FREE DINING at Disney World in Fall 2014

The question that has been buzzing around for months is, “Will Disney offer free dining again?” The answer is here and it is YES!

The offer is currently only available to Disney Visa cardholders, but will be extended to the public soon (possibly in just a few days).

Guests of select Value Resorts receive the Quick Service Dining Plan and Deluxe and Moderate Resort Hotel guests receive a standard Dining Plan. Dining Plan upgrades are available by paying the difference.

This lunch from the Be Our Guest Restaurant was our favorite. It would have been $11.99, but it was free! Slow-cooked pork with vegetables and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beans jardiniere

Last year, my family and I visited Disney World and took advantage of the Free Dining offer. We stayed at an All-Star resort, so each of us (age 3+) got a refillable mug (you can refill it at your resort hotel for free during your stay), 2 quick-service meals each day (including a drink and a dessert), and a daily snack. They don’t expire at the end of a day. Each meal/snack will be deducted from your total dining plan. (For example, if you’re staying for 5 days, you get 10 meal credits and 5 snack credits. One day, we didn’t all get a snack, so on the last day, I grabbed two–that sort of thing.)

With the free dining plan, we tried more foods that we would have otherwise, and I LOVE trying Park food. If we’d been paying for the food, we’d maybe buy one snack to share in a day, but we certainly would not have each gotten one, and I know we wouldn’t have gotten dessert at every meal! So, it was fun to try new foods and to see the total be $0 on the receipt!

If you’ve been on the fence about a Disney World vacation, maybe this is a game-changer for you. Sometimes the resorts will offer percentages off of their stays, so in the end, I’m not sure what is a better value for you–free dining or a good resort discount offer–but I like getting something tangible with my savings. It adds to the magic for me! My husband and I will be booking a trip through Disney on a Dollar! Let the countdown begin soon!

Here is a glimpse at some of our Free Dining choices from September 2013.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcake – Pizza Planet

Antipasto Salad – Pizza Planet

Chicken Sandwich, Corn on the Cob, Carrot Cake, Taco Salad, Yogurt, Drinks – Pecos Bill’s

Kids’ Meal Turkey Sandwich, Grapes, Applesauce (also got a cookie) – Pecos Bills

Onion Cheese Angus Burger, Fries, Banana Parfait – Rosie’s All-American Cafe

Kids’ Meal Mac and Cheese, Applesauce, Carrots, Mac and Cheese Hot Dog with Truffle Oil, Chips, Banana Parfait – Fairfax Fare

Apple Strudels with Vanilla Sauce – Germany Sommerfest

Mango and Chocolate Gelato – Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (not a good pic, but the mango is so good)

Pork Shank – Gaston’s Tavern

Our favorite snack: LeFou’s Brew (“no-sugar added frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow, topped with all-natural passion fruit-mango foam”) – Gaston’s Tavern