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Disney World September Free Dining to be Released to General Public May 9



By Dave Shute

FREE DISNEY WORLD DINING

Update 5/9/13: This deal is now out! See this.

Chase Visa Disney World Free DiningThe Chase Disney Visa Walt Disney World Free Dining offer for the fall of 2013 came out this morning.

It notes (see the bottom of the image, in the red square; click it to enlarge) that this Disney World 2013 Free Dining offer will come out to the general public on May 9.

Arrival dates include September 2-25 2013; as usual in recent offers, value resorts get “Quick Service” Free Dining, and moderate and deluxe resorts get the regular Dining Plan for free.

Some resorts are excluded–particularly the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation.

A room rate deal for August 15-September 28 came out for Chase Disney Visa cardholders today as well, and this Disney World fall 2013 room rate deal also should open up to the general public on May 9.

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32 comments

1 tbuff { 05.06.13 at 2:05 pm }

what do you think the chances of free dining becoming available on or before the Saturday after Thanksgiving are? It has been offered in previous years, but I know the free dining wasn’t offered as much for the 2013 year so far.

2 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:13 am }

Tbuff, I don’t expect to see any more free dining in 2013 other than this September deal. For why, see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/02/07/2013-free-dining-mymagic-implications-disneys-q1-2013-earnings-call/

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3 Goofy { 05.06.13 at 2:10 pm }

Congratulations on your free breakfast 🙂

4 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:13 am }

🙂

5 JPate { 05.06.13 at 3:53 pm }

Yes I am interested just like (tbuff – 2 comments up) as to the possibility of free dining for the week after thanksgiving. I know you might not know yet but if they were to offer it when would the likely announcement be made? (June or later?)

6 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:19 am }

Jpate–same basic answer; if there is such an offering, it could be announced anytime from August til November…

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7 JPate { 05.06.13 at 4:17 pm }

Oh yes, also congrats on the dining-wars victory. Nothing against Dad but I am glad you were right.

8 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:19 am }

🙂

9 Carl { 05.06.13 at 4:46 pm }

Hey Dave, about that breakfast …

I’ll let you know the next time I’m in town.

What’s your favorite place for breakfast. (Good thing Victoria and Albert’s doesn’t do breakfast.)

10 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:20 am }

Hey Carl, you pick! I’m there 5-6 times a year, and with a few exceptions can schedule around your next visit to have our breakfast!

11 Anonymous { 05.06.13 at 6:29 pm }

COMPLETELY sick at my stomach about this! My family and I booked a moderate hotel, made character dining reservations etc. with the hopes that free dining would be offered in Oct. (as it has in years past). Any chance they would extend this offer into October or give any other discount for Oct 6-12?
Bummed in KY

12 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:20 am }

Hey, there’s a reasonable chance of a room rate deal then, but I’m not foreseeing any other 2013 free dining.

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13 Chelli { 05.06.13 at 11:28 pm }

Hi Dave! Love this sight!! We have booked for the 1st week of December, but with the discounts offered for September, considering moving our trip. Just want your opinion, would you risk moving it to peak hurricane season?

14 Dave { 05.07.13 at 9:23 am }

Hi Chelli! If this will be your only trip ever, I’d stick with December. If you can return (and hence make up later for any weather issues you face this year), then the hurricane risk is pretty small…

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15 Lisa { 05.07.13 at 1:17 pm }

Hi Dave. What is a good time to call Disney the morning of May 9 to secure free dining? We will be staying in a moderate hotel. Do you have any recommendations of which moderate hotel has the most free dining spots available? I plan to book the package today so I just have to call on Thursday. Any recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated. It will be our first WDW trip and I CAN’T WAIT!!

16 Dave { 05.07.13 at 2:52 pm }

Lisa, I don’t know–sometimes they start selling first thing, sometimes it’s later or late in the day…I’d try 7a if you can.

I don’t know whihc moderate will have the most free dining slots available. If I had to guess, it’d be one or both of Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs.

For my standard moderate recommendations for first timers see this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/03/25/walt-disney-worlds-moderate-resorts/ but for an important second opinion (also, curiously, from me!!) see this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/03/28/the-moderates-remix/

Hope this helps…

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17 tbuff { 05.07.13 at 1:59 pm }

Thank you, Dave. If “free dining” is too steep of a discount for them to offer, maybe they should consider giving a discount on the dining plan during the lower crowd times. I hope I can get some kind of deal!! Keeping my fingers crossed!

18 Dave { 05.07.13 at 2:57 pm }

Yo tbuff. The (stop here if you are easily bored) issues with free or lower-cost dining, compared to discounted room rates, which are more likely, are that an extra meal comes with a lot of incremental food and staff costs, while an incremental room has hardly any; some of the participants in the dining plan are not Disney owned-and operated, especially at Epcot and Downtown Disney, making the internal negotiations complicated, and free dining is a lot more complicated to deal with in the internal accounting….

19 Lisa { 05.07.13 at 3:35 pm }

Well, thanks for talking me out of a moderate! You make some good points. It was between the French Quarter or Pop Century…I think we’ll go with Pop. Just me and my friend going for a girls trip, first-time visitors. We will probably just upgrade our dining plan from the value plan.

Thank you for the tips!

20 Dave { 05.08.13 at 9:01 am }

You bet, Lisa, and have a great visit!!

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21 Sam { 05.07.13 at 7:13 pm }

Hello Dave,
With so many people taking advantage of these offers (Riverside Standard view is already booked up the last week of August), will the last week of August still see the low crowds it has in years past?

22 Dave { 05.08.13 at 9:07 am }

Sam, the occupancy of the resort hotels is not a crowd calendar. Even if as a result of these deals, they get 20 more points of occupancy, that’s just 6,000 more room nights, or 20,000 more people per day. Divided across 4 parks, the waterparks, Downtown Disney, Harry Potter, off days, etc., that’s just nothing…

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23 Ken { 05.08.13 at 2:33 am }

Congrats on the victory Dave! Thanks for all the advice! My wife and I have had Sept 21 penciled in since last November, so glad Disney came through. Now the only question is which resort to stay at! ;-?

24 Dave { 05.08.13 at 9:44 am }

Hey Ken, and thanks! I love breakfast, especially when it’s free!

See this for where to stay: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/where-to-stay/next-best-resort-choices/

Note that if its just you and your wife, and if you are targeting a deluxe, you’ll probably save more on the room rate deal than on free dining!!!

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25 Ken { 05.08.13 at 2:49 am }

By they way Dave, what is your favorite Quick Service meal and your favorite Table Service meal?
Just wondering?

26 Dave { 05.08.13 at 9:46 am }

Ken I dunno! For quick service it’d be a toss-up between Flame Tree Barbecue at AK and Pecos Bills at MK…Table service is a lot harder…but probably Hoop Dee Doo (can you tell i’m an 8-year-old boy at heart??

27 Kat { 05.08.13 at 1:07 pm }

When you say no specials on Art of animation does that include if your booked in the mermaid room there then you cant get the free dining meal special in September as well as room discounts or is it one or the other? Sorry for the confusion.

28 Dave { 05.09.13 at 8:20 am }

Kat the deals came out today, and Little Mermaid rooms aren’t eligible for either.

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29 Sara M { 01.19.14 at 10:05 am }

I am wondering what happens if our balance is paid in full but Disney offers Free Dining on our dates? How do they reimburse?

30 Dave { 01.20.14 at 6:20 am }

Sara, you would re-book into a new reservation, and cancel your old one. They would then refund the old reservation.

31 Sara M { 01.20.14 at 4:12 pm }

By check or right back onto our credit card?

32 Dave { 01.21.14 at 7:53 am }

Back to the credit card you booked on, Sara

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