Walt Disney World has launched the Free Eating Plan low cost for choose journey dates in July via December 2024, together with Independence Day and the Christmas season. Listed here are dates & particulars, ideas & tips, all the things it is advisable learn about reserving this low cost.
That is one in all a rising variety of particular presents that has been launched to date for 2024 Walt Disney World holidays. The opposite massive reductions being launched (or re-released, because the case could also be) supply As much as 35% Off Walt Disney World Resort Reductions in Summer time & Fall 2024 for APs or FL Residents and most people Keep Longer & Save As much as 30% Off Disney World Resorts in Summer time & Fall 2024.
For all previously-released reductions which might be nonetheless accessible, see All Present Walt Disney World Reductions for 2024. There are promos accessible for many dates between now and October plus some dates in the course of the vacation season. There are additionally bouncebacks and PIN codes that run just about uninterrupted via Christmas 2024. In order that’s value testing should you’re debating when to journey.
Per Walt Disney World, listed below are the deal particulars: Disney Visa Cardmembers can Get pleasure from a FREE eating plan whenever you use your Disney Visa Card to buy a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Journey Firm package deal that features a room at a choose Disney Resort lodge and a theme park ticket with a Park Hopper choice—for arrivals most nights from:
- July 1 to July 31, 2024
- September 1 to September 7, 2024
- December 9 to December 21, 2024
Packages could also be accessible for longer lengths of keep.
Right here’s the low cost chart offered by Walt Disney World to point out collaborating resorts and which tier of the Disney Eating Plan every receives:
There are a bunch of phrases and circumstances, all of that are widespread for Free Eating. Desk service eating places could have restricted or no availability at time of package deal buy (a standard grievance with Free Eating in previous years has been the shortage of ADRs for individuals who arrived with out reserving something prematurely).
Can’t be mixed with every other low cost or promotion. Disney Eating Plans exclude gratuities, which is able to should be paid out of pocket at desk service eating places. Youngsters ages 3 to 9 should order from a youngsters’s menu, the place accessible. The variety of packages allotted for this supply is proscribed. Everybody in the identical room have to be on the identical package deal.
The massive one is the exclusions, with an extended listing for the ‘second wave’ than the primary time Free Eating was provided this yr. This supply excludes the next room varieties:
- 3-Bed room Villas
- Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort (Disney Trip Membership)
- Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Bungalows at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Membership Stage and Suites at Disney Reasonable and Deluxe Resorts
- Deluxe Studios – Membership Stage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo Home
- 1-Bed room Villas – Membership Stage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo Home
- 2 Bed room Lock-Off Villas – Membership Stage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo Home
The key additions is the across-the-board exclusion of Membership Stage and Suites at Reasonable and Deluxe Resorts, which encompasses a ton of room choices. On the plus aspect, Free Eating paired with Membership Stage is a nasty concept–so Walt Disney World taking away that choice isn’t the worst factor. (Sadly, these classes are additionally excluded from most people room-only low cost.)
The Disney Eating Plan included on this particular supply relies on the Walt Disney World resort lodge you choose. The Disney Eating Plan is included whenever you select a keep at a Disney Deluxe or Disney Deluxe Villa Resort lodge. The Disney Fast-Service Eating Plan is included whenever you select a keep at a Disney Reasonable or Disney Worth Resort lodge.
Though the above verbiage doesn’t embody something about paying the distinction to improve, that’s doable. You ought to be given the choice in the course of the reserving course of to pay the distinction to improve to the common Disney Eating Plan should you guide a Worth or Reasonable Resort. (Presently, the Disney Eating Plan Plus and Deluxe Disney Eating Plan are nonetheless unavailable for 2024, so you may’t improve to these.)
You’ll be able to guide the deal straight by way of Walt Disney World’s official web site right here. (This hyperlink may turn out to be useful should you’re not seeing Free Eating on DisneyWorld.com’s particular supply’s web page, which we’re instructed is a standard challenge.)
2024 Free Eating Evaluation
First, that is not “Free Eating Lite” or “Half-Free Eating” as we’ve come to name Walt Disney World’s different advertising and marketing gimmicks that commerce on the title recognition of the Free Eating supply. That is the actual deal–full or OG Free Eating.
Whereas Walt Disney World has provided a lot of dining-related reductions within the final yr, 2024 marks the primary yr that Free Eating has returned (for actual) since 2019. That is important as a result of, pre-closure, Free Eating was far and away the most well-liked low cost that Disney presents (based mostly on reserving quantity).
With the primary wave of Free Eating that was launched, we didn’t actually see that. I used to be anticipating a ton of pent-up promo demand, however that actually wasn’t the case. The digital queue wait to enter DisneyWorld.com was by no means that lengthy on drop day, and there gave the impression to be ample availability–at the very least early-on in the course of the particular supply launched window.
That is now the ‘second wave’ of Free Eating, and it encompasses a subset of the identical dates as the primary spherical. Accordingly, we’re anticipating that complete room classes are already bought out from day one for most of the July and September journey dates. December is at all times a preferred month for followers to go to, so availability then may additionally go quick–however it ought to begin out higher. (In the event you’d be prepared to assist me crowd-source this knowledge, I’d love to listen to by way of the feedback what dates and resorts you had been ready–or had been not ready–to guide!)
We’re not saying this to scare you into reserving earlier than you’re prepared or to foster FOMO. It’s merely at all times a greatest follow to guide early slightly than to attend. You’ll be able to at all times cancel later should you guide one thing now about which you’re unsure. You can not wait after which guide one thing that’s already bought out when you develop into sure. That’s, except you have got a time machine…and there are most likely higher makes use of for that know-how than reserving WDW offers.
That’s the character of the beast with Walt Disney World reductions every time there’s excessive demand and low availability. As at all times, those that are prepared to compromise with lodge decisions, room classes, and even journey dates are in the most effective place. In case you are dead-set on a sure kind of room at a particular resort and are completely unwilling to think about anything…you’re setting your self up for disappointment.
With that stated, earlier than listening to the siren tune of free meals and immediately reserving this, it is best to actually examine this to the above-mentioned room-only reductions which might be accessible for many dates between now and October 3, 2024. The underrated upside to these is that they are often paired with the 4-Park Magic Low cost Walt Disney World Ticket, whereas you’re required to purchase a (full priced) Park Hopper ticket with Free Eating. As at all times, this particular supply is NOT free meals with no strings hooked up.
In the event you’re questioning why Free Eating is being provided for these dates however not others, the reply is at all times lodge occupancy. We wish to as soon as once more reiterate that Walt Disney World doesn’t supply any promotion out of company generosity. The Disney Eating Plan is “given away” to entice friends to journey at occasions of yr 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 Independence Day vacation and the guts of the summer time season. It’s as a result of occupancy is decrease! Summer time ceased being peak season a very long time in the past, and final yr’s Independence Day vacation was among the many slowest stretch of your complete summer time.
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 costlier (airfare, gasoline) usually. Many People additionally may actively keep away from these weeks due to the popularity that these are the height of the busy summer time season. (Not less than at Walt Disney World, they aren’t.) That perception coupled with a spike in rack charges that weekend may necessitate some discounting.
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 a fantastic deal. For a lot of households, taking the room-only low cost is superior. At all times do the mathematics, as a result of the comparative worth varies based mostly upon resort, occasion dimension, and consuming preferences.
In relation to doing the mathematics, I wish to put in a plug for reaching out to a journey agent. Any journey agent! As at all times, we’d suggest requesting a FREE no obligation quote from Be Our Visitor Holidays, an Licensed Disney Trip Planner and having them guide for you.
They’ll help you with the planning course of, make it easier to select essentially the most economical dates, greatest add-ons, and many others. Notably, in addition they monitor reservations and might retroactively apply new reductions if a higher deal is launched to save lots of you more cash. (A giant factor proper now, since higher offers preserve popping out and supplanting the previous ones!)
Equally as necessary, they’ll make it easier to with low cost comparability purchasing. As talked about above, there are a number of completely different reductions at present accessible for Walt Disney World in 2024, with extra prone to are available in June. What you see now isn’t essentially all the things that’ll be accessible to your journey dates–particularly in October, November or December 2024.
Walt Disney World makes these particular presents complicated on objective in order that comparability purchasing is tougher. That is executed in a bunch of little methods, which I assume is for advertising and marketing functions or to enchantment to completely different shopper psychologies. I actually don’t know. Regardless, we extremely suggest utilizing a journey agent–even when it’s not Be Our Visitor Holidays. (Simply don’t use a Large Field or MLM–see Why You Ought to Use A Disney Journey Agent for extra.)
For reference, listed below are package deal costs for varied resorts throughout early September 2024 journey dates for a celebration of two adults and 1 child:
It will be unattainable for me to run via the mathematics for everybody, so I’ll make some sweeping generalizations. Free Eating is prone to work greatest for the next visitor demographics:
- Virtually all households staying at Worth Resorts
- Most households in commonplace rooms at Reasonable Resorts
- Events of three or extra Disney Adults at Deluxe Resorts
Free Eating is prone to work worst for the next:
- Events of three or fewer at Deluxe Resorts
- {Couples} or solo vacationers at Reasonable Resorts
- Smaller events in Household Suites at Worth Resorts
From that, it is best to have a good sense of who advantages most and least from Free Eating. Principally, you wish to have a look at occasion dimension (the bigger, the higher!) and age (the older, the higher!), and room value (the decrease, the higher!). That’s just about it…however it sounds easier than it truly is.
You actually, really want to do the mathematics for your self to find out whether or not Free Eating is best for you. I can’t stress this sufficient. Although it’s the extra “boring” deal, the room-only low cost very nicely could be the higher selection for you. You additionally want to find out if the Disney Eating Plan is an efficient match to your consuming habits within the first place–not everybody dines in a method that’s conducive to the DDP!
Amongst a whole lot of Walt Disney World trip planners, there’s a way that every one of these issues are solely related to the paid Disney Eating Plan. However that’s not true, as reserving Free Eating comes on the expense of one other low cost. So it could not matter to a celebration of 4 staying on the All Stars, who’re apparent winners with Free Eating–however it does with the borderline instances.
There are many events who can be higher off by merely taking the room-only low cost–that’s at all times the case. Though it’s the “boring” low cost, we’re robust advocates of the room-only offers in borderline eventualities. Taking the up-front financial savings and never being “compelled” to purchase extras simply to (supposedly) save more cash is normally the easiest way to go if it’s a detailed name, in my view.
That’s much more true this go-round, as that 4-Park Magic Ticket is usually a nice choice for lots of households–and one that gives extra financial savings on high of the room-only low cost. With Free Eating, you received’t get monetary savings on tickets. Not solely are they full-priced, however you’re required to buy the Park Hopper choice…which you’ll not want!
Walt Disney World providing extra particular presents to most people is nice information, and definitively demonstrates that journey developments are normalizing now after working sizzling for method too lengthy. Throughout that interval of pent-up demand, Walt Disney World was capable of ‘get away’ with just about something and nonetheless see file visitor spending and insatiable demand. Shoppers now seem to as soon as once more have extra leverage, and corporations have to entice them to go to.
This must be an attention-grabbing saga to observe, and it’s nearly sure that we haven’t seen the top of Walt Disney World’s efforts to woo again former followers and pull “levers” to incentivize extra demand and visitor spending. If bookings stay mushy for the remainder of 2024, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see what kind of extra distinctive promotions are launched for October via December 2024. Or even when Walt Disney World releases extra for August and September–two months which might be traditionally the slowest of the yr and but, for some cause, solely are providing 1 week of Free Eating throughout this second wave.
It certain seems like issues are trending in the appropriate path for much more aggressive presents, which is why we anticipate to see a second wave of Free Eating together with different distinctive reductions and never simply room-only presents. We can be carefully monitoring what’s launched and will notify subscribers of our free e-mail publication when any Walt Disney World reductions are launched or rumored. Keep tuned!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study inns on our Walt Disney World Accommodations Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the things it is advisable know!
Your Ideas
What do you concentrate on these new Walt Disney World reductions? Shocked to see a ‘second wave’ of Free Eating for late 2024? Assume we may see much more Free Eating for August via November 2024 dates? Have you ever booked this Free Eating low cost or different offers for 2024? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
