciding between the two. Take a look at our Animal Kingdom v. Wilderness Lodge head-to-head to help you determine which is right for you. We’re huge fans of Wilderness Lodge–it’s my #1 resort at Walt Disney World–but that’s in large part during the Christmas season, which is not pertinent for Free Dining.
Beyond that, we would recommend Animal Kingdom Lodge if you want to take advantage of its superior dining options (The Mara, Boma, and Sanaa are all highly recommended when on the Disney Dining Plan; we love Jiko, but since it’s a 2-credit Signature Restaurant, we don’t recommend it on the Disney Dining Plan). Additionally, there are Awesome New Rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Everyone is going to have their own favorites for the Free Dining promotion. This list is based entirely on our determination of “best value,” taking our preferences into account, as well. We feel you can’t really go wrong with any of these choices, but if you prefer other eligible resorts, don’t hesitate to book those on our account.
If you need personalized help with planning any aspect of your vacation, or want someone to watch for the Free Dining promotion for you and book it once it’s available—we recommend contacting a no fee “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” (Disney’s term for a travel agent) to get a quote and to help you plan. They get their commission from Disney, so none of the authorized (key word) planners will charge you for booking their trip and helping. Here’s one such recommended Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
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. 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? Which is your favorite hotel to book during the Free Disney Dining Plan promotion? Are you a fan of Free Dining or do you generally go for a room-only discount? If you have any questions or additional thoughts, please share them in the comments!
I’d say Boardwalk is a good one to include. It’s a little more affordable than some of the deluxe resorts, you get the standard dining plan, and it has so many restaurants for dining!
As far as value goes in the Deluxe – I was somewhat surprised to find that Wilderness Lodge was only about $40 cheaper than Yacht Club for 8 nights for a standard view. Animal Kingdom Lodge was still quite a bit cheaper (want to say about $500, but can’t remember exactly), so it’s still the good value. Wilderness Lodge’s rack rates, at least for August when we’re looking to go, seem to be closer now to Yacht & Beach Club.
Correction – Wilderness was for Nature View – Bunk Bed that was close in price to the Standard View Yacht Club. I think I also didn’t realize at the time I was comparing them that they had increased the price of the Bunk Bed rooms so much compared to the regular. When we stayed there in April, we booked before they added the Nature View category, and there was no option before that for bunk bed rooms in the Standard View, only in the Courtyard. With our Standard View reservation we were able to get a bunk bed room that was on the second highest floor, closest to the cabins with a great view of the fireworks in Magic Kingdom. They’ve really been playing with the room categories there. At one point they briefly had a room category for Nature View with Fireworks View, which is no longer there. Sorry for the misleading original post with the price comparisons that were not apt comparisons.
Hey Tom, I think you may want to update this post a bit as both the mods CBR and CSR should be done with the renovations by next year for the bounceback offer for 2019. I would honestly choose CBR now 1) Transportation with the gondolas 2) those beds are to die for 3) the new restaurant additions will be done 4) the coke machines and the little markets will be staying even after the construction is finished. This is honestly where I will be booking 2 bouncebacks for next year.
I’m confused.. I thought pop was a value so you only get free breakfast not quick service .. or has this changed? Newbie sorryyyy
We are a family of 4 who would book Beach Club Resort standard or garden view. Thoughts on BC with the free dining offer?
hi this is my first time going to Walt Disney World I do have reservations at Disney Swan but do you have time to change but would like some good recommendations on how to plan my trip and what restaurants to go to and free dining or whatever and I’m not sure about this meal plan what are all these things that I’m just reading about? But also I’m going through a third party through my work to get my hotel so I wasn’t offered any specials like the tickets to get into Disney World and things like that what would be my best options three adults and one child that 7 years old what’s my best recommendations please somebody help me I’m very new to this never been there before. thanks in advance for your time and helping me out.
I’ve been there before for a work related convention. The convention may offer you after 2 or 4pm tickets, since you’ll probably be in class all day.
Also check out WDW dining or My Disney Experience App, to check out dining! There are Character Dining experiences right near you. I think there is a Tangled and Little Metmaid breakfast at the Boardwalk, which you could easily walk to from Swan resort.
Hi, unfortunately the Disney Dining Plan is not offered at the Swan or Dolphin so you are not eligible for free dining. The hotels are not owned by Disney, but are located on Disney property. You will have to purchase your park tickets on your own or through the Disney Ticket desk at the hotel. If you wait to buy the tickets, you may have trouble booking fast passes for the popular rides. Don’t mean to be a downer!
Here’s a real good one for you–family of 5 hoping to score free dining for November 2018 (crossing fingers until april 2018) should stay where? POR is typically excluded, and with CBR under construction, we are not sure we’d like to stay there. Should we bite the bullet and stay in a deluxe that can accommodate all of us or head to AoA? Or, scrap free dining all together and do room only discount? We are considered four adults and one child, so free dining has always been the best discount for us in the past. I’m usually a pretty savvy (crazy?) Disney planner, one of those get up on day 180 at 6am for a PPO at CRT. But planning next year’s trip has me totally stumped!!! Does anyone have any ideas?
I’m in the same situation. Curious what is advised. Is buying DVC points a good option?
You should absolutely stay at CBR. I just finished a 10 day free dining trip over Christmas with a family of 6 (two adults, 6, 4, 2, 10 months). We fit fine in the room with the pull down 5th bed, and the construction won’t affect you at all. The gondola’s are not complete, but all of the dining and guest areas are fully up and running. We had a blast.
POR is included this time! We are opting for that over CBR which we have stayed at 2 times. We loved staying at POFQ when our youngest was a baby.
I have read all the comments and your ‘article’… One question remains: What does ‘free dining’ mean? Any restaurant in Disney parks, or is it in the hotels? Buffets only, or a la carte? Are drinks included? We need basic information… You may know all these things, but a casual reader does not.
I agree with you Paul. I’m new to all this ‘free dining plan’ and the article has left me with a few questions…
I was told by a friend that the credits can be used at all the parks, is this true?
It is simply the Disney Dining Plan (you can find full descriptions on the Disney website – https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/plans/) offered for free during certain dates. It isn’t always a great value, depending on the size of your party or the room discount you give up in exchange for the free dining offer. You will have to do the math for your particular trip.
Any restaurant that offers the Disney Dining Plan is included, parks and hotels included. There are very few restaurants that aren’t included – which you can find out by looking up the restaurant on the Disney site. It depends on which dining plan you get. The Disney Dining Plan offers 1 quick service (counter service) meal, 1 table service (sit-down) meal, and two snacks, and a refillable mug which can only be refilled at resorts, not the parks. Beverages are included with the quick service and table service. The Quick Service Dining Plan is 2 quick service and 2 snacks (with beverages included with the quick service). I’m not sure about the refillable mug as I haven’t used the QS plan. There are no restrictions to the dining plans just because they are “free” for specified times during the year. Hope this helps!
We are looking to change up our yearly Disneyland trip to Disney World this year. We always go the 2nd or 3rd week in January. Do you know if they usually do free dining during that time of year? I just found your site and I will be reading up on your articles! Thanks for the help!
What site doi go to for free dining?
HI Tom! I am at a loss. Your comparisons don’t match my plan. I have already booked a room only at French Quarter for Friday, October 13-18 for 2 adults and a teen. Since I already have a reservation that I CAN cancel with a full refund, is it worth my trying to book some place with the free dining for those dates? The Value resorts hold absolutely no appeal to me and the luxury options are WAY too expensive. Though I would LOVE to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am just fine with the Quick Service option as we don’t want to waste a lot of time visiting sit down restaurants (I read that you often have to wait a long time despite having reservations). I paid $1,230.13 for 4 nights at the French Quarter.
Mrs. Ireland,
Currently, there are no rumored Free Dining Dates in October. So cancelling and re-booking if you cannot move your dates into September or November would be of no use to you. Rumored Free Dining dates:
August 13 — September 30, 2017
November 14 — 20, 2017
November 25 — 27, 2017
December 8 — 23, 2017
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-free-dining-dates/
Respectfully,
Dawn Rodriguez
Hi Tom, do know how much it costs to upgrade to the standard dining plan? We are a family of four and I am thinking if It’s worth taking a value resort and having an upgrade of the plan or getting a deluxe resort….
We were in this situation last December while staying at AoA. I can’t remember the exact cost to upgrade for our family of four, but it was well worth it when we did the math!
You can look up the pricing for the two dining plans – just google Disney dining plan prices and they will show up. You will pay for the difference per day between the plans. We did that on one of our trips and really enjoyed a couple of sit down meals to give our feet a break!
What is the best hotel for free dining when you have 6 people this year? Last year we stayed at the cabins in Fort Wilderness. Is there a better option??? Thanks.
Nope, Fort Wilderness is your best bet. You’ll just have to pay a bit more this year to upgrade to the standard plan. 🙁
Still a pretty good deal for you in those circumstances, though.
Since you have to upgrade to the regular dining plan anyway, wouldn’t it be cheaper to do a family suite at All-Star Music?
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the info. In the article you say that both AKL and WL are the best value with free dining – one reason being that they sleep five (which is the number in my family). When I look on the website both hotels say only 4 adults in their rooms – except in suites or villas – which make them not the cheapest deluxe. I see a standard view one bedroom villa at AK at $5961 and a garden/woods view room at BC at 4990 and change. Am I missing something? Because we would love to stay at AK.
Thanks,
Kerri
That would be the studio villas, but it appears to only be the case at Wilderness Lodge (even then, the price the site is bringing back is much higher than expected). Looks like a party of 5 is going to be more limited in options, with one of the Moderates that sleep 5 or Art of Animation suites being the best option. Sorry!
Thank you.
Thanks for clarifying 🙂 Still deciding if an upgrade to the BC is possible….
Thanks for clarifying 🙂 Still deciding if an upgrade to the BC is possible….
I’ve booked Art of Animation for arrival date of November 26 for a 7 night stay in one of the Cars (not Little Mermaid) room; however the dining promotion doesn’t appear as an option for me when I modified my res this morning.
I will call them later today but any idea why I might not be qualifying?
I called Disney and they said you have to book by march 18th to get the free gift cards for Caribbean Beach
And I noticed that in MDE under my booking for CBR, it outlines the renovations but no longer mentions the gift card, which is did a week ago.
We booked the Caribben beach for 9-14 to 9-20. I’m getting concerned the free dining plan won’t apply due to they are going to be remoldling two of the villages guest rooms. Have you got any information on this?
615 maple st
With the potential free dining at Caribbean BR, does the room type matter?
I’m currently booked in a pirate room for late Sept, but it looks like a preferred room is now available. From what I’ve read, preferred rooms are in a better location.
Our daughter is 12, so the pirate theme is not a deciding factor for us.
Would you recommend changing from a standard pirate room to a preferred room? Price wise it will be the same.
Is either room likely to be excluded from the free dining, do you think?
Really enjoyed reading your site for my research btw!
TIA!
We are planning a Disney and universal trip in December. Sometime between dec1-15. We would be getting the military tickets (5day hopper) and the hotel discounts as well. With those discounts will we be able to get the free dinning plan? We really like the port orleans riverside. Any help would be appreciated.
We are planning a Disney and universal trip in December. Sometime between dec1-15. We would be getting the military tickets (5day hopper) and the hotel discounts as well. With those discounts will we be able to get the free dinning plan? We really like the port orleans riverside. Any help would be appreciated.
When using Military discounts you cannot get free dinning as well. I have done both Military discounts and free dining. I prefer Military Discounts for the summer and utilizing freed dinning for Christmas time, due to the fact with Military there are block out dates for Christmas. That being said in order to get “free dinning” you have to pay full price for your room and tickets.