Free Dining in Disney - What is this?

[douglas4315]

Can someone explain to me what the free dining is in Disney? I am seeing a lot on it but not sure what it is

 

[1000th happy haunt]

You get the Disney Dining Plan for free. It includes one table service meal, one counter service meal, and one snack for each night of your stay.

The only way you can get free dining is paying full rack rate for a room (no discounts), and purchase tickets for everyone staying in the room. DVC members are eligible, but only if they meet the full criteria. So no staying at a DVC on points, and no annual passes can be used to get free dining. However, you can use your ticket to upgrade to an annual pass later.

 

[corpcomp]

Another way to get free dining is to use the Disney Visa card from Chase. You can apply up to $750 in credits per year against your food or other purchases ar Disney. You get 1% of all your charges added to you account so if you charge $3000 per month, you get $30 in credits towards food. After a year it adds up.

 

[Muushka]

Another way to get free dining is to use the Disney Visa card from Chase. You can apply up to $750 in credits per year against your food or other purchases ar Disney. You get 1% of all your charges added to you account so if you charge $3000 per month, you get $30 in credits towards food. After a year it adds up.

Yes, but you still have to:

The only way you can get free dining is paying full rack rate for a room (no discounts), and purchase tickets for everyone staying in the room. DVC members are eligible, but only if they meet the full criteria. So no staying at a DVC on points, and no annual passes can be used to get free dining. However, you can use your ticket to upgrade to an annual pass later.

 

[ANTSS2001]

You get the Disney Dining Plan for free. It includes one table service meal, one counter service meal, and one snack for each night of your stay.

The only way you can get free dining is paying full rack rate for a room (no discounts), and purchase tickets for everyone staying in the room. DVC members are eligible, but only if they meet the full criteria. So no staying at a DVC on points, and no annual passes can be used to get free dining. However, you can use your ticket to upgrade to an annual pass later.

can someone explain the criteria to be eligible.. TIA

 

[kritter]

Wondering too!!!!

 

[NYMomof4]

Free dining is being offered from 8/26-9/22 this year. There is a limited # of rooms at each resort reserved for the free dining special. So you can't use DVC points and get free dining. You can book a package at any resort with availability for a minimum of 3 nights. Each person on the room will get free dining. Each person in the room has to add a 1-day ticket minimum with the reservation. I have an annual pass but last year I saved my 1-day pass and used it later towards my renewal for the AP. The 1-day tickets can be used later or each person can upgrade when they get there to add to the 1-day.

I'm doing a part DVC/part Free Dining trip in August.

 

[Caskbill]

The important thing is that you must pay full rack rate for the room. If you wanted to stay at a DVC resort for example, the full rack rate for a studio would be about $330/night, or roughly $1000 for the minimum 3 nights.

If you're a DVC member and use points for the room, it might be typically 12 points a night, where the dues on those points are about $4.50 each, so in dues, the 3 nights will cost a total of about $162. (4.50 x 12 x 3).

So the choice is to spend about $1000 and get 'free dining', OR spend about $162 and not get 'free dining'.

Paying rack rate at a DVC resort just to get free dining is a very poor choice.

Paying rack rate at a Value resort to get free dining for 4-people, could be a very good choice.

 

[NYMomof4]

I forgot to add that our package with Free Dining is at POR for 5 people (2 Adults, 2 juniors, 1 child) the total for 9 nights of free dining, 1-day tickets, and the room is $1800 and change. Four out of the five of us will get adult meals which would have been $39/each per day.

I agree that the best value for the free dining is at Values, or at POR for those with 5 people (especially if there are any kids over 9).