Travel Dates: August 15 – October 2, 2010
Update July 6, 2010 – Disney World has extended available travel dates to cover August 15 – December 21, 2010. For more information, see the new extended dates Free Disney Dining post.
Walt Disney World has announced the “Free Dining” promotion for the sixth consecutive year. Currently, the discount is currently available to anyone, the Disney VISA cardholder pre-booking period is over. With the “Free Dining” promotion, Disney resort guests who book a Magic Your Way package that includes both your Disney resort room and your Magic Your Way park passes, will receive one of the Disney Dining plan add-on for free for all guest three and older in their party. There are a few requirements:
- You must book at least a three night stay, and your stay cannot be longer than 14 nights
- You must include at least a two day Magic Your Way base ticket
A slight change from 2009. Guests staying at a Disney World value resort will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free. Guests will be able to upgrade to either the Disney Dining plan or the Deluxe Disney Dining plan by paying the price difference. To upgrade to the Disney Dining Plan, the increased cost will be $10 per adult and $2 per child per night of your stay. To upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining plan, guests will pay $40 per adult and $11 per child per night of your stay.
Guests staying at a Disney World Moderate, Deluxe or Disney Villa resort will receive the Disney Dining Plan included for free. Disney World guests at moderate, deluxe and villa resorts will also be able to book the “Free Dining”, and upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining for the normal price difference, which is $30 for adults and $9 for children three to nine. The Wine and Dine option is also available at full price to add onto either the Basic or Deluxe dining plans.
Availability is extremely limited, and must be booked by August 14, 2010. It appears that all suites have been excluded from this offer, with the exception of the family suites at All-Star Music, which is included. All Disney resorts, including value resorts are included in the offer.
One thing to note that while the last date of travel is October 2, the free dining will extend past that date, as long as you check in October 2 or before. As usual, this is subject to availability.
To book this special Disney World “Free Dining” vacation package, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips, and ask for the appropriate code:
- NF3 – Magic Your Way Quick Service Dining Plan (Value resorts only)
- TF5 – Magic Your Way Disney Dining Plan (Value resorts only)
- WG7 – Magic Your Way Disney Dining Plan (moderate, deluxe and villa resorts only)
- – Magic Your Way Deluxe Dining Plan
I’m on-hold with WDW right now to hopefully, apply the new discount to my reservation (yes, it’s a little early in the morning here). There is also a room-only discount, ID6, for the same time. While discounts cannot be combined, can I use TF5 for one reservation and ID6 for the second? We’re splitting our stay between two resorts, which means two existing reservations, one of which is room-only. Thanks for all your excellent help, btw.
Darlynne – Yes, of course. Disney doesn’t allow two discounts on one reservation, but since you have 2 separate reservations, you can use a different deal on each one.
Do you have to use the table service meal each night or can you exchange that for a quick service meal? My sister and I are going to Disney in August and we may not go to a table service restaurant every night. I want to make sure if we go to two quick service places each day that we can use that as a credit toward the table service meal.
Jen
When you check in, you have access to all your meals, you don’t have to use one per day, they can be spread out over your entire vacation and used when you want. If you have table service meals you are not going to use, most restaurants will use the table service to pay for a counter service meal, make sure you are clear what you want to do before you order in case there are any problems.
Our family of 3 is going for the first time to WDW this year and we booked a room at a moderate resort under this offer. We’ll be there for a week with no car.. should I try to upgrade to the dining plan that includes three table service meals or do you think we should just stick to the plan with one table service, one quick, one snack?
Thanks!
Renee – I have found that the Disney Dining plan is adequate for almost everyone, you get plenty of food. We do that one with our family, and just grab something quick for breakfast. I have found the Deluxe plan to be too much, you spend all day eating to make the plan work. The exception is if you plan on doing a lot of the signature restaurants, then it will work well.
We have reservations for August this year and will be staying for 7 days. We will be purchasing the 4day pass through the military, do we still qualify for this deal? We will be staying at Animal Kingdom villas.
Maile
As with all Disney discounts, you cannot combine two deals, you just pick the one that is best for you, so you can’t do both the military and free dining, just one.
We aren’t able to go to Disney until November. When will we know if this offer will be extended past October 2?
Michelle – It will be late summer (July or August) until we see discounts for October through December, whether free dining is extended or Disney goes with an alternate discount(s).
Do you know if Disney is going to offer the Dining plan After thanksgiving?? I know in recent years they did but havent heard this year if they are going to.
Keith – I just answered that question, the one above yours.
Thanks Keith. Hopefully good things come to those who wait.
Can we use other family members meal credits some of our family members won’t be eating there every day. Thanks
Carmen – should not be a problem, the restaurants don’t check IDs or anything else, you just order and pay.
We are planning to go to Disney the week before Christmas, checking out on Christmas Day. I’m not sure if I book a Disney hotel now whether I’d be able to get a meal dining plan for free if they later extend it? What do you think? I’m wondering if I wait to book a hotel if I’ll have a harder time booking one if and when they put out their winter season “deals.”
Susie – Book now, you can always apply discounts after the fact. If you wait, you may not be able to get what you want, and there isn’t any promise that there will be discounts, so book at a hotel/price point you are happy with now, and adjust/be happy once discounts are released.
This is great but im a little upset. I called to try to take advantage of the free dinning plan. My family and I are arriving Nov.10th-17th One of the Free dinning takes affect the Nov.12th-18th. DW said they could not give us any discount because we check in to early but If we checked in on or after the 12th and stayed passed the 18th they would honor the free dinning plan. A little disappointed.
Stephen – try setting up two separate reservations. The first one for November 10-11 and the second one for the 12th – 18th. They should be able to apply the free dining to the separate ressie.
Kristin – Good idea, but then they will be without park passes for the first two days, as they would not receive them until November 12. They could do a package for the first 2 nights, but then they end up paying double on park passes. It is hard to make separate reservations like that work, but the math might work out in the end.
Can I purchase the Dining Plan AFTER I have made all other reservations? Does the free dining apply because we are staying at a Deluxe Hotel?
Yes, you can add the dining plan on after your package is booked, though it must be done before you arrive, you cannot add it at check in.
No, free dining is available at all resorts, at the value resorts, the quick service is free, at the moderate, deluxe and villa resorts, the Disney dining is free.
Booked at grand floridian in 2 weeks and have a 7 day hopper. Just found out about the free dining plan. Will I still have opportunity to get this?
Free dining for September has expired, so at this point, no, you would not be eligible for it. There is another discount that would actually be better for you, did you book with it? It is the late Summer room/package deal:
http://www.mousemisers.com/2010/wdw-late-summer-room-and-package-discount/
If not, you should be able to call up Disney (or whoever you booked with) and see if they can apply it for you.
Are there any current codes for free dining for August? We check in August 25, 2011. We were able to get free dining with our bounceback from Aug.2010, but now our Mom is joining us and she has no dining yet. Do you think it will come out in the summer?
Candy – Disney released the free dining discount for August dates last year, it expired in December, and is no longer available.
2011 Free Disney Dining
At this point, it is very unlikely we will see it again for August. You should book her now with the room discount, depending on where you are staying, it may be a better deal for her anyway.
Fall 2011 WDW Room Only Offer