Walt Disney World has introduced that the Free Eating Plan low cost will return choose journey dates in July, September, and December 2024. Right here’s what we all know to this point, plus suggestions & tips for reserving, different particular gives anticipated to be launched on this date, and commentary about this low cost.
For these of you who’ve been following alongside the hypothesis in our Information to 2024 Free Eating at Walt Disney World, this needs to be unsurprising. In that, we level again to the 2019 playbook, when there have been three waves of the low cost launched–to completely different teams (basic public vs. Disney Visa) and completely different date ranges. Again then, the third wave of Free Eating–which was the one which included dates for September, November and December–was launched in mid-July.
Our prediction there was that Walt Disney World would launch a ‘second wave’ of Free Eating in late March 2024 that covers the very same dates (or the same set) because the earlier subscriber provide. That additionally predicted restricted dates in October and November, however with the majority of choices in September and December. We additionally mentioned that there could possibly be as many as 4 waves, or as few as 2 with it by no means reaching most people if the Disney+ and (doubtlessly) Disney Visa focused gives booked up properly sufficient.
It could now appear that parts of that prediction are incorrect and elements are appropriate. Clearly, the subsequent wave will not be popping out in late March 2024, as that’s prior to now. Someway I doubt there’s a flux capacitor concerned on this promo.
And on condition that Walt Disney World is stating that the journey dates shall be in July, September, and December, it’s in all probability protected to rule out the months that aren’t these. (Though it’s attention-grabbing to me that August fell off the listing however July continues to be an possibility. I might not have seen that curveball coming.)
In any case, right here’s the official announcement from Walt Disney World:
Starting April 9, Disney Visa Cardmembers can get a Free Disney Eating Plan when buying a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Journey Firm bundle that features a room at a choose Walt Disney World Resort lodge and theme park ticket with a Park Hopper possibility.
Full particulars shall be launched on the morning of April 9, 2024.
That’s all we all know. Nothing about taking part resorts, excluded room classes, or which tier(s) of the Eating Plan shall be supplied to Values/Moderates and Deluxe/Villa Resorts. Our expectation is that it will all largely be unchanged for the reason that first spherical of Free Eating in 2024, however who is aware of. I might additionally anticipate there typically to be much less availability for July, as that was included within the final spherical of promos, it’s a part of summer season journey season, and it’s sooner.
2024 Free Eating Information & Ideas
Should you’re in search of the common “guidelines” of Free Eating, the previous precedent for these is roofed in our complete Information to 2024 Free Eating at Walt Disney World. (Scroll previous the lengthy part of predictions, since these are now not related now that Walt Disney World has advised us the deal is coming.)
Essentially the most notable “rule” of Free Eating is that Worth and Average Resort friends obtain the Fast Service Disney Eating Plan (QSDDP), whereas Deluxe and Deluxe Villa friends obtain the usual Disney Eating Plan (DDP). The latter has way more worth, however Deluxe Resorts additionally value a ton extra money on common. Up to now, friends on the decrease tier resorts have been in a position to pay the distinction to improve from the QSDDP to the DDP.
For these questioning what time Free Eating shall be obtainable on April 9, that’s unknown. Up to now, reductions have gone dwell on-line at random occasions very early within the morning–not at a set time like midnight, 6 a.m. or 8 a.m. If I recall appropriately, the primary wave this 12 months went dwell at like 3:45 a.m. Japanese.
Past that, anticipate just about the identical phrases and situations as the primary wave of 2024 Free Eating, simply swap Disney+ stuff for Disney Visa stuff. Desk service eating places could have restricted or no availability at time of bundle buy (a standard grievance with Free Eating in previous years has been the shortage of ADRs for individuals who arrived with out reserving something upfront).
Free Eating can’t be mixed with every other low cost or promotion. Disney Eating Plans exclude gratuities, which can must be paid out of pocket at desk service eating places. Kids ages 3 to 9 should order from a kids’s menu, the place obtainable. The variety of packages allotted for this provide is proscribed. Everybody in the identical room have to be on the identical bundle.
The primary Free Eating provide excluded the next room sorts: 3-Bed room Villas, The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Bungalows at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.
Further eligibility particulars often embody the requirement that you just use a sound Disney Visa Card or Disney Rewards Redemption Card to pay the deposit, and that the Disney Visa Cardmember should keep within the room.
One factor that stunned me concerning the first wave of Free Eating in January was that it actually wasn’t that widespread at first. I anticipated multi-hour waits on the cellphone traces and a prolonged digital queue. As an alternative, it was just about clean crusing on drop day.
A part of that’s in all probability attributable to it being a focused provide. It is also the case that for the reason that dates had been recognized upfront, solely these touring due the related timeframes logged onto the web site. Nonetheless, I anticipated a ton of pent-up demand for Free Eating…and there actually wasn’t. Not that I’m complaining–I simply anticipated chaos and that didn’t occur.
As such, I wouldn’t anticipate issues to be too horrible when this second wave of Free Eating for Disney Visa cardmembers launches on April 9, 2024. Now, Disney IT being Disney IT, there’s at all times the propensity for issues or random points that delay the method for hours. So who actually is aware of.
Regardless, you’ll virtually definitely encounter a digital queue if making an attempt to ebook Free Eating very first thing within the morning on April 9, 2024.
We’d additionally anticipate that the cellphone traces to be busy all day and the web site will expertise lengthy waits. That “You’re Virtually into Orbit” display is a pleasant transfer that’ll hopefully work as meant. We’d anticipate these waits to skyrocket as soon as extra individuals are awake on the East Coast. For a wait time of beneath half-hour, it is advisable to be up and on-line earlier than 6 a.m. It’s additionally doubtless that there shall be glitches, with Sew consuming the occasional web page.
This shouldn’t come as an enormous shock, because it’s kind of par for the course on Walt Disney World low cost drop day and has been for years. Issues will solely worsen as extra individuals get up and attempt to ebook (which is a large motive why we advocate simply utilizing a journey agent). That is to say you’ll want to ebook ASAP for the perfect likelihood at scoring the resort and room you need.
For what it’s value, getting one thing booked earlier than the promo is launched does NOT imply you can sleep in when Free Eating goes dwell on April 9. As a way to apply the particular provide, not solely do your dates and resort must be eligible, however there additionally must be room stock for what you’ve booked beneath the promotion.
This requirement typically journeys up numerous journey planners. What it means is that, if a resort/room class/date combo sells out beneath the Free Eating promotion (and solely a lot stock is allotted to the deal–it’s potential for the promo to promote out whereas full priced rooms are nonetheless obtainable), it doesn’t matter that you just’ve already booked it. You will be unable to use the low cost to your reservation.
For that reason, there’s actually not a lot of a bonus to reserving one thing forward of time. Free Eating diehards will debate this level (and have for years)–however the salient level is that you just shouldn’t ebook now and sit again, assuming you’ll be capable to apply Free Eating to an present reservation at your leisure days or perhaps weeks down the highway. That won’t work.
As for why Free Eating is being supplied for July, September and December however not different months, the reply is at all times lodge occupancy. We need to as soon as once more reiterate that Walt Disney World doesn’t provide any promotion out of company generosity. The Disney Eating Plan is “given away” to entice friends to journey at occasions of 12 months which have decrease lodge occupancy charges.
You may surprise why Walt Disney World is giving the low cost to vacationers taking week-long holidays in the course of the coronary heart of the summer season season however not August as colleges return into session. Effectively, the second a part of that’s truthfully a head-scratcher to me. It’s not like August is instantly turning into busier–final 12 months’s triple-digit temperatures weren’t good “free promoting” for August. I can reply the July half, although: summer season ceased being peak season a very long time in the past.
We mentioned that phenomenon at size on the time, however in a nutshell, the explanations for this had been ticket blockouts, larger lodge rack charges, and journey over a vacation weekend being dearer (airfare, gasoline) typically. Many Individuals additionally may actively keep away from these weeks due to the repute that these are the height of the busy summer season season. (A minimum of at Walt Disney World, they aren’t.) That perception coupled with larger prices may necessitate some discounting.
It’s really the same story in December, particularly round Christmas. For just a few years–even in the course of the peak of pent-up demand when fewer dates had been discounted–we observed extra offers within the 2 weeks main as much as Christmas. In our view, that’s largely as a result of Walt Disney World has “overshot” with lodge costs, and doesn’t need to really decrease rack charges…in order that they use offers to bridge the hole.
To that time, there’s no such factor as a free lunch–you obtain the Disney Eating Plan for “free” since you pay full value to your lodge room and park tickets. That is additionally why Free Eating is usually not such an incredible deal. For a lot of households, taking the room-only low cost is superior. At all times do the maths, as a result of the comparative worth varies primarily based upon resort, occasion measurement, and consuming preferences.
As for forward-looking predictions about subsequent waves of Free Eating for 2024 at Walt Disney World, I do suppose that is in all probability the top of the particular provide for this 12 months. With this provide together with journey dates in December–the twelfth month of the 12 months–this deal is already on the finish of the calendar. Usually, particular gives happen on a timeline.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply a 3rd wave of Free Eating is unimaginable. Should you look again to the 2019 playbook, there have been three waves of the low cost launched–to completely different teams (basic public vs. Disney Visa) and completely different date ranges. The one motive I may see a 3rd wave this 12 months is that if Walt Disney World occupancy targets find yourself falling properly in need of expectations for August by way of November, and they should scramble to supply one thing final minute.
To be clear, I do not suppose that is what’s going to occur. Nonetheless, Walt Disney World has actually been toying with the best way they’ve been doing reductions, making an attempt to entice planners to ebook early with engaging gives. In a number of circumstances, they’ve circled again with extra reductions even after these gives have ended to be able to fill unsold rooms and hit occupancy targets.
(Should you learn the newest replace on the prime of All Present Reductions at Walt Disney World, you ought to be conscious of how they’ve gotten extra aggressive with reductions in 2024, but additionally are extra strategic about ending them early. See the “Now Reserving” button as an alternative of specified finish dates.)
Lastly, we’ll finish with a plug. We shall be intently monitoring the 2024 Walt Disney World low cost state of affairs, retaining our ears open for extra information about different particular gives. Though nothing else has been introduced for April 9, it stands to motive that Free Eating will NOT be the one low cost to drop on that date. Ought to something be launched or rumored, we’ll ship you an alert when you join our FREE Walt Disney World e-newsletter.
We’ve at all times notified subscribers about reductions early within the morning as soon as they’re launched–whereas they had been dwell however earlier than Walt Disney World formally introduced them–on numerous events within the final decade. All of this may occasionally not seem to be a lot, however a heads up of even a day or just a few hours could be the distinction between efficiently reserving or not–or a minimum of not being caught in a digital queue for hours!
Should you’re already overwhelmed, you may simply need another person to do the be just right for you. Free Eating is Walt Disney World’s most intricate promotion, and is usually a big headache to ebook. Between restricted availability and navigating a sea of guidelines and restrictions, it’s straightforward to get pissed off, have issues, or be unsuccessful in scoring a reservation.
To that finish, we at all times advocate that Walt Disney World first-timers or regulars who simply don’t need to cope with the effort use a journey agent. (Click on right here to request a free quote from Be Our Visitor Holidays, an Licensed Disney Journey Planner that we advocate.) Most legit journey brokers don’t cost for reserving Walt Disney World holidays (and also you don’t pay a premium to make use of them–Disney pays them fee, in order that they’re free to you), in order that’s actually the best option to go. However when you’re going to go that route for Free Eating, you want to take action ASAP. Don’t anticipate to request a quote tomorrow morning and obtain a right away response–it is advisable to get your geese in a row now.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about motels on our Walt Disney World Accommodations Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a singular have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part it is advisable to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited that Free Eating shall be launched for Disney Visa cardmembers on April 9, 2024? Or are you extra wanting ahead to the room-only promotions? Ideas concerning the 2024 Free Eating dates, bundle necessities & guidelines, or the rest? Agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions about your experiences is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas or questions under within the feedback!
