UPDATED November 7, 2025

On occasion, Disney offers the Disney Dining Plan to guests for FREE with the purchase of a paid Walt Disney World Vacation Package (Disney World Resort hotel room and theme park tickets). Nicknamed “Free Dining” by Disney fans, this is easily one of Disney World’s most popular promotions!

The Disney Dining Plan allows guests to pre-pay for their meals and then use the “credits” when dining at Disney World. The credits are encoded on your MagicBand / MagicBand+, Disney MagicMobile pass, or RFID-enabled Key to the World card, which is also your room key.

When paying for food at a Disney restaurant, your server will scan your MagicBand or Key to the World card. Simply inform him or her that you are paying with Dining Plan credits instead of paying with cash. Dining Plan credits will be deducted from your account.

Free Disney Dining Plan NEWS: FREE Disney Dining for KIDS is coming in 2026! 

What is Free Dining? 

Free Dining is exactly what it sounds like – you receive a Disney Dining Plan for free when you purchase a Walt Disney World Vacation Package (including Disney World Resort hotel stay and park tickets) at full price.

Guests staying at a Moderate or Deluxe Resort hotel typically receive the Standard Disney Dining Plan, while guests at Value Resort hotels typically receive the Quick Service Dining Plan (with the option to upgrade, if desired). The free dining offer cannot be combined with any other offers so you will be paying full “rack rates” for your resort hotel room. Also, a minimum stay is required when you take advantage of the free dining offer. You must be staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel in order to purchase a Disney Dining Plan (including the free dining offer).

Below you will first see the CURRENT Free Dining Promotions which are now available for booking. Underneath the current offers, you can see Previous Free Dining Releases so you can get an idea of what has been available over the years (and when) along with requirements for booking for your reference.

Finally on this page, you can find TIPS for how to score Free Dining by being in the loop for any upcoming promotions!

Free Dining Offers — CURRENT Promotions

2026 Free Disney Dining  for Kids

Free Disney Dining for kids is coming in 2026! Throughout 2026, kids can dine for free! When staying at one of the Disney World resorts, you can qualify for a free Disney dining package for kids aged 3-9 when you purchase a Dining Plan with your vacation package for other members of your party. (P.S. This deal can be combined with other select special offers, so you can get even more savings!) Find ALL of the details about FREE DINING for kids HERE!

2026 Free Disney Dining for United Kingdom and Ireland Residents

United Kingdom and Ireland residents can enjoy FREE Dining in 2026! In order to qualify for the FREE Disney Dining & Drinks Package, you must stay in a Disney Resort hotel, and EVERYONE in your party will enjoy the free Disney Dining Plan (worth €1,273 per adult). Inclusions vary by Resort Tier: Guests who book a Value Resort receive one meal and one specialty drink with that meal per night; Guests who book a Moderate Resort receive the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan; Guests who book a Deluxe Resort receive the Standard Disney Dining Plan.

This package must be booked by November 5th, 2025. This deal is good for most stays throughout 2026, from January 7th to December 19th, 2026.

Free Dining Offers — Previous Releases

We’re sharing information below on previous Free Dining releases so you can get an idea when previous deals were dropped and any requirements for booking:

2025 Free Disney Dining — Booking Window Has Expired

From March 27th through early May, guests could get the Disney Dining Plan for free when booking a Disney World vacation package. This offer required booking a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Disney World vacation package that included a room at select Disney World hotels, as well as a theme park ticket with the Disney Park Hopper option. The deal is for arrivals for most nights from:

• June 29th to September 30th, 2025
• October 20th to November 1st, 2025
• December 6th to December 22nd, 2025

Although the deal was for a minimum of four nights, you could also book a longer vacation and get the dining plan for free for the entirety of your stay. 

Two Disney Dining Plans are available and the one you receive depends on the hotel where you’re staying. You’ll get the standard Disney Dining Plan if you’re staying at Disney World’s deluxe hotels. However, if you book a moderate or value hotel, you’ll get the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan for free.

Disney Visa Cardholder Exclusive Offer — Booking Window Has Expired

From March 20th through March 26th, 2025 Disney Visa cardholders had exclusive access to a deal that got them the Disney Dining Plan for free.

Cardholders were required to book a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Disney World package that included a room at select Disney World hotels and a theme park ticket with a Park Hopper option. The deal was for arrivals most nights from:

• June 29 to September 30, 2025
• October 20 to November 1, 2025
• December 6 to December 22, 2025

There are two Disney Dining Plans, and which one you received for free depended on the hotel where you stay. If you booked a Deluxe Resort Hotel, you received the standard Disney Dining Plan:

And if you booked a Value or Moderate Hotel, you received a free Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan.

2025

2024

In January 2024, Disney+ subscribers could get the Disney Dining Plan for FREE for select dates when they purchased a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Travel Company package. The package was required to include a room at a select Disney hotel and Park Hopper theme park ticket. This deal was available for trips most nights from July 1st to September 30th, 2024, and was bookable through February 14th, 2024.

Disney Visa Cardmembers could get a FREE Disney Dining Plan! The deal applied to select arrival dates in July, September, and December 2024, and the booking was required to include a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day (or longer) Disney Travel Company Package with the Park Hopper option. 

Those staying at value and moderate hotels who purchased Park Hopper tickets got a free Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan while those staying at deluxe hotels who purchased Park Hopper tickets got a free Disney Dining Plan.

To book the deal, Disney Visa Cardmembers were required to use their Disney Visa Card to purchase a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day (or longer) Walt Disney Travel Company package that included a room at a select Disney Resort hotel and a theme park ticket with a Park Hopper option—for arrivals most nights from:

• July 1 to July 31, 2024
• September 1 to September 7, 2024
• December 9 to December 21, 2024

2020

Disney World’s Free Dining 2020 offer was available for the following dates: June 27-28; July 5-7; August 29-September 8. You can find all the details on our Free Dining Offer page. In 2019, the Free Dining Offer had TWO releases — one for summer and early fall (released in January 2019), and another for the later fall and winter months (released in July 2019).

2019

2019 differed from previous years, which had typically seen the release of one Free Dining offer in the early spring. For instance, in 2018 it was announced in late April for dates in late summer, fall, and early winter (before the holiday season). The dates normally began in late August and ran through September, October, most of November (excluding Thanksgiving week), and the early part of December (excluding the week of Christmas).

Historically, free dining has not previously been offered in the summer months. When free dining originally hit the scene, it was a way to get guests to visit Disney World during the “off” season, and summer is not considered an “off” season. However, as you can see from above, a new pattern appears to be emerging. We will continue to update this page and our current Free Dining Offer page as further information becomes available.

Hey, DFB… Do You Have Any TIPS for scoring Free Dining!

Yep!

1. Watch the DisneyWorld.com Special Offers Page

The Special Offers page is where you’ll find all the current room discounts and other special offers for Disney World – including Free Dining when it is announced! As soon as the Free Dining offer is announced it’ll be listed on the Special Offers page with details on the travel dates, restrictions, and much more.

We also keep track here on the DFB of all current promotions and discounts.

Be sure to read the fine print for length of stay requirements, which hotels are excluded from the Free Dining offer, and what dining plans are available based on which hotel you choose. For example, guests staying at Deluxe resorts are often offered the free Standard Disney Dining Plan, while guests at Moderate and Value resorts are often offered the Quick-Service Disney Dining Plan for free.

Additionally, some Resort hotels OR specific Room Categories may be ineligible for the Free Dining Plan promotion. These often include — but may not be limited to — the Fort Wilderness campsites, 3-bedroom Disney Vacation Club villas, the Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows .

2. Join the DFB Newsletter and DFB Social Media Channels for Breaking News

Here at DFB we are always watching for details on when Free Dining is coming and we’ll post information AS SOON AS we hear about it! If you want to stay on top of the Free Dining Plan info and release dates, sign up for our newsletter! We’ll let you know as soon as booking is available for Free Dining. And be sure to follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram for updates, too!

3. Book NOW with a Travel Agent so they can update your reservation FOR YOU when Free Dining is released.

Book your trip NOW with a travel agent. If you already have your trip booked when Free Dining comes out, your travel agent may be able to add free dining to your package (if applicable) without you having to lift a finger!! Our favorite people over at Small World Vacations are ready to help you save time, headaches, and best of all, money, when you book. They’re the recommended agency for me, personally, and for Disney Food Blog.

There is typically a VERRRRY limited number of rooms available during Free Dining — and if recent years are any indication, they’ll go very quickly! A travel agent can both discount hunt for you to make sure you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck, and be on the phone or computer at 6AM (or earlier) to add Free Dining to your package when/if it comes out. (Remember, too, that on Free Dining morning, hold wait times when calling the Walt Disney World Booking number can be hours. Why wait yourself when your travel agent can be doing that for you??)

So book that trip now, then sit back and relax! Click here for a no obligation price quote today from Small World Vacations, and let them know DFB sent you 🙂

4. Look for Disney Visa Cardholder Access

Disney Visa Cardholders have sometimes been the first to get access to Free Dining before it is announced to the general public, and have even had their own specific promotion (as was the case in 2024). If you’re a Disney Visa Cardholder keep an eye on your inbox for that Free Dining email. This doesn’t happen every year, but it has happened enough that it’s still worth checking!

Is Free Dining a Good Deal?

The short answer is yes, it is usually a good deal, especially when the prices on the Disney Dining Plan see an increase, so a free dining offer will likely save you money. But remember that you’ll be paying the “rack rate” (non-discounted rate) for your hotel room so that will be the most expensive component of your trip. Check out our Disney Dining Plan FAQ page for more information on the Disney Dining Plan. And keep an eye on the Disney Food Blog for news about the next Free Dining Offer!