Hi, Beth! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel and thanks so much for stopping by with your question. What you have heard is partially correct in some instances. The big question I have for you is this - has your husband and the others booked a
Disney Resort Vacation Package with a Special Offer? If so, there are some stipulations that come with booking
Special Offers, such as every guest in the room must have the same package components to be able to take advantage of the offer. In the case of the truly magical Free Disney Dining Special Offer, there is a minimum ticket purchase that is required of each guest in the room. So, if the offer required at least a
4-Day Park Hopper Ticket for each guest, then your husband would be required to purchase at least the minimum ticket despite having an Annual Pass.
While he may not need the included ticket at this time, he could always link it to his My Disney Experience account and save it for a rainy day when the magic is calling and his Annual Pass has expired. Another option is that he could use his
Annual Passholder benefits to book a discounted Disney Resort Hotel room for this stay. In doing this, he could still include a Disney Dining Plan for everyone in the room and only the other guests would need to purchase tickets.
I hope this information helps clear up the ticketing confusion! Thanks again for stopping by and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Brandy